Participants: Mike Leno
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000039
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00:30 Tombstone, Arizona
00:32 in the late 1800s, Law and Order. 00:36 What was it like? 00:38 I take you to tombstone 00:39 and we notice first the Bird Cage Theatre. 00:42 The Bird Cage Theatre was probably 00:45 the most famous landmark in this little Arizona town. 00:50 The New York Times referred to it in 1882 00:52 as the wildest, wickedest nightspot 00:54 between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast. 00:57 During the 9 years of its lusty career, 01:00 it never closed its doors. 01:03 It was site of 16 gunfights and suffered a 140 bullet holes. 01:08 The Bird Cage was named 01:09 for the 14 bird cage crib compartments 01:12 that are suspended from the ceiling 01:14 overlooking the gambling casino and dance hall. 01:16 In these compartments, 01:18 the ladies of the evening plied their trade. 01:22 Quite a strange place. 01:24 A lot of wild things went on in that Wild West. 01:27 We often tell stories and even watch movies 01:31 about the taming of the Wild West, 01:33 but it wasn't the west that needed to be tamed as much, 01:36 as it was the people that were trying to do the taming. 01:40 The symbol of Law and Order 01:42 in the Wild West was a gunslinger with the badge. 01:49 Enter Wyatt Earp. 01:52 Wyatt Earp was a compulsive gambler. 01:54 He was opportunistic. 01:56 He left his wife for another woman. 01:58 There were few things that he wouldn't do 02:00 if it meant a profit. 02:02 And his best friend was a notorious killer 02:04 whom he may have lied to protect. 02:07 He was a hard man living in hard times. 02:11 But he was on the side of the law. 02:16 The most famous scene outside of the Bird Cage Theatre 02:22 of course is the O.K. Corral. 02:26 The O.K. Corral was not a structure really, 02:28 it was really just a empty lot or a space 02:32 between a couple of buildings, but it became famous 02:36 when Wyatt Earp and his brothers confronted the cowboys. 02:40 Most witnesses seem to agree 02:42 that the firing started almost simultaneously 02:47 and then the shooting became general 02:49 and lasted all of 30 seconds. 02:52 As you see in the picture, this is actually how close 02:55 the cowboys and the Earps were to each other. 02:58 After the firing stopped three cowboys lay dead or dying. 03:04 Virgil Earp had been shot through the leg, 03:07 Morgan in the back, 03:08 and Doc Holliday had been grazed on the hip. 03:11 Only Wyatt Earp himself was completely unscathed. 03:16 In this Wild West environment, 03:21 the law was whatever could be enforced 03:24 by a gun slinging Marshall or a sheriff. 03:27 The west was won by whoever had the most firepower 03:31 and luck on their side. 03:35 But what about God's law? 03:38 How does God win the universe? 03:41 Is God some kind of cosmic gunslinger 03:44 who comes into the earth guns blazing 03:46 and subdues all of His enemies 03:48 and then rides of into the sunset. 03:51 How does God enforce His law? 03:57 We're going to take a new look at the law today, 04:00 maybe the kind of look that you've never taken before. 04:04 So let me begin by asking you a question. 04:07 Which of God's Ten Commandments 04:11 would you chose to omit if God allowed you too? 04:16 All right, just think in your mind. 04:17 Now the rules of these games are follows. 04:21 You can chose one commandment out of any of the ten, 04:25 any commandment you want. 04:27 And let's say that you would like God 04:30 to give your free pass on that one, okay? 04:33 Now we know God doesn't actually do that, 04:34 but this is just a hypothetical game, okay? 04:37 Whatever it is let's just say 04:39 you get to chose one commandment out of the ten. 04:42 And, you just, you have a free pass. 04:44 God is not going to punish you for it. 04:47 Everything is gonna be okay. 04:48 You can have that one commandment to break. 04:51 But according to the rules of this game 04:53 you have to break it continually 04:57 and to its full extent the rest of your life. 05:02 Now with that in mind let's go through the Ten Commandments. 05:06 And let's do it in reverse order 05:08 because as you'll notice 05:10 it creates a rather interesting progression of thought 05:13 as we get down to number one. 05:15 So let's start at number 10. 