1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,340 Will you open your Bible, please, at 1 Timothy 2 00:00:03,340 –> 00:00:07,060 and chapter one, as we come for the second time 3 00:00:07,060 –> 00:00:10,240 to this letter today, because it is telling us 4 00:00:10,240 –> 00:00:14,320 what God looks for in a local church. 5 00:00:14,320 –> 00:00:17,299 Remember that 1 Timothy is all about 6 00:00:17,299 –> 00:00:21,559 how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, 7 00:00:21,559 –> 00:00:23,480 which is the church of the living God, 8 00:00:23,480 –> 00:00:26,160 that’s chapter three and verse 14 9 00:00:26,160 –> 00:00:28,920 And so trying to get away from what we’re looking for 10 00:00:28,940 –> 00:00:30,760 in a church, we’re asking the question 11 00:00:30,760 –> 00:00:33,040 of this wonderful letter, what is it 12 00:00:33,040 –> 00:00:35,540 that God is looking for in a church 13 00:00:35,540 –> 00:00:38,320 so that we with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength 14 00:00:38,320 –> 00:00:42,099 may be able to pursue His passion? 15 00:00:42,099 –> 00:00:44,880 Now last week we looked at gospel faith. 16 00:00:44,880 –> 00:00:47,040 We saw that God calls us to be rooted 17 00:00:47,040 –> 00:00:50,599 in faith and growing in love. 18 00:00:50,599 –> 00:00:53,740 And verse three, Timothy must command 19 00:00:53,740 –> 00:00:57,500 certain people not to teach false doctrines. 20 00:00:57,500 –> 00:00:59,119 They mustn’t teach what is false 21 00:00:59,119 –> 00:01:02,799 because the church has been trusted with the truth. 22 00:01:02,799 –> 00:01:05,680 The faith once delivered to the saints, 23 00:01:05,680 –> 00:01:09,120 the good deposit, the pattern of sound teaching, 24 00:01:09,120 –> 00:01:13,639 the gospel has been trusted to the people of God, 25 00:01:13,639 –> 00:01:16,139 and so Timothy, you must guard the gospel. 26 00:01:16,139 –> 00:01:18,279 That’s the message of this letter. 27 00:01:18,279 –> 00:01:20,239 You must keep it front and center 28 00:01:20,239 –> 00:01:21,800 in the life of the church. 29 00:01:21,800 –> 00:01:24,800 You must preach the gospel, you must live for the gospel, 30 00:01:24,839 –> 00:01:26,760 you must advance the gospel 31 00:01:26,760 –> 00:01:29,199 and, if necessary, die for the gospel 32 00:01:29,199 –> 00:01:34,160 because the gospel has been entrusted to the people of God. 33 00:01:34,160 –> 00:01:38,059 And we saw that the goal of this command is, verse five, 34 00:01:38,059 –> 00:01:39,440 love. 35 00:01:39,440 –> 00:01:42,440 In other words, and this is very important for us, 36 00:01:42,440 –> 00:01:46,599 truth and love are never alternatives. 37 00:01:46,599 –> 00:01:49,680 They are bonded together in the gospel, 38 00:01:49,680 –> 00:01:53,199 which is true and it is the gospel of God’s love 39 00:01:53,239 –> 00:01:55,160 being poured out for us. 40 00:01:55,160 –> 00:01:57,599 And because truth and love are bonded together 41 00:01:57,599 –> 00:02:00,120 in the gospel, they are bonded together 42 00:02:00,120 –> 00:02:05,120 in a gospel-centered church and can never be separated. 43 00:02:05,440 –> 00:02:06,779 So if you’re visiting the church, 44 00:02:06,779 –> 00:02:09,399 as many are in this season of the year, 45 00:02:09,399 –> 00:02:12,440 I hope that as this series progresses, 46 00:02:12,440 –> 00:02:14,080 you will be saying, well, you know, 47 00:02:14,080 –> 00:02:16,559 this is the place for me. 48 00:02:16,559 –> 00:02:20,139 I want to be planted down together with those 49 00:02:20,139 –> 00:02:22,839 who are deeply rooted in the word of God, 50 00:02:22,880 –> 00:02:25,500 growing in the life of Jesus Christ 51 00:02:25,500 –> 00:02:29,660 and bearing fruit around the world. 52 00:02:29,660 –> 00:02:31,779 Now today we’re going to look at a second distinctive 53 00:02:31,779 –> 00:02:33,240 of a gospel-centered church, 54 00:02:33,240 –> 00:02:36,139 and I’ve called this one Gospel Freedom. 55 00:02:36,139 –> 00:02:38,360 And I’ve described it in this way 56 00:02:38,360 –> 00:02:43,360 that we are drawn by grace, not driven by law. 57 00:02:44,580 –> 00:02:49,580 Gospel freedom, we are drawn by grace, not driven by law. 58 00:02:49,880 –> 00:02:53,160 Now let’s take it up where we left off last week 59 00:02:53,160 –> 00:02:55,759 in verse seven, where it becomes clear 60 00:02:55,759 –> 00:02:59,199 that there were difficulties in this church at Ephesus 61 00:02:59,199 –> 00:03:03,399 over some people who wanted to be teachers of the law. 62 00:03:03,399 –> 00:03:05,240 Notice that in verse seven. 63 00:03:05,240 –> 00:03:07,479 But Paul says that they did not know 64 00:03:07,479 –> 00:03:10,039 what they were talking about. 65 00:03:10,039 –> 00:03:11,740 In other words, it is quite clear 66 00:03:11,740 –> 00:03:13,639 that some folks in this church, 67 00:03:13,639 –> 00:03:15,559 where Timothy was the pastor, 68 00:03:15,580 –> 00:03:19,039 were confused about the role of the law 69 00:03:19,039 –> 00:03:22,020 in the life of a Christian believer. 70 00:03:22,020 –> 00:03:25,220 Now frankly folks, that is not surprising 71 00:03:25,220 –> 00:03:26,779 because the role of the law 72 00:03:26,779 –> 00:03:31,039 in the life of a Christian believer is a difficult issue. 73 00:03:31,039 –> 00:03:33,880 Perhaps that’s one reason why it comes up again 74 00:03:33,880 –> 00:03:36,860 and again in the New Testament letters. 75 00:03:36,860 –> 00:03:40,820 Perhaps that’s a reason why it has perplexed believers 76 00:03:40,820 –> 00:03:42,940 and caused debate between believers 77 00:03:42,960 –> 00:03:46,080 throughout the centuries of Christian history. 78 00:03:46,960 –> 00:03:51,240 Now, if you want to understand well the role of the law 79 00:03:51,240 –> 00:03:54,300 in the life of a Christian believer, 80 00:03:54,300 –> 00:03:59,119 then perhaps the most important text to get you going here 81 00:03:59,119 –> 00:04:01,839 is right in front of us in 1 Timothy chapter one 82 00:04:01,839 –> 00:04:03,259 in verse eight. 83 00:04:03,259 –> 00:04:07,899 It’s of huge importance for the church today and always. 84 00:04:07,899 –> 00:04:12,899 We know, Paul says, that the law is good 85 00:04:13,899 –> 00:04:17,779 if one uses it properly. 86 00:04:17,779 –> 00:04:19,420 Huge statement. 87 00:04:19,420 –> 00:04:21,179 And notice that he’s saying two things. 88 00:04:21,179 –> 00:04:22,980 Number one, the law is good. 89 00:04:22,980 –> 00:04:24,619 That’s clear. 90 00:04:24,619 –> 00:04:28,540 Number two, the law must be used properly. 91 00:04:28,540 –> 00:04:30,959 In other words, it is possible in the church 92 00:04:30,959 –> 00:04:33,220 to make an improper use of the law, 93 00:04:33,220 –> 00:04:37,799 possible in your home to make an improper use of the law. 94 00:04:37,799 –> 00:04:42,100 The law is good, if one uses it properly. 95 00:04:42,100 –> 00:04:44,839 Let me just try and set our minds in the right direction 96 00:04:44,839 –> 00:04:46,500 by giving a couple of examples 97 00:04:46,500 –> 00:04:50,119 of the improper use of the law. 98 00:04:50,119 –> 00:04:52,220 One improper use would be 99 00:04:52,220 –> 00:04:55,920 if you use the law for self-justification. 100 00:04:56,779 –> 00:04:59,179 Now remember, that’s what the rich young ruler did. 101 00:04:59,179 –> 00:05:02,160 He recites the commandments to the Lord Jesus. 