Good morning, everyone. I want to do one thing, and I mainly
want to do this because I've got to cut my phone off. But
I'm going to go ahead and read the hymn that Joe, as Walker's
told you before, he sends out a hymn, usually from Gatsby's
hymn. So this one is Gatsby's Hymn
956 from John Newton. And he titles it, Coming to Me,
All Ye That Labor. And it's from his passages of
Matthew 11, 28. Christ has blessings to impart,
grace to save thee from thy fears. Oh, the love that fills his heart. Sinner, wipe away thy tears. Why art thou afraid to come?
Why afraid to tell thy case? He will not pronounce thy doom.
Smiles are seated on his face. Though his majesty be great,
yet his mercy is no less. Though he thy transgressions
hate, Jesus feels for thy distress. Yield not then to unbelief. Courage, soul, there yet is room. Though of sinners thou art chief,
come thou burdened, sinner come. Thought that was pretty good.
And I have to cut this thing off because if somebody don't
answer their call at work, it will be loud. So seeing greetings from Sovereign
Grace Chapel, and someone did suggest that I do the message
that I did there last Sunday, and I'd already started one,
so I kind of combined two messages. So I'm glad they turned that
clock back there a little bit today, so. No, I won't keep you
too long. It'll be less than two hours.
Turn with me to 1 Timothy 1, 1 Timothy 1. 1 Timothy 1, I'm
gonna read the first 11 verses. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
by the commandment of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ,
which is our hope. Unto Timothy, my own son in the
faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus
Christ our Lord. As I besought thee to abide still
at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some
that they teach no other doctrine. Neither give heed to fables and
endless genealogies which minister questions, rather than godly
edifying which is in faith. So do. Now the end of the commandment
is charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and
of faith unfeigned, from which some having swerved have turned
aside into vain jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding
neither what they say nor whereof they affirm. But we know that
the law is good if a man use it lawfully, knowing this, that
the law was not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and
disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and
profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for
manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves
with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons,
and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was
committed to my trust." Paul here is warning Timothy
of those who teach other doctrines, doctrines which should not be
taught. Paul at one time was what I would say the best of
the best at legalism. He speaks of this in Philippians
3. He knew the law. But God taught Paul who he was.
God taught Paul who God was. And this is one subject that
Paul is very familiar with. And if you look in most of his
epistles, he talks about those who use the law in a way that
they should not. because there were a lot of people
doing that. They did it back then, they've done it throughout
time, they do it today. He did this, certainly did this
in Galatians and Philippians, which if God will, we'll visit
a little bit. There's two things I want to concentrate on from
this passage. First, where it says here, the
law is good if a man use it lawfully. If you use the law in a way it
was not intended, it is not good for you that you use it that
way, and it's not good for those who might hear you use it that
way. We are told in Romans by Paul, Romans 7, 12, Wherefore,
the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. It's not good to use the law
in a way it was not intended. The law is good, but we are not. Some say and believe that obeying
God's law is a way to get life before God. Some teach it that
way. Others say that even for the child of God, once you are
saved, that the law of God is your way of life. This is not according to scripture,
and it's not using the law lawfully. Remember Boaz in Ruth? He told Ruth to lie down till
the morning, and he will take care of the thing. He went to
the gate where judgment was to be made, and met the near of
kin there. There was another near of kin there. He, Boaz,
asked if the near of kin would redeem the land that Naomi had
with her husband. And he was now dead now. But
then he said, when you do that, you have to also redeem it for
Ruth, the mother of the dead. to raise up the name of the dead,
is what it says. The nearer of kin said, I cannot.
You must do it, because it will mar my inheritance, if you read
that passage in Ruth 3 and 4. So that's one thing. But we have
one more thing in this passage that I want to bring out. We
also read in this passage that the law was not made for a righteous
man, but for those who are of these types, if you will. Mention
here this litany that he gives. If I am to use the law, I want
it to be good. I want to use it lawfully, and
the scriptures inspired of God tells us what the law is for.
