“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” Deuteronomy 30:19.
WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE? : WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT LIFE
Thousand of years ago, the LORD God of heaven, the Giver of Life answered the question that has baffled the learned many of our society. The lawyers have wrestled with it, the judges in the courts of law have been perplexed by it. Individual members of our society and civic groups have gathered to decide on this but have failed in all ways to stand on the LORD’s side.
When Moses went up on the mountain to receive the law and the Testimony, Israel gathered themselves unto Aaron and said unto him, ‘Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.’ Exodus 32:1.
Aaron in turn makes for them a molten calf and they worshipped it. And the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. God says to Moses, ‘Get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:” verse 7.
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. He crushes the molten calf which they had made and strawed it upon the water and made Israel drink of it. Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And Moses instructs the children of Levi to go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
Even now, the question still applies to us: Who is on the Lord’s side concerning abortion? Who is ready to leave the mainstream and become unpopular in the sight of men, but save his soul? This question can be answered if we silence every voice and creed that man has decreed, and turn to the inerrant and sure word of our God.
1. As a safeguard to human life, what did God command?
Thou shalt not kill. Exodus 20:13
2. How gruesome is the sin of murder?
So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.
Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel. Numbers 35:33-34.
3. Faced with a decision what does God say concerning life over death?
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” Deuteronomy 30:19.
4. Who alone has the right to give and to take away?
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. Job 1:21.
5. What law did God give concerning the unborn child?
If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. Exodus 21:22.
6. When does life begin with God?
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
7. Did David say all our members are written before they exist?
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16.
8. Then God has work for us even before we are even born, does He?
Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Isaiah 49:1-3.
Note: ‘The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother’
9. God does not put at what stage one is in their mother’s womb before He calls them. As soon as a woman conceives, there is begins to exist a precious life which God has already named:
‘From the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.’
Usually we give names to children after they are born. We call them by various names as fetus, embryo etc, but God calls that which is nothing to man, by name. And when that is killed, a human with a name has been murdered.
‘And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword’
To God there is a voice in the womb, while to man there is just an embryo. God prepares the unborn for His work, hiding that in the shadow of his hand, polishing and prepares the unborn for His glory. When that is killed, how great a sin man has committed against the plans and purposes of God!
10. God is very succinct about shedding of innocent blood. That is what abortion achieves.
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19 (Look also at the following verses: Isaiah 59:7, Psalm 94:21
Feel free to add your comments to this lesson because God is always glorified when we often speak one to another about His Word:
“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” Malachi 3:16-17
This Lesson is derived from The Sabbath School Manual and Study Guide: SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES pages 427-431. If you want the Lesson in it’s entirety or own the book for yourself please write us: contact@cogasoc-tsot.org.
To all the Churches of God and Saints of Christ everywhere
In the words of Jesus when he met his disciples in St Matthew 28:9, I greet you in the same words, “All Hail”. Is it well with thee? It is well with my soul.
I now write to you this day to clarify where the Church of God and Saints of Christ stands concerning worldly celebrations, which include, but not limited to Christmas, Easter, the first of January New Year, April Fools Day, Halloween and Valentines Day.
Some of us have observed these in time past because we lacked knowledge concerning the Word of God. Without knowledge, God says, my people perish: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6. And again the bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:9-10 “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” In our ignorance most of us have observed Christmas, Easter and January New Year, but now that God has given us understanding, we need to march on to righteousness in truth. Most of you have or have not heard anything about Halloween which is a Wicca festival celebrating witches. People run after these observances ignoring the very truth of the Word where God succintly commanded his people what to observe. This form of idolatry has gone around the world. I warn you by the word of God that you take heed.
We have taken a lot of time teaching each other about the Seven Keys and Ten Commandments but we may have not dealt much on the first two commandments or we may have taken it for granted that we knew what they meant; Exodus 20:3-6; “ 3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
If you look closely at these celebrations which I have mentioned above you will find that they break the two commandments above, even the third. Let us consider the important instructions from James in chapter 2: 10-11; “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” Our Lord Jesus emphasized in Luke 16:17; “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” Proverbs 16:25 tell us that; “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
We have to be really careful in how we entertain ourselves; Jesus answered the devil in Matthew 4:4; saying, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
This statement from our Lord is key to our understanding; Is it written? From whose mouth does this proceed? If we have correct answers to these two questions we are able to differentiate between the Holy and the unholy according to Leviticus 10:10; “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.”
