[0:00] All right, take your Bibles and turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 4. Deuteronomy chapter 4 and we're going to start in verse 40. Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 40. How many of you enjoyed the devotional time with the Bush family?
[0:13] All right, let me, can I just tell you something? Five minutes with your family, five days a week, 25 minutes. All you do is five days a week, five minutes, that's 25 minutes. You do a little bit, you know, if you take, if you say 30 minutes, if it worked out to be 30 minutes, six minutes, five days, and you did that a whole year, it'd be 26 hours that you would have spent in your home in a time when you read the Bible and say a word of prayer, say a memory verse, five minutes.
[0:39] People act like, well, you got to do a long devotional. Well, you really don't have to. In fact, it should be better if you didn't. So I challenge you to do that. Pick missionary cards every day. Let the kids pick a missionary. Pray for the missionaries.
[0:50] Read one of those missionary devotionals. Read your Bible. Read through the Bible. Spend time telling your children about Jesus. Would you think that's good or not? Amen? I hope you will.
[1:01] Now, Glenn and Sonia are getting married Saturday. Where are Glenn and Sonia? They're in here somewhere. Y'all can stand up. You got to stand up in front of everybody anyway. How about a round of applause? They're getting married on Saturday. Thank you.
[1:14] Pray for Sonia for better judgment. Amen. Amen. And then we are at 68 chairs. And we need 32 more chairs. If I could do my math right, which I probably didn't.
[1:26] And that means we only need 16 because the church is matching your money. So like 800 bucks and we'd be there. If 16 people would buy one chair. If eight people buy two chairs. You know, you figured it out. You said one guy could buy 16 chairs.
[1:37] We'd be done. 800 bucks. So let's get some chairs so we'll have more room on Sunday morning. The guys are going to move the walls there. We're going to put in more seats over there. So we'll have more room.
[1:48] So I hope that you would help with that. If you would. Take your Bibles if you would. And go to Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 40. If you want to write down what I think the point of what we're going to look at tonight is God getting us to God.
[2:01] God getting us to himself. And so the whole passage of scripture, I believe, is going to help you with that. God getting us to himself. We're going to go over the Ten Commandments a little bit tonight.
[2:11] We're going to see some of what their purpose is. Look if you would at chapter 4 verse 40. Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 40. Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes and his commandments which I command thee this day that it may go well with thee and with thy children after thee that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth which the Lord thy God giveth thee forever.
[2:33] So the commandments were going to bring success and peace and blessings on the nation of Israel. They were to hear the commandments. Look at chapter 5 and verse 1.
[2:43] Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 1. And Moses called all Israel and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears to say that you may learn them and keep and do them.
[2:54] So they were to listen. It says they were to hear. It means more than just listen. It means to listen attentively. They were to understand. They were to obey. They were to get the word of God into their heart and in the heart of their family.
[3:08] Look at verse 2. 5-2. These weren't words and a covenant made with the parents but God also made it with them. Chapter 5 verse 2 says the Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
[3:20] The Lord made this covenant with our, not this covenant with our fathers but with us. Even us. Would you want to line that in your Bible? But with us. Even us. Well God didn't speak to my mama and my daddy.
[3:33] God didn't speak to somebody else. God spoke to me. God didn't speak to other people. He spoke with us. Even us. Where all of us are alive. They say whenever you read your Bible you come across some word that just keeps jumping out of the page.
[3:43] Look at that. Us, us, us. Three times in the row right there. He said God's talking to us. God's talking to us. The commandments weren't given as information. They were given to be kept.
[3:54] If they were obeyed then things would go well. If they obeyed God, God would keep them in the land that he'd given them. If the idea wasn't to obey and be blessed or disobey and be punished. But God wanted them to get them in their heart.
[4:06] And from their heart he wanted them to obey him. So God gave commandments so Israel would be blessed. So there'd be organization in their community. Chapter 4 verse 41.
[4:17] God said I want you to separate me from cities of refuge. Maybe you ought to mark that in the margin of your Bible. That's a big deal. We've gone over it already once. We'll go over it again in a few weeks. But in verse 41.
[4:27] Moses severed three cities on this side of Jordan. So God said you know you guys were supposed to cross the Jordan River. You were supposed to go into the promised land.
[4:38] You chose to stay here. But I'm still going to bless you. And I'm going to still work things out for you. And I still want three cities set aside for the guy who accidentally kills somebody. Look if you would at chapter 4 verse 42.
[4:50] That the slayer might flee thither. Which should kill his neighbor unawares. In other words you accidentally didn't know it. Didn't mean to. It wasn't on purpose. It wasn't premeditated but you had an accident.