05:17 "Thou shalt not covet," okay? 05:20 Let's say that you chose "Thou shalt not covet" 05:23 as your free pass. 05:24 God's not gonna punish you for breaking that commandment. 05:27 You can--You have to break that commandment 05:31 now and for the rest of your life. 05:33 What will happen to you? 05:34 Well, I'll tell you what will happen. 05:36 You will not value what you have only what others have. 05:41 You will never be satisfied or content. 05:44 And for you, life will be unfair 05:47 because of what others have. 05:50 See that is the natural result 05:53 of breaking the Tenth Commandments. 05:56 Well, you might think, 05:58 that doesn't really sound too attractive. 06:00 Life doesn't sound all that attractive anymore, 06:03 if I keep on breaking 06:05 the "Thou shalt not covet" commandment. 06:06 So, well, let's go to number 9, 06:09 "Thou shalt not bear false witness." 06:10 What is the natural result of bearing false witness? 06:14 Well, first of all, you will get ahead 06:16 by destroying the reputation of others. 06:20 Secondly, you will have trouble dealing with reality 06:23 because you live in a world built on lies. 06:28 And third, you will live in the fear 06:31 that someone will destroy your reputation. 06:36 So what are the natural results 06:37 of breaking the ninth commandment, 06:39 "Bearing false witness?" 06:42 Maybe that doesn't seem so attractive. 06:44 Maybe I'll pass on "Thou shalt not covet." 06:47 "Bearing false witness" doesn't sound so good either 06:50 because after all if I destroy somebody else's reputation, 06:53 I have to live the rest of my life in fear 06:54 that somebody is gonna do the same thing to me. 06:57 Well, let's move on to number 8,. 06:59 This is the commandment against stealing. 07:03 If you continually break the eighth commandment 07:07 the rest of your life, 07:08 you will take whatever you can get away with. 07:11 You cannot value what you have 07:14 because after all you did not earn it. 07:17 Third, you will be afraid of what will be taken from you. 07:21 And finally, you will never know 07:24 the joy of accomplishment, just the pain of loss. 07:30 Well, that doesn't sound so attractive either. 07:33 Stealing the rest of your life 07:35 just doesn't have the attraction that maybe it did, 07:40 once you realize the full extent of the natural results 07:43 of breaking that commandment. 07:46 Well, here is the popular one. 07:47 Number 7, "committing adultery." 07:49 Let's take a free pass on that one, shall we? 07:52 What are the natural results of committing adultery? 07:55 First of all, your most intimate relationships 07:58 will never be permanent. 08:00 Secondly, you will live without real love or acceptance. 08:04 Why? Because you're unfaithful to everyone. 08:07 And finally, you will be lonely and betrayed. 08:13 It's funny how what you give 08:16 has a tendency to come back on you. 08:18 The natural results of committing adultery, 08:22 well, maybe that's not so attractive either. 08:24 Let's go on to number 6. 08:27 "Thou shalt not kill." 08:29 The commandment against murder. 08:34 The results of being a murderer are, 08:36 you will be a predator. 08:38 By cheapening the lives of others 08:40 you will cheapen your own. 08:43 You, the hunter, will also become the hunted. 08:49 And the result of all that is, you will live in terror. 08:54 Well, I certainly, 08:57 I don't want to take a free pass on 08:59 "Thou shalt not kill." 09:00 So let's move back to number 5, 09:03 "Honor Your Parents," 09:05 honor your father and your mother. 09:07 By the way this is the one commandment 09:09 that includes within it 09:11 the description of the natural results 09:15 of keeping that commandment. 09:18 So what's the natural result of not honoring your parents? 09:21 You will cut yourself off from those who gave your life. 09:24 You will grow bitter and lonely 09:27 and as a result die prematurely. 09:30 And finally, having given no honor, 09:33 your children will not know how to give you honor. 09:38 Interesting isn't it, how the next generation 09:41 always continues and sometimes even makes worse 09:46 the sins of the previous generation? 09:48 It's the natural results of sin. 09:52 Okay, the "Sabbath commandment." 09:54 Certainly we could take a free pass on that, couldn't we? 09:59 What are the natural results of completely and continually 10:04 breaking the Sabbath commandment not just in letter 10:08 but in spirit the rest of your life? 10:11 Now first of all, you will never truly rest 10:14 even when on vacation. 