The Ten Commandments, Final

The Ten Commandments 8, 9, 10

Exodus 20:

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Thou shalt not steal.

Do you? Do you steal? Are you sure? There are three primary ways to steal. One, outright. The taking of something that does not belong to you. Money, property, ETC. The second way to steal is theft of services. You take advantage of something that is provided for a cost, yet, you chose not to pay for it. The third, is destruction.

Outright.

It doesn't matter to God if you use the word "Borrow." If it is not permitted for you to take something, you are stealing it. Even if your attention is to give it back. You are still stealing it. What about those pens you took home from work? What about that food you ate at the end of your shift at a Restaurant, when it is company policy to dispose of it, not consume it? What about that ten dollars that you took from the one who has millions? In any of this, you are stealing. What does God say about it? In...

Exodus 22:

1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.

Again, pretty cut and dry here. If you steal something outright, you are violation this Commandment. You are a thief. You are guilty under the Law.

Theft of Services.

5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.

Ever "Dine and Dash." Ever take a taxi, and not pay for it? Ever get "Free" Cable? Use someone else's phone or Internet, without their permission? You are guilty of this Commandment. You are a thief. You are guilty under the Law.

Destruction 

6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

It really does not matter why. Say you are jealous? Say you do not feel that someone who has something should have it. You decide to destroy what they have. You are a thief. You are guilty under the law.

In....

Leviticus 19:

11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

There are many ways to steal. If you agree to buy something from someone, and you know that the cost of it is great, yet you tell them the cost is low, just to make a profit, you are a thief. If you are in charge of protecting someone else's property, and you allow it to be stolen, God calls you a theft. You are guilty under the Law.

There is one more way you can be considered a thief in the eyes of the Lord. This one has been so convoluted, so twisted, that whenever someone discusses this, people turn off. They get imagines of a Preacher with a mic in one hand and outstretched hand, seeking money. But the Word tells us, that if you do NOT Tithe, you ARE guilty of being a thief. You are stealing from God Himself. In.....

Malachi 3:

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

It is extremely rare, that a Millionaire does nothing but serve the Lord. Most of the time, it is average, everyday folks that are called to serve. A Church, should be concerned with Teaching of course, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, ETC. In order to do that, they need money.

You want to know if God is serious about this? Lets look in...

Acts 5:

1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

"Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." You see, he sold it for a certain amount. All he would have had to do, was say, here is my Tithe, which IS ten percent, and here is my Offering, which is anything more. He lied. He said, we sold it for this much. His Wife did the same. By doing so, they lied and stole from God.

You may or may not believe me. I have no way to prove it to you. However, the Laws of Tithing and Giving works. That ninety percent will go far further than that one hundred percent ever will. When I was first saved, I was a Security Guard working for a local Mall. I starting obeying this Law, and started giving as much as I could. When I walked away, as I talked about in MY Story, I was a Hotel Manager.

The more I gave, the more I received. As Malachi said "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." It really does work.

When I walked away, my excess became a negative. Fast. Now these things do not happen over night. Try it. God will see where your heart is, and He WILL bless you. It really does work.

Now I do want to caution you of this as well. Pray over your Tithes and Offerings. Ask God what HE wants you to do. If you are in a dead church, or a church that is misusing the Tithes, God may want you to instead give your Tithe and Offerings to a Food Pantry. Or some other way.

If your Tithe is, say $100 dollars, you go and buy $100 dollars worth of sandwiches and go down to where the hungry are, and feed them, you are still doing God's Will. It doesn't have to go to a Preacher that is using it to pay for his new Corvette. Just saying. In..

Ephesians 4:

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Trust me, this really does work. I'm living proof of it. Try it. Ask God to show you what this is all about. You WILL be Blessed.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Now first, as we talked about before, with Commandment 6, if you bear false witness against someone, not only can you hurt them, you can also cause them to be put to death. Look at what they did to Jesus.

Lets say you overhear someone talking about someone. They say this or that. You now repeat that of which you heard about that person. It's not true, but now that person is hurt or has to deal with the consequences of the lie you took part in.