So let's go through the following. The law. What was the law given
for? Its purpose. Who is righteous? Who are those which the law was
not meant? I know man by nature likes to
make God's word say what they want it to mean. But as a child
born of God, we must hear and speak what God says. Knowing
what the purpose of the law is, I think it would help to know
who gave the law. Somebody might think that's strange,
but most people would say the law came by God, But what does
God say? John 1.17 says, For the law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. God says that Moses gave the
law. Yes, the Almighty God gave it
to Moses, but God says Moses gave the law. We know the law
was full of works. Do this or don't do that. But
we read from John that grace, and that is, to man, it's favor
from God, but to man, it's unmerited favor from God. And also truth,
pure truth, not my truth. You hear a lot of people talking
about, that's my truth. We don't care about my truth.
We care about God's truth, and they both came by Jesus Christ. So one brought works, and the
other brought grace and truth. So now I'm not going to go into
it much, but the law is nothing but works. Do this and live,
as I've already said. But the law was given to this
flesh. It was not given to a spiritual
man. And if you would turn over to Galatians 3, Galatians 3. We'll see this in these first
four verses of Galatians 3. Galatians 3 verse 1. O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth, before whose
eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you.
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing
of faith? Are ye so foolish, having begun
in the Spirit, Are ye now made perfect by the flesh? You see
up there when it says, this only what I learn of you, receive
you the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of
faith. And then you get down here in
verse three, it says, having begun in the spirit, are you
now made perfect by the flesh? The works of the law are the
flesh doing them. That's all it's, all it can do
is all it was meant for was the flesh. Then he goes on to say,
Have ye suffered so many things in vain, if it yet be yet in
vain? It is not the law's purpose to
cause a man or a woman to receive the Spirit. So what are some
of those things that the law does according to Scripture? It tells me I am condemned before
God because I see the commandments and I see I cannot do them. Man always sees or thinks of
this as future. Even the way I wrote it was even
kind of future. But the fact is, I don't do them
right now. I never did do them. The law
is an indictment against me. It tells me I'm guilty before
God, and I always like to use the x-ray that I first heard
from Chris Cunningham, but the x-ray can show you what's wrong
with you, but it does not make you what you are, and it cannot
fix what you are. There is no mercy in the law.
The law says do this and live, and if you don't, you must die. Our problem is We have no life
before God so that we can even attempt to do the law. We are
born dead in trespasses and in sin. Those who are dead in trespasses
and in sin, what do they need? They need mercy. So we're in
a conundrum. Galatians 3.10 says, for as many
are of the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written,
cursed is everyone that continueeth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. But those who are of the
works of the law are under the curse, not will be, but are. Because being of the works of
the law means you must continue in them all the time. There is
no rest from it. The problem, as I've already
stated, we got started off on the wrong foot to begin with.
We are born dead, so we cannot continue in that. We're born
dead in trespasses and in sin. Some will never know anything
different than being under the curse, because they will never
know that it is a curse. They believe they can keep the
law of God. And if you will, turn with me
to Philippians 3. Philippians 3. The first three verses there. Philippians 3. Finally, my brethren, rejoice
in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me indeed, is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware
of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware
of the concision. For we are the circumcision which
worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have
no confidence in the flesh. Paul says here in verse 3 that
we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit. Does
that sound like he's saying that we are of those who have been
physically circumcised? At that time, that's what a lot
of them were saying, and they did this in Galatia as well.
