Bargain Basement Talk – Part 2
The Lord said to me, “I have heard…the words of this people... They have done well in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always.” [Deuteronomy 5:28-29]
Yesterday we left off with the Israelites speaking smooth words to Moses about obeying the Word of God. Let’s take a gander at the other side of the coin now. It’s what else the Lord addressed that should have us concerned, dear friends. He put His finger on the real issue by saying, “Would that their hearts were just as sold out to Me!” Yikes! That is not our first choice for what we would prefer to hear from the Lord!
Essentially the Lord said that the Israelites’ words came from the bargain basement section of the store. Their words were cheap, not valuable. This didn’t mean the Israelites were insincere and phony, or that their intentions were underhanded and manipulative. No! They were most sincere and had the best of intentions.
Trouble is, they were sincerely wrong. And they were ignorant of spiritual reality, so their intentions never rose to the occasion. They failed to realize that sinful man CANNOT do everything the Lord says, not even some of the time, much less most of the time, and certainly not always.
Yet the Law—and the Law is exactly what they had committed to do perfectly at all times—but the Law doesn’t allow for violations of any kind ever. For example, if the speed limit is 30 and I’m going 50 and get a ticket, when I go to court the judge cannot declare, “It doesn’t matter. Just go home and have a good life!”
Nix, nix, dear friends. The Law doesn’t work that way. Either the judge decides the evidence doesn’t convict me, in which case he issues a ruling of not guilty, or else he finds me guilty and sentences me. He may be lenient with the sentencing or he may lay down the hammer! But what he cannot do is overlook the law and sweep the crime under the rug.
The Law condemns the guilty. All mankind is guilty of sin. Ergo all mankind is condemned to death. The only way of escape is to flee outside the law, to flee to grace for deliverance. The Law was given through Moses. We must flee from its wrath.
On the other hand, grace and truth were given through Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins. If we go to Him in faith, go to Him as God’s Word states it, and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, He already paid the penalty and can therefore righteously remove our sins. He is both just and at the same time the justifier of all those who have faith in Christ Jesus. He can be both because he doesn’t overlook our sins: He paid their penalty for us.
This is a fine time to look in the mirror and do a little introspection, a little soul-searching, a little diagnosing of the heart. Does our religion, our faith, consist of bargain basement words? I hope not! Let’s stay on our knees before Jesus until we know for certain. Sincerity and good intentions pave the road to hell. Let’s not be on it.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Yesterday we left off with the Israelites speaking smooth words to Moses about obeying the Word of God. Let’s take a gander at the other side of the coin now. It’s what else the Lord addressed that should have us concerned, dear friends. He put His finger on the real issue by saying, “Would that their hearts were just as sold out to Me!” Yikes! That is not our first choice for what we would prefer to hear from the Lord!
Essentially the Lord said that the Israelites’ words came from the bargain basement section of the store. Their words were cheap, not valuable. This didn’t mean the Israelites were insincere and phony, or that their intentions were underhanded and manipulative. No! They were most sincere and had the best of intentions.
Trouble is, they were sincerely wrong. And they were ignorant of spiritual reality, so their intentions never rose to the occasion. They failed to realize that sinful man CANNOT do everything the Lord says, not even some of the time, much less most of the time, and certainly not always.
Yet the Law—and the Law is exactly what they had committed to do perfectly at all times—but the Law doesn’t allow for violations of any kind ever. For example, if the speed limit is 30 and I’m going 50 and get a ticket, when I go to court the judge cannot declare, “It doesn’t matter. Just go home and have a good life!”
Nix, nix, dear friends. The Law doesn’t work that way. Either the judge decides the evidence doesn’t convict me, in which case he issues a ruling of not guilty, or else he finds me guilty and sentences me. He may be lenient with the sentencing or he may lay down the hammer! But what he cannot do is overlook the law and sweep the crime under the rug.
The Law condemns the guilty. All mankind is guilty of sin. Ergo all mankind is condemned to death. The only way of escape is to flee outside the law, to flee to grace for deliverance. The Law was given through Moses. We must flee from its wrath.
On the other hand, grace and truth were given through Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins. If we go to Him in faith, go to Him as God’s Word states it, and ask Him to forgive us of our sins, He already paid the penalty and can therefore righteously remove our sins. He is both just and at the same time the justifier of all those who have faith in Christ Jesus. He can be both because he doesn’t overlook our sins: He paid their penalty for us.
This is a fine time to look in the mirror and do a little introspection, a little soul-searching, a little diagnosing of the heart. Does our religion, our faith, consist of bargain basement words? I hope not! Let’s stay on our knees before Jesus until we know for certain. Sincerity and good intentions pave the road to hell. Let’s not be on it.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
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