102 00:05:02,160 –> 00:05:04,260 You know, you shall not murder, 103 00:05:04,260 –> 00:05:05,459 you shall not commit adultery, 104 00:05:05,459 –> 00:05:07,679 honor your father and mother, and so forth and so on. 105 00:05:07,679 –> 00:05:08,980 And then he says, 106 00:05:09,420 –> 00:05:13,420 Jesus, all these I have kept since I was a boy. 107 00:05:15,559 –> 00:05:19,320 In other words, here was a man who took a superficial look 108 00:05:19,320 –> 00:05:22,059 at the 10 commandments in particular. 109 00:05:22,059 –> 00:05:24,179 He looked at God’s law and he said, 110 00:05:24,179 –> 00:05:25,339 hey, I’m good. 111 00:05:26,420 –> 00:05:28,480 Paul could look back at a time 112 00:05:28,480 –> 00:05:31,299 when he did precisely the same thing. 113 00:05:31,299 –> 00:05:33,220 He says in Philippians chapter three, 114 00:05:33,220 –> 00:05:35,619 looking back to an earlier time in his life, 115 00:05:35,619 –> 00:05:36,459 he said this 116 00:05:36,459 –> 00:05:39,140 as with regards to legalistic righteousness. 117 00:05:39,140 –> 00:05:40,579 He says, I was faultless, 118 00:05:40,579 –> 00:05:44,100 that’s how I saw myself, before Christ. 119 00:05:45,299 –> 00:05:46,640 So if you’re the kind of person 120 00:05:46,640 –> 00:05:50,339 that takes a superficial view of the commandments of God 121 00:05:50,339 –> 00:05:52,019 and you say, well, no, look at this, 122 00:05:52,019 –> 00:05:53,220 I’ve never committed adultery, 123 00:05:53,220 –> 00:05:54,579 I’ve never murdered anyone. 124 00:05:54,579 –> 00:05:56,779 I live a really good moral life. 125 00:05:56,779 –> 00:05:59,760 That is a terrible, terrible use of the law. 126 00:06:01,160 –> 00:06:03,260 If you read it and come to the conclusion, 127 00:06:03,260 –> 00:06:05,320 I must be real good before God, 128 00:06:06,980 –> 00:06:10,220 here’s a second improper use of the law, 129 00:06:11,299 –> 00:06:14,559 to use the law for self sanctification. 130 00:06:15,700 –> 00:06:17,820 Now, some folks have the idea, 131 00:06:17,820 –> 00:06:19,660 you see, that the gospel basically says, 132 00:06:19,660 –> 00:06:21,540 Christ forgives you for your past sins 133 00:06:21,540 –> 00:06:23,899 and opens up heaven for your future joy, 134 00:06:23,899 –> 00:06:25,440 and that in the middle, basically, 135 00:06:25,440 –> 00:06:27,179 it’s down to you to live a good moral life, 136 00:06:27,179 –> 00:06:29,179 so find out what the law says and do it. 137 00:06:30,660 –> 00:06:31,920 That is not the gospel. 138 00:06:33,500 –> 00:06:35,220 Romans chapter eight, in verse three, 139 00:06:35,239 –> 00:06:38,559 Paul says, what the law was powerless to do, 140 00:06:38,559 –> 00:06:41,679 in that it was weakened by the sinful nature 141 00:06:41,679 –> 00:06:44,980 God did by sending his Son in the likeness 142 00:06:44,980 –> 00:06:47,200 of sinful man to be a sin offering. 143 00:06:47,200 –> 00:06:48,540 Notice the words. 144 00:06:49,700 –> 00:06:52,119 What the law was powerless to do, 145 00:06:52,119 –> 00:06:55,440 because it was weakened by the sinful nature. 146 00:06:56,380 –> 00:06:57,380 In other words, Paul is saying, 147 00:06:57,380 –> 00:06:58,640 the law can tell you what to do, 148 00:06:58,640 –> 00:07:01,380 but it cannot give you the power to do it. 149 00:07:01,380 –> 00:07:04,299 We are weakened by the sinful nature. 150 00:07:04,299 –> 00:07:07,480 The law is powerless, because it can instruct us, 151 00:07:07,480 –> 00:07:10,619 but it cannot get us to the place that it points to. 152 00:07:12,079 –> 00:07:14,420 That’s a problem, isn’t it, with all legalism? 153 00:07:15,299 –> 00:07:17,700 With all moralism? 154 00:07:17,700 –> 00:07:19,339 It is so limited. 155 00:07:20,220 –> 00:07:22,359 It is so self-calculating. 156 00:07:22,359 –> 00:07:24,940 It is so self-righteous. 157 00:07:24,940 –> 00:07:29,160 It instructs, but it lacks power. 158 00:07:30,380 –> 00:07:32,000 Certainly cannot bring us into the life 159 00:07:32,019 –> 00:07:34,700 to which Jesus Christ is calling us. 160 00:07:35,559 –> 00:07:37,000 Remember this if you want to try 161 00:07:37,000 –> 00:07:39,279 and get it clear in your mind. 162 00:07:39,279 –> 00:07:44,279 The gospel does not bring forgiveness, heaven, and law. 163 00:07:44,640 –> 00:07:49,640 The gospel brings forgiveness, heaven, and the Spirit, 164 00:07:50,179 –> 00:07:55,179 and it is the Spirit who sanctifies not the law. 165 00:07:55,279 –> 00:07:58,320 It’s very important, as we’re trying to understand 166 00:07:58,320 –> 00:08:03,320 what the proper use of God’s good law really is. 167 00:08:03,839 –> 00:08:05,660 Well, now, there’s a couple of improper uses. 168 00:08:05,660 –> 00:08:07,500 Let’s ask the question that’s right there 169 00:08:07,500 –> 00:08:09,500 in 1 Timothy 1 in verse 8. 170 00:08:09,500 –> 00:08:13,859 What is the proper use of the law for a Christian believer? 171 00:08:13,859 –> 00:08:16,179 That’s the question that’s right before us 172 00:08:16,179 –> 00:08:19,040 in this text of scripture, 173 00:08:19,040 –> 00:08:22,320 and it is a huge question, folks, 174 00:08:22,320 –> 00:08:27,000 for every Christian, every family, and every church. 175 00:08:27,880 –> 00:08:30,739 The way you answer this question 176 00:08:30,739 –> 00:08:34,500 will shape the character of your Christian life 177 00:08:35,440 –> 00:08:38,539 and it will shape the dynamics of your home. 178 00:08:40,080 –> 00:08:42,640 The way that we answer this question 179 00:08:42,640 –> 00:08:46,719 will shape the character of our church, 180 00:08:46,719 –> 00:08:49,739 shapes the character of churches all over the country 181 00:08:49,739 –> 00:08:51,619 and all around the world. 182 00:08:51,619 –> 00:08:56,520 The question is, what is the proper use of the law 183 00:08:56,520 –> 00:08:59,659 for a Christian believer? 184 00:09:00,820 –> 00:09:02,700 We know that the law is good 185 00:09:02,700 –> 00:09:07,440 if one uses it properly. 186 00:09:09,080 –> 00:09:11,159 Well, let’s start then with two things 187 00:09:11,159 –> 00:09:13,219 that are clear in the Bible. 188 00:09:14,320 –> 00:09:15,440 Here’s the first. 189 00:09:16,679 –> 00:09:18,960 The Bible is very clear 190 00:09:18,960 –> 00:09:23,760 that Christians are not under the law. 191 00:09:23,799 –> 00:09:24,739 You get that? 192 00:09:24,739 –> 00:09:27,380 In Romans chapter six, in verse 14, 193 00:09:27,380 –> 00:09:30,039 you are not under the law if you are in Jesus Christ. 194 00:09:30,039 –> 00:09:32,000 You are under grace. 195 00:09:32,000 –> 00:09:33,820 What a beautiful phrase that is. 196 00:09:33,820 –> 00:09:35,000 Not under the law, 197 00:09:35,000 –> 00:09:38,159 you are under grace. 198 00:09:38,159 –> 00:09:39,599 That is why Paul says that 199 00:09:39,599 –> 00:09:41,479 Christ, Romans 10, four, 200 00:09:41,479 –> 00:09:43,599 is the end of the law 201 00:09:43,599 –> 00:09:45,200 so that there may be a righteousness 202 00:09:45,200 –> 00:09:47,280 for everyone who believes. 203 00:09:48,320 –> 00:09:51,039 So, when, for example, in the early church, 204 00:09:51,039 –> 00:09:53,859 some people came to the Galatian church 205 00:09:53,859 –> 00:09:55,020 and started teaching 206 00:09:55,020 –> 00:09:57,619 that all Christians should be circumcised, 207 00:09:57,619 –> 00:10:01,559 Paul could not have been firmer or more resolute 208 00:10:01,559 –> 00:10:03,780 in answering their claim. 209 00:10:03,780 –> 00:10:06,080 He said, you who are trying to be justified 210 00:10:06,080 –> 00:10:09,479 by the law have become alienated from Christ. 211 00:10:10,960 –> 00:10:13,239 You have fallen away from grace. 