Post by humble angel on Sept 9, 2009 21:36:11 GMT -5
Brothers and Sisters,
Today I was led to start our lesson from the book of Romans chapter 6, and found it had opened up and answered many questions for me that I had about the laws of God prior to the crucifixion of Christ, and how those laws still apply to us today.
Many people say that the laws were only intended for the old testament and not the New, because Jesus died for our sins, and that the law no longer applies to us now, but that just is not true.
The law when it was given to man by God, was Gods way to give man limits and boundary's, teaching them how to live righteously before Him. God requires us to live righteously before Him.There was a list of things back then that clearly were sins according to God, and man was forbidden to do those things then, and they are still forbidden to do them today.
Some of those things God abhorred to the point of referring to them as "an abomination" before Him. And some of them carried the penalty of death with them, like the lifestyle of homosexuality does here in this scripture verse....
Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Just as eating only of the things that God considers to be clean to us, still applies to us as it did in the Old Testament, in spite of what many people may claim to the contrary.
And come on... lets not forget about Lucifer deceiving Eve with the eating of the forbidden fruit!!!! It looked so mouthwatering and good, but carried the penalty of death when eaten. And after they ate of it, the penalty was carried out wasn't it! Have we not learned anything from that?
If that lesson about Eve disobeying God, and the result of that disobedience was all God every gave us, you would think that would have been enough to keep us out of the unrighteous path. Because clearly God carries out all of His promises to us. But like it or not, man listens to satan more than they listen to God. Satan is the one convincing people that the law of God no long applies to us today, the exact same way he did with Eve. Clearly the fruit does not fall far from the tree, does it? Because we are the fruit of Eve.
What does God say....
Leviticus 11:7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven-footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
Leviticus 11:10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
Point to ponder.....
There are 69 verses in the Bible that clearly describe all those acts of man that God considers an abomination unto Him. Here is a link I am providing for you, so you can see all of them for yourself. The Book of Leviticus 11 also tells us what is clean for us to eat as well.
www.htmlbible.com/kjv30/index2.htm You might just find yourself surprise to see that many of those things you are doing today.
And God also tell us that even though we are not under the law, but under Grace that we are not so sin. Because we are servants of righteousness and freed from sin.
Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
The law of God is outlined for us by the grace and mercy of our Father. it shows us all behavior that is unrighteous, therefore they are sins. They were sins in the Old Testament and they are still considered sins today by God. And being Born Again, we are to know better than to give into sin, simply because the majority of the people today claim them to belong solely to the Old Testament living, which is a lie.
Romans 7:6-7 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
Now lets go straight into the New Testament. and you will see how the law still applies to us today..
1 Corinthians 6:15-20 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Application Part....
1. Know that if it weren't for God's law, we would know know we were sinning. There for we still need His law to keep us aligned to righteousness.
2. Know that the law of God was and still is the measuring stick we must measure up to, by not committing those same sins today that were unacceptable by God back in the Biblical days, and still remain unacceptable today.
3. The only difference today is that we no longer have to sacrifice a lamb yearly to cover our sins, because Jesus did that for us when He took them with Him to the cross and was crucified on our behalf. That is Grace, and we now have passage to heaven, when we did not have that before.
4. Just because our sins are covered by Jesus does not mean we can still commit those sins that God told us not to do.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
5. Does Jesus suffering for your sins mean anything to you, that you still do those same things God specifically told you not to do?
6 . We need to face it and admit that we know right from wrong, and stop making up excuses for why we can do those things we know is unrighteous in the eyes of God still today, simply because something may feel good, or taste good, or perhaps it may be fun to do, when in truth,you know which of those things are of the unrighteous manner and will separate us from God.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
7. Learn to make your spirit control your flesh, and not allow your flesh to control your spirit, by way of prayer.
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
8. Make that commitment, that re dedication to the Lord today and choose to strive to live righteously before the Lord, walking away from any and all unrighteousness. Because Jesus is returning for His church/bride in our lifetime!
9. . If those events you hear about in the news daily does not scare you, and make you totally aware of the end times that we are now living in, then your not paying attention.
Let us pray...
Father,
I need to strengthen my resistance to those things that I know are not righteous in Your eyes. I must keep myself from conforming to the things of today that I know are wrong no matter what others may think of me. I serve You and not man. I am obedient to You and not man.
Father, I want to cover myself with the armor of Your Word daily, so I may be protected from head to toe. I want to see things with my spiritual eyes and remain in the spirit so I can resist the temptations of this world.. I need to be able to admit to myself as well as to You that some of the ways of life that I may have attached myself to are not Your ways, therefore are unrighteous.
Please build me up spiritually so I may better control myself, and by actions and behavior so that all of what I do in life reflects You living inside me. I praise and thank you, in Jesus precious name. Amen!
God bless you always.
Carol
1 Corinthians 6:16-18 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Thanks sis!!