GIVING GLORY TO GOD
In Revelation 14:6-12 the Three Angel's Messages start with warning people to "Fear God and give glory to Him because the hour of Judgment is come" and ends with identifying God's people in contrast to those who receive the Mark of the Beast... the "saints" are "they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus". If we keep the commandments, we glorify God in doing so.
Unfortunately, so many Christians today miss the boat in this and view their Christian walk as "how can I get to heaven... PERIOD." They have no real concept on the Biblical teaching of glorifying their Creator by how they ACT and what they DO.
1Jn:3:18: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."
1Jn:2:29: "If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him."
1Jn:3:7: "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."
What is the actual purpose for God's Church? God has a reason for calling out a special people to Himself. The Lord desires to separate His people from the customs, habits, and practices of the world, that in life and character they may reveal the principles of His law.
The ten commandments of God are a transcript of His unselfish character of love. By beholding the goodness and the love of God revealed in His Church, the world is to have a representation of His character. When the law of God is thus exemplified in the life, the world will recognize the obvious superiority of those who love and serve God above every other people.
And if observed from the heart, the law of God would cause all of humanity to prosper and live in true peace and happiness: "He that keepeth the law, happy is he" Prov:29:18. And now let us go back to the writings of the Old Testament, that we might discover the intended role that the children of Israel were to play in the world. Listen to Moses...
"Behold," said Moses, "I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon Him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?" Deut. 4:5-8.
But although Israel were called to be a light to the world, they resisted Heaven's grace, abused their privileges, and slighted their opportunities.
Instead of instructing those in the world around them by example about the God of Abraham, His chosen people fell into the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations. Rather than the Church leading the world to God, the world led them instead into the ways of the heathen!
Baal worship was practiced in their borders, even though the prophets of God spoke out against the false gods of their day See 2 Kings chapter 21 and 23.
Yet as Israel fell into idolatry, the worship of the God of Abraham was not openly renounced. Rather, the nation combined the old rituals with that of the pagan mysteries. And thus, slowly the demarcation between true and false worship became eroded until finally it was to a great extent lost sight of.
To glorify the God of Heaven, keeping His commandments, thus drawing all of mankind unto Himself was the very purpose for the existence of the Church.
But unfortunately, Israel had failed to fulfill it's divine mission. Thus the Lord declared of this nation,
"I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto Me?" Jer. 2:21. "Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself." Hosea 10:1. "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard. What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" Isa. 5:3-7.
Instead of bringing forth the "fruits" of love, which the ten commandments were designed to produce, God's children in old testament times were as an empty vine, devoid of love. Thus they could not bring glory to God, and darkness came out of her instead of light to the world to reflect the holy character of God.
And now let us go forward to the writings of the New Testament, that we might discover the role that the children of God are to play in today's modern world. Have God's purposes changed? Let's listen to Jesus...
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt. 5:13-16.
As Christians, we are to do good works, and by so doing bring glory to God. We see by the words of Christ that it has always been the purpose of God to manifest through His people the principles of His kingdom, that they may be a light to the world! We are to be the salt of the earth, and a city set on a hill that gives light to the earth's inhabitants.This was the same identical task given to the children of Israel in old testament times. You see, this entire thing is much bigger than just "me and my salvation". We as Christians have been commissioned to represent our Heavenly Father to the whole world! That is what it is all about...
And now you might say, "But we are under the new covenant now, and thus we no longer are expected to keep God's ten commandment law!" Reader, do you feel this way? ...if so, then you are misunderstanding the old and new covenants!
The terms of the old covenant were, Obey and live: "If a man do, he shall even live in them"(Ezekiel 20:11; Leviticus 18:5); but "cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them." Deuteronomy 27:26.
But the new covenant was established upon "better promises"--the promise of forgiveness of sins and of the grace of God to renew the heart and bring it into harmony with the principles of God's law.
"This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts . . . . I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31:33, 34.
Hebrews 8:
6: But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
7: For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8: For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to establish our own righteousness we accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth "the fruits of the Spirit." Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked.1John:2:6
This light that we are to give to the world, are the principles of God's law, and they are the principles of love. Many have the mistaken idea that in New Testament times, under the new covenant, we must only have "love" and that the Ten Commandments are merely a "dead letter" that we need no longer concern ourselves with. However, the principles of love are defined within God's Ten Commandment Law. Let's listen to the Jesus...
