Sin entered the world through the first two people.
Sin was present the very moment Israel started wandering in the desert. They couldn’t even follow directions in how to gather the manna. (Exodus 16)
God gave Moses the law so we could recognize sin and understand what is expected of us. All this in preparation for Christ’s sacrifice to release us form the law. (Romans 7)
The greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbor. What does love have to do with church attendance?
My church attendance says I love:
When people live without boundaries, they are unable to recognize when they are astray. Paul points out in Romans 5:12-21 that the law of Moses was given by God to highlight sin. The idea was for them to understand how sin abounds and to be appreciative of Christ when he came.
Now that Christ has come and brought us the gospel, we enjoy being within his boundaries of grace, light and love.
As I read Psalm 66 I can’t help but think about all of the beautiful weather and scenery pictures I see from my friends all around the world. Just today my Facebook stream was full of snowy mountains from Virginia.
God’s deeds are awesome – both in the way the world works with finely tuned precision, to the great miracles recorded for us in the Bible to prove his word. (Mark 16:20)
Even more awesome, is how he answers prayers for those that depend on him. (Psalm 66:13-20)
Even Jesus said we have access directly to the Father (Mark 16:23)
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Through God’s grace, we were given the ultimate sacrifice for our redemption. He understood that we all are sinners and need his help. (Romans 3:23)
God has asked us to take this gift, so he can show us his righteousness and give us salvation – if we follow Jesus. (Romans 3:26)
Isn’t it hard to believe that the Pharaoh’s heart was so hard that he could say no to Moses after so many plagues? If you remember from Exodus 4:21, God told Moses that he would harden Pharaoh’s heart. It worked so well that the Pharaoh allowed the plague of frogs to stay an extra night when he could have ended it immediately. (Exodus 8:9-10)
God delivered “Shock and Awe” to the world with power and control like none alive at the time had ever seen. This is a good place to start when trying to figure out how to apply it, but it goes so much deeper. I hope you noticed it:
God can do his work through evil men just as easily as he can work through his followers!
Romans 13:1-7 authorizes governments without defining what model they use – It could be a democracy or a dictatorship. It also reminds us that that power is God-given. Sooo … What does that mean for us?
We don’t have to despair when we are governed by sinners. Keep God in view and focus on doing his will and he will deal with the rest.
Bonus: David addresses a similar theme in Psalm 64