Ezekiel 20:12
Moreover
also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them,
that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify
them………..
What is so important about the Sabbath? is a question I always
get, especially from the pe ople who really do not study their
bibles, yet read my web site and realize the emphasis I place on;
remembering the day the Lord our God made; who incidentally, out
of “His” “own mind”did He create an “extra day” in His week!
especially for “us”, for you and me to commune with him “for
eternity”. But
I realize very few people today want a relationship that deep with
the Lord, much less do they even have time to study the bible in
that depth “between” the rest of their busy life style.
When
it comes to the subject of bible study they say; “Well, we have
our bible study guides we get at church”.
I say; “that’s not enough”, and the reason is; those
lessons are all set up to discuss the general issues of religion,
that normally relate with the particular denomination one is in,
and if you go to a non-denominational church then your lessons are
even more generalized, so that they can conform to most of the
varied forms of doctrines that exist in such churches.
The
bottom line is; none of these study guides get very “deep”
into the issues, deep enough that it makes you want to begin to
study the bible on your own, to dig for the truth.
I ask; “when have you ever done that-really dig for
truth?”, it’s hard at first,
and sometimes gets boring, Satan sees to it, and really,
even in the church most of the study class time is spent
discussing popular subjects like left behind and Harry Potter, or
Hal Lindsay’s latest novel or even situation ethics.
Not a lot of time is spent discussing the various other
denominational views, and, even if this is done, on a rare
occasion, usually these views are from the perspective of the
domination you’re a part of, and it is always bias, putting
their doctrines above the others “as the truth” (and naturally
so). I know what I am
talking about here for I used to sing gospel music and attended
many different churches over several years, and I saw first hand
their level of understanding and teaching practices, because they
would always invite us or me to their evangelistic crusades, so
night after night I would here their doctrines from their point of
view.
A
good example of this bios is displayed in a book I have in my
library, written by a Baptist preacher called; ‘Kingdom of the
Cults”, of which every good Baptist has on their book shelf.
The author does expose some real cults, but, “do to a
lack of real bible study”, he lumps some groups in, that
frankly; expose his own bias, and by his own words, to any nominal
bible student, some of those groups he calls cults, are closer to
the truth than he ever thought of being.
I say this because I’ve taken a through look at his book,
checked out his references, compared his accusations to the truth,
and the conclusions are obvious, and listen, it isn’t rocket
science to figure these things out, its really as simple as
“abc” using the word of God as the only test, and history as
the evidence.
Most
people never question their churches doctrines, or the roots of
their religion, like many of those who read that mans book, they
just accept it as the gospel because he is a member of their
particular denomination, or the church they grew up in, or because
it’s their parents religion.
Most, sorry to say, just accept what they are being taught
as being truth without doubt.
Its only as one goes out into the real world, away from the
influence every church uses to indoctrinate their people, and
crosses paths with other religious views, “and” takes the time
to check them out, that they are faced with a challenge, that
sometimes cuts across their fundamental beliefs and even their own
churches doctrines.
Sorry
to say again, most people don’t even consult the bible to see
who’s right and who’s wrong, they just go on as if the
controversy serves no purpose, not realizing it could be the Holy
Spirit leading them into truth and away from error.
If
“not” questioning anything and everything, “was the way”
God wanted us to be; then; everybody would still be Roman
Catholics of the mother, the universal church, But it was only
when true bible students, who dug for truth, even when their lives
were at stake, like Luther, Huss, Whiclif etc., it was only when
they began to question their churches doctrines; they discovered
their church wasn’t teaching what the bible taught, rather what
the church taught. Thank
God for men like these who were willing to give their lives for
the cause of God and truth, what about us?
It’s
sad to say not all churches teach what the bible teaches, in fact
if you would turn into a real bible student you too would discover
this to be true in nearly all “the religions of the world”.
Lets
check them out right now you and I?
What
do you say?
Lets
turn into real bible students and see if your church and mine are
really teaching the truth, or if they have swayed from what the
bible plainly says.
Believe
it or not this isn’t that hard to do, I’ve done it many times,
on many levels.
In
fact, each time I hear something that challenges my faith I
“check it out” don’t you?
Why?
Ok,
let’s you and I do this right now, by going down the line and
taking a look at every major denomination and see if everything
they teach is biblically sound or not, using “the bible and the
bible only as a gage (history too as evidence)”.
Now
listen; if they are not biblically sound they cannot be the church
of God can they ?
If
you say; “yes they can”, then you may as well go to another
subject “other than religion” for you obviously have no
interest in the truth and history (as Darwin and we know where
that led him to “anti-creation”).
Jesus
said “I am the truth”, and the “truth will set you free”
free from what ? Free
from “sin” which is all that separates man from God.
Step
back and take a quick look at the “Great controversy” between
God and Satan;
What
was the issue?
“Sin”,
sin as was founded in Satan, and his ways were in direct
contradiction to Gods. God
had spelled out His will clearly in ten complex yet simple
statements, but Satan wasn’t willing to abide by these
suppressive demands, and convinced 1/3 of the angelic beings (in
heaven mind you) he was right and God was unjust, and we all know
the rest of the story;
He
was cast to the earth…
Revelation
12:9-11
And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels
were cast out with him.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation,
and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the
accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and
night.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.
So
to this earth came what has been known as “sin” ever since,
but the definition of sin has vacuolated and has been dissolved by
time and convenience.
