Great Failure, Greater Hope, Part 2

Janie Greer not answer the problem of our simplest is to downplay God's holiness, but Scripture never does that. God demands perfection the gospel is that he also supplies it. The cross was your faith is grave was your eternal destiny and Jesus took that penalty and entered your grave and shattered the back. Janie Greer.

I'm your host Molly minutes okay so as believers we know we are saved by God's grace alone, not by any works that we do so that it begs the question why does the Bible give us so many rules and regulations. No doubt you wonder that at some point so you've come to the right place today. Pastor Jenny answers that question as he describes the purpose of the Old Testament instructions and the depth of God's love for us it's a message on the 10 Commandments and it's part of our series called the whole story to catch up on any previous messages. Be sure to visit Janie Greer.com right now, here's Pastor JD. He titled today's message great failure, greater place were going to look at Scripture today is one the most recognized passages in the Bible.

Exodus chapter 130 story when God gives to the people of Israel the 10 Commandments, so what's walk through this. Exodus 19 is working to begin About for much of the 2010 Commandments began like this for stem and the Lord said to Moses tell the people wash their garments, be ready for the third day on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai, the side of all the people you shall set limits for the people all around this mountain were God is going to be sent to say. Take care not to go up in the mountain or even touch the edge of river touches the mountain shall be put to death, whether beast or man shall not live on the morning of the third day there were thunders, and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain in a very loud trumpet blast mysterious trumpet blast so that all the people in the camp trembled and Moses brought out the people out of the camp to meet God and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord had descended on it in fire mountain look like it was was ablaze. The smoke of that mountain went up by the smoke of a furnace bowl mountain trembled greatly and as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses on the people's behalf called out to God and God answered him, and funder.

The message that is given in Exodus 19 is clear God's majesty is holiness is an awesome and terrifying reality and it is out of this scene in Exodus 19 God gives the 10 Commandments 10 things God says. Leviticus 18. Five. If you do these duties, you shall live before me. But if you cross this line. If you disobey these things, you will die. What you make yourself too little columns, metabolic W column. The win column loss, nominal walk you through these commandments give you a short explanation of what they mean. And then if you feel like you have consistently kept this commandment throughout your life and you give yourself a W and he's like you have it you give her, so the loss right here we go number one commandment one. You shall have no other gods before me. Can you say I've never put anything before God in my life. Nothing is ever gotten the place of God. He's always been preeminent in my thoughts and my affections and my actions. There's number two you shall have no carved images of me. This commandment is about reshaping God. According to your liking, believing wrong things about God because you would prefer God to be a different way.

Here's number three commander three you shall not take my name in vain. This has to do with more than just not saying GD it has to do with how highly we regard the name of God. Commandment number four. Remember the Sabbath. This has to do with giving God fully what belongs to him. Commandment five. Honor your parents on your parents assess to do with how you relate to the authorities in your life.

You see your parents are the first representation of the authority of God to you.

Number six you shall not kill here like five like one of the W column and Jesus came along. The mess that up. As Jesus said that I hate somebody in your heart or to desire their harm is to commit murder in your heart Commandments. Seven you shall not commit adultery. So I think I'm good on this and do not even married Jesus mess that one out. He said to think even lustful thoughts about somebody to whom you're not married, is committing adultery in your heart about commandment eight you shall not steal. Can you say I've never taken anything that I belong to me. Commandment nine you shall not lie.

These have never lied never exaggerated, ever slandered another person commandment number 10 you shall not covet. This is probably the worst one. Can you say I've never been greedy for something that wasn't mine to be honest with yourself. What are you what your score. Folks if you get zero on the only exam in the class. Do you really think or to pass that class. Now remember the set up for this chapter across the border. One time, one sin you die. There was one man in Jesus's life. You have the audacity to say to Jesus. After Jesus walked through a list like this. The man said oh yeah all these SINCE my youth for Jesus looks at this guy says I one thing that you like so everything that you have and give it away to the board.

Follow me the man couldn't do it is is he he loved his possessions to Jesus's point was not one more bonus when I forgot to tell you about Jesus's point was to turn it away from actions that you talk into your heart and how you felt about God.

He was trying to put the focus on what this guy's heart. Love the most say that the essence of the Commandments is that your heart loves and priorities God above everything has not always been true in your life.

You were created for God to have the first place in your heart.

Has that been true these laws. These 10 laws don't change your brain and don't change.

