Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
June 11, 2006 - W0624

Rules and laws…they’re everywhere! No matter where we’re at, there are rules for this and that. Even when we are driving, there are signs and instructions to follow. My wife Anna is a stickler for following the law. She makes sure I stay within the speed limit, stop completely at every stop sign, and that I’m wearing my seat belt whenever I’m in the car. In fact, if my wife had her way, I would probably be in a child restraint seat with a helmet on! 

Our world is so full of rules and instructions, I think we’ve actually gone overboard. Listen to some of my favorites that I’ve collected over the years. This one is from an iron: “Do not iron clothes while on body.” This one is from a set of Christmas lights: “For outdoor or indoor use only.” As opposed to what?  Outer space? This one is from a peanut package I got on American Airlines: “Open package. Eat nuts.” (and someone probably got paid big bucks for writing that one!) And finally, this one from a chainsaw: “Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands.” 

Likewise, God has laws for us to follow but they’re not dumb.  They’re also eternal.  The Bible says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever” (Is. 40:8). God’s laws are the principles of the universe; there are both physical and spiritual laws, and they exist for a reason.

Some time ago, I had a conversation with a non-Christian university student. He felt that Christians (and Christianity) had too many laws to follow. His perception was that we [Christians] are narrow-minded as exampled by all our rules. He criticized that our truth was narrow with no flexibility. My response is that truth has to be narrow and that God’s laws are unchanging. For example, two plus two equals four – not 4.1, not just any point between 3.2 and 4.8’ – it’s 4. There is only one answer, one truth, to this equation.

After this illustration, he still argued that God’s rules were too inflexible. I asked him if he wanted to change God’s laws and he replied yes, “because the culture is changing and in this day and age, we are different.” He added that religion should change to match the culture. I tried to explain to him that we wouldn’t want God’s laws to change. Why? Because, there are greater things to understand...for example, the physical laws of gravity and inertia. Imagine if God bent His laws just a little one day, planets would collide; there would be meteoric crashes, shifting of tectonic plates and huge earthquakes. Every planet, including Earth, would be obliterated and life as we know it would cease. After that I thought, “Do you still want God to change His laws?”

You see, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). “....He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:9). God’s physical and spiritual laws have principles to them, and the wages and consequences of rejecting them is death.  Spiritual laws spoken into being by God oversee morality, relationships, people, skills, family, perception, and attitude, and if we violate them, we will receive physical consequences, e.g., our marriages, physical health or families may suffer. 

Contrary to what that student thought, God’s law should not change based on the culture, the culture should change to match God’s laws. We must learn to cooperate with God’s laws, and if we do, we’ll receive His blessings so here are three keys to understand as we grow in Christ. First...

1.  TAKE TIME TO KNOW GOD AND HIS LAWS.              

Sometimes we think we have a better idea than God does. We either go by our culture or what others say about this and that. The Pharisees thought this way too and did things their own way. Yet, this is what Jesus tells us, “Jesus replied, ‘Your problem is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God’” (Matt. 22:29 NLT).

Listen, knowing God’s laws will not impede or hinder your life, instead it gives you a confidence and assurance in life that frees you to move forward. You’ll learn and understand how He created the universe, the earth and relationships. It frees you to receive the full benefit of everything God wants to give you. Your relationships and marriage will go forward with ease and, if there is a problem, you’ll have the confidence and assurance to move forward in God’s will. So take the time to know God and His ways.

How can you do this? Well, one of the ways is to...

§         BE DISCIPLINED IN YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS.

I challenge you to read your daily devotions along with me. “...he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book...and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law...”(Deut. 17:18-19). Reading the Bible daily and journaling is a discipline which must be developed. Journaling includes para-phrasing what God has said to you and helps the lesson stick to your heart.

“...discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness (1Tim. 4:7). You must discipline yourself; no one else can do it for you.  Taking time to know God and His laws is the first key to growing in Christ and receiving His blessings.  The second key is to....

2.  LEARN TO LOVE AND OBEY GOD’S LAWS.

Did you know that you can know and obey God’s laws yet still have a bad heart? The Bible says we are saved by faith, not by works. That means, the heart and attitude with which we do things is just as important, if not more, than what we physically do. Don’t just be a “father” but be one that mentors, nurtures and extends grace as faith would tell us.  Don’t just be a “wife” but be one that honors and supports her husband and children as God and our faith would have us do.

When we love God’s laws, we can obey them gladly, not begrudgingly. Then, when we serve Him gladly, and do His works with a good heart – as unto the Lord – we reflect well on our Heavenly Father and will draw others closer to Him.  Otherwise, we may inadvertently end up serving someone else, “Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you” (Deut. 28:40).

