I have a question. Anyone know
what book I'm gonna be in this morning? If you don't, shame
on you. Galatians chapter three. I just
wanna read two verses as my text this morning. Galatians chapter
three, and I'll read verse 19 and 20. Wherefore then serveth the law? Now you notice that the word
serveth is in italics, so it wasn't in the actual Greek manuscripts,
but this doesn't harm the text at all. As we will see, there
is some words in italics in a latter verse. You've got to be very
careful with those. But what Paul wrote was, wherefore
then the law? It was added because of transgressions. till the seed should come to
whom the promise was made. And it was ordained by angels
in the hand of a mediator. And I will tell you right now
so I don't have to deal with it later. I will not be able
to explain to you what it means that it was ordained by angels. I won't be able to do it. You
read the commentaries, there's a lot of speculation. and maybe
some of them are really close to it, but Mac, I don't know.
I find no other reference in scripture that gives me, because
it's not just angel as maybe Moses, but it's ordained by angels. So we'll just let that lie as
it may. It was ordained and it was ordained by angels in the
hand of a mediator, but here is an astounding statement. Now
a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. My title would be taken directly
from one of these two verses. Wherefore then serveth the law. Now, it is unassailable. Now, I'm not saying that men
will not assail this, but it is unassailable nonetheless.
Just like Paul said, this is a faithful saying and worthy
of all acceptation, but yet all men do not accept it. That's
for sure. But amongst God's people, it's
unassailable. The law cannot disannul God's
covenant in Christ. And this I say, verse 17, and
this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the law, which was 430 years after, cannot disannul
that it should make the promise of none effect. It's unassailable. Some would agree with that. Some
who profess to be believers would agree with that, but it's even
more. The law is not of the promise. That means they are not, it's
not here's the promise, and then the law was added. It is here
is the promise, and the law was added. Now do you get the illustration? They're both valid, they're both
true, but they're not intertwined. And how can I say that? I can
say that verse 18. For if the inheritance be of
the law, it is no more a promise. It is no more a promise. It's
not this. It's this. Okay, it's this. For if the inheritance be of
the law, it is no more a promise. But God gave it to Abraham by
promise. Unassailable. And of course,
the Spirit of God knows how we are. and he knows our flesh. And with this in view, everything
Paul said up to this point, and remember, Paul here is just,
he's just unshakable. He just keeps going on the same
thing. Law and grace are not the same,
and law and grace are not joined together. This whole epistle,
he just, he won't, he's relentless, as I've said before. He just
won't quit. But the Spirit of God knows what
our flesh and our mind will think. Well, why didn't, did God give
the law? Right? And Paul, knowing that
question would be asked in our minds, if at least not out here,
you know. Wherefore then serveth the law? Now our brother gives the answer. But it's not what most people
would expect. It is not a long diatribe about
the law. Look at it. Wherefore then serveth
the law? It was added because of transgressions.
And that's all he said about it. Now people could go in, they
go, men and women, to bring doctrine into their own idea. Remember
what Joe said about men, you know, like their own doctrine.
Wherefore then serveth the law. What purpose was the law then?
It was added because of transgressions. That's all we get from it. Till
the seed should come to whom the promise was made. Do you
see that? Till. Till. Amazing. So as I said, our brother Paul
gives the answer. And this is actually the first
question about the law. He gives another one, which I
will not deal with this morning, but God willing later, is the
law then against the promise of God? And again, he says, here's his
answer. God forbid, with just a little more explanation for
if there had been a law given, which could have given life,
verily, or that is truly righteousness should have been by the law.
That's all the answer we get to those two questions. And it
goes right back to Christ, Christ, Christ. So again, it's unassailable.
The law cannot dishonor God's covenant in Christ. The law is
not of the promise. I will even go further to say
the law is not of faith. Did not Paul say that? The law
is not of faith. Now what I want to do is give
you three thoughts from our text this morning. And when I say
Paul's answer to his first question, wherefore then serveth the law?
But his answer is not in dealing with the law, it's just making
statements about the law and dealing with what really matters,
the truth of God in Christ. Now I know there are some that
immediately say, well you just sound so much like you're against
the law. I am in certain instances. You call me yet to know me and
call me what you will. I had that happen right here
in this place, and it was just a shock to my system when it
happened. But people don't get this. And some people have inadvertently
thought we're preaching the same thing they are. And when we're
not, I'm not, Joe's not, Paul's not, other men who stand here,
they're not either. And it's one of two reasons.