212 00:10:13,239 –> 00:10:15,820 That is Galatians chapter five and verse four. 213 00:10:17,020 –> 00:10:18,440 And he said to the whole church, 214 00:10:18,440 –> 00:10:19,640 when it was threatened by people 215 00:10:19,719 –> 00:10:22,320 who wanted to reintroduce the imposition 216 00:10:22,320 –> 00:10:25,780 of all Old Testament law in regards to Christian believers, 217 00:10:25,780 –> 00:10:28,960 Paul said, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, 218 00:10:28,960 –> 00:10:31,479 stand firm then and do not let yourselves 219 00:10:31,479 –> 00:10:33,859 be burdened with the yoke of slavery. 220 00:10:34,780 –> 00:10:37,020 Let’s start here with what is very very clear 221 00:10:37,020 –> 00:10:38,000 in the New Testament. 222 00:10:38,000 –> 00:10:40,919 There’s more to be said but this is where we must begin. 223 00:10:41,760 –> 00:10:45,299 The law cannot condemn a person in Christ, 224 00:10:46,099 –> 00:10:50,500 the law has no power over us. 225 00:10:50,500 –> 00:10:55,500 We are not under the law, we are under grace 226 00:10:56,880 –> 00:10:58,900 and for that we want to say from the depth 227 00:10:58,900 –> 00:11:02,539 of our being, thanks be to God. 228 00:11:02,539 –> 00:11:05,260 So the Bible is very clear that Christians 229 00:11:05,260 –> 00:11:10,200 are not under the law, second. 230 00:11:10,960 –> 00:11:14,020 The Bible is equally clear 231 00:11:15,099 –> 00:11:18,979 that Christians cannot forget the law 232 00:11:18,979 –> 00:11:21,679 and now we’re seeing why this is such a complex issue. 233 00:11:22,820 –> 00:11:26,320 We’re not under the law, but we cannot forget the law. 234 00:11:26,320 –> 00:11:28,820 Let me give you four reasons why we cannot ignore 235 00:11:28,820 –> 00:11:31,260 or forget the law of God. 236 00:11:31,260 –> 00:11:35,559 Number one, the law of God is good, 237 00:11:35,559 –> 00:11:38,099 and it says it right here in first Timothy chapter one 238 00:11:38,099 –> 00:11:40,380 and verse eight, I mean, it’s God’s law, 239 00:11:41,280 –> 00:11:43,119 it proceeds from his mouth. 240 00:11:44,039 –> 00:11:45,880 How could anything that comes from God 241 00:11:45,880 –> 00:11:47,380 be anything other than good, 242 00:11:47,380 –> 00:11:48,760 and Paul says it right here. 243 00:11:48,760 –> 00:11:52,039 The law is good if one uses it properly. 244 00:11:52,039 –> 00:11:54,599 So in saying that he’s making it very clear 245 00:11:54,599 –> 00:11:56,520 we as Christians are to use it. 246 00:11:56,520 –> 00:11:59,400 We must use it properly, but we’re to use it. 247 00:11:59,400 –> 00:12:00,559 So we certainly can’t forget it. 248 00:12:00,559 –> 00:12:02,460 We certainly can’t ignore it. 249 00:12:03,340 –> 00:12:06,119 Romans chapter seven and verse 12, 250 00:12:06,119 –> 00:12:11,119 the law is holy, righteous, and good. 251 00:12:13,119 –> 00:12:15,520 If your son or your daughter grows up 252 00:12:15,520 –> 00:12:18,440 to be a person who is faithful to their spouse, 253 00:12:18,440 –> 00:12:20,219 can be trusted with their money, 254 00:12:20,219 –> 00:12:22,599 tells the truth, and honors their father and their mother, 255 00:12:22,599 –> 00:12:23,979 is that not a good thing? 256 00:12:24,820 –> 00:12:25,760 Of course it is. 257 00:12:26,719 –> 00:12:27,880 The law is good. 258 00:12:28,859 –> 00:12:31,559 And Paul says in the second letter to Timothy, 259 00:12:31,559 –> 00:12:36,099 all Scripture is breathed out by God. 260 00:12:36,099 –> 00:12:38,640 And that’s before the New Testament canon is complete, 261 00:12:38,640 –> 00:12:40,799 so he’s talking about Old Testament Scripture. 262 00:12:40,799 –> 00:12:45,099 He’s saying the whole Old Testament is breathed out by God. 263 00:12:45,099 –> 00:12:46,619 And it’s useful. 264 00:12:46,619 –> 00:12:47,919 So don’t forget it. 265 00:12:47,919 –> 00:12:48,760 Don’t ignore it. 266 00:12:48,760 –> 00:12:49,840 It’s useful for what? 267 00:12:49,840 –> 00:12:52,020 Teaching, and rebuking, and correcting, 268 00:12:52,020 –> 00:12:53,619 and training in righteousness. 269 00:12:53,619 –> 00:12:54,820 So we cannot forget it. 270 00:12:54,820 –> 00:12:55,780 We cannot ignore it. 271 00:12:55,780 –> 00:12:58,460 We cannot detach the Old Testament from the New 272 00:12:58,460 –> 00:13:00,299 because God’s law is good. 273 00:13:01,679 –> 00:13:04,820 Second, we cannot forget it because God’s law remains. 274 00:13:05,719 –> 00:13:07,340 Remember the words of the Lord Jesus 275 00:13:07,340 –> 00:13:09,960 in Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount? 276 00:13:09,960 –> 00:13:11,719 I tell you the truth. 277 00:13:11,719 –> 00:13:13,679 That until Heaven and Earth disappear, 278 00:13:13,679 –> 00:13:15,840 not the smallest letter, the least stroke of a pen, 279 00:13:15,840 –> 00:13:18,799 will by any means disappear from the law 280 00:13:18,799 –> 00:13:21,099 until everything is accomplished. 281 00:13:21,099 –> 00:13:23,059 And then he says, 282 00:13:23,059 –> 00:13:25,820 if anyone breaks one of the least of these commandments 283 00:13:25,820 –> 00:13:28,400 and teaches others to do the same, 284 00:13:28,400 –> 00:13:30,719 you teach people that the law is of no importance 285 00:13:30,719 –> 00:13:33,119 in regards to the life of a Christian, 286 00:13:33,119 –> 00:13:35,979 they’ll be called least in the kingdom of Heaven. 287 00:13:35,979 –> 00:13:37,580 Whoever practices these commands 288 00:13:37,580 –> 00:13:39,440 will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. 289 00:13:39,440 –> 00:13:41,099 For I tell you, Jesus says, 290 00:13:41,099 –> 00:13:44,900 unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, 291 00:13:45,820 –> 00:13:48,380 you will certainly not enter the kingdom of Heaven. 292 00:13:49,739 –> 00:13:51,640 So one thing that is very clear 293 00:13:51,640 –> 00:13:53,679 from the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, 294 00:13:53,679 –> 00:13:56,520 right there in the Sermon on the Mount, 295 00:13:56,520 –> 00:13:59,440 is that Christ calls us beyond the law 296 00:14:00,440 –> 00:14:01,619 to exceed it, 297 00:14:02,619 –> 00:14:05,780 unless your righteousness surpasses the Pharisees. 298 00:14:07,619 –> 00:14:10,119 He’s not calling us to come up short of it, 299 00:14:11,299 –> 00:14:13,739 He’s certainly not here to call us 300 00:14:13,739 –> 00:14:16,020 to make no attempt at it. 301 00:14:17,380 –> 00:14:18,760 Here’s the third reason 302 00:14:18,760 –> 00:14:21,280 why we cannot forget the laws, Christian believers. 303 00:14:21,280 –> 00:14:26,280 Because the Holy Spirit writes God’s law on our hearts. 304 00:14:27,239 –> 00:14:30,460 That, of course, is The Great Promise of the Gospel, 305 00:14:30,460 –> 00:14:31,340 isn’t it? 306 00:14:31,340 –> 00:14:33,719 Jeremiah 31, 33, 307 00:14:33,719 –> 00:14:36,739 God says, I will put my law 308 00:14:36,739 –> 00:14:40,140 in their minds and write it on their hearts. 309 00:14:40,140 –> 00:14:41,380 That’s the promise of what He would do 310 00:14:41,380 –> 00:14:42,539 in the New Testament. 311 00:14:43,500 –> 00:14:46,119 He says, Ezekiel 36 and 27, 312 00:14:46,119 –> 00:14:48,320 I will put my spirit in you, 313 00:14:48,320 –> 00:14:51,659 that’s the gift that you receive as a Christian believer. 