Participants:
Series Code: FGW
Program Code: FGW000038A
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00:26 Welcome to each and every one of you,
00:28 here at our 3ABN studios 00:30 and those who are watching around the world 00:33 or listening wherever you may be, 00:35 want to give you a very, very warm welcome 00:36 to this new six part series in time, 00:40 love and loyalty where we're going to unpack 00:43 six all important topics on how to prepare 00:46 for the soon return of Jesus. 00:49 The opening message I've entitled 00:51 "The Secret to Peace and Happiness." 00:53 I wanna begin by reflecting on a Time magazine front cover 00:57 from 50 years or so ago. 01:00 Back in 1966, April 8, 01:03 Time magazine put out a fascinating cover. 01:06 "Is God Dead?" 01:08 was the title in the midst of a time 01:10 when they were great changes 01:12 taking place in the world 01:13 and I find it fascinating now 50 years on almost exactly, 01:19 we have this front cover of Time magazine 01:22 that came out on April 3, 01:23 2017, "Is Truth Dead?" 01:26 so as we take a look at this title "Is Truth Dead?" 01:31 And the story was highlighting President Donald Trump 01:34 and his take on truth in this post truth world. 01:38 The question is being asked, can we know for certain 01:41 what is right and what is wrong? 01:43 Can we know what is true and what isn't true? 01:47 It's true today we live in a post truth world 01:50 where truth today is very much relative. 01:53 We live in what I like to call the age of Nike. 01:57 You know what Nike is famous for? 01:59 It's famous for its logo, just do it. 02:02 And we live in a day and age 02:04 where people are here for a good time 02:07 and not necessarily a long time. 02:08 I remember hearing of this website, 02:10 and I was very distressed by this website, 02:13 specifically targeting married men 02:16 and married women. 02:17 And the website was entitled, 02:22 "Have an Affair, Have an Affair." 02:25 Life is short, have an affair. 02:27 And that's the kind of world we are living in today. 02:30 Today we find ourselves in a world 02:31 where "Moral standards which ones were rock solid 02:35 are now non-existent." 02:37 And I wanna share with you what I consider to be 02:39 the downward spiral of morality based on these standards 02:43 that once were rock solid, 02:45 but are now almost non-existent. 02:46 Let me share this with you and you tell me 02:49 if you think that this is the way 02:51 things have been going. 02:53 The downward spiral of morality. 02:55 Firstly, immoral acts are abhorred, 03:00 then they are tolerated, then they are accepted, 03:04 then they are promoted 03:06 and finally immoral acts are defended. 03:09 This is the day and age that you and I are living in. 03:12 Once upon a time was considered very wrong, 03:16 today is considered just different 03:18 and a different way of doing things. 03:21 I remember hearing the first time 03:24 that Hollywood sent their cameras 03:26 into the bedroom to film 03:28 a husband and a wife sitting in bed together 03:31 with their pajamas. 03:33 There was an outcry, 03:35 how dare Hollywood take their cameras 03:37 into the sanctity of the bedroom 03:40 and film a couple in their bed together 03:43 in their pajamas. 03:46 Well, as Hollywood goes into more than just a bedroom 03:49 filled with individuals who have their pajamas on, 03:52 things have completely changed. 03:54 And so today we're living in a world 03:57 where the moral compass 04:01 has been thrown out the window, 04:04 and we find ourselves in a state of confusion. 04:07 Today ourselves, our society, 04:09 I would say has turned its back on God 04:13 and his moral standards. 04:15 This was a billboard 04:18 before the 2016 census 04:21 that took place here in Australia, 04:23 a national census and this was a billboard 04:25 that was advertising, "Not religious anymore? 04:30 Mark 'No religion' on the 2016 census." 04:35 There was a campaign to encourage 04:38 those who are no longer religious 04:41 to tick the not religious box which happened to be 04:44 at the top of the religious section 04:47 on our census in 2016. 04:50 I found it fascinating that 04:52 when the census results came through, 04:54 there was an article in the ABC News, 04:58 June 27, 2017 with this title. 05:02 "Census results, Australians are older, 05:05 ethnically diverse, and losing their religion." 05:09 Well, I wasn't too surprised about the ethnic diversity 05:12 here in Australia, 05:14 and I certainly wasn't surprised 05:15 that Australians are getting older. 05:17 I think most western countries are experiencing this. 05:21 But it was quite interesting to notice that 05:23 according to the census data 05:25 that we are losing our religion, 05:28 and this was a graph in that particular article 05:31 and I want to share it with you. 05:33 Notice here, this is a graph taking us back 05:35 from 1966 to 2016, so a 50 year period. 05:40 Incidentally, that were the two Time magazines 05:43 that we looked at earlier on, looking at this 50 year gap. 05:48 Christianity or those 05:50 who claimed to be Christians in 1966, 05:53 the numbers were around 90%. 05:56 By 2016, those numbers had gone down to 50%. 06:01 So a 40% drop in 50 years 06:04 of those who claim to be Christian, 06:06 whereas those who claimed no religion, 06:09 that number went from almost 0%, 06:12 maybe 1 or 2%, all the way up to 30%. 06:16 And so today, that's the day and age 06:18 that you and I are living in. 06:20 We are living in a day and age 06:22 where people no longer are affiliated 06:25 with a particular faith or religion, 06:28 where people do not necessarily have 06:30 religious views and convictions and morals 06:34 that they run their lives by. 06:36 Arnold Toynbee, he was a historian, 06:40 a very famous historian, 06:41 he's passed away a number of years ago, 06:44 but he was a famous historian, 06:45 and he is famous for this epic series 06:49 on world history entitled, 06:52 "A Study of History, 06:54 Why Do They Disintegrate and Collapse?" 06:57 Before we take a look at 06:59 one of these major conclusions, 07:01 I just want to share with you 07:02 a little bit on this 12 volume study. 07:05 Arnold Toynbee looked at history, 07:09 he looked at 19 civilizations that have arisen to ascendancy, 07:14 but then they have fallen and completely become 07:18 crushed and obsolete. 07:20 And he took a look at these 19 civilizations 07:22 and he took a look from, from their development 07:25 all the way through to their decay 07:27 and he took a look at 07:28 what were some of the major factors. 