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Topic: God’s Standard Remains
(Open Heaven 21 May 2019)Memorise: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”- Matthew 24:35
Read: Matthew 5:17-20 (KJV)
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 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.
19 Whosoever 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 whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Bible in One Year: Exodus 35-36, Jeremiah 39
Open Heaven 21 May 2019 Tuesday MESSAGE:
To explain the place of law and grace in our lives as Christians, one of my sons once said that the law teaches us godliness while grace gives us the power to do what the law commands. We can then say that law and grace work together for us to live acceptably before God. You cannot claim to be under the grace of God and live a lawless life, because those who live under God’s grace are subject to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2). You are a partaker of God’s grace because the Spirit of Lordship now lives in you and controls you to live by Christ’s commandments. On the other hand, you cannot obey the instructions of this Spirit of Lordship without the help of God’s grace. Why? It is because His standard is high and His ways uncompromising. This is the reason why Christ paid such a high price for us to gain access to God’s throne, where we obtain grace that helps us in this regard. Hebrews 4:16 says:
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
God’s standard is entrenched in His word. No matter how much the world changes, the standards which God’s word sets for man to live by cannot be changed (Matthew 24:35, 2 Timothy 2:19).
Our Lord Jesus Christ in today’s Bible reading said He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets; rather, He came to fulfil them by the grace He brought from heaven. His grace is more than enough for those who are willing to obey God, love Him and worship Him in spirit and in truth. Whatever the Lord commands, He gives the grace to do (Philippians 2:13). From the Lord’s teachings in Matthew 5:27-32, it is obvious that His standard is much higher than the standard of the Law of Moses. This is because His standard establishes the will of God as it was in the beginning (Matthew 19:8). Thankfully, His grace is more than enough to help us meet this standard. For example, Christ brought the grace not only to avoid going into the act of sexual immorality but also to help us not lust after the opposite sex in our hearts (Matthew 5:27-28). The law says we should not commit murder, but the letter of grace helps us not to be angry at all. The same thing applies to the issue of divorce. Jesus Christ taught against divorce, equating it with the sin of adultery (Matthew 5:31-32). God’s standards have not changed, and they will never change. Our love for God should motivate us to live by His standards. James 1:25 says:
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“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
Let us continually look into the perfect law of liberty in order to please our God daily.
Prayer Point:
Father, please grant me the grace to live by Your standards daily, in Jesus’ Name.
Open Heaven 21 May 2019 Tuesday Hymn 12: Deeper, Deeper In The Love Of Jesus
1 Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
Chorus:
Oh, deeper yet, I pray,
And higher every day,
And wiser, blessed Lord,
In Thy precious, holy Word.
2 Deeper, deeper, blessed Holy Spirit,
Take me deeper still,
Till my life is wholly lost in Jesus,
And His perfect will.
3 Deeper, deeper! though it cost hard trials,
Deeper let me go!
Rooted in the holy love of Jesus,
Let me fruitful grow.
4 Deeper, higher, every day in Jesus,
Till all conflict past,
Finds me conqu’ror, and in His own image
Perfected at last.
5 Deeper, deeper in the faith of Jesus,
Holy faith and true;
In His pow’r and soul exulting wisdom
Let me peace pursue.
