Monday, September 13, 2010

Gods Law - Do the old testament laws still apply to us today

Do the old testament laws still apply to us today

I have often been asked about whether Gods Laws as handed down to Moses still apply to us today. Most people believe and often argue that Jesus came to do away with the law and that the laws in the old testament don't apply to us anymore because Jesus set us free from them. Is that truly so? I strongly believe in going back to the word of God in answering such questions and looking at it in context of the word and this what the word says:


Jesus speaks about the Law:

" Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5: 17-20.NIV

Gods moral and ceremonial laws were given to help people love God with all their hearts and minds. Throughout Israels history, however, these laws had been often misquoted and misapplied. By Jesus time religious leaders had turned the laws into a confusing mass of rules. The pharisees had added hundreds of their own rules and regulations to Gods holy laws and then tried to force people to follow these rules. They claimed to know Gods will in every detail of life. There are still religious leaders today who add rules and regulations to Gods word, causing much confusion among believers. It is wrong to claim that your interpretation of Gods word is as important as Gods word itself.

When Jesus talked about a new way to understand Gods law, he was actually trying to bring people back to its original purpose. Jesus did not speak against the law itself, but against the abuse and excesses to which it had been subjected. (see John 1:17) - "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ....."

If Jesus did not come to abolish the law, does that mean all the Old testament laws still apply to us today? To answer this we'll look at the types of laws given to Moses,

In the old testament, there are 3 categories of law:

- Ceremonial
- Civil
- and Moral

1. The Ceremonial Law:- related specifically to Israels worship. its primary purpose was to point forward to Jesus Christ; these laws therefore, were no longer necessary after Jesus' death and resurrection. While we are no longer bound by ceremonial laws, the principles behind them - to worship and love God - still apply. Jesus was often accused by the Pharisees of violating ceremonial law.

2. The Civil Law:- applied to daily living in Israel (see Deuteronomy 24:10,1for e.g.). Because modern society and culture are so radically different from that time and setting, all of these guidelines cannot be followed specifically. But the principles behind the commands are timeless and should guide our conduct. Jesus demonstrated these principles by example.

3. The Moral law e.g. the 10 commandments is the direct command of God, and it requires strict obedience (see exodus 20:13 for e.g). The moral law reveals the nature and will of God, and it still applies today. Jesus obeyed the moral law completely.

In Luke 11:46 Jesus speaks to the pharisees saying " And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift a finger to help them...." Luke 11:52...." Woe to you experts of the Law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge....."
Jesus criticized the pharisees and the experts in the law harshly. The burdens were the details the Pharisees had added to Gods law. To the commandment " Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it Holy (Exodus 20:8) for example they had added instructions regarding how far a person could walk on the sabbath, which kinds of knots could be tied, and how much weight could be carried. Healing a person was considered unlawful but rescuing a trapped animal was permitted. Jesus condemned all these additions.

How did the law experts take away the key to "knowledge? ........through their erroneous interpretations of scripture and their added man-made rules, they made Gods truth hard to understand and practice. Caught up in a religion of their own making they could no longer lead the people to God. They had closed the door of Gods love to the people and thrown away the key. Which is why the Pharisees were enraged by Jesus' teaching and wanted him arrested for blasphemy, heresy, and lawbreaking.

Its important to understand that Law and grace are both aspects of Gods nature that he uses to deal with us. Moses emphasized Gods law and justice, while Jesus Christ came to highlight Gods mercy, love and forgiveness.

No more excuses for not tithing guys .........it is Gods Law and not just an old testament thing, how else can we grow Gods kingdom and take care of those in full time ministry.
Don't commit adultery or look lustfully at your neighbours wife ---- don't do it thinking ohhhhh I'm saved by grace therefore my sin has been wiped away, true, God has wiped it away but as Christians we have moral guidelines to live by so that we can be examples to others and bring honour to the God we serve.
Honour your parents, Gods law says so.
Do not steal - even those notepads and pens from the office
Keep the Sabbath holy, don't get bogged down by whether its Saturday or Sunday on that day go to Church and worship your God and fellowship with other Christians.
The word of God says so.....


