What’s between you and Jesus?
Prov:14:12: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
When Joshua and the people of Israel were headed toward the Promised Land, right in the middle of their path was a huge obstacle, it was called Jericho. Jericho was a large, fortified city. It had huge walls surrounding it. The Israelites couldn’t go around the city; they had to go through it.
Between you and your destiny, there will always be a “Jericho” or something that you cannot go around. You have a choice either defeat it, or it’s going to defeat you.
God told Joshua to tell the people to march around the city walls one time for six days, and on the seventh day, they were to march around it seven times. They were instructed not to say a word. No talking. No whispering. No complaining. They had to March perfectly quiet. But on the seventh day, and on the seventh time around, God said, “This time I want you to do something different. As you march, I want you to let out a shout of praise.”
When God tell you to do something, does it mean to do exactly what he says or is it ok to change it just a little.
I can imagine on that seventh day, there was so much excitement. They marched around once, twice, three times with great anticipation. They knew something big was about to happen. On that seventh time around, after the priests blew the trumpets, they let out the high praises of God. They began to shout and cheer and sing, “Hosanna in the highest! To God be all the glory!” so loud that people could hear it for miles and miles.
Then all of the sudden, the impossible began to happen. Those thick, fortified walls began to shake and rattle. In a matter of moments, those walls crumbled and came tumbling down! The Israelites were able to go in and take the city, and eventually, they made it into the Promised Land.
How often in life do we think, “I’ll shout after the walls come down. I’ll shout after my victory, after the promotion, after the breakthrough?” No, that’s backwards.
The shout is what activates God’s power. I realize God hears us even when we whisper, but I believe there are some walls that will not come down without the high praises of God coming out of your mouth. That’s why when you feel like you’re going in circles; you’ve got to turn up the praise! You’ve got to thank God in a greater way. You’ve got to declare His goodness over your life. And you need to do exactly what He is telling you to do.
Maybe you’ve been around that city once, twice, three times. God is saying, “You’re coming into your seventh day. Don’t give-up you’re about to enter into your victory lap.” Now here’s the question: What’s coming out of your mouth? Make sure you’re praising Him. Make sure you’re thanking Him.
Make sure you’re ready because those obstacles, those walls are going to come crashing down in Jesus’ name! Don’t let anything come between you and Jesus, If God say it, believe it, and let that settles it.
Let us Pray!
————————————————————
What is the only thing that can separate you from the Love of God? SIN
Turn with me to the book of Exodus: 31:
18: And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with Gods ball point pen, written in pencil by God, How then were they written; that’s right written with the finger of God.
Question: Why were there two tables of stone giving to Moses?
- The one had Mans requirement to God
- The other had Mans requirements to his brother.
Today we are going to look at mans requirements to God, what God told us to do
Exodus: 20:
First Commandment
1: 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.
Story:
A long time ago…in a country far, far away…there was a wealthy young guy. He had everything that he could ever want; all the stuff that anyone could ever want and more.
He followed the rules and was a good guy. He didn’t sleep with his neighbor’s wife, he didn’t kill anyone, he never stole anything, he wasn’t a liar, and he honored and respected his mom and dad. He was a wealthy man and followed the rules.
In case you didn’t catch on to the story…this was a brief retelling of the first half of the story of the rich young man from Luke 18. The man came to Jesus and asked him what he had to do to have eternal life.
Jesus told him to keep all of commandments, to which the young man responded, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.”
I can picture Jesus in my head smiling and nodding and then quietly saying, “Yea…but you have this one thing standing between you and Me. Your stuff.”
Jesus told the man to sell all of his stuff and give to the poor. Then he could follow Jesus. He made it very clear what needed to be done, and yet the man walked away from Jesus with sorrow. Jesus didn’t turn his back, the man walked away from Jesus.
The problem with the man was that he didn’t really want Jesus, all he really wanted was eternal life. He probably came to Jesus expecting to hear, “Hey good job, you’ve kept the commandments, you’re in good shape!”
But instead Jesus challenged him and said, “Hey…what’s consuming your life? Your stuff? Okay, now get rid of it and follow me.”
Jesus knew this man’s heart. He knew that his stuff consumed his life. If you aren’t willing to give up what’s most important to you in order to follow Jesus, will you enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
This man let his stuff keep him out of the Kingdom of Heaven. He let his stuff get between him and Jesus.
What stuff are you letting get between you and Jesus? What’s consuming your life that isn’t Jesus? If it were you that came to Jesus, what would he tell you to give up? Would you give it up…or would you walk away filled with sorrow?
Second Commandment
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.
From the beginning mankind always worship something. Way back in time we see Man worshiping the Sun, Moon, Stars, Rocks, Trees, Animals why is that.
Satan wants to make sure you are worshiping anything except the real thing and that is the creator God.
Why do you think there are no true pictures of Jesus today, because there would people who would worship the picture more than the person in the picture.
We can see that in many of the world religions today, even in some Christian Churches we see people praying and worshiping statues or as the Bible calls them a graven image.
Inside of Man is the need to worship and that need is only fulfilled when we worship the Creator God.
*** STORY: The stature that was leaking Holy Water in Italy. Years later it was found that a bath room sink was leaking down a wall a few hundred feet away.