10:16 Secondly, you will always be anxious about doing enough, 10:19 getting enough, and being good enough 10:21 for everyone especially God. 10:25 And finally, success will lose its meaning 10:28 because of continual unrest. 10:33 Well, this seems to be getting worst not better. 10:38 So let's move on to commandment number 3, 10:41 "The prohibition against taking the Lord's name in vain." 10:45 What's the result of that? 10:47 First of all, you will make God's name a common 10:51 and even a filthy thing. 10:53 Secondly, you will have no sense of awe 10:56 or holiness in God's presence. 10:58 Third, you will fear and loathe anything 11:02 having to do with God's holiness and love. 11:06 So the results of breaking the third commandment 11:10 are not all that attractive either. 11:11 So let's go to number 2, 11:13 "The prohibition against graven images." 11:15 Now this seems like a small thing 11:17 but have ever really examined this commandment 11:19 to discover its depth also? 11:23 The natural results of breaking commandment number 2 11:26 are that you will try to create God in your own image. 11:31 Secondly, you will serve but at the same time 11:34 hate this inferior God because he is like yourself. 11:39 And finally, you will sink to the level of your Gods 11:43 of superstition, pride, vanity and lust. 11:49 And all of these is leading up to the very first commandment, 11:54 the commandment that says, 11:56 "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 12:00 What are the natural results of breaking that commandment? 12:04 First of all, you will make things or people 12:09 your gods instead of God himself. 12:12 Secondly, the Gods you have chosen will disappoint you. 12:18 Third, you will have no savior 12:21 because you will have to be your own 12:24 and you will fail and you will die. 12:31 It's a terrible thing when you realize 12:35 what is really in these commandments. 12:38 What is God trying to protect His people from? 12:43 What are the natural results of ignoring God's commandments? 12:46 If we put all of that together, 12:48 what are the natural results of ignoring God's commandments? 12:52 Discontent, fear, pain, betrayal, terror, dishonor, 12:59 unrest, loathing, degradation, and finally death. 13:05 I submit to you, that the natural results 13:11 of breaking God's law is God's punishment. 13:17 Psalm 81:11-12 said, 13:20 "But my people would not listen to me, 13:22 Israel would not submit to me. 13:24 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts 13:27 to follow their own devices." 13:32 Does God become a super natural gunslinger? 13:35 Does He come in with guns blazing to try to keep us from 13:39 doing some things that we'd like to do? 13:43 Is the universe one because God is simply stronger 13:46 than everybody else and has more firepower? 13:49 Is that how God's law keeping works? 13:53 Is that the law of the universe, 13:56 that God is the biggest bully around, 13:58 the biggest gunslinger, he has the most firepower? 14:03 I submit that it is exactly the opposite. 14:07 That God rather than trying to force 14:10 His law on us is trying to protect us 14:14 from the natural results of our own inclinations. 14:18 And He is trying to put a hedge around us. 14:21 Now I can hear some people objecting, 14:23 "Oh, yeah, but what about 14:25 the destruction of the wicked at the very end of time? 14:28 Isn't that finally when God becomes the big gunslinger?" 14:33 Is the universe one because God is stronger? 14:37 Does the second death finally violate God's character? 14:41 Does the loving Jesus finally get mean in the end? 14:47 I invite you to look at the cross. 14:50 You see there's only one time in all of human history 14:53 where the second death was demonstrated, 14:55 the sinner's death. 14:57 That is the second death. 14:58 There has only been one sinner's death in all of history 15:02 and that is Jesus' death on the cross. 15:05 Mark 15:34 quotes Jesus as crying out on the cross. 15:11 "And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 15:14 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' 15:16 Which mean, 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? 15:23 The symbol of Christ victory is not a badge 15:28 and a weapon rather it is a lamb and a cross. 15:35 Revelation 13:8 refers to 15:37 "The lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." 