Most important guys...........read the word for yourself. Like I've said before we are all interpreters of Gods word.........no one says it better than God himself and the Holy Spirit will reveal to you personally the truth that lies within.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Conclusion to - How to recognize when God Speaks

The Holy Spirit works in our hearts, in the hearts of others and in the events of our lives to point us in the right direction. He uses all these to cause us to hear and heed his voice.

As we seek God and acknowledge him, he promises to direct our paths (Prov 3:5-6)and often does so by bombarding us with a thought that will not cease to permeate our thoughts and hearts.

Each believer must determine what God would have them do personally. Th Holy spirit knows your stage of spiritual development and will direct you accordingly. As God leads us in our journey toward him, we each follow different paths. The Holy Spirit draws us individual maps to follow. Others may not choose our road and they shouldn't if it is not part of their map. We should not challenge them regarding their chosen route unless its an issue of spiritual principle. Remember Gods leading will never lead you to sin.

I know the Lord is speaking to me when what I think he saying is driven home by scripture. Anything Gods Spirit reveals to you will always match up with what is in the bible because all scripture was given by the Holy Spirit. He will never contradict himself - no exceptions.

We need to change our thoughts about the Bible. It is not just an old book of theology for us to digest; it is the living word of God. When we read it, the Holy Spirit applies it to our particular situation regardless of how specific and personal it is. The Holy Spirit orchestrates this. He speaks.

I know God is speaking to me when in spite of my initial struggle, an undeniable release and peace follows when I have obeyed his voice.

Gods peace serves as a mechanism by which we can discern his voice.

Gods personal word to you will be accompanied by a sense of assurance and peace. When you sense Gods leading ask yourself " Do I feel confident and peaceful about moving forward or am I restless and unsure about the directions I have received."

You may feel ill equipped to handle many things God calls you to do, but when you sense his peace, he is encouraging you to step out in obedience. When you obey, you will experience his supernatural power operating through you to do it.

When God speaks he does so with power and authority. When he speaks things change. Gods voice has the power to accomplish what we need. One way to distinguish Gods voice from others is the effect it has on our circumstances. When Jesus calmed the waters the response was immediate.

Nothing pleases God more than when we ask for what he wants to give. Think about it, when you seek to hear God, do you really desire to hear what his purposes are or do you desire to pursue your own and hope for his blessing. God wants us to recognise and trust that his plans are best.

To conclude I shall quote from Jim Cymbala:

"Two important prerequisites to hearing God clearly are to have an open vertical relationship with him and to be submitted to his plan for our lives. If there is unconfessed sin or continual disobedience in our lives, there will be a closed heaven above us and a disruption in hearing from the Lord. God cannot draw near to us while we are walking away from him through disobedience at the same time"

and from the Prophet Isiah:

"The sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. I do not rebel or turn away.....Therefore i have set my face like a stone determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph" Isiah 50: 5,7)


Other related scripture to note:

James 1:7-8
Isaiah 50:4
Jeremiah 7:23
Psalm 119:60
Psalm 95: 7-8
Proverbs 19:21
Genesis 22:16-18
Job 33:15-22
Revelation 3:20
Hebrews 4:12
John 16:14John 16:33
John 14:27
Psalm 29:11
John 11:13
Psalm 29:3-4

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

How to recognise when God speaks - Knowing if it is really God

We must develop spiritual ears to hear the Spirits leading. There are guidelines we can follow to help us be sure we are hearing our Spirit-led conscience accurately. We'll call them the 5M's of correctly hearing God.

1. Look for the message of the spirit.

Listen tot he Holy Spirit. Don't just casually ask God for guidance. Consciously turn your attention inward to see if what you are sensing carries the weight of God or if it is the unsure, unsteady voice of your own conscience.

2. Live in the mode of prayer

Submit what you hear back to God in prayer. Throughout your day when the issue comes to mind, don't spend time worrying; spend time handing the issue over to God.

3. Search out the model of scripture.

Carefully consider the scriptures. Does what you think you're hearing in anyway contradict the character of God or the word of God.