07:30 A number of factors were listed. 07:32 And one of the primary reasons why these past civilizations, 07:37 some of them wonderful, great civilization, 07:39 including the Roman Empire not only decay, 07:45 but were eventually destroyed was through this 07:48 and these are his own words, 07:50 "Lawlessness leads to destruction." 07:53 These are the words of Arnold Toynbee 07:55 who studied these world historical empires 08:01 over a long period of time, 08:03 and he wrote this 12 volume series. 08:06 Jesus, in fact, shared the same thing with us 08:08 2000 years ago. 08:10 Well, before Arnold Toynbee came on to the scene, 08:13 these are the words of Jesus in Matthew Chapter 24. 08:16 Matthew 24 is a passage 08:18 where Jesus outlines the history of the world 08:22 from His day all the way 08:24 through to the end of time, 08:25 including the history of the Jewish nation 08:28 from His day all the way through 08:30 to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 08:33 Notice what Jesus had to say in Matthew 24:12, 08:37 "And because lawlessness will abound," 08:40 notice the next words, 08:42 notice the result when lawlessness abounds, 08:48 the love of many will do," what? 08:50 Will grow cold, 08:52 "The love of many will grow cold." 08:54 So when there is lawlessness, 08:56 the natural progression is that 08:59 the love of many grows cold. 09:03 Now, what kind of love was Jesus here referring to? 09:07 The Greeks had four main words for the word love, 09:11 and I'll have them up here on the screen for you. 09:14 The first one is Phileo, 09:16 which is love between close friends. 09:18 The second one is Storge, love between family members. 09:23 Then you have the word Eros, 09:26 we get the word erotic in English 09:28 from that and that is sensual or romantic love. 09:31 And then finally we have the word Agape, 09:34 the fourth Greek word 09:36 and that is referring to God's love, 09:39 God's immeasurable, 09:40 incomparable love for humankind. 09:43 Agape love is perfect, unconditional, sacrificial, 09:46 and pure love. 09:47 This is the love that Jesus was speaking of. 09:51 When Jesus said, 09:52 "The love of many will grow cold 09:55 when lawlessness abounds." 09:56 What Jesus was saying is that the natural consequence, sadly, 10:02 of lawlessness will be that genuine love, 10:06 that Agape love. 10:07 That's the word there that is used, 10:09 that Agape love, that unconditional love 10:13 between God and humanity, 10:16 between humans that will grow cold 10:20 when God's law, 10:22 when God law goes out the window. 10:25 So let's take a look at what I consider to be exhibit A 10:30 of that unconditional love here amongst society. 10:36 This is a picture here of my grandparents. 10:40 Here they are, my grandparents. 10:42 This picture here on your left 10:44 is taken a few years ago when they were celebrating 10:48 their 483rd birthday together. 10:51 That's not a bad innings, is it? 10:54 Not quite, granddad, he's 83, 10:58 grandma, she's 84. 11:00 So we put it all together and yeah, 11:02 we had a big celebration for them, 11:04 their birthdays are 10 days apart in June. 11:07 And so we had a wonderful celebration. 11:09 That picture there on your right 11:11 was taken three years ago, 11:13 when they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. 11:17 Can you believe being married 11:19 to the same person for 70 years? 11:21 That's quite amazing, isn't it? 11:22 Some people don't even live to 70, 11:25 let alone are married for 70 years. 11:28 I mean, they were married at an early age. 11:31 Granddad was 17 and grandma was 18 11:34 when they got married there in a village in Macedonia 11:39 and as far as they're concerned, 11:41 their love was to remain until the day they died. 11:45 They were true to their commitment, 11:47 they were true to one another 11:50 and they've been through some difficult times, 11:52 many challenging times. 11:54 But through them all, they made a decision 11:56 that they were going to stick it out, 11:57 they were going to encourage one another 11:59 and help one another. 12:00 That is that love. 12:02 That is that genuine love. 12:03 Sadly, there isn't that much of that today. 12:06 And I don't need to remind you of the sadness 12:09 and the heartache that many families today 12:12 are experiencing. 12:13 Many couples are experiencing, many children are experiencing 12:16 due to the love of many growing cold. 12:18 Here is a picture of our entire family. 12:22 We got together and we had a wonderful time. 12:25 Celebration is almost, 12:29 well there's over 40 members of the family now. 12:32 Grandma and granddad had five children 12:34 and 11 grandchildren. 12:36 And then they had 13 great granddaughters 12:39 in a row waiting for their first great 12:42 grandson who finally arrived, number 14, 12:45 and there's another one on the way 12:47 and two more twin great granddaughters coming up 12:51 before the end of the year. 12:53 So they'll have 17 great grandchildren. 12:56 And I mean it's wonderful to hang out 12:57 with my grandparents. 12:59 I love spending time with them because when I am with them, 13:03 they show me just the way they live, 13:05 the way they interact with one another. 13:08 They show me what true love is 13:10 and they've been married for so long. 13:12 I remember one time 13:13 I'll just tell you this funny story. 13:15 One time I asked my grandma, 13:18 I said, "What's the secret? 13:19 What's the secret to being married for so long, 13:22 70 years?" 13:23 And she looked at me and with a smile, 13:25 she said, "Oh, my son." 13:27 She said, "You know, 13:29 your grandfather's pretty much deaf." 13:32 And I said, "Yes, I know." 13:33 So that's part of the secret, that's part of a secret. 13:39 So what's it like as we ask this 13:42 all important next question? 13:45 What is the God given recipe for peace, 13:48 love and true happiness? 13:49 That's what we wanna find out in this presentation today 13:54 and we're going to pause and we're gonna ask God, 13:56 the God of the Bible to bless our time together 13:58 as we seek to understand what His plans 14:00 and His purposes are for discovering 14:03 how we can have peace and happiness in our lives, 14:06 which is what everyone is seeking for. 14:08 So let's just pause and pray for a moment. 