God did not come up with Christmas or Easter neither did Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter, Paul and all of the other disciples did not celebrate these festivals. The question comes where do we get the idea of doing this from?
The prophet said in the Bible Story Revealed to let the Scripture explain Scripture! What this then means is that; as Saints, we are guided by what the Scripture says for we believe it is the word of God; 11 Timothy 3:16-17; “All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
The bible is where we get our guidance from in anything we do and let us be all aware of this so that we won’t fall into temptation. While it seemed very simple for jesus to obseve the devil’s instructions in the wilderness, Jesus counters him with the written word of God. And as saints the bible should be our compass for moral direction, religious celebrations and it is only what is written in the Word that man shall live by.
Similarly at face value Christmas, Easter and all the other festivals I have previously mentioned seem innocent because we are just getting together in happiness. Yes, there is nothing wrong in being together, Yes, there is nothing wrong with being happy but certainly there is something wrong in getting together and be happy on pagan celebrations. Who is guiding us on all this? Where is the instruction coming from? Remember people in the olden days, who came together in one accord to nuild a tower of Babel and God’s anger rose on them. Let me say this; because we live at a time when terms like love and unity are so appealing, it is quite difficult to argue that these words have been taken out of context and do not mean what we think they mean. Love without truth is whoredom. To compromise is to reject the gospel, and without the gospel there is no hope. In a choice between unity and truth, unity must yield to truth.
We as saints are in a battl. It is a spiritual war ! “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) We’re not to pick up carnal weapons and go after unbelievers. We are locked into a spiritual warfare over the souls of men. I ask you to read again Ephesians chapter 6. If we follow this through, arm ourselves and fight in this spiritual warfare, then with Christ being with us, God will give us all the victory.
Saints, we are in a spiritual warfare. Be on the offensive. Never give up. Satan hates prayer. Take authority over the devil through prayer; he is to be defeated in the name of our Lord. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29; “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” If we cannot make it on our own let us take the load to our Lord Jesus; he is ready to assist us. Satan can not harm us. He bluffs, lies and threatens, but regardless of his technique to confuse, if we call upon our Lord Jesus, the devil has no chance to win us. And when we’ve done all, we must have the courage to stand.
Sometimes we have a tendency of looking at others and try to please them but let us not forget that we have one to obey and that is God. Some of us celebrate these holidays because it is socially acceptable but in a case between social and spiritual matters, God is supreme above all. if our social gatherings go against the word of God, then we have to choose pleasing God rather than men. Our position might not be the popular one, or the universally accepted one but we are not out to please men. Paul says in Galatians 1:10 “For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be a servant of Christ.”
So when ever we do these things we must ask ourselves; whom are we pleasing? Who is getting the glory? And when we ask ourselves these questions, then we will be able to worship God in Spirit and in truth.
Like a harlot, the devil has seduced the world and even some saints into the harlotry of worldly celebrations. Most people undersatnd christmass better than the Sabbath which God clearly and time and again has repeated that if we observe the Sabbath God will bless us (Isaiah 56) The devil has made people feel innocent in breaking of God’s commandments. The world which disregards the word of God will get astounded when they find out we do not run with them in their celebrations. They often question our religious conviction and our relationship with Christ because we do not observe Easter. But Jesus says those who love him, MUST keep his commandments (St John 14:15) That is the greatest expression of love we can do to our Lord Jesus Christ. But thedevil, like a harlot has turned this the other way around. How does a harlot, or whore, seduce her victims? Proverbs 7:6-10 answers this question “I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.” Then, verses 22 and 24 through 27: “With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter. Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she both cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”
The Bible says the mother of harlots will seduce kings and nations with her cunning; that the nations have been made drunk, which means they are confused, disoriented, unstable, and can be easily deceived and conquered by her. The devil has done this through occupying people with what is not written or with those things that shall not give us life. But we are of the day, we need not let the devil in our midst with his celebrations but we need to do that which our God expects of us as written in His Word
Before I conclude, I am asking the Pastors, Deacons and Superintendents, Sabbath School teachers to start teaching the following subjects from the Sabbath School Manual: Should Christians Celebrate Easter, page 295-302 and What the bible says about Christmas, page 303-310, Months of the Year, page 372-377.