Never gossip. Deal with each other with love. Would you want others walking around talking about you? Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

So why is this important? Isn't "keeping up with the Jones" normal? Maybe. But why does God want you to avoid this. Because of what it can lead to. In...

1 Kings 21:

1 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.

3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?

6 And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.

7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:

10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.

12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.

19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

23 And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of theLord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

So Ahab coveted Naboth's field, which lead to bearing false witness, with lead to the Murder of Naboth . In...

2 Samuel 11:

1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.

8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.

9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

10 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?

11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.

13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.

17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;

19 And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,

20 And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

22 So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.

23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.

24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

So David coveted Bathsheba, which lead to Uriah being killed for the Sin of David. You see, was you start coveting something, it then leads to other Sins. This is why God told us in....

Leviticus 19:

18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Jesus put it to us this way. In....

Matthew 22:

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

And in....
Romans 13:

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Who is your neighbor? 

Luke 10:

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

I can almost hear some of you saying it now. You meant to tell me, that we could have summed all this up, this Four Part Series, and all the pages written, explaining the Ten Commandments, we could have summed it all up with..

"Have no other Gods but God."

"Love thy Neighbor as yourself."

Yup.. But know you understand why. If you have no other God before God, you will not worship before Idols. You will not take His name in vain. You will obey His commandments. If you love your Neighbor as yourself, you will treat them how you would want to be treated. You would not steal from yourself, you would not lie about yourself. You would not kill yourself. You would be content with what you have.

You see, the forgotten Laws, The Ten Commandments, were truly NOT given to make our lives more difficult, but they were given to us to make our lives easier, and to keep us from the snares of the devil.

Until next time, be blessed, and Jesus IS Lord!

Ten Commandments Part Three

Commandments 6 and 7

Exodus 20:

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

"Thou shalt not kill."

First, the translation here is poor. It should be, Thou shalt not commit murder. We kill things all the day long. Weeds, Trees, Mosquitoes, Ants, Animals for food, etc. What God is concerned about in this Commandment, is the taking of a Human life. In....

Genesis 9:

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

So you see, God makes a very clear distinction between two things here. First, the killing of anything but man, is OK with God. He gave us all things to meet our needs. He also is the one that set up the Death Penalty. He who sheds man's blood, shall by man, his blood will be shed. That is how important God sees the life of human beings. Remember, in Genesis 1, God tells us this.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

We are made in the imagine of God. Our Mind, the thing that makes us, us. Our intelligence, will, emotions, desires, reasoning, ETC. fashioned after God the Father. Our flesh, after Jesus, the flesh of God. Then our Soul. What lives on when the flesh dies, after the Holy Spirit. Three, yet one.

Now remember, we all sin and come short of the glory of God. We were so evil that God sought to destroy us all and start over, until He found Noah faithful. He sets up this death penalty, this cost for innocent life, AFTER the flood. He, in essence, tells Noah, Hey, I'm not going to destroy Human life anymore, so YOU are not going to do it either. Pete's paraphrase of course.

There are four primary ways to end a human life.

Premeditated Murder
Justified Killings
Accidental Death
Abortion, Yes Abortion is the Murder of an innocent life.

In...

Psalm 139:

13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

Remember, God made us. He created us. He created YOU. You were fashioned per God's Will. You are, the way you are, for a reason. You are the most important thing on Earth to God. YOU are.

Premeditated Murder

In...

Numbers 35:

16 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

19 The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.

20 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;

21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him.

Pretty clear cut here. If you murder someone intentionally, for the purpose of them dying, you are guilty of Murder, and God says, you should be put to death.

Accidental Death

22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait,

23 Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm:

24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments:

25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.

26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled;

27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

28 Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.

29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

So God understands, stuff happens. He understand that you may place yourself in a position that you cause the death of another, unintentionally. By accident. So he set up the Trail by Jury system.

29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

31 Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.

Now when ever I teach this particular Commandment, someone is always curious, do I believe in the Death Penalty. Uh, YES. God set it up. However, do I believe in the Death Penalty in it's current form here in America? NO. There are way too many innocent people being put to death. We are seeing this now, more than ever, with all the advancements in DNA research. People who have been found guilty of Murder, and on death row for tens or more years, are being found innocent. We have gotten away from God's plan.