They just reveal how messed up your heart actually is God's. Not after you coercing your behavior and earning your way into heaven. God wants people who obey him because they love it. Once people whose hearts desire to obey them. I use this example and I apologize will because it's a little bit of an early example but because of one across. I described before, like if somebody before the service started had an accident and threw up right here in the before I would never need to look at this congregation and say hey, some churches you are not going on here look at this vomit. Nobody needs me to say that right it's discussing I'm not your dog is your dog.

I duty to make that rule because you're like oh you know. Warm vomit have adjusted hot dog in the moment. I'm not looking you are looking up.

So I'm not applicable to go guys with sticks beside you know it's good to be the dog and the dog out to look it up. God does not want spiritual dogs in heaven who only obey God because they're afraid they're going to be with a stick. He wants people bear to do righteousness because they love righteousness.

He wants people there who do loving things because love is what in their heart. He wants us to obey, not because we have to, but because it's just the impulse of our heart. God's holiness in these 10 Commandments reveals how sick we are taught the prophet Isaiah after seeing how simple his heart was before God uses this metaphor.

Isaiah 64 six when when I say of the prophets finally sees himself in the light of how God sees it as if the divorce Jesus all our righteous is all my good deeds there like a filthy rag filthy rag way it's written in Hebrew to me like a rag is used to change oil or clean something in your house if it's a pretty disgusting term, it means a rag they would use to wrap the body of somebody with an infectious skin disease like leprosy after the blood and the pious and the infectious disease. The rotten stamp had soaked through these racks they would take them off and burn them. There were filthy rags and what Isaiah seizes is this is how I appear before the throne of God, even my righteousness is like this filthy rag that is been soaked through the defilement of the sin of my heart is able to sit in a very uplifting message. You will never appreciate the true lifting power the resurrection until you come face-to-face with what he is lifted you out of you see our usual response to this is, we try to diminish the holiness of God like we are nobody's perfect.

I'm sure God grades on the curve.

Scripture never does that. Scripture says consistently cross this line one time and you will die. Scripture points to a different solution to see that solution given for the end of the book of numbers Israel specifically is broken one of the commandments is commandment number 10 but you shall not covet commandment in Israel is coveting and it shown by the way they're complaining about all the things they wish they had that other nations that got you are not taking care of us were not content with the way that you're leaving us. We want this other stuff to. So God sent snakes among them, called fiery serpents. They were symbolic of death.

The curse that was brought on by sin and the people having been bitten by the snakes cry out to God, so God tells Moses to make an image of bronze of a serpent looking like one of these fiery serpents in the put it on top of a pole in the put up on top of a hill and he tells Moses to tell the people that if they will come to where that serpent is mounted on the pole and they will look at it and believe that God will heal them. God's response was not to downplay their disobedience. His response was to in love provide a means by which they could be healed. You only get a Goya dim glimpse of it in the bronze serpent because that was a symbol of what God one day would do and what is perhaps the most well-known passage in the Bible Jesus. Listen, take this metaphor and says this is how you understand me.

Jesus says John 314, just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness. That's all I'm to be lifted up just like the people when they came and they look at this bronze serpent and they believe God healed them.

So the ones who believe in me are going to have eternal life because God you see so loved the world, you love you so much that he gave not a bronze serpent. He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him. What's it mean to believe in Jesus means you believe that he existed to me that she was going to church all the time believing goes back to what they did when they look at the bronze serpent. You look at it and you believe this is what was given to you is your healing. You believe that Jesus took the curse of that snake. He was bit by it so that he could die in your place and if you believe that if you look to it would not perish but you have eternal life is all Paul says the same thing. Romans 10 nine until he says if you would just confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord you confess with your mouth Jesus was lifted up for you and your believing your heart that God raised him from the dead today and will be saved is when you look at that empty tomb and you say that it was a tomb occupied by my sin and God resurrected Jesus showing that he pay the full penalty of my sin.

When you believe that that's what healing and forgiveness close to you again our answer to the problem of our simplest is to downplay God's holiness, but Scripture never does that. God demands perfection the gospel is that he also supplies it. The gospel is that our sin was so bad that Jesus had to die to save us know what you think Jesus had to die what you think he died exactly a lot of people say when I asked that I will bill you want to show us that he loved us, was him dying to show us that he loves us anything about if I go computer like I love you so much and you're like proven my watch and I want for myself and oncoming traffic in the last 40 does not prove that I love you my prove my insanity meant to say what how does that show you that I love you and only shows you that I love you I'm doing something for you by putting myself in harm's way. Jesus death.

