Law Abiding Citizen or Legalistic Lemming–Revised and Revisited

The article below has been revised and revisited as the original quote said to have been from Constantine was actually a Profession of Faith from the Church of Constantinople (See B: PROFESSION OF FAITH, FROM THE CHURCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE.)

________________________________________________________

There is a misconception in the Christian church today that tells God’s people, if one keeps the commandments found in the “Old Testament” then that person is legalistic.  I believe one of the greatest deceptions Satan ever came up with was to tell God’s people that they don’t have to keep His commandments to be in covenant with Him, that they can have all the rewards of the covenant–the blessings and inheritance–without any responsibility to keep the terms of the covenant, i.e. His commandments.

Many think that Constantine is responsible for the church as it is today since he made Christianity the religion of the Roman empire.  In fact, I did, until I heard a message about anti-semitism and the church, and did a little more digging. Come to find out, this disdain for God’s Law and His people goes all the way back to the second century, and maybe farther.

What did Constantine say?

“It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast [Passover] we should follow the practice of the Jews… Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd“

Constantine’s Nicene Letter 325 C.E – “Life of Constantine,” Eusebius, v.3, c.18-19

Much of the modern Christian doctrine can be attributed to not one man, but many men–Marcion, Justin Martyr, Ignatius, Augustine–to name a few.  These men were the early “church fathers” of Christianity. Not only did they teach others to NOT keep the commandments, but it usually went hand in hand with anti-semitic rhetoric.  By the time Constantine came around to the religion of Christianity, the ideas and doctrines of men were widely accepted.

What did the early church fathers say?

Marcion of Sinope (ca. A.D. 85-160) believed that the God of the “Old Testament” was different from the God of the “New Testament”.  He felt that the “Old Testament” was inferior to the “New Testament” and that because it was inferior, it had no place in the life of the Christian. He called the god of the “Old Testament” the Demiurge, a god of battles and bloody sacrifices.  The god of the “New Testament”, however, was a god of love and compassion. Marcion held to the belief that the Heavenly Father (the father of Yeshua) was an alien god; he had no part in making the world, nor any connection with it.  We can conclude that if he believed there were two different gods in the Bible and the “Old Testament” had no place in the Christian church, then he didn’t believe the Torah should be kept.

Justin Martyr (in a dialogue with a Jew in Ephesus named Trypho said,

“We too, would observe your circumcision of the flesh, your Sabbath days, and in a word all your festivals, if we were not aware of the reason why they were imposed upon you, namely, because of your sins and your hardness of heart…”

Dialogue 18, 2

Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and supposed student of John the Apostle, is attributed with first arguing for changing the Sabbath rest to Sunday or as He calls it the Lord’s Day.

Be not seduced by strange doctrines nor by antiquated fables, which are profitless. For if even unto this day we live after the manner of Judaism, we avow that we have not received grace…. If then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing Sabbaths but fashioning their lives after the Lord’s day, on which our life also arose through Him and through His death which some men deny … how shall we be able to live apart from Him? … It is monstrous to talk of Jesus Christ and to practise Judaism. For Christianity did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity — Ignatius to the Magnesians 8:1, 9:1-2, 10:3, Joseph Barber Lightfoot translation.

Augustine of Hippo, another “early church father” has this to say concerning the law of the Lord:

They who receive the wild doctrines of Valentinus and Marcion, and of all whose minds are similarly diseased, exclude the Law given by God to Moses from the catalogue of the Divine Scriptures. But Jews so revere the Law, that although the time has come which annuls it, they still contend for the observance of all its contents, contrary to the purpose of God. But the Church of God, avoiding either extreme, has trodden a middle path, and is neither induced on the one hand to place herself under its yoke, nor on the other does she tolerate its being slandered, but commends it, though its day is over, because of its profitableness while its season lasted.

Treatise on the Priesthood, Book 1, 4

I ask you, how and where does it say in Scripture that the observance of the Torah is contrary to the purpose of God?  What is His purpose if not to love Him and keep His commandments?  It does not, though some would argue Paul’s letters say this.