Videos, photos, and evidence, can be altered and doctored to appear to be something else. Circumstantial Evidence, once disallowed, is more and more being accepted as actual evidence. It is no longer who is right or wrong, but who can tell the better story. The Rich, CAN and DO get away with Murder. Our Justice System is broken. God said, by the mouth of more than one witness, one can be found guilty of Murder. That is also one of the main reasons for Commandment number nine, Thou Shalt not bear false witness. So in our current form? No. I do not agree with the Death Penalty. I say let God be the Judge. However, it is pretty clear where he stands on Murderers.

So what is this City of Refuge thing. Lets say you are driving down the road. A child, say 9 years old, darts out in front of you. You are doing everything right. Going the speed limit. Wearing your seat belt. Being observant. But the child runs right in front of your car. There is absolutely NOTHING you can do. You strike that child with your car, and you kill that child.

Now the police come, investigate, and find you innocent of any wrong doing. You are not even arrested for anything. There was nothing you could have done to prevent that death of the child. I can not even imagine that. You are indeed innocent. However, the family of that child, may not be forgiving towards you. They may indeed seek to kill you, even though it was an accident. So God set up cities, where someone in this type of situation, could go to escape the wrath of the family of the lost loved ones. If they killed you, would they be guilty of Murder? Of course. You are innocent. So they would be arrested and charged with Murder and would indeed be guilty and worthy of death themselves. That would not change the fact you are dead already.

So God, in His wisdom, set up places that you could go, free from this, some may even say understandable, wrath of the Mother and Father of the child you killed. So you would not be Murdered yourself. In today's world, you may have to take it upon yourself to move. I would. Far away from the family of the child I struck. Even though I would be guiltless.

God understand, and makes a very CLEAR distinction between Accidental Death and Murder. He also lets us know, that the taking of the life of a Murderer, IS a justifiable killing. 

Abortion.

Yes, Abortion IS the Murder of an innocent life. I understand some to do not want to accept that. I understand that we had a group of people in Black Robes, in the sixties, say that a woman can "chose" to Murder her child. That doesn't make it right. Just because something is legal in the country, doesn't mean it's OK. No one has the "right" to Murder an innocent child. No one.

God knows you, before you are you. You are YOU, because God said so. Remember the five steps of an Anointed Life? God foreknows you, sets up a destiny, a plan and purpose for you, calls you to accept it, justifies you, and then glorifies you.

We talked about this before. You are fashioned according to God' Will. Remember...

Psalm 139:

13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

You are created the way God wants you to be. You have blue eyes, brown eyes, you are this tall, you are Right Handed, Left, you are the way you are, because God fashioned you that way for a reason. When does life begin? I say BEFORE conception. No doubt, at conception. You are a plan. Then conception happens, you become physical life.

Think about this. We are all born into sin. We all sin and fall sort of the Glory of God. Now picture that child that has not been born yet. It is Murdered before they get the chance to be born. They are completely sinless. They are PURE. Completely innocent. God takes this very seriously. In...

Exodus 21:

22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

So accidental death of an unborn child is even punishable according to God. Of course, if the intent IS to harm the unborn, then one is guilty of Murder. Here is one of those passages that is constantly misunderstood. In many cases, is taught incorrectly.

23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

God is talking about an unborn child here. God says that if men strive to hurt a woman with child, or does so with the intent to harm that child, they are guilty of the Murder of the most innocent of life. If they interfere with God's plan, then the price is simple. If God said, you will have two legs and two arms, and man interferes with that, causing the child to be born with only one arm, then the one that caused it, is required to give up theirs. That is how important that God sees the unborn. His greatest gift to us, save Salvation itself, is Children. Of course Abortion is Murder. The Murder of the most innocent of all life.

"Thou shalt not commit adultery."

Again...

Genesis 2:

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Marriage is now, and has always been, one Man, and one Woman. Doesn't matter what we say about it. That IS God's plan of marriage. One Man and one Woman, for LIFE. In...

Proverbs 5:

1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:

4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.

5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.

18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.

22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Also in....

