Today we will continue our series entitled “God’s Grace & Our Faith.” We are looking at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our main scriptures are John 1:14 & 17. In our last message, we also looked at Galatians 5:13. Today we will move on to Galatians 5:14. This verse has a major requirement for us, as New Covenant believers.
(John 1:14 NIV)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 NIV)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
(Galatians 5:14 The Passion Translation)
For love completes the laws of God. All of the law can be summarized in one grand statement: “Demonstrate love to your neighbor, even as you care for and love yourself.”
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. The only issue with The Law was that no human (except Jesus) could fulfill it.
— The Law of Moses (the 10 Commandments) was perfect. The issue is not with The Law. The issue is with us.
— We are not perfect. The Law of Moses is so perfect that no human can ever live without breaking any of the commandments.
— For a human to be sinless (to perfectly comply with the Law of Moses) is not difficult; it is actually impossible. We, as humans, are incapable of being that perfect.
— The only human to ever do it was Jesus Himself. We are not perfect, but Jesus was perfect for us. The gospel (good news) is that God attributes Jesus’ perfection and righteousness to US when we exercise faith in Him and make Him our Lord. Do you know what this is called? It’s called grace!
— The reason I am teaching you this is NOT so you can willfully violate God’s standards (because remember, grace is NOT a license to sin). I am teaching you this, straight from the heart of God, so you DON’T beat yourself up when you make a mistake. You are not perfect and God knows that. He expects you to quickly repent, receive forgiveness, forgive yourself, and continue down the path to your purpose. It’s that simple.
2. Jesus delivered us from the bondage of The Law and usher us into GRACE.
— If you truly embrace the message of the Bible, it will UPGRADE your thinking and your life. You will learn how to live like God in this world. You won’t have to wait ’till you get to heaven someday. You will experience heaven on earth every day!
— God had the task of upgrading the mind of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. They were physically delivered but still mentally bound.
— It was much easier to get the Israelites out of Egypt than it was to get Egypt out of them.
— You don’t know how bound you are until you get free!
— Many religious people today need to be free. They spent a good portion of their lives living as slaves to sin. After being Born-Again, many are now slaves to religious activity. They are so bound, in their mind and in their beliefs, that they don’t know what it’s like to be FREE!
— This about this for a moment. You can be Born-Again and still be bound! You can be filled with the Holy Spirit and still be living under the conditions and limitations of human performance.
— Jesus died so you could be FREE! Jesus died so you could live #TheGraceLife. You are now FREE to be the man/woman God designed you to be; by His grace and for His glory!
— You are not a mere man. Once you are Born-Again, God lives IN you. You are walking around with God on the inside of you. There is nothing God can’t do. Therefore, there is nothing you can’t do! But you will never see yourself living this way if you remain focused on performance-based religion. Becuase your performance will never measure up to the size of your calling. The only way to fully embrace your calling and walk in it is by embracing the fact that you will never be worthy of it. That’s called GRACE!
3. Jesus gave us a NEW LAW: The Law of Love!
Being free from the Law of Moses does not mean you have NO LAW. Once you are Born-Again, you are in Christ, Christ is in you, and you are commanded to live by the Law of Jesus, which is the Law of Love.
a) Jesus said He was giving us a NEW Commandment. It is the Commandment of Love! He said, “So I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.” (John 13:34,35). Jesus also said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus was saying that all The Law and all the teachings of all the prophets of the Old Testament could be summed up in one Law, the Law of Love: loving God and loving man!
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b) James called the Law of Love the “royal law.” He said, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right” (James 2:8).
c) The Apostle John said, “For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another” (1 John 3:11). He also said, “Anyone can say, “I love God,” yet have hatred toward another believer. This makes him a phony, because if you don’t love a brother or sister, whom you can see, how can you truly love God, whom you can’t see? For he has given us this command: whoever loves God must also demonstrate love to others.” (1 John 4:20,21).
d) In our main scripture for today, the Apostle Paul said, “All of the law can be summarized in one grand statement: “Demonstrate love to your neighbor, even as you care for and love yourself.” (Galatians 5:14). Paul also said, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8).
e) While we are not under the Law of Moses, we are certainly under the Law of Love! This is the Law of Jesus. Everything contained in the Law of Moses and everything contained in the teachings of the prophets can be summed up into simply loving God and loving man. We prove our upward (vertical) relationship with God (a God we cannot see) by expressing His love outwardly (horizontal) to the people we see every day. This is Jesus’ commandment. It is the Law of Love, and it is the foundation for #TheGraceLife. Recipients of grace become extenders of grace in this world!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You loved me enough to plan for me before the world began, save me by Your grace, and use me for Your glory now, even though I am not perfect. Your love is amazing. You put Your Spirit inside me. I now don’t have to live my life based on external rules or laws. But I am not free from all laws. Your Word teaches me that I am required to comply with the Law of Love. This is the greatest commandment. I am to love You and love others.
You poured out Your love in my heart through Your Holy Spirit, and I now have the grace to walk in love with You and others. Saying I love You is easy. But I prove my love for my God, whom I cannot see, by loving those I see every day. Your love has come TO me, and it now flows THROUGH me! I am a conduit of Your love on this planet. When people come in contact with me, they will come in contact with You, and YOU ARE LOVE! I have the grace to walk in love, and I do so every day. Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
