Are you over the law of God or under it? Is the banner of the law of God over you or are you trying to play God with the law. We are to strive to love one another as Christ loved us. There is times when saying to someone that this path is leading you down destruction is love, but there time, to be merciful and just love them where they are. Did you come to Christ by being judged by others, or did you come to Christ out of love. Are you bondage of faith out of fear and trembling or out of love. When I was about ten or eleven years of age I remember a minister coming for revival and preaching. I do not remember the sermon per say, but the effects of his preaching of being able to move the whole congregation to the altar. Almost like some television preachers you see in a movie that seems to preach damnation strong enough to move the congregation by fear and trembling. Is there times where this type of preaching is necessary. Perhaps for revival it is. Does the effects of this preaching keep people coming to church. Well in this case it did. I remember the congregation grew that year. Yet at the same time I have to think it would not remain because of fear. No after the revival the church did not preach the fear as much as the love of God. The compassion and fellowship seemed to be there as far as I can remember, but I was child. It was what I observed and yet could not see that impressed me. The love a pastor and congregation makes a church. Only one person loving makes the whole experience painful. I never want to think of church as being only lecture hall of faith, but a place of love. If you being corner and shamed for every mistake or action it is not love. Love by the Spirit is not forcing correction, but teaching the love of God. Yet to never teach what God says is also wrong. To never teach the condemnation of disobedience to sin is also wrong. To not to warn is not to love. Yet only to teach circumcision by the law, is not love.

God took Moses a man that was not sure he even wanted to obey the voice from the burning bush and took him to Mountain of Sinai after leading the people right out of Egypt. Took to get the stone tablets of the law, but not without experience the grace of God for Moses had killed a man and the law said thou shalt not kill. He also would kill more because of the golden calf. He asked God for mercy on the people until he saw what they were doing, then he react as God did but not with mercy.

Moses would lead a people with the yoke of the law, but did he slay everyone that broke the law no but he did force the judgment of the law to where they people feared both God, Moses and the law. If you never tell someone God does not like sexual immorality or idolatry will they ever know they are in disobedience to God. Paul did not stop teaching the law of God but what he was speaking about is to walk by the Spirit is about mercy and grace. People number one are ignorant of the law of God, they are also not so easily submissive the law of God. Can we expect ourselves to obey God’s law completely, then why expect someone else who might not even understand it yet. That were love and mercy comes in.

Years ago growing up I can remember talk of this girl sleeping with this guy and then another and yet, I never walked up and said did you know God not pleased. Have I ever preached against sexual immorality, the answer is yes, but I was not behind a pulpit as the girls talked and yet I was, by God’s calling. I think did I make mistake for not warning. The answer is simple there time when we say nothing not because of fear too, but God is dealing with a person in another area. May the sexual immorality is not the issue, maybe it something else that causing a behavior that not of God. If one allows God to get to the root of the issue the other will cease as well, because the root of the sin is cut out and not just a dead branch of sin. Sometimes we teach a little more love and a little more compassion. And other times that law is read of God to teach what God expects of man. What God expects of the individual. Despite what we think somewhere in that law some point in our life we will be condemned by it if not already. The purpose of the law is to teach about sin, the things harmful to God’s people. If Moses could go back would he had killed all he did for breaking of the law. God demonstrated on more then one occasion the ability to take care of the punishment himself.

A few years back I watched the judgment of God come to several people. The wrath of God came and I knew it. It sounds harsh, but I realized I knew not the whole story of the person life and to make a claim as that could only come by God’s Spirit. He took care of the problem. When God defends you what do you have to fear, only that you might suffer the same fait as those that you seen God judge. Yet as believers we rest in the promise and hope of eternity with God, and then realize the promise of judgment comes with Christ as our mediator and payment for our sin. As we stand at the throne Christ says I paid for this one Father, if we believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. With repentance grace is found. With turning from sin and saying one is sorry for sin is grace found.

Our president has the hardest jobs out there, for he must sign into law not everything he agrees with but what best to show mercy and grace to the people different then himself. Does this or that law effect the rest of society when it individual choice. One has to weigh these things as a leader. What about in the church world. Church is not government laws but suppose to be being run by God and not the minister or congregation. Where is running of church separated from God’s word? It never is, but grace of God is demonstrated because of our own failings, because of the changes we know God makes in our lives as individuals. To say God rules our nation one may want to take a good look at Romans 1 and ask where is God’s love to turn people over to sin. When is teaching of God’s laws in effect with the church. The church is to be sanctified but by the blood of Jesus. God shows people mercy and turns them to their own ways, then when is the law of God taught but in place where people desires to hear or the forum is open to hearing it.

Stephen was persecuted for preaching truth in a forum that should have been crying Amen if they believed in God. Yet the people hearts were harden to the truth of God, but God used Stephens death for a soldier of Roman that was killing Christians as a testimony to him. As Paul watch the stoning, he would then later go on Damascus road to find Christ. Paul name was Saul at the time, story found in Acts 7 and 9. Something to think how does the events of our lives change us for God’s glory and honor. How does his mercy and grace in our lives change us.

Our demonstration of love by God’s Spirit should be bringing hope to the world. Even when people should have been perhaps condemned. God’s mercy is great to the world, if the world would only grab the mercy of grace. If only repentance would come. David a righteous man repented but he face punishment for his actions. Nothing change it. David hope was still in the Lord. Punishment on earth is minor compared to life time. There is times when we need to know the consequences of our action and other times only repentance is necessary. God’s correction is full proof we probably won’t try that again.

Dear Heavenly Father your grace abounds help us to be free to love by your Spirit and only teach correction by your leading, when the human heart will be open to hear it. In Jesus precious name, Amen.