Proverbs 6:

20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.

27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?

29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

"But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul." When you find the one you love. Your soul mate. The one you love more than anything else on Earth. They are part of you. You are one. To go out and give yourself to another, in the most intimate way, that should be reserved for only your spouse, you are not just playing some kind of game. It's NOT just sex. It's not just fooling around. It is the deepest hurt you can possibly cause, to the one, you claim to love the most.

Is it just sex? How about if I told you, you do not even have to commit that actual act to be guilty of Adultery in God's eyes. In...

Matthew 5:

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

So what is Jesus saying here? Sin always starts in the heart, mind, then deeds. He is telling you that if you start looking at another, undressing them in your mind, or fantasizing about them, it's not harmless, normal, behavior. It is planting a seed to be harvested later. You have committed adultery already.

So what about Divorce? Is Divorce legal in the sight of God. Jesus tells us there is ONE reason, that Divorce would be recognized by God. Adultery. If you really want to get technical, there are three ways Divorce is recognized in the Word. 

Death. Obviously.
Fornication. Adultery.
And then you have this....

1 Corinthians 7:

12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

Now notice the first thing I want you to understand it THIS. "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord" Paul said this. Makes sense. I understand it. If you are the Child of God in your home, and even if your spouse doesn't believe, you cover them. They become "Clean" because of you. But if they leave, Paul tells us we should let them go. So that they do not corrupt the whole house.

Accept what you want when it comes to Divorce. Jesus said, Adultery? No problem. Anything else is sin. Regardless of what man says. 

Until next time, be blessed, and Jesus IS Lord!

The Ten Commandments Part Two

Commandments Three, Four, and Five.

Last time we talked about Commandments One, and Two. Have no other Gods before God, and do not commit Idolatry. Today we will be discussing Commandments Three, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" Four, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.", and number Five, "Honour thy father and thy mother" Which is the first Commandment with Promise.

You can find the Ten Commandments in...

Exodus 20:

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

There are three ways that you can take the Lord's name in vain. They are:

To Curse
To Denounce
To Swear By

Do you really mean that if someone curses, God "will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Yup. But it's just words. Or a figure of speech. What's the big deal. The big deal is, if you are a child of God, and you call out His name, he is going to be there. So whatever you say, actually means something. If you do not mean it, then why say it. In:

Leviticus 24:

10 And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;

11 And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)

12 And they put him in ward, that the mind of the Lord might be shewed them.

13 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

14 Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.

16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.

Is God serious? Why? One, to use His name in vain is a sign of disrespect. He is God. Yet, using His name in vain, by cursing, you bring Him to nothing. You denounce His God Head and authority. You turn Him into a figure of speech with your words.

But these are not just words. "God said" it was so. God spoke the World into existence. Jesus calmed the storm, healed the sick, and raised the dead, with words. Jesus told YOU, as a child of God...

Mark 11:

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

So think about this. You are a Child of God. You have the Spirit of God in you. You are driving in traffic, shopping on "black Friday," or just at work. Someone offends you in some way. You now have a choice. Here are two possible scenarios to think about.

First, you could get mad, and yell something like "God Damn You." Or something like "Jesus H Christ, drop dead already." You get the point. Now that person goes on with their life. Say they are channel surfing or scanning a Magazine, or walking down the street, when the come onto one of those Corner Preachers. They hear or see, "God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten Son." "Jesus Saves" Or something to that effect. They ignore it and move on. They go the rest of their lives never hearing the truth. They die.

Now lets say you say something like "God bless you." Or "Jesus loves you." Now when that person is channel surfing or scanning a Magazine, or walking down the street, when the come onto one of those Corner Preachers. They hear or see, "God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten Son." "Jesus Saves" Or something to that effect. They may actually remember YOU. Instead of just ignoring it, YOU pop into their head. They think to themselves, "Oh yeah, like that person I cut off, or bumped and then cursed out. {Whatever} They were so calm about it. I would want to rip someones head off if they did that to me, yet, they Blessed me? What is this all about anyway?" They learn the Truth, and are now saved. Do you know it? Nope. Will you even meet that person again? Nope. But what you said in that moment in time, made all the difference in the world to that person. 