Frost was not just a statement of love, it would only be love. If he were doing something for us that we desperately needed to be done and he was he was dying in our place. He was dying to give us the righteousness that we could not obtain her own.

We say he wouldn't just dying for us. He was dying in place of us he was becoming our curse of sin so that we could receive his gift of righteousness.

You will never understand or appreciate the resurrection until you see the grave that he lifted you out of until you understand the price that he paid and why he paid it he went into your grave. The cross was your fate. His grave was your eternal destiny and Jesus took that penalty and entered your grave and shattered it. Most of the resurrection is not just about giving you a little religious pep in your step a few giddy thoughts about the afterlife as I thought people coming here on Easter. They want me to do this religious is religious motivational thought that makes them feel good. I want you to feel the flames of hell.

Because only then can you understand how Jesus saved you want me to create this moment where they have you chill bumps about the resurrection I want to create disciples and that begins with you.

Understanding why Jesus saved you and start with you understating the grave that he pulled you out of I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful sure very deeply, staying within sinking arise no more.

But the master of the sea. My despairing cry from the waters lifted me now safe in my love lifted me when nothing else could help love lifted me. He saw that I couldn't do what I what I went what I needed done. So he came and he did it for me.

The gospel is that I was so bad that Jesus had to die for my sin. He was so loving that he was glad to die for my sin. The gospel declares come, you weary working weak and wounded, sick and sore Jesus ready stance the Sadie full of pity, love, and power. There's a question they've ever done this personally. Have you ever looked in safe and experienced his forgiveness and his healing, for the most famous preachers of Christian history was a man in Charles Spurgeon's very educated man were the most eloquent man that's a member occupied a Christian ball concert in London in the 19th century he's been called the Prince of preachers. My favorite thing from his life is his own recounting of his conversion came from one of his sermons. He says this and I quote he says I sometimes think that I might've been in darkness and despair until even now.

Had it not been for the goodness of God in sending a snowstorm on Sunday morning when I was trying to find my way to a certain place of worship was a respectable church in town and he was spiritually seeking and so you want to go to the place will be educated people were what dressed in really nice clothes. We can hear educated masses because he was supersmart, he said, but because of the snowstorm I went I could go no further.

So I turn on the side street and came to a little primitive Methodist Chapel for certain only church to find open in that chapel. There might've been a dozen maybe 15 people heard of the primitive Methodist how they saying so loudly that they made people's heads eight. He felt like that in here this morning, but that it matter to me. I wanted to know how I might be saved and if they could tell me that I didn't care how much they made my headache. The minister did not even come that morning. He was snowed in and I suppose so. At last a very thin looking man, a shoemaker, a tailor or something of that sort went up into the pulpit to preach. Now it is well that preachers should be instructed and learned men. But this man was really stupid scared and says it, he was obliged to stick closely to his tax in the Bible, for the simple reason that he had little else that he could make out the say the tax that morning was Isaiah 4922 looking to me and be saved. All humans and all unions of the earth. He did not even pronounce the words rightly could scarcely read, but that did not matter if there was, I thought a glimpse of hope for me in that text. The preacher began. Thus, my dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed.

It just says look now looking don't take a great deal of skill and a lifting your foot or your finger. It's just look well. Mandy can go to college to learn to look you might be the biggest fool yet you can still love a man needn't be rich to be able to look anybody can look even a child can look within the text says look underneath. I said he in this broad SX accident. That's the equivalent of a North Carolina Eastern look-alike twang is that many you will look into your sales but in the use look in their never find any comforting yourself to Christ. The text says look on to me than the good man followed up his text in this way, looking at me I'm sweating great drops of blood look on the me I'm hanging on the cross look on the me I'm dead and I'm very look on the me I rise again, look on the me I ascend to heaven look on the me I'm sick of the father's right hand, all poor sinner. Look on the me look on the me when you don't know about that link the managed to spin out 10 minutes or so, the poor chap was at the end of his tether, he could think of nothing else to say. When he fixed his eyes at me in the back under the balcony and he must've known that I was a visitor's affixing his eyes firmly on these if he knew everything that was going on in my heart. He said young man. You look very miserable. Why knew that I did, but I've not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance.

However, it was a good blow, and it struck right home, he continued, and you will always be miserable, miserable and life miserable and death. If you don't obey my tax. But if you obey now at this moment you will be saved and lifted up his hands. He shouted, is only a primitive Methodist could do young man, Jesus Christ look look look you had nothing to do but to look and live once a solid solid way of salvation. I know not what else he said that morning, I didn't hear anything after that was so consumed with that one thought just like Moses lifted up the serpent, the people we looked at were healed, so it was with me had been waiting hundred 50 things when I heard that word.

