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Welcome to this new Bible lesson! Let’s pray together:
Our Father,
To understand Your prophetic Word, we must properly fill our toolbox, which now contains the faith of Jesus.
Should we also add Your commandments to it?
Please enlighten us on this subject. In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
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Bible prophecy often mentions the importance of the commandments of God, the law of God.
Why are they so essential?
Let’s see together.
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Ezekiel 7:26
Mischief shall come on mischief, and rumor shall be on rumor.
Then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
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Lamentations 2:9
The law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the Lord.
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The understanding of Bible prophecy is closely linked to obedience to God’s law.
When this law is neglected, or entirely set aside, then it is impossible to unveil the secrets of Bible prophecy.
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Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
But he that keeps the law, happy is he.
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John 14:21
He that has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me.
And he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.
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On the other hand, God will allow the student who keeps His law, who obeys His commandments, to succeed in understanding Bible prophecy.
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Genesis 2:16,17
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,
«Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.»
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From the very beginning, man received from God precise instructions about the things to do and not to do.
The aim of these laws was not to oppress man, but rather to show him the only way to happiness.
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Romans 5:12
By one man sin entered into the world.
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1 John 3:4
Sin is the transgression of the law.
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Romans 4:15
Where no law is, there is no transgression.
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Choosing to disobey God’s law, Adam became a sinner, thus separating himself from God.
If there had been no law in Adam’s time, he could not have been judged as a sinner, in other words, a transgressor of God’s law.
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Genesis 26:5
[The Lord said,]
«Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.»
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Kept by Adam and Eve, the commandments of God were thereafter taught from generation to generation.
We can see that, centuries later, Abraham knew these commandments well, and obeyed them.
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Exodus 1:13,14
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor.
And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.
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Exodus 12:40
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelled in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
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Thereafter, the Israelites were reduced to slavery for more than four centuries.
After their liberation from bondage to the Egyptians, God considered it advisable to give them His law once again, solemnly...
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Exodus 19:16,18
There were thunders and lightning, and a thick cloud on the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. (...)
And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire.
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Hebrews 12:21
And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, «I exceedingly fear and quake.»
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The proclamation of the law was an unforgettable demonstration of power.
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Exodus 34:28
[The Lord] wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
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Deuteronomy 4:13
[The Lord] declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tables of stone.
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The text of the law, that is, the Ten Commandments, was written on two tablets of stone.
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Exodus 31:18
And [the Lord] gave to Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him on Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
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Exodus 32:16
And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven on the tables.
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The Ten Commandments were of such a great importance in the eyes of God that He decided to write them Himself, with His own finger!
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Matthew 22:36-40
«Master, which is the great commandment in the law?»
Jesus 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 first and great commandment.
And the second is like to it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.»
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Obedience to the first four commandments demonstrates our love for God.
Obedience to the last six commandments demonstrates our love for our neighbor.
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John 14:15
[Jesus said,] «If you love Me, keep My commandments.»
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1 John 5:3,4
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.
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God wants to give us the power we need to keep His commandments.
If we love Him, we will let Him work within us: and soon, keeping His commandments will be for us a delight, and no longer a burden.
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Psalm 119 teaches us that following God’s law brings happiness:
«Open You my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.» (Psalm 119:18)
«Make me to go in the path of Your commandments; for therein do I delight.» (Psalm 119:35)
«I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I have loved.» (Psalm 119:47)
«O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.» (Psalm 119:97)
«Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet Your commandments are my delights.» (Psalm 119:143)
«Great peace have they which love Your law.» (Psalm 119:165)
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Deuteronomy 4:2
You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish ought from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
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Job 23:12
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
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As we will see in a future lesson, men have often tried to modify the text of the Ten Commandments, a move strictly forbidden by God.
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Matthew 5:18,19
For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass, one stroke or one pronunciation mark shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whoever 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 whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
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Jesus has made it clear: no one has the right to change a single commandment in order to adapt the text of God’s law to the customs of society!
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1 Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things.
Hold fast that which is good.
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When confronted with God’s Ten Commandments, some people claim that they were changed, that they were given only to the Jews, or that they were abolished a long time ago.