[5:02] Maybe you were driving. Or maybe you were using an axe. And the head of the axe came off and went flying. Or you were tossing bricks up on your roof. You'd never done that because you live in the high strides. But when I was in Peru.
[5:13] And we wanted to move bricks from here to the back of the room. We just put people about every five feet here. We just take a brick and just throw it. So I throw the brick. And so you better get rid of your brick. Because there's another one in the air. So you toss your brick.
[5:23] Turn around. Catch the next brick. I've had my fingers smashed. I've had one brick that was in my hand on its way out. When the other one was already getting there. That doesn't feel good. And so you might get hurt somehow. And he said I'm going to make a way.
[5:34] If there's an accident we're going to take care of you. So God actually gave his law. So they'd know they needed him for salvation. They would hear and attempt to keep the law.
[5:44] But you know they're not going to be able to. God knows they're not going to be able to. When God gave the law he already knew they wouldn't be able to. So he even made a way for accidental killings. He made a provision for man's failure.
[5:56] You ought to write beside city of refuge. Failure. Man's failure. It's all through the Bible. He made a provision for man's failure. By the way that city of refuge represents Jesus.
[6:07] It was to be close to them. That's why they had three cities on this side of the river. There was a process to go through in that city. They were to realize they failed. There was a way of escape. Jesus is our city of refuge.
[6:18] You fail. Well you mess up. You know who you run to. You run to Jesus. You deserve death. You deserve hell. That's where you ought to go. That's where we all ought to go. But our God said I have a way. Come to Jesus.
[6:30] And he actually came to us. Second thing I want you to look at. Go with me if you would now to chapter 5 and verse 4. Chapter 5 and verse 4. Second thing I want you to write down in the Margie Bible. Moses was a mediator.
[6:41] You've already guessed where we're headed aren't you? Moses was a mediator. Look at what the Bible says in chapter 5 and verse 4. For the Lord talked with you face to face in the mountain in the midst of the fire. I stood between the Lord and you at that time to show you the word of the Lord.
[6:56] For you were afraid by reason of the fire. And you went not up into the mountain saying, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. So God spoke.
[7:07] They all heard him. There was a fire. There was a loud noise. There was this loud voice. And they were scared. And there was like there's this big division. There's God speaking over there. And all the people are cowering over here.
[7:18] I mean I think we'd probably be there too. If you can imagine fire. And you can imagine a booming voice coming out of heaven. And you're like, oh man I'm scared to death. And God gave a mediator to go between the two of them. God spoke with his people.
[7:30] But Moses stood between them. Would you underline it in verse 5? I stood between the Lord. Between Jehovah. Between Yahweh. Between the God of heaven. And you at that time.
[7:41] To show you the word of the Lord. Because you were afraid. I want to stop. And I want you to mark this down. Please get a hold of something. How does God reveal himself? He always reveals himself through words.
[7:54] He reveals himself through words. Look if you would at chapter 5 and verse 4. The Lord talked with you. Did you put a circle around that word talked? See we're not going to see.
[8:04] We're not going to see. He's that we can make an idol out of. We're not going to see other things. We got the talk. And now we got the talk written down. You get that?
[8:14] You got the talk written down. Look if you would at chapter 5 verse 22. Chapter 5 verse 3. These words the Lord spake unto you. Unto all the assembly of the mount. Out of the midst of the fire. Of the cloud. Out of the thick darkness. With a great voice.
[8:25] And he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone. And delivered them unto him. So what did God do? Through God spoke. Now they needed a mediator because they're scared to death. They're listening to God speaking. They're scared to death.
[8:36] But I want you to listen to this. You got to get this straight. How does God speak to us? How does God teach us? He does it through his words. Through his word. Amen? And that's how he spoke.
[8:47] So God clearly expressed in those words something. Look if you would at chapter 5 and verse 6. This is what he says. I am the Lord thy God. I am the Lord thy God.
[8:58] Now see they don't have a little idol they made. They don't have a little veil. They don't have a little piece of metal or a piece of wood or a piece of stone. They got this giant booming voice coming out of the darkness and the cloud and the fire.
[9:10] Put all that together. Let's figure out that one. They got all that happening. And he said I am the Lord your God. And then he underlined. Would you underline in verse 6? He said I brought you out. You didn't come out on your own.
[9:21] You didn't win your own victory. I brought you out. I am the Lord thy God. And I brought you out. And I got you out of slavery. Out of the house of bondage. Did you see that? Today God has provided a mediator between us and himself too.
