Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
As parents of young children, we get to see many things that the rest of the world doesn’t. We get to watch our children as they go through different stages of learning. They might walk into the house for a quick snack, when we notice that they have their shoes on the wrong feet. We patiently assist them as they put them on the right way, because there is a difference between our left and right foot. When I was young, we would wear leather choppers to play in the snow. Sometimes when we made snowballs, we would quickly realize that there were on the wrong hands. They felt weird because the seams were in the wrong spots. We quickly pulled them off and switched them around, because there is a difference between our left and right hands.
This reminds me of the Christian life.
There is a difference between black and white. There is a difference between male and female. There is a difference between night and day. When it comes to Judaism and Christianity, there is a great difference between the two religions, as different as, my two feet.
There were many things that were commanded to be done in the Old Testament that we are freed from as a follower of Christ Jesus. Many people over the years have tried to combine the two religions, even teaching a heretical ” dual covenant ” theology, but the truth is that without Jesus as your Savior, you will die in your sins. If you are attempting to get to heaven apart from Christ, you are claiming that you have never sinned, which would actually defeat the whole purpose for establishing the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. Even then, it was set up on a temporary basis for the covering of sin, which couldn’t cleanse the inner conscience as is provided through the blood of Christ. As much as someone would try, we cannot be justified through the Old Testament law, because nobody kept it in the first place. Some religious leaders simply ran around pointing the finger at everybody else, instead of doing what they needed to do themselves. They needed to look inside of their own hearts and understand that they were just like the rest of us,…sinners in need of repentance and remission of sins, provided through our merciful God. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and to claim that you have never sinned is to call God a liar.
1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The law was put in place to convict us of our sins so that we would recognize the need for a Savior. It only takes one sin during your lifetime to break the entire covenant. The Apostle James who was born a Jew taught that if you broke a single commandment, then you were guilty of breaking them all.
James 2:10-13 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
The law had its purpose, to make us realize in our hearts that we couldn’t obtain heaven without God’s merciful assistance. It was meant to drive us into the arms of Christ Jesus. Once we become Christians, there is no turning around and going back to the Old covenant. Just as an earthly judge might issue a new court order, the old one is replaced, and the new one is in effect. The law was given to teach us that we are sinners, and when we finally accept that simple truth, and get forgiven through faith in Christ, we are no longer under that school master anymore.
Galatians 3:22-26 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For many years, people have attempted to combine Judaism and Christianity, but they really are different religions. Many people who profess to be Christian believe that they will somehow serve God better by trying to keep things that are found In the Old Testament law, which nobody kept in the first place. It’s sad that they actually feel that they can somehow do what nobody else did. Some who profess faith in Christ are not trusting in Him, and have fallen from grace.
Galatians 5:1-6 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Just like religious leaders of Jesus’ day, some who claim the Christian faith will quickly point the finger at you for not keeping certain days, months, times, and years. People are more obsessed about what day it is, rather than focusing on how you should live each day. Someone can religiously keep a day, but be unloving and cruel inside of their heart. Just because you are never tardy at school, does that automatically mean that you learned everything required in class? Some are more concerned about cleansing dishes, rather than cleansing their sinful hearts. They quickly judge you for what you eat and drink, which has nothing to do with what comes out of the heart. This is one of the reasons why you are not supposed to allow somebody to judge you over food and drink. They did this to both Jesus and John the Baptist.
Colossians 2:14-17 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Matthew 15:10-11, 17-20 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Imagine the things that the apostle Paul was able to eat when he became a Christian. There are still people today who will command you to keep away from certain foods or drinks. They think by doing this, that they are more holy than the next person, but holiness has nothing to do with abstaining from certain food. It’s a matter of taste, not a matter of the heart.
1 Timothy 4:1-6 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
The Christian life is about love rather than law. It is about Spirit rather than flesh. Making the attempt to try to keep the Law, is denying the reason that Jesus came to the Earth, which was to set us free from being in bondage to the Old Testament. Judgments are certainly supposed to happen within the church, but not based on things as foolish as food intake. Judgments are to be made in matters relating to love and obedience towards God, and love towards each other…..things such as fornication, adultery, lasciviousness etc. Circumcision does not matter to God, what matters is becoming a new creature of love from the inside out. The true Jew is not one who is one outwardly, but one who is one inwardly.
There is a difference between the sun and the moon. There is a difference between the rain and the snow. There is a difference between circumcision in the flesh, and being circumcised in the heart. Many things are different from each other, just as different as….
…….My Two Feet
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 