Trespassing

No Trespassing

Leviticus 6:2

"If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour;"

It is humanly impossible to live life without one day wronging someone. Though we may never initially do this, we often find that we have done something against someone. Whether intentional or not, we must get right with the one whom we wronged if we want God to bless us.

God dealt with this issue when He told Moses how to offer a trespass offering. It's interesting that God calls it a trespass offering because that implies that we infringed on someone else's property or rights. You will notice that God says, "If a soul sin,..." God does not excuse anyone from trespassing against another. He simply deals with the issue of wronging someone else. It doesn't matter if they wronged you, what matters is that you did wrong to someone else. God was dealing with the issue at hand, and you are the issue.

Furthermore, God indicts us even further by saying, "...and commit a trespass..." God is teaching us that when we do wrong, it is nobody else's fault but our own. When you do wrong, you chose to do wrong. When you infringe on another's rights, by choice you infringed on their rights. If you are going to right a wrong against someone else, then you must come to grips with the fact that you chose to do the wrong. You must not blame anyone else, you must take full responsibility for your own actions. So, how do you right a wrong when you have trespassed against someone?

First, admit to the one whom you wronged that you have done wrong. In verses 3-5, you will see that before the trespass offering was to be offered, they had to go to the person whom they trespassed against and get it right. By going to that person they were admitting their wrong. Christian, you will never right a wrong until you admit to the one whom you wronged that it was your fault. It may not be easy to look that person in the eyes, but you must go to them if you want to get it right.

Second, restore to the best of your ability what you took from them. God commanded in these same verses to restore what they took from the one they wronged. You must find a way to restore what you took from the person when you wronged them. It may not always be easy, but you must find a way to give back to them what you took from them.

Third, restore more than you took. God said they were to " add the fifth part" to the one they took from. In other words, your restoration should make them better off than they were before you committed the trespass. Anything less than this will not be accepted by God.

Finally, after you have done these things, then ask God to forgive you. You will notice that each of these areas were to be completed before they offered the trespass offering to God. God is teaching that He will not forgive you until you get right with the one whom you wronged. You can ask God to forgive you when you wronged someone, but if you haven't got right with the person, then God won't forgive you. God wants you to understand that you can't be right with Him if you are not right with the one whom you wronged.

Have you wronged someone and have yet to get right with them? Christian, you will never experience God's forgiveness until you get right with those who you have wronged. If there is someone that comes to mind whom you have wronged, then don't let this day end without attempting to get that wrong right. God's forgiveness is predicated upon you getting right with others. If you are right with others, then you can get right with God.#edit

Which Side

Which Side Are You On?

Exodus 32:26

"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."

You know the story very well. Moses spent forty days and nights on the top of Mount Sinai receiving the commandments from God. While he was at the top of the mount, Aaron and the people were in the valley building and worshipping a golden calf. When Moses came down from the top of the mount, he saw the people naked and dancing around the golden calf. When he saw this, he became angry and threw the tablets of stone on the ground and broke them. It is always good to see that there are people who get angry with sin. Moses' action towards sin should be a lesson to everyone.

However, the truth I want you to see comes from the verse above. After Moses confronted Aaron, he then stood in the gate and drew a line to decide who was on the LORD's side. He told them that whoever was on the LORD's side should come to him in the gate. Moses was forcing people to choose sides. He was not worried about offending people by forcing them to make a choice; rather, he was forcing them to make a decision of whether they would serve the LORD or the golden calf.

One of the dangerous movements infiltrating our churches is one where you don't force people to choose sides. They simply don't want to offend anyone with truth. Instead of making truth clear, they muddy the waters and tell people that they need to decide what is right in their own mind. Their feeling is that they don't want to make people feel uncomfortable to the degree that it will run them off. Even if they must compromise who they are and what they believe, forcing people to make a choice will not be something they will do.

Let me make this very clear, the Scriptures will force people to make a choice. For instance, you make a choice of choosing Christ to be your Saviour to go to Heaven, or you choose another path that will send you to Hell. God is for people making choices for whom they will follow. God is not concerned with how uncomfortable it will make people, rather He is concerned that truth is made plain.

Truth will never be that light on the hill if we don't force people to choose sides. I know there are some who are uncomfortable reading this, but if we don't make our choices clear then truth will fail to be a part of our society. You may not like the Scriptures telling you how to live and dress, but that is all a part of choosing sides.