[9:34] Our mediator today is Jesus. Amen? One mediator between God and man. Jesus. Man's afraid to talk to God. Even if God's got good words. The gospel's good news. But man's afraid.
[9:45] We need someone that would bring God to us. God came from heaven. He made himself a man to rescue us. And he does it for all of us.
[9:55] Jesus became the incarnate word. The word. Jesus. God. The son of God. Taking on living flesh. John chapter 1 and verse 14.
[10:08] There's a mediator. God's up there. We've sinned. We know sin's wrong. We feel ashamed. We feel embarrassed. We want to hide. We want to cower just like Adam and Eve did. And there's no way we're going to approach him.
[10:20] We're terrified by him. He's great. He's powerful. He's the creator. We've disobeyed him. And so God says I'll put a mediator. He gave Moses to cut because they were scared to death to talk to him. Even though he told them you're my people.
[10:30] And today I'd be terrified. But thank God God came to us. Amen? God came to us in the form of Jesus Christ. John chapter 1 and verse 1. In the beginning was the word. The word was with God.
[10:40] The word was God. And the word became flesh. John chapter 1 and verse 14. God came down to us. And if you would. I want you to notice. The commandments have to do with God's relationship with Israel.
[10:53] Chapter 5 and verse 6. The first thing God wants them to realize. Before you ever read the commandments. You've got to understand. This is like the most important basis for the commandments.
[11:05] In chapter 5 and verse 6. He's going to give them the commandments. But he wants them to understand something. There's only one God. And I'm him. I'm he. There's only one God. And it's the Lord God of heaven.
[11:17] He says in chapter 5 and verse 6. I am the Lord thy God. Circle that word I am. He likes that. He never is I was. He never is I will. But he's always I am. In the Bible. He said I am the Lord thy God.
[11:28] Which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. From the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. I'm God. There's nobody else. If you ever believe that you want to be a missionary. If you ever believe that you want to witness to somebody.
[11:40] If you ever believe that you want to share a gospel track. If you ever believe that you want to give something to faith. Promise you ever believe that you want to serve the God of heaven. Because there isn't but one. Amen. God wanted it clear that he was God.
[11:51] And there was no other. He wanted them to never bring any false gods before him. Every part of the commandments hang on this truth. I am the Lord God. Every truth hangs on that.
[12:02] If he's God then the rest makes sense. Your first step is to realize that he is God. You're God. And there is no other. They were never to make any idols.
[12:13] Chapter 5 and verse 8. Not make any graven images. They were not to make images. Verse 9. They were not to bow down to him. In verse 9 he tells them that he will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children.
[12:24] And show mercy unto thousands. I want you to notice something. God said I'm the only God. I don't like any other gods. I don't want you to mess with other gods. I don't want you to put anything before me. I am your creator. I am your deliverer.
[12:35] I am the God. That brought you out of bondage. I am that God. He's talking to Israel. It works for me. Doesn't it? Did he deliver me? Did he bring me out of the house of slavery?
[12:46] Did he give me salvation? I think that's very clear for all of us. Isn't it? Amen. He said I am that God. How could you make an idol and worship it? Realize that God doesn't make you a sinner because of your parents.
[12:57] That's another truth. I want you to look at verse 9. Go to verse 9. Thou shalt not bow down thyself nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.
[13:10] God's not going to send you to hell for what your parents did. God's not going to send your grandkids to hell for what you do. But you need to understand something. Your sin affects your kids. You should understand that.
[13:21] He said don't put any other gods before me. I'm a jealous God. I want you to understand that your sins, the sins of the parents definitely affect the children. How you live will have a definite effect on your children.
[13:32] What kind of heritage are you leaving for your children? When I was a little boy, my daddy led the McGahee family to the Lord. And my daddy told the story and I knew them.
[13:43] The McGahee was like a big mountain of a man. He was about 6'7 or 6'8. He later became a truck driver, but he was a drunk. And they lived in a house where you could literally see through the walls. He became my dad's best friend.
[13:54] But you could literally see through the walls because it's an old shack up in Tennessee. And my dad, one brother McGahee, everybody in the community knew McGahee was a mean guy. He was a drunkard.
[14:05] And my dad would go to their house and often on Sunday, he would step across Mr. McGahee's body, pick up the kids, bring them to our car, and take them to church. And he would later get saved. But do you know that because the daddy was a drunk, the kids suffered?
[14:18] Can you imagine that, amen? Because the daddy was a drunk, the kids suffered. The house was a shaft. Once he got saved, man, her family, things totally changed. I need to realize that though you can say, well, I'm just living my life.
