Tag Archives: Law of Moses

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Sin immeasurable

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“Who can understand his errors?” Psalm 19:12

Suggested Further Reading: Matthew 5:21-30

With every commandment—the bare letter is nothing, compared with the whole stupendous meaning and severe strictness of the rule. The commandments, if I may so speak, are like the stars. When seen with the naked eye, they appear to be brilliant points; if we could draw near to them, we should see them to be infinite worlds, greater than even our sun, stupendous though it is. So is it with the law of God. It seems to be but a luminous point, because we see it at a distance, but when we come nearer where Christ stood, and estimate the law as he saw it, then we find it is vast, immeasurable. “Thy commandment is exceeding broad.” Think then for a moment of the spirituality of the law, its extent and strictness. The law of Moses condemns for offence, without hope of pardon, and sin, like a millstone, is bound around the sinner’s neck, and he is cast into the depths. Moreover, the law deals with sins of thought,—the imagination of evil is sin. The transit of sin across the heart, leaves the stain of impurity behind it. This law, too, extends to every act,—tracks us to our bed-chamber, goes with us to our house of prayer, and if it discovers so much as the least sign of wavering from the strict path of integrity, it condemns us. When we think of the law of God we may well be overwhelmed with horror, and sit down and say, “God be merciful to me, for to keep this law is utterly beyond power; even to know the fulness of its meaning is not within finite capacity. Therefore, great God, cleanse us from our secret faults—save us by thy grace, for by the law we never can be saved.”

For meditation: “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” (Exodus 19:8)—we should admire the spirit of the Israelites, but not their self-confidence. Only one slip-up spells condemnation (Galatians 3:10; James 2:10). Praise God for his Son who came to fulfil the law perfectly (Matthew 5:17) and then to die in our place to save us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).

Sermon no. 299

12 February (1860)

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Power Of Simplicity

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Our Daily Bread

Mark 12:28-34

Then one of the scribes came, and . . . asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” —Mark 12:28

Few people take time to study the US Internal Revenue Service income tax regulations—and for good reason. According to Forbes magazine, in 2013 tax codes surpassed the four million-word mark. In fact, the tax laws have become so complex that even the experts have a hard time processing all the regulations. It’s burdensome in its complexity.

The religious leaders in ancient Israel did the same thing in their relationship with God. They made it too complex with laws. The growing burden of religious regulations had increased to the point where even an expert in Moses’ law struggled to understand its core. When one such leader asked Jesus what mattered most in the Commandments, Jesus responded, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).

The law of Moses was burdensome, but faith in Christ is simple and His “burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). It’s light because God was willing to forgive us and love us. Now He enables us to love Him and our neighbor. —Bill Crowder

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me,

And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree;

I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now. —Featherstone

God’s love in our heart gives us a heart for Him and others.

Bible in a year: Psalms 81-83; Romans 11:19-36

Insight

In Christ’s answer to the scribe in Mark 12:29, He quotes the “Shema” from Deuteronomy 6:4 which states, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” The title “shema” is from the Hebrew word for hear. One source says this statement of the oneness of God is recited twice each day by observant Jews and is the most important part of Judaism’s prayer services.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Gift of Freedom

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Charles Stanley

Galatians 5:1-14

Every time I celebrate Independence Day, I am reminded of the freedom Christ accomplished for us on the cross when He paid the penalty for our sins. Now all who believe in Him have been liberated from the destructive power of sin. But sadly, many Christians don’t live in the freedom He won for them.

That’s what happened to the Galatians. They’d been saved through faith in Jesus, but some false teachers told them they also had to keep the Law of Moses to maintain their salvation. Adding requirements to the finished work of Christ can make people uncertain and insecure about their spiritual standing.

When I was saved at the age of 12, I was immediately held in bondage to the rules my church established for me. The list of condemning sins included going to movies, wearing cuff links, and reading the comics on Sunday. That was a real problem for me because I loved Dick Tracy. Every Sunday I had to confess to the Lord that I had sneaked a peak before delivering the papers on my route. In time, I lost much of my childhood joy because I was plagued by guilt. I never knew if I was destined for heaven or hell. Every night I’d climb into bed and beg God to forgive me because I hadn’t been able to obey the rules.

If you’re struggling with feelings of guilt and condemnation, I want you to know there is freedom in Christ. When He cried out on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), that’s exactly what He meant. Nothing else is needed. He paid in full for your salvation and promises to complete the good work He began in you (Phil. 1:6).

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Wait for the Lord

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Joyce meyer

Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may do wisely and prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. —1 Kings 2:3

When you pray, wait for the Lord. This means to look for, to expect, and to hope in God. This isn’t a passive state of mind, but one of expectancy.

Tell Him, “God, I have my hope in You. I believe that You are working on my problems. I believe that You are making arrangements for my day. You are posting angels all throughout my walk, everywhere along my path where You already know I am going to walk today. Thank you, Lord, that You are a pioneer who has already gone before me and made a way for me to have a blessed day.”