314 00:14:51,659 –> 00:14:54,020 And I will move you to do what? 315 00:14:54,059 –> 00:14:58,440 To follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 316 00:14:59,679 –> 00:15:02,659 So, in Christ, we would say with David, 317 00:15:02,659 –> 00:15:06,500 oh how I love your law. 318 00:15:08,320 –> 00:15:12,080 Fourth reason that Christians cannot forget the law of God 319 00:15:12,080 –> 00:15:13,979 is that God gives us His Spirit 320 00:15:13,979 –> 00:15:17,400 precisely for us to live the life 321 00:15:17,400 –> 00:15:19,679 that is described in his law. 322 00:15:19,679 –> 00:15:22,200 That is Roman’s chapter eight in verse four, 323 00:15:22,219 –> 00:15:25,099 where we’re told that Christ died in order 324 00:15:25,099 –> 00:15:26,960 that the righteous requirements of the law 325 00:15:26,960 –> 00:15:31,460 might be fully met in us, who do not live 326 00:15:31,460 –> 00:15:32,940 according to the sinful nature, 327 00:15:32,940 –> 00:15:34,840 but according to the Spirit. 328 00:15:36,380 –> 00:15:38,039 And folks, Paul is not talking here 329 00:15:38,039 –> 00:15:40,159 about our justification. 330 00:15:40,159 –> 00:15:43,340 He’s talking here about our sanctification. 331 00:15:43,340 –> 00:15:45,359 He does not say that the righteous requirements 332 00:15:45,359 –> 00:15:48,739 of the law are met for us when Jesus died on the cross. 333 00:15:48,739 –> 00:15:50,659 That is true, but it’s not what he is saying here. 334 00:15:50,799 –> 00:15:53,340 He says that the righteous requirements of the law 335 00:15:53,340 –> 00:15:56,739 might be fully met in us, who live according to the Spirit. 336 00:15:56,739 –> 00:15:59,099 He’s talking about your new life in Christ. 337 00:15:59,099 –> 00:16:00,559 And what he’s saying is this, 338 00:16:00,559 –> 00:16:03,380 Jesus Christ died to bring you into a new life, 339 00:16:03,380 –> 00:16:05,140 lived in the power of the Spirit, 340 00:16:05,140 –> 00:16:07,239 that will become a fulfillment of the law 341 00:16:07,239 –> 00:16:09,479 that reflects the character of God. 342 00:16:11,559 –> 00:16:13,400 So there are two common errors. 343 00:16:14,679 –> 00:16:17,400 The first is to say that Christians are subject 344 00:16:17,400 –> 00:16:19,020 to the Old Testament law. 345 00:16:19,020 –> 00:16:20,799 The second is to say that Christians 346 00:16:20,799 –> 00:16:22,820 can forget the Old Testament law. 347 00:16:22,820 –> 00:16:27,059 And now you will realize, if you had not already, 348 00:16:27,059 –> 00:16:30,520 why anyone who thinks this issue is simple 349 00:16:30,520 –> 00:16:33,840 has simply not thought about it very much at all. 350 00:16:35,460 –> 00:16:40,460 The law is good if one uses it properly. 351 00:16:44,799 –> 00:16:48,700 What then is the proper use of the law of God? 352 00:16:49,440 –> 00:16:53,179 I want to offer three answers. 353 00:16:53,179 –> 00:16:56,559 If we’re not under the law but we cannot forget the law, 354 00:16:56,559 –> 00:17:00,440 how are we to use it properly as Christian believers? 355 00:17:00,440 –> 00:17:04,959 How does it function for us today? 356 00:17:06,199 –> 00:17:07,619 Three answers. 357 00:17:07,619 –> 00:17:10,959 Three proper uses of the law. 358 00:17:10,959 –> 00:17:15,959 Number one, the law restrains rebels from evil. 359 00:17:16,380 –> 00:17:18,459 From evil. 360 00:17:18,459 –> 00:17:20,540 Now I think it is very clear that 361 00:17:20,540 –> 00:17:22,579 that is what was in Paul’s mind here 362 00:17:22,579 –> 00:17:24,219 in First Timothy chapter one. 363 00:17:24,219 –> 00:17:26,079 Notice what he says in verse 9. 364 00:17:26,939 –> 00:17:31,239 We also know that the law is not made for the righteous 365 00:17:31,239 –> 00:17:35,199 but for lawbreakers and rebels. 366 00:17:36,520 –> 00:17:37,880 Now, let’s remember straightaway 367 00:17:37,880 –> 00:17:41,339 that that is what we all are by nature. 368 00:17:41,339 –> 00:17:44,479 And that is why we need the law. 369 00:17:44,479 –> 00:17:47,400 We need the law in our land. 370 00:17:47,400 –> 00:17:50,300 We need the law in our homes. 371 00:17:50,300 –> 00:17:53,079 And we need the law in the Bible 372 00:17:53,079 –> 00:17:55,680 because we live in a fallen world 373 00:17:55,680 –> 00:17:58,540 and by nature we are rebels. 374 00:17:59,920 –> 00:18:02,400 And the law restrains how? 375 00:18:02,400 –> 00:18:06,060 The law restrains simply by threatening punishment. 376 00:18:07,099 –> 00:18:08,640 That’s how the law works. 377 00:18:08,640 –> 00:18:12,619 If you do this, something bad will happen to you. 378 00:18:13,520 –> 00:18:16,260 And that makes the rebel think twice. 379 00:18:17,219 –> 00:18:20,800 Good laws, whether they be in a home, 380 00:18:20,800 –> 00:18:23,219 whether they be in a nation, 381 00:18:23,219 –> 00:18:25,180 and certainly where they are in scripture, 382 00:18:25,180 –> 00:18:28,439 this is what they do, they restrain rebels. 383 00:18:29,380 –> 00:18:31,500 A man has to think about consequences 384 00:18:31,500 –> 00:18:35,439 before he does an evil that is on his mind, 385 00:18:35,439 –> 00:18:36,839 and in the mercy of God, 386 00:18:36,839 –> 00:18:41,020 good law may restrain him from doing it. 387 00:18:41,020 –> 00:18:43,400 Good law, in other words, acts as a deterrent. 388 00:18:44,900 –> 00:18:46,780 Now folks, just in terms of an immediate 389 00:18:46,780 –> 00:18:49,859 practical application for all of us who are parents, 390 00:18:49,859 –> 00:18:54,859 think about this as you establish appropriate rules 391 00:18:54,939 –> 00:18:56,939 in your own home and family. 392 00:18:57,859 –> 00:18:59,780 See, when your little daughter or son, 393 00:18:59,780 –> 00:19:01,660 but let’s take the daughter today, 394 00:19:01,660 –> 00:19:03,979 when that little one is born, 395 00:19:03,979 –> 00:19:07,979 she looks a picture of innocents, 396 00:19:07,979 –> 00:19:10,180 and you hold her in your arms, 397 00:19:10,199 –> 00:19:12,260 and you think, oh, how lovely, 398 00:19:12,260 –> 00:19:15,060 and wonderful, and perfect she is. 399 00:19:15,060 –> 00:19:18,780 You need to know what you’ve got there. 400 00:19:18,780 –> 00:19:23,780 And what you’ve got there is a wonderful gift from God 401 00:19:24,859 –> 00:19:27,219 who will bring you joy and delight, 402 00:19:28,380 –> 00:19:32,219 and a little rebel whose heart is bent 403 00:19:32,219 –> 00:19:35,800 on crowning herself as lord, that’s what you got. 404 00:19:36,760 –> 00:19:41,239 So, you will need to write some rules 405 00:19:41,239 –> 00:19:43,420 with appropriate punishments 406 00:19:43,420 –> 00:19:47,699 that will carry enough weight in her little mind 407 00:19:47,699 –> 00:19:49,719 to restrain her from evil. 408 00:19:50,719 –> 00:19:52,359 That’s the proper use of the law. 409 00:19:54,000 –> 00:19:56,099 And if we neglect that proper use of the law, 410 00:19:56,099 –> 00:19:57,520 you know what we have? 411 00:19:57,520 –> 00:19:59,579 Homes and families in chaos. 412 00:19:59,579 –> 00:20:01,180 That’s what happens. 413 00:20:01,560 –> 00:20:05,479 By the way, that’s why we need rules in the church. 414 00:20:06,560 –> 00:20:10,280 We don’t want many, but we do need some. 415 00:20:11,140 –> 00:20:14,359 That’s why we have a constitution and bylaws. 416 00:20:14,359 –> 00:20:17,500 Sometimes you hear people saying, man made rules. 417 00:20:17,500 –> 00:20:18,640 Yeah, of course? 418 00:20:19,660 –> 00:20:20,500 Why? 419 00:20:20,500 –> 00:20:22,719 You say, well, why can’t we simply say 420 00:20:22,719 –> 00:20:24,579 we’re all Christians here, 421 00:20:24,579 –> 00:20:27,780 so the only rule is that we love one another. 422 00:20:29,199 –> 00:20:31,040 Well, answer? 