[14:31] I'm doing what I want to do. What you do affects your children. That's what he said. He said, I'm a jealous God. Don't play with me. I'm the real God of heaven. Go with me if you would to chapter 5, verse 11. He said they were to honor the name of God.
[14:44] They were to honor the name of God. Verse 11. He said, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain. God's name represents his character and his reputation.
[14:59] His character and his reputation. Our goal is to make him look good. Let me tell you something. If I don't want to take his name in vain, what that means is I don't want to bring dishonor on his name.
[15:11] It ought to be a part of my thought process. Everything I say, I want God to look good. Amen? When I talk about God, I want it to look good. I want people to be like, he must be a great God. That guy really believes in him.
[15:22] I like to talk about my wife in a way that people think really good things about her. I like to mention sweet things about her. I like to say things about her. I like to say things so people think, man, she must be a great wife. I want that. I want honor brought on my wife.
[15:33] Much more do I want honor brought on my God. Amen? Somebody came up to me the other day and they were talking about something. They were talking about what they were going to preach. I said, wait a minute. Does that make God look good? I said, if you understood that, God would look good.
[15:45] He don't look bad. His book don't make him look bad. And so let's look and make sure we honor God. Don't take his name in vain. The idea is to portray God in a way that he's desirable to worship.
[15:57] Matthew chapter 6 and verse 9. Our father which art in heaven hallowed. Hallowed. Respected. Honored. Lifted up. Be thy name. Using his name as a swear word would definitely bring dishonor to him.
[16:11] Even down to, oh my God. We can all be so guilty of it. Chapter 5 and verse 12. They were to honor God by keeping the Sabbath. Go to chapter 5 verse 12. Keep the Sabbath day.
[16:23] Keep the Sabbath day and remember. Keep the Sabbath day and remember. God had set aside the Sabbath day for them to honor him. Now listen to me. I'm fixing to blow some of your minds.
[16:35] But 9 out of 10 commandments are mentioned again in the New Testament. One commandment is not mentioned in the New Testament. This one is it. The Sabbath day was a special sign between Israel and the Lord.
[16:49] The Sabbath day was a special day between Israel and the Lord. There's no question about that. You're going to know that well. So write this down in the margin of your Bible if you would. Exodus chapter 31 and verse 12. Exodus chapter 31 and verse 12.
[17:01] Let's see what the word of God says about this Sabbath day. Chapter 31 and verse 12. And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Speak thou also unto the who? Help me read that. Unto the what? Speak thou unto the...
[17:14] Chapter 31 verse 13. Put that up there. Look at it. Speak thou unto the children of Israel. Say, Verily my Sabbath you shall keep. Now underline this. In Exodus chapter 31 and verse 13.
[17:27] It is a sign. It is for it is a sign between me and you throughout all your generations. Would you underline that? That's Sabbath day. Who's it a sign for?
[17:38] Talk to me. Who's it a sign for? Israel. He said it's a sign between me and you. By the way, verse 14. I grew up. I grew up. Sunday was always a Sabbath. It was always a Sabbath.
[17:49] We couldn't play baseball on Sunday. We couldn't go swimming on Sunday. We could do whatever daddy liked to do on Sunday. Somehow that got under grace. Whatever daddy didn't like to, we couldn't do under there.
[17:59] But do you understand what it said in Exodus chapter 31 and verse 14? He said, you keep it. It's holy. If you defile it, you're to be put to death. You're to be cut off from your people. Verse 15.
[18:10] He said, six days shall you work. But if you break it, you shall surely be put to death. Now look at chapter 6, verse 16. Exodus chapter 31 and verse 16. Underline it in your Bible.
[18:21] You're studying the word of God. You want to know what it says. Chapter 31, verse 16. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath. Verse 17. It's a sign between me and the children of Israel.
[18:35] Would you underline that in chapter 31, verse 17? It's a sign between me and the children of Israel. Well, in Ezekiel chapter 20 and verse 12, the Bible said, moreover also I gave them my Sabbath to be a sign between me and them.
[18:49] I gave them my Sabbath to be a sign between me and them. In Ezekiel chapter 20 and verse 20, he said, hallow my Sabbath and they shall be a sign between me and you. That Sabbath day started at the end of creation.
[19:01] God set aside the seventh day because he worked six days and he rested on the seventh day. Genesis chapter 2. At Sinai, though, God makes the Sabbath day a part of God's covenant with Israel.
