How does the new covenant relate to this in the old covenant? Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, Jesus said He came "not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." In Jewish culture, they had ceremonial laws, moral laws and civil laws. Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws. He was the perfect sacrifice for sins and therefore fulfilled the ceremonial laws of the Jews. The civil laws were for public order and we still abide by many of those in our culture today. However, the moral laws have never changed. So moral laws found within the 10 Commandments are still to be adhered to in today's culture. God doesn't change His moral code based on the latest trends of society. Jesus taught the same moral laws in the New Testament that we see in the Old. In fact, He often expounded upon them, as in the case of divorce, lust and revenge.Is it sinful to worry about what God will do if you turn over EVERY aspect of your life to Him? In Psalm 139:13 it says, "For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb." Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." When you read passages like this, how could we ever be worried about giving every aspect of our lives to God? I understand the question, but I want to encourage you that God always has your best interest at heart. He provides us with a way to live in order to outline the best life possible. Like I said Sunday, most of the troubles we experience in life are a result of living life our way, not God's way. I would encourage you to turn over ever aspect of your life and see what God does.
Can you give some examples of breaking the first two commandments in today's life? An example in breaking the first commandment would be believing we are all headed up the same mountain and what god we choose to follow to get there, doesn't really matter. An example of breaking commandment number two would be getting overly attached to one particular Christian symbol in your worship. Some might also say placing things such as entertainment life, sports, our work, money, hobbies, music, etc. before God would be examples of modern day idols. Or like I said in the sermon, if we are guilty of worshiping the God we've created in our minds as opposed to the God who really is.
Could you put the prayer you put on the screen online so we could see it again? I found this prayer in a book by Bill Hybels entitled, "Laws that Liberate." Here is the prayer... "Lord, show me your will and I'll gladly do it. If I can serve you best in the business world, then that's where I'll go. If you want me in school, I'll go there. If you want me to stay home, I'll stay home. If you want me in ministry, I'll go there. Give me a mission and I'll pursue it with passion for the rest of my life."
How many commandments are against man's laws? Fortunately in our country, there aren't too many man made laws I can think of that go against God's laws. I'm sure there may be some. Our legal system and laws we have in this country were founded on Biblical principles. I had a Jewish professor in Political Science who knew the New Testament of the Bible better than most Christians I have met. When I asked him why, he said, "Because I'm a Political Science professor and most of our laws were based on New Testament teachings." However, I think we are rapidly moving in a direction where that may cease to be the case. We are teetering on a slippery slope. Stay tuned and pray. Let's pray we move closer to God rather than further away.
How do you tell the difference between loving your spouse and putting them before God? God tells us in Ephesians 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." and in Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord." Loving and caring for our spouses is at the core of who God is. He has called us to prioritize our marriages and view them with honor before Him. I think the only way you would put your spouse before God would be to deny God's laws in order to satisfy your spouses request. In other words, if you spouse is trying to get you to do something that is contrary to Scripture, then you would need to prioritize God's Word over your spouse. But in any other case, I believe you are honoring God and putting Him first by giving total devotion to your spouse.
Many questions were about God's will for your life. I answered this live, but if you missed it, I'll answer it again. When discovering God's will for our life, we need to make sure it jives with Scripture. God is not going to ask you to do something that is contrary to His Word. If you don't know the Bible well enough to know, ask someone trusted who does. Also, even though God used Moses in ways that were way beyond his abilities, there has only been one Moses. Sometimes we think we can all be a Moses and God will gift us to be like him. More often than not, God will use you in the way in which He has wired you. Discover your spiritual gifts, talents and passions and serve God within those. Ask Christian people who know you well if what you are hearing from God sounds legitimate to them. They know you well and will be able to say, "Yes, that sounds like you." or "No, you are way off base." Discovering God's will for your life can be frustrating, but it's all part of the growing experience. Throughout the experience, don't ever forget, God has nothing to gain by keeping it a secret from you. He wants you to know His mission for your life. So pursue it with excitement and don't give up! But don't spend your life searching. Get out there and try some things and see where God leads. Don't waste your life away wondering.
Do you believe salvation occurs at water baptism? Do you believe people can lose their salvation? These questions come up almost every time you open it up for questions. In short, no, I do not believe salvation occurs at water baptism. I don't have space here to give all the Biblical evidence, and my assumption is, since you asking this question, you are fairly well versed in the Bible, but I will say this. If baptism were necessary for salvation, then it would be mentioned every time salvation is mentioned. However, there are plenty of passages that talk about faith alone in Christ and nothing about baptism. On the flip side, you never see a passage that says being baptized alone is what saves someone. So faith in Christ is the only constant for salvation in the Bible. To the other question, yes, I do believe someone can lose their salvation. Hebrews 6:6 refers to a believer falling away. This topic is hotly debated in Armenian and Calvinist circles all the time. My feeling is this...if a person is standing there and does not have faith in Christ and at one time appeared to have faith in Christ, one thing is for sure. Whether they lost their salvation or never had it, they are still far from God and need Christ. So in my opinion, we get too concerned with this question. Our real concern should be for the person and their state with Christ, not with how they got there.
