The Greatest Commandment
The Ten Commandments • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Keeping The Ten Commandments
Bernie and Esther were not the most religious Jews, and in fact, they really only attended Temple once a year. As they were leaving the Temple, the Rabbi said, "Bernie, it sure would be nice to see you and Esther here more than once a year!"
"I know," replied Bernie, "but at least we keep the Ten Commandments."
"That's great," the Rabbi said. "I'm glad to hear that you keep the Commandments."
"Yep," Bernie said proudly, "Esther keeps six of them, and I keep the other four."
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Not only were Bernie and Esther in clear violation of at least the 4th commandment like all of us, but we are also all accountable for our own actions.
We are concluding our series on the Ten Commandments with Matthew 22:36-40. In this chapter, various religious leaders attempt to catch Jesus in His teachings, hoping to find a way to ensnare Him.
In verse 34, the Pharisees are testing Jesus by asking which commandment of the Law is the greatest.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment.
“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus answers by starting with the “Shema,” a prayer recited by most Jews both in the morning and evening, taken from Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
The Shema continues by explaining how we are to teach it to children, both during the day and at night.
The second half of Jesus’ answer is taken from Lev 19:18.
‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
If you recall, the 10 commandments are based on two categories: our vertical relationship with God, represented by commandments 1-4, and our horizontal relationship with man, or our neighbor, represented by commandments 5-10.
Clearly, you nor I can fully meet the requirements of the Ten Commandments, and the two commandments given by Jesus, which sum up the Ten, are not any easier.
James 2:10 reminds us that even if we are capable of meeting most of the requirements, failing in just one of them makes us guilty.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
Since we are all guilty, we need a solution to our problem. That solution is neither you nor me. Romans 3 presents a clear picture of this.
Romans 3:10-20 reminds us, starting with say “there is none of us are righteous”… and ends with “for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good,
There is not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
Destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Clearly, according to Romans 3, we have a serious issue. Notice the last line: it says, “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comesthe knowledge of sin.”
The question we have to be asking ourselves is if you and I can not solve our own problem what is the solution?
The Bible clearly states that there are two categories of people in this world.
Those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior resulting in eternal life in Heaven.
Those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior face the consequence of eternal life in Hell.
Those Who Believe
Those Who Believe
For Christians, the solution to the Law and sin is Christ!
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Christ is our answer to the Law. Through His perfect life, He fulfilled every aspect of the Law.
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
How? In His life, Christ perfectly fulfilled every requirement of the Law. Additionally, through His death, He canceled the debt of the Law that we all owed.
When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Without Christ’s work on the cross on our behalf, we would be condemned.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
We cannot keep God’s law perfectly; we need another to do this for us.
The law drives us to Jesus for forgiveness and a new heart, and the Spirit then empowers us for obedience.
Although we cannot keep the law perfectly in this life and always need grace, we are never crushed by the law because there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
Our debt was paid for in full.
Wow! What a Savior!
What is our Response? We are now to live for Him!
How do we do that?
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Many of our battles occur in the mind. Last week, we studied coveting, which is the 10th commandment. As believers, we have the choice to do things God’s way or to follow Satan’s way, which is what the world and our flesh naturally lean towards.
Philippians 2 tells us that we have the mind of Christ, the Bible tells us we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and because of this, we have the power to choose what is right over what is wrong.
I appreciate what Pastor Tony Evans says. As believers, we have two dogs living within us: one representing our new nature and the other our old nature. The one that will dominate you is the one you feed the most.
When we are feeding the right dog, in other words, when we live, talk, and think the way Christ intended us to, keeping His commandments becomes possible. In fact, 1 John 5:3 tells us that His commandments are not a burden to us.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
How is this possible? How is it possible to keep His commandments and not be burdensome?
Jesus was able to keep a law we could not possibly keep. He lived a life we could not live by keeping the law and died a death we should have died for breaking the law.
Jesus Paid It, All to Him I Owe
Sin Had Left a Crimson Stain; He washed it white as snow!
That is the Jesus I serve and love. How about You?
The 1stType of Person is those who believe, and the 2nd are,
Those Who Do Not Believe
Those Who Do Not Believe
For those who do not believe, the solution to the Law and sin is Christ! However, let's consider it from a different perspective.
You cannot do enough good things to save ourselves.
Remember James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”
None of us, whether Christians or not, are capable of keeping all points of the Law.
The Law is designed to teach each of us what is right and what is wrong. However, according to Galatians 3:24, the Law is far greater than that. It also shows us our need for Christ.
Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Only Christ can give us victory over sin and death.
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you want victory this morning?
Jesus is the answer. He is the only one who can save you from the punishment of breaking the law, which is death and eternal separation from Him in Hell.
Let me be abundantly clear… the Bible says in John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
If you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, you have a decision to make this morning.
“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
I urge you to believe in Jesus now; don’t wait. John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Let me end this morning by reading the second verse from the hymn Rock of Ages.
Rock of Ages (Verse 2)
Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
These for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone:
In my hand no price I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling.
Let’s Pray.