14:10 Father in heaven, we want to thank You so much 14:12 for Your Word. 14:13 We recognize that we're living in a world 14:15 where things are falling apart, 14:18 things are crumbling all around us. 14:20 Those most important and precious relationships 14:24 are just falling apart and we need something 14:27 to hold us together. 14:29 We need something to hold our communities, 14:31 our families together. 14:32 And so we are asking and praying that 14:35 as we open Your Word today, that you'll speak to us 14:39 words of wisdom, words of grace, 14:41 words of truth, 14:43 for You have promised in Your Word 14:44 that Your Word is truth. 14:46 So bless us we pray in Jesus' name, 14:49 amen and amen. 14:51 Well, I want to begin by going to the Book of Revelation 14:53 as we unpack what scripture has to say 14:56 regarding God's perfect plan for peace and happiness. 15:00 The Book of Revelation 15:01 has what is called the three angels' messages, 15:06 these three angels' messages, 15:09 God's final message of love to the world 15:12 needs to go to the entire world 15:14 and when these three 15:16 all important messages are shared 15:18 with the entire world, 15:19 then the Bible says in Revelation Chapter 14, 15:21 Jesus will come. 15:23 So these three angels' messages prepare the entire world 15:27 for the second coming of Jesus, 15:28 and notice how 15:29 the first angel's message begins. 15:32 John writes, "Then I saw another angel 15:35 flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel 15:38 to preach to those who dwell on the earth, 15:40 to every nation, tribe, tongue and people." 15:43 Notice, this message is the everlasting gospel. 15:47 Jesus in Matthew 24:14, He told us, 15:50 "And this gospel of the kingdom will go 15:52 to all the world as a witness to all the nations," 15:55 and what will happen then? 15:57 The end will come. 15:58 So this is the gospel that Jesus said, 16:01 must go to the whole world 16:03 before He returns in an end time context. 16:07 And notice how the first angel 16:09 begins sharing the everlasting gospel, 16:13 the everlasting good news about God and His love, 16:16 and His willingness to save all of humanity, 16:20 that all be saved and none perish. 16:22 Notice the first words of the the angel 16:26 as he shares this message 16:27 that needs to go to the whole world. 16:29 In Revelation 14:7, we read, "Saying with a loud voice..." 16:34 Those words they are loud voice in the original. 16:37 In other words, megaphone, this is a megaphone voice, 16:40 this is not a whisper. 16:42 This is a message that needs to be proclaimed 16:46 in a loud voice to the whole world. 16:48 "Fear God and give glory to Him, 16:51 for the hour of His judgment has come, 16:53 and worship Him who made heaven and earth, 16:55 the sea and the springs of water." 16:57 Notice those first two words, fear God, fear God. 17:01 Now, when it comes to fearing God, 17:05 does this mean that we ought to be afraid of God? 17:07 Is God someone to be afraid of? 17:10 The last time I checked my Bible, 17:12 Jesus came, and He said, "I'm a friend of sinners." 17:15 Jesus came, and He was welcomed by the people 17:19 that He came to save, 17:22 those that were focused 17:24 on having a relationship with Him. 17:26 God is not someone to be afraid of. 17:28 God is someone to be a friend of. 17:30 So what does the Bible mean when it says, fear God? 17:34 Well, let's unpack what these words mean. 17:37 In other parts of the Bible, we have a definition 17:41 and we have some, some more clarification 17:44 on what it means to be fear God. 17:46 Notice these words 17:48 that we find in Deuteronomy 10:12-13. 17:52 "What does the Lord your God require of you," 17:54 but to do what? 17:56 "To fear the Lord your God," 17:58 there are those words again repeated, 18:00 "TO walk in all his ways, and to love Him, 18:03 to serve the Lord your God with all your heart 18:06 and with all your soul, 18:07 and to keep the commandments of the Lord 18:09 and His statutes 18:10 which I command you for your good?" 18:13 This is a beautiful passage and a beautiful definition of 18:16 what it means to fear God. 18:18 To fear the Lord, it means to love Him, 18:21 it means to serve Him with all of your heart. 18:24 It means to keep His commandments, 18:27 and His statutes 18:29 which ultimately are for your good 18:31 and my good always. 18:34 That's what it means to fear God. 18:35 It means to honor Him, to Reverence him, 18:38 and to do that which He has invited us to do 18:41 which is for our good. 18:44 In Deuteronomy 6:24, we read these words, 18:47 "The Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes 18:51 to fear the Lord," there are those words again, 18:53 "to fear the Lord our God for our good," 18:55 how often? 18:59 "For our good always." 19:01 When you and I drive on the road, 19:04 as we drove to this venue here today, 19:08 we came across various traffic signals, 19:12 isn't that right? 19:13 Along the way, we came across stop signs, 19:15 give way signs, traffic lights, whatever the case may be, 19:21 why are they there? 19:22 They are there to protect us. 19:24 Isn't that right? 19:25 That's what the laws on the road are there for, 19:28 they are there to protect us so that we can safely navigate 19:32 from home to wherever our destination may be. 19:36 Today, we have also laws and we always have had laws 19:40 in physics and in science. 19:43 There are laws that govern the solar system 19:46 and our universe. 19:47 There are laws of health. 19:50 If you and I, 19:51 if you and I respect the laws of health, 19:53 we are more likely to live a happy 19:56 and a healthy life, isn't that right? 19:58 Than if we disrespect the laws of health. 20:02 Then there are laws when it comes to happy families 20:05 and happy marriages. 20:07 Then there are also laws when it comes to finances. 20:10 So whichever way we look, 20:13 we discover that laws are put in place 20:17 in order to bring us happiness, 20:19 in order to bring us peace, in order to bring us joy, 20:22 in order to bring us satisfaction, 20:26 in order that you and I 20:27 may enjoy a holistic life. 20:30 That is the reason why we have laws 20:33 and the reason why God has given us His laws. 20:36 The reason why He has given us His Word 20:38 is for that same reason, for our good always. 20:41 Notice some more scriptures. 20:44 In Proverbs 29:18, we read these words, 20:48 "Happy is he who keeps the law." 20:51 Here is another passage from Psalm 119:165, 20:56 "Great peace have those who love your law, 20:59 and nothing causes them to stumble." 21:01 So God's plan is for us to have peace, 21:04 for us to have happiness. 