I am checking out all the Creative Chaos at RagamuffinSoul.com every Thursday… so here’s my creative contribution for this week…
I spoke at our youth ministry last night, Velocity. I had a blast, what a great group of young people we have! We were in a series called “Old School”, so I kicked it Old School with some Old Testament. We had a couple kids respond and make decisions for Christ!! It was a great night! So I thought it would be cool to post my message as a blog, check it out…
5 Ways to Kick It Old School
The Law – there is something inside ever person that wants to break the law.
Getting pulled over or seeing a cop… you SLOW down even if your not speeding!
A No Swimming sign… makes you want to go swimming there.
A No Trespassing Sign… makes you want to jump the fence just to walk around where you aren’t supposed to
You draw a line, someone wants to cross it
Morgan or Ashton when asked to do something… NO! What is that?! It is an inborn natural rebellion. Is that taught? Is that ‘learned behaivor’? Of course not…. it is born within us to be broken and sinful.
Christianity is not about modifying your behaivor to please God… It’s about transforming your life to please God.
In Exodus, God gives His people a little chat… the first thing He says is that He is God and He is the One Who delivered them out of slavery… “basically saying I love You.”
5 Ways to Kick It Old School
1. Have no other gods except Me & don’t make an idol for yourself. – Commandments 1&2
God is loves us so much that He wants to have a relationship with us. He also loves you so much He force you into a relationship with Him. He allows us to choose. Loving God seems like a no-brainer, but we can slip into idolatry so easily! It’s so slick that we slip into this on a daily basis.
I can’t live without_____________________!
Starbucks, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, my celly, iPod, the internet!, whatever it is that you feel like you couldn’t live without has the potential to become an idol and eventually become your God. Where you spend your time and your money tells where your heart is. Jesus said where your treasure is (YOUR CASH) where your heart will be also.
2. Respect my name. -Commandment 3
The name of the game is respect. When you say God say it with a sense of awe. Don’t ever get careless with His name. When you say the name of Jesus, say it with a sense of power. For it is with that name blind eyes open, the sick are healed, the power of God flows in the name of Jesus.
Don’t pay money to listen to someone dishonor the name of the God that sent His son to die for you!
3. Honor your Father and Mother. -Commandment 5
This is where all authority begins. Those who walk with disrespect for their parents usually never carry any authority because they never submitted themselves to authority.
It’s easy to honor Mom & Dad when it’s Christmas morning and the loot is coming your way. But what about when the discipline is coming your way or when they say “NO”. I would nopt be able to operate in the position I am in if I hadn’t honored my Father and my Mother first.
4. Don’t Murder. -Commandment 6
This seems pretty simple… don’t kill anyone. Easy. But let’s take it a step further… The heart of murder is rage. We can’t allow our emotions to get the best of us where we walk around angry all the time. God is telling us this will lead to a life of destruction.
5. Don’t commit adultery. -Commandment 7
I think most of us will make it through life without committing this one, but like murder let’s get to the root of it. The root of adultery is lust. Jesus said if you look at a woman in your heart and imagine or fantasize, basically lust over her. You’ve committed this sin. This focuses more on the purity of your heart than the rightness of your actions.
God is not about a list of rules… He is about a relationship.
So these things are Commandments He gave to the Israelites to help keep them on track with Him… but if you don’t have a relationship with God, keeping these commandments just makes you a really nice person.
The Law is there to protect you from harm. When you stare deep into the heart of God and understand why He even gave these commandments you can understand that He has unmatched love for you.
