SPEED LIMIT

Imagine driving your car at 75 mph – and as you do, you have this intuitive sense that you’re way over the speed limit … but you RATIONALIZE and say, ‘You know, I’ve been looking for speed limit signs and I just haven't seen one in a very long time on this road - but this is what I believe a reasonable speed limit SHOULD be on a road like this ---- so I should be OK.'

And as the speedometer clicks up to 75, you glance to the right and at that moment, you see a 55 mph sign. So now you clearly know what the law is and yet you are continuing to break it. Before that, you SENSED you were probably breaking it, but NOW … the sign has made it completely clear that you are.

So – what are we going to do? We don’t have an answer; we have no solution. But GOD does; and it’s that His righteousness can be given to us, even though we don’t deserve it. So Paul writes: ‘But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and Prophets testify.’ (Romans 3:21)

This is the breakthrough news of the decade – that what we cannot do for ourselves, God has done for us … that He has stepped in and intervened in the human dilemma and emergency ... that we can not be good, but God will give His goodness to us.

And Paul explains that the speed limit signs … the laws of God … show that we are sinners before we come to faith … and the rules and laws of God after we come to faith are a means for us to express our gratitude and obedience to God – that keeping God’s law is not to gain merit with God, but to say THANK YOU to God.

There was a group of boys hanging out together and one of them came up with a proposal for a prank that was both dangerous and illegal – and at that point, the group dynamic took over and they all agreed to do it … all except for one of the younger boys. And the eldest boy taunted the younger one in order to shame him into going along. He said, “What’s the matter? Are you afraid your dad will HURT you?” And showing incredible wisdom and personal strength far beyond his years, the younger boy said, “No, I’m afraid I’ll hurt my DAD.”

And that is the difference with the one who exists with a living faith in Christ. We do not commit adultery … we do not lie … we do not cheat … we do not steal … we do not gossip … we do not hate our brother … we care about the poor … we do not place things in our lives ahead of God – not because we’re afraid He’ll hurt us if we do something wrong – but because we never want to hurt the One who has been so gracious and generous to us.

It was awesome to be part of the service on Sunday where this information was shared and see at least 12 people come to Christ. Amazing.

And be blessed.