Message for January 8, 2017 from Pastor Jerry

And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”  Matthew 15:9

Jesus found Himself facing a people that regarded themselves as holy because they were off-springs of Abraham, the friend of God.  The leaders had two thousand years to put their own ideas of religion in place.  Jesus never broke any God given laws.  He was sinless, yet the religious leaders saw Him as a sinful lawbreaker because He paid no attention to their “traditions”.

How similar things are two thousand years after Jesus birth, death, and resurrection.  Religious leaders have had this time to incorporate many traditions into the Gospel.  This is visible in the fact that Christianity is splintered into dozens of groups fostering the ideas of a past leader.  Thank God that many of the traditions of man do not concern the essentials of salvation.  Add- on traditions are mainly aimed at adding to or subtraction from the truth of the Gospel.  Saying that some elements of the Bible have passed away assumes that we know better than the original writers of Scriptures.  How can we say something has passed away when Jesus said, “heaven and earth will pass away but My word will not pass away”?

The Gospel is simple.  What must I do to be saved?  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31  Jesus said, ”Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  When Jesus said this He was talking to a mass of people who had struggled to keep the Law of Moses all their lives and failed.  The Gospel of faith in Jesus Christ put an end to the law for righteousness.  If you really believe in salvation by faith in Jesus you are free from keeping the Law to be righteous. Jesus’ death and resurrection made you righteous if you believe it.  Since all our works are like filthy rags, how can you add conditions to salvation?  We live by the Spirit let us walk by the Spirit.

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