YOU are a Child of God. YOU have the Spirit of God in you. YOU have the same power and authority as Christ Himself had. YOU have a responsibility to watch what you say and how you say it. There are power in Words. Being a Child of God, you have ever more power. Be careful. God does not take His name being used in vain lightly.

The third way to take His name in vain, is to swear by. In other words, saying something like this. "I swear to God, I will....." Or, "By God, I will...." As a matter of fact, God does not want you searing by anything. In...

Matthew 5:

33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

So we are talking, and you say "Promise?" If I say "I swear to God." What if I do not fulfill my promise? What if I do not keep my word? What then? What can I possibly do to God? God wants your Yes to be Yes, and your No to be No.

I learned a long time ago, that there is a difference in meaning Yes and No, and not. A person I know, would always make plans with a family member, a little girl. He would promise all sorts of things. Then when the time came, he would say things like "Not right now. Or "Maybe next weekend." Or "Maybe tomorrow." But when that same little girl came to me, I said, "We will do this or that." When the time came, no matter what was going on, or how I felt, we did it.

Many years pasted. I never really thought about it much. But when she was older, she came to me and asked me to do something I was not sure of. I said, "OK, maybe. I really don't know, but I will try to make it happen." She said to me, "You know, I understand. Whenever .... said something, I could never believe him. But whenever you said something, I knew it to be true. You never let me down once." Why? Because my Yes, was already Yes. I needed not say "I promise." "I swear." or anything else. If I said Yes, she had no thought, that it could even be possible, that it would not happen.

That is how God wants us to be to everyone. If you say Yes. MEAN it. If you say No, MEAN it. In time, like the little girl, people will know, "Hey, if Pete said Yes? It's Yes. No worries." You can not do anything to God, Heaven, the Earth, or even yourself. So it's empty and can be dangerous as well, to swear by anything. Just say Yes or No, and mean it. Anything else is evil.

So to recap. Do not curse, denounce, or swear by, God or His name. Honor Him, and respect Him. He is God. and again, He will not hold those blameless that do.

"Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

Now this one is one of those that have been completely forgotten. It has also been twisted, changed, and some can not even understand what it means, from the lack of teaching. First, Saturday, is now, and has always been, the Sabbath. That is what Saturday means. The Sabbath Day. Sunday is now, and always has been, the first day of the week. So if you want to go by the letter of the Law, you should be keeping Saturday as the Sabbath.

However, God is not always concerned with the Letter of the Law. Especially when it comes to the Sabbath. If Sunday is the day you have to keep as a Sabbath Day, God will honor that. After all....

Mark 2:

27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:

So? Why? Why did God create the Sabbath day for you? "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." It is a day of rest. It is a day to spend time with God. It is a day to enjoy family. It is YOUR day. 

How do you "Keep it Holy?" There are four ways you can "Keep it Holy."

1 - Pray, spend time with God.

You should of course Pray to God always. But when you have more than that five minutes before you go to work, school, or whatever it is you are doing, you should spend more time with Him. We have learned that God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. He is the Creator of all that is, was, and ever will be. He is now, also, your Daddy.

You want to know who God is? Spend time with Him. Talk to Him. Tell Him what is happening in your life. Share with Him your hopes and dreams. Let Him know what your concerns are. Ask Him why this or that is. Ask Him to teach you His way. His plan for you. Just talk to Him.

2 - Read the Bible.

One way you can get to know who God is, is read His Word. Spend extra time in the Word. Don't just scan over it, but actually digest it. Get to fully understand what it means. Talk with God while you are doing it. Ask Him how this could be, or the reason for that. Allow the conversation to be a two way conversation. You would be surprise. God can and WILL communicate with you.

3- Go to Church.

You can learn a lot about God, by spending time with your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. You can also feed your Spirit. It can, and will, make you stronger. Not only can God communicate with you in your Prayer Closet, by use of His Word, but He can communicate with you through others. You would be surprised what you learn, when you are actually helping others. Even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

The ideal concept of the Sabbath, is to do nearly nothing. That is why the early Church picked Sunday to gather. You rest on Saturday, the Sabbath, the last day of the week. You start your week on the first day, gathering together to worship God. But again, if you only have one day, and it is Sunday, God will not worry about you going to Church on your Sabbath. Even if it is more than 3637 feet.