Third Commandment
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.
When my Wife married me, back in 1974 she took my name. At that time and in our culture, that was traditional.
She forsook her parent’s name, and took her husband’s name. The taking of the new name, reflected a change in life, and change in status and a change in priorities.
She was no longer a single woman, she was married. She no longer dated men, she was mated to one. She no longer was a young woman, she was a changed woman. She was now responsible for a family and a relationship that would last over 38 years (so far!).
If her lifestyle did not change from that day forward, she would have been disapprove of by her community. Few, if any, cultures or societies encourage their married women to live in the same way after the marriage as they did before they married
In other words, if my Wife had taken my name, but not changed her lifestyle, she would have taken my name “in-vain”. She would have had a ceremony, but not a new life, and boy would I have been upset, to put it mildly.
When we put on a uniform, we take the name of those whose uniform it is. Whether it is a sports team uniform, a work uniform for that employer or a military uniform.
When we choose a career, we take the name of the best of everyone in that career field. When we take on a title, we take the name of the best of everyone with that title.
If you take the name of God, at a ceremony, and tell the world that you are now part of the ‘bride of Christ’ as the church is called, yet you do not live like a ‘bride of Christ’, you have taken His name in vain, and you will not be considered guiltless.
Live with Jesus as if you are committed to Him for life, not as if He is a friend. A spouse is supposed to be an intimate friend, companion, confidant, friend and a lifetime commitment.
To treat Jesus as anything less than that, is to take His name in vain. Ouch. Are you ‘guilty as charged’?
You get the picture!
** Thou shalt not take
The true meaning of that phrase is made clear if we substitute “bear” for the word, “take”. We would then have this for our scripture from Exodus 20:7: “Thou shalt not bear the name of the Lord in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who bears His name in vain.”
Jesus told Paul that he was to “bear His name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel“ (Acts 9:15). Bearing the precious name of Jesus with integrity, faith, and charity, Paul turned many to righteousness in the ensuing years.
He did not bear, or take the name of the Lord upon himself, in vain. As Paul later testified, “His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all.” (1Cor.15:10).
After Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, he took them to Mount Sinai, to enter into a covenant with the Lord. First though, God sent Moses down from the mountain to deliver His “proposal” to Israel: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.“ Exodus.19:4-6.
When we as Christians don’t live up to that name before our friends what are you really telling them. When we don’t live by the standards that God told us what is that really saying about your relationship with God?
Are you beginning to understand what the 3rd commandment is really saying. It does not mean just using the verbal word or expression about God. It means more; it means your marriage relationships to God.
Don’t treat God any different then you would your spouse next to you.
Fourth Commandment Exodus 20:
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.
We are told to Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy if we search the Bible no where can you find where the Sabbath was giving to just Abraham or his children only.
So we must go back further in order to find where did the Sabbath that we are told to remember start.
Genesis: 2:
1: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
So where did the Sabbath come from, the book of beginning, better known as the book of Genesis says at Creation.
Maybe this is the reason why only the fourth commandment starts with the word
Remember.
God is saying to Remember because it was giving at the beginning
Let me tell you something; I would fear to be the minister or preacher who would tell you it is OK to forget something that God wrote with his own finger and said to remember; Especially if there were no scripture to back up or to say otherwise.
The Word Christian what does it mean:
Acts:11:26: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Why were they called Christians? What was it about them that people seen that they gave them that name. They were all doing the same things that Jesus did, so they call them Christians, Christ Like people.
What are you watching is it parsing God?
What are you saying is it praising God?
What are you listening to is it parsing God?
You see these are the things that tell you just how close to Jesus you really are, if they don’t bring honor, glory or praises to Jesus maybe you need to change what you are doing.
It is the little things that we do that keeps us away from fully knowing Gods love. Those little things that come up and get right between you and Jesus; I pray that each of you here today will examine your life and see what is there.
Are you willing to give Your Stuff up for Jesus?
Romans: 8:
35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1John:5:
3: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
John:14:
23: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John:15:
10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Friend I pray that there is nothing standing between you and Jesus today and if there is go to him and ask forgiveness and decide in your heart to change it today, not tomorrow, change it today. We are not giving tomorrow we have only today.
There is no sin in your life that He is not willing to forgive.
He loves you how much, enough to die in your place so that you will not have too. But if you don’t love Him, if you are not faithful to Him, do you expect Him to be any different then you would be if your spouse was unfaithful to you.
Don’t let this world or the things of this world stand in your way to the only one who really love you.
Rv:12:12: Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Satan will stop at nothing to keep you out of heaven, why because he hates Jesus and he hates all who follow Jesus. We as Christians will always have problems in this life, why look at Rv:12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Remnant is not the Majority or large groups; it is the small little groups who follow the truth. Not because it is popular but because it is what God said to do.
The closer you get to Jesus the more problems you might be in for because there is always a Jericho in the way. It is how you deal with that Jericho that really matters.
If you Love me just keep my commandments Jesus said and show the world that you and I have a covenant relationship with each other. I love you and want you to live with me for eternity in a home I am building just for you.
God Bless
Elder Tim McNab
D5 Creation
