Are Members of the Body of Christ Under the Law of Moses? Yes or No? Take a moment to respond at the LLM Question of the Day, http://ping.fm/YcTsl

And now the answer to the LLM Question of 4-21-2012

Question: It is the privilege, and responsibility, of Christians to know what the will of God is. True or False?

Answer: TRUE! It IS our privilege, and our responsibility, to know what God’s will is! “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is”. Ephesians 5:17. It is the REVEALED will of God which is in view in these passages AND in Mark 11:24, because, in respect to His “SECRET” will, we have nothing to do with that...it’s none of our business. Now, out of the 714 responses we received to this question, 84% of you got it! Therefore, NOW, let us take a look at,

When Ye Pray, BELIEVE. Mark 11:24

“What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” Mark 11:24.

By the words “believe that ye receive them” we understand, expect God to give them to you. But it is at THIS point that so many of God’s people fail in their prayer lives.

Look, there are THREE main things to be considered when praying, and here they are...

First: Make sure that you are asking for something that is in accordance with God’s Word: see 1 John 5:14.

Now, right here, the devil will foil you unless you are on guard. He will come as an angel of light and preach a sermon to you on God’s Holy Will. Yeah, the devil is quite capable of that! Now, it is our privilege, and our responsibility, to know what God’s will is! “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17). It is the REVEALED will of God which is in view in these passages and in Mark 11:24, because, in respect to His “SECRET” will, we have nothing to do with that; it’s none of our business.

God’s revealed will is made known in His Word, The Bible. Fix this in your mind; never allow Satan to inject a thought (Ephesians 4:27) to shake you on this, that everything God has commanded you to do, every precept and exhortation addressed to you, is “God’s will” for you, and is to be turned into prayer for enabling Grace. It is God’s will that you should be “sanctified” (1 Thessalonians 4:2), that you should “rejoice” (Philippians 4:4), that you should “make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10), that you should “grow in Grace and in the knowledge of the LORD” (2 Peter 3:18).

SECOND: Having made sure that what you are praying for is according to God’s revealed will, then plead His promises, such as Matthew 7:7, Philippians 4:19, and so on.

Plead them in the name of The LORD Jesus Christ, asking God to give you the “desires of thine heart” (Psalms 37:4) for The LORD’s sake, that He may be honored in and by a Godly walk from you, and that His people may be helped and encouraged by your example. Those are prayers which God cannot, and will not, deny.

Third: Expect God to do what you have asked.

Unless there is an expectancy, Faith isn’t being exercised. It is this expecting from Him which honors and pleases God, and which always draws down from Him answers of peace.

There might be some difficulty, problem, and trial, which takes on the size of a mountain. Never mind that: do not let it depress, discourage, or confuse you. Praise the LORD it stands written in the eternal Word of Truth, “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall say unto this mountain be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; It shall be done” (Matthew 21:21).

Now, take note, it is not “If thou doubt not and have faith, BUT, “if ye have faith” and then (while you are awaiting God’s answer) “doubt not”.

When you first get down on your knees, beg God in the name of The LORD Jesus Christ, and for His own glory’s sake, to work in you, by His Spirit, that expectancy of faith which will not take “NO” for an answer; but confidently says, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me” (Genesis 32:26). That is what honors God. Then, let’s not forget that we have, “A friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) and “Thou hearest me always” (John 11:42). Then, make use of Him, and ask Him to present them to His Father and your Father, and, if they are for God’s glory and your (REAL) good, be assured that they will be granted. The LORD Jesus Christ, will be honored and you will be strengthened in the Faith.

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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.

Thank you Pastor David for this encouraging message and scripture references. I understand those "mountains" are Satan's attempt at blocking us from
the Truth of God's Word and Will. Many of us have these "mountains" in life and without Faith In Christ, we become depressed and fail in our feeble efforts to overcome problems. So many times have my prayers been answered but not always in the way that I want. Then when God answers my prayers my way I see later how wrong I was because the answer increases the difficulty I have in my life and I have to ask God again for a way out. I have found that I need to Trust God to know what is the right way. His Way and not mine. Blessings in Him, Ken.

Dear Brother Ken, AMEN! To all you said...

We receive many questions about The Law (of Moses) and whether or not it applies to members of the Body of Christ today. So let's take a look...

The word “Law” appears 523 times in the Bible of which 223 are in the New Testament. The Hebrew word “TORAH” appears 219 times in the Jewish Bible and primarily refers to “teaching.” To Jewish people, the “law” refers to both “oral” and “written” Law.

There are several synonymous terms that include the following:

commandments...Hebrew word “mitzvah”....used 181 times
testimonies.......…Hebrew word “yedah”.......used 25 times
statutes..............Hebrew word “choq”........used 126 times
judgments...........Hebrew word “mishpat”....used 417 times
word...................Hebrew word “dabar”.... used 1447 times

The “Law” refers to 613 commandments, the Ten Commandments, the first five books of the Bible, and to the entire Old Testament (Jewish Bible - TANAKH). The “Law” is forever settled in the heavens (Psalm 119:89) and is “perfect, right, pure, clean, true, righteous, holy, good, just” and “endures forever” (Psalm 19:7-9; Romans 7:12). The “Law” cleanses, revives, warns, gives direction and understanding (Psalm 119). It does NOT refer to tradition, be sure to read Matthew 15:6-9. The “Law” is more desirable than gold (Psalm 19:10).

THE PROBLEM WITH THE LAW

1. It CANNOT give spiritual life - 2 Cor. 3:6; Galatians 3:21

2. It CANNOT make us righteous before God - Romans 3:20, Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16; James 2:10

3. It CANNOT take away our sin - Hebrews 10:1-4

4. It CANNOT cancel the promise of God to Abraham - Galatians 3:16-17

THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

1. It relates primarily to Israel - Deuteronomy 4:1-2, Deuteronomy 4:8, Deuteronomy 4:44-45; Deuteronomy 5:1-3; Deuteronomy 6:1-3; Romans 9:4

2. It removes our ignorance of sin - Romans 3:20; Romans 7:7; Galatians 3:19; 1 John 3:4

3. It reflects the character of God Himself - Romans 7:12, Romans 7:22, Romans 7:25; Romans 8:7

4. It regulates society - made for the non-believer - 1 Timothy 1:9-10

5. It reinforces our need of a Savior and that Justification is by Faith ALONE - Matthew 5:17-18; Galatians 2:19-21; Galatians 3:19-25

TWO GREAT DANGERS

It is difficult to be “balanced” in our understanding, interpretation, and application of the “Law.” A person can wind up falling into one of two great ditches in relationship to the “Law.”

The First Ditch: LEGALISM - This is the belief that keeping the Law and its requirements is essential for salvation and/or Christian life and growth.

Galatians 3:1-3 speaks of this danger and warns the believers about it.

The Second Ditch: LIBERTARIANISM - This is the belief that our freedom in Christ allows us to sin without facing any consequences.

Pay attention….Believers are NOT free to sin or to disobey God. We don’t make up the rules...God does! But, we also need to understand that our forgiveness comes through the shedding of Blood, the Death, and the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ, and NOT through our works or performance. We cannot earn, maintain, or deserve the Grace of God, and we cannot be Righteous, or maintain righteousness, by what we do or do not do. That comes solely through the work of our LORD Who declares us righteous on the basis of our exercising of The Faith in the finished work of our LORD Jesus, Who died for ALL of our sins, and rose again for our justification.

MAY GOD GIVE US ALL WISDOM FROM HIS WORD ALONE!

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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.