What's that? What is 3637 feet? That is a Sabbath Day's journey. Some religions have decided that if you go more than that, then you are considered working on the Sabbath, and in turn, you are in violation of the Law.

In..... 

Deuteronomy 4:

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Nowhere in the Word, does GOD say, you can not walk more than 3637 feet on the Sabbath. Nowhere in the Word, does GOD say, Thou shalt eat, or not eat,  this or that on the Sabbath. Nowhere in the Word does GOD say, that you must wash your hands before you eat, nor, does it tell you you can change this or that, according to your concept. 

As a matter of fact. Jesus did quite a bit on the Sabbath Days.

Matthew 12:

12 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

You see, it was man that made the Law, you should not pick crops, considered work, on the Sabbath Day. They also created the Law of eating with unwashed hands. Jesus told them that HE is Lord over the Sabbath, and what He does, or those who has His Spirit in them do, is not a violation. But the Sabbath is for man. Continuing...

9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:

10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

Again, Jesus told them the truth. All that were there knew, that they would indeed rescue the Sheep on the Sabbath. But THEIR Traditions still say it is against the Law, so they were still angry and sought to kill Jesus for violating their Traditions. Their Religion. Then in....

Mark 7:

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

We'll continue this one in just a few minutes. But what Jesus is saying to them is that they should be following what God says, more so than what they have decided is their Traditions. It is far more important to do good on the Sabbath, or any day, than it is to blindly follow man-made Traditions.

In...

Luke 6:

6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Then in...

Luke 13:

10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.

OK, first, it seems funny to me that the Ruler of the Synagogue was not even amazed that the Woman was healed. But was angry that Jesus healed her on the Sabbath. He was so blind with indignation that Jesus violated his Religion and did what HE {The Ruler} did not authorize.

You see, even today, there are many in Organized Religions that feel that they are the Highest Power. The final authority. That THEY are the is all and end all of all things. Here is Jesus telling them, NO. They are not, God IS.

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

No, I did not forget number 4. Remember, I said there are 4 ways to keep the Sabbath Holy. Number 4 is the simplest, and yet, for many, the hardest one to keep. Ready? Are you sure?

Number 4 - REST!!!

Yup. REST. We have turned life, into a 24/7 life. Work, School, even Play. We need this NOW. We got to get that NOW. If you want to work for some companies, you have to work 24/7. Overnights, Holidays, Weekends. You do not have a choice in some cases.

You know what happens if you go full bore 24/7? You run out of gas. You wear out you body. You can end up killing yourself. We end up training ourselves to go on 4 hours of sleep, overcome tiredness with Caffeine and other, uh, assistance, and we go til we can't go anymore.

We must learn to REST. just STOP! Just relax. There is NOTHING worth killing yourself over. You need time to spend learning the things that are really important, and your body needs time to recharge. Learn how to REST.

So to recap a bit here. The Sabbath is made for YOU. It is a day of rest. Pray, spend time with God. Read the Word, spend time with God. Go to Church, spend time with God and others that you can learn from and grow from. The Last? Actually REST.

"Honour thy father and thy mother:"

This is the first Commandment with promise.

"that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

Here is God's plan for the Family. Children grow, leave their Mother and Father, join together and become one.

Genesis 2:

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

And so the cycle goes. But it is important to realize that Children are a gift from God.

Psalm 127:

1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Also in...

Psalm 128:

1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.

2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

5 The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

This is why it is so outrageous, whenever you hear of a Parent abusing their own Children. A Child is the most precious gift one can have. You need to teach them all things. How you teach them, is how they will go. If you lead by example, they will follow. They will do more like you DO, than that of what you say.

Then they will grow, and they will find another. They will become one with them. In turn, in your later years, when you need help, it has always been God's plan, that your Children will be there for YOU. Man created Nursing Homes. Man created ways to avoid this obligation. God's plan is Family are the most import thing here on earth, next to doing His Will.