423 00:20:31,040 –> 00:20:33,619 There is too much sin in all of us, 424 00:20:33,619 –> 00:20:36,540 including you and including me for that to work. 425 00:20:38,219 –> 00:20:41,339 So you need some rules, we don’t have one to have many, 426 00:20:41,339 –> 00:20:42,199 but we need some. 427 00:20:44,000 –> 00:20:48,719 It is very significant that the long list of sins 428 00:20:48,719 –> 00:20:51,339 here in this verse in front of us, 429 00:20:51,339 –> 00:20:52,939 do you notice how they relate 430 00:20:52,939 –> 00:20:55,979 directly to the 10 Commandments. 431 00:20:55,979 –> 00:21:00,280 For all who kill their fathers and mothers, verse 9. 432 00:21:00,359 –> 00:21:01,920 Well, that relates to the 5th Commandment, 433 00:21:01,920 –> 00:21:04,040 doesn’t it honor your father and mother. 434 00:21:04,040 –> 00:21:06,680 For murderers, 6th Commandment. 435 00:21:06,680 –> 00:21:09,500 For adulterers, 7th Commandment. 436 00:21:09,500 –> 00:21:11,859 Notice by the way that Paul includes here 437 00:21:11,859 –> 00:21:16,500 both heterosexual and homosexual acts 438 00:21:16,500 –> 00:21:21,500 as defiance of the 7th Commandment. 439 00:21:23,339 –> 00:21:26,040 Notice the next one, this is very significant. 440 00:21:26,040 –> 00:21:28,260 It’s for slave traders. 441 00:21:29,199 –> 00:21:30,979 That relates to the 8th Commandment 442 00:21:30,979 –> 00:21:33,260 because you shall not steal. 443 00:21:33,260 –> 00:21:34,680 Stealing a person. 444 00:21:35,739 –> 00:21:38,099 By the way, if anyone ever says to you 445 00:21:38,099 –> 00:21:41,099 that the Bible supports slavery, 446 00:21:41,099 –> 00:21:43,500 you point them to this verse 447 00:21:43,500 –> 00:21:47,219 where it says that slave trading 448 00:21:47,219 –> 00:21:49,780 is a defiance of the 8th Commandment. 449 00:21:49,780 –> 00:21:50,859 That’s what Paul is doing, 450 00:21:50,859 –> 00:21:53,400 He’s applying the the commandments 451 00:21:53,400 –> 00:21:57,079 to the culture in which he lives. 452 00:21:58,079 –> 00:22:01,619 And then for liars and for perjurers, 453 00:22:01,619 –> 00:22:03,199 that’s the 9th Commandment. 454 00:22:03,199 –> 00:22:04,260 Now what is the point? 455 00:22:04,260 –> 00:22:05,699 Paul is surely saying, 456 00:22:05,699 –> 00:22:08,400 and remember this is New Testament, 457 00:22:08,400 –> 00:22:09,660 this is the apostle saying 458 00:22:09,660 –> 00:22:12,719 that the 10 Commandments still speak powerfully 459 00:22:12,719 –> 00:22:15,579 into our lives and into our world today 460 00:22:15,579 –> 00:22:18,040 and we need them to restrain rebels. 461 00:22:19,020 –> 00:22:22,420 We need them to restrain rebels. 462 00:22:22,420 –> 00:22:25,119 That’s the first proper use of the law. 463 00:22:25,119 –> 00:22:26,239 And as we talk about this, 464 00:22:26,280 –> 00:22:27,540 if you’re involved in a life group 465 00:22:27,540 –> 00:22:28,839 and you’re discussing this, 466 00:22:28,839 –> 00:22:32,119 there are all kinds of practical applications 467 00:22:32,119 –> 00:22:35,680 of that principle that we need to be working out 468 00:22:35,680 –> 00:22:38,280 in our homes and in our lives. 469 00:22:39,160 –> 00:22:41,199 Here’s the second proper use of the law. 470 00:22:42,280 –> 00:22:47,119 Not only is the law given to restrain rebels from evil, 471 00:22:47,119 –> 00:22:52,119 but the law is given to us to lead sinners to Christ. 472 00:22:53,040 –> 00:22:55,459 Now, you find this in Galatians chapter 3 473 00:22:55,500 –> 00:22:59,699 in verse 24 and 25, where it’s stated so clearly. 474 00:23:00,780 –> 00:23:03,459 The law Paul says there was given, 475 00:23:03,459 –> 00:23:07,339 was put in charge to lead us to Christ 476 00:23:07,339 –> 00:23:10,459 so that we might be justified by faith. 477 00:23:10,459 –> 00:23:12,339 That’s why the law was given. 478 00:23:12,339 –> 00:23:14,900 The law was given he says to lead us to Christ 479 00:23:14,900 –> 00:23:17,939 so that we might be justified by faith. 480 00:23:17,939 –> 00:23:20,339 And then he says, now that faith has come, 481 00:23:20,339 –> 00:23:24,119 we are no longer under the supervision of the law. 482 00:23:25,819 –> 00:23:27,520 Now, what he’s saying here is this. 483 00:23:28,560 –> 00:23:31,219 If you take God’s law seriously, 484 00:23:32,140 –> 00:23:35,359 as opposed to superficially, as the rich young ruler did, 485 00:23:35,359 –> 00:23:38,900 if you take it seriously and you examine yourself 486 00:23:38,900 –> 00:23:42,180 in the light of God’s law, begin anywhere you like, 487 00:23:43,920 –> 00:23:47,520 you will come to the conclusion that you are a sinner. 488 00:23:49,239 –> 00:23:53,819 And that conclusion doesn’t come to us easily 489 00:23:53,819 –> 00:23:58,359 because it is our instinct to feel that we are deserving. 490 00:23:59,540 –> 00:24:02,339 It is our natural instinct to feel that God owes us 491 00:24:02,339 –> 00:24:05,739 and that what he owes us is much better than what he gave us. 492 00:24:05,739 –> 00:24:07,140 That’s part of our rebellion. 493 00:24:08,180 –> 00:24:13,180 And God uses the law to waken us up to reality, 494 00:24:13,579 –> 00:24:17,380 which is that God owes me nothing. 495 00:24:17,380 –> 00:24:21,780 What I deserve from God is hell. 496 00:24:21,780 –> 00:24:22,619 Me. 497 00:24:23,979 –> 00:24:25,660 And when you understand the law 498 00:24:25,660 –> 00:24:27,500 and when the Holy Spirit works the law 499 00:24:27,500 –> 00:24:29,000 into your own mind and heart, 500 00:24:29,000 –> 00:24:31,099 you will come to that conclusion too. 501 00:24:31,099 –> 00:24:34,500 It will completely transform your position before God. 502 00:24:36,180 –> 00:24:39,520 You’ll cease coming before him with a clenched fist 503 00:24:40,619 –> 00:24:43,300 and you will come before him with a sense 504 00:24:43,300 –> 00:24:48,300 of one who is utterly dependent upon mercy and grace. 505 00:24:48,660 –> 00:24:53,180 And Paul actually tells us in the New Testament 506 00:24:53,180 –> 00:24:55,500 his own experience of this. 507 00:24:55,500 –> 00:24:57,660 You can read about it in Romans Chapter Seven. 508 00:24:57,660 –> 00:25:00,900 He says, I would not of known what sin was 509 00:25:00,900 –> 00:25:03,540 except through the law. 510 00:25:03,540 –> 00:25:05,619 And of course you remember that as a Pharisee, 511 00:25:05,619 –> 00:25:08,119 the Apostle Paul was one who studied the law 512 00:25:08,119 –> 00:25:10,560 and even prided himself in keeping the law. 513 00:25:10,560 –> 00:25:13,160 So how did the law waken him up? 514 00:25:13,160 –> 00:25:17,099 Well he tells us it was the tenth commandment 515 00:25:17,119 –> 00:25:18,099 that got him. 516 00:25:19,000 –> 00:25:21,400 He was superficially thinking, wow, I’ve not murdered 517 00:25:21,400 –> 00:25:24,020 and not committed adultery and so forth and so on. 518 00:25:24,020 –> 00:25:27,680 The tenth commandment says you shall not covet. 519 00:25:28,660 –> 00:25:30,260 And he says this in Romans Seven, 520 00:25:30,260 –> 00:25:33,199 I would not have known what coveting really was 521 00:25:33,199 –> 00:25:35,040 if the law had said do not covet, 522 00:25:35,040 –> 00:25:38,219 but sin seizing the opportunity afforded 523 00:25:38,219 –> 00:25:40,500 by the commandment produced in me 524 00:25:40,500 –> 00:25:42,579 every kind of covetous desire. 525 00:25:43,839 –> 00:25:46,859 In other words, he says, I was going through life 526 00:25:46,900 –> 00:25:49,400 thinking I was a very righteous person. 527 00:25:49,400 –> 00:25:52,979 Then I realized that my whole life was about myself. 