One, we misstate something, and that's certainly possible. Mac,
I'm capable of stating something the wrong way. Even if I don't
believe it, like I said it, sometimes, Ellen, we just mess up. We just
say it wrong. But I'm doing my dead level best
by God's grace and help now not to say it wrong. So there's no
questions. Or they're actually hearing what
they want to hear. It's the second reason why sometimes
people think we're saying something. They hear what they want to hear.
They read into what you say what they want to hear. And that ought
not amaze us. You know why? Because they read
into the book what they want the book to say. They'll even
read into God's word what they want it to say. So as I said,
three thoughts from our text. This is about the law. It was
placed additionally. Now that's if you look in your
Strong's Concordance, one of the meanings for is in addition
to. And as our KJB says, it was added
because of transgressions. But let me say this. The law
didn't make sin sin. Sin was already sin before the
law was given. Sin was already in the world.
And I will only say this about the law, where there is no law,
there is no imputation, but that does not mean there is no sin.
And I know, I have said this before, and I was wrong, and
I try not to say it now, but I often say we were imputed Adam's
sin. That's not right. We were not
imputed sin until the law came along. That's what Paul said
in Romans five. But by Adam, we were made sinners. Whether it was put to our account
or not, we were it nonetheless. It was added additionally. It
was added, and Paul's only explanation here then is remember, because
of transgressions. And according to Paul, and let
me, you can read along if you wish to turn along, Romans 3,
let me turn there. Let me just give you three ways
about this thing. It was added, that is, it was
placed additionally, in other words, or it was added because
of transgressions. Now there's much more I got to
say about the law later when we look, is the law then against
the promise of God? We'll look at that, but we'll
also look at verse 24, wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. Now I must note, it was, it is
not anymore if we believe in Christ, but it was our schoolmaster,
so the law is a what? schoolmaster, and we'll look
at that, God willing, later. But here it says, placed additionally.
Now, according to the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter three,
two verses, just two verses, Romans three verse 20, it was
added to define sin and sins. Romans 3.20, therefore, by the
deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified, for by
the law is the knowledge of sin. But this is where people read
into this what they want. They read in, those who are of
a certain ilk, whatever they might be, those who are certain
ilk think that, okay, the only way to know sin is by the law.
That's not so. And remember here, the law, we're
not talking about just any kind of law, just laws in general
or a law in general. We're talking about God's holy
law that issued forth from God through Moses to the people from
Mount Sinai. It was added, whoever said, therefore,
by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified,
for by the law is the knowledge of sin. It does not say by the
law only is the knowledge of sin. We will look at that, God
willing, here in a moment. But let me say this, apart from
the free grace of God, even the law doesn't make men really see
sin. And a lot of men and women, it
makes them see theirselves, and they do these things. Remember
the rich young ruler? What good master, what good thing
must I do to inherit eternal life? He said, keep the commandments.
He said, I've done these for my youth. So he didn't know what
the law was saying about seeing, did he? But people will take
just one verse, and they'll build their whole doctrine. They'll
add on to this all their doctrine that they think goes with that.
It was added to define sins. Chapter seven of the same book.
Chapter seven and verse seven. What shall we say then? This
is Romans. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin. And
it's his own personal experience. Nay, I had not known sin, but
by the law, for I had not known lust. Now the law never just
says thou shalt not lust. but it tells us what not to lust
after, okay? What shall we say then? Is the
law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known
sin, but by the law. For I had not known lust, except
the law had said, thou shalt not covet. You see it? But if you read what Paul says,
he didn't realize that, though he was under law from the get-go.
He did not realize that at first. The commandment had to come.
to him, and that doesn't come by preaching the law. He didn't
need somebody to preach the law to him. He was steeped in the
law, he says so himself, to the Philippian church in Philippians
chapter three. Steeped in it, God Almighty by his grace made
him to see what the law really says. So the first thing, it
was added to define sins. There's sin, you wanna know what
a sin is? Look at the law, it'll tell you what is sin. It'll tell
you what sin is. You don't have to guess, you
don't have to suppose. It tells you what sin is. But here's the
second thing. It was added, now stay in Romans,
I just turned away from it. Stay in Romans chapter five.