Some read this, and they even may teach it to their Children. See, God says you Honor me and Obey me. Men also read this and say to their Wives, see, God says you submit to me and do whatever I say. That's not true. None of it. In...

Colossians 3:

18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

So lets look at this. Also in..

Ephesians 6:

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Husbands and Wives are what? Yup. One flesh. We are to love and respect each other. Is Man the head of the house? Yup. No doubt about it. But that means that MAN is responsible for all in the House. He is responsible for his Wife, and his Children. Wives? Equal to the husband? Yup. They are. They are to raise the Children and care for the house. I know, I know, some of you may not like that. But that is because you misunderstand the meaning.

The Wife is the Mother of your greatest gift. Obviously I'm talking to the Men here. The Children. She is to be loved and Honored. She should not have to go out there in the world and deal with the things YOU, as the husband should be doing. You should be out there, toiling and sweating, working hard, to supply for your family.

This is also the reason God did not invent day care. It was never his intent to send your Child off to strangers to raise. But I understand, again, we live in a 24/7 society, and money is needed to simply survive. If the Man is unable to earn enough, then the Woman is forced to help out in that area. But that was NEVER God's intent.

Then, God commands the Child to honor their Father and Mother. To Obey them because, believe it or not, for the most part, they know better than you. First, they gave you life. That alone, like with God Himself, should be worthy of your honor. Second, they care for your every need. Perhaps not your every want, but your every need. Now that you have grown, it's your turn to care for them.

But then God commands the Parent, to honor their Children. Treat them with love and kindness. Teach them the ways they should go, according to the Will and Word of God. Then, when they grow, they will not have deep seated anger or hatred towards you. Back to..

Mark 7:

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

So what does that mean? Nursing Homes, money, private care. Etc. Instead of meeting our obligations according to God, we created loop holes. Jesus said, that is not good enough. We need to meet our obligations.

Just like all the rest of the Commandments given to us by God, these are not to make our lives more difficult, but to make our lives easier and to keep us from the snares of the devil. Honor your Father and Mother, for God says, that is the right thing to do. But make no mistake about it, Parents, you are to honor your kids, and Husbands and Wives, each other. The Family is the most important thing to God. It should be to us as well.

Until next time, be blessed. Jesus IS Lord!

The Ten Commandments, The Forgotten Laws Of God, Part One

The misunderstanding of the Commandments? Part One

The Ten Commandments were not given to man to make man's life more difficult. To refrain man and to keep him from the things he loves. They were given to man to make man's life more easy. To keep him from the snares of the devil.

You can find them in....

Exodus 20:

20 And God spake all these words, saying,

2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

22 And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Also in....

Deuteronomy 5:

6 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

11 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.

13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:

14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.

15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

17 Thou shalt not kill.

18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

19 Neither shalt thou steal.

20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Now these Commandments given to us by God himself, are simple to understand. They are not something to be learned how to say in Sunday School. Nor something we should look at and say, yeah, makes sense. They are something given to us by God, to keep always.

The sad thing is, in a lot of our Churches today, have stopped actually teaching them. What do they mean? Are they really important? That is the failure of many of our Churches to teach them. People have a basic understanding, Have faith in God, don't kill, uh, don't cheat on your spouse. Oh and love your mom and dad. Or something like that. Right? Wrong.

Deuteronomy 6:

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. That is how important they are to God.

In...

Proverbs 6:

20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 

Now again, the Ten Commandments were not given to man to make man's life more difficult. To retrain man and to keep him from the things he loves. They were given to man to make man's life more easy. To keep him from the snares of the devil. "When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life."

So what do they mean then. If it is, and it is, more important to actually know what they mean, than simply what they are, then what do they mean? Lets look at the very first one.

"I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me."

Genesis 1:

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 2:

7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

God IS. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. He is the great I Am. He is the one that created ALL things. He is a God of Love. He IS Love. He is God. Not some made up thing. Not some concept or idea. Not something to take as casual as, say, Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny. He IS God.