But that kind of circumcision is of the flesh. This worship
mentioned here is done in the spirit. We worship God in that
new heart circumcised by God so that we can worship him. And
I want to show you two passages in the Old Testament. You can
turn to these if you want to or not, but Walter pointed these
out. pointing this one out at least
to us, but I want to read two passages back in Deuteronomy
10. Deuteronomy 10 verses 15 through 17 reads this way. Deuteronomy 10 verses 15 through
17. Only the Lord had a delight in
thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them,
even you above all people as it is this day. Circumcise, therefore,
the foreskin of your heart and be no more stiff-necked. For
the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, a great God,
a mighty and a terrible which regardeth not persons nor taketh
reward. How do you suppose they might
do that? Even if it's just talking about the heart muscle in there,
how are they going to circumcise their own heart? Where's it at? This is talking about the seat
of affections when it talks about the heart muscle, but how are
you going to do that? There's no way that any of them
could do this for themselves. So if you turn over to Deuteronomy
36, we'll see something that sounds a little bit different.
Deuteronomy 30 and verse six. Deuteronomy 30 verse six. And the Lord thy God will circumcise
thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy
God with all thine heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest
live. God will do this circumcising
and for the purpose to love the Lord God with all thine heart.
But we also see this in the New Testament, Colossians 2 verses
10-12 we read, And ye are complete in him, which is the head of
all principality and power, in whom also ye are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. buried
with him in baptism wherein also you're risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from
the dead. So this circumcision is not something
we have done but something he has done to us. But next we have
the reason for this circumcision in Philippians 3 there. We worship
God. We already read that in Deuteronomy.
He did this to us based on what He did for us, for the specific
purpose of worshipping Him. But it's not just worshipping
Him our own way, because we know our way leads to destruction.
It is to rejoice in Christ Jesus. That is worshipping God. Rejoicing in nothing else but
Jesus Christ, because God the Father sent him to save his people
from their sin. He is now seated on his throne,
the work of salvation being accomplished. We rejoice in that. That is,
we rejoice in who he is and what he has done. By what he has done, this circumcision,
we put off the works of the flesh. He did not leave anything up
to us. Paul confirms this, he says,
and have no confidence in the flesh. There's nothing this flesh can
accomplish but sin against God. If you look to anything you do
as being for salvation or because of salvation, that is works of
this flesh. You are looking to this flesh
and it will damn you. that is, if God does not intervene
to save your soul. But this body of death, this
flesh, can accomplish nothing but sin against God. We are not
to look to this flesh, but rather glory in Jesus Christ and His
cross work. But listen, to get back to it,
what else are we told is the purpose of law? Romans 5.20,
the first part of the verse, we read this, very familiar.
Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. This is what God says the purpose
of the law is. It entered that the offense might
abound. It makes the offense become that
much more offensive than it would otherwise. This law was given
by Moses and it was written on stones. God says do this or don't
do that. And we do the wrong thing every
time. But the law for God's people
was there for a specific purpose. There are those whom God gives
the law for a specific purpose, and we read in Galatians 3, 24
and 25, wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith, but after that faith is
come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. So it says the
law was. And I think we have to kind of
stop right there for a minute. This word as we all know it denotes
something that was in the past. It was this at one time but it's
no longer this to this this group of people spoken of here. This
group being our not everyone but our schoolmaster. Those to
whom God chose in Jesus Christ from before the foundation of
the world and has in time visited them by his spirit and his gospel.
That is those who Paul is speaking to. Believers. But his law was
said to have been our schoolmaster. So it had a purpose for a time,
but then that purpose ended. What does a schoolmaster do?
A schoolmaster teaches us something. Now I know what some want to
say is that it teaches us of Jesus Christ. And they will say
this possibly because of what has been added in there in that
text where it says brings us unto Jesus Christ. But that was
put in there and it does not belong. It's up into a certain
point and then faith comes. The law does not teach us of
Jesus Christ. You will not find that in scripture.