Jerome who lived at the same time as Augustine recognized that there were, in his own time, believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who also embraced the testimony of Yeshua:

“In our own day there exists a sect among the Jews throughout all the synagogues of the East, which is called the sect of the Minei, and is even now condemned by the Pharisees. The adherents to this sect are known commonly as Nazarenes; they believe in Christ the Son of God, ‘born of, the Virgin Mary; and they say that He who suffered under Pontius Pilate and rose again, is the same as the one in whom we believe. But while they desire to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither the one nor the other….
If, however, there is for us no alternative but to receive the Jews into the Church, along with the usages prescribed by their law; if, in short, it shall be declared lawful for them to continue in the Churches of Christ what they have been accustomed to practise in the synagogues of Satan, I will tell you my opinion of the matter: they will not become Christians, but they will make us Jews.”

Jerome, in a letter to Augustine (AD 404)
Letters of St. Augustine, Second Division, Letter 75, Chapter 4
published in The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 1, p.654

Additionally, in approximately 364 AD, the Council of Laodicea wrote, in one of their canons:

Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day. Rather, honoring the Lord’s Day. But if any shall be found to be Judaizers, let them be anathema (against) from Christ”.

Constantine, in effect, only popularized this new religion, adding to and taking away from the original faith of the Bible, the faith that Yeshua, Paul, and the apostles knew to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life to all who accept it. He made the law of God of none affect and upheld pagan traditions of men in higher esteem than the Holy Scriptures themselves.

So what does the Bible really say?

The argument of many in the church is that to keep the Sabbath, the feast days, and a kosher diet of the “Old Testament” is legalistic.  In a way, this can be true.  If we keep the commandments of God for any other reason than out of a great love for our Creator, then it is legalistic, but the Torah of God in itself is not legalistic.  To the contrary, it creates law abiding citizens sanctified for the Kingdom of Heaven.  The Torah shows us how to love God and how to love others.

Yeshua did not come to do away with the Torah; he came to fill up its meaning, to bring understanding, to expose the legalism of the Pharisees and scribes who held the “oral Torah” above the commandments of God that are found in the Torah (first five books of the Bible)1, and to defeat the power of sin that made it harder for us to keep His commandments.2 He says His yoke is easy and His burden is light.3

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Yeshua answered and said,

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.’4 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’5 There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:29-3

God is not a kill-joy, but a loving God, and Yeshua, as God’s ambassador to earth, came to explain the true nature of God and His commandments.  God wants us to obey Him out of a heart that loves Him.  And when we know how to love God, we know how to properly love others. God’s commandments are not burdensome, nor are they impossible to keep. All the Father asks is that we not add to or take away from His Words so that we can keep them.

‎”For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”

Deut. 30:11-14

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you…Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?

Deut. 4:2, 6-8

In closing, I will leave you with this:

Legalism suffocates the Spirit, and amputes God’s plans for us. Legalism doesn’t need God. A legalist says, “I can obey God in a different way than He asked me to; I can do it better.” Legalism adds to and takes away from God’s commandments found in His Torah, turning one man’s opinions into another man’s burden.

___________________________________________________________

1 – Matthew 15:1-9

2 – Romans 8:1-4

3 – Matthew 11:28-30

4 – Deuteronomy 6:4,5

5 – Leviticus 19:18

We have a new home!

Hey, all my faithful readers (and random ones, too)!  We’ve moved to a new blog home and have even gotten a little bit of a facelift!   It has all the same posts as here, and all your wonderful comments were transferred as well.  Come visit us there at: http://www.sewnolivette.com!

 

Blessings and Shalom,

Sarah

You’re Invited!

Imagine Yeshua (Jesus) is throwing a party, and He sends you an invitation, but you make some excuse about why you can’t come.  So Yeshua becomes angry and decides He’s going to have His party anyway and goes out and invites anyone and everyone else who wants to come.  He invites the poor, the lame, crippled, and the blind.  He sends His servant to the highways and the byways to look for anyone willing to come to His feast.  He wants a full house and He will have His way.  Well, the party is a huge success and all the people who received an invitation in advance hear about the huge party and perhaps even regret their decision, but it’s too late.  The feast has ended.

The story sounds familiar?  Well, that’s because the story is one Yeshua told in Luke 14. Why am I bringing this story up?

Think about the feast He’s prepared for you this Shavuot, He’s sent you an invitation in advance.  The Bible tells you the times of His feast days.  He tells us in Leviticus 23 when His feast days are.  All we have to do is prepare ourselves and show up.  But many who say they love Him, make excuses for not keeping His Holy days.  They say, “The Lord is my Sabbath; I can keep it any day,” or “Jesus fulfilled the Law, so I don’t have to,” or “Jesus came to do away with the law, so we don’t have to keep those holy days anymore.”

