Show Me Thy
Way that I May
Know
Serve
Thee
Knowing More about the
One We Serve Through
God's Law
"And THIS IS LIFE ETERNAL, THAT THEY MIGHT KNOW THEE the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 17:3IF THE AVERAGE CHRISTIAN TODAY were asked what the primary, most purposeful,
goal of their "entire" Christian life is, no doubt, many would say, it is to serve God. A
noble answer. Servitude is important. But is there something perhaps even greater?Notice what the Lord, Himself, said. "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory
in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory
in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, THAT HE UNDERSTANDETH AND
KNOWETH ME, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and
righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD." Jer. 9:23-24God wants us, the pinnacle of His creation, the only creature made in His image, to
know Him and understand Him. But, sadly, some of us today have become so duty
bound, that we only ask God, "What should we do?" and rarely, "What are you like?"The Jews in Christ's day were duty bound . . . During one of Christ's many confrontations with the religious Jews, the Bible says,
"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had BROKEN THE
SABBATH, but said also that God was his Father, making himself EQUAL WITH GOD"
(John 5:18). Their emphasis was to follow the law; to do what God says. One has to
admire their zeal, but they were so duty-bound they didn't know the very One they were
trying to serve. Jesus, told them, "SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES; for in them ye think ye
have eternal life: and they are they which TESTIFY OF ME." John 5:39To those Jews, the Scriptures were the means of finding salvation, a salvation based on
"works." They had read the Scriptures, looking for ways to please God. Yet, they did not
recognize Him when He actually stood in front of them! Jesus was saying to them, "You
think the Scriptures only reveal what you should be doing for God, but if you look
closely, you'll find them also revealing God Himself."Fellow Christian, sometimes we read about the Jews missing the fact that God was
standing before them, and ask, "How could they be so blind?" But, let's examine
ourselves for a moment. Like those Jews, we approach the Bible, eager to learn what
God would have us to do. We tend to know the dos and don'ts of the law well enough
to expose false doctrine. Clearly a noble act. But sadly, we are better at debating for
God, than relating to Him. We use the Scriptures to seek God's will, but rarely to seek
His face. We know what to do without personally knowing the One we are doing it for!How much do we really know about God and His character? Oh, we may know about
His major attributes; that He's all knowing, all present, immutable, everlasting, etc. But
is that all there is to know about God? Surely the Scriptures must reveal a lot more,
especially when God said He wants us to know Him."SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES....they are they which TESTIFY OF ME."
We can learn something from Moses . . . No one doubts that Moses had a personal relationship with God. The Bible even says,
"And the LORD spake unto Moses FACE TO FACE, AS A MAN SPEAKETH UNTO HIS
FRIEND" (Exo. 33:11). Christian, that statement should excite you. Imagine, the Creator
of the universe condescending to being friends with mere mortals made of dust, a
substance only fit to walk on. If we read further down the chapter, we find Moses
making an interesting request of God. "Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace
in thy sight, SHOW ME NOW THY WAY, THAT I MAY KNOW THEE, that I may find
grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people." Exo. 33:13Moses wasn't satisfied with merely having a working, duty-bound, relationship like some
of us today. If it were us standing in Moses' place, perhaps we would have said, SHOW
ME NOW THY WAY, THAT I MAY SERVE THEE. There's nothing wrong with servitude,
but Moses wanted more than that--He wanted to know God. The interesting part of his
statement is what he felt would help him know God. He said, "show me now THY
WAY." What is another term for "THY WAY"?In Psalm 119, we find several words meaning "God's law[.]" Among them, "thy statutes,
thy judgments, thy word, thy commandments, thy precepts, thy testimonies, thy law,
and THY WAY." "Incline my heart unto THY TESTIMONIES, and not to covetousness.
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in THY WAY. Stablish
THY WORD unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear" (Psa. 119:36-38). "They also
DO NO INIQUITY: THEY WALK IN HIS WAYS" (Psa. 119:3).How does knowing God's Law help us to know God? Let's move ahead to the New Testament, where Jesus said, "Think not that I am come
to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, BUT TO FULFIL" (Mat.
5:17). Christ's earthly life fulfilled the law. He never violated it. He was the perfect
example of someone living out the law. But it goes beyond that. He was the living
example of the LAW ITSELF. Consider what Paul said about fulfilling the law. "For all
THE LAW IS FULFILLED IN ONE WORD, even in this; Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as
thyself" (Gal. 5:14). Fulfill the law and you automatically practice love. And the Bible
further says, "He that loveth not KNOWETH NOT GOD; for GOD IS LOVE." 1 John 4:8Let's piece these last two verses together. God is love, and love is the fulfillment of the
law, therefore, God is the fulfillment of the law. Furthermore, the last verse (1 John
4:18) says, if you don't love, you don't know God. Why? Because love is the fulfillment
of the law, and "law" is another word for "thy way." Therefore love is the fulfillment of
God's way, and Moses said that to know God's way is to know God. Confused? Read
it again, and if, after the third or fourth time, you're still confused, fret not, there's an
easier way to grasp this truth. In fact, when you see it stated in the following way, you
may even begin to view God's law in a profoundly different light.