528 00:25:54,339 –> 00:25:55,380 It undid me. 529 00:25:57,239 –> 00:26:00,660 Now that’s what the law does and thank God for it. 530 00:26:02,719 –> 00:26:05,040 But when the law brings you to that place 531 00:26:05,040 –> 00:26:07,680 that Paul discovered that Isaiah discovered 532 00:26:07,680 –> 00:26:11,300 in the holiness of God when he says woe to me. 533 00:26:12,119 –> 00:26:14,439 I want you to remember this. 534 00:26:15,920 –> 00:26:18,119 That when the law convinces you of sin, 535 00:26:18,119 –> 00:26:22,079 God’s purpose is through that to bring you to Christ. 536 00:26:23,020 –> 00:26:28,020 So make sure you get to the place where God is drawing you. 537 00:26:30,119 –> 00:26:35,119 The law was put in charge to lead you to Christ 538 00:26:35,359 –> 00:26:38,959 so that you might be justified by faith. 539 00:26:39,199 –> 00:26:42,699 Not so that you should be left languishing 540 00:26:42,699 –> 00:26:46,359 with your newly discovered sense of guilt and failure, 541 00:26:46,359 –> 00:26:50,400 but that by discovering the sense of guilt and failure, 542 00:26:50,400 –> 00:26:53,020 by seeing the reality of your own position in God, 543 00:26:53,020 –> 00:26:54,800 you might turn to Christ 544 00:26:54,800 –> 00:26:56,859 in a way you would never have done otherwise 545 00:26:56,859 –> 00:26:59,719 and be justifie by faith. 546 00:27:02,160 –> 00:27:07,160 Remember this, that as soon as the law does a work 547 00:27:07,699 –> 00:27:12,699 in a man or a woman’s heart, Satan is crouching at the door, 548 00:27:14,540 –> 00:27:18,060 and when you become convinced of your own sin, 549 00:27:18,939 –> 00:27:20,540 the enemy will speak to you. 550 00:27:20,540 –> 00:27:23,500 I’m sure something like this. 551 00:27:23,500 –> 00:27:28,500 He’ll say, so you see that you are a sinner now, do you? 552 00:27:31,199 –> 00:27:36,219 So you are, and there’s no hope for you ever again. 553 00:27:37,680 –> 00:27:40,959 One writer has put it this way, 554 00:27:40,959 –> 00:27:43,180 I find this so helpful. 555 00:27:43,180 –> 00:27:46,300 When the law strikes home to a man, 556 00:27:46,300 –> 00:27:51,040 he stands between God and the devil. 557 00:27:51,040 –> 00:27:53,680 Each intends to use the law 558 00:27:53,680 –> 00:27:56,300 to achieve exactly the opposite goal. 559 00:27:57,319 –> 00:28:00,880 The devil seeks to bring a man to destruction and death. 560 00:28:00,880 –> 00:28:04,280 God, however, wills that he should be blessed and live. 561 00:28:04,280 –> 00:28:05,140 Do you see that? 562 00:28:06,060 –> 00:28:09,699 When you become aware of your own sinfulness, 563 00:28:09,699 –> 00:28:12,339 through the law and by the work of the Holy Spirit, 564 00:28:12,339 –> 00:28:15,739 you stand right then between God and the devil. 565 00:28:15,739 –> 00:28:17,579 You may be standing there right now. 566 00:28:19,500 –> 00:28:21,500 Satan wants to use the law 567 00:28:21,500 –> 00:28:23,699 to lead you to despair, 568 00:28:23,699 –> 00:28:25,339 for you to go out of the servicing. 569 00:28:25,339 –> 00:28:28,099 There’s no hope for me, I’m such a wretched failure. 570 00:28:28,099 –> 00:28:29,479 I don’t even belong here. 571 00:28:30,819 –> 00:28:35,079 God wants to use the law to lead you to Christ, 572 00:28:35,199 –> 00:28:38,719 for you to say I find forgiveness today in the Savior, 573 00:28:38,719 –> 00:28:40,400 a new life in him. 574 00:28:40,400 –> 00:28:41,239 And there you are, 575 00:28:41,239 –> 00:28:43,760 you’re standing right now between God and the devil. 576 00:28:44,719 –> 00:28:46,680 And the proper use of the law is what? 577 00:28:46,680 –> 00:28:49,900 To lead you to Jesus Christ. 578 00:28:49,900 –> 00:28:52,319 And as often as we become as Christian believers 579 00:28:52,319 –> 00:28:54,640 aware of our own sin and our own failing, 580 00:28:54,640 –> 00:28:55,459 to do what? 581 00:28:55,459 –> 00:28:56,300 Despair? 582 00:28:56,300 –> 00:28:59,640 No, but to draw fresh near to Jesus Christ 583 00:28:59,640 –> 00:29:03,180 in whom our complete redemption is found. 584 00:29:03,939 –> 00:29:07,180 The proper use of the law is to lead you to Christ. 585 00:29:08,560 –> 00:29:10,839 Have you come to Christ? 586 00:29:12,800 –> 00:29:14,260 You’re gonna go out of the service today 587 00:29:14,260 –> 00:29:16,140 condemning yourself? 588 00:29:17,739 –> 00:29:20,000 Or are you going to see by God’s mercy 589 00:29:20,000 –> 00:29:22,020 the grace that is held out 590 00:29:22,020 –> 00:29:25,099 in the hands of the crucified and risen Savior 591 00:29:25,099 –> 00:29:28,140 so that you may embrace him by faith afresh 592 00:29:28,140 –> 00:29:30,540 and rejoice in him today? 593 00:29:30,540 –> 00:29:35,199 Let the law lead you to Christ. 594 00:29:36,739 –> 00:29:37,880 That’s God’s purpose. 595 00:29:39,579 –> 00:29:43,500 Restrains rebels from evil. 596 00:29:44,979 –> 00:29:49,099 Leads sinners to Christ. 597 00:29:50,140 –> 00:29:55,099 Third, the law points believers 598 00:29:55,959 –> 00:29:58,900 to a life of love. 599 00:29:59,479 –> 00:30:02,400 Now, this is very important 600 00:30:02,400 –> 00:30:05,680 and wonderfully, wonderfully freeing. 601 00:30:07,619 –> 00:30:11,760 The New Testament makes clear time and again 602 00:30:11,760 –> 00:30:13,880 that you can sum up the whole 603 00:30:13,880 –> 00:30:17,280 of the law in one single word, 604 00:30:17,280 –> 00:30:19,719 and that word of course is love. 605 00:30:19,719 –> 00:30:22,040 You have that in Galatians 5, 14. 606 00:30:22,040 –> 00:30:23,760 The entire law is summed up 607 00:30:23,760 –> 00:30:25,319 in a single command. 608 00:30:25,319 –> 00:30:27,520 Love your neighbor as yourself. 609 00:30:27,540 –> 00:30:29,979 Or in Romans 13, in verse 10, 610 00:30:29,979 –> 00:30:31,979 love does no harm to its neighbor, 611 00:30:31,979 –> 00:30:34,880 therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 612 00:30:34,880 –> 00:30:36,459 And you remember supremely of course 613 00:30:36,459 –> 00:30:38,060 when someone asked Jesus 614 00:30:38,060 –> 00:30:40,319 what is the first and greatest commandment? 615 00:30:40,319 –> 00:30:41,459 What did Jesus say? 616 00:30:41,459 –> 00:30:43,239 That you love God with all your heart, 617 00:30:43,239 –> 00:30:44,239 soul, mind and strength 618 00:30:44,239 –> 00:30:46,660 and your neighbor as yourself and then Jesus 619 00:30:46,660 –> 00:30:49,420 said all the law and the prophets hang 620 00:30:49,420 –> 00:30:50,479 on these two commandments. 621 00:30:50,479 –> 00:30:52,219 In other words, that really sums up 622 00:30:52,219 –> 00:30:53,859 the whole thing right there. 623 00:30:54,859 –> 00:30:59,300 Now, if you can sum up 624 00:31:00,219 –> 00:31:01,719 the whole of the law 625 00:31:02,880 –> 00:31:04,660 in one word, love. 626 00:31:05,839 –> 00:31:08,260 It stands to reason that when you’re trying 627 00:31:08,260 –> 00:31:10,599 to figure out what it means to live 628 00:31:10,599 –> 00:31:13,880 a life of love you can work backwards 629 00:31:13,880 –> 00:31:15,599 and find some explanation as to what 630 00:31:15,599 –> 00:31:16,859 that really looks like. 631 00:31:18,300 –> 00:31:20,319 So for example, when Christ calls us 632 00:31:20,319 –> 00:31:23,640 to live a life of love, which is Ephesians 5-2, 633 00:31:23,699 –> 00:31:26,500 the law spells out for us what that means. 634 00:31:27,880 –> 00:31:30,900 Living a life of love means 635 00:31:30,900 –> 00:31:33,040 honoring my father and my mother. 