HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT GRIEVOUS
(mr 01/03/18)
OLUBI JOHNSON
PREACHED SUNDAY 18/02/2018 grievous
1 John 5:3 KJV: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Matthew 11:30 KJV: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Here, the Lord Jesus tells us His commandments are not grievous: His yoke is easy and His burden is light!
Specifically, what then are His commandments?
1 John 3:23 KJV: And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
John 20:31 KJV: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
John 12:50 AMP: And I know that His commandment is (means) eternal life. So whatever I speak, I am saying [exactly] what My Father has told Me to say and in accordance with His instructions.
The commandment is two-fold: believe on His Name (to receive eternal life) and love one another as He gave commandment.
Why?
Because we are to love as He loves and not just as we love ourselves: this is what makes a NEW commandment. It is superior to the Old Testament love commandment, because it DEMANDS LOVING WITH DIVINE LOVE and not just human love.
John 13:34 KJV: A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
This commandment to love with DIVINE and not just human love therefore is prefaced by the commandment to get DIVINE LIFE THROUGH THE NAME OF JESUS!
It is for this reason that the commandment is NOT GRIEVOUS: it is kept by ability of DIVINE LIFE not human effort.
This divine life comes by mercy and grace THROUGH FAITH.
1 John 5:4 NIV: for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Ephesians 2:8 NIV: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
Romans 4:16 KJV: Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Here, the scripture reveals to us that His commandments are not grievous because we keep: practice and do the commandments by GRACE AND MERCY THROUGH FAITH!
This why it is SURE that ALL THE SEED: EVERY CHRISTIAN CAN KEEP GOD’S COMMANDMENTS SUCCESSFULLY, IF THEY DO IT BY GRACE AND MERCY THROUGH FAITH!
We see this in Paul in:
1 Corinthians 15:10 KJV: But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
We do God’s Word by grace and mercy THROUGH FAITH, by saying it with our mouths: to release the power of God in sufficient measure by grace and mercy; and then saying it in our hearts with a determination to act on it and then practicing and acting on it.
This is shown in
Romans 10:6-8 KJV: But the righteousness that is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) (7) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) (8) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Deuteronomy 30:11-15 KJV: For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. (12) It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? (13) Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? (14) But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. (15) See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 KJV: I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (20) That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
It is instructive to note here that even in the Old Testament, God through Moses had revealed to them HOW to keep His commandments by His MERCY through faith (there was no grace through Christ at that time as the Lord Jesus had not yet come; however, God’s power in sufficient measure to do His Word was available by HIS MERCY THROUGH FAITH). This is how we see men like Enoch (Heb.11.5-6), Joseph, Daniel and others kept God’s Word and pleased God even in the Old Testament!
Furthermore, notice here that God, even in the Old Testament, commanded them DIRECTLY to choose LIFE (after the fall of Adam who he commanded INDIRECTLY before the fall, to eat of the tree of life (Gen. 2.16-17)). So the Old Testament saints could receive life UPON them to do God’s Word, but could not receive life WITHIN them, because the Lord Jesus had not yet come, died and shed His blood.
So now in the New Testament, we can by grace and mercy through faith receive life BOTH UPON AND WITHIN US to keep God’s commandment of divine love. By doing this, we will not find, doing God’s commandments grievous.
With this life and power in sufficient measure BOTH WITHIN (grace) AND WITHOUT (mercy), we can and should perfect the love God, using God’s Word fulfilling:
1 John 2:5 KJV: But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
By the blood and the Spirit fulfilling:
Hebrews 13:20-21 KJV: Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (21) Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 6:13 KJV: Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:17-18 KJV: And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
So in conclusion we:
- We take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God by using the promises in the Word to draw the life of God from the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit by faith (2 Pet. 1.4); and also we read, meditate and speak God’s Word.
In this way, we will see that His commandments are not grievous and His yoke is easy and His burden is light!
Selah!