We'll go back to Romans chapter five, I'm sorry. Secondly, it was placed additionally,
it was added because of transgressions. Remember, it was added to five
sins? Now, it was added, now listen to me, I know some people,
their ire gets up here, but it's what the book says. And I do
not apologize for the book. God help me never to do it. It
was added to incite what was already there, sins. It was added to incite, to show
it for what it really was. Look, Romans five and verse 20. Moreover, the law entered, why? That the offense might abound. Not that you might know what
sin is. Cain knew what sin was after
he killed his brother. God said, where's your brother
Abel? Huh? His first thing was not
to say, oh, there's a law, thou shalt not kill. I've done wrong,
I better seek God's mercy. He already knew about God's mercy.
He and his brother had been offering sacrifices to God concerning
the necessity of that. Had they not? But God wouldn't
receive his, but did receive his brother's. King got angry
and slaughtered his brother because of it. He said, my sin is greater
than I can bear. Didn't he say that? And he didn't
have a law, but he knew it was wrong. It was added to incite
what was already there, sins. Chapter five, verse 20, let me
get back. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound. And I've earled Others have mentioned
this, Earl, I've mentioned it, Joe, Paul's probably, we all
probably mentioned it. One way to really almost be sure,
now it's not absolute 100%, but one way almost to be absolutely
sure to get somebody to do something is to tell them not to. And there's
that, there's nothing wrong with telling them not to. You tell
a child not to run out into the street because of traffic. Right? And there's a valid reason for
doing that, right? But what's inside in that child? Run right out in the street.
Run right out in the street. But let me show you, it's not
just that verse. Look at chapter seven and verse
five. For when we were in the flesh,
the motions of sin, which were by the law. Do you see that? which were by the law did work
in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. Now I've told
you all this before. I've used the illustration. I
used it at Bruce Crabtree's. You see that dead carcass of
an animal hit on the road? In the dead of winter when Jack
is just, right, it's freezing. You can pass by that thing and
see it and get pretty close to it and you don't smell anything,
do you? but go buy it in the heat of
the sun on a summer day. You don't even have to see it.
You smell it before you even see it, usually, right? You smell
that acrid, putrid smell. What makes it that? The sun.
But do you believe in the sun? Is it the sun's fault? No, it's
the acrid nature of the carcass. But what's the sun do? It brings
it out. And that's what the law was given for. You see it? so
it might come out and show us what we really are if God shows
us grace. If God shows us grace. Not only
that, remember, it was added to define sins. There's much
more than this, but I'm just giving you these things for this
morning. God willing, look at some more later. It was added
to incite what was already there. Moreover, the law entered, not
that sin might be, but that the offense, the offense itself might
what? Abound. But aren't you glad Paul
had the right to say this? But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. Huh? Yeah, the Department of Transportation,
I don't mean this to be blasphemous, the Department of Transportation
of God's one worker, Jesus Christ, and he cleaned it all up. That
old dead carcass laying there, he cleaned it all up. And he
did it by his blood. He did it by death. He took care
of death by what? Death. That serpent that hung
up on a pole, why was it not something else? It was a serpent.
It was the very problem that the Israelites were facing. And
he was made what? Sin for us. That we might be
made the righteousness of God in him. Here's the third thing,
and this is, we might say, the negative aspect of it. and we'll
look at it in the context of our text. Thirdly, it was not
added as a stipulation or condition of covenant promise. Verse 15. He illustrates this first. Brethren,
I speak after the manner of men, though it be but a man's covenant,
yet if it be confirmed, and remember he goes on to say, the covenant
was confirmed before of God in Christ. So if it be confirmed,
no man disannulleth, or does what? Adds to it. And yet when
Paul comes down here and says it was added, they say, oh, we'll
see God there. God added it to the promise. No, they're reading
into it what they want to fit their doctrine that they're brought
up in. He doesn't say it was added to the promise. He just
said it was what? Added. It wasn't this. It was
this. See it? It was this. It wasn't,
in verse 17 he actually says it, and this I say, that the
covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which
was 430 years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise
of none effect. And you know what I have to say?
