Oh my, that's so good. Turn with me if you would to
the book of Romans chapter 10. Romans chapter 10. I'd like to
look at the first four verses of this chapter. If I would entitle this message,
I would entitle it, What is the True Purpose of God's Law? What
is the true purpose of God's law? We hear so much about that,
the law. What is the purpose of God's
law? You know, the Apostle Paul, having
told in the previous chapter that night chapter of the book
of romans i said before if there was ever a chapter this is one
of them that this world absolutely hates because it does set forth
god's right to do whatever he is pleased
to do god has the right you know men will go along with
that as long as it doesn't pertain to god if you own a piece of property
let me ask you something as far as you're concerned as long as
you don't break any laws and stuff like that don't you feel
in your heart i got the right to do whatever i want to do with
this if i want to paint my house you know lime yellow I can do whatever I want to do.
Doesn't God have the right to do what He will with His own?
Doesn't He? Sure He does. Paul the Apostle starts in verse
1 of Romans 10 and he says, Brethren, that is true brethren in Christ,
true believers. Those that you can bare your
heart to. My daughter, one of my daughters,
called me the other day and had a question. And she said, Dad,
I need to ask you something. And I said, OK. And she asked
me what she wanted to ask me. and uh... i told her what i thought
was the right thing according to the scriptures and she said
you know what she said i want you to know she said i love you
very much she said i love you and respect you as my dad but
she said the most comforting thing that i have is that i can
pick up the telephone and i can call you and ask you something
as a pastor She said, I think you're going to give me the answer
that you think and feel is right according to the Word of God. Brethren find great comfort in
fellowshipping with brethren. They trust them. They don't feel
that they're going to try to get to them or that they have
ulterior motives. My heart's desire, the very center
of life, my heart, my new heart, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is that they might be rescued. You know, Paul knew by divine
revelation that there was a remnant, that God has a remnant according
to election." This is what Brother Scott just read. God Almighty,
before the foundation of the world, chose a people in Christ,
and they had in Him, they had forgiveness of sins, adoption,
all things that pertain to life and godliness When God chose
them, and I say the word when, and that's just a term I have
to use because I don't know how to speak correctly when it deals
to God's eternality. I don't know how. I don't know
how to say it. I speak foolishly. Paul knew that God has a people. And Paul the apostle knew by
divine revelation God is going to save His people. He knew that. He knew that God Almighty was
going to call out His remnant, but you know, Paul didn't know
who they were. You know why we're still here
this morning? Why are we here this morning? Well, you say we're
here because today is the Lord's Day. That's absolutely right.
Today's the day that the Lord has made. We rejoice and we're
glad in it, glad that God's given anybody a heart to be here. This
is the Lord's day. I'm glad we're here. But why
are we still here? Because God still has a people
that he hasn't called out yet. When the last of God's are left,
when it's over, when God says it's over, it's over. Almighty
God is calling out by and through the Gospel His power, the power
of God unto salvation, His people. Who knows? Today God may save
somebody in here. He may reveal to somebody that's
sat here for years and years and years, He may reveal Christ. Almighty God is going to save."
