Me: Good morning Lord. Thank you for waking me this morning and for this beautiful new day you have made. Thank you for the colours of dawn, the birds that sing and the still cool of the day. I love you Lord.
Lord: Good morning Martin, Welcome to the club this morning. Thank you for your company on our walk and for your love. We love you too.
I want to talk this morning about the behaviour of my people. I have set standards for the conduct of those who are part of my kingdom. The standards begin with the commandments I gave to Moses. These are the minimum standard I want all my children to follow. Those who dare to say these are outdated and should be replaced, do not know me and have not accepted that my word stands forever. These ten commandments I gave to a people whom I had set aside, to be a special nation with me as their king. When I set aside my church to carry the Good News to the ends of the earth, I built upon these commandments, and I require my people under the new covenant to 'Love me with their whole heart and their neighbour as themselves.' My beloved son passed this summary of the ten commandments on to his disciples, adding, 'Love one another as I have loved you.' Although the world around you has abandoned my Word and would also abandon the commands I give to my children, I require that you hold on to them as a minimum standard.
I did not give my commandments to the nations around Israel, so they are not bound by them as my people are. When nations adopted them I was delighted and when laws of nations were founded on them I rejoiced, but mankind can only keep the laws I have given if they obey the command to love the Lord your God with all your heart. It is out of this the first command that the others follow, and man is given the desire and the power to keep them.
All Christian behaviour springs forth from loving me, and knowing that I love you. I want my children to delight in doing what is right, rather than out of fear of the consequences. I have placed into every human soul the ability to discern what is right and what is wrong. That knowledge is built into the fabric of your being. I have also built into man a delight when knowing that what he does is right. This delight is not to be mistaken for the adrenalin rush obtained by doing wrong, which is often mistaken for a thrill. Even the godless man knows when to hide his deeds.
When a small child does something for the first time or achieves the next step in development, parents are delighted and should freely show their delight, so that the child is sure they are doing right. In the same way I show my delight when my children are righteous, so that they may know that it is right to continue in the right path. Those who have my commandments will find it easier to discern what is right and what is wrong.
The commands I give are not to be seen as restrictions but as liberators. They may seem to be a lot of 'thou shalt nots', but in reality they keep you on a pathway that leads to the ability to fulfil your whole existence. I gave the commandments in love not wrath. Obey them in love, not fear.
Within the Christian fellowship godly behaviour is the norm. Ungodly behaviour is not acceptable and those who do what is wrong, and what is evil must be first corrected in love, and, if they fail to accept correction, shunned and put outside the fellowship, until such time as they accept the correction and repent. To continue to accept sin to remain in the midst of the fellowship is to condone sin, which will lead others astray.
Do not condemn those who live outside the fellowship of Christ, nor should you try to impose Christian standards upon them. Condemn the sin, but love the sinner and show them by example and by deed the ways of God.
The good news is all about Jesus forgiving sins and bringing complete salvation to those who live in darkness and sin. You cannot share this good news if you have pre-judged and condemned the sinner. Judging is not your role. It is for me to judge, and me alone. Share the gospel with all men and warmly and lovingly accept the repentant sinner. However, always remember that they will not be drawn to Jesus through you, unless they see something of Jesus in you. Jesus is perfect righteousness and love. Therefore be imitators of Him.
St Paul wrote to the church in Corinth on this subject. Read and understand what he was saying. 'Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.' Matt 5.16.
1 Corinthians 5 NIV
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgement in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
Lord: Good morning Martin, Welcome to the club this morning. Thank you for your company on our walk and for your love. We love you too.
I want to talk this morning about the behaviour of my people. I have set standards for the conduct of those who are part of my kingdom. The standards begin with the commandments I gave to Moses. These are the minimum standard I want all my children to follow. Those who dare to say these are outdated and should be replaced, do not know me and have not accepted that my word stands forever. These ten commandments I gave to a people whom I had set aside, to be a special nation with me as their king. When I set aside my church to carry the Good News to the ends of the earth, I built upon these commandments, and I require my people under the new covenant to 'Love me with their whole heart and their neighbour as themselves.' My beloved son passed this summary of the ten commandments on to his disciples, adding, 'Love one another as I have loved you.' Although the world around you has abandoned my Word and would also abandon the commands I give to my children, I require that you hold on to them as a minimum standard.
I did not give my commandments to the nations around Israel, so they are not bound by them as my people are. When nations adopted them I was delighted and when laws of nations were founded on them I rejoiced, but mankind can only keep the laws I have given if they obey the command to love the Lord your God with all your heart. It is out of this the first command that the others follow, and man is given the desire and the power to keep them.
All Christian behaviour springs forth from loving me, and knowing that I love you. I want my children to delight in doing what is right, rather than out of fear of the consequences. I have placed into every human soul the ability to discern what is right and what is wrong. That knowledge is built into the fabric of your being. I have also built into man a delight when knowing that what he does is right. This delight is not to be mistaken for the adrenalin rush obtained by doing wrong, which is often mistaken for a thrill. Even the godless man knows when to hide his deeds.
When a small child does something for the first time or achieves the next step in development, parents are delighted and should freely show their delight, so that the child is sure they are doing right. In the same way I show my delight when my children are righteous, so that they may know that it is right to continue in the right path. Those who have my commandments will find it easier to discern what is right and what is wrong.
The commands I give are not to be seen as restrictions but as liberators. They may seem to be a lot of 'thou shalt nots', but in reality they keep you on a pathway that leads to the ability to fulfil your whole existence. I gave the commandments in love not wrath. Obey them in love, not fear.
Within the Christian fellowship godly behaviour is the norm. Ungodly behaviour is not acceptable and those who do what is wrong, and what is evil must be first corrected in love, and, if they fail to accept correction, shunned and put outside the fellowship, until such time as they accept the correction and repent. To continue to accept sin to remain in the midst of the fellowship is to condone sin, which will lead others astray.
Do not condemn those who live outside the fellowship of Christ, nor should you try to impose Christian standards upon them. Condemn the sin, but love the sinner and show them by example and by deed the ways of God.
The good news is all about Jesus forgiving sins and bringing complete salvation to those who live in darkness and sin. You cannot share this good news if you have pre-judged and condemned the sinner. Judging is not your role. It is for me to judge, and me alone. Share the gospel with all men and warmly and lovingly accept the repentant sinner. However, always remember that they will not be drawn to Jesus through you, unless they see something of Jesus in you. Jesus is perfect righteousness and love. Therefore be imitators of Him.
St Paul wrote to the church in Corinth on this subject. Read and understand what he was saying. 'Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.' Matt 5.16.
1 Corinthians 5 NIV
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgement in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
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