Glory to God. Thank God. Now somebody says,
well but the law was, The law was for Israel. No, the law was
given to Israel, but the law said this. Now we know that what
things whoever the law sayeth, it sayeth to them that are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world
may become guilty before God. Even before that, he had said,
Paul had wrote these words for verse, chapter two, verse two,
for as many as have sinned without law shall also perish, how, without
law. And as many as have sinned in
the law shall be judged by what? The law. So there is no escape. There is no escape. But secondly,
it was temporary. You hear what I said? It was
temporary. Wherefore then serveth the law?
It was added because of transgressions. Till the seed should come. Till it should come. Now, there
are two ways in which it is temporary. It was temporary as set up as
a covenant over God's people, over God's people, and that was
mainly Israel. It was set up over them. When
Christ came, he fulfilled it, both in his warp and wolf, in
his judgments against and his declarations for. Thou shalt
love the Lord God with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength,
and we don't. We may try to love him a lot,
but we don't do it that way, do we, Jack? No, but he did. He did. But it says also, thou
shalt not, right? Thou shalt not. And he suffered
for that as well. He accomplished what we should
have done, and he paid for what we did not do. You see that? And you can actually say that
either way, and it applies. Because we do what we're not
supposed to do, we don't do what we're supposed to do. It was
added, till the seed should come. And Christ said, I am come to
fulfill the law and the prophets. Now think about it, don't try
to take that, well, but he only fulfilled it in a certain, up
to a certain degree, no. How far did he fulfill the prophets? Fully. He equally fulfilled the
law that way. Fully. And he said, I didn't
come to destroy the law, but I came to fulfill it. And he
came to fulfill the law and the prophets, and when Christ died
on Calvary, he perfectly in his life fulfilled the law. And in
his death, he fulfilled God's just condemnation that the law
demands, and it was fulfilled. And God says, my law's satisfied. But it's not satisfied in our
experience yet, because it says, But, verse 22, but the scripture
hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. We don't believe
to call something to happen. We believe it has already happened. That's the whole thing. Religion,
so-called Christian religion is saying believe and God will.
No, believe God has. That's the difference between
a false, perverted gospel and the gospel. It's the difference
of some have said, do and done. It's the total difference. It's
just two letters, but it means a world of difference. It means
the difference between being lost and saved. But the scripture
concluded all in their sin that the promise by faith of Jesus
Christ might be given to how many? Not all, to them that believe. But before faith came, we were
still what? Now Christ had fulfilled it,
but where were we? Kept under the law. See it? Kept under the
law. Shut up unto the faith which
should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. Do you see it? So it's temporary
in both respects. Do you see that? I wish maybe
that was convoluted. I hope not too convoluted. I
hope God will help you understand that in spite of me. It was temporary. It was added because of transgressions
till the seed should come and till that seed then should give
us what? Faith. And we were kept under that law.
Shut up under it. Shut up. Shut up. That's all
the law ever did to us. It's all it'll ever do for us.
The only thing that will deliver us is God's free reigning grace,
not the law and grace. You don't preach the law to get
people guilty and then preach the gospel to help the guilt
go away. That ain't the way it works.
Let me read this song, we sang it. And Paul chose this one,
but it fits. Indignant justice stood in view
to Sinai's fiery mouth I flew. And a lot of us probably did.
Hm? But just as cried with frowning
face, this mountain is no hiding place. Ere long a heavenly's
voice I heard, and mercy's angel form appeared, she led me on
with gentle pace. You ever read the law and just
feel all gentle and at ease? Huh? Come on now. You read that
law and you think, boy, I ain't done that. Oh boy, I have done
that, huh? She led me on with gentle pace
to Jesus as my hiding place. The law was meant to what? Shut
us up. In two ways. One, this way. Keep
your mouth shut. Quit bragging on yourself. And
the second one is to hem us in. Shut up unto the faith, which
should afterwards be revealed. So it was temporary, but it was
temporary only for some. For some, again, but the scripture
hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of
Jesus, by the faith of Jesus Christ, not faith in Christ,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to who? To them
that believe. And when we believe, the schoolmaster
goes phew. It's gone. Wherefore the schoolmaster,
wherefore the law is our schoolmaster unto Christ. That's what it actually
says, that we might be justified by faith, but after that faith
has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. So it was temporary
for some. It was never even designed for
some, and that's not in our text. Paul says that. I'm not gonna
read it from 1 Timothy 1, 5 through 11. He said the law is good.
