Do the Commandments Matter?
Is it important to keep God’s commandments? Revelation mentions keeping the commandments three times. That makes me think it must be important!
- The dragon makes war with God’s commandment keeping people. Rev. 12:17
- God’s end-time people keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12
- Blessed (or happy) are those that do his commandments. They have a right to the tree of life and may enter the gates into the new Jerusalem. Rev. 22:14
All Things Are Possible
Let’s make it clear. None of us, no matter how hard we try, can keep God’s commandments on our own. Does that mean it’s impossible? No. Read these amazing promises.
- With God ALL things are possible (Matt. 19:26).
- It is God who gives us power to will and to do his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).
- We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Phil. 4:13).
Are we saved by keeping God’s commandments. No way! The good news is we are saved because of God’s free gift! We cannot earn our salvation.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life”. John 3:16
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8-9
So if we’re not saved by keeping God’s commands, do they really matter? Well, the Bible says they do. Not to save us, but because they will make our lives better.
The Commandments Bring Peace and Happiness
When we love Jesus and surrender our will to him, he gives us the desire and strength to obey him. We know it is God’s will that we keep his commandments because Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15, 21). He doesn’t just want us to obey outwardly, but to really have a change of heart. He wants to write his law on our heart (Heb. 10:16).
Why does it matter? Because keeping God’s commandments brings us peace and happiness.
Great peace have those who love Your law,and nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165
Blessed [Happy] are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14
So it should come as no surprise that the dragon (aka Satan)….
- Doesn’t like people that keep God’s commandments
- Says the commandments don’t matter anymore
- Tries to convince people they can’t keep the commandments, even with God’s help.
- Tries to trick God’s people into disobeying the commandments without them knowing it
The Dragon Attacks the First Four Commandments
Check out these attacks on Gods commandments in Revelation chapter 13 from the two beast powers. Satan attacks the first four commandments specifically!
God says: Worship no other Gods’ (Exod. 20:3)
Satan says: Worship the dragon and the beast (Rev. 13:4,8)
God says: Do not make graven image and worship it. (Exod. 20:4,5)
Satan says: Make image of the beast and worship it. (Rev. 13:14,15)
God says: Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. (Exod. 20:7)
Satan does this: Tries to force people to have the name of the beast or number of his name (666). (Rev. 13:17,18)
God says: Remember God’s holy feasts including the seventh-day of sabbath rest and all of his commandments. (Lev. 23; Exod. 20:8-11; Deut. 6:1, 11:13,22)
Satan does this: Causes all to receive a mark in their right hand or forehead (Rev. 13:16) in direct opposition to God’s commands to keep his commandments and bind them on the hand and between the eyes (Exod. 13:6,9; Duet. 6:1-8; Deut. 11:18-22).
This mark of the beast must be a counterfeit of the commandments God wants us to do (right hand) and put in our minds (foreheads).
Let’s Make This Simple
- God says worship no other Gods. The world says worship whatever makes you happy: sports, movie stars, hobbies, food, sappy movies, action movies, video games, music, etc.
- God says don’t make graven images and worship them. The worlds says it’s okay to love my stuff more than anything. God will understand. And it’s okay to put me first. I’m supposed to follow my heart and my dreams, right? The Bible says the heart is deceitfully wicked (Jer. 17:9). The same chapter says don’t trust man – including yourself – trust God (Jer. 17:5,7)
- God says don’t take my name in vain. Don’t give God a bad reputation. Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Many people say, “We love Jesus, but we don’t really need to do what the Bible says to do. That’s so Old Testament.”
- God says I’ve set aside special times to spend with you. They are holy, because I set them aside and made them holy. I want to spend time with you. The world and the “church” say, no, those times don’t matter anymore, that’s so legalistic. Tradition says we worship on another day now and we celebrate different holidays now. It’s okay, because in our hearts we are worshipping God. He’ll understand if we don’t do it like the Bible says to. After all, we are free from those silly commandments now.
Revelation 13 is God’s love letter to you and me. He is warning us about the tricks of the sneaky beasts who are following the fire-breathing dragon (aka Satan). God loves you so much. He wants you to be happy and at peace. Not only in this life, but for ever! He knows the way of life and peace. He has given us specific instructions in the Bible.
Choose today who you will follow. I want to follow Jesus wherever he leads!
[bctt tweet=”Keeping God’s commandments brings us peace and happiness!” username=”revelationkids”]
Do Your Kids Know the 10 Commandments?
We asked women in my Bible study who could say the 10 commandments by memory. It was surprising how many could not remember them all. Can you recite them? Can your kids?
A quick way to memorize the 10 commandments is with pictures (sometimes silly) to trigger a memory.
How about commandment #8 – “Do not steal” or #6 – “Do not kill”
And how’s this for “Do not lie” and “Do not covet”?
You see, commandment 9 is lying down. “Do not lie”! Get it? Ha, ha! Yes, it’s supposed to be silly – in order to remember something important. I know the Bible doesn’t say “do not covet your neighbor’s monster truck”, but you can bet my boys will remember commandment 10 for a long time with this picture in their heads!
If you want all the picture prompts for the 10 commandments, enter your email below for a free download.
