Compromise the last pt: There is no democracy when it is about the truth

How the Sabbath came to be acknowledged or accepted as Sunday is a whole topic on it's own that needs time devoted to it. I would recommend reading a book which not only goes into the history of the early Christians from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem through the Dark ages, when Christians suffered and died during the Protestant Reformation at the hands of the Roman Catholic church. It also gives a glimpse of the challenges that are comig ahead not only for Christians but generally what is going to be happening that will affect everyone. It touches on the subject of how the Sabbath was changed.

The book is by E.G. White and it is called, The Great Controversy between Christ and Satan.

There are other books also that touch on this subject like one by Samuele Bacchiochi which is also a good read on this subject. From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity.

There are many others and I encourage for those of you who would like to know which Sabbath the lord would have us to keep, to search and study and pray for the lord's guidance while at that. I think it is important to know which day is the Lord's Sabbath, since He tells us to observe it in one of the Ten Commandments.


I have found that many acknowledge the Ten Commandments but all of a sudeen, when it comes to the Sabbath, it was changed and the Law is no longer binding.


Christ gave us the greatest commandment:


[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment.
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40.

On these 2 hang all the commandments as seen in Exodus 20:3-17.

Loving God with all thy heart, all thy soul and with all thy mind is summed up in the first 4 commandments:

1st 
[3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2nd
[4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in 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.


3rd 
[7] Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.


4th
[8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

The last 6 commandments have to do with love for man or your neighbour:

5th
[12] Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.


6th
[13] Thou shalt not kill.



7th
[14] Thou shalt not commit adultery.


8th
[15] Thou shalt not steal.



9th
[16] Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

10th
[17] Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

 If we are truly seeking for the truth, it is ultimately up to us individually to search for it and find it as is written in the following verse: 

[15] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15.

If we humbly approach this subject without any biases towards whatever we might believe to be the truth, if we staudy and pray for the Lord's guidance while at it, the Lord will guide us to the truth as is written:

[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13.

[32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32.

What the majority believes to be the truth is not a standard of or a criterion for measuring the truth. There is no democracy when it comes to the truth especially when what you believe can have eternal consequences.

Just because the majority believes, practices or have come to accept something, that does not make it right. Sincerity does not change the truth either. One can be sincerely wrong. Just because the culture or world customs are hostile towards the 7th day or Saturday Sabbath, that does not make it wrong either. It just so happens that a lot of business and entertainment happens on that day, making it difficult to keep it as God would have it to be kept. In this case, there is so much resistance to keeping it that it almost seems

Just because the prevailing culture, customs or norms are hostile towards the keeping of the Sabbath as God would have it to be kept, does not mean one should compromise and give in.



The Sabbath in keeping it is a commemoration and reminder for us that:

1. God is the Creator
2. Ultimately there is nothing we can do to sustain ourselves. God is the one who provides.
3. We rest from the works of the flesh which is sin in Him comemorating that our souls find rest and refuge in Him.
4. We rest from attempting to work and thus earn righteousness resting in his works of righteousness on our behalf.

I will look at each of these points briefly so we can have an idea of the importance and spiritual significance of the Sabbath.

God is the Creator 

Of all the commandments, the Sabbath commandment is the only one in which He declares that He created us and all things.

It serves to draw attention to Him as being the Creator of all things and so keeping it is an acknowledgement of this fact:

[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:11.



Ultimately there is nothing we can do to sustain ourselves. God is the one who provides.

In the commandment, we are commanded to not do any work at all. In the present day, that would seem like an impossible or difficult thing to do. A lot of jobs require workers to work at some or all of the time on the Sabbath (Saturday). That is a very busy day in general. So most workers have to work on that day whether they like it or not if they would like to keep their jobs.

So society and the tradition works against the keeping of this day. In this depressed economy, it makes it even more difficult to not work on that day if one wants to keep the Sabbath. One is faced with the decision to either pass up on a job because they are required to work on that day or to compromise and just work because there are mouths to be fed and bills to be paid. To pass up a job in a recession seems like madness because one might not get another opportunity again.