The law is good. Well, he said that back in Romans,
remember? The law is holy, the commandment holy, just, and good.
But in to Timothy, he wrote this, 1 Timothy 1, 5 through 11. The law is good if a man use
it lawfully. for the law was not for a righteous
man. And some say, well, that's Christ.
Wait a minute. Our letter here, and I say it's
our letter, says, but when the fullness of time was come, God
sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law. The only
righteous man Paul could be talking about are believers. those who
were righteous in Christ. And the law's not for a righteous
man. I think it was Tim James kind
of give an illustration of this. If you're driving down the road
and you're going 55 miles an hour, you don't, I mean, you
don't slow down a bit. You're going 55 mile an hour,
uphill, downhill, around curves, passing people, in traffic, out
of traffic, and that sign says 55. Does that law say anything
to you? No, it's only if you go 56 or
above. Does that law apply to you? And
you can hammer that thing down at 55 all you want, right? It don't apply to you. The law's
not for a righteous man, but for, and then you can read that
whole list. Somebody says, I don't like that. Well, if you got that
attitude, I don't care. Because that's just the way it
is. That's just the way, here's the
third thing. And I know some of you thinking about this. Now
come on now. It was ordained by angels in
the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator
of one. It's almost like a contradiction that Paul is bringing something
up here, bringing something to the forefront. Now a mediator
is not a mediator of one. It's not. But God is one. Do you see that? I read that
for years, y'all. and just had no idea what Paul
was talking about. I think God's opened my eyes
a little. The law had a mediatorial caveat
to it. It was ordained by angels in
the hands of a mediator And a mediator's not a mediator of one, but here's
the key, but God is one. He didn't say and, but always
signifies what? Something different, right? You're
doing a sentence, you make a first part of a sentence, you say but,
you're going to say something opposite or something that seems
to go against the grain of what you've just said. And that's
what Paul does. And yet, that is the law, and
ordained, or actually ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not of one,
but God is one. Now let's see if I can, if God
will be pleased to help us here. Not if I can help you. Just give
you four things on this last one. A mediator is needed when
at least two parties are at odds, and that can be more than two.
But what we're talking about here, what Paul's talking about
is God, a holy God, and fallen man. And the law proves we're
fallen. And our rebellion against it,
it incites us to evil, proves that we are rebellious. You got
two parties, a holy God and fallen man. So a mediator is needed
when at least two parties are at odds. They need a go-between,
sometimes we call it that. In legal lingo, it's called a
mediator. But here's a second thought.
A mediator is needed when both parties need some give or take.
Right? If you got two parties and one
party is defending party, you don't need a mediator, you need
justice. You see that? A mediator comes
between, is a go between, between two parties that are at odds
and both need to give and take. They need to work this out and
they have a third party, a mediator comes in and tries to work things
out. But God is one. You see that? Again, a mediator is needed when
at least two parties are at odds, they need to go between. A mediator
is needed when both parties need some give and take, but God is
one. His law is all demand. We have broken God's holy law. This is not God saying, here's
my law, now let's work on it and see we can get the best deal
out of this thing for both me and you. No, God says thou shalt
not, you better not. Or you're under condemnation.
God says thou shalt, you better, or you're under condemnation.
