Jesus Preached The Big Ten

inspirations14

Dec 1

(Genesis 6:5-8) The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Noah was the ninth generation from Adam. He was descended from Adam and Eve's third son, Seth. Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD because he walked with God uprightly and blamelessly. (Genesis 6:9) Can you imagine what a task that would have been in those days? They were the days the Nephilim, or giants, descendants of the angels that went in to the daughters of man were on the earth. Nowadays, as the world grows darker and darker, and people become more and more selfish, and impatient, -we are a microwave society-we're seeing a lot of the same attitudes and intentions. Wickedness is an acceptable thing in society; sometimes, it's even celebrated, or glorified. Jesus alluded to that happening in (Luke 23:31) In (Matt. 24:37) Jesus said things would be just like they were in the days of Noah when the coming of the Son of Man happens. (2Peter 2:1-22) Warns us about false prophets and false teachers. By this we know that even the body of Christ will not be immune, or escape the attempts at the devil's deception. (Matt. 7:15) (Matt. 24:24) (Romans 16:17-18)

So, how do we, in a society that glorifies everything that goes against God's Word, stay on track? Of course, yes; we follow Jesus! Thank goodness that there are things recorded for us. Thank God for the Word of God! (2Peter 2:4-8) tells us that we have a rescuer; we have a savior. How do we do it? We ask the right questions, first of all. "What is this attitude I've developed?" "Is this sinful or not?" "What does God say about it?" "Why do I feel like this, am I worried about this, am I envious of this person, etc.?" When we answer honestly, -and, oh, it's so hard and painful to do that sometimes –but when we answer honestly, we will always come out on top of the thing. Even when it doesn't' turn out the way we thought it should. In the end, you'll be thankful that you didn't get your way.

I believe the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount go hand in hand. The first thing God did was to set the standard and boundaries. Jesus brought them home to us in the spirit. The commandments have to do with our deeds; but Jesus spoke about our heart conditions. For example, loving the LORD, and serving Him only, you see, requires humility. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." To be poor in spirit is to be humble. Serving the LORD only requires pureness of heart. Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." We all know that unbelievers do not see God in anything that happens. There's always an explanation for it; be it scientific, or mere coincidence, etc. Both humility and pureness of heart keep us from using the LORD's Name in vain, don't' they? This is also true regarding the Sabbath Day. First, it belongs to the LORD and is holy. Secondly, it is a day of rest for us. What? We need to rest? Now, we're talking about meekness, or willingness to learn; just as important when it comes to all the other laws (standards and boundaries) that God has set for us. Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." May I tell you, I believe that's not only in the future, but we shall inherit today. When you are meek enough to learn the way things work, and to care for those things the way they need to be cared for, they will yield their power, substance, etc., to you. Go watch a farmer or rancher who knows what he's doing. When we look at the heart condition(s) involved in our doings, we can more easily learn how to overcome those attitudes, and heart conditions.