The Bible says "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to BE
CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren" (Rom. 8:29). If you are saved, God's goal is to make you Christ-like. Now, with
this in mind, ask yourself, "Will following God's way, His law, lead me toward being
Christ-like?" The answer is YES! If God is trying to make you Christ-like, He is not going
to command you to act un-Christ-like! So, if following the law makes you Christ-like,
then what does that imply about Christ? What is Christ, Himself, like? Christ is like the
law. THE LAW DESCRIBES HIS CHARACTER. After all, would He tell us to do something
He wouldn't do Himself? He is our example, remember?
We are to behave and think as lawfully as He did. "Because it is written, BE YE
HOLY; FOR I AM HOLY" (1 Pet. 1:16). God is holy, and if the law reflects God's
character, then you would expect the law to be holy as well, just as the Bible states.
"WHEREFORE THE LAW IS HOLY, and the commandment holy, and just, and good"
(Rom. 7:12). The law, being holy, is a detailed description of how a holy God thinks and
behaves; IT DESCRIBES WHAT A HOLY GOD IS LIKE.
Therefore, if we tie these last two verses together, we find God saying, "I want you
to be Christ-like, therefore be ye holy, and follow the law, because I am holy, AS
DESCRIBED IN THE LAW." If you want to know God, it begins with knowing His law.Let's look at some examples . . . The law says, don't lie. Does Christ, God in the flesh, lie? No! Therefore, that one law
describes something about God, the fact that He doesn't lie! Go on down the line, "Thou
shalt not kill...Thou shalt not commit adultery...Thou shalt not steal" (Exo. 20:13-
15). We know these are acts God does not commit; they go against His character, but
did you realize His character is expressed in the law itself?
Let's take the law concerning adultery a step further. Jesus said, "Ye have heard that
it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you,
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart" (Mat. 5:27-28). Jesus is saying, not just the act of adultery is a sin,
but the thought itself. It's against God's law to even conceive a sinful act. (That's why
no one can work their way to Heaven; who can possibly go a lifetime without sinning
in their mind?)
But, what does Christ's amplification of the adultery law reveal about God? It tells us
that sinful thoughts don't even occur to Him. That ties in nicely with this next
commandment. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8). Therefore, these are the very things that God
thinks upon. By reading God's law we not only learn how to serve and please God, but
we also learn about His character. We begin to know more about the One we serve!Jesus taught, "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing
again..." (Luke 6:35a). Do these actions describe God's character and conduct? YES!
God died for His enemies (Rom. 5:8-10); He always does good (Matt. 19:17). He even
"lend[s]" us things, expecting nothing in return (it's called grace). Jesus even verified this
at the end of that verse, "...and ye shall be the children of the Highest: FOR HE IS
KIND UNTO THE UNTHANKFUL AND TO THE EVIL. Be ye therefore merciful [a
command], AS YOUR FATHER ALSO IS MERCIFUL [God's character]." Luke 6:35b-36Try it yourself! "Search the scriptures;" study God's law. Bear in mind that those same commandments
you so dutifully try to follow are actually bits and pieces of God's character. They
describe what God is like. Therefore, they not only provide instruction in what to do, but
they also describe God, enabling you to better know the One you serve.
IF you were to die today, are you 100% SURE
you would go to Heaven? The Bible says
YOU CAN BE SURE (1 John 5:13).BUT FIRST, you must realize that what keeps you
from going to Heaven are your sins, because:
"...your iniquities [sins] have separated
between you and your God," Isaiah 59:2.
In fact, in God's eyes YOU ARE A SINNER: "For
all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23.SECONDLY, you must realize that there is
NOTHING you can do to save yourself and earn
Heaven: "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not of works, lest any
man should boast." Eph. 2:8-9 Baptism, good
deeds, church membership, self-righteousness are
all examples of good works that cannot save you,
because: "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he [Christ] saved
us," Titus 3:5.THE ONLY WAY you can get saved is through
Jesus Christ. He said: "I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) THAT'S
WHY: "...while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us." (Rom. 5:8-9)THEREFORE: You must REPENT (change your
mind); admit that you are a Hell deserving sinner
and can't save yourself. And call upon Christ, and
Him alone, to save you. "if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [REPENT], and
shalt believe in thine heart [TRUST] that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved." Romans 10:9SEND THE LIGHT
P.O. Box 815 Fargo, ND 58107
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