In order to make a decision then clear lines must be drawn. Moses drew a clear line for those who were on the LORD's side, and you must make a clear line for people so they will know which side is the LORD's side. Don't be afraid to define sin. Don't just tell people not to sin, but tell them what is sin. When people clearly know what is right and wrong, then they must make a choice as to which side they will be on. When you create gray areas, then people can't make a choice. It is imperative that people understand what is right and wrong.

Christian, don't flinch when preachers declare what is right and wrong. As long as they show you from the Scriptures where something is right or wrong, you should not fight against them. Drawing clear lines simply helps you to know which side you are going to follow. I challenge you to always choose the LORD's side. It may not always be popular, but it is always right. When you go to work or school, choose the LORD's side at all times. In your home, choose the LORD's side with what you watch and do. Everyone around you should know whose side you are on. Do they?

Thou shalt not

Thou Shalt Not

Exodus 20:4

"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:"

One of the common complaints you hear in Christianity is that people say they get tired of all the rules in the church. You often hear people say that they don't like the preacher telling them how to dress, where they can go, with whom they should be friends, etc. Many people who have dropped out of church tell me that the reason they stopped going to church was because they didn't like the preacher always telling them what to do.

Several times in the Scriptures God says, "Thou shalt not..." In fact, two hundred and forty times God says this in the Scriptures. This is just one of the phrases God uses to show us what not to do. If you are not careful, you will allow this phrase to be the thing that drives you away from serving God; however, I believe if you looked at this phrase in a different light you would realize that God's rules are not so bad. Let me show you some perspectives you should keep about the phrase, "Thou shalt not..."

First, "Thou shalt not..." reveals your heart. You can tell a whether a person is rebellious by what they do when they are told not to do something. You will hear people say, "I'm not going to let them tell me what I can't do!" There are many people who take it as an honor badge to rebel against God's commandments. You have some who say that you are going to run off people by telling them what not to do. Well, apparently God didn't get that memo, because two hundred and forty times He commands us not to do something. Rules don't run people off, rules only reveal that the heart already ran off. It simply reveals to authority the heart of an individual. Don't be afraid of the rules God has set in place, for they are partly there to reveal an individual's heart.

Second, "Thou shalt not..." shows you what you can do. If God is telling us what not to do, then He is also revealing what we can do. Too many people look at the negative side of the statement when they ought to see that there are many things God allows us to do. It is not keeping you from doing things, it is only showing you what you can do. God is simply giving you clarity by telling you what not to do.

Third, "Thou shalt not..." protects you from harm. Sadly, the people who look at the negative side of this command don't realize that God is keeping someone from harm. God tells us not to do something because He knows if we do it that it will hurt us. When my parents told me not to play with the electrical plugins in the house, they were not being hateful, they were simply keeping me from hurting myself. Christian, God is not being hateful by telling you not to do something, instead He is revealing His love towards you by keeping you from hurting yourself.

Fourth, "Thou shalt not..." keeps God's blessings upon your life. If you will obey this command, then you will keep God's blessings rolling into your life. Obedience is the key to the blessings of God. You discover the fountain of God's blessings by learning what not to do.

Let me encourage you not to look at the commandments of God in a negative light. Don't let the Devil snooker you into the feeling that all the rules God set in place are grievous. Instead, look at the rules in a positive manner and see that God is truly trying to give you His blessings if you will obey Him. If you will look at it in this light, then you will find that serving God truly is the best life to live.

Provision

He Will Provide

Genesis 22:14

"And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen."

One could only imagine the confusion in Abraham's mind. For many years he went without a child, though God promised that He would make a great nation out of his seed. Finally, God gave him a son to be that seed out of which the great nation would be born. Then, God told Abraham to take his only son and give him as a sacrifice. We are not talking about giving his son to serve God for the rest of his life, but what we are talking about is God told Abraham that He wanted Him to offer his son as a burnt sacrifice. This certainly may have seemed strange and difficult at best. Yet, Abraham obeyed and went to the top of Mount Moriah to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. When Abraham laid Isaac on the wood and was about ready to kill him, he must have been confused and wondered what God was doing. Yet, God stopped Abraham and provided the ram that was needed for the sacrifice.

After Abraham offered the sacrifice, he called the place Jehovahjireh. This name comes from two separate names. The first name "Jehovah" means, the Supreme Being. It is the name that God used to show Israel that there was not a greater than He. The other name is "Jireh" which means, will provide. Abraham was simply saying that the LORD will provide. In other words, through Jehovahjireh your needs will be met.