[19:13] And Sunday is not really, biblically, it's not the Christian Sabbath. It's not. Sabbath is Saturday. That's why you have seventh day Adventist. You have seventh day Baptist.
[19:26] By the way, Paul Talby now is the seventh day Baptist. Only because in Nepal, the only day they take off is Saturday and so they do all their worship and on Saturday. So you call him on Sunday and say, are you going to church?
[19:37] He said, nope, not going. He doesn't even go to church. He doesn't go to church. I think we should drop his support. Amen. He doesn't even go to church on Sunday. They do all of it on Saturday. Sets on the floor for four hours. Said it's torture. But anyway, the Sabbath is a Saturday, the seventh.
[19:50] Sunday is the first day of the week. That's our day. That's the church's day. You know why? Because that's the day Jesus came back. That's the Lord's day. Jesus arose from the dead on the first day. Now, we don't fight about days. Colossians chapter 2, verses 16, 17.
[20:02] Don't fight about it. Don't fight about it. Colossians chapter 2, verses 16 and 17. I do think the Sabbath gives you an indication. God wants some time set aside for him to be worshiped.
[20:15] In the Old Testament, you got a day. In the New Testament, you got a day. But the rules that we had when I was a kid probably weren't and aren't biblical. Now, here's what I want you to remember about the no one honors God as we have been commanded.
[20:27] We fail him, and we need to get to him. We fail him, and we need to get to him. And I told you the title of the message is God getting us to God. So Jesus comes as God in human flesh.
[20:41] He lives out every law. He didn't come to do away with the law, but to fulfill the law. He lives every law. He dies for those that didn't and couldn't. He then lives in us. He gives us the desire and the power to live out the commandments.
[20:53] You'll notice, you know, I'm not real big on preaching the commandments. I'll show you why before we get through tonight. But you need to understand that in Christ, I want to do right. Amen? We believe in grace, but I want to do right because it's in my heart.
[21:06] We, in him, can live out God's will and commandments for us. Starting in chapter 5 and verse 16, the commandments now move from God's.
[21:17] The first commandments were about God and our relationship to God. And then starting in verse 16, the relationship is now how I relate to you. So look, if you would, at chapter 5 and verse 16, and I'm supposed to work in my family.
[21:28] Make sure I honor God by honoring in my family. So in verse 16, he said, honor thy father and thy mother. So respect for parents is first place God went after dealing with him.
[21:40] First commandments, he says, y'all keep this straight between me and you. Honor me. Don't use my name. Don't put idols in front of me. Keep a day to worship me. See, now let's talk about the way y'all guys get along.
[21:51] You better love and respect your mama and daddy. First place he went. Say amen right there. If I was a teenager, I'd love and honor and respect my parents. That's the Bible place to be. You parents, that was your shot.
[22:05] You blew it. God placed a great deal of importance on children honoring and respecting their parents. You can go all through the Bible. He talks about that. We'll do that later.
[22:15] Verse 17, they were to respect human life. Thou shalt not kill. God gives life and he's the only one who has a right to take life. We were made in God's image, so murder is an attack against God.
[22:29] The only thing you're allowed to do biblically is defend yourself. You can biblically defend yourself in your house. In Exodus 22, 22. If a thief is found breaking into your house and he's smitten that he die, that's okay.
[22:42] No blood shed. The Bible's full of God's plan on that. Only the state has the right to take life even in a capital offense. And by the way, you get the New Testament.
[22:53] You know God's going to Sunday morning we're going to be in the commandments again. In Matthew chapter 19, Jesus is going to talk about the commandments. The man's going to say to him, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?
[23:05] And the Lord's going to say, you know, call me good. And then the guy's going to say, well, just tell me what I can do. And he said, well, keep the commandments. And the guy said, well, which one of the commandments do you want me to keep? And he names them. So he goes right back through them and talks about them.
[23:18] But in the New Testament, guess what? Anger. Man, anger's a long ways down the road towards murder. So let's just remember we're not those kind of people. You're supposed to get your anger under control.
[23:30] No road rage. Say, oh me. Chapter 5, verse 18. God wanted sexual purity. God wanted sexual purity.
[23:42] Neither shalt thou commit adultery. God wanted his people to honor sexual intimacy. Marriage is to be honored. Adultery was a capital crime in Israel.
[23:52] Now, they quickly got away from that. They quickly became adulterers. They quickly ignored that. But God's plan was that you would honor your spouse. Man and woman.