The gospel does that. The law keeps us in the classroom
as it teaches us that we are guilty before God, dead with
no hope and in the world. It teaches us that we have nowhere
to turn, nowhere to go. It teaches us that we are under
the law with no escape. It is crushing. The weight of
that yoke is crushing. Then faith comes. Once faith
has come by the gracious work of God, we no longer need the
law. We are no longer under a schoolmaster. Faith allows us to see Jesus
Christ, and once we see him, we have no need for the law anymore. The law, remember, can only teach
us what we are as we are born in Adam. It did not make us what
we are, and it cannot fix what we are. But Christ can, and he
did. He is our Boaz. But the law was
given so that the offense might abound. We are no longer under
the schoolmaster and we do not ever get to the point where we
are capable of or even asked to perform the law. Romans 10 5 says, For Moses describeth
the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth
those things shall live by them. Do you see that? If you are under
the law, you must keep doing, doing, doing. We cannot live
by the law at any time. Faith, we are told that is faith
once God has given it an exercise and it exercises us. We do not
exercise our faith. Faith exercises us into believing
and we do actually believe. It exercises us into believing
the gospel of Jesus Christ, and God says he counts that for righteousness. If you say that the law was given
that we might have life, or if you say the law was given for
our way of life, that is, for how we should live our life,
you are not using the law lawfully. There are those who teach this.
Most of them call themselves Reformed. But it's not limited
to just those who call themselves Reformed. Paul in Philippians
speaks of those who teach this and other things not according
to the gospel. Anyone who teaches anything else
for salvation or because of salvation other than Jesus Christ and Him
crucified, he calls them dogs, evil workers, mutilators. He
warns us to beware of them. In Galatians he says he does
not even give them space for an hour. He will not listen to
that kind of garbage. But Galatians 3.21 we read, Is
the law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given
which could have given life, verily righteousness should have
been by the law. But life, Righteousness does
not come by the law, as I just read. The flesh was given this
law to show us what we are. The new man is created to serve
Jesus Christ. For those who worship God must
worship him in spirit and in truth. But we also read that
the law is not made for a righteous man, but it is said to be made
for this group of people in this litany given. We know we are
not righteous by nature, so who is it that is righteous? We know
that as we are born in Adam, we are all these things. The
law was given to this flesh, but what does Paul say in 1 Corinthians
6, 9-11? Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revelers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of
God." Kind of sounds like that other list we just read in 1
Timothy. Verse 11, and such were some
of you. but you're washed, but you're
sanctified, but you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God. We are no longer any of these
things in Christ, but we are all of these things still in
the flesh. But we also read in Romans, Romans
7, 16 through 18, if then I do that which I would not, I consent
unto the law that it is good. Now then, it is no more I that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me
that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. For to will is present with me,
but how to perform that which is good I find not. This flesh still desires sin,
and it drinks up iniquity like water. Christ says in Matthew
7, 17, and 18, even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring
forth good fruit. So where does the good tree come
from? It is that which God creates new, that new man which is created
by God. Every good gift, every perfect
gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Now, because of this
flesh, we don't really know what those good works are. We're not
even told to look to those works. We don't know which ones are
honoring to Him. We know everything we do is tainted with sin. I
can stand up here and preach with this flesh while it's reeking
in pride, thinking I'm doing something. and I'm not. But we do work those works which
he has ordained and worked in us. That is, in this new man,
when he is pleased for us to do, do that and give praise and
honor to his name. We read in Ephesians 4, 22 through
24, that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old
man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be
renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new
man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
Isn't that something? God creates the new man who is
created in righteousness and true holiness. 1 John 3 and 5 1 John 3, 5-7
we read, And ye know that he was manifested to take away our
sins, and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth
not. Whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive
you. He that doeth righteousness is
righteous, even as he is righteous. So it sounds to me like those
that God has done something for are righteous in Jesus Christ.
So according to Scripture, the law was not made for them, right? Outside of Jesus Christ, there
is nothing but unrighteousness. The law, the near of kin to Ruth,
could not redeem her because it would mar his inheritance.
But there was a nearer of kin, a kinsman-redeemer, who not only
could redeem the land and her, but he did. The law took off
its shoe and gave it to the kinsman-redeemer. But you remember Moses? Moses
represents the law of God. The scripture says the law came
by Moses. But what happened to Moses? He
struck the rock twice, so he died and did not enter the promised
land. He did not redeem the people, in other words, so he could not
enter in. He died and was buried. But you know what else? No one
knows where he's buried. And what am I getting at by saying
that? The law to the believer is no more. They don't go back
and revisit his grave. They don't know where it's at.