4. Submit to the ministry of eli

Seek the counsel of a wise, more mature believer who can discern Gods leading in his or her own life.

5. Expect the mercy of confirmation

God desires for you to know his will. He's not hiding it from you. When I ask the Lord to confirm what he is saying to me through the holy spirit so I can be sure he is indeed speaking, He allows the Holy Spirit to speak to me and verify his message through his written word, circumstances, or even another person.

Think of a time you sensed the spirit leading you.

Here's an illustration:

Debbie felt that God was showing her that he wanted to cut some things from her life so that she could focus more time on her relationship with God. After seeking him in prayer she asked for confirmation. Her bible study that day was on Det 30:6 - " The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live."

When she opened a book later that day the section she was reading was titled "A circumcised heart."

At bible study that week, the leader told her that he sensed she was about to experience a shaking in her life for the purpose of getting rid of that which kept her from being fully his.

God emphatically confirmed his word.

How to recognise when God speaks - 6

The Miracle of the Holy Spirit

Old and New testament Scriptures provide an account of the miraculous ways God spoke to his children, e.g the cloud that led the children of Israel by day or the pillar of fire that led them by night. Don't you ever wish God would supernaturally appear in your life when you need to make a decision, - there in all his Glory to give a clear answer and action plan.

When God chose to speak in the Bible, those who heard didn't doubt whether God had spoken. He made his word clear. The primary method God uses to speak has changed, but his goal has not. He still wants us to hear, recognise and obey his voice.

When God does choose to speak in miraculous ways today, they will serve not as the foundation for us to hear from God but as confirmation of the Holy Spirits leading and the message of scripture.

God has primarily chosen to speak through his Word and His Spirit today. Any sensational means the Lord uses to speak will confirm what he is already saying.

The conscience and the Holy Spirit

Our Spirits are the core and essence of who we are. Likewise every human has a deep inner voice called a conscience. This voice guides and directs our choices. Its that deep inner sense that you should or shouldn't do or say something. Even non Christians can be moral people. Their conscience helps direct their choices.

The problem with following your conscience is that every persons conscience is formed and developed based on their personal environment and specific life circumstances. Each persons conscience has been shaped by the tradition and truth or lies to which it has been exposed.

Our conscience can be shaped in a way that is not pleasing to the Lord and this can hinder what the Holy spirit is saying to us. e.g Bella was reared in a home where all the women were divorced. In her family divorcing for trivial reasons and remarrying was the norm. As a result she learnt to think that this was normal and acceptable and struggled with thoughts of divorce in her marriage because of the tradition of her family.

The awakening of the conscience

When you become a Christian, your spirit becomes new. You don't become changed, you become exchanged. The spirit of the Living God indwells your human spirit. He gives you new life. (see Cor 5:17; Titus 3:5)

Now that you have been exchanged as a believer, your spirit in under the control of the Holy Spirit. God begins to change your mind, will and emotions to reflect his thoughts and feelings. As you surrender your life and obey his written word, he begins to reprogram your conscience. Your spirit led conscience starts to discern between sin and righteousness and instructs you accordingly. (see John 16:8)

Think about how you have changed since the Holy Spirit took over control of your life.

Monday, September 6, 2010

How to recognise when God speaks - 5

Anticipating the voice of God

Have faith in it


"I know the Lord is speaking to me when the voice I hear is always challenging, always convicting and never allows me to be comfortable where I am. Not having a father, what an honour it is to have One who loves me so much that his greatest desire is to see me grow." Kirk Franklin

So far we have looked at the importance of expecting God to speak in a clear and personal way. Today we will look at the final component in preparing ourselves to discern Gods voice i.e. Faith in the power of the word.


Faith as small as a mustard seed is enough to come to God for His power (see Matt 17:20). Faith in Gods Word is the final component necessary to hear from God and clearly discern his voice.

There are so many believers who love the Lord and live holy lives, yet seem to be missing something in their christian experience. They feel like they are not fully experiencing Gods power, his presence, nor are they hearing his voice. We need to excise active faith that really believes God will do those things for us that he did for believers in Bible times. If we want to hear God speak we have to exercise active faith, believing God will work in our lives.