The heart with which you do things is very important. So instead of being disheartened about God’s laws, take delight in them because “Those who love Your law have great peace and do not stumble” (Ps. 119:165 NLT). This passage encourages us to think positively on God’s laws with the assurance that doing so helps us to obey them and brings great peace.

Throughout the Bible, God speaks to us about our hearts. “My son, keep My words and store up My commands within you” (Prov. 7:1). “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. (Ps. 119:11). “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4).

In addition, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in due season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (Ps. 1:1-6).

Hence, the Lord doesn’t want us to just do a task but to love to do the task. I remember a while back when I told my daughter Amy to clean her room, she listened by cleaning up yet was upset and mad while doing so. As her father, not only did I want her to obey but I wanted her to take delight in cleaning her room; otherwise, she’d be imprisoned by the law rather than learn from it. By obeying and delighting in what God asks of us, we can be all God wants us to be and...

§         HIS BLESSINGS FOLLOW OBEDIENCE.

Yes, if our hearts delight in obeying God’s laws, there will be a blessing. Now, that’s not to say that if we disobey Him, He won’t love us anymore. On the contrary, nothing can separate us from God’s love yet we need to understand that blessings follow obedience. Let me illustrate this for you…say I tell my son Aaron to meet at Ala Moana center stage at 5:30pm sharp because I have something for him. Knowing that the traffic will be bad because of a parade downtown, I give Aaron specific instructions to leave early and which streets to take to avoid traffic. Then let’s say, despite my instructions, Aaron arrives at Ala Moana late at 7:45pm instead of 5:30pm.

At 7:46pm, Aaron calls me on my cell phone to find out where I am. He then asks me what I have for him. I tell him I had $10,000 for him but since he did not meet me at 5:30pm sharp as I told him, he will not get the gift/blessing. When he asks why, I explain to him that my blessing came with him obeying my instructions. And if Aaron asks, don’t you love me anymore? My reply would be, “I’m your father and I still love you, but you won’t get the blessing because you didn’t follow my instruction.”

God will never withdraw His love from us but it’s important to understand that His blessings come after obedience. You see, the Lord created and designed our lives to work in a certain way. If we cooperate with how the Lord designed us to be, we’ll receive His promise. Otherwise, when we muscle with our marriage or relationships and maneuver things around, things will go wrong. Then we get upset at God and say that His ways don’t work. On the contrary, God’s laws are fixed and perfect thus it is our role to cooperate with His law and design for our lives. “All things are done according to God’s plan and decision...based on what He had decided from the very beginning” (Eph. 1:11 TEV).

Remember that we are not immune from fallen human kind. We will still be targets of other people’s immaturity and by our own stumbling. However, God is able to overcome these things so set your heart on the Lord’s laws. If you’ve rejected God’s law many times and ask if there’s any hope for you? The answer is absolutely YES!

Listen, God will not bend His laws for us but He will bend to give mercy to the lawbreaker. He’ll then restore you so you can learn His ways and His laws. The Lord will bend His justice to you as He picks you up and gives you mercy to try again and again. He will not change His laws but He will change our hearts if we’re willing. This is done through repentance, which brings us to the third and final key to learning God’s laws.

3.  LEARN THE POWER OF REPENTANCE.

When a heart repents, God restores. Above all, we are all children of God and there are no orphans of God. When you pray, God hears. He’ll bend down to bring you up and He’ll give you mercy. He will meet you where you are so repent, as He is faithful to forgive.

Solomon, the wisest king prayed to God for his people, “When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin)...and repent and...if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul...then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, their prayer and supplications, and maintain their cause and forgive Your people who have sinned against You” (2Chr. 6:36-39 selected).

If we stood before a judge who gave you favor, we may think that is good but what if he favored the other side? If we think of it that way, it’s easy to see that a just, fair, godly, wise, insightful judge is best. Similarly, God’s unchanging and perfect laws are best, we just need to understand how we can cooperate and obtain God’s best.

First, take time to know God and His laws; be disciplined in your daily devotions.  Then, learn to love and obey God’s laws for his blessings follow obedience.   Lastly, learn the power of repentance since God cannot bend any rules for you but He can (and will) extend mercy and grace to those who have fallen.

God’s mercy and judgment are both true. His mercy is precious indeed! “...God’s mercy toward you will win out over His judgment against you” (Jam. 2:13 NLT). And my obedience will allow God to pour out His blessings. “....it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luk. 12:32).

Discussion