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Thursday, June 12, 2014

teach and obey


Matthew 5:17-19

 17 "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away,not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 Exhortations
 Why do people tend to view the "law of God" negatively rather than positively?

Jesus' attitude towards the law of God can be summed up in the great prayer of Psalm 119: "Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day."

 For the people of Israel the "law" could refer to the ten commandments or to the five Books of Moses, called the Pentateuch or Torah, which explain the commandments and ordinances of God for his people.

The "law" also referred to the whole teaching or way of life which God gave to his people. The Jews in Jesus' time also used it as a description of the oral or scribal law.

Needless to say, the scribes added many more things to the law than God intended.

That is why Jesus often condemned the scribal law because it placed burdens on people which God had not intended.

Jesus made it very clear that the essence of God's law - his commandments and way of life, must be fulfilled. God's law is true and righteous because it flows from his love, goodness, and holiness.

 It is a law of grace, love, and freedom for us.

 That is why God commands us to love him above all else and to follow in the way of his Son, the Lord Jesus who taught us how to love by laying down our lives for one another.

Jesus promised his disciples that he would give them the gift of the Holy Spirit who writes God's law of love and truth on our hearts. 

The Spirit teaches us God's truth and gives us wisdom and understanding of God's ways. 

The Spirit helps us in our weakness, strengthens us in temptation, and transforms us, day by day, into the likeness of Christ himself.

There is great blessing and reward for those who obey God's commandments and who help others, especially the younger generations, to love, respect, and obey the Lord.

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