Defining Love

                Love… Can you define it? Every man and every woman has a definition of some sort for it. The definition I go by? Well, believe it or not, I go by the Bible’s definition. Yet, before I give it to you, here are a few definitions that others, who will remain anonymous, go by:

·         “Love is when you sacrifice everything for a person, but it’s not because you’re trying to be selfish. It’s because you know that it’s the best for them.”

·         “My definition of love is when two people are meant for each other and get married.”

·         “My definition of love is when two people see each other at first sight and have a connection.”

·         “When you say love it means you care about somebody, you appreciate them… And that’s all I can say.”

                Now, why don’t we go ahead and take a look at the Bible’s description. If you would like to read along, then my Bible is the King James Version (KJV). I will now be opening up to 1 John 4:7-8 which states, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.” That is how the Word of God defines love.

                For those of you who didn’t understand word of that, don’t worry. Don’t worry because I will place it in simpler terms. What it is saying is that those who do not know God do not love and vice versa. Why? Because God is love. They are the same.

                That is why he sent His one and only Son down to die for our sins. For those of you who grew up for years in a Christian home, do you remember John 3:16? It is written, “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.” God loved us enough to send his “only begotten Son” to be murdered for the sins that only we committed. Jesus, God’s Son, committed not even a single sin. Still, he took the price of our sins.

                It is also why Jesus rose from the dead. His love was so powerful and so beautiful that even death itself could not keep Him from returning to us and, later on, back to the Heavenly Father. God is love. Love is not Cupid. It is not Cupid’s arrow either. God is love.

                I thank you for your time and patience. It has been a true blessing. Now, I want you to remember these closing words. Jesus is not only in love with you. That’s right! He is also the love in you.

               

The Ten Commandments

Ah,yes! Inventions! You know there are a lot of them. I have a lot of respect for one in particular, though. Actually, it's technically ten inventions. Perhaps you have heard of them. Does the name Ten Commandments ring a bell? Well, if not, why don't you stick around for a little sermon?

                Before I begin, allow me to inform you that I will NOT be teaching you about each and every one of the Ten Commandments in this sermon. You see, I was not given an ample amount  of time to throw together this here message. Of course, you can read more about them in the Holy Bible. Just refer to the Old Testament and go to Exodus 20. That should give you a crystal clear idea of the ten basic laws of Christianity.

                The Ten Commandments teach us that we are unable  to live up to God's expectations. What is His expectation? In Matthews 5:48 it is written, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." God's expectation is perfection. How many of you can say that you can be perfect and obey all ten of the commandments anytime that you please? None of you...I tell you... None of you!

                For example, listen to this law from Exodus 20:14. It reads,"Thou shalt not commit adultery." So, you are probably saying, "What is so hard about not commiting adultery?" Well, I see why you are so reliant on that response. You probably think adultery is just something like having two chicks at once. Got news for you, pal... YOU ARE WRONG!

                Once again, let's refer back to the  Holy  Bible. In Matthew 5:28 it is written, "But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath commited adultery with her already in his heart." Basically, it is saying that if you  are to look at pornography or look at any girl inappropriately, then you have commited adultery. Can any of you gentlemen look me in the eye, and tell me that's not you? That is a sin that I gaurentee all you males out there have commited.

                Although we cannot live up to God's expectations in the Ten Commandments, we can still live in a life of eternity as promised to believers in Christ. Just read this next scripture along with me. 1 Peter 2:24 states, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." Some of you out there probably have no idea what that means. Well, my friend, I will claify. God saw that man was unable to live a pure life. So, he sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins. God's son, Jesus, was sent down to take punishment for our sins... Even though he lived a SINLESS and PERFECT life.

                Understand that the Ten Commandments being followed are not the key to eternal life. The ONLY way into eternal life is Jesus. That doesn't mean that you can just go around sinning, though. The Ten Commandments are there for a reason. You know what? I am not going to tell you that reason. You are going to ask God what that reason is. Go on… Ask. 

Sin's Impact

                Indiana Jones’s caution towards snakes, which represent temptation, is what Adam and Eve should have possessed in Genesis 3 located in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. Even in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, directed by  Steven Spielberg, Indiana refused to let the snake, or the temptation if I may, take control when being sucked in by a patch of dry sand. Well, he did grab the snake once his son called the snake a rope, but you get the point. Unfortunately, as I said before, that was not the choice that Adam and Eve stuck to. And in return… All of mankind to come had to suffer the same consequences as those given to Adam and Eve. That brings us to today’s topic: How did Adam and Eve’s sin affect life as we currently know it?

                The first mentioned impact of Adam and Eve’s sin is brought to attention in Genesis 3:3. It states, “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” At first I questioned whether that verse meant physically die or figuratively die. The answer, my friend seemed to be physically die- which it was. Eating from that tree doesn’t make you die right away; It instead gives all humans a lifespan.

                However, I suppose that you could say that mankind died figuratively, as well. Due to the way that man changed once that bite was taken from the forbidden apple, I find it appropriate to tell you that man’s original self died revealing a more shameful form. Don’t fret. I know you have some vital professions and chores to take care of. So, I will go ahead and move on to the next sin’s next affect on life.

                The next change that resulted from the original sin is called upon in Genesis 3:9-11 where it is written, “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” Adam and Eve’s sin resulted with the shame of being naked.

                You see, before eating from the tree, there were many things that were considered good. Being bare skinned was one of those things. Although, as you read above, it was different afterwards. This is not what God had desired. God had wished for man to live with no humiliation towards their body’s structure. According to Genesis 3:21, God had to make clothing from animal skins in order to hide the shame.

                The final, but not last, result I want to mention is man being removed from the garden of Eden. In Genesis 3:23-24 it reads, “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cher-u-bims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” God removed man from the garden of Eden as a punishment. Man no longer being allowed in the garden of Eden is tragic if you ask me. I don’t pout, though, because I know that someday I will be in the greatest place imaginable… In Heaven with God.

Work Cited:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Paramount Pictures: 2008,      Film.