So
what is sin really?
The
answer may fool you, and its as old as the “Controversy”
itself, and that’s a clue.
Now
I know for sure your church has a definition for sin, because as I
said; I’ve done this kind of study many times.
You
may even have a definition for sin yourself, as I did in the past.
But remember; we are going to use the bible and the bible
only as our reference, so we must find a bible definition for sin.
I
am sure of another thing; “your church has never read this text
out loud, and chances are you didn’t even know it existed.
I
John 3:4
Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is
the
transgression of the law.
Now
if you would take this text to your preacher and ask him what it
means, and what law is in reference here he would send you to;
Matthew
22:36-40
Master,
which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
He
would tell you that the ten commandment law is not the one in
reference in I John 3:4 but these “two laws” Jesus gave” did
away with the ten and now we only have two.
Lets
look at this though very closely; for on this one point alone we
can eliminate almost “all religions in America” as following
Gods word or not, as the religions of the world who do not believe
in Jesus as the son of God, are naturally eliminated without need
for discussion.
Ok
back to our issue at hand (an important and timely issue mind
you).
Who
is right? the bible or your church on this text?
Lets
find out by just looking hard at this one text, that has taken
over the state of the art of religion, as a real bible student
would;
Notice
the question Jesus was asked in the above text;
“Master,
which is the great commandment in the law?”
What
do you see here?
“in
the law” do you see that?
Why
friends, The law wasn’t even in question here, the man asked a
simple question, one like we might ask Jesus ourselves; “which
is the greatest of all the commandments” is it; “have no other
gods before me” as one might think, or is it “thou shalt not
kill” now that’s
a big one, no Jesus didn’t site that one either, He instead,
knowing that the ten are like a chain if you break one you have
broken them all, for they are all interrelated and interwoven (re
James 2:10)interlinked through “love”; and so Jesus told
the man the law is based on the principle of Love.
He even went on to say; on these two ‘principles’ of
love “hang all the Law and the Prophets”.
Listen, wasn’t Jesus was the creator, He knows what He based his law upon doesn’t He?
but we don’t that’s obvious, we don’t even know what laws
are what, and we call ourselves preachers of the word.
In
no way was he doing away with the ten and creating two new ones,
he was simply reminding them of something they had forgotten “as
He would need to do today” if He was around. The
law of God has nearly been forgotten today by preachers (God
forbid) who have deviated for their own reputations sake, and
their denominations reputations sake, from the word of God.
We can know this for sure; because, if we read the words
John wrote a little closer to our subject, where he was describing
what sin is (I John 3:4 above) this is my friend; “the bible
definition of sin”, and you can clearly see what law he is in
reference to. Here is
this verse again as we read it in context;
I
John 3:4-11
Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law:
for sin is the transgression of the law.
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins;
and in him is no sin.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth
hath not seen him, neither known him.
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth
righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth
from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed
remaineth
in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children
of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,
neither he that loveth not his brother.
For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning,
that we should love one another.
He
says more than once, the Law, and its bases, which is on the
principle of Love, has been around since the beginning, so Jesus
was merely re-establishing the
Law, not diminishing it as some do, to eliminate one of them that
cuts across their path and their denominations path.
I
John 3:18-24
My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue;
but in deed and in truth.
And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall
assure our hearts before him.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart,
and
knoweth all things.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we
confidence toward God.
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep
his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his
sight.
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the
name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave
us commandment. And
he that keepeth his commandments
dwelleth
in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he
abideth
in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
I
John 2:1-8
My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous:
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world.
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his
commandments.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God
perfected:
hereby know we that we are in him.
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk,
even as he walked.
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old
commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old
commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true
in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true
light now shineth.
Is
the light shining in our hearts and minds from this truth directly
from the bible? or do we still have confidence in the deception?
John says; about those who tell you “the law does away
with sin” thus leaving you in it, these kind are the deceivers.
Why would one want to follow such?
Of Whom John writes of; are liars and the truth is not in
them. But those who
walk as Jesus walked “in the way of righteousness” (right
doing of which the law shows) is in whom “this love is
perfected”, and he keeps emphasizing; this is not a new concept,
or law, or principal, but an old one.
Why
then do the nominal churches do away with the law? especially
since it points out sin? (As Paul clearly tells us in Romans 7:7),
and since James tells us; if you recall, the law will Judge us in
the end? (James 2:10), it’s simple; to get rid of the Sabbath.
So, since they are not telling the truth it falls to
someone like me, and by virtue of Ezekiel chapter 33 (a must read)
I am obligated to tell. But
really friends, its out of love I tell you, and thus is the
fulfilling of the law. Because
of me? Forget it, its
because “of the law”, and “the Love of God and His Son who
died that we might live! That we might love our brother enough to
warn him of the errors of the false prophets, and false shepherds,
leading their flocks to destruction”.
In
conclusion; to this whole controversy; Jesus says; “I bring my
reward with me” for who? Well
lets read about it in context;
Revelation
22:12-13
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me,
to give every man according as his work shall be.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,
the first and the last. Blessed
are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life,
and may enter in through the gates into the city.
What
a promise!
I
want to enter that city don’t you friends?
And….
After
all Jesus has done for us; what a small thing it is to “remember
Him” and “His will” for us, which is, only “the way of
God” in the end…..