Nevertheless, the Ten Commandments possess all the qualities which belong to God: in fact, they perfectly reflect the character of the Creator.
So, let’s be careful before saying that the law has been changed or abolished... We walk on holy ground!
Let’s look together at the following table, showing that both God and His law display the same character.
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Romans 6:14
You are not under the law, but under grace.
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If the Ten Commandments have not been abolished, then what does this declaration from the apostle Paul mean?
What does he want to express by the words «not under the law, but under grace»?
Does he mean that the Christian, being under grace, is not required to obey the law of God?
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Galatians 4:4,5
God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.
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Galatians 3:13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.
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Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
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First, what does it mean to be «under the law»?
According to these verses, to be under the law simply means to be under the condemnation of the law.
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Romans 6:14,15
You are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
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We often stop reading after the words «You are not under the law, but under grace.»
Yet, the next verse clearly shows that the expression «not under the law, but under grace» does not allow the Christian to live as if the law was no longer in existence!
Indeed, sin is the transgression of the law, and the apostle Paul declares that we should not sin, even if we are under grace... and especially since we are under grace!
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Galatians 5:13
Brothers, you have been called to liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh.
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If a policeman arrests you for speeding, warns you and lets you go without a fine, you are then «under the grace» of this policeman.
Does this grant you the right to transgress the highway code? Of course not! If you reoffend, the policeman will stop you again, and this time for good!
Likewise, the grace of God forgives us, but that certainly doesn’t give us permission to transgress His law.
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Romans 3:31
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid.
Yes, we establish the law.
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Let’s take again the example of the policeman: what would be the best way to show him your gratitude, when he let you go without giving you a fine?
It would be to do your best from now on to keep the highway code, wouldn’t it?
Likewise, if we are truly grateful toward God for His grace, we will seek to better keep His commandments, day after day, through His power working within us.
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Hebrews 5:9
[Christ] became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him.
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Acts 5:32
We are [God’s] witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them that obey Him.
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God expects us to obey Him.
Through His power in our hearts, we will be able to keep His law, not to be saved, but rather to show the sincerity of our repentance and our conversion.
We repeat this important point: we keep God’s law, not to be saved, but because we are saved.
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God asks us to do His will, which is expressed in His law:
«I delight to do Your will, O my God: yes, Your law is within my heart.» (Psalm 40:8)
«Not every one that said to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven.» (Matthew 7:21)
«You have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise.» (Hebrews 10:36)
«He that does the will of God stays for ever.» (1 John 2:17)
«Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.» (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
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Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me.
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We cannot keep God’s commandments on our own.
But by accepting Jesus as our personal Savior, we obtain not only the forgiveness of our past sins, but also the power to do, from that time onward, the will of God, by the presence of Christ living within us through the Holy Spirit.
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John 15:5
[Jesus said,] «He that stays in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.»
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Galatians 5:22,23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
Against such there is no law.
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If Jesus dwells within us, we will spontaneously bear good fruit, as a tree bears fruit without effort.
Let’s note that the law is not against this fruit.
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Ezekiel 36:27
I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments, and do them.
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Hebrews 8:10
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.
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God can accomplish these wonderful promises within us, if we sincerely ask Him.
Indeed, God greatly desires to give us His Holy Spirit, so that we may keep His commandments which show us the way to happiness!
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Psalm 119:47
I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I have loved.
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Romans 7:22
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.
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1 Corinthians 7:19 (NKJV)
Keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
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The believer who is truly converted will not try to lessen the importance of the commandments of God.
On the contrary, he will take great delight in keeping them, knowing that God has given him the power he needs to do it.
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Deuteronomy 5:29
O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
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Ecclesiastes 12:13,14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
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God’s law shows us the only way to happiness.
The choice to obey is ours, knowing that, one day, we will all reap the consequences of our choices.
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Dear friends, let’s pray together:
Our Lord,
What a great message You have given us today! Now we know that You expect us to do Your will, which is clearly expressed in Your Ten Commandments.
But alone, we can do nothing: this is why we turn to You to ask, according to Your promise, that You grant us Your Holy Spirit, in order that we may learn to better keep Your law day after day.
We thank You, in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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