So what does one do? Do you compromise to survive or believe that the Lord who has set aside that time for us to spend with Him will provide? If one keeps the job because they have to feed their family and pay bills, this is an act of self preservation, self trust and doubting God's ability to provide.

If one chooses to keep the job or to work on that day, they doubt that God can provide, and yet there is no guarantee that they will have the job tomorrow. If you keep the job today but lose it tomorrow, what or who are you going to trust in for survival? There is nothing left to hold on to.

But if one by faith believes that if God requests for us to spend that time with Him, He is more than capable to provide; whether it is through a job that is off on the Sabbath or through means that we know not of or can comprehend.

If we put Him first, He has promised to provide:

[30] Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
[31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
[32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
[33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
[34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:30-34.

So God knows that you have bills to pay and mouths to feed but don't doubt his power or resources to provide. Keeping the Sabbath is a commemoration of this fact that our livelihood and very existence depends on His will and providence.

We rest from the works of the flesh which is sin in Him comemorating that our souls find rest and refuge in Him.

The works of the flesh are sin and we sin continually, mostly against our will. We can't seem to stop and only Christ gives us rest from these labors of the flesh:

[19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
[20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
[21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21.

The Sabbath is a commemoration of this rest from the labors of sin and also the burdens of life, pain, sorrow, etc:

[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] 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.
[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.

We rest from attempting to work and thus earn righteousness resting in his works of righteousness on our behalf.

The keeping of the Law is righteousness and we have been commanded to keep the Law. But keeping the Law in our own strength does not justify us but rather the Law informs us of what sin is. Not keeping the Law however is sin, as is written:

[20] Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20.

[4] Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4.

How then shall we keep his Law which seems impossible to keep in our own strength and which we seem to keep breaking? He keeps it for us when we rest in Him. The Sabbath is a commemoration of this rest:

[13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure(keeping of His commandments). Philippians 2:13.

[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:29.

[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] 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. Matthew 11:28-29.

So the Sabbath is not just another day but special and hallowed and reminds us of all these things.

My prayer is for us to come to understand what it means and what it is individually, and that God will guide us all into that truth.

Compromise pt 2: God's Law unchangeable.

I have been thinking about this Sabbath issue for a while now. It is an issue that has Christendom somewhat divided. A majority believe that the Sabbath is Sunday, while not many believe it is Saturday and was never changed.

I'm just sharing my thoughts on here by the way, and our perspectives ultimately lie with us but I pray that not only I but all of us will come to understand God not only on this Sabbath question but to understand Him overall, and to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

We have been instructed to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy in the 4th commandment:

[8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11.

The first thing to keep in mind is that, the Sabbath is one of the the 10 commandments, God's Holy Law, which is the standard for righteousness, as is written:

...for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20.


The 10 commandments are that standard and the Sabbath commandment is one of them.

There is nowhere I have seen in the Bible so far, and if I missed it hopefully I will catch it, where it says that God's Law was changed. If God's Law He did not change it Himself, then the 10 commandments continue to stand as His Law with the Sabbath commandment being one of them, as is written:

[7] The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
[8] They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. Psalms 11:7,8.

[17] Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
[18] For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
[19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19.

The above are Christ's words and He is telling us that the law He did not change. If there was ever an opportune time, it was when Christ Himself walked this earth among us, to tell us that something as important as the broken Law which he came to die for, had been changed.

Instead He emphasized the immutability of God's Law!

This is something that I don't think many of us consider. Christ came to die for the broken Law that he would make a way for us to be reconciled to Him again. If God wanted to change His Law, He would not have gone to the trouble of becoming a man to die for our sins.

He could have modified the law instead such that we would not be guilty of breaking it. But there was no other way and only by the shedding of blood is there remission of sins, as is written:

[22] And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Hebrews 9:22.

We are all guilty of breaking His Law and only by the shedding of Christ's blood could we be reconciled to God as is written:

[23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23.

[23] For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23.

... the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ezekiel 18:4.


He did not modify the law so that we would not be guilty anymore but instead:

[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17.

He did not modify His Law which is unchangeable, but instead sent His begotten Son to die for our sins, that there would still be a way to be reconciled to Him without changing His Law.