But Paul didn't know who they were. He was honest. He said,
Brethren, my heart, my desire, my longing, my love, and my prayer
to God for Israel, God might save him. Those that hated him,
those that abused him, those that persecuted him, And those
that persecuted Paul the Apostle hated him. It's amazing how when
you see how there was the Apostle Paul, one of the most religious
men in his own estimation. He was beyond equal. He was second
to none. And when God revealed Himself
in him, when he pleased God to reveal Christ in him, Then Paul
realized something else about himself. He said, God came into
this world, Christ came into this world to save sinners, of
whom I'm chief. I'm the pinnacle. If you want
to look at a sinner, we'll start with Paul the Apostle. That's
what Paul said. Matthew 5.44, the Lord speaking,
it says, I say unto you, love your enemies, I've mentioned this before. You
know, our enemies are those that by nature, we don't like them. You know, if you're mean to me,
if you're mean to me, if you're mean to me or somebody I love
or somebody, you know, let me tell you what my nature is. I
don't like you. I don't like you. But we're commanded
to love our enemies. Love them. How do you love your
enemies? Be truthful with them. That's love. That's love. Love
exhibits itself in truthfulness. Truthful. Love your enemies. I've said this before. Brother
Scotts loved this community. Love your neighbors. There's
a lot of people in here that I bet you if you ask him, I bet
you I've got this attitude too. A lot of hard things have been
said about him. And I tell you, it's real easy
for somebody mean to you, I don't want to fool with you. But he's
loved them because he's been truthful with them, been truthful
over 50 years. In this pulpit right here, he's
loved them, told them the truth. Love your enemies. Bless. Ask
God's blessing. It's what that is. Bless them
that curse you, that doom you is actually what it means. And
do good, do right to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, insult you, and slander you, and persecute
you, harass you. Love them and do good to them.
Boy, that takes a new nature. That takes a new heart. That
takes a new mind, a new spirit. See, our heart rebels against
that which we don't like. In our mind, in our conscience,
in our new heart, new conscience, new mind, we have a longing for
God Almighty to show mercy. Why? Because He showed mercy
to me. There may be some sitting here
this morning that don't know Him, that don't know Him. You heard, you heard, but you
never heard. Listen, God showed mercy to me. I pray He shows mercy to you.
I pray He has mercy on you, gives you a heart after Him. Paul said, My heart's desire
and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.
For I bear them record, verse 2, that they have a zeal of God,
but not according to knowledge. I bear them record. I'm a witness,
is what he's saying. I am a witness and I have actually
beheld this situation. I've been there, that's what
he's saying. I've been there. I bear them record. They have
a zeal of God. They have an excitement of—they
have a jealousy of mind. They're excited, excited. Paul had possessed that same
attitude. He said, I know what I'm talking
about. Galatians 1, 13, 14 says, For
ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion. Have you ever noticed what he
just said? The Jews were those that had
the law and they had the prophets. And he differentiated between
the Jews' religion and knowing Christ. You've heard of my conversation,
my way of walking. In time past, in the Jews' religion,
how that beyond measure, I persecuted the Church of God when I was
in the Jews' religion, which is nothing more than works, free
will. Call it what you want to, label
it, put any kind of title on the shingle of false religion,
it comes right back down to this, works. I don't care what you
call it. What kind of denomination is
this? There are only two messages being preached, works and grace. That's it. There are only two settings forth. I wasted it, he said. That is
the church of God. And I profited. That is, I grew
and I advanced in the Jews' religion. above many mine equals in mine
own nation, being more exceeding zealous of the traditions of
my Father." Paul was saying, I am no stranger
to the law, to the ceremonies of the Levitical priesthood and
all the zealous works and deeds of that religion that was my
former hope of salvation. I bear them record. False religion is zealous. That's what the Lord said in
Matthew 23, verse 15, "...Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees
and hypocrites! You compass the sea and land
to make one proselyte. When he is made, you make him
twofold more the child of hell than yourself." Paul acknowledged
their zealousness, but that zeal, He said it was not according
to knowledge. It wasn't according to exact
and full knowledge of Christ. They were zealous but not according
to knowledge. The Jews had a knowledge. They had a knowledge of God and
they were in that sense, I guess, according to the world. They
were more outwardly blessed, I guess you would say, than the
rest of this world. But they had so much. They had the tabernacle. They
had their knowledge. They had their dedication. They
had their zeal for the letter of the law. But they found comfort
in the ritual of that law. They found comfort in the ceremonies
of that law. Here's what they had comfort
in. They're standing over there, and there's the tabernacle, and
there's the priest, and they can see that outer court, and
they can see that blazing altar, and they go, we've got this.