Faith is the channel of living trust that allows us to experience God in our everyday lives. He is looking for someone who believes he is who he says he is and he can do what he says he can do. Go to God expecting to hear his voice and don't hesitate to move forward in obedience. When you obey, you move from your agenda to his and Gods plan is always greater.

John 4:46-54 tells the story of a royal official of Capernaum whose son was sick to the point of death. He had so much faith in the power of Gods Word that he walked about 20 miles from Capernaum to Cana just to see Jesus. When he met with Jesus there, he requested that Jesus come to heal his son. Jesus responded by saying, " Go, your son lives". The official "believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off."

The Official had no evidence that Jesus words had made any change in the life of his son since he was 20 miles away. His faith alone gave him the assurance to take the journey home. Can you imagine how agonizing that journey would have been for someone who didn't trust what Jesus said?. This man believed the word of Jesus enough to confidently walk back home. When his servants came running to meet him, they told him his son had been healed and when they compared the time the son had been healed with the time of Jesus' word the two were the same.

Gods word is enough. Having faith like the royal official will enable us to walk in confidence even when all we have to hold on to is his word. If God has spoken to you clearly about something, start moving toward it so you don't miss the glorious moment when your faith will become sight.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

How to hear when God Speaks 4

Anticipating the voice of God

Listen for it


" things don't change when I talk to God; things change when God talks to me." Bob Sorge

Could it be that we don't hear god because we have trained ourselves not to hear him? Our busy lifestyles have squelched out the clear, powerful voice of God so we no longer even recognise it. We must carve out time to purposefully listen for Gods voice through prayer, meditation on his word and worship. If we listen we'll hear the voice that speaks eternally.

We should learn to let our words be few. Ecclesiastes 5: 1-2 tells us that " As you enter the house of God, keep you ears open and your mouth shut!...he is in heaven and you are only here on earth. So let your words be few." This implies that our time listening should outweigh our time talking. I'm not saying we shouldn't voice our needs, requests, and desires to god, but we shouldn't allow these things to keep us from hearing what he wants to say.

Scripture repeats the pattern of god calling his people away from action to stillness. e.g. Habakkuk 2:20 - " The lord is in his temple. Let all the earth be still". Psalm 46:10 - " Be still and know that I am God. Isiah 30:15 - " The Lord God the Holy One of Israel, has said 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength'

There are 2 types of listening - passive listening and aggressive listening. We engage in passive listening most of the time. We hear with our physical ears, but we don't digest the truth of what is being said. God wants aggressive listeners who look intently at his word and listen deliberately to what he has to say.

Although its easiest to listen to God during times of prayer, meditation and worship we need to learn to listen during other times too when we are doing mundane tasks. We must learn to purposefully focus on God and invite the Holy Spirit to speak and concentrate our attention on him.

For some of us prayer often seems like a one way conversation and we feel like we receive no response and we long to desperately have an encounter with God. As much as we want more from our prayer life,God wants us to have more out of it as well. We therefore need to take the art of listening seriously and making prayer more about God and less about us/me.

Stephen Verney suggests that there are 3 stages of listening prayer or contemplation.
First, it is me and him - I come to prayer conscious of myself my needs and my desires. I pour these out to God.

Second, prayer becomes him and me - Gradually I become more conscious of the presence of God than of myself.

Then it is only him - Gods presence arrests me, captivates me, warms me, works on me.

Listening to God involves your participation. You must engage your body, mid and spirit. In her book " The Joy of listening to God" Joyce Hugget describes this experience - " I closed my eyes to shut out visual stimuli.....i closed my ears......by dealing authoritatively with the distractions which threatened my ability to tune in to God.....I closed a series of shutters on the surface level of my life, thus holding at bay hindrances to hearing the still, small voice of God".

There is no formula that one can follow when spending time listening to God. It will be different for each person. God wants to deal with you as an individual. God clearly speaks to his children, when they pray, meditate on his word and worship him.