That means that His Law is serious business, if not one jot or one tittle shall in any wise pass from it. If He will not change the Law because it has been broken, but rather send the remedy which is Christ, His only begotten Son to die for our sins, that means that His Law is serious business.

So if His commandments stand fast forever, that means His Law as He said Himself, He did not change therefore there is no basis for us to think otherwise.

 There is no basis for us to think that the Sabbath was changed thus, because it is one of His 10 commandments.

So what is the Sabbath day then?

In the commandments, it is specified that the Sabbath is the seventh day, which in our case would be Saturday and not Sunday.

The calendar which we use now considers a day from the way it was in the beginning and even as the Jews continued to do.

According to our modern calendar, a day starts at midnight, but according to the way God called a day, it started at dusk and ended at the next dusk. Read this for a little bit more on whether our modern Saturday is the Sabbath. So at dusk would be the ending of one day and the beginning of another as is written:

And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:5.

At the end of each day of Creation, "the evening and the morning" were the end and beginning of another day.

In the new testament we also see this:

[1] In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. Matthew28:1

[42] And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Mark 15:42

[1] And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
[2] And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. Mark 16:1, 2.

[54] And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
[55] And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
[56] And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 23:54-56.

We see some key things in these verses:


1. Dusk was the beginning of another day.

That the transition of a day was as in the beginning, at dusk and not as we count a day at present, that it begins and ends at midnight. So according to the way it had always been done before the changing of the calendar, the Sabbath actually starts at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday. That would be the Sabbath.

 [1] In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. Matthew28:1

[42] And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Mark 15:42

[1] And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
[2] And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. Mark 16:1, 2.

[54] And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
[55] And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
[56] And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 23:54-56.

2. Jesus was crucified on Friday

We all know that he was crucified on Friday, which was the preparation day or the day of preparation for the Sabbath.

[31] The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. John 19:31.

[54] And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
[55] And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
[56] And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Luke 23:54-56.


3. Jesus was raised from the dead on Sunday

We all know and it is confirmed in the verses that Jesus was raised from the dead on Sunday. He was crucifed on Friday (day of Preparation), was in the grave on Saturday and rose on Sunday.



[1] In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. Matthew28:1



[1] And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
[2] And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. Mark 16:1, 2.


4. Jesus taught on the Sabbath in the temple and did not mention about any change or that a different Sabbath should be kept.

Jesus told it like it was and if anyone was to speak on the changing of the Sabbath, it would have been Him. He Himself said no change would be made to the Law.  The Pharisees were legalistic about the Sabbath and would ask Him about what could and could not be done on the Sabbath, but in those confrontations, He would try to draw them to the deeper meaning of the Sabbath but not once did He mention that it was changed.

[21] And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. Mark 1:21.

[2] And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Mark 6:2.




5.  Paul kept the Sabbath and taught the gentiles on Sabbath

He did not mention about any change to His disciples and they continued with the Sabbath as the Hallowed day of the Lord as had always been, and even Paul who was to teach the Gentiles the truth did not mention about any change to them but taught them himself on the Sabbath. So the reason that it was only for the Jews does not apply in this case because Paul, an apostle to the gentiles taught them on that day. Something that important he could have told them if they were to keep a different Sabbath from that which the Jews kept. So if it was only for the Jews only, who better fitting to teach the gentiles that it was changed than Paul Himself who had been called to minister to them?

[14] But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
[27] For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
[42] And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
[44] And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Acts 13:14,27,42,44.


[19] Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
[20] But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
[21] For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. Acts 15:19-21.

[13] And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. Acts 16:13.

[2] And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Acts 17:2.

[4] And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Acts 18:4.


So we have seen that God's Law is unchangeable and He told us that not one jot or tittle will in any wise pass from the Law. The Sabbath is one of His unchangeable commandments. It was not for the Jews only but is for all believers. He did not mention any change of the Sabbath to His disciples and even Paul who called to minister especially to the Gentiles did not mention of a change to the Sabbath and even taught them himself on the Sabbath. So it is not only in the old testament or for the Jews only as some say, but Christ taught on the Sabbath and the disciples continued to keep it after Christ's resurrection.