In other words, I wanna sum it up this way. Here it is. The law inherently is a lopsided
covenant. It's a one-sided covenant. The
deck is stacked against transgressors. Do you hear me? The deck is stacked. When God gave the covenant of
the law, it is a covenant. And when God gave it to the covenant
of the law, he didn't give it to the promise with the promise,
but he gave it, it was added. And it's lopsided. It says you've
transgressed. Now fix it. And you can't. You see it? A mediator is not
a mediator of one. But God is one. Now, do you think
it's not lopsided? Let me show you. Here's the verses,
just listen to it. You don't have to, don't turn,
listen to it. This is recorded, you go back,
make sure I'm not reading wrong words. For as many as are of
the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written,
curse it is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. There is no give in God's
law. It's lopsided. It's one-sided. The deck is stacked against who? Not a righteous man. If you're
righteous, the law don't bother you at all. But if you're not
righteous, the deck's stacked against you. Look at what the
apostle Paul wrote. Romans chapter two, I mentioned
that. I may have even read a little bit of it to you. Listen to what
it says, Romans chapter two. In verse eight, but unto them
which are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey in
righteousness, what's to them? Indignation and wrath, tribulation
and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, the Jew
first and also the Gentile. So just having the law will help
you one way or the other. Remember, we read, we looked
at it, we read verse 12. Look, but glory, honor, and peace
to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to
the Gentile. The law's equal. If you do right,
you're fine. If you don't, you're in trouble,
and that's it. But I only messed up once. It
doesn't matter. Go 56. End that 55. If that policeman wants to, he
has the right Actually, if he was really just, he has the obligation
to pull you over and cite you for going one mile over the speed
limit. We all kind of bask in, well,
they give you five mile an hour. I don't know where in the world
that comes from. I ain't never had a state trooper
tell me, we got to give you five mile an hour. He don't have to
give you squat. Now, does he really? And if he's
really just, if there's not a little compassion in there, a little
mercy in there, Mackey's got the right to write you up at
56 and a 55. Look, for there is no respect
of persons with God, no matter how much you know, no matter
how much you don't know. And you know the old phrase, ignorance
of the law is no excuse. Hmm? For as many, and that's
what he goes on to say, right, rather what I quoted to you.
For as many as have sinned without law shall also, what? Perish
without law. And as many as have sinned in
the law shall be judged by the law. For not the hearers of the
law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be
justified. The fact that no one does does
not make that not true. It just makes it no one actually
does it. For not the hearers of the law are just before God,
but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles
which have not the law do by nature the things contained in
the law, these having not the law are law unto themselves.
The deck's stacked against transgressors. There's no escape, there's no
but. I didn't see the side. I didn't
know that down in here we know some things are wrong, some things
are right. Everybody knows that. Look, which show the work of
the law written in their heart, their conscience also bearing
witness, and their thoughts, the meanwhile, but here's the
problem. And the meanwhile, their thoughts, the meanwhile, accusing
or else excusing one another. We point the finger at somebody
else, it's their fault. or we excuse it. Well, I just
couldn't help it. God don't care. His law does
not care whether you can help it or not. Did you know that?
He tells you to honor your mother and father, whether they were
good to you or not. He tells you, if you're a person
working for another person, he tells you to show them respect
and dignity. Even if they are froward, they
treat you bad. Isn't that what God's book says?
Yeah. Either accusing or excusing one
another, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men
by Jesus Christ, according to, he didn't say some law gospel,
he said my gospel. What's that mean? Christ, the
very giver of mercy, will be the one who judges all men. And
he gives mercy to whom he will. Somebody says that's not fair.
No, it's not fair. It's called grace. That's the
whole thing. Grace ain't fair because you
give it to one and you withhold it from another. But I'll tell
you what, God's grace is just. If God was simply fair, if he
was simply fair, we'd all go to hell, period. Again, the law inherently is
a lopsided covenant, a one-sided covenant. The deck is stacked
against transgressors, and I read it, this one too, but Romans
chapter three, now we know that what things whoever the law saith,
it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may
be stopped. You remember what Earl said?
Shut up, God says shut up. And you ever get that message
by Chris Cunningham? You ever heard him? He's so quiet
spoken. And if they don't have a good
recording system, it's hard to hear old Chris sometimes. But
he kept saying, you look to your own righteousness, the law says
shut up. You look into your own works, Chris said, the law says
shut up. And I'm thinking, here's this
very gentle, meek man, but it sounds, that's mean. Yeah, it's
a lopsided cover. Remember, a mediator's not a
mediator of one, but God is one. But God is one. Is the law then
essential to life? Is the law essential to life?