These guys are for us. And they slay that lamb. They
slain a lamb. Slain a lamb. Poured the blood
on that, you know, that altar in the smoke, you know, worshipping
God. the outward. But they didn't
see what that was setting forth. They didn't see Christ. They
didn't see the object of those shadows and types. They found
comfort in going through the ritual. We get up this morning and we've
come. This is our terminology. We're
going to church. We come, we got ready, and we've
come to church. And I sat down, and we sang a
song or two, and we read the Bible. We heard the Bible. And
a man stands up, and he preaches. I heard two messages today, and
I heard preaching, and we went to church, and we sang songs,
and we said, but let me ask you this. Has God given you a heart
for the Christ? that we set forth. A love and
a hungering above all things for Him. He's my Lord. He's my God and
my Savior. Give me Christ or I perish. You
see, there's a difference in having your heart soothed by
going through ritual. Anybody can go to church. But
it takes God Almighty to give a man a heart for the Christ
that is set forth in the preaching of the gospel. I bear them record. They got a zingle of God. Not
according to knowledge. They found comfort in what they
thought they weren't. They're not a sinner. I don't
need a savior. They found comfort in what they
did. I'm going to come to church. I'm going to do my thing. I've
got my other gods I've got to serve, but I'm going to go to
church. I'll go to church. I've got a zeal of God. Turn to Luke 18. Luke 18. Two men, Luke 18, 10, went up
into the temple to pray. One a Pharisee, the other a Republican.
Two kinds of people to go to church. Two kinds of people go to church.
One of them was a Pharisee, one of them was a Republican. And
the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank
Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
even as this publican. I fast twice in a week. I give
tithes of all I possess." And here's a man that, you know,
he sacrificed his body. I'm going to fast. I give tithes
of all I possess. Not only is money, you gave of
everything. Giving of everything, money,
time, prayer. The spiritual maturity of a person
is governed by their giving. You write this down. You say,
well if you're meddling, then I'm going to meddle. I'm on metal
right here. The spiritual maturity of a man
or a woman is governed by their giving, by their freedom. That's just the way it is. As
God has prospered a man, so let him give. Well, I've got responsibilities. I've got kids in school and I've
got a house payment and I've got you seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness. But you don't understand my bills,
and you've just got too much stuff. I give twice, I fast twice in
a week, I give tithes of all I possess, and the publican standing
afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven,
but smote upon his breast, saying, Be merciful to me. I'm a sinner. I need you." These
Jews did not understand the spirituality of the law. They didn't understand
the types. They didn't understand the message
of the ceremonies. They didn't see Christ. They went to church, and they
went through their ritual, and they satisfied themselves, and
they showed up, and they, I've done my duty. And if God Almighty
doesn't show mercy to them, they'll leave this world and face God
Almighty in absolute judgment. Paul said, My heart's desire
in prayer to God for Israel is that God would rescue them. Rescue
them from themselves, from sin, from rebellion against God. Is
this too plain? Am I just being too plain? I
don't think so. I'm just telling you the way
a believer is. I'm telling you the way that a believer acts. This is the way a believer is.
For they be in ignorance of God's righteousness. Listen, God's
righteousness is the righteousness that God provides himself. It's God's righteousness. They
be in ignorance of God's righteousness, the righteousness of the Lord
Jesus Christ. the only righteousness accepted
by Almighty God. Well, I've done the best I could.
That ain't good enough. I'm as good as the next man.
That ain't good enough. What is it going to take? How
righteous does a man have to be to enter the kingdom of God? He's got to be as holy as God. What? Did you say that he's got to
be as holy as God? That's right. How can that be
if His righteousness as God is charged to me? God sees me holy,
in Christ, holy. You say, now wait a minute, you
know, but he just read it, that ye should be holy and without
blame before Him in love." Now, I didn't say it. God said
it. What's it going to take? God's
going to have to do something for me. And if God Almighty doesn't
do something for me, I'm in trouble. It is the righteousness, their
ignorance of God's righteousness, that quality of being right,
faultless, guiltless, innocent, before Almighty God. It is by the imputed righteousness. God must see me in Christ or
I have no hope. I have no hope. Somebody could say, well, I gave
my heart to Jesus. Let me tell you something. If
God doesn't give Himself to you, You don't have any hope. You
want to talk about somebody giving something? If God doesn't give
Himself to you, you have no hope. What are you going to give God? For all is an unclean thing.