Will continue next time and God Bless.

Compromise pt 1

Hope you are well. I am as always. I have been away for a while because quite a bit has been going on and have been busy. But right now today, I am here with you, and that is a blessing.

I was just thinking about compromise for the last few days. I have been given opportunities to go to some seminars which I have always wanted to go to but can not afford. The problem is that these seminars as anything else that is Continuing Education related mostly fall on the Sabbath day, because that is the day when most are free and can travel.

In my case however, that is God's time and He gets first place on that day, ideally. So the first problem is that as badly as I would like to attend, I have told myself that I will not attend unless if held at other times than the Sabbath. I explained this and the person who had offered to help was displeased as they could not understand why I would pass up such an opportunity just because I had to observe Sabbath. To him it is just nonsense as he does not understand.

This is a problem for me because I am really tempted to do this but another problem develops if I compromise. If you compromise once, you are likely to compromise again because there is always going to be a situation which can be rationally justified as a good reason to not observe it. Also, once you compromise, people will be quick to remind you in the future that "you have done so on one incident, why not this one. What makes this situation so special that you will not compromise at all this time?"

So the position I have chosen is not to do it. I appear foolish but I trust that the Lord of the Sabbath, He himself will provide the funding for me to do this. Some have said "what if He has already provided through this opportunity?" But I say that God does not contradict Himself. He will not ask you in the 4th commandment to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy, and at the same time provide for you to do the opposite. He will not facilitate you to break His Law. On the other hand, I perceive it to be a test because I stand to gain a lot from this but I would have to compromise and break the 4th commandment in the process.

I hope I am not coming across as someone who is "holier than thou" when talking about this Sabbath observance. I need God's help and strength to not only keep His Sabbath but also all the 9 commandments. I am not perfect but should also not give up just because I am not perfect. Some say "why are you so picky about the Sabbath" but I say it is one of the 10 commandments. Just as much as we should not lie, covet, murder, etc, we should keep His Sabbath holy. Though I do not keep perfectly the other 9 commandments as anybody else, it doesn't mean that I should willfully ignore the 4th commandment because it is so much trouble to try to keep it, either. Just because one has trouble to stop lying, does not justify them to commit adultery in another situation since they are failing dismally in another area. You don't sin more because you are already sinning saying "it is pointless".

God's law is spiritual as is written;

[14] For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. Romans 7:14.

The Law is spiritual but we are carnal or fleshly. We can not keep a spiritual law if we are carnal or in the flesh. It is written:

[23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
[24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23, 24.

Thus for us to keep a spiritual Law, and to worship God in Spirit and in truth, we have to be in the Spirit.

For us to be in the Spirit, we have to be connected to Christ through the Holy Spirit. We mantain this connection by:

[23] And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23.

When we die to self by carrying our crosses daily;

[20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20.

By carrying our crosses daily, we are crucifying self which is carnal or the flesh and allowing to Christ to live in us:

[13] For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13.

When we carry our crosses daily, we crucify self and allow Christ to work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. When self is dead Christ is alive working in us to do His will. What is his will or His good pleasure?

[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment.
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40.

The first thing above all is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love for God is summarised in the first four commandments. Love for man is summarised in the last 6. That's why on these 2 commandments, hangs all the Law because they summarise love for God and love for man.

1st [3] Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2nd [4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in 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.

3rd [7] Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

4th [8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

5th [12] Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

6th [13] Thou shalt not kill.

7th [14] Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8th [15] Thou shalt not steal.

9th [16] Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

10th [17] Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.Exodus 20:3-17.

But it is important for us to understand that we cannot keep God's Law in our own strength or by our own efforts, lest it becomes righteousness by works. It is impossible to keep God's Law on our own. Only by Him dwelling in us by faith can He work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, which is keeping the Law.

For Him to dwell in us and therefore work in us to keep His Law or to do His good pleasure, we have to carry our crosses and die daily, so that self or the flesh is dead and He is the one instead doing all these things for us that we cannot do for ourselves.

Will stop here for now.