If you will not come to the banquet He’s prepared for you, He’s going to invite others in your place.  Won’t you consider Him?  Won’t you reconsider whether these men who’ve told you the Torah has been done away with are telling you the truth?  Won’t you come to the feast Yeshua has prepared for you?

He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.

And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’

But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’

In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Luke 13:22-30

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness [unrighteousness or Torahlessness].’”

Matthew 7:21-22

You can know if you’re righteous just as you can know if you are saved by Yeshua’s blood.

1 John 3:7-9 says:

Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He [Yeshua] is righteous.

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

John also tells us what sin is in 1 John 3:4:

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness [Torahlessness].

So will you be obedient with a heart of love toward your Creator and keep this Shavuot, or will someone else show up in your place?  Don’t miss out on the joy and blessings the Father wants to give to you this Shavuot.

 

Shalom and blessings,

Sarah

Confession and Intercession

With Shavuot fast approaching, there are some things I want to share.  One is a strong feeling that something is going to happen this Shavuot, much like what happened back in Acts 2.  You know, an outpouring of the Ruach, but greater.  It is my belief that we may see an outpouring that would fulfill Joel 2:28, 29:

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

But first I believe we must say a prayer of confession and intercession for the whole House of Israel.

Rob Moore of “In That Day Ministries” just recently put out a message entitled “Come Out of Her”.  You can read and listen to the audio here: http://inthatday.net/Watch/ComeOutOfHer.html  The thing that impressed me most in this article was the call to make confession and intercession for the whole House of Israel.  I have never really addressed the Two House reality on this blog, but I do in fact believe that YHVH will in the last days regather those who are near (Judah) and those who are far off (Ephraim) and join them as one stick in His hand:

“Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’

And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.

And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’

say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand.

Ezekiel 37:16-19

If I may quote from Rob Moore’s article (and please go and read it in it’s entirety):

In Daniel, Chapter 9, we read that Daniel studied the prophet Jeremiah to confirm the years of Judah’s Exile in Babylon were now coming to an end – soon afterwards a remnant of Judah would “Come out of Babylon” and return to Jerusalem.  History tells us that it was only a remnant of Judah that would return, and the majority of Judah would remain in Babylon for various reasons.   Our own condition today is a similar situation to that which Daniel experienced, thus what Daniel did presents us with a strong a shadow type of what we are being called to do at this time as biblically required for the remnant will “come out of her” and return to Zion.   What did Daniel do?  He began to pray and intercede for the House of Judah and the House of Israel that was at that time already scattered to the ends of the earth!  The Words of Daniel’s prayer are very significant to our own call to prayer in these last days:

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying,

“O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.

To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.

To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.

As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.

Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice.

And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.

O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Daniel 9:3-19

This was a significant intercessory prayer and confession by Daniel!  Today in returning to the Hebraic roots of the faith, we are fully cognizant of the spiritual reality of Abba’s call to us to remember the law of Moses in the last days and we now know that Moses prophesied that YHVH would bring the remnant of Jacob back from exile in the last days and also what YHVH would require of the remnant to enable that final restoration and redemption to begin immediately before the millennial reign.  Moses declared that YHVH requires the following repentant prayer of confession and admission must first be made, as it is written in Leviticus 26:40-44, before he will remember His covenants with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

“But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies–if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes.

Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God.

Soon after Daniel, a faithful remnant of Judah returned from Babylon back to Jerusalem. In the book of Nehemiah, we see that Nehemiah also makes this end-of-exile confession, written by Moses, on behalf of the returning remnant to YHVH when the remnant had returned to Jerusalem.

And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.

We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.

Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’

They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.

O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.

As we have come to understand the exile of the Northern House of Israel, in the Book of Hosea we find YHVH also commands Israel to come before Him with “words” confessing Israel’s iniquity, so that He may re-unite His relationship with the exiles and bring them back. We can see from the examples of Daniel and Nehemiah at Judah’s “coming out of Babylon” that these words are not random words or words of our own choosing, but are to be specific words as prophesied by Moses and as commanded by YHVH.

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

Take with you words, and turn to YHVH; say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the praises of our lips.