What is your need today? Like Abraham, do you look at what God is sending you through and wonder what He is doing? There are many times in the lives of Christians that God's commands will not always make sense, but we must always understand that if He commands us to do something that Jehovahjireh will come through and provide for that need. Let me give you a couple of thoughts that will help you in this area.

First, Jehovahjireh came through for others, and He will come through for you. Look through the Scriptures and you will see that Jehovahjireh provided. He provided food and water for the children of Israel in the wilderness. He provided protection for David when surrounded by the giants. He provided for Gideon when all seemed to be impossible. Likewise, the same God that provided for them will provide for you. Maybe God told you to do something and you're not sure where He is. I promise you that God will provide. God never commands you to do something that He doesn't provide the wherewithal to do it.

Second, Jehovahjireh will provide in His time. I can imagine Abraham wondering when God was going to provide the sacrificial ram. God provided it in His timing. God doesn't have to work in your schedule. In fact, God's schedule is most often different from yours; however, He always provides on time.

Third, you must step out by faith for Jehovahjireh to come through. There is no need for Jehovahjireh to provide if you have not stepped out by faith. We want God to provide first and then step out; whereas, He wants you to first step out and then He will provide. If God has told you to do something, then do it and trust that Jehovahjireh will provide.

Fourth, keep a good attitude until Jehovahjireh provides. Stop complaining about what God is not doing and trust that His provision will come through on time. Why should Jehovahjireh provide for you when all you do is gripe? I know if I was Him I would not provide for the one who gripes about Him not doing things in your timing. Keep the attitude that would show Jehovahjireh that you believe He will provide.

Whenever you have a need, pray to Jehovahjireh and ask for His provision. When you pray, literally use the name Jehovahjireh as you pray. Be patient and realize that Jehovahjireh will provide in His timing.

Don't

Don't Kill Your Brother

Genesis 4:8

"And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."

The story of Cain and Abel is sad not only because of the death of Abel, but because of the potential that these two men could have accomplished together had Cain obeyed God. The Scriptures are not clear on how often Cain and Abel were to sacrifice to God, but we do know that they were to give a blood sacrifice. Abel took the firstling of his flock and sacrificed the lamb. The Scriptures teach that God respected, or accepted, Abel's sacrifice. On the other hand, Cain took of the fruit of the ground to give as a sacrifice to the LORD. This sacrifice was rejected by God because it was not a blood sacrifice.

Because Abel's sacrifice was accepted, Cain became bitter and allowed his bitterness to fester in his heart. Instead of learning from his brother, he let the bitterness turn to evil desires and finally killed him. This all happened because his brother did what was right and was accepted by God.

I fear that many times the one who does right is the one who becomes the hated by those who are implicated in the wrong. Paul said to the Galatian Christians in Galatians 4:16, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" Apparently, because Paul told the Galatians the truth, they treated Paul as the enemy instead of getting right with God. Because he told the truth, he became their adversary. Because he told the truth, they tried to kill the messenger instead of facing their sin and getting right with God.

All too often in Christianity we treat the messenger as the bad guy instead of listening to the message and correcting our sin. I have watched those who expose error become the enemy because they told the truth instead of allowing someone whom people loved to continue to attack truth. This is absurd! Those who expose error should not be killed because they tell the truth. When men become the defenders of the authenticity of the Scriptures, they should not become the enemy. Instead, those who attack the Scriptures should be the ones who change their ways. Just like Cain got upset at Abel and killed him for doing right, many Christians are killing the messengers of truth instead of changing their errant ways.

Christian, let me warn and challenge you not to kill the messenger when they tell you the truth. I know that hearing the truth may not always be easy to accept, but the messengers of truth are not your enemies. Teenager, your parents are not your enemy because they correct you and try to get you to do right. Christian, your pastor is not your enemy because he preaches the truth without apology and it exposes your sin. If you have a friend who exposes sin in your life, don't attack your friend who is simply trying to help you have God's blessings on your life.

The action you should take when you hear that you are wrong is to confess your sin to God and do right. Abel had the opportunity at the door to do right; instead, he killed the one who exposed his error. Anytime the Holy Spirit uses people to show you your sin, don't let the messenger be your enemy, but change your actions so that God's blessings can be upon your life. Don't kill your brother because he tells you the truth, but thank him and take the appropriate actions to change what you need to change.