[24:04] That's God's plan. Forever. Never sex. Outside of marriage. You don't need more than one wife. You just need to love your wife. Can you say amen right there? Proverbs chapter 6 and verse 32. The Bible said, but whoso committed adultery with a woman lacks understanding.
[24:18] Basically, let me put that in Tennessee Hillbilly. If you commit adultery, you're a dummy. You ain't real bright. You're going to get hurt if you do that. He says, he that doeth that destroys his own soul.
[24:30] That's a wild statement. God makes some of the harshest statements in the Bible about adultery. Don't do it. A wound and dishonor shall he get, and a reproach shall not be wiped away.
[24:44] You got McGlidsey. You're getting married. Honor the woman you're going to marry. Honor the man you're going to marry. Adultery is a wicked, filthy, dirty, stinking thing that God hates. Ladies, you could have said amen right there.
[24:57] I'll just throw this one in while I'm at it. There's all kinds of sexual temptation out there. You want to look at porn on your phone? You want to watch things that you shouldn't watch? You want to chat with people and stir up sexual thoughts?
[25:13] Don't you realize our God hates that? God meant for sex between you and your wife and nobody else. You don't need to be looking at anybody else's wife. You don't need to be looking at anybody else's husband. You need to dedicate your...
[25:24] Amen. Thank you. Verse 19. Chapter 5, verse 19. We respect God and people by not taking things that don't belong to us. In verse 19, he said, Neither shalt thou steal.
[25:36] By the way, you can steal in a lot of ways. You can steal a guy's honor by slandering him. You can steal by cheating. One of my favorite verses in the whole New Testament, when I'm helping people overcome sin, is Ephesians 4, 28.
[25:46] Look at Ephesians 4, verse 28. Write it in the margin of your Bible. The Bible said, To the New Testament Christian, Let him that stole, steal no more. Let him that stole, steal no more.
[25:57] That's your old life, stealing. That's not who you are anymore, but rather labor, working with his hands, the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth. By the way, you know, we're not under law.
[26:08] We're not trying to keep a bunch of rules, but there's a total radical change when you get born again. Used to, I thought about me and I stole for me. That's what's going on in the verse. Used to, I was stealing because I thought about me.
[26:18] I would like to steal so I could have things. Then God said, No, don't steal anymore, but labor. Go get a job and work with your hands the thing which is good. Get you a good job. By the way, any job's a good job.
[26:29] You don't have to have a million dollar a year job. Just have a job. Be an honorable guy. Amen. And he said, But when you get a job, guess what you're going to do? He said, So you, Used to, you thought about you so you could steal. Now you get a job so you could give.
[26:43] Used to, I said, I'm in need. That's why I steal. Now I work so I can take care of them that are in need. A whole different way of looking at things. Chapter 5, verse 20, See, all forms of lying would be wrong. Neither shalt thou bear false witness.
[26:55] You don't lie in court. You don't lie. You don't, you tell the truth. You don't slander other people. But then he gets down to verse 21. This is like one of the most powerful verses in the Ten Commandments. Check it out.
[27:06] See, the real problem is not your actions. It's your attitudes. Not your actions, but your attitudes. In verse 21, he said, Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor's wife. Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor's house, his field, his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox or his ass, or anything that's thy neighbor's.
[27:21] Desiring something other than Jesus leads us to problems. Matthew 6, 24, you remember what it said? You can't serve God in mammon. Remember what Matthew 6, 24 said? It said, Hey, you got to choose.
[27:31] You got to hold the one and despise the other. Love one and hate the other. That's what he told us we had to do. We're to seek him first. By the way, where does most sin start? Desire. Desire.
[27:43] No human ever did right in all of this. So look here. He gives you the Ten Commandments. And you will mess up. If a man thinks he keeps the law, then Jesus explains the law was more about attitudes and actions and shows that all have failed.
[27:59] On Sunday morning, Matthew chapter 19, Jesus is going to say to them, God's going to come up and say, Hey, good master. What good thing must I do that I might have eternal life? And he said, Don't call anybody good, buddy.
[28:09] Nobody's good but God. I thought that was a really interesting little quote there. He said, Ain't nobody good but God. You're right. I am good. But you didn't know that. You're not even thinking like that. But then the guy said, Well, what do I need to do? He said, Well, keep the commandments.
[28:21] And the guy said, Well, which one? And he says, All right, here they are. But you know, you're in Matthew 19. You remember what he said? He said, Way back in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, Sermon on the Mount. You know what he said? He said, You've heard it said that if you kill somebody, that's horrible.