The "Theory" of Evolution has replaced God in our Schools. Even though, Evolution minus God is both Scientifically, and mathematically, impossible, they forbid the possibility of including God to the equation. Some in society say it's OK to believe in whatever god you chose. If that big Purple Bunny in your back yard is your god. Good for you. We will say that it is equal to the God of the Bible. It's all good.

Even some of our churches have stopped teaching who God is in lieu of the teaching of man-made traditions called Religion. What does God say about this or that? "The Church says." Yeah well, the Commandments say. "But Jesus came and taught us another way." No he didn't. Jesus even warned us about that. He told those Religious Leaders of the day....

Matthew 5:

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Churches, Religions, get so caught up in the teaching of their traditions, that they lose track of God Himself. They teach things that are contrary to God. In some cases, they leave God himself out all together. God is also not some old man, sitting on a throne, waiting to through you in Hell. Get to know the real God. Our Father. Worship Him alone.

When we forget God, it then becomes easy, and perhaps even human nature, to create and worship Idols.

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."

Exodus 32:

1And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.

6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

God is serious about this folks. He was ready to destroy the Jewish people that He brought out of Bondage in Egypt. Then Moses convinced God to Repent. Can you imagine? Moses is telling God to repent....

11 And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

14 And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.So because of Moses, again, the Jews were saved from utter destruction.

In..

Deuteronomy 4:

15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,

18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:

That Statue of Mary? That Statue of Jesus Himself? The Cross? None of these things have any life in them.

19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

Can you say Astrology? Horoscopes and such? I have known people that will not leave their homes until they find out what their Horoscopes say about their day. The Sun, Moon, and stars will not protect you, nor keep you save. When you look upon them, you are looking at a creation. They are to God, what the most beautiful building is to man. They are created things. They have no life in them.

20 But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

21 Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance:

22 But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.

23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.

24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger:

26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you.

28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

"And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.."

I'm a pretty big guy. I have even been told that when I am in my Gym gear, all black, with my Sunglasses on, I look evil. Very intimidating so I'm told. So you are my neighbor. You are going out of town. You decide, I will take a picture of this guy. I will blow it up to life size, and I will place it, right inside my front door. This way, when a thief comes in, he will see the big guy in Black, he will get scared and run away. My house will be protected.

So you do this. The thief comes. He kicks the door in and sees the life size imagine of me standing there. He gets startled. But he is a brave thief. He takes a second look and realizes, it not real. So he steals your stuff, and takes the imagine of me with him. You wonder what happened?

Now you are going out of town, you come to ME. You ask me to watch your house. I agree. The thief comes and kicks in your door. This time, I really am there. I seize the thief and protect your home. The difference? I'm real. I'm alive. I have the ability to do whatever I chose. That imagine of me? It's dead. There is no life in it.

God is the same way. Remember the key? Jesus. "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Not this Saint or that one. Not Mary. Not the statue of Jesus, but Jesus Himself. That Statue of whatever, has no life in it. It will do you no good. Neither will any other than Jesus Himself. Mary, the Prophets, John, Paul, Peter, whatever, were for a time, and are now in Heaven with God. Just like you will be when you leave. So they can not do anything for you themselves. Let alone their likenesses.

Paul told the early Church, when a dispute arose about forcing Gentiles {Non-Jews} to be circumcised and follow the Law, That all the Gentiles needed to do to be saved is believe on Jesus and keep God's Commandments, In....

Acts 15:

18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.

24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Also in....

Jeremiah 10:

1Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.

8 But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

9 Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.

10 But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.

12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

14 Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

15 They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The Lord of hosts is his name.

17 Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.

18 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.

19 Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.

20 My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.

21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.

22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.

23 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

24 O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.

25 Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.

Again, what the Word is telling us is that these things, created by man, will perish with time. A fire will consume that Statue as well as it will destroy anything else. It will not protect you. It will not benefit you in any way. Only the true and living God can, and will. In...

1 Corinthians 8:

1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.

4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)

6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;

11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

The word make it even easier to understand in....

1 Thessalonians 1:

9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

We'll wrap it up today with...

1 John 5:

1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Coming up on Wednesday is Part Two, where we will discuss:

3 - "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
4 - "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."
5 - "Honour thy father and thy mother."

Until next time, be Blessed, and Jesus IS Lord!