To Love Gods Law

January 7, 1999 PM

Psalm 19

This morning we talked about the Master Teacher, and his expectations of us. In his great "lesson," the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said plainly that he did not come to destroy the Ten Commandments, but to fulfil them. Actually, he said, "Think not that I have come to destroy the Law. I came not to destroy, but to fulfill."

In fulfilling, not abolishing, Jesus again and again used the phrase: "You have heard it said . . . but I say unto you." You have heard "don't kill!" But I say, "Don't hate!" You have heard "Don't be immoral." But I say, "Don't think immorally!"

I. THE GOAL: TO LOVE GOD'S LAW

The Old Testament talks a lot about loving God's Law. Modern day Jews could teach us something about appreciating the fact that God communicates with mortals. Chaim Potock in his portrayal of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn paints vivid pictures of the celebrations where the scrolls of the Torah are reverently yet almost hilariously carried around and even danced with on holy days.

How long has it been since you danced with your Bible? How long since you looked at it and thought how wonderful it is that God speaks through its pages?

We are conditioned to think of 'law' as something that restricts. The way we use legislation of human law reinforces that idea. Many laws that are meant to make life better for most people end up being tremendously damaging to individuals. Most of us have heard a horror story of how some environment-protection has brought disaster to some poor farmer. But God's law is not like that.

A modern-day parable by a man named John Killinger, in a book about the Ten Commandments (To My People with Love, Abingdon, 1988) you may recall:

A village was being plagued with disaster after disaster. the reason was the someone had planted land mines all over the countryside. people were constantly being killed or maimed.

Then one night a village elder had a dream. in that dream he saw a map of where every land mine was hidden. He awoke and wrote the map down, and gave it to the people. They were absolutely delighted, and grateful. And they memorized the map.

The Ten Commandments are like that. They would keep us from actions and attitudes which would blow our personal world apart. They would keep us from going into harm's way, spiritually. God's law is precious to people who make it life's business to seek to know God. GOD IS BIG ENOUGH TO FILL THE HEAVENS WITH STARS AND YET POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SPEAK PERSONALLY THROUGH HIS LAW TO YOU AND ME

II. TO BE FULLY CHRISTIAN: GOD'S LAW WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS

Most of us pass through various attitudes toward God's Holy Laws, especially those of us who grow up within the preaching of the Bible.

1. We have a period when we live in and love authoritarianism. Whether or not we realize it, WE THINK THAT BY KEEPING GOD'S LAWS WE CAN BE SAVED. We may not think we do, and may not say we do but we like the security of being told what is right and wrong. We like to hear that we are on the right side, and we know what is right and wrong because someone we respect tells us so. BUT WE FIND THAT THERE IS NO REAL LIFE IN TRYING TO BE SAVED BY KEEPING THE LAW.
2. But then we begin to think as adults; we reject untested truth. We don't like to be told: "Do so because I say so!" Especially we don't like people telling us things like that our parents, our teachers, human authority figures. But this carries over even to the heavenly Father, too! And in one way or another we demand AUTONOMY! We decide we'll be our own boss! BUT WE FIND THAT THERE IS NO REAL PEACE AND JOY IN BEING 'FREE FROM KEEPING THE LAW' OF GOD.
3. BUT WHEN WE COME TO OURSELVES, AND WHEN WE COME TO KNOW THE LOVE OF JESUS IN SALVATION, WE CHOOSE FREELY TO COME UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF GOD. Responding to the call of grace (not simply accepting authoritarian dictatorship), but freely accepting the authority of our heavenly father. (He knows where the land mines are!!)when we are born from above we discover the truth: "BLESSED (HAPPY!) IS THE MAN (WOMAN) THAT WALKETH NOT IN THE COUNSEL OF THE UNGODLY . . . BUT IN (GOD'S) LAW DOTH HE MEDITATE DAY AND NIGHT. Life AND peace AND joy are not detached from the love of God's Laws!
4. To the person struggling in authoritarian blindness it seems that God has simply tried His best to make up some rules to keep us from having a good time.
5. But the wonderful thing we discover when we voluntarily place ourselves under God's LAWS, we see that they are an expression of His lovingkindness to us! The beautiful thing is: God's commandments are not harsh and arbitrary! Rather, they are designed to help to meet every need and longing in our God created being!
6. If YOU are having trouble finding the power to live like a Christian the secret is in TRUSTING ENOUGH TO PUT GOD AT THE CENTER! Matthew 6:33 If we will seek first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness, then all these things will be added.

February 7, 1999

Communion

Read in Unison # 752

I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.

They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink.

For they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?

Is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and said,

"This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying. "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Jesus said, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it find fulfillment in the kingdom of God."

• Communion is Remembering "You show the Lord's death . . ." Jesus died for us, for you, for me. For the world. We were sinners. Jesus saved us. Communion looks back to Calvary. Looks back to our own personal history with God. We remember.
• Communion is Hope "You show the Lord's death UNTIL HE COMES!" Jesus is NOT dead. He died but he is now in Session. He is making intercession. He is guiding us to life. He is preparing a Place. He will come again. That is a promise.
• Communion is Presence In true mystery reverently we bow in awe before it in true mystery Christ is Present when the Church remembers. He comes near when the church comes together around the table of hope.

In communion time and space recede. We sit at the table with Moses and Elijah and James and John. We are part of the Universal church, all peoples around the world who say "Jesus is Lord!" And we draw close to our loved ones wherever they may be as well. At the Lord's table we fellowship with people we have never seen, and whose language we would not understand on a human level. But we are brothers and sisters at the Lord's table.

In communion we draw closer to God Himself, and so we cannot help but draw closer to each other. I invite you to prepare your heart and come to the Lord's table. (We will partake together)