Hosea 14:1-2

If the last generations’ required confession of Moses (Leviticus 26) prayer is made before YHVH, with positive faith and assurance, we can know,  without any confusion, that the relationship between YHVH and His exiled people is fully ready to be restored according the law of Moses in YHVH’s time appointed according to His promises, just as it was done in the Book of Acts after Yahushua’s acceptable sacrifice as the Lamb of Atonement was able to restore relationship, and the Set-Apart Spirit came to dwell with and empower the early congregation in Jerusalem.  With YHVH’s relationship restored once again to redeemed remnant Israel, He will then set the remnant of Israel apart in the “place of approaching” (the meaning of the word “Goshen” – see Genesis 45) so that “mystery Babylon” can be both cleansed from us and we can then depart “Mystery Babylon” in the true and full sense of touching “no unclean thing”. Then when we are Divinely placed under the cover of YHVH’s Wings,  “Mystery” Babylon itself and its elites will then be judged, after which He will bring us back home to Zion under His grace and mercy, as it is written in Isaiah 43:1-44:1.

The desire of our Father, I believe, is that we make confession and intercession for ourselves and for those who are a part of His House, so that He can empower us to be filled to the fullest with His Ruach.  Please pray on these things as we see the day coming and consider joining with me in prayer on Shavuot.

 

Blessings and Shalom,

Sarah

Shadow of El Shaddai

This song is so beautiful to me.  He is my covering and I am so thankful for His love and mercy He shows and extends to me daily.  Baruch HaShem!

What is the Gospel?

There is so much more to the Gospel than Christ and Him crucified.  Find out more about how the Word of God defines the Gospel…Check out the new video from 119 Ministries.  I think it will challenge you!

 

Read related posts: Religion vs. Relationship–Requirements?, National Day of Prayer vs. A True Call to Repentance

Religion vs. Relationship–Requirements?

I saw the above posted on a Christian friend’s FB page.  I am so tired of seeing ignorant statements like this being made in the Christian community. Not saying I wasn’t there at one time, folks, but this, of course, is not a true statement.  This is more accurate:

Religion says, “DO what

I [Man] tell you.”

Yeshua says, “DO what

the Father told you,

i.e. KEEP THE TORAH!”

Do you think because Yeshua died on the cross that He requires nothing of you?  The work of the cross was to save us from our sin, not to free us from being obedient to His commandments!  If we want to be in right relationship with Him, He requires that we keep and obey His commandments; He requires that we DO them.  Why? If we say we have a relationship with Him there is always something required, not for salvation, but because out of a loving heart we want to reciprocate the love shown to us by our Creator.

Yeshua said,

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

John 14:15

and

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:17-19

Think about it this way, when we are in a relationship with another individual, let’s say parent-child, and they ask us to do something, and we love them, we follow through with their request and do it, right?  Action is evidence of our love for another individual, especially when that individual has been given authority over us.

Now let’s look at a husband-wife relationship.  If our spouse told us that something was important to them and we ignored them, would that make them feel like we didn’t care about them or love them?

So it is with our relationship with our Creator.  There is a reason why He uses the relationships of parent to child, and husband to wife.  It is because we all can understand at least one of those relationships.

The truth is that if we want to be in right relationship with our Creator, we need to not just say we love Him, but back up those words with our actions.  Our words (faith) is made evident by our actions (works).  And I am not talking about doing just any old works that FEEL good–that’s works done in the flesh–but doing those works that God has commanded we do, which are found in His Torah–those are works of the Spirit.

“Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”–and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

James 2:20-24

Works of the flesh are man-made and man-centered.  Works of the Spirit are spoken by the mouth of God and centered on God and pleasing Him because we love Him.

One of the most wonderful things about God is that He has not left us in the dark; He has not left us to our own devices to try to figure out what pleases Him; He’s given us the first FIVE books of the Bible, in the form of detailed instructions, as to how He wants to be loved and worshiped.  He has made it easy for us to know how to bless His heart and be in right relationship with Him. Moshe told the people before they entered the land:

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’

Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

Deut. 30:11-14

Can I encourage you, that if you’ve never tried to keep the commandments He gave, that you start small?  Just keep His Sabbath on the day He ordained.  The day He called holy and set apart for rest.  You will not only bless the heart of your Creator, but I think you will also be surprised at how blessed you will be in being obedient and taking time to rest!

Shabbat Shalom,

Sarah

Read another post like this one: Law Abiding Citizen or Legalistic Lemming

Read this article from teacher Brad Scott entitled, “The Moral Law and the Ceremonial Law Part 5″