50. How do we fear and love God in keeping the Third Commandment?
We fear God and love God by not despising or neglecting His Word. We despise and neglect God's Word by
A. failing to gather together in worship to receive God's Word and Sacraments;
Hebrews 10:25 [Do not neglect] to meet together, as is the habit of some, but [encourage] one another, and all the more as you are the Day drawing near.B. rejecting or disregarding God's Word.
Luke 10:16 The one who hears you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me, and the one who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.Read 1 Samuel 15:10-23, noting that Saul rejected God's Word. In John 8:42-47, certain Jews rejected God's Word. In 1 Timothy 4:11-16, Paul tells Timothy to hold fast to Scripture's teaching.
We fear and love God by taking time to reflect on His Word. We do this by
A. treasuring God's Word as sacred;
Psalm 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.Colossians 3:16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Read Psalm 1 and Luke 2:8-20.
B. devoting ourselves to His Word (in private devotion and public worship).
Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.Acts 17:10-11 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Read Psalm 26:8; Luke 10:38-42; 11:28.
Eventual commentary - focus on Acts 2:42
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