Prayer:
In Cor 14:15, Paul said he prayed with his mind and also with his spirit. Mental prayer is what we participate in most often, but we shouldn't limit our prayer lives to it. In praying with the mind, we work through our prayer list. We ask for forgiveness of sins, offer him thanks for specific things, bring him our needs and intercede on behalf of others. Instead of ending our prayer time at this point, we must wait and quiet our minds so that we can move to Spirit-led time of prayer.

Spirit led prayer gives the holy spirit an opportunity to direct our prayer time. He alone knows the thoughts of God and can express them as he leads us in prayer. When we turn to this level of prayer the holy spirit may bring to mind people or situations about which we may not normally think. He causes us to recall sins we don't realise or had forgotten. He may bring a specific verse to mind. The more you practise this kind of prayer, you will develop an ability to do it anywhere no matter the chaos around you.

Meditation

Over and over the scripture points to meditation. Some of the most precious times we have with God can come from time spent in meditation. Meditation is a discipline because it requires you to control your desire to fill the silence with activity. You just sit, think and ponder; you concentrate on Scripture, the goodness of God to you or the Goodness of God himself.

Psalm 77:12 - "I will meditate on all your work and muse on your deeds".
Psalm 119:15 - " I will meditate on your precepts and regard your ways".
Joshua 1: 8 - " Don't for a minute let this book of the revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night".

Worship
Meditation often leads to spontaneous worship. Often during praise and worship we become aware of Gods presence, guiding and leading. We sense that he is with us .

By listening to God through prayer, meditation and worship the Holy Spirit will begin to speak to you, revealing Gods personal and timely word for your life.

How to recognise when God speaks - 3

Anticipating the voice of God

PLAN TO OBEY IT

" His leading is only for those who are already committed to do as He may choose. To such it may be said: " God is able to speak loud enough to make a willing soul hear" - Lewis Sperry Chaffer".

How often do we ask God for his opinion while knowing full well we plan to stick with our own plan. Yes we will follow him, but only when and if his prescription will be comfortable to follow and will closely match our own desires. If we want to keep the lines of communication open and flourishing, we must prepare to abandon our plans when they don't coincide with his. Obedience is the key to hearing his still, small voice.

Habakkuk wasn't just passionate about hearing God's direction. He also was serious about fully accepting God's commands no matter what they were. He thought ahead and planned to respond in obedience.

"I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what he will speak to me, and how I will reply when I am reproved." (Habakkuk 2:1)
Reprove means to rebuke, correct
Habakkuk seemed to think that whatever God said, at least part of it would be a rebuke to him; but he was willing to accept even Gods harsh words.

How do you normally respond to God when it may be something you do not want to hear?
Do you ignore, consider, obey or keep praying hoping God will change his response.

Read the following to see how God responds to people who do not obey him.

Jeremiah 6:16-19
Amos 8: 9-11
Zechariah 7: 12-13

To know Gods word and not obey it is sin against him. Sin reaps consequences. One consequence is that will her his voice far less frequently. As we blatantly ignore and disobey God, we build a callus around our spiritual ears so that we don't hear the voice of God. He knows if we are pure in our desire to do what he says. Matthew 5:8 extends a promise to the pure in heart: " They shall see God".

True blessing isn't just found in hearing God's voice, but in heading it. When we obey, no matter how unusual his instructions may be, we create a solid foundation on which God can display his supernatural activity in our lives.

Read the following and memorize

Isaiah 48:18
Psalm 19:11
Deuteronomy 5:29-31
Luke 8:18
Matthew 7:24

"If we settle ahead of time that we will obey whatever God tells us, we will go into our time with him ready to hear his voice"- Henry and Richard Blackaby.

I wonder what supernatural rewards and divine interventions are awaiting us if we plan beforehand to fully obey when God speaks.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

How to recognise when god speaks - 2

Anticipating the Voice of God - Wait patiently for it

"If you want to hear Gods voice clearly and you are uncertain, then remain in His presence until he changes this uncertainty. Often much can happen during this waiting for the Lord. Sometimes he changes pride into humility; doubt into faith and peace; sometimes lust into purity. The Lord can and will do it" Corine Ten Boom.