God will accept nothing that God doesn't provide. For they
being ignorant of God's righteousness, the only right way before God,
and going about seeking about how to accomplish, going about
to establish, to make to stand their own righteousness, their
own personal righteousness, a self-righteous order of works, a righteousness
of a man's own making, a righteousness that a man thinks is going to
stand before God. Listen, let me tell you something. Believe me when I tell you this,
there's times that if you left it to myself, you say, do you
feel saved? No, I don't. I'll be honest with
you. There's times that I don't. Why?
Because I see, I see just enough of myself. And I'll say as a songwriter,
when I see all that is wicked and vile and I see, if I look
and I, you know, somebody says, well, don't look inside. Well,
that was real spiritual. Paul said, I see in me. That is, in my flesh. Well, evidently
Paul looked. Well, you don't need to look
inside. You need to look to Christ. Well, thank you for that great
insight. But I tell you what, there's
times that I do look inside, which is often. And you know
what I see? Can I deem myself a child? Can
I deem myself one that Almighty God has created a new heart? How do you know that God's done
something for you? You need a Savior? You need someone
to save you? You need Christ to rescue you? Because you see in yourself that
if it's left up to me, I have no hope. What am I going to do? Rededicate my life? We dedicate
what? Salvation is Almighty God revealing
what he has purposed to do before the foundation of the world,
that God saves men by grace and reveals it to them through faith.
That's how they know it. Salvation is of the Lord. Those Paul said that he prayed
for, they were ignorant of God's righteousness and going about
to establish their own righteousness and have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. Why? Because they continually
and willingly sought after and obeyed the deceitfulness of their
own heart. They would not submit themselves
to Christ. I won't. I won't. I won't. or if he ever calls you, you
will. Yes, you will. I mean, in one moment, there
was a thief on the cross, Neil, and he was slamming the Lord
Jesus Christ just like the other one. They both wrangled on him.
And I mean, all of a sudden, one of them said, wait a minute. We deserve what we're getting,
but this man has done nothing. when you enter your kingdom would
you remember me he said today i'll be with you in paradise
boy you think that god left this world with a different attitude
what was it let me ask you this what was he going to do to save
himself he was on a cross where do you think he was going he
was leaving this world that's exactly what what are you going
to give in exchange for your soul Is all of this stuff worth
it? Is it worth it to you? When you
stand before Almighty God, was all this stuff worth it? It won't be in that day. They
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of Christ.
What will it take for a man to submit himself to the righteousness
of Christ? A new heart. God's going to have
to give him a new heart. God's going to have to give him
a new will. Verse 4, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth. Christ being the end of the law. Now listen to this because I
said before we started here, I'm going to entitle this message,
What is the purpose of the law of God? What was the purpose
of God's law? Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believes." What does that
mean? It means when it says, Christ
is the end of the law, it is the object, the end. Christ is
the end. It is the object to which anything
leads. The end, that's what it means.
It's the object to which anything leads. The Scripture says, In Galatians
3.24, wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. If you look at Galatians 3.24,
to bring us is in italic. It wasn't there. It was added
later. Some say to give better understanding,
but it wasn't there. I'm going to tell you what it
means. The law was our schoolmaster.
unto Christ, is what this says. That we might be justified by
faith, that we might be, right there, means shown or declared. The law was our schoolmaster
unto Christ. What was the purpose of God's
law? First of all, let me say this,
the law was given for God's elect. the law was given for God's elect. When God sent the law to the
nation of Israel, the nation of Israel was a type, you know
this, a type, a picture of God's spiritual Israel. The way you
see Israel being in captivity in Egypt and those millions,
however many it was, that came out of Egypt, they all came out
A nation came out. Well, what's that a picture of?
