Are you a lawbreaker? Let me be more precise. Have you ever sped? Let me be even more precise. Have you ever, at any time, exceeded a posted speed limit as you were operating a motor vehicle? Wow, that definition kinda sounds like something out of an episode of Matlock. If you’ve driven for many years, I’m sure your answer is a resounding yes. Be honest, sometimes as you drive around town you speed and you don’t even know it. A few weeks back I drove the 5 hours from Dallas to Fayetteville to the University of Arkansas for a workshop and it was stressful to keep up with the speed limit changes! The drive meanders through about 50 small country towns and it seems like every town council has a very different idea of what a safe speed limit constitutes. But I noticed something. As much attention and care as I paid to those speed limits, I could never be perfect. Great segway. And speaking of perfect, let’s explore what it means to be perfect (or try) when it comes to God’s Law, the ten commandments.
The Ten Commandments are one of the most misinterpreted items in God’s Word. Misinterpreted by the world, the atheist, the pagan and yes, even most Christians. Most people just don’t know what to do with them. I talked with a guy a few months ago and our conversation turned to the spiritual. I asked if he went to church or read his Bible and out of the blue he tells me, “well I try to live by the 10 Commandments.” Wow, that really made me take a step back. I mean that’s a great guide to strive for, but God never gave us His law to redeem us. Many people will miss Heaven as they are trying to live by the Ten Commandments. Let’s go deeper into God’s law versus God’s grace and where the Ten Commandments fit into our lives today.
Back to our speeding analogy. If you have ever sped and thereby broken the law, are you defined as a lawbreaker? You might be saying, "I mean come one Dan, I might have gone 38 in a 35 once 9 years ago but that doesn’t define me as a lawbreaker does it? I mean aren’t real lawbreakers those horrible murderers on death row or those mean ol' drug dealers?" I heard a quote a while back that the first time you cheat, you become a cheater for life. Hard fact but true. You see, if you have sped, even one time, you are now considered a speeder, and a lawbreaker for life. That’s all it takes, one time, as James will confirm below:
“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10
So, when God issued the Ten Commandments to the people here in Exodus 20, this is what He was wanting to express to them. The Law cannot be kept perfectly, by anyone, anytime…EVER. Think of it this way. Do you think that any human in the history of the world has ever kept the entire Ten Commandments perfectly for their entire lives. The answer of course is a resounding no. Most kids (including me) told a lie 10 minutes after their first words came out of their mouth. You see, we all inherited a sin nature and whether we like it or agree with it, we sin, it’s who we are. So, you might be saying, “well, Dan what’s the point of the Ten Commandments if no one can possibly keep them?” BAM! Now we’re cooking with Crisco.
You see God gave the Law to show us who we really are and that we cannot keep His law. His law is perfect and we are not. It’s like oil and water and never the twain shall meet. Think about this mental picture. You have been out working in the yard planting flowers and you get a little dirt on your face. So you head to your bathroom to get clean. There are two things in that bathroom vanity area, a sink and a mirror and you will need them both to get clean. First, you will need the mirror to show you that you are dirty and exactly where you are dirty. And then you will need water to wash that dirt away. Folks, the mirror is God’s law, the Ten Commandments. And you cannot wash your face with the mirror, it merely shows you that you are dirty, that there is sin in your life. But to deal with the sin that the mirror identifies, you will need water. And the water is Jesus Christ. Here is where we move from God’s law to God’s grace.
You see, no matter how hard you try or focus on being perfect, you will sin and you will break God’s law, it’s inevitable. The quicker you accept it, the quicker you can embrace God’s grace. God knew we couldn’t keep His law and He gave us a way to wash our dirty faces...He sent His only Son Jesus. Later in this very chapter we’ll see God follow the giving of His law with specific directions on how to build an altar to Him. You see sin requires payment. A Holy God cannot and will not accept sin or be in the presence of sin. It has to be dealt with. In the Old Testament the people needed to offer sacrifices to God. They would kill innocent, blameless, spotless animals and offer them to God as payment for the sins in their life. But because Jesus hung on that cross some 2000 years ago, the sacrifices are no longer needed. God sent the perfect sacrifice. The precious blood of Jesus Christ will cover every sin ever committed past, present, and future. If you admit that you’re a sinner, that is, that you have broken God’s law even once, then you realize that you need that sin to be covered by a sacrifice before you can approach a perfect God. To do this is simple, free, and easy, it’s a gift from God. The single biggest gift ever bestowed upon humanity. Simply admit you’re a sinner and what Jesus did on the Cross can and will wash away your sins. His death and resurrection will wash away your sins like a spot of dirt upon your face. And after you call upon Jesus as your Lord, when God looks at you, He will not see the dirt of your sin but only the cleanliness of where Jesus washed you white as snow.
The Law was never meant to save, God sent His only begotten Son to do that. So, when you see a speed limit sign today, let it remind you of God’s law and that it cannot be kept perfectly. And as a result of this realization, say a prayer of thanksgiving to Jesus. For He came to this planet as a perfect sacrifice for you, to wash away the dirt of your transgressions against God’s unattainable Law.
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the message of the Love of God. Your job? Share the Love.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
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