The process of waiting for a message from God can be just as important as the message itself. In waiting, faith and intimacy with God grow.

If we approach our relationship to God and his word expecting Him to speak, we will be more patient because we know he will come through in his time. Just like the rest of us, Habakkuk had to wait for Gods word and its fulfillment.

The value we place on an object or person dictates the amount of time we are willing to wait on them. The importance of hearing God's voice was paramount to Habakkuk.

Read Habakkuk 2:1.

In Habakkkuks day a watchman would minimize all distractions to concentrate fully on the task of protecting the city from approaching enemies. The guard would not allow anyone to coerce him from his post. Likewise, the prophet wasn't going to make a move until he received divine direction. If we value Gods word as Habakkuk did, we should be willing to wait patiently and not move until we have received it.

Habakkuk described where he would wait: "on the watchtower", which was positioned well above the ground to provide a broad view for miles around. It gave the guard in the tower a different view of his circumstances by placing him above ground lvel. Habakkuk purposed to remove himself from the depression and anxiety of his ground level circumstances and get above them. He took his eyes off his circumstances and watched only for God.

We often want to immediately run ahead, the moment we hear Gods leading and direction. instead of walking in daily obedience, we desire to see the end result of Gods plan instantly. In Habakkuk 2:3 God reminded Habakkuk not to carry out Gods plan before its due season. God encouraged Habakkuk to be patient by assuring him of 4 specific promises regarding the vision he was about to reveal.

Don't flounder when time passes as you wait to see Gods promises fulfilled. Stand firm and walk in daily obedience to God.

Great relief awaits those asking god to provide a mate, financial assistance, a ministry opportunity, career advancement or simply his direction. We can be free of the burden of trying to make things happen when we know He promises to fulfill his own word. God told Habakkuk that he would need to walk in patience before the Lord.

While the righteous man trusts God to fulfill his word, the proud man (self-reliant) depends on himself to bring things to pass. When we seek God in faith, he promises us great reward (Hebrews 11:6)

Read and memorize verses

2 Peter 3:9
Psalm 27:14

How to recognise when God speaks - 1

Anticipating the voice of God - Expect to hear it

Many of us don't really believe God will speak to us and give us specific directions concerning the details of our lives. We claim to believe that God speaks, but we are secretly discouraged because we don't see evidence of His voice in our lives. We need to approach the father with an expectancy that he will speak.

"God will speak to the hearts of those who prepare themselves to hear, and conversely, those who do not so prepare themselves will hear nothing even though the word of God is falling upon their outer ears every Sunday". AW Tozer.

Clear communication with God begins when we approach God and His word with anticipation, expecting him o speak.

Read the story of Habakkuk.

In Habakkuk 1: 2-3, the discouraged prophet asked 2 questions of God: "How long?" and "Why". Which are questions that many of us ask. When the circumstances of life seem to be closing in on us and we see no end in sight, we want to know how long we will have to continue calling out to God with seemingly no response. We also want to know why He would continue to allow the circumstances we face. We all have requests that we have been bringing to God for a long time. Are you still waiting in anticipation for an answer or are you losing hope.

In Habakkuk 1:2-4 we note that Habakkuk became increasingly discouraged and started to lose confidence that God would answer him.

In Habakkuk 1:5, God gave Habakkuk spiritual vision. The prophet received encouragement to look around and observe. While Habakkuk waited on God to answer, God was already answering. Even though Habakkuk was not seeing god respond in the way and timing he expected, God was speaking and moving. He always is even in silence.

Read Habakkuk's second prayer 1:12-13.

After seeing his circumstances through new eyes, Habakkuks level of anticipation increased.

His 1st prayer was doubtful and accusatory his 2nd was expectant and confident.

Not until Habakkuks approach to God changed did he begin to receive directions from God as to what he should do.

" If we come to him doubting his ability to speak, we will have a difficult time listening. So we must come expectantly" Charles Stanley.

Bible verses to remember: Write them down and memorize them

Psalm 5:3
proverbs 3: 5-6
Micah 7:7
JEREMIAH 33:3