Well, you know it's a picture of God's elect being brought
out of captivity of sin. But was everybody that came out
of Egypt, were they all God's elect? No. No. They were a type. They were a
type. They were a picture. Whenever
they went across the Red Sea, whenever Moses said, See the
salvation of your God. When God divided the Red Sea,
what was that? Was it low tide? And just, you know, the Scripture
says that God divided the sea and they walked over on dry land.
Dry land! How long do you think it would
take to dry the land at the bottom of the sea? Huh? A moment? You think God couldn't dry that
land? What was being pictured? That
Red Sea was Christ. Rent. The way. That's how the children of Israel
walked across. Was everybody that walked across
that Red Sea, were they actually one of God's elect? No. But they
were a picture. They were a type. God Almighty
sent the law for God's elect. And the Scripture says that the
law served as our instructor, our schoolmaster, to show us
our sins and to reveal our need of Christ. Now let me tell you
something. There are some people that will
go through this world and they read the Scriptures and they
see and they see the law and they are never brought to see
their need of Christ. They're never. The law will condemn
them. There's the perfection of God's
attitude, the law of God. That's God's law, and it's right,
and it's good. God's law is good. But this law,
the scripture says, was unto Christ. And I said a while ago,
when it says to bring us, do you know, the law, the law doesn't
to bring a man to Christ. Who brings a man to Christ? The
Spirit of God. God brings a man to Christ. God
brings a man to Christ. Christ brings a man to Himself.
My sheep hear my voice. I call them. I call them out.
The Spirit of God blows as the wind. Did the law bring you to
Christ? Then could you get to Christ
by keeping the law? What does the law do? It reveals
our need of Christ. My need of Christ is seen in
the law. In Galatians, I want you to turn
to this scripture, Galatians 3.23. Galatians 3.23. But before faith came, that is,
before the persuasion of Christ was made known to me, before
God gave you faith, before faith came, we were kept under the
law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Now, let me tell you what the
Scriptures say the purpose of the law was. Before faith came, before Almighty
God, you that believe, before faith came, before God gave you
faith, before faith is of God, faith is from above, all men
have not faith, before God revealed Christ to you, before faith came,
we were kept Under the law, what does that mean? The law was a guardian, a guardian
in advance, a sentinel is what it means, posted. You know, I
think about these guard posts and there's a guard standing
there. He's got a gun. He's got a rifle. He's got a
pistol. He's got a sword. He's a sentinel. He's a guard.
He's guarding something. The law was our guardian. You say, I don't understand how.
I don't understand how either. I'm just telling you what the
scripture says. I remember when my kids were little, and they
might, you know, can I go outside and play? Yeah, you can go outside.
Yeah, okay. Don't, you know, don't go anywhere. Stay in the yard right here.
Don't go in the street, you know. How far do you think I trusted
them? Less than I could throw them. Somebody would say, I wouldn't
trust them as far as I could throw them. I didn't trust them
that far. I'd stand there and watch them. What was I doing? I was watching
them. I was keeping an eye on them. I don't want anything to
happen to them. I'm not going to let them get
away. The best thing in the world for them The best thing in the
world for my kids is that I was watching them. I watched them. I didn't leave it up to my neighbors.
Why? That's mine. I'm going to watch
you. What's the best thing in the world that God could do for
one of His own? Reveal to them their need of
Christ. What's the best thing God Almighty
could do? my need of Him. The law, before faith came, we
were kept under the law, a guardian, watching, preserving. An imprisonment
is actually an imprisonment for our good. And I didn't even know
it. You think my kids knew that I
was watching them? Never even went through their
mind. How much do you think? I realized
how God was watching over me and how good He was to me. I had no idea. I didn't care.