[28:35] But I say unto you, If you get mad, You call a guy fool. He said, You've heard it said that if you commit adultery. But I say, If you look at a woman and think things in your heart. So, see, God's saying, Hey, buddy, It's your attitude that's where your big problem lies.
[28:49] It's your attitude. But we need a Savior. And the tick of heaven is only to show you one thing. Nobody lives up to him. Nobody lives up to him.
[28:59] So, Jesus, God, made a way of sacrifice in your Old Testament. There's a whole system in Leviticus we've already been through. He made a system of sacrifice to say, Yes, you messed up, but I got a solution.
[29:11] Yes, you messed up, but I have a solution. I have a sacrifice. He showed us our failure. He made a way for us to be forgiven. And it all points towards Calvary. Last thing.
[29:21] Remember the purpose in the law. We need the law to live in a civilized and organized society. And we Christians should live out the law from our hearts because God placed it in us.
[29:32] Now, you listen to this real quick. Grace is no excuse. Grace is never a license to sin. It's liberty to serve. Grace is never about, I can do what I want to do. Once saved, always saved.
[29:43] It's almost a perverted way of saying, I'm saved by grace so I can live any way I want to. No, you can't. If you're a born-again believer, you shouldn't want any of those things because God put a new want to in you.
[29:54] We do it because we want to. It's what's in our heart. So I want to take you on my favorite passage of Scripture to finish up. Go with me to 2 Corinthians 3 and verse 3. Love tells us what to do much more than the law could have ever told us.
[30:06] You know, you can put rules all you want, but rules will never work like love will. The strongest way you can put control on somebody's love, it's the love of Christ that constrains us. It's the love of Christ.
[30:18] In the 2 Corinthians chapter 3, we're going to kind of scan. I hope you open your Bible there so you can mark it in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. I want you to understand this whole thing about the law because some of you might be really hung up on the Ten Commandments. You're supposed to keep them.
[30:29] You're not going to keep them. And if you do keep them, if you're like the young guy, say, well, I kept them. I kept all the commandments. That means you don't understand the commandments because nobody keeps all the commandments. Keep the commandments.
[30:41] Which one? Which one? There's all ten of them. Which one? There's a whole Bible full of them. Because before it's over, you're supposed to fall on your face and say, I can't. The Lord has written on our hearts now the word.
[30:55] 2 Corinthians 3.3. Boy, listen to this. Take off your shoes. You're fixing to walk on some holy ground. For as much as you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ's minister bus, written not with ink.
[31:07] This isn't a letter written with ink. But with the spirit of the living God. Not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.
[31:19] Moses came down off that mountain with rocks. And he said, this is what God said. And he wrote it with his finger. Nobody's ever been able to keep it. He gets off the mountain and breaks the commandments because they're already breaking them.
[31:30] They're a mess. But you and I have been born again. You and I have been born again. And this is what he said. I didn't bring you tables of stone, but I put it in fleshly tables of your heart.
[31:42] Verse 4. I ain't got time. Skip to verse 6. Who also made us able ministers of the New Testament. Not of the letter, but of the spirit. The letter kills, but the spirit gives life.
[31:55] You know what that means? Those Ten Commandments written there? It kills. When you stand before the Ten Commandments, they go, wham, wham, wham, wham. You failed, you failed, you failed. You failed. You're going to hell, buddy.
[32:05] You are a failure. And then God steps in and says, but I'll take on your punishment. I'll die for you. And I'll give you new life. And you know what? I'm going to change all of that.
[32:16] The letter kills, but the spirit gives life. Verse 7. Got your Bible open there? The ministry, ministration of death. Ten Commandments. We're going to kill you. Everybody in this room needs to know you're sick.
[32:28] There's no way you get saved. You figure out you're sick. He said, the ministry of death written and engraved in stones. Verse 8. He says, how shall not the ministration of the spirit be glorious?
[32:41] See, there's this ministration of death written on stones. There's this ministration of spirit. Verse 9. There's a ministration of condemnation. That's what the law does. It drives me to my knees.
[32:52] But it makes me realize I desperately need God. It makes me examine me and realize I am not good enough to go to heaven. I'm not good enough for God to save me.
[33:04] He didn't give the Ten Commandments so I could walk around saying, looks like you got about a 93 on the Ten Commandments, but I got a 96. That's not what it was about. It was to go around and say, man, I looked at the Ten Commandments and I failed. Where did I go?
[33:14] And the God of heaven said, I got where you can go. The Lamb will die for you. And the Lamb will take your sins on him. So it was a ministry of condemnation. Go to verse 9. Ministry of condemnation.