21:05 Here is another, in John 15:10, the words of Jesus, 21:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, 21:14 just as I have kept my Father's commandments 21:16 and abide in His love." 21:18 Notice, by keeping the commandments of God, 21:23 just as Jesus kept His Father's commandments, 21:25 we abide in the love of Christ, 21:29 we are one with Christ. 21:32 Love is the very foundation of God's government. 21:37 The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8, 21:41 "That God is love." 21:44 Not that God loves, but that God is love. 21:48 The very essence of God is love. 21:52 The most powerful force in the universe 21:56 is the love of God. 21:57 It's more powerful than any other substance 22:01 in the universe, the greatest force, 22:03 the greatest power is God's love. 22:07 Let me share with you something regarding God's love 22:11 and God's law. 22:13 Notice, up here on the screen, we have scriptures 22:17 that describe God and who He is, 22:21 and God's law and what it is. 22:24 And you'll discover the incredible, 22:26 the incredible parallels and similarities 22:29 between God and His law. 22:31 The Bible says God is love. 22:33 The Bible says His law is love. 22:36 The Bible says God is good. 22:38 The Bible says God's law is good. 22:40 And there are those scriptures that you can look up. 22:42 God is holy and perfect, and pure and just 22:47 and so is His law. 22:49 God is true and spiritual, and righteous, 22:52 faithful and unchangeable, eternal, and so is God's law. 22:57 So whatever God is, His law is. 23:00 In other words, 23:02 God's law is a transcript 23:05 of His character. 23:09 God's character is His law. 23:12 It's who He is. 23:14 And in fact, we ought not be surprised, 23:17 because the constitution, 23:20 the laws that govern a particular country 23:24 will determine 23:25 whether that country is a place worth living in or not, 23:28 isn't that right? 23:29 There are people around the world 23:32 that risk life and limb 23:34 including many that have tried desperately 23:38 to make the trek from their homeland 23:41 across the waters to Australia. 23:43 We call them boat people here in Australia, 23:46 or refugees in other parts of the world. 23:48 They risk life and limb to leave their homes 23:52 where there is war, where there is lawlessness, 23:56 where there is oppression, where there is religious 23:58 and political persecution in order to go to a country 24:03 where they can have pace, where there are laws, 24:08 where there is a freedom to worship, 24:12 and freedom to have political rights 24:14 and so on and so forth. 24:16 So today, we live in a country that is blessed 24:20 because of our laws because of our constitution. 24:22 And so the commandments of God are the constitution of heaven. 24:27 We will discover the constitution 24:29 of the very universe. 24:31 Now let's take a look, a closer look at this idea 24:36 the Bible shares that God is love. 24:40 On one particular occasion, 24:42 we discover in Matthew 22:36-40, 24:46 a religious lawyer, an expert in the law of Moses, 24:50 in particular, the Ten Commandments, 24:53 he came to Jesus on one occasion, 24:55 and this is what Matthew records, 24:58 "Teacher is what he asked, 25:01 which is the great commandment in the law," 25:03 and he's speaking of the Ten Commandments 25:05 in particular. 25:06 "And Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord 25:08 your God with all your heart, with all your soul, 25:11 and with all your mind.' 25:12 This is the first and great commandment. 25:14 And the second is like it, 25:16 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 25:19 On these two commandments hang all the law 25:23 and the prophets.'" 25:24 This is a very powerful scripture. 25:26 Here, Jesus summarized the entirety 25:31 of not only who He is, 25:34 not only what His aim is for humanity, 25:37 but what God's plan is for the entire world 25:42 in order for there to be peace, 25:44 happiness, joy, and security. 25:47 Let's unpack this. 25:50 Firstly, the Bible tells us that God is love. 25:54 That's what the Bible says, God is love. 25:55 1 John 4:8, Jesus said, 25:58 "You show the love of God 26:00 by showing love towards God, 26:02 love the Lord your God with all your heart, 26:04 and love your neighbor as yourself." 26:06 Love towards God, 26:07 love towards your fellow human being. 26:10 Well, how do we show love towards God? 26:12 We show love towards God 26:14 by keeping those first four commandments. 26:16 How do we show love towards one another? 26:19 By keeping the next six commandments 26:21 which pertain to our relationship 26:23 with one another. 26:24 Well, what did Jesus say on these two hang all the what? 26:28 All the law and the prophets. 26:31 Now what are all the law and the prophets? 26:33 That's the entirety of Scripture. 26:35 That's another way of saying, the whole Bible. 26:38 So the whole Bible is summed up in 26:43 love the Lord your God with all your heart, 26:46 and love your neighbor as yourself, 26:49 which shared in more detail in those first four, 26:54 and in the last six commandments 26:55 on those two tablets of stone. 26:58 So can you see this entirety of God's law? 27:01 This is the very foundation of not only the universe, 27:06 but this is the very foundation for happiness, 27:09 peace and security. 27:12 As we continue, we discover that God gave us 27:17 the Ten Commandments, 27:18 and He wrote them on two tablets of stone, 27:22 and He wrote them with His very own finger, 27:26 and He placed them in the ark, 27:30 the Ark of the Covenant. 27:33 This was to be placed in the most holy place. 27:37 It was placed in the most holy place 27:39 there in the sanctuary, 27:41 and the Ark of the Covenant 27:43 represented the very throne room of heaven. 27:47 We have these two angels that represent the two cherubim 27:52 that are there by the throne of God 27:54 and they are there 27:58 kneeling in this artist's depiction 28:02 on what is the mercy seat, 28:04 the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, 28:05 which is the mercy seat, 28:07 and inside the Ark of the Covenant, 28:10 we have the Ten Commandments. 28:12 We have these two tablets of stone 28:15 that God Himself wrote with His very own finger. 28:20 That's significant, 28:21 the Ten Commandments are that significant 28:23 that God wrote with His very own finger. 28:26 They call commandments for a reason. 28:28 They're not the 10 good ideas. 28:30 They're not the 10 recommendations. 