3/26/06 - “THE ISSUE THAT DIVIDES THE WORLD?” Part 5 - 13L-FM
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts  
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word 
and facts that affect you!

Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today we will continue with the subject, “THE ISSUE THAT DIVIDES THE WORLD” part 5. But first let us seek God’s guidance, “Heavenly Father, as we open your word today, we ask for your Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, we desire knowledge and Lord increase our understanding so that we may live in the center of Your revealed will, bless us accordingly in Jesus Name, Amen.”
I continue to keep my pledge, to cry aloud and spare not, to lift up my voice like a trumpet and to show God’s people where they are transgressing God’s law.
Next week I am going to begin a series that will reveal the sin that is the very one that Satan has most of God’s people committing unaware. It is the sin that Jesus refers to in Matthew 7:21-23 where He says, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” The iniquity is the transgressing God’s law that I am speaking about. 
And friends you’re doing it. Your pastors are doing it. Almost all of the Christian world is doing it and because of it, it puts transgressing Christians on the broad road that leads to destruction that Jesus mentions in Matthew 7:13. God wants you on the narrow way Jesus said in verse 14 that will get you safely to heaven. But you have to keep listening, especially next week, or you’re going to miss it. Your eternal life is more important than to miss a single program, so keep listening.
Last week we talked about how Satan hates God and especially the Ten Commandments. Many pastors today say that old law was nailed to the cross. What law was nailed to the cross? Moses law that dealt with sacrifices of animals and religious ceremony. 
We also discussed how the Ten Commandment Law reveals our sin and that it points to Jesus, the remedy for sin.
	Then we went word by word through all ten of the commandments and found nothing wrong with any of them.
	In fact, the Ten Commandments are a transcript of the very character of God. He wants that character lived in the people called by His name.
 	Psalm 19:7,  "The law of the Lord is perfect, (is what?)  PERFECT!, Does it make any sense to change or do away with something that is perfect?) "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." God’s law enlightens the mind of man. It’s true knowledge of the highest order.
 	The famous D.L Moody once said, "I've never met an honest man who had any problem with the 10 commandments."  I agree.
 	Let me ask you another question, do you really love the Lord Jesus?  I believe you do with all your hearts.  Beloved, there's only one place in the Bible that Jesus spoke directly about our love for Him. I want you to read what He said in John 14. 
	I want you to see what Jesus then says about your love for Him and toward Him. John 14:15, and this is Jesus Himself speaking, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."  
Jesus didn’t just say, “Keep my commandments.”  He said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  This will be a test of your love and your loyalty. The series starting next week is titled “A Test of Loyalty.”
	Did you know that the Ten Commandments are 10 ways in which a Christian can show His love for Jesus? He doesn't say, "If you love me, give a big offering."  He doesn't say, "If you love me, get up, dance and shout."  He doesn't say, "If you love me, get out and do ten hours of community service."  He simply says, "If ye love me ..." show me, "keep my commandments." 
This whole subject revolves around love.  
"If you love Me . . . .you will have no other gods." 
"If you love Me . . .  you will not take my name in vain."
"If you love Me . . . you will remember My Sabbath." and so on. 
  	And the real problem in today's Christian world, is a sore lack of true love for Jesus.  That's the bottom line.
	By the way, this is also how you receive a greater measure of the Holy Spirit, notice the next two verses.  John 14:16, 17, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever: Even the Spirit of truth." 
	He gives the Holy Spirit to those that love and obey Him as we read in Acts 5:32. “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”  Jesus said, "Love me, keep My commandments, and then I'm going to send Him to you."  
	Notice verse 21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:  and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."  I just love how this subject revolves around the love of Jesus Christ and our willing obedience to God’s law out of our love for Christ. Do you see?  
 	It's not legalism friends.  Christianity's keeping of the law is an expression of love for Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Real legalism is trying to love Jesus without obedience to His commandments, that would be relying on a works oriented religion. But love and obedience are inseparably connected. 	
Mention "law" and Satan has trained ministers to label it "legalism!" Legalism is trying to obtain salvation outside of God’s revealed will.  Think this question through. Is obedience from a heart of love, legalism?  If so, then Jesus must have been the biggest legalist ever because He told us plainly in John 15:10 "I have kept all my Father's commandments."  I tell you friends, loving obedience to God is not legalism.  God has another word for it.  It is called "loyalty!" Do you see?  
 	Well now I want you to see how strongly God feels about it as He expresses it through His love disciple, in the book of 1 John.  God gets so plain, so powerful, and so straight forward in this Scripture, it's almost hard to read it.  
	Notice what He says in 1 John 2:3,4     (1211)
"And hereby we do know that we know him, (now the word "know" is a key word.  In John 17:3, Jesus said, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."  In Matt. 7:21-23 Jesus will say to the lost, "I never knew you."  So it is eternally important to know the Saviour Jesus. 
  "And hereby we do know that we know him, (in other words, here is the test), if we keep his commandments. 
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not  in him." 
 	That's clear.  If someone says, "I love God but I don't think His law really matters.  The Bible says in unmistakable language, "That person is a liar, and the truth is not in him."  And yet some are so presumptuously deceived, they think that they can sin all they want and they're going to heaven anyway!  None will be saved without knowing Jesus, and Jesus is telling us, "To know Me is to love Me and to love Me is to follow My law."   
 	God is no respector of persons and He is saying to us, "I don't care who it is, if it's a church, if it's a minister, or any individual. I don't care if they say they know Me, if they're not keeping my commandments it means nothing." (God doesn't just say they're lying, He takes a stab right at the character and says they are all liars).  And Revelation 21:8 says all liars are going to be lost in the lake of hell-fire.   That's plain, clear and straight! 
 	Do you know Jesus as your Saviour?  Or have you been speaking and teaching against His holy law?  Is the Bible making it clear? 
Let's go to Revelation chapter 14.  All books of the Bible meet in Revelation.  Is this great principle of obedience to God, through love, taught in God's last book?  
Revelation 14:9-12
 	Here we find in this chapter in verse 9-11 a strong warning that those worship the beast and his image and receive his mark will be put, by God, into the lake of fire.  
	And God's saints are the ones left in verse 12, "Here is the patience of the saints:  (how do we know who they are?  He says) here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
Beloved, I want to be one of God's saints in Revelation, don't you?  
	Go to Revelation 12, and you'll read the same thing in verse 17.  "And the dragon" (who's the dragon?  Satan).  "And the dragon was wroth with the woman" (who's the woman?  The church) "and went to make war with the remnant of her seed."  Here's the last part of God's faithful people.  It says, "which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." 
I want to be part of that remnant.  Don't you?  Can we now at least begin to see how loyalty to God and His law will be a key issue in the end of time?  
Let's go on to Revelation 22:14, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." 	
Again, only those who do God's commandments are doing His will and are going to walk into the gates of that city of heaven.  Why?  Because true faith always results in a transformed life that wants to follow God’s will in all things.
	We've covered many verses today and every single one of them has been consistent and clear, teaching us God's holy ten-commandment law as the highest standard of morality.  
 	Here in the time of the end, we see two sides forming in the book of Revelation. There's the one side that is trying to do away with obedience and the commandments of God, and on the other hand, Jesus says, "My saints, that enter into my city are going to be a commandment-keeping people doing the will of the Father."  
	Next week “God’s Test of Loyalty” - part 1.
God bless you friends and study your Bibles daily,

Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.