15:43 Just as Jesus died 15:44 from the natural results of separation 15:46 from God due to sin, 15:48 so the wicked in the end 15:50 will suffer the natural results of sin. 15:54 Now before you object and say, 15:55 "Oh yeah, but what about all the fire and brimstone." 15:57 Oh, yeah, it will be there. It's real. 15:59 Revelation talks about it. The cross was real too. 16:04 Jesus really did hang on the cross 16:07 but the cross did not kill him. 16:10 The weight of sins, not his own, 16:13 but the sins of the whole world are what killed him. 16:16 And what does sin cause? 16:18 It causes an eternal separation 16:22 between God and the person and the sinner. 16:26 And in Jesus case He felt 16:29 the actual real awful separation 16:32 between him and his father and that's why he cried out, 16:35 "My god, my God why have you forsaken Me?" 16:37 It was not the cross the kill Jesus Christ, 16:39 it was the weight of sin and the ensuing 16:43 separation from his father. 16:47 In contrast, notice 16:50 the words of Revelation 22 versus 12-17. 16:57 "Behold, I'm coming soon my reward is with me, 17:04 and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 17:08 I'm the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, 17:11 the beginning and the end. 17:13 Blessed are those who wash their robes, 17:15 that they may have the right to tree of life 17:17 and may go through the gates into the city. 17:20 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, 17:24 the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters 17:27 and everyone who loves and practice falsehood. 17:30 I, Jesus, have sent My angel 17:33 to give you this testimony for the churches. 17:35 I am the Root and the Offspring of David, 17:38 and the bright Morning star. 17:40 The spirit and the bride say, "Come!" 17:42 And let him who hears say, "Come!" 17:44 Whoever is thirsty let him come, and whoever wishes, 17:47 let him take the free gift of the water of life. 17:53 You see, in this scene out of the very end of time, 18:00 when Christ comes there will be two groups, 18:06 only two groups, no middle ground. 18:10 On one side are the lovers of falsehood. 18:14 On the other side those who answered 18:17 the invitation of the spirit and the bride. 18:22 It's not about God becoming a cosmic gunslinger 18:29 and finally winning the universe by force. 18:34 It's about giving His children choices. 18:41 What kind of choices? The choice for or against God. 18:48 Is God the kind of person we can trust? 18:52 Is God the kind of person that I would trust with my life 18:56 not only in this life but in the life to come? 19:00 It's one thing to trust someone for a year, 19:05 it's another thing to trust someone 19:07 for all of this life as we do 19:09 and we promise to love in church each other and marriage. 19:12 It's quite another thing to trust someone for eternity. 19:18 Is God trust worthy? 19:20 The issue in the great war 19:22 between Christ and Satan is over trust, 19:28 which is also translated faith. 19:32 Who do you trust? Who do have faith in? 19:35 How do we know that we can trust God? 19:39 Remember the result of violating those Ten Commandments? 19:44 You remember the awful consequences of going 19:51 against the principles of God's government? 19:56 You notice that when people break the commandments 20:00 they suffer the consequences not because God shoots them 20:05 or zaps them or takes revenge on them. 20:11 People suffer those consequences because that's a natural law. 20:17 The moral law of the universe is just 20:20 as real as the physical laws of the universe. 20:24 If you were to go outside and say, 20:26 "Well, today I want to break the law of gravity." 20:30 And you climb up on a tall building and you say, 20:34 "You know, for today anyway I'm just gonna forget 20:37 about the law of gravity, 20:38 I'll obey the law of gravity tomorrow." 20:41 And you jump out of the window. 20:43 And there is a sense of freedom 20:45 for a while until you hit bottom. 20:51 When we break God's moral law 20:54 there's also a sense of hitting bottom. 20:59 But just as there are-- just as there are the results, 21:04 the natural results of breaking those commandments, 21:07 there is on the other side 21:08 a positive description of what God's law really means. 21:13 The opposite of that is what God intends for His children. 21:17 The law then becomes a description of God himself. 