28:32 They're not the 10 suggestions, they are the Ten Commandments. 28:36 That is because they are extremely important 28:38 and there is no other place in Scripture 28:44 where God with His very own hand writes 28:48 on tablets of stone 28:50 instructions for the human race. 28:52 And why do we write things on stone? 28:55 That's because we want that to remain forever, 28:57 isn't that right? 28:58 I have been to the Middle East on two occasions, 29:01 and there are inscriptions from thousands of years ago 29:06 that are still to this day, 29:10 and these inscriptions 29:12 give the history and messages from the past, 29:15 because they were to be remembered 29:18 and to remain for a long time. 29:22 Now there is huge significance to these Ten Commandments. 29:26 There was a time 29:28 when I used to believe and think that 29:31 when God wrote on those Ten Commandments, 29:34 He wrote on two tablets of stone 29:37 from Mount Sinai that Moses handed to God. 29:42 And He wrote on those two tablets of stone, 29:45 and then passed them back to Moses. 29:48 In fact, a few years ago, when I had the opportunity 29:51 of going to what is called a traditional Mount Sinai, 29:56 the place there in Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula, 29:59 place called St. Catherine's, I picked up a stone. 30:03 This is from the traditional mountain 30:06 where many believe, 30:09 we're not sure, the mountain and where it exactly is 30:13 that Moses received the Ten Commandments, 30:15 but I picked up a stone and I used to think that 30:19 the Ten Commandments were placed on stone 30:23 similar to this. 30:26 Until one day I discovered 30:28 where the original Ten Commandments 30:31 in fact came from. 30:33 Let me share with you something 30:34 absolutely incredible. 30:37 Let's go to the Book of Exodus, Exodus, 24:9. 30:41 Exodus 24:9 and notice these words, 30:44 "Then Moses went up," 30:47 this is God inviting Moses to go up to the mountain, 30:50 to receive the Ten Commandments. 30:52 And he went up also Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, 30:55 and seventy of the elders of Israel, 31:00 and they saw the God of Israel. 31:02 And there was under His feet 31:04 as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, 31:08 and it was like the very heavens 31:10 in its clarity." 31:12 So here, what the Bible is describing 31:15 is this sapphire stone that Moses 31:20 and those that were with him saw, 31:23 and they say that it was as clear 31:25 as the heavens. 31:27 Now what color is the heaven? 31:29 When you look up when there are no clouds? 31:31 What color is it? 31:32 Blue, and there's plenty of blue sky today, 31:34 when I left home, it was all blue sky, 31:36 not a cloud in the sky. 31:37 Blue. 31:39 And we know that blue is a significant color 31:42 when it comes to sapphire stone, 31:44 it's one of the most treasured, 31:46 one of the most expensive sapphire stones is blue, 31:49 the color of royalty. 31:51 Well, let's continue on and let's take a look at 31:54 what Ezekiel has to say, 31:56 as we put a couple more pieces together. 31:58 Ezekiel says and he is also in vision, 32:01 well, he is in vision and he says, 32:02 "And there in the firmament 32:04 that was above the head of the cherubim," 32:06 is speaking of God's throne, 32:08 "there appeared something like a sapphire stone," 32:11 there are those words again, 32:13 "having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 32:17 So here Ezekiel sees this sapphire stone 32:23 in the heavens that appears like a throne. 32:27 Very interesting. 32:28 Now let's go back to Exodus 32:31 as we pick up the rest of the story, 32:33 Exodus 24:12. 32:35 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 32:37 'Come up to Me on the mountain and be there, 32:40 and I will give you tablets of," 32:43 and I've included the word the because the word the 32:45 is in the original, 32:47 it's not in the New King James Version, 32:49 or the King James Version. 32:50 But I looked at the New Living Translation, 32:52 and guess what? 32:53 It was there, they've included that word the 32:55 which is in the original Hebrew. 32:57 "The stone and the law and commanded 33:00 which I have written, that you may teach them." 33:02 Now what so significant about the? 33:06 What's significant about the is that, 33:09 that the is in reference to the stone 33:13 that Moses has seen and that stone 33:17 is that sapphire stone as clear as the what? 33:22 As clear as the heavens, that blue sapphire stone. 33:25 So this was news to me, and this was huge 33:29 and absolutely huge spiritual insight 33:33 that I received that God, 33:35 those very first commandments 33:38 God wrote on tablets of stone 33:41 from His very throne room, 33:45 blue sapphire throne room, 33:48 God chiseled out of his very throne room, 33:51 two tablets of sapphire stone, blue sapphire stone, 33:56 He wrote His law of love on them, 33:59 and He passed them down to Moses. 34:04 Isn't that incredible? 34:07 That is so incredible, absolutely amazing. 34:10 Let me share with you a scripture from Hebrews 1:8, 34:15 "Your throne, O God," is what? 34:18 "Forever and ever." 34:20 This tells us that God's law is to remain forever and ever. 34:24 And here's another scripture, Luke 16:17. 34:28 "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, 34:30 said Jesus, 34:31 than for one tittle of the law to fail." 34:35 This is the eternal law of God and David in Psalm, 34:40 he shares that 34:42 all of God's commandments are sure, 34:44 they last forever and ever. 34:48 In Numbers Chapter 15, Moses gave directions 34:52 based on God's Word of what the children of Israel 34:55 were to sew on the tassels of their garments, 34:58 okay, on their clothing that they wore each day. 35:00 Notice these words in Numbers 15:37-41. 35:06 "Again the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 35:08 "Speak to the children of Israel, 35:10 Tell them to make tassels 35:11 on the corners of their garments 35:13 throughout their generations, 35:15 and to put a blue thread, notice the color, 35:18 a blue thread in the tassels of the corners." 35:21 Let's continue. 35:23 "And you shall have the tassel, 35:25 that you may look upon it and remember 35:27 all the commandments of the Lord 35:29 and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry 35:32 to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 35:36 and that you may remember and do all My commandments, 35:38 and be holy for your God. 35:40 I am the Lord your God, 35:42 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 35:44 to be your God, I am the Lord your God.'" 35:47 So what were the children of Israel to do? 35:49 They were to sew blue thread 35:52 on the tassels of their garments. 