May 25
2 Sam 7:1-8:18 | PS 119:33-48 | Prov 15:33 | John 14:15-31
God is holy, and His word and commandments are indeed, holy. We, His people, must never trivialize sin. God is immutable, or unchanging. His Word is just as relevant now as it was the day it was written by the Holy Spirit through men. People elevate themselves deeming their times and situations, somehow unique. Then, in the name of relevance, they twist or mold God's words, making it into something it was never meant to be, in order to tickle the ears of the masses and to reach acceptance by people. Sadly, in arrogance so many believe that it is God who must change or adjust, rather than us. So, when you see churches and pastors taking positions contrary to the word of God, they should be ignored and disregarded. If you belong to places like this, and listen to pastors like this, then danger is around you, but you may not realize it. Sola Scriptura echoed to transform the world many centuries ago. It can do the same today, if we allow it to.
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. divided into twenty two sections of eight verses each. Each verse of each section begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet (section 1: Aleph, section 2: Beth, etc.) It is said that this is how Hebrew children learned the alphabet, by learning this Psalm. Interestingly, the content is all about the benefits of studying God's word, with all but three verses having some reference to the Word of God: laws, statutes, commandments, precepts, ways, etc. This was written around 1000 years before Jesus' ministry on earth. We see Jesus' emphasis on God's commands, as we read in John 14:15-18, 21, 23, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you... He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”...“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."
If we turn to God in obedience to His Word, our hearts will soften. This will lead to repentance, and acceptance of Jesus as Messiah. Every other path will lead one in the wrong direction, as we read in Psalm 119:37, "Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way." When we share the message of Jesus Christ with a lost world, we can not do so in acceptance of things contrary to God's Word, as Jesus taught us in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen." We are to teach others to observe what He has commanded, if they are going to become His disciples. May we never forget, we were given commandments, not suggestions.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: