Let me wish all my readers a Happy New Year in advance. Today, December 31st is the last day of the year 2022. By God’s Grace, we shall witness in good health the year of the Lord, 2023.
The policy of this site is changing from daily blogging to once a week, every Sunday, in the year 2023. But the regular posting of my YouTube videos on Tuesday and Friday will continue on the website.
To end the year, I am on the Pulpit preaching “The Purpose of God’s Law.” We must start the new year 2023 by embracing God’s Law for our benefit.
The Purpose of God’s Law:
Text: Eze. 38: 8–13; Col. 3: 1–11; Jn. 16: 23-33
Introduction: ‘
The Sovereign LORD says: on that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme.” – Ezekiel 38: 10. Since the Fall of man, man’s thoughts and deeds have always been evil in total disobedience to God our Creator. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments for the Israelites because of their hardened hearts, yet they were disobedient to God’s Law. A cursory look at the Ten Commandments shows separate teachings that guide our lives. In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ confrontation with the Lawyer, Jesus confirms that there are only two commandments. The first Commandment is to Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul. That is what Jesus called the Great Commandment. The Commandment deals with our relationship with God, and four of the ten commandments fall under this. They are:
- You shall have no other gods before you.
- You shall not make, worship, or serve any graven images.
- You shall not take the Lord God’s name in vain.
- Six days shall be thou labor; honor the Sabbath; keep it holy.
The second Commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves, which we know as the Great Commission. I love my lost brother and sister for sharing the Gospel and bringing them into the kingdom. I love my saved brother and sister by bringing them to their full maturity in Christ to expand the kingdom. The remaining six commandments fall under this second law and have to do with our relationships with others.
- Honor your father and mother.
- You shall not kill
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, servant, animals, or possessions.
What, then, is the Purpose of God’s law of Love, Loving God and loving our neighbors?
The Purpose is in three parts:
- Holy Calling – A call to spiritual resurrection; a call to be a Christian; a call to have Faith
- Holy Affection & Ambition – A call to Holy living; a call to Love and be Loved; a call to total Obedience and
- Holy Affirmation – A call to the certainty of human expectations; a call to have your prayers answered.
In dealing with these three purposes, I will use the New Testament reading: Colossians 3: 1 – 11, and the Epistle, John 16: 23 – 33
Body Of Message:
A. Holy Calling – Col. 3: 1-11; John 16: 27
- A call to be a Christian in Faith– Colossians 3
- Raised with Christ vs.1
- Setting your heart and mind on things above vs. 1b & 2
- Christ is all and is in all – vs. 11; No segregation, No class distinction, No ethnicity, No tribalism, etc.
- Father loves you because you have loved Christ and believe He came from God.
B. Holy Affections & Ambitions – Col. 3: 5, 8, 9, 10
(i) A call to Holy Living – Entire Sanctification having being Justified
- Put to death earthly nature – External dynamics vs. 5; all forms of Impurity, Sexual immorality, Lust, evil desires, and greed are classified as Idolatry.
- Rid yourself of inner dynamics vs. 8 – anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips (Tongue is the fire of human parts and has the power of life and death, so you must tame your tongue.)
- Do not lie to each other vs. 9
We exhibit Love when we do all these.
(ii) A call to Obedience
– Learning to be a Servant of God. You are obedient when you become a servant of God.
To be a servant of God, you must be moldable and remain in the hand of the Master. Many Scripture passages describe Jesus as God’s servant. He came as a servant to accomplish God’s Will in the redemption of humanity. Here is what Paul said about Jesus in Phil. 2: 5-8.
- Servanthood requires Obedience. The Biblical concept of
- servanthood is different from the world. You do not get
- orders and then go out and do them. You relate to God,
- respond to Him, and adjust your life to Him, so He can do whatever He wants to do through you.
(iii) A call to a relationship with God.
A relationship with God improves your relationship with others. I think God is crying out and shouting to us, “Don’t just do something; stand there! Enter into a love relationship with me. Could you get to know me? Adjust your life to Me. Let me love you and reveal myself to you as I work through you. The Purpose of God’s law is a deeper relationship with God and others. Relationships with God must come first. When you obey God’s Law, you experience God’s work.
(I will obey and experience God’s work)
- God wants you to come to more excellent knowledge of Him.
- He wants to establish a love relationship with you.
- God wants to involve you in His Kingdom’s purposes.
- He wants to accomplish His work through you.
- Your job is simple: Find out where the Master is; that is where you need to be.
- So, Put on the new self, renewed in knowledge in the image of the Creator vs. 10
C. Holy Affirmation – John 16: 23 – 33
Holy Affirmation is a call to the certainty of answered prayers. God gave us the Scriptures as a guide for Faith and practice. We often ask the wrong question and get the wrong answer. The right question brings out the correct answer. The right question is, What is God’s will? In other words, what is God proposing where I am? Once I know what God is doing, I know what I need to do. The focus needs to be on God, not my life. For Holy affirmation, watch to see where God is working and join Him. A call to walk in Faith
Jesus Christ is the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. The Bible teaches about using His name in prayer.
- Whatever you ask in Jesus’ name, you receive-vs. 23
- Ask to receive in Jesus’ name, and your joy will be complete vs. 24
- You will have Peace in Christ, and the world affliction v 33
- In this world, you will have trouble; Take heart! Jesus has overcome the world. Vs. 33
Conclusion:
Three words describe this Purpose: Faith, Love, and Obedience.
The Purpose of God’s Law is to ensure we are not spiritually dead, permanently cut off from God’s presence. Life is concise, but God is eternal. The Purpose is in His Holy Calling, Holy Affection, & Ambition for us, and Holy Affirmation that all is well with us on earth and we have life everlasting by believing in Jesus Christ, His Son.
God’s Word is sufficient to be wise, and the secret of wisdom is the Purpose of God’s law.
Prayer:
You may have been frustrated in your Christian experience because you know God has a more abundant life for you than you have experienced, OR you may be earnestly desiring God’s directions for your life, ministry, or business. You may have experienced tragedy, like losing a loved one. OR you are standing bewildered in the middle of a broken life; you don’t know what to do. Whatever your present circumstances may be, my earnest prayer is that today that you have learned the Purpose of God’s law, you will be able to:
- Confess and repent of your sins
- Believe in Jesus Christ that He died for your sins, arose from the dead, and He’s coming again.
- Having been justified, seek Sanctification
- Hear when God is speaking to you
- Identify the activity of God in your life
- Believe Him to be and do everything He promises
- Adjust your beliefs, character, and behavior to God and His ways
- See the direction that He is taking in your life and what He wants to do through your life.
God’s Grace has enabled us this far, and By God’s Continous Grace, we shall all witness God’s New Glory in the year 2023 starting tomorrow.