"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Jesus a question, saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40
The reason that Jesus said, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" is because the first 4 commandments define love to God (Thou shalt have no other gods before me, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, etc.) and the last 6 define love to thy neighbor (Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal). This same idea is repeated by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans:
"...he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
Romans 13:8,9:
So you see then that love to God and neighbor is merely a SUMMARY of or is briefly comprehended in the Ten Commandment Law. And not only that but both Jesus and Paul were merely reiterating what had already been declared in old Testament times! Watch this:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:4,5.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Leviticus 19:18.
Sound familiar? Jesus was merely quoting directly out of the old testament when He said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
God's claims have always been the same. Jesus did not really give us a "new" commandment to keep, He was bringing to light the foundation principles of love which have always underlined the ten commandments of old. This is why John said the following words:
"And hereby we do know that we know him, 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. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning." I John 2:3-7.
The principles of His government are the same. For all proceed from Him "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17. His Church is still to be as a light to the world. His people are still expected to give the world an example of what it means to live under the principles of His kingdom of love!
And just in case you get the notion that whether or not we keep this law of love has nothing to do with our salvation, let me clear up that erroneous idea right away:
I John 3:14,15: We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Isn't that clear enough for us to understand? and we already discovered in Romans 13:8-10 that love is merely a summary of the 10 commandments. You do not have eternal life if you don't have love, as defined by keeping God's 10 commandments! If you have been led to believe otherwise, then you have been under a deception, the likes of which needs to be discarded immediately!
We have established the fact that God desires His people in all ages to represent His character to the world through the keeping of the Law, which reveal the principles of His government of love. Yet even as Israel of old failed in it's mission, and instead of bringing forth fruit unto God, brought forth wild grapes(Isaiah 5:3-7) ...so too have today's modern Church failed in her mission to reveal the Heavenly Father to the world through her good works.
In old testament times, God's people misunderstood the deep meaning of the ceremonies and rituals they were required to perform. They instead did them expecting to gain the favor of God. Their inward hearts and lives were corrupt. They were unholy hypocrites. God sent His prophets again and again to correct them, but His people did not desire to obey Him out of the motive of love, having a true change of heart. And to substitute external forms of religion for holiness of heart and life is still just as pleasing to the unrenewed nature as it was in the days of these Jewish leaders.
Jesus clearly said to the Jews,
Matthew 5:
18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20: For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
21: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Notice that Jesus never said that they didn't need to keep the Law. He didn't say that at all! What He said was that not even a jot(the dotting of an "i") or a tittle(the crossing of a "t" would pass away from the law till heaven and earth ceased to exist, and He clearly said that people should not teach that the law was abolished.
Then to make Himself abundantly clear on this point, the Saviour mentioned a few of the commandments such as: Thou shalt not kill.. and He declared that if you even hate someone in your heart, then you are breaking the commandments! Jesus was explaining that they needed to keep the law inwardly as well as outwardly. Just because they were not outwardly killing someone, didn't mean that made them righteous. If they hated someone it was just as bad as if they had killed them!
Jesus also said that their righteousness needed to EXCEED that of the Pharisees. If not, then they could NOT enter into heaven. The people who claimed to serve God were to be inwardly holy and not merely outwardly righteous. That was why Jesus said things to the Pharisees like, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." Mt:23:27Outwardly they were all whited and beautiful and kept the mere letter of the Law --to be seen of men, but inwardly they were full of corruption. They continually dishonored God's holy name... the One whom they professed to serve and represent!
And at the present time, Satan induces many professing Christians, under the pretense of honoring Christ, to claim that the law of God may now be disregarded and transgressed altogether with no fear of any consequences. They have wholly lost sight of the commission that Christ gave them, to be the salt of the earth, a light to the world... that by doing good works they might glorify their Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:13-15.
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Claudia Thompson
http://www.religiouscounterfeits.org
http://www.countrymanordesigns.com
http://www.christiangraphics.org