35:55 So as they walked, wherever they walked, 35:58 they would remember the law of God, 36:00 that law of love that was to be a blessing, 36:04 that law of love that was to offer them peace, 36:06 and happiness and to be for their good always. 36:09 When the children of Israel walked out of their tents 36:12 in the morning, 36:13 and they looked up into the heavens, 36:15 and they could just see the beautiful blue heavens 36:19 that were to be reminded of God's law of love, 36:23 that law of love of protection, 36:26 that law of love that provides blessings, 36:28 that law of love that provides for everything 36:33 that is to be for their good always, 36:36 and I want to thank God and praise Him 36:38 that they are encircled, encircled by the law, 36:42 which is the character, which is the love of God, 36:49 encircled by the love of God each and every day. 36:55 That's what God's law is all about. 36:57 It tells us that we have a solid foundation. 37:00 It tells us that 37:01 we come from a God who loves us. 37:03 We come from a God who has given us instructions 37:07 on how we can enjoy the best possible life 37:10 in the here and now 37:11 and be part of His everlasting kingdom of love, 37:14 where His love will reign 37:16 supreme forevermore. 37:21 Lawlessness leads to what, said Toynbee? 37:24 Destruction. 37:27 God's law leads to love, 37:31 prosperity, joy, happiness, 37:34 peace, and the list goes on. 37:40 Sadly, the children of Israel 37:44 did not follow God's law of love, 37:46 they turned their back on His law of love, 37:50 they turned away from the Lord 37:52 and sadly they were taken into captivity. 37:55 The northern tribes or the northern part of Israel, 37:58 the 10 northern tribes 38:00 were taken into captivity in 722 BC, 38:04 followed by the southern tribes Judah and Benjamin, 38:08 they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians, 38:11 the northern tribes by the Assyrians, 38:14 and the Babylonians overthrew Jerusalem 38:16 and destroyed the temple in 586 BC. 38:20 These words are very sad 38:23 that Isaiah pinned in relation to God's people 38:28 walking away from His law of love. 38:30 We read in Isaiah 48:18, "Oh, this is God. 38:35 This is God crying for His people, 38:37 weeping over His people." 38:39 And these are the words of God," 38:40 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! 38:43 Then your peace would have been like a river, 38:46 and your righteousness like the waves of the sea." 38:50 The reality of why we have so much pain 38:54 and suffering today 38:55 is because we have walked away from God's law of love. 38:59 That's the reason why 39:00 we have so much pain and suffering in this world. 39:02 That is the reason why there is so much pain 39:04 and heartache in families. 39:07 That is the reason why there is just so much 39:11 of that which is not God's plan for us, 39:13 because we have walked away from God's law of love. 39:17 Therefore, today, God is calling the world back 39:21 to the Ten Commandments. 39:24 Today, 39:27 the Ten Commandments define and protect 39:30 our most precious relationships. 39:32 Notice, the first four commandments 39:35 protect our relationship with God. 39:39 And the next six, 39:41 the last six protect our relationships 39:43 with one another. 39:45 You see God's commandments 39:46 are all about protecting relationships, 39:50 our relationship with God 39:52 and our relationship with one another. 39:54 And I don't know about you, but for me 39:57 the most important thing in life 39:59 is relationships. 40:01 That's more important than my home 40:03 that the bank owns anyway. 40:04 That's more important than my car. 40:07 That's more important than anything else I have. 40:10 My relationship with my wife, 40:12 my relationship with my daughters, 40:14 my relationship with my parents, 40:16 my relationship with my other family members, 40:18 my relationship with my neighbors, 40:20 with my friends, with my church family, 40:22 my relationships with people in general, 40:25 that is what matters most. 40:27 And the Ten Commandments have been given by God 40:32 to protect and affirm 40:36 and prosper 40:39 the most important thing in life 40:41 and that is relationship between God and you 40:46 and between you and your fellow man. 40:50 I wanna share with you an interesting point 40:53 regarding the way the Ten Commandments 40:56 have been set out. 40:58 If you take a look at the first four, 41:00 the first four commandments take a look at 41:03 and focus in on our relationship with God. 41:06 The next commandment, 41:08 commandment number five focuses on the relationship 41:12 between the immediate family members, 41:16 mother, father, 41:17 and children, family, that's next. 41:20 Then we have the next four commandments, 41:24 commandments number 6, 7, 8 and 9, 41:26 they're focused on our relationship 41:28 with one another. 41:30 And then finally, commandment number 10 41:32 is dealing with our attitude toward our possessions. 41:36 Okay, this is the order that God has given the commandments 41:39 from top to bottom. 41:41 God, family, others, possessions that order 41:45 and notice when we are following God's order, 41:49 which way are we heading? 41:51 We're heading up? Can you see the arrow? 41:54 Yes or no. Who can see the arrow? 41:56 Okay. 41:58 The arrow, it's pointing up. 42:00 Society is moving up. 42:03 You see, our societies 42:04 are only as strong as their families. 42:09 The family unit is the very basic 42:12 and the foundational framework for a happy 42:16 and a prosperous society. 42:17 As goes the family, so goes society. 42:21 Sadly, we have turned our back on God, 42:23 and sadly we are turning our back on family. 42:26 But notice how the enemy 42:27 has turned God's Ten Commandments 42:29 and God's priority list upside down. 42:33 We have possessions on top for many people, 42:37 isn't that right? 42:39 People are willing to sacrifice health, family, 42:43 whatever the case may be in order to prosper 42:47 in their careers or finances or whatever the case may be. 42:51 And then others, 42:53 others with the time that's available. 42:56 Family, well, who needs family? 42:57 Who needs to worry about grandparents? 