21:21 His commands are a description of what He is like. 21:26 He is the one who brings 21:29 and notice this list of ten things 21:31 that are the positive opposites of the natural 21:34 results of breaking the commandments. 21:35 He brings contentment, security, safety, love, peace, 21:42 honor, rest, praise, glory, and eternal life. 21:48 That is what God wants. 21:51 So how do we know that we can trust God? 21:54 Because this is a person 21:58 who is described by those ten things. 22:01 This is a person who rather than 22:04 being without us for eternity 22:05 went to the cross and validated those ten things. 22:11 This is a person we can trust with why? 22:14 Because he does not want all of the bad things for us 22:18 described by the natural results of breaking 22:20 those Ten Commandments, 22:22 he wants to give us the contentment, 22:23 the security, the safety, love, peace, honor, 22:25 rest, praise, glory, and eternal life, 22:29 which are the blessings of the Ten Commandments. 22:32 Now do we achieve goodness or do we inherit eternal life 22:38 because we follow those Ten Commandments? 22:41 Well, to a certain extent, we will receive good natural 22:45 results in this life by obeying those Ten Commandments 22:50 but our salvation is not dependent 22:52 on our law keeping. 22:54 Rather our salvation is dependent on the law giver. 22:59 He is the one who saves us not the law. 23:02 The law describes at least in a very feeble way, 23:07 what kind of person God is, but it can't save. 23:11 We are only saved by being attracted to the one 23:15 that we know that we can trust. 23:18 You see those who would rather choose God over anything 23:21 even their own lives 23:23 will inherit all of these things. 23:25 No wonder sin will never rise again, 23:27 the universe will have been won for all of eternity. 23:30 You see it's not taking the town by force as Wyatt Earp 23:35 and his brother and Doc Holliday had to do. 23:38 It's not subduing evil by putting all bad guys in jail 23:44 although sometimes God has had to do things sort of like that. 23:49 What really wins the universe 23:52 for all of eternity is the universe trusting God. 23:58 God wins the war by being winsome. 24:02 And finally the end of time, when there is that lack of fire. 24:10 God is not being the cosmic gunslinger. 24:14 God is being the eternal lover of the universe 24:17 who will weep over the loss of His children 24:21 who willingly and knowingly and continually and rebelliously 24:27 chose to go against His principles of government, 24:30 who willingly would rather die then follow His government, 24:35 who would rather 24:38 have eternal death than serve God. 24:45 If we agree with God's principles of government 24:49 then we ought to start heaven now, don't you think? 24:54 And this is not a way of earning merit for salvation, 25:00 it's simply accepting the free gift of God 25:03 the salvation that he wants to give us 25:05 and then being so attracted to him that we start taking on 25:09 the characteristics of this eternal lover of the universe. 25:14 If we're going to do that, 25:17 where there is hatred let us sow love. 25:22 Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. 25:29 Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, love. 25:37 Where there is sadness, joy. 25:40 You see those are the things 25:42 that will really keep the universe safe for eternity. 25:48 I turn again to the Book of Revelation 25:52 where Jesus says, "Behold, I'm coming soon." 25:55 Do you look forward to that time? 25:57 Do you yearn for that time when God will cleanse 26:02 the universe of sin and suffering? 26:06 He says, my reward is with me 26:08 and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 26:10 That's not a legalistic sentence to say that 26:15 He's going to give to you 26:17 because you've given something to Him. 26:20 What that means is, if you chosen Him, 26:23 if you've given your life to Him, 26:26 there will be evidence. 26:28 If you are won by him to such an extent 26:31 that you want the principles of love 26:34 that describe His character 26:37 then you will want to be with Him forever for eternity. 26:42 And that's what He means by 26:43 "Blessed are those who wash their robes 26:46 that they may have the right to the tree of life 26:49 and may go through the gates into the city. 26:52 The spirit and the bride say 26:53 come let him take the free gift of the water of life." |
Revised 2014-12-17