THE BAKER'S DOZEN OF THE COMMANDS OF JESUS
Last week, we began with the 10 saddest words in the English language, and then talked about the BAKER'S DIRTY DOZEN of things for which we need to repent.
Today, let's consider 10 of the happiest words in our language as our springboard to the commands of Jesus. His commandments are NOT hard!
I like these words:
1. Rainbow: Jeffrey Lloyd, now known as Aberjhani, said, "Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow, with gold at both ends!"
2. Outstanding: What better words to hear, when spoken about either your life, or a special project, or perhaps, your faith and service to God and country!
3. Butterflies: Butterflies are flowers that waft on the breezes of life.
4. Romance: a quote from Dr.Seuss: "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
5. Kisses: How about John Loudermilk's old song - "Kiss me each morning for a million years / Hold me each evening by your side / Tell me you'll love me for a million years / Then if it don't work out, then if it don't work out, you can tell me goodbye...."
I had a hard time deciding between the song, and this:
"The best kiss is the one that has been exchanged a thousand times between the eyes before it reaches the lips ...."
6. Sunlight: from the mind of the Persian poet, Hafiz : "Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth, 'YOU OWE ME.' Look what happens with a love like that: it lights the whole sky!"
7. Optimism: Just when the caterpillar thought life was over, it became a butterfly. Just when WE think life is over we become ......a citizen of forever!
8. Extraordinary: Overcome that tendency to be ordinary and normal...it robs you of the opportunity to be EXTRAORDINARY!
9. Happiness: SMILE! happiness looks gorgeous on you!
10. And # 10 is Joy: From the mind of Mother Teresa: "One filled with joy preaches without preaching!"
Today, we want to look at the positive side of life, as we examine some of the BAKER'S DOZEN of the commands of Jesus. Let me say, however, at the outset, that there are so many more than just the BAKER'S DOZEN ... what I have done is to select 13 different TOPICS, and a command for each of the topics.
Let me further explain that there are more than 1 command for each of the topics we have selected ... in many cases there a half dozen, or more. That being said, let us begin with # 1, which is:
1. REPENTANCE .... In the third chapter of Matthew, we have the story of Jesus being baptized, and in the 4th chapter, we have the story of His temptations in the wilderness. And then, Matthew quotes from the Prophet Isaiah, saying, "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."
The next verse, then, reads like this: "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Repentance is the first step we take on our Gospel Journey, if I may say it that way.
2. THE NEW BIRTH ... you can already guess the command for this one, I'm sure ... Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, as recorded in John 3, "You must be born again!" and, in support of this admonition, there's a followup ... it's sort of a command, I guess, but it's also solid advice ... "rejoice, because your names are written in heaven!"
One of the things I like about this latter verse, from Luke 10 is that the verse says, "your names ARE written in heaven," not 'will be!'
Can you imagine a brighter way to start each day, than to realize that your eternal future is already in place? Can you imagine how a day could improve from that ... unless, of course, it's the day in which you are TRANSPORTED to that wonderful place of grace!
3. BEING FED is # 3 on our list of the BAKER'S DOZEN OF the COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS ....
And, as I've said far too many times, you don't get to be my size by being picky at the table ....nevertheless, I just love the command in John 7:37, where the word says, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and preached, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink."
4. Now, after we have repented, after we have experienced the new birth, after we have been fed, it is time for us to obey command # 4 ... FOLLOW ME! Read it in John 12:26! "If any man wants to serve Me, let him follow Me!"
And this, my friends, is where it starts to get a bit tougher. There's an old hymn that I learned as a child that goes something like this:
Down in the valley with my Savior I will go, Where the flow’rs are blooming and the sweet waters flow; Everywhere He leads me I will follow, follow on, Walking in His footsteps till the crown be won.
Follow! follow! I will follow Jesus! Anywhere, everywhere, I will follow on! Follow! follow! I will follow Jesus! Everywhere He leads me I will follow on!
Down in the valley with my Savior I will go, Where the storms are sweeping and the dark waters flow; With His hand to lead me I will never, never fear, Danger cannot fright me if my Lord is near.