42:59 I mean, why worry about grandparents, 43:02 just stick them in some nursing home and... 43:05 I mean, what use of grandparents 43:07 got to anyone today? 43:10 That's how a lot of people think, 43:12 and I'm speaking from people that I know. 43:15 Then there is family. 43:20 Well, we talked about that and then finally God. 43:23 What's the point of God in your life? 43:25 We don't need God today. 43:26 Why do we need God, we've got everything. 43:29 And as you can say the arrow is heading south 43:32 when our priorities get tipped upside down 43:36 as individuals and as a society, 43:38 we head down. 43:40 The Ten Commandments are God's standard 43:44 in the judgment. 43:46 Notice what we read in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. 43:51 Solomon at the end of his will and testimony 43:55 in the Book of Ecclesiastes, 43:56 he sums up what is most important, 43:59 and he shares these words, 44:00 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, Fear God," 44:03 there are those words again, 44:05 from the Book of Revelation 14:7, 44:08 that we looked at earlier, 44:10 "Fear God and keep His commandments, 44:12 for this is man's all. 44:13 For God will bring every work into judgment, 44:15 including every secret thing whether good or evil." 44:19 So what matters most is to put God first, 44:22 to put His law of love first and foremost in your life 44:25 and then you will prosper in harmony with God's plan 44:29 and God's will for your life. 44:31 Well, the question needs to be asked, 44:33 can I be saved by keeping God's law? 44:37 That's a good question. 44:39 Let's find out what the Bible says. 44:41 We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul writes, 44:45 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, 44:48 and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 44:51 not of works, lest anyone should boast." 44:55 So we cannot be saved by keeping God's law. 44:59 God's law is not designed to save anyone. 45:03 We are saved as the Apostle Paul writes 45:06 so succinctly and so clearly, 45:09 we are saved by God's grace through faith, 45:14 not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, 45:17 God's grace alone saves us. 45:22 So the question is, 45:24 what is the main purpose of God's Ten Commandments? 45:28 If we cannot be saved by keeping God's law, 45:31 then why bother? 45:32 And what's the purpose? 45:34 Well, let me share with you what the Book of James shares 45:37 regarding what the main purpose is for God's law. 45:41 The main purpose for God's law is 45:44 to point us to our great need, 45:47 just as a mirror. 45:50 A mirror points out the mark, 45:54 the dirt in someone's face, 45:57 so too God's law is like a mirror. 46:00 I didn't come up with that, 46:01 you can read about that in James. 46:03 James talks about God's law as a mirror. 46:07 It's there to help us understand what we look like, 46:10 what our condition is, that's why you go to a mirror, 46:12 isn't that right? 46:14 You go to the mirror, 46:15 especially if you need to go to the mirror. 46:19 I was about to say something, 46:21 and I know I would have got in trouble 46:22 so I just as well that I contain myself. 46:26 You go to the mirror to discover what you look like 46:31 and what needs to be addressed. 46:32 Isn't that right? That's the purpose of a mirror. 46:35 A mirror doesn't clean you. 46:37 A mirror just simply states the obvious and shares with you 46:41 what your condition is and then you, 46:44 you take that water, 46:45 and you take the soap and that's how you get cleaned. 46:50 That's how you get cleaned. 46:52 In the same way, God's law is there to tell us 46:57 that we need Jesus, that we desperately need Him, 47:01 we need His precious blood to clean us, 47:03 to cleanse us from all of our sins, 47:05 we need His robe of righteousness, 47:07 that towel to clothe us. 47:11 We need Jesus to take away that dirt, 47:13 that sin that only He can take. 47:16 And so God's law, and without God's law, 47:20 we would not know our true condition. 47:23 Without the law, there would be no sin 47:25 'cause the Bible very clearly says 47:28 that without the law, there is no sin, 47:30 and we'll look at that scripture 47:31 in just a moment. 47:32 And without sin, 47:34 there would be no need for a savior. 47:36 I wanna to go to this next scripture, 47:38 and then I want to unpack that just a little more. 47:40 In Romans 3:20, the Apostle Paul says, 47:43 "Therefore by the deeds of the law 47:45 no flesh will be justified in His sight, 47:47 for by the law is the knowledge of sin." 47:51 God's law helps us to know 47:54 what is right and what is wrong. 47:56 God's law enables us to understand what is sin 48:00 and what is righteousness. 48:02 God's law is there designed 48:05 to point us to Jesus. 48:08 God's law is that mirror and it points us to Jesus, 48:11 who cleanses us from sin, and then helps us to know 48:15 how we ought to live our life in harmony with God's will, 48:20 in harmony with God's plans for our lives, 48:22 because God ultimately wants us to prosper. 48:25 He ultimately wants us to be successful. 48:28 He ultimately wants us to be in good health. 48:30 He wants us to be happy. 48:32 That is God's ultimate plan. 48:34 So the law of God says to point us to Christ. 48:37 And if we did not have the law of God, 48:41 we would not realize that we are sinners. 48:44 And we would not realize 48:46 that we need a sin pardoning savior. 48:48 And we would have no idea and we would not realize 48:51 that we need Jesus. 48:53 The law is absolutely essential. 48:55 Without the law, 48:56 there ultimately is no need for a savior. 48:59 And so that is 49:01 the absolute foundational importance of God's law. 49:07 Notice, 49:09 "For those who love God, 49:12 keeping His commandments is not a burden, 49:14 but a blessing." 49:16 Notice what we read, 49:17 in 1 John 5:2-3, 49:21 "By this, writes John, 49:24 we know that we love the children of God, 49:26 when we love God and keep His commandments. 49:30 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, 49:33 and His commandments are not burdensome." 49:36 When you love someone, 49:39 when you love someone, 49:42 you honor them, you're loyal to them. 49:47 You're even willing to fulfill the vows 49:50 you have made to that special someone 49:53 not because you have to, not because it's a burden, 49:56 but because you love them, isn't that right? 49:58 You count it a blessing, you count it a joy, 50:01 because you're in love with that person. 