Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I
am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled. Mat 5:17-18
February 14, 2020
It has been a while and it seems that people have forgotten about a little boat called the Ark or its builder named Noah. It has been a while and the stories of Moses and the Lawgiver are seldom recited. It has been a while and people seem to have forgotten. There was a city called Sodom and there was another city called Gomorrah but where are they today? There was Someone who walked in the garden and talked with man. He was an Instructor; One of wisdom, kindness, and compassion. He gave man rule over the bounty of the earth and was a source for knowledge and endless wisdom that man could draw from. Do people remember Him? There are great stories that are told, some are dreams, some are fables drawn from someone’s imagination but then there are stories of old handed down from one generation to another to preserve a history and a people.
All the scenarios mentioned can be found in a book, a best seller written by Father God, Creator of the whole world. He is the Writer of the book and the stories above. After giving man the lease for planet earth God simply expected in return love, obedience and respect from man. The chaos we find in our world today is evidence that man has forgotten the most important lesson: to love and honor God. Man was warned not to make idols of any man or entity, lest God’s wrath turn against man. Creator God was and is the One who first instructed man with great wisdom and told man, no warned man, to never forget God or these stories that supply lessons of wisdom for eternity.
It was not long after man’s original instructions that he went astray but he had an excellent instructor who led him back to the right path. How soon we forget! Where are the ancestors who used to counsel their children and warn the youth? Is the book of stories still guiding man or are men writing their own stories and fables for entertainment? Does anyone remember anymore the way it used to be?
This discourse started out asking if anyone remembered the story of Noah and his Ark because when people remembered there was a fear of its reoccurrence. There was a godly fear of doing wrong. We now live in a time of unjust laws and privilege for the wealthy and it becomes almost a moot point to talk about the Law, which is reserved only as restraint for the poor.
When one hears the story of Noah and the Ark it brings to remembrance that there is a God who gave man instructions and laws to follow and who will ultimately bring the penalty of His Law upon our entire world. When we remember that judgment and destruction have fallen before on this entire world because of the disobedience of mankind, it should straighten all of our backs and put a godly fear in our hearts. The absence of judgment has brought contempt for the Law; and, in America, justice delayed is considered justice denied because of demand for speedy trials. With God, justice delayed is not justice denied. Noah built the boat and preached for 120 years about a storm that was to come and a rain that no one had ever seen. Because no one had ever heard of rain, they laughed at Noah’s story, his boat and his preaching. Much time had passed since Noah first started telling his story so people forgot, but then came the rain. It rained and it rained until the flood washed away all signs of the laughter and only eight people were spared. The story had been true and the warning real.
It is interesting to read in scripture that the Lord repented of some judgments He rendered or thought to render (Ex. 32:14; 2 Sa 24;16; Jer 26:19; Jon 3:10), nevertheless, the Lord has given us a promise that the next worldwide destruction would be by the even more devastating and destructive instrument of fire. Those that remember or consider this promise have cause to chasten their own conduct. When the verbal instructions from the Master could no longer guide man, He wrote out guidelines called the Ten Commandments to instruct mankind in the right way. First and most important of those Laws was the instruction for man to remember and not forget his God: “…thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deu 6:5).”
The second part of the Law dealt with love for his fellow man. God told Moses to put the book of the Law into the Ark of the Covenant. The Law was God’s precious words on how man could please his God. God was holding man accountable for his actions while he lived in the earth and gave a promise of judgment at the end of life for his eternal destination. He was by no means allowing any man to escape punishment for evil under the old covenant or under the new covenant of grace. Some punishment is dispensed by the Lord in ways that we cannot reckon while man lives in the earth but eternal punishment still awaits man after death.
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:… 2Sa 7:14
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment… Heb 9:27
God is just in His rewarding of punishment for evil and blessing for good. The Law was God’s word, a symbol of truth and justice backed up with His power. The words that God speak have within them the ability to bring about its performance.
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isa 55:11
The book of John gives us a clearer understanding of what the word of God is:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Joh 1:1
John makes it clear that God who spoke the word embodies the word that He speaks which reveals that the word can no more be destroyed than God can. Now if God’s word is eternal and established law then there is no possibility of getting rid of God’s law.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Mat 5:17 -18
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. Luk 21:33
Jesus said he did not condemn His accusers but the words that He spoke did.
And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. Joh 12:47-:48
New Testament saints are not under the law’s penalty because Jesus fulfilled the Law’s demand to punish believers for breaking the Law. Unbelievers are not delivered, however, from the Law’s penalty.
Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine…1Ti 1:9-10
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Joh 3:18-19
The law is not evil but good; the intent of the law was to bring men to consciousness of their sin and need for God. Jesus explained that those who have not received Him and His deliverance from the penalty of sin are still under the condemnation of the Law. The Law is still intact for the lawless and unbeliever and God still enacts and levies the wages of death as the penalty for sin.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:23
The civil law in America is based on the tenets of the Ten Commandments that have been adjusted for modern practices but it is still part of the moral law God gave to Israel. The New Testament commandments to love God and love his neighbor as himself encompasses all of the Ten Commandments into the two commandments Jesus gave to His disciples. The New Commandments can be summed up as love; and every sin is a failure to love. God fully expects us to fulfill His commandments and it is possible through the power of our Savior. Christ’s blood atones for our past sins and provides power to live for Christ. Though there are people in positions of power to enforce the domestic and civil laws of the land, ultimately God oversees every authority and will judge every disobedience. “…behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out (Num 32:23)”.
We have seen in history, men of great power and authority who ruled in terror over and did great harm to multitudes of people but they were all eventually brought down in defeat or turned over to punishment of man and God. Even though obedience to civil law or God’s Law is not recognized everywhere; God, as the Caretaker of this world, rules over every providence to bring all things under His submission. Some people may believe that God is sleeping, taking vacation or stopped caring, but He determines the duration of evil’s reign. God has a purpose even in the disasters that happen. Everything has a teachable moment. He may seem to linger long with some transgressions, but we are assured every knee will bow and tongue confess to His Lordship. While He tolerates or judge the wicked, He equally protects the righteous. We have assurance that Christ watches over His church and our job is to keep our eyes turned toward the Lord. The birth of the Son of God into the earth centuries after the prophecy is evidence that God keeps His promises. He is stable and unmovable even when our world is shaking.
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2Pe 3:8-9
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:23
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Truth and Life Ministries of Christ with Apostle Joyce Reba Payne 