Down in the valley, or upon the mountain steep, Close beside my Savior will my soul ever keep; He will lead me safely in the path that He has trod, Up to where they gather on the hills of God.
Follow! follow! I will follow Jesus! Anywhere, everywhere, I will follow on! Follow! follow! I will follow Jesus! Everywhere He leads me I will follow on!
5. Now, if we are going to follow Jesus ... everywhere ... then we must come to the place where He prays. And that means, that we, too, become prayer warriors, to use an old phrase. There are several instances in the Scriptures where Jesus say that we should pray. Luke 21:36, for example: "Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
Jesus had just given a rather lengthy sermon on the conduct of people, warning about things that are to come, and instructing the folks on what to watch for, and how to live ... and He concludes with PRAY ALWAYS!
6. Not only should we pray always, we also need to read the Scriptures. Jesus tells us to remember the Words He said (John 15:20) ... and many of the Words He said are right there in the pages of the Bible.
How can we forget words like "Let not your heart be troubled," or, perhaps, "Be of good cheer! I have overcome the world!" Surely, we recall other words, like "Our Father, Who is in Heaven, hallowed be ....." I know we remember that... we say it every Sunday as part of our Sunday Morning Worship service!
And, unfortunately, there are some that we don't particularly want to remember ... things like "Go into all the world and preach the gospel!" or even, "take My yoke upon you ...."
7. Let's briefly recap, now, before moving on ... REPENT, BE BORN AGAIN, BE FED, FOLLOW, PRAY, READ .... what is next?
How about that four letter word ...W-0-R-K! Work! Matthew 5:16 is our focus here ... "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works," and why? "So they will glorify your Father, which is in Heaven!"
Or, if that one isn't plain enough, let's jump to John 15: and read these words: “You didn’t choose Me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to Me, He gives you."
8. LOVING GOD....Our list would not be complete without direction on how to react toward God. And, you probably have already reached those verses ... in Mark 12:30-31 ...."And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is namely this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There are no other commandments greater than these."
I sometimes wonder how it would be if we were to have a sort of Quaker Meeting, where we would all sit in silence, pondering this great passage of the Scriptures ... I wonder if it would actually sink in. I wonder if our lives would be different, after meditating on these verses for an uninterrupted hour!
9. We do have some commandments pertaining to what it means to love God, and to love our neighbors ... the one that comes to mind, rather quickly, perhaps because it was in the Sunday School lesson last week ... is that found in Mark 12, and also Luke 20 ... "Give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar, but give to God the things that are God's!"
Simply put, Jesus is saying that we do have earthly obligations in the paying of taxes and such, but that we also have duty toward God .... and we should give each it's proper place in our lives.
Most of us don't like to pay taxes...and, unfortunately, so very many people don't want to pay God, either. But the commandment is clear, is it not? If is is clear, how can we make any mistake about it?
10. Other ways we love our neighbors is in NOT doing them harm. Jesus quoted many of the TEN COMMANDMENTS, such as do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, honor your parents, and so forth. He specifically encourages us to avoid all these things ... and yet ... those are sometimes the things that plague us the worst. And the reason they plague us is that we pay little or no attention to them.
11. Jesus commands us, if you please, to beware of covetousness .... read it in Luke 12:15. I do not believe He would have said things like that, if covetousness wasn't a part of so many of us. He says, "give alms of such things as you have," and "When you make a dinner, don't call your friends, but call the poor ..."
12. Jesus demonstrates PERFECT LOVE. He says to us things like, "Love your enemies," but not only that, He tells us to "do good to them that hate you!"
That is a tall order! Loving enemies? Blessing those who hate you? It may cause us to wonder who does Jesus think He is, anyway? But, friends, listen, and heed! Jesus did NOT say useless or impossible things! Take His commands to heart!
13. OK... here we are, at the last one ....and we may tend to see this one, not as a commandment, but rather as something on which we should reflect, meditate, ponder, cogitate, consider, ruminate and think about ....from John 14:23 ..."If a man love Me, he will keep My words..."
