Holy Thermostat!

I heard a good analogy in church on Sunday so I thought I would share it with you. We are going through the book of Hebrews, talking about law vs grace. In this world there are some Christians who believe that since Jesus came to earth we are no longer under the law that was given to us in the old testament. That is wrong and here to testify to that fact is none other than Jesus himself.

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus came to fulfill the law, not destroy it.

The law, called the Mosaic Covenant, was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. We've all seen The Ten Commandments movie, right? There are other laws too about sacrifices and festivals. But what is the real purpose of the law anyway? Let me illustrate.

Let's say you're out west driving across the desert and you turn onto this long, straight road. There is no speed limit sign where you got on so you will just have to guess what your speed limit should be. How fast would you go if you don't really know what the speed limit is? 55 mph? 65 mph? Texas has the highest posted speed limit in the nation - 85 miles per hour. What is the law?

So you're going 65 mph down this long deserted road thinking that 65 is probably pretty safe when you suddenly see a speed limit sign that says 45 mph. What do you do? Do you slow down? Of course. Why? Well, because "the law" says you shouldn't be going faster than 45.

Not "knowing" what the law was made you drive one way. "Knowing" the law made you drive another. It is the law that shows us how we should act and how we should live our lives. The problem comes when we actually KNOW the law and still disobey it.

Do you always drive the speed limit? It's the law.

The example our pastor gave today was of a thermometer. It basically does the same thing as a speed limit sign. A thermometer tells us how hot or cold it is. The purpose of the thermometer is to tell us something, not do anything about it. A thermostat, however, can actually change things. It can adjust the temperature up or down.

Jesus is our thermometer. He can take our sins and change them into righteousness through our belief in Him. It is through our belief and God's grace that we are redeemed. It is God's fingers on the thermostat, not ours. Our eternity is in His hands.

We cannot meet every "jot and tittle" of the law that appears in the Bible. No one can. We need some help. And where does that help come from? The Maker of heaven and earth.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." - Psalm 121:1

Listen to the bridge in this song. See if you don't hear a similar message from Casting Crowns.

Praise You In This Storm - Casting Crowns

We are blessed to serve a great God who saves. Have you been saved? Do you still try to live the law rather than live for Christ? Quit trying to BE holy. Surrender your heart to Christ and BECOME holy in God's eyes through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.