Which is righteous? To serve the law or to believe
Christ? I think it's kind of a twofold
answer, because it depends. If you are in Christ, then Christ
is your righteousness, and God says that when you believe Him,
He accounts that for righteousness, because of the faith He has given.
But this flesh, if you are outside of Christ, then the law is all
you have. But the problem is, it cannot
give you life or righteousness. What are we told in Scripture,
though? Yes, Jesus Christ is righteous intrinsically. We are
not. But what do we read in a very
familiar passage, 2 Corinthians 5, 21? For he hath made him to
be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. We are made the very righteousness
of God in Jesus Christ. What is there to gain above that? Does it sound like we need to
do the works of the law to become more righteous? I can't. But if you are outside of Christ,
the law is all you have. The problem with that is this
flesh. The law is weak through the flesh,
is what scripture says. It cannot give life, so if you're
looking to the law for your way of life in any way, you're only
staring at death. Galatians 2, 19 and 20, we read,
For I, through the law, am dead to the law, that I might live
unto God. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which
I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me. The law has killed me,
but I have a Redeemer who has been made that curse and sin
for me. So now I can live unto God. By
the faith given to me, I can believe God. Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. If
you do not believe God, you have no reason to believe that you
are dead to the law, because you are not. Those who are in
Christ, he has done what was needed. Hebrews 10.10 we read,
by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all time, not all people, All time. So what is it that I need to
do? Nothing. As has been said before, salvation
is not due. Salvation is done. What He has
done for us, He equally does to us and in us that we might
believe Him. What God requires, God provides. Romans 8, 1 and 2, we read, There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. Now let me read a quote from
J.C. Philpott here real quick. I think most of you probably
know J.C. Philpott. But again, keep in mind, this
stuff happened back then where he was, too. You know, this kind
of garbage was set forth. He reads from this verse. Who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? Right before this
passage that I just read. If the Lord the Spirit has implanted
that highest cry in our soul, O wretched man that I am, this
will follow as a necessary consequence. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Where shall I look for deliverance? From what quarter can it come?
Shall I look to the law? Oh no, that curses and condemns
me, because I am continually breaking it. Can I look to friends? They may pity and sympathize,
but they cannot remove the body of sin and death. It is too fast
linked on for them to remove. Shall I go to ministers of truth?
I may hear what they say with approbation, but there is something
more wanted to remove this chilling embrace of the body of sin and
death. Shall I look to the scriptures? They contain the remedy, but
I want that remedy to be sweetly applied. Who then shall deliver
me? What refuge can I look to? Whither
can I go or whither shall I turn? From what quarter can help or
deliverance come? See the embarrassment? View the
perplexity of an exercised soul? Looking here and looking there,
turning to the right hand and turning to the left? Yet from
one quarter only can the deliverance come. And thus, when the apostle
was brought here, when he was sunk down to a low spot and anxiously
turning his eyes to every quarter to see whence deliverance could
come, God blessed his soul with a view of his precious Son. God
the Spirit wrought in his heart that living faith whereby he
saw Jesus and whereby there was a communication of the blood
and love of the Lamb to his conscience. So I know that the Scripture
does not teach that the law is my way to life, nor is it my
way of life. The law shows me my condemnation
before God. Paul, before he even goes into
these details, tells us this very thing in our text, which
I kind of emphasized when I first read it. Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God, our Savior and Lord Jesus
Christ, which is our hope. Our hope is Jesus Christ and
Jesus Christ alone. If I return back to the law,
I'm leaving Jesus Christ, who is my hope. God help me to look
to Jesus Christ and cause me to see that I am dead to the
law through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Cause me, yea,
even force me to rest in Christ my righteousness. Amen. Thank
you all.