(Further reflections on "Worthless"--Sunday 22-May-2022)
What is it? Why do we need to look into it?
The Law of God is always good and perfect. It is reflecting God's heart, His holy love. He desires to see His people live in His way, being "set apart", being holy like Him, from other people whose gods are not the Lord Yahweh.
The nature of human is always sinful and imperfect. The heart of man reflects unholy love. They tend to love themselves more than God. Thus, they love to live their life their way rather than God's way. They find His Law controlling and restricting their wayward lifestyle. We know that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately sick beyond understanding (cf. Jeremiah 17:9). Thus, the Law of God had never been viewed by fallen humanity as the Law of Liberty. So what is the hope for us?
The Law of Liberty is the Law of Christ who fulfilled every single requirement of the Law of God. Thus, Christ Jesus liberates sinners (who repented and believed in Him) from condemnation of the Law and the bondage of sin. So followers of Christ are liberated from their rebellious thoughts and wayward lifestyle, so that their mind will have the mind of Christ and their heart will be regenerated toward the heart of God and their life will be born again. So in this new life in Christ, not like the previous one, we no longer live according to our own way and definitions, but according to Christ Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life--the Definer of everything. He is not only the Savior who saves us from eternal damnation, but also the Liberator who liberates us from the dark dungeon and the oppressive nature or torments of our own sins (of which we cannot save ourselves).
The Law of Liberty is like the perfect Mirror. Whoever looks -read, study, examine, practice, review, live out intently into it will see Christ Jesus in the Mirror, of whom, we are called to be His image bearer, reflecting His greatness and goodness through the Gospel of God's son--Jesus Christ, the author of life, the Law of Liberty to those who believe and follow until the end.
But wait! Why do I need to look into the Law of Liberty daily as I am already set free, am I not? First, being set free is both "at once" and a process. Yes, the day you accepted Christ and called Him Lord and Savior, you are on the journey of being "set apart"--being sanctified, being made holy, being liberated from sin and continue to be set free from sins that easily entangles (cf. Hebrews 12:1-2). Second, if you don't look into the perfect Mirror daily and practice the Law of Liberty, it is just a matter of time before you forget our true identity, which is in Christ Jesus. And when this happens, you will begin to, if not already, identify your life from worldly image to self-indulgence with virtually anything the world has to offer. You will slide into becoming an image-bearer of the world and not of Christ. And this is a reality to those who read the Word of God but do not live it out. As a result, the Law of Liberty only happens in their mind or in theory as they are never able to taste and experience how sweet and blessed the Law of Liberty is.
My prayers and hope, none of us is so stiff-necked that we resist receiving and living out the Law of Liberty. In case some still do, I pray that the Lord Almighty, in His compassion, will break those whose neck are "stiffed" and wake them up from foolishness.
Lord, have mercy on us.
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Pastor Lap
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