636 00:31:34,339 –> 00:31:37,239 Living a life of love means 637 00:31:37,239 –> 00:31:39,579 not committing adultery. 638 00:31:39,579 –> 00:31:41,660 It means telling the truth. 639 00:31:41,660 –> 00:31:45,459 It means rejoicing in what God gives 640 00:31:45,459 –> 00:31:48,140 to your brother and sister without 641 00:31:48,140 –> 00:31:51,540 coveting what they have for yourself. 642 00:31:51,540 –> 00:31:52,939 That’s what love means. 643 00:31:54,079 –> 00:31:55,599 If you envy what your brother or your 644 00:31:55,599 –> 00:31:57,199 sister has, you don’t love them. 645 00:31:59,160 –> 00:32:01,500 So I need this instruction. 646 00:32:03,479 –> 00:32:06,760 We are not so wise that we know 647 00:32:06,760 –> 00:32:10,300 what a life of love is. 648 00:32:10,300 –> 00:32:12,000 So I want to suggest to you as a 649 00:32:12,000 –> 00:32:14,319 Christian believer, read the 650 00:32:14,319 –> 00:32:17,199 New Testament backwards. 651 00:32:17,199 –> 00:32:19,000 In other words, let the Old Testament 652 00:32:19,000 –> 00:32:22,060 inform what is summed up in the New. 653 00:32:22,060 –> 00:32:24,760 When the New Testament says, live a life of love, 654 00:32:24,760 –> 00:32:28,660 let the Old Testament spell that out for you. 655 00:32:28,660 –> 00:32:30,560 Open up your understanding. 656 00:32:30,560 –> 00:32:32,819 Guide you and instruct you. 657 00:32:32,819 –> 00:32:35,020 Show you what it is that you should pursue. 658 00:32:35,020 –> 00:32:36,000 Challenge you. 659 00:32:36,000 –> 00:32:38,500 Move you in your own understanding 660 00:32:38,500 –> 00:32:40,699 of what a life of love actually means. 661 00:32:41,939 –> 00:32:43,260 Let’s take another example. 662 00:32:43,880 –> 00:32:48,380 In the New Testament, Christ calls us 663 00:32:48,380 –> 00:32:50,459 believers to be generous. 664 00:32:52,060 –> 00:32:53,300 But what does that mean? 665 00:32:54,319 –> 00:32:55,880 What is generous? 666 00:32:57,459 –> 00:32:59,780 Well, you could read backwards to the Old Testament 667 00:32:59,780 –> 00:33:01,939 and then you will find that God’s people 668 00:33:01,939 –> 00:33:06,020 gave a tenth of all of their income to the Lord. 669 00:33:06,979 –> 00:33:07,959 You may say, now wait a minute. 670 00:33:07,959 –> 00:33:09,380 Are you making a rule? 671 00:33:09,380 –> 00:33:10,300 No. 672 00:33:11,939 –> 00:33:13,780 What I’m saying is this. 673 00:33:13,780 –> 00:33:17,260 I’m inviting you to use the law 674 00:33:17,260 –> 00:33:21,540 to inform you in pursuing the generosity 675 00:33:21,560 –> 00:33:23,979 to which Christ calls you in the Gospel. 676 00:33:24,800 –> 00:33:25,939 That’s why it’s useful. 677 00:33:28,060 –> 00:33:30,219 So read the New Testament backwards. 678 00:33:31,739 –> 00:33:33,739 And it follows, 679 00:33:33,739 –> 00:33:36,739 read the Old Testament forwards. 680 00:33:36,739 –> 00:33:38,859 In other words, whenever you’re back in the Old Testament, 681 00:33:38,859 –> 00:33:39,699 you’re reading a law. 682 00:33:39,699 –> 00:33:41,599 You’ll sometimes have times when you say, 683 00:33:41,599 –> 00:33:43,780 what in all the world has this got to do with me? 684 00:33:43,780 –> 00:33:45,939 Read the Old Testament forwards. 685 00:33:45,939 –> 00:33:49,839 Remember that the law is not an end in itself. 686 00:33:50,400 –> 00:33:52,900 But it is a sign, that points forward. 687 00:33:53,959 –> 00:33:56,939 Now there is no where that we see this more clearly 688 00:33:56,939 –> 00:33:58,160 than there are in our Lord’s teaching 689 00:33:58,160 –> 00:33:59,520 on the sermon on the Mount. 690 00:34:00,660 –> 00:34:01,760 There is a pattern there. 691 00:34:01,760 –> 00:34:03,380 You remember how the Lord Jesus said, 692 00:34:03,380 –> 00:34:06,180 you have heard it said, but I say to you, 693 00:34:06,180 –> 00:34:09,379 you’ve heard it said, but I say to you, 694 00:34:09,379 –> 00:34:12,459 you’ve heard it said do not murder. 695 00:34:12,459 –> 00:34:15,260 I say to you, don’t be angry with your brother. 696 00:34:15,260 –> 00:34:17,820 You have heard it said do not commit adultery. 697 00:34:17,820 –> 00:34:20,500 I say to you, anyone who looks on a woman lustfully 698 00:34:20,500 –> 00:34:23,919 has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 699 00:34:24,899 –> 00:34:27,399 Now in every case, what is happening here. 700 00:34:27,399 –> 00:34:31,439 Jesus is going further than the law. 701 00:34:32,300 –> 00:34:35,260 Think about, the law says don’t murder. 702 00:34:36,639 –> 00:34:38,620 Jesus says, I’m taking you further. 703 00:34:38,620 –> 00:34:40,639 I want you to forgive your brother. 704 00:34:42,860 –> 00:34:45,659 And I want you to do it in the power of the Holy Spirit. 705 00:34:46,540 –> 00:34:49,020 The law says don’t commit adultery. 706 00:34:49,020 –> 00:34:51,040 Jesus says, I’m taking you further. 707 00:34:52,139 –> 00:34:55,340 I want you to pursue a purity of heart 708 00:34:55,340 –> 00:34:57,139 in the power of the Holy Spirit. 709 00:34:57,139 –> 00:35:02,040 Jesus right here is telling us how to use the law properly. 710 00:35:03,620 –> 00:35:06,080 It points us to the new life in the spirit. 711 00:35:08,040 –> 00:35:10,620 So I think that the key question to ask 712 00:35:10,620 –> 00:35:13,459 of any command in the Old Testament is simply this, 713 00:35:13,500 –> 00:35:16,520 to what does this point me in Jesus Christ? 714 00:35:16,520 –> 00:35:17,879 Not an end in itself, 715 00:35:17,879 –> 00:35:20,520 but to what is it pointing in Jesus Christ? 716 00:35:20,520 –> 00:35:23,080 The command about murder 717 00:35:23,080 –> 00:35:26,040 is pointing me to forgive my brother. 718 00:35:26,040 –> 00:35:28,600 That’s not less of course, that’s more. 719 00:35:28,600 –> 00:35:30,800 If I forgive my brother, I won’t murder him. 720 00:35:32,080 –> 00:35:34,840 The command about adultery points to purity of heart. 721 00:35:34,840 –> 00:35:36,719 That’s not less, it’s more. 722 00:35:37,620 –> 00:35:40,320 If I have a pure heart, I will not commit adultery. 723 00:35:40,840 –> 00:35:45,120 Now this principal of reading the Old Testament forward 724 00:35:45,120 –> 00:35:48,500 will help us in other laws 725 00:35:48,500 –> 00:35:51,300 that may have different applications today. 726 00:35:51,300 –> 00:35:53,020 Let me just give you one or two examples 727 00:35:53,020 –> 00:35:54,620 from the New Testament. 728 00:35:54,620 –> 00:35:58,320 The command about circumcision in the Old Testament, 729 00:35:58,320 –> 00:36:01,199 what does that point us to in Jesus Christ? 730 00:36:01,199 –> 00:36:03,739 Read Colossians 2, 11, and 12. 731 00:36:03,739 –> 00:36:07,520 Paul says it points to the distinct newness of life 732 00:36:07,520 –> 00:36:09,199 that is ours in Jesus Christ. 733 00:36:09,199 –> 00:36:11,959 That’s what it points to and is a marvelous thing 734 00:36:12,879 –> 00:36:14,739 and it’s much more, it’s much deeper. 735 00:36:16,040 –> 00:36:18,620 God’s promise to the Israelites when he says 736 00:36:18,620 –> 00:36:20,600 that he will bring them into the promised land 737 00:36:20,600 –> 00:36:22,739 and then God’s threats to the Israelites 738 00:36:22,739 –> 00:36:26,580 that they may be moved from the promised land. 739 00:36:26,580 –> 00:36:29,060 What in all the world does that have to do with me 740 00:36:29,060 –> 00:36:32,060 as I read it as a Christian today? 741 00:36:32,060 –> 00:36:35,620 Well, it is pointing me forward to something far greater. 