50:04 And so those who honor God, 50:07 those who keep His commandments, 50:09 they do it not as a burden, 50:11 not as a requirement, but they do it out of love, 50:15 out of loyalty and the greatest, 50:19 the absolute greatest sign of loyalty 50:25 and love is obedience. 50:27 That's the greatest sign. 50:29 And that's why two people, when they get married, 50:32 they will exchange vows and those wedding vows 50:37 declared before one another 50:39 declared before many witnesses are precious 50:44 because those wedding vows 50:46 are signs of loyalty and commitment, 50:49 and genuine love for one another 50:51 that is lived out through actions 50:54 and not just 50:58 talk, talk, talk. 50:59 Isn't that right? 51:01 What do they say? Actions speak louder than what? 51:04 Words. 51:06 And often you'll hear people say, 51:08 well, you know, put your money where you are, 51:12 where your mouth is, exactly right. 51:14 So we know that actions speak louder than words. 51:19 Where does God want to place His law of love? 51:23 Notice what we read in the Book of Hebrews. 51:26 Hebrews 8:10, God says, 51:28 "I will put my laws in their mind 51:31 and write them on their hearts, 51:33 and I will be their God and they shall be My people." 51:36 God wants to place His law of love 51:40 in our hearts. 51:41 We say unless God's law of love is in our hearts, 51:44 we will never genuinely obey God 51:48 from the right motive. 51:50 And the motive for obedience 51:54 must always be love 51:57 not because we have to, but because we're forced to, 52:01 but because we love to, because we love God, 52:04 and we want to honor Him 52:05 and we want to have a relationship with Him. 52:08 Revelation describes God's faithful 52:11 end time people in these words. 52:13 We read in Revelation 12:17, "And the dragon," 52:16 and the dragon here is a symbol for Satan, 52:18 "was enraged with the woman." 52:20 And this is a symbol of God's Church, 52:22 or God's people, 52:23 in particular at the end of time as we discover. 52:25 "And he went to make war with the rest or the remnant, 52:28 or those remaining ones at the end of time 52:31 of her offspring, 52:32 who notice, keep the commandments of God 52:35 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." 52:37 Who is the enemy angry with most at the end of time? 52:42 He's angry with those who are showing love 52:45 and loyalty to Jesus Christ. 52:49 Why? 52:50 Because he wants to take them away 52:52 from that love and loyalty they're showing to God, 52:55 to His Son, Jesus Christ. 52:57 And he wants to take away 52:59 that loyalty that belongs to God, 53:01 and to His Son, and place that love and loyalty 53:04 toward himself. 53:05 We read in Revelation 14:12, these words," 53:08 Here is the patience of the saints." 53:10 These are God's end time people described. 53:13 "Here are those who keep the commandments of God 53:16 and the faith of Jesus." 53:18 Here they are spoken of, again, God's end time people 53:22 who the devil hates, but they are faithful to Jesus, 53:26 they keep His commandments and they are patient saints. 53:30 We also read in Revelation 22:14, 53:33 the last chapter in the Book of Revelation, 53:36 these words. 53:38 Revelation 22:14, 53:40 "Blessed are those who do His commandments 53:44 that they may have the right to the tree of life 53:46 and may enter through the gates into the city." 53:49 Notice, this is the reason why the devil hates God's 53:52 end time people. 53:53 This is the reason why 53:55 the enemy doesn't want anyone 53:56 to keep God's commandments, 53:58 because those that love God 54:01 and keep His commandments out of loyalty, 54:05 they will through Christ make their way into the city, 54:10 into the New Jerusalem, 54:12 they will be saved according to Revelation 22:14, 54:15 but notice who is on the outside of the city. 54:18 Notice these words in verse 15. 54:19 We keep reading, 54:21 "But outside are dogs and sorcerers, 54:23 and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, 54:26 and whoever lives and practices a lie." 54:31 Inside the city we have 54:32 God's commandment keeping people, 54:34 outside the city 54:36 we have those who are commandment breakers, 54:38 can you see that? 54:41 These individuals have chosen to break God's commandments, 54:46 they have chosen not to live their lives in harmony 54:50 with God's principles of love. 54:52 They have chosen to live 54:54 according to the dictates of this world 55:00 according to the constitution of the enemy, 55:04 who roams and who influences this world 55:09 whose basic constitution 55:10 is if it feels good, just do it. 55:14 If it makes you feel good, just do it. 55:16 Don't worry about the consequences to yourself 55:18 or anyone else that have chosen to live like that 55:22 and they will sadly be outside the New Jerusalem. 55:27 Because only those who want to live in harmony 55:30 with the law of God's love will be inside that city 55:36 where there will be peace, and happiness, 55:38 and joy forevermore. 55:40 Ultimately, our love for Jesus 55:44 will determine our loyalty to God's law of love. 55:47 I want to finish off with the words of Jesus, 55:50 where He writes, where He says in John 14:15. 55:54 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." 55:57 If you love Me, keep My commandments. 56:01 That's what it's all about. 56:02 If you love Me, keep My commandments. 56:05 Jesus asks, "Do you love Me? 56:08 Do you want to be part of My kingdom? 56:10 Do you want to be part of My kingdom 56:12 where there will be no more separation? 56:15 Where there will be no more suffering? 56:17 There'll be no more sorrow. 56:19 There'll be no more death, divorce, destruction. 56:22 There'll be no more famine. 56:25 There'll be no more pain. 56:27 Do you want to be part of a kingdom 56:29 where everyone will live in harmony with My law of love, 56:33 love towards God 56:34 and eternal love towards one another. 56:38 If you do, I'm inviting you. 56:40 Come and join me and be part of My kingdom. 56:43 Is that your desire to be part of that kind of kingdom? 56:46 If it is, I want to invite you 56:48 to bow your heads with me as we pray. 56:50 Father in heaven, we thank You so much 56:52 for Your law of love. 56:54 Thank You so much for inviting us to be part 56:56 of Your everlasting kingdom of love 56:58 that will rule forever more. 57:00 Oh, Father, may we all find ourselves in Your kingdom 57:03 in that city on that great and awesome day 57:06 when Jesus comes is your prayer in His name. 57:08 Amen. |
Revised 2019-10-07