[33:25] Be glory much more does the ministry, administration of righteousness exceed in glory. I'd like to show you one more verse. Go down to verse 18. Verse 14, he uses the word Old Testament.
[33:39] Verse 14, he uses the word Old Testament. You go through, you'll find the New Testament also. But verse 18, if you would look at this. But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed to the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
[33:57] Now watch this. I go to the law. I look at the law and it says, you're overweight. The fact is, you're so fat, you're probably going to die of a heart attack. You should lose weight.
[34:08] And when I look at it, I feel condemned. I feel like dying. I feel embarrassed. I feel like, man, I'm a mess. And for you to keep running to the Ten Commandments and say, today I'm going to try to keep the Ten Commandments.
[34:20] Today I'm going to try to do right. So, man, I've got to live up to the Ten Commandments. He said, no, no, no, no. Ministry of condemnation. No, no, no. Ministry of death. He said, but run over to the ministry of reconciliation. Run over to the ministry of life and look at Jesus.
[34:33] Look at Jesus. And realize I did fail. And I know what I did. And I hate what I did. And thank you for dying for me. And he said, you'll slowly be changed into the new guy you're supposed to be.
[34:44] Looking at that reminds me of what a stinking scumbag I am. Looking at that reminds me of what a wonderful Savior I have. And I'm in love with him. And I want to be more and more like him. Would you read verse 18 with me one more time?
[34:55] But we all, unashamedly, with open face, looking at the Lord like we're looking through a glass. And the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory.
[35:06] So we look at it and we say, man, God, you're so good. God, I lied. I stole. I cheated. God, I committed murder. I committed adultery. I took your name in vain. God, I failed in every way possible that a human can fail.
[35:18] The fact is I'm embarrassed about my story. No open face, nothing. I want to hide my face. And he says, I'll take care of your sin. Law brought death, but the Spirit brought life.
[35:29] We are now to live out who we are in Christ. So before we leave the second giving of the law, Deuteronomy, and we're to chapter 4 and chapter 5. Now, before we leave that, I want you to remember something.
[35:41] You failed a holy God. See, we never forget that. I don't care if you're saved 100 years. Don't you ever forget where you came from. So when a new person walks through the door, they're not living the life they ought to, and they don't have, they're not strong in the Lord, and they're still messing with sin, and they're still doing wrong.
[35:58] My heart says to them, I know where you are, buddy. I've been there. I know how sin beats you up, and I know how you're hurting. But if you turn your eyes on Jesus and look at him, little by little, he'll change you and make you into who you are.
[36:08] You're already a new creature, but he's going to change you from glory to glory. So everybody stood before the commandments, and that day when he gave those commandments, they had every right to be afraid because those commandments said, you are all going to die.
[36:23] You're all going to die. But he's going to make a way for them not to die. Remember, on Sunday morning, you'll get more of it, but he's going to make a way for them to get to life.
[36:34] Old Testament, New Testament. Law does make me see my need. New Testament does make me see my Savior. Now, if you're not saved tonight, you know what? Your sin and your past and your mess-ups, they probably plague you and hurt you.
[36:49] And I'm glad they do. I'm glad you're uncomfortable. I'm glad it's kind of eating your life. I'm glad you're kind of thinking, man, I don't know, man. I feel pretty bad here tonight. Talking about all them rules, man. It makes me feel bad.
[37:00] Good. Because if you feel bad, you can run to the one who can make you feel good. If you know you're sick, you can get to the doctor. And the doctor's Jesus. If you realize you've got a dirty heart, he can give you a clean heart.
[37:13] So now if you're here and you're not born again, you need to get saved. He didn't do any of that to make you feel bad. He wants you to feel bad so you can be saved. He gave those commandments. He knew Israel would never keep those commandments. But when he gave those commandments, we've already seen that he gave all the sacrifices.
[37:27] If you're here and you're not saved, night to night, you should be saved. You should accept Christ as your Savior. By the way, if you are saved, don't you ever act like sin's okay.
[37:38] It's not. It's not. It nailed our Savior to a cross. He died for my sin. He died for my filth. He died for my rebellion.
[37:48] He died for me doing things my own way. I don't want to do that. I want to look unto Jesus. I want to let him change me so that I begin to walk like who he is. He lives that I do to my son. So I can't.
[38:04] He died for his sins. He takes me to his's. I love to hear his body. I don't want to react to that. He spent great goodness with my life.
[38:15] Okay, but to him, AS screamed, specifically for his soloist andENT, peace, he was gone. 크�line I want to help him. I want to come to him to go wash it, because of his history.