Series 1 - The Bible and You: Practical Answers—Real Hope
Hi friends! Welcome to the sixth lesson in our series about "The Bible
and You: Practical Answers—Real Hope." Last time we explored what the
Bible says about Jesus Christ's return as King of Kings to save us from
extinction. That is the only real hope this world has!
After saving our lives, the Bible promises sweeping changes that will
address the causes of this world's problems. In simplest terms, it boils
down to two ways of life: Get vs. Give. This world has been traveling
the selfish way of Get for thousands of years, and the painful results
are all around us. But Jesus Christ will bring a different way, a way
of peace, of love, of outgoing concern—in short, the way of Give.
God's way of life—His law—will be the constitution of the new world He
will set up. Let's explore what the Bible says about the vital role of
God's law in creating the peaceful and prosperous Kingdom of God!
Lesson 6: God's Law of Love: Making Life Work
There is a cause for the troubles in our world today. And there will be a cause for the utopian conditions Jesus Christ promises after His return. What does the Bible say about the way of life that makes life work?
World history and modern news stories are littered with accounts of injustice.
Ahab and Jezebel's story illustrates the deceit and misuse of power that God
hates:
"King Ahab had a palace in Jezreel, and near the palace was a
vineyard owned by a man named Naboth. One day Ahab said to Naboth, 'Since
your vineyard is so convenient to the palace, I would like to buy it
to use as a vegetable garden...'
"But Naboth replied, 'The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance
that was passed down by my ancestors.' So Ahab went home angry and sullen
because of Naboth's answer" (1 Kings 21:1-4, New Living Translation).
After Ahab pouted and told his story, Jezebel asked, "Are you the king of
Israel or not?... I'll get you Naboth's vineyard!" (verse 7).
Jezebel's plan involved intimidating the leaders and getting people to accuse
Naboth of cursing God and the king. Her dastardly plan worked, leading to
Naboth's death sentence from this kangaroo court.
God made clear that this selfish greed and gross injustice would not go unpunished
(verse 19).
Share Your Story
A Law of Love
Human laws and human justice are flawed at best and are too often oppressive
and downright evil. The injustice of our age is part of the cycle of evil
that is leading our world to the brink of self-destruction. But as we
saw in the last lesson, Jesus Christ promised to return to save us from
ourselves!
Will Jesus Christ return as Judge and Lawgiver as well as King?
Isaiah 33:22
(For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our
King; He will save us)...
In human governments, a system of checks and balances is necessary to
prevent abuses. But as we saw in the last lesson, Jesus Christ will rule
perfectly, always with the ultimate best interest of everyone in mind.
He is worthy and capable of serving in all three roles—executive, legislative
and judicial—in the best and most efficient government the world has ever
seen.
What is God's law?
Romans 13:8-10
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another
has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery,"
"You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false
witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment,
are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor
as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is
the fulfillment of the law.
1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments
are not burdensome.
God's law defines how to love God the way He wants to be loved and to
love others in the way that is pleasing to God. Contrary to popular belief,
God's commandments are not a burden.
What are some of the benefits of God's law?
Deuteronomy 10:13
"...and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which
I command you today for your good?"
Psalm 119:98, 165
You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they
are ever with me...
Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.
James 2:8-12
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall
love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality,
you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty
of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not
murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder,
you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those
who will be judged by the law of liberty.
God's laws were given for our good! The royal law of the King is a law
of liberty, not bondage as so many describe it.
What will be changed to make the Millennium under the New Covenant
different from the Old Covenant in ancient Israel?
Hebrews 8:7-10
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have
been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says:
"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them,
says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their
mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people."
The fault was not with the good laws God gave, but with people (verse
8). Our human hearts have been infected with Satan's attitudes and are
deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 8:7; Revelation 12:9). The change is
to write God's laws in our minds and hearts. This occurs through repentance,
baptism (to symbolize the death of our old self) and the transforming
power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-4; 12:1-2; our booklet Transforming
Your Life: The Process of Conversion covers this in more detail.)
Will everyone learn God's laws and way of life?
Isaiah 30:20-21
And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of
affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
but your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind
you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn
to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.
Isaiah 2:3
Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His
ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 11:9
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
This priceless knowledge, long rejected, disbelieved or hidden, will
be valued and universally available at last.
As a result, will all be able to know God—have a relationship
with Him based on understanding His ways?
Hebrews 8:11
"None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying,
'Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the
greatest of them."
We can have the priceless privilege of understanding and having this
relationship now!
What will be the result of everyone keeping God's law?
James 3:18
Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14
"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of
the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I
command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all
nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and
overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
"Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in
the country.
"Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground
and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the
offspring of your flocks.
"Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
"Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be
when you go out.
"The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated
before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before
you seven ways.
"The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses
and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the
land which the Lord your God is giving you.
"The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just
as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your
God and walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that
you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of
you. And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your
body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your
ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give
you.
"The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give
the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your
hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And
the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above
only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your
God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. So
you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this
day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them."
God's laws are living laws, designed to automatically bring blessings
to those who follow them. They are the instructions in our Creator's manual
to show us how to make life work in the best possible way.
How will the laws be applied? What will Christ's judicial system
be like?
Isaiah 11:3-4
His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the
sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness
He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the
earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with
the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
Jesus Christ will show no partiality (Romans 2:11), but He will show
mercy to those who repent. This mercy is made possible by His incredible
sacrifice to pay our penalty for us (Romans 5:8; Isaiah 55:7).
How will God's system of law and justice improve relationships
between nations?
Isaiah 2:4
He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall
beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn
war anymore.
After thousands of years of war and destruction, what a wonderful future to
look forward to! Nations will no longer need to fear other nations and will
be able to devote all their resources to making the lives of their citizens
better. Pray that God will speed that day!
Apply Now
In Lesson 5 we discussed the human tendency for leaders to take advantage
of their power. God understood that tendency and gave instructions for
future Israelite kings that would help counteract that pull to self-importance
and selfishness. God's solution is recorded in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, and
especially in verses 18-20. Please take a moment to read these verses
now in your own Bible or in an online Bible (see
Lesson 2 for information on online Bibles).
Writing down scriptures can help emphasize what we are studying, giving
us additional sensory input as well as repetition. And rereading and thinking
deeply about God's words can help us keep the right perspective.
Today, take the time to write down the first four of the Ten Commandments
from Exodus 20:3-11. These four commandments deal with our relationship
with God and reveal to us how He wants us to treat Him. We could not deduce
these laws through our human reasoning alone. We would not know His will
unless He told us, but thankfully He has revealed this to us.
After writing down these four commandments, take time to reread them
and to think about how to apply them every day this week. You will find
a chapter about each of these commandments in the booklet The
Ten Commandments, which you will find very helpful in your study
of this subject.
Next Lesson: Train Now to Help Christ Rule
Questions about this lesson? Feedback about
this lesson?
Related Resources:
The Ten Commandments
What
does the Bible say about law and grace?
How
Do We Know That We Love God?
Was
God's Law Abolished in the New Testament?
Do
I need to obey the Ten Commandments?
Making Life Work
Transforming Your
Life: The Process of Conversion