742 00:36:36,600 –> 00:36:39,139 That there is a life, a blessed life 743 00:36:39,739 –> 00:36:44,139 with Christ to gain and there is a hell outside 744 00:36:44,139 –> 00:36:47,459 of the blessing of God for me to flee. 745 00:36:48,860 –> 00:36:50,360 Command about the Sabbath. 746 00:36:51,760 –> 00:36:54,560 Pointing me forward Hebrews in chapter four 747 00:36:54,560 –> 00:36:57,820 to resting in Christ and rejoicing in God 748 00:36:57,820 –> 00:37:00,780 as I anticipate eternity to come. 749 00:37:00,780 –> 00:37:03,679 I need that today. 750 00:37:03,739 –> 00:37:08,300 When you use the law properly, 751 00:37:09,679 –> 00:37:12,939 you will see that Christ takes you 752 00:37:12,939 –> 00:37:15,379 where the law cannot go. 753 00:37:17,399 –> 00:37:19,120 That whatever the law speaks about, 754 00:37:19,120 –> 00:37:21,340 the Lord Jesus Christ takes you deeper 755 00:37:21,340 –> 00:37:24,739 and the Lord Jesus Christ takes you further. 756 00:37:26,879 –> 00:37:29,919 There is no command 757 00:37:30,919 –> 00:37:34,840 that you must lay down your life for Christ. 758 00:37:34,840 –> 00:37:36,600 You couldn’t legislate that, could you? 759 00:37:36,600 –> 00:37:38,399 You couldn’t write a law about that. 760 00:37:40,100 –> 00:37:41,820 But believers through the centuries 761 00:37:41,820 –> 00:37:44,260 have gone there, not because of a law, 762 00:37:44,260 –> 00:37:45,840 but because of love for Christ. 763 00:37:47,719 –> 00:37:49,800 There is no law that could say 764 00:37:49,800 –> 00:37:53,899 you must liquidate assets for the advance of the gospel. 765 00:37:55,439 –> 00:37:57,159 Couldn’t legislate that. 766 00:37:58,159 –> 00:38:00,840 But believers through the centuries 767 00:38:00,840 –> 00:38:02,719 have done that in every generation 768 00:38:02,719 –> 00:38:04,199 for the advance of the gospel. 769 00:38:06,239 –> 00:38:07,719 There is no command that can say 770 00:38:07,719 –> 00:38:10,919 you must leave your home and your loved ones 771 00:38:10,919 –> 00:38:14,320 and take the gospel to the other side of the world, 772 00:38:14,320 –> 00:38:16,840 but while you could not legislate that, 773 00:38:16,840 –> 00:38:19,520 believers in every generation have done that 774 00:38:19,520 –> 00:38:22,399 because love takes us beyond the law. 775 00:38:23,719 –> 00:38:26,600 Love takes us to places in devotion to Christ 776 00:38:26,600 –> 00:38:28,520 that the law could not reach. 777 00:38:29,479 –> 00:38:32,860 Which is why Paul says the love of Christ sustains us, 778 00:38:32,860 –> 00:38:34,300 which is totally different 779 00:38:34,300 –> 00:38:36,840 from a wooden kind of a moralism. 780 00:38:39,020 –> 00:38:42,179 So folks, as a church, we want to be a body of believers 781 00:38:42,179 –> 00:38:45,280 who make a proper use of God’s law. 782 00:38:46,840 –> 00:38:48,939 Some churches make much of law. 783 00:38:48,939 –> 00:38:51,379 That’s really the thing that gets in the central place. 784 00:38:51,379 –> 00:38:52,699 That’s what impresses people 785 00:38:52,699 –> 00:38:54,419 and what they’re talking about most. 786 00:38:54,419 –> 00:38:57,260 We want to make much of grace. 787 00:38:58,379 –> 00:39:00,479 We want to live by the power of the spirit. 788 00:39:00,479 –> 00:39:02,139 We want the love of Christ 789 00:39:02,139 –> 00:39:07,120 to take us further than the law could ever go. 790 00:39:09,399 –> 00:39:11,379 One illustration and then we’re through. 791 00:39:12,320 –> 00:39:14,939 Many of us I think will have seen the Fireproof movie. 792 00:39:14,939 –> 00:39:16,860 Have you seen that movie? 793 00:39:16,860 –> 00:39:18,820 It’s the story for anyone who didn’t see it 794 00:39:18,820 –> 00:39:20,719 about a couple whose marriage is on the rocks 795 00:39:20,719 –> 00:39:22,120 and the husband makes a commitment 796 00:39:22,139 –> 00:39:24,040 to take practical steps each day 797 00:39:24,040 –> 00:39:28,300 to try and rekindle the love that was once in their marriage 798 00:39:28,300 –> 00:39:29,979 and there are many issues. 799 00:39:31,379 –> 00:39:34,080 One of them is pornography. 800 00:39:34,080 –> 00:39:37,360 The computer sits in the corner of the room, 801 00:39:37,360 –> 00:39:40,919 the guy watches the screen in a darkened room at night 802 00:39:40,919 –> 00:39:44,520 on his own, the wife knows of course what he is doing 803 00:39:44,520 –> 00:39:46,120 and she hates it. 804 00:39:46,120 –> 00:39:48,120 The computer in the corner of the room 805 00:39:48,120 –> 00:39:51,479 almost becomes a symbol of another thing that divides them. 806 00:39:53,080 –> 00:39:55,600 And he struggles to overcome his habit 807 00:39:55,600 –> 00:39:57,939 because he knows what a barrier it is 808 00:39:57,939 –> 00:39:59,540 but he keeps going back. 809 00:40:01,000 –> 00:40:03,879 Then one day in the film, he picks up the computer, 810 00:40:03,879 –> 00:40:06,120 he takes it outside, takes a baseball bat 811 00:40:06,120 –> 00:40:07,820 and completely destroys the thing. 812 00:40:09,439 –> 00:40:13,020 And when his wife comes back, she finds a little card 813 00:40:13,020 –> 00:40:15,320 on the table in precisely the spot 814 00:40:15,320 –> 00:40:16,899 where the computer has been. 815 00:40:17,959 –> 00:40:19,379 And when she opens the card, 816 00:40:19,379 –> 00:40:22,300 there are these simple words that he wrote, 817 00:40:22,300 –> 00:40:26,280 I love you more. 818 00:40:27,199 –> 00:40:28,340 I love you more. 819 00:40:30,979 –> 00:40:33,399 The law says, don’t do that, 820 00:40:34,419 –> 00:40:39,040 love says, I do not want to do that any longer. 821 00:40:40,459 –> 00:40:42,699 That is the transforming power of the gospel. 822 00:40:44,939 –> 00:40:47,600 And you say, where does that love come from? 823 00:40:47,600 –> 00:40:50,300 Because the power of temptation is very real. 824 00:40:52,560 –> 00:40:57,520 The answer is, we love, because he first loved us. 825 00:40:59,520 –> 00:41:01,320 Your life can change, 826 00:41:01,320 –> 00:41:04,040 not by the imposition of a bunch of rules, 827 00:41:06,360 –> 00:41:10,760 your life can change, by the love of Christ 828 00:41:10,760 –> 00:41:14,800 being poured out into your heart, through the Holy Spirit, 829 00:41:14,800 –> 00:41:16,199 that’s how change comes. 830 00:41:17,800 –> 00:41:19,560 And that’s the heart of the gospel. 831 00:41:20,399 –> 00:41:23,000 That’s why the law that is weakened by sinful nature 832 00:41:23,000 –> 00:41:25,080 cannot change a man or a woman, 833 00:41:26,159 –> 00:41:28,139 but the gospel of which we are not ashamed 834 00:41:28,139 –> 00:41:30,459 is the power of God for the salvation 835 00:41:30,459 –> 00:41:33,699 of everyone who believes. 836 00:41:36,719 –> 00:41:37,959 His love for you, 837 00:41:39,120 –> 00:41:42,439 becoming the wellspring of your love for him 838 00:41:43,219 –> 00:41:48,219 and your love for him taking you further than any law. 839 00:41:50,120 –> 00:41:52,840 So you’re making proper use of God’s law. 840 00:41:52,840 –> 00:41:54,679 Do you know what it’s for? 841 00:41:54,679 –> 00:41:57,360 To restrain from evil, to lead to Christ, 842 00:41:57,360 –> 00:41:59,540 to point you to a new life 843 00:41:59,540 –> 00:42:02,360 that is lived in the power of the Holy Spirit 844 00:42:02,360 –> 00:42:07,360 and is compelled by the love of Christ. 845 00:42:07,399 –> 00:42:10,419 Father, lead us into this life 846 00:42:11,219 –> 00:42:14,300 for your praise and for your glory. 847 00:42:14,300 –> 00:42:17,000 And everyone together said amen.