In addition to this I am asking again everyone to learn the precepts as follows:
1. Seven Keys and Ten Commandments
2. The Stone of Truth {Prophecy}
3. Repentance
4. Baptism
5. The day which the Lord hath made
6. Wine
7. Bread and water
8. Foot washing
9. Disciples’ prayer
10. Holy Kiss
11. Religion is a duty
12. Moses’ Law
13. Meat Law
14. Selfishness
15. Envy-Jealousy
16. Care of Ministers
17. Where are the dead
18. When shall we live with Christ
19. Living Soul
I am asking every one to make an effort to memorize and recite in front of the congregation each Sabbath Day; not the whole subject at once but if we can do five to six verses on the subject per Sabbath and continue with the others the following Sabbath, we will find ourselves growing up in faith. This is really for individual benefit; it’s for our own souls. I urge everyone to do likewise, from the pulpit to the door keeper except those who are too old to read possibly those over 60 years of urge maybe exempted.
Please let us all do it for the benefit of the church and us as individuals. We need to be confident with what we believe in; hence, we need to learn as much as we can about the church so that we can be able to stand for what we believe. This is not a competition but we really need to uplift our spirits by learning the word of God.
It is an exciting exercise if we start taking some time to learn these subjects. I pray that we find this very helpful when we get used in giving time to God. The world is changing but the word of God is not going to change; by learning this, we will be able to know more about the coming end of the world and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should not be caught unaware lest we be ashamed.
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me” (St. Matthew 19: 17;20-21).
This young man in this verse came to Jesus seeking salvation. Salvation is a good thing to seek and desire. David says “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after” Psalms 27:4. There is no point in desiring something if you are not willing to do whatever it takes to get it…more
“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess” (St. Luke18: 11-12).
The Phariseeswere members ofan ancient Jewish sect that emphasized strict interpretation and observance of the Mosaic law in both its oral and written form. Unfortunately, the Pharisees also…more
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him (St. Luke 10: 30-33).
There was a certain woman who desired to host Jesus as her guest, the parable is told. And Jesus told him he will stop by on the appointed day. The woman cleaned her house and cooked her best meal. As she was ready making finishing touches, a ruggedy old man, knocked at her door. The man looked hungry, weary, dirty and thirsty. The woman anticipating to be her honoured guest at the door, she hurried with smile toward the door. But her anger kindled within her as she looked at this dirty old man, whom she perceived to be an inconvenience at the time. The woman chided at the man, she would not so much even listen to what he came for, let alone invite him in. She even refused him a cup of cold water.
She went on with her preparations as she was joyfully humming psalms. When she had set her table there was another knock at the door. Surely she thought that this time it must be Jesus, for it is about lunch time. “Alas” she thought in her heart with disdain as it was the lady next door with many children. “It is her again. What does she want now?” she hissed and frowned as she was approaching the door… more
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
(St. Luke 2: 6-7).
The promised Messiah was born. His birth was not known to many. His birth was only announced by shepherds, and was born in a manger because there was no room in the inn for him. In his adult life, Jesus had no where to stay. He said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” St. Matthew 8:20
Jesus is still looking for a place. It is not a geographical place, nor is it a physical space. He is looking for a place in our hearts to stay. Jesus is looking for a space in our lives to dwell. David in Psalms 91:1 describes it as, “the secret place of the Most High.”
And when we find that place and make room for Jesus, he says he and his Father will come unto us, and make their abode with us (St. John 14:23) and we “shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Of this place, where Jesus needs place and room, the bible says: His word is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, who shall go over the sea for us and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it (Deuteronomy 30: 12-14).
Jesus is still calling and looking for us to accept him in our lives, and give him a place to dwell in our lives, minds and hearts. Will we accept or we will leave him to be without a place still.
Meditation: Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20).