Look at the context of our text. Is the law then against the promises
of God? God forbid. For if there had
been a law given which could have given life truly righteousness,
should have been by the law. But it can't be. Life can't come
from the law. It's death. It's condemnation. And that's all it ever is. As
a matter of fact, we'll look at it later. The law puts blinders
over men's eyes until the heart turns to the Lord. and the Spirit
of God is the one that must give that liberty. We'll see that
later. Is the law then essential to
life? No, it can't give life. Is the law then essential to
righteousness? No. Let me read that, listen. Just listen to what God's book
says. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh
be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of
sin, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. being witnessed by the law of
the prophets, even they testify to this. Even the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe, for there is no difference. So is the law then essential
to life? No. Is the law then essential
to righteousness? No. Is the law then essential
to gospel conversion? No. Read what our Lord himself
said on the matter. I'm not gonna read it. John 16,
verses eight through 11. When he has come, speaking of
the comfort of the Holy Spirit, he will reprove the world and
the first thing is of what? Sin. Why? Because you broke the
law and God uses the law to show you you broke the law. That ain't
what it says. Why must he reprove the world
of sin? Because they believe not on me. That's the one thing we're all
guilty of. And you don't have to have the
law to be convicted of that. You need the grace and the power
of the Spirit of God. And you need the preaching of
the gospel to give you some relief. Once He convinces you of sin
because you don't believe on the Son, you will say within
yourself, whoa, I am without hope because I really don't believe
the Son. Then you'll send somebody with
His blessed gospel. And isn't that what this says?
Huh, indignant justice stood in view, the side eyes fiery
mouth I flew, but justice cried with frowning face, this mountain
is no hiding place. Ere long a heavenly voice I heard,
not a mountain, not the mountain that burned with fire. Ere long
a heavenly voice I heard and mercy's angel form appeared.
She led me on with gentle pace to Jesus as my hiding place. If you run to Jesus just because
of the law, then I ask you, are you sure you run to the right
one? There you go. Or did you actually
hear the truth about Jesus and that drew you to him? Paul, that
wooed you in. That drew you in. What did that
law do? It shut us up. Two ways, keep
your mouth shut and it hemmed you in. For what to happen? For God to give you faith. Give you faith. Now think of
it, let me sum this up. We preach, no, no, let me go
back, let me, we use the law. That's the way Paul put it, right?
The law is lawful. If a man use it, what? lawfully. So I'm gonna put it this way,
not misuse. We use the law lawfully to define sin, to expose sin,
and in the hope of God's grace, to shut men's mouth. To shut
them up. One, to shut up the yap of bragging
about who they are and what they've done. And secondly, just to hymn
them in. That's all it can do. Now it
can do that by God's grace. Hymn you in. But what has to
happen? Faith has to be given. Faith
has to come. Faith has to be revealed. Where? In you. And since it's Christ's
faith, it ain't no wonder Paul said that God revealed his son
where? Not just to me, but where? In
me. See, if you've got faith, you
know what that proves? Christ is in you. The hope of glory. These things are so majestically
jack-tied together, it boggles my mind. But we preach Christ. You wanna
say that? We use the law, yeah. But not
as some preamble to the gospel. Not as something to help the
gospel alone. Just to shut men up. In two ways. Shut them up. Shut them up. But
we preach Christ because they're in. And they're in only is God
pleased. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching what? The cross of Christ. Now, I'm
putting in different parts, but that's the whole context of 1
Corinthians 1. It pleased God by the foolishness
of what? Preaching Jesus Christ crucified
to save them that believe. But, not only that, and we preach
Christ. We don't preach the law. Yeah,
I'm mincing words here. We use the law, but we don't
preach the law. Our message is not the law. Our
message is Jesus Christ and him crucified. And we preach the
law, or we preach Christ. See, I just turned right around
and said it wrong, didn't I? We preach the law in hopes that
God will just shut men up. We preach Christ because therein
and therein only is God pleased. And therein and therein only
is the righteousness of God revealed. Because Paul said in Romans chapter
one, and if you wanna turn it, look at what it says. Romans
chapter one. Verse 16, for I am not ashamed,
what? Of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek. For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the
just shall live by faith. I'm glad it's so, aren't you?
I'm glad it's so. Heavenly Father, Lord, not only
teach us these things, we are totally shut up unto you teaching
us these things, but Lord, constantly remind us of them. We so easily
slip away from them, slip away. Lord, forgive us of our sin.
Lord, bless this food that we have. Lord, as we sit here and
we socialize together, but Lord, may we also fellowship together
over this meal in the personal work of thy son, in Christ's
name, amen.