In Acts 15, false teachers created a dispute that confused the church of Antioch. They taught that following the Law of Moses was necessary for salvation. This was not true. Then, why did God give the law to man? Paul said it was to teach us, to show us our sin, so that we would realize our need to be saved and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

Believing is not faith; it is a mental process. Faith has to do with the heart and soul. It is the exercise of truth from out of our conscience after our conscience has been revitalized by the Holy Spirit. It is a gift God gives us which must be planted, watered, and fed if it is to grow.

To have faith means to cast ourselves over on the Lord, and not lean on our own understanding. When we set aside the corruption of our heart and give the Holy Spirit room, He will place within us His law: faith, love, and hope. As He lives through us, the law becomes something we don’t think about, we just live it.

The number one battle Satan has with us is to weary us, so that we drop our defenses and do not stand in a position of faith. Jesus said, “Come to Me, you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” We will not have rest in our soul until we hook our yoke with His, allowing Him to help bear our load. As we lean hard on Jesus Christ and live life according to His Word, we find that the load becomes lighter each step we take because He, through His power, is pulling the load. In that process, we come to realize that Jesus is Lord.

In the Old Testament, the fruit of the law was to receive the promise of God. In the New Testament, Jesus said that He is the promise. The Sermon on the Mount speaks of the fruit of walking with Jesus. When we come to Christ and put on His yoke, we are His servant. As we communicate and live with Him, we become His partner and friend. And then, we find out He lives within us through the Holy Spirit; and He will use our presence, our words, and our submission to Him to share His truth with someone else.

Pastor Odom’s message can be heard each Sunday on Radio KAML, AM 990, at 8:30 a.m. Choate Baptist Church meets for Sunday School at 9:45 a.m., Worship at 11 a.m., and Sunday and Wednesday Evening Services at 7 p.m., and you are invited.