September 7, 2003
Dear Family:
We are reaching the second anniversary of 9/11. Immediately following, there was a tremendous outpouring of the Spirit of God throughout America. Many turned to Him for their strength and comfort. This brings me to where we are today. Back to legalism which led to Christ's death and is no more than man using law to support or endorse his traditions. What happened in the last two years and what effect has this had on true spiritual Christians today?
First, look in Mark:
Mark 3:4-6 Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. (NIV)
Christ had gone to the synagogue, a place of gathering of the Jews to worship and learn of God. While there, Christ saw a man who had a withered hand. Christ began to evaluate the hearts and motives of the crowd of religious elites and then exposed their true spirit.
These were the legal and religious leaders of the day. They were the intellectuals of the day who were supposed to know God and God's teaching. They used one of the Ten Commandments as their authority for their actions. But they did not use what was said or the intent of God's heart as their justification but rather they used the legalism they had attached to it. They had twisted this commandment to restrict everything everyone did. They had amended this commandment to fulfill their agenda rather than following the intent of what God said. God did not add ten thousand articles to this commandment. They did.
Exodus 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10) but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11) For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (NIV)
There is nothing in this commandment about refraining from doing good, healing the sick or pulling your neighbor's cow out of the mud.
When God gave the commandment, He said all that needed to be said. He said, "keep it holy" and "it is a Sabbath to the Lord." These words needed no expansion by the legalist. It is the day to atone for sin and a day to live morally and ceremoniously clean. This is the day to do things for God. Holy means simply "set apart for God" and Sabbath means "day of atonement." The legalist made it a "do nothing day" except for the things they wanted to do for themselves. They were not concerned with atonement or sanctification. They were only concerned with selfish interests which was evident by their actions. "Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus."
Just this week a former preacher was put to death for killing a doctor and his bodyguard who worked in an abortion clinic. He was not a martyr for good but a misdirected murderer who was sentenced to death for his crime.
On 9/11 the true heart and spirit of many Americans poured forth. At the same time the true heart and spirit of many similar legalists as those who had plotted against Christ once again demonstrated their true selfish interests. Christ attempted to reach those with his actions then and we must be diligent to continue to demonstrate the same love and compassion today.
The Sabbath is the 7th day of the week or Saturday. Unfortunately, we have chosen to make it the most sinful day of the week. I have searched for years to find where God or Christ rescinded the command to keep Saturday holy but to no avail. Saturday is still a day to study, meditate, pray and seek God's presence. Sunday is a day to fellowship with other Christians in celebration of the resurrection of Christ.
Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. (NIV)
Remember to keep the Sabbath holy but also remember the lesson Christ taught on that day. When we have the opportunity to do the good we know and are able to do so, we should do it regardless of the day. If we know to save life and have the ability to do so but do not do it, it is the same as taking a life. We who have the means of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, instructing the ignorant, and sending the gospel to the destitute, and do not do it, are guilty. We are, in effect, doing evil. We are permitting evils to exist which we might remove. Our complacency will be condemned on the day of judgment, not for what we have done but for what we have not done.
Matt 25:45 "He will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' (NIV)
Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. (NIV)
Christ looked for sincere hearts in these men who were supposed to be seeking to know and please God. He was searching for hearts that could be changed to meet the challenges of compassion, love, humility, sympathy and empathy. But, because there were none found, his heart was broken and filled with holy anger. He had holy anger not against them but against their attitude, their hard hearts, their religious legalism and their lack of spiritual awareness. Christ was angry and broken hearted because these men had become so hard hearted by legalism that the Spirit of God could no longer communicate with them.
Robert Bork has written a book where he refers to the separatist in America today. These separatists have become so hard hearted and so intoxicated with themselves that all they want to do is remove anything and everything that would cause them to consider any form of moral restraint or discipline. Their actions say, "I don't want anything to cause me to think that God exists or wants men to acknowledge Him with their life."
The further these leftist separatists can move away from moral, civil and Godly restraints the easier it will be to satisfy their selfish indulgencies. They want to have sodomites a protected group. They want to have, "In God we trust" removed from our currency. They want to have, "under God" removed from the pledge of allegiance. No longer do we dare display the "Ten Commandments" in any public place. They have found allies among certain groups of "intellectuals" who will fight their cause in the courts until they find a judge who will write law from the bench rather than interpreting the constitution and the intent of the founding fathers.
It is amazing that Christ had the power to heal this man's hand not with surgery but simply saying the words, "stretch forth your hand" and it was made whole. More amazing is that Christ had the ability not only to heal all diseases but also to heal the hearts of these men with similar words but it required their faith to, "stretch forth their hearts." Their faith was in themselves and their legalism not in the God of their religion.
Psalms 119:9-11 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! (NKJ)
Men's hearts are molded and changed by the word of God. The perfection of God contained in the commandments point to a perfect society. Although man of himself can never live up to the standards outlined in them, the heart of man can reach that standard through Christ. All He asked is that we "stretch forth our heart."
It is through the presence of constant reminders that we learn and retain knowledge. It is through the bible that we are aware of sin and what sin is. Paul said the law gives us an awareness of our failure to meet God's standards. If we remove the presence of constant reminders that we are created by a holy God to bring glory and honor to his name then someday we will not see him in anything and he will no longer seek to draw us to himself and will simply give us over to our own selfish desires.
We cannot continue to permit the leftist radicals of this day to crucify any and all remembrance of God by making it illegal to mention the name of God and Christ. Christ is calling for a Holy War not with and for the blood of men but with and for the hearts and minds of men. Christ is looking for an army of soldiers who will give Him their hearts and let Him use them to tell others of His power and love.
If you have never stretched out your heart to Christ, now may be the time. It is not by accident that you are reading this today. God brought you here to speak to your heart, but He will not always be there touching your heart. Someday He will no longer say "stretch forth your heart." It will be too late and you will be gone from Him forever. Why not do it today? Why not now? There where you are, in your own words, tell Christ you are stretching forth your heart and ask Him to heal it. He will. Then send me a note and let me know you have done so.
Love ya,
Dad, Dad2, Mr. T & Chuck
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