I did not care. I didn't know Him. I didn't love Him. I wasn't looking
for Him. But He said, I loved you with
an everlasting love. Before faith came, we were kept under the
law. enclosed on all sides for the
purpose of unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
The literal of that last verse, unto the faith which should afterwards
be revealed, unto the faith that was about to be revealed. God
Almighty sent the law for the purpose to show His people their need
of Him. And the law was their guardian,
their schoolmaster, their pedagogue that would do them good. How
is that? How good would it do? It would
show them they needed a Savior. They needed a Savior. The law,
my friend, they condemned me. That's right. Sure did. But the
law showed me. What if God would have left me
to myself? I'd have still been condemned. But the law showed
me my need of Christ. Paul says back in Romans, he
said, my heart's desire and prayer to God is that they might be
saved. I bear them record. They've got
a zeal of God, but they're ignorant of God's righteousness. They're
going about to establish their own righteousness. They've not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ,
Christ is the object, the end for righteousness to everyone
that believes. God sent the law of God for the good of
His people. Now, God's going to condemn all
that don't conform to that law by the righteousness of Christ.
But for you that believe, and for all that God Almighty will
call out of darkness, the law was God's guardian watching over
you, kind of hedging you, keeping you. You say, but I didn't even
know about it. In time, you did. Faith that
was about to be revealed. Faith that should be revealed.
Faith that would be revealed. And then I realized, God did
me good by showing me myself. Oh, to everyone that believed
it. Oh, the righteousness of God. When was that righteousness
applied? When was the righteousness of
God applied? Well, some might say, when we believed. But I
would ask you this. Listen to Psalm 45, verse 6.
Thy throne, O God. Now listen, this did me good
today, and this shows me how needful I am to understand what
that Scripture is saying. Thy throne, O God. I just immediately
figured, okay, well that just means I can kind of vision of
heaven and there's a royal throne. I don't know exactly how it looks,
but it's the place where God is. I'm not trying to be disrespectful. I'm just telling you how I think.
Thy throne, O God. Thy dominion, the throne. Thy throne, O God. You know what
it means? Thy cupboard. You're concealed. You're hidden. spread over or clothed. He's
talking about His people. Your throne, O God, is forever
and ever. The scepter, the rule of Your
kingdom, of Your reign is a right scepter. It's a level. It's just. It's straight. It's a right rule. Thou lovest righteousness and
hatest iniquity. God, thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." God loves righteousness. That's what he said in Jeremiah
31, verse 3, "...Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love." I love righteousness and I hate iniquity. For Almighty
God to love me everlastingly, He must everlastingly see me
in the righteous and count me to be seven." You say, I don't
understand that. God never changes. God never
changes. Anytime that someone tells you,
well, God didn't see His people as justified until, well, then
I'll ask you this then. Are you insinuating that God
changed at some point in His attitude? Was there a shadow
of turning then? with God at that point? Is that
what you're saying? He said, I don't change. Everything
that God is now, even toward you that believe, if He hasn't
always been exactly that, then He changed. And if He's changed, then He's
not God. The God of this Bible says, I
don't change. I don't waver. I don't move. Nothing changes with Him. How long has God's people been
His people? Always. How long has He loved
them? Always. What does He love? Righteousness.
He said, I love righteousness. And if He loved you with an everlasting
love and He loves righteousness, how long have you been righteous
in Christ? You said, yes, but I came forth from my mother's
womb speaking lies. I know you did, you rebel, you
sinner. But what's God going to do? He
crucified me with Christ. I was crucified with Christ.
That's what Paul said. I died with Him. God took care of the
debt I owed Him of that old nature born in Adam. God took care of
it. And He's taken care of me in
Christ. He's loved me everlastingly. Brother Scott said this, I read
this before, before the foundation of the world, God Almighty put
a people in the Lord Jesus, and where He put them, He kept them. If He can look at me, if He chose
me in Him, if He chose me in Him, and as I told you before,
let me tell you what that means, in Him. It means this. It means
to consider to be so because of Him, in Him, in Adam. In Adam all die. being considered
as Adam's representative, or represented by Adam. Therefore,
if Almighty God has seen me everlastingly in Christ, and the way He sees
Christ is the way He sees me, how has He always seen His Son? Now, you answer that question,
and then you tell me how God must see all in His Son. Our Father, how thankful we are.