Look what a charming word.

It seemed to me oh I looks I looked and I looked until I could almost look my eyes away there and then the cloud was gone. The darkness and rolled away in that moment I saw the sun and I could have risen in that moment in some of the most enthusiastic event of the precious blood of Christ in the simple faith which looks alone to him all that somebody had just told me that before trust Christ and you shall be saved, that it was no doubt, all in God's timing and now I can say their sins by faith I sold that stream flowing wound supply redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die. There's a question as I happen to you this Avenue German one happen to me my first year college.

When I finally understood that he died for me not know that he died for the world. I can tell you that but it was and I suddenly saw it was for me that he died how I wanted to know how you could know for sure that you will go to heaven a minute. It just finally made sense and was in the middle Romans chapter 40 finally made sense that what you Donnie done for me and love any more. My sin and took my curse got out of the grave. It was for the release of the penalty for my sin, like a world dropped off my shoulders and love lifted me. You feel trapped by sin this morning and live really fearful about what could happen to you in your life look and live your frustrated at how much you try and fail and try and fail look and live because I can promise you that Jesus went into the grave to deliver you from sin is going to give you whatever powers necessary to be able to live the way that he wants you to live and to soar victoriously as he wants you to soar.

The choice is yours. Nobody stopping you.

You can look whenever you want whenever you want. Look to Jesus.

He took every ounce of punishment for you. Look at the tomb. It simply look and believe and be healed. The blood cross in the empty tomb of the greatest news in all the world this morning. The cross is bloodied, the tomb is empty. The throne is occupied so you can look you can live with and you need to look because you're dying, you may not feel it like the people of Israel bitten by those Vipers. Every one of us the most healthy among us. Those with the greatest potential for money or success were dying under the curse of sin you'll need a moral improvement, you'll need a religious booster shot you need a fresh start.

You need to be born again so I can get away from the word saved like the word saved only to use it because of silica redneck to me is image of his pudgy preacher and asserted unfit is your scream and in like six syllable word say I want to be that guy.

But I can come up with a better word. You only to be improved to be tweaks you will need to be enhanced come to Jesus and get enhanced. That's not what you need you need to be saved because you are under the curse of death, your heart is wicked. The gospel is not that you're not really that wicked. God's really not that holy the gospel is that God demands perfection. But God is so loving that he supplied it as a gift. If you look in live have you ever done that what he offers is a wash away your sins, start the process of new life in you and you this morning can look just like Charles version did 200 years ago.

You can look Maryland Jesus for salvation to help you take that step today get in touch when you visit JD Greer.com just a few weeks into this new study called the whole story and there's still a lot more to come. Where praying that this series helps you see these familiar Bible stories with fresh new eyes. You can get the full picture on God's overarching plan and this month were also focusing on prayer.

Another way that we can get to know God more deeply.

So JD, let me ask, how can we be more real in our prayers instead of trying to get prayer just right yellow that question because for many years. I obsessed over my prayers promoted home a motive when Riddell would never hear Paul Miller did me the favor of writing the forward for my book, learn something something from him in his book a praying life and that is when God talks about us and our relationship to him.

He uses father's children and children think that much about motives they don't think they just ask me my kids need some it didn't matter what, they it is how exorbitant request. How unable I actually am and that it is become writing as a dad. This is what I need the same way that I would approach her heavenly father like dependent children saying daddy, heavenly father, I need I need this in the first place among what is for you to instruct me on how I should go about pursuing this so just ask you to like children and little obsessive.

Just just be a kid be a kid with her dad listen Molly, I know the prayer commit struggles on a do everything I can help you make it a delightful and since what you feel essential part of every single day.

That's why I wrote this book just asking you can you can check it out it JD Greer.com tackle some of the most common struggles we face with prayer like how not to pray and praying for guidance. If you find it hard to make prayer a staple in your relationship with God instead of a sporadic existence.

You'll really enjoy this insight requested.

Just ask prayer, but when you donate today at the suggested level of $25 or more. It's our way of saying thanks because you want to support his ministry and helps people around the world. The gospel message every day donate and ask for your copy when you call 86633 528-665-5223 resource online JD Greer.com don't want to forget, Pastor JD on Facebook where you can contact Molly minutes thinking so much for joining us today. Come back Wednesday for a message titled I needed you most unscented light, JD Greer, JD Greer ministry