We want to take a picture after
the message today with everybody. So gather up here after service
today before you get scattered about. We're going to take a
picture together. Romans 3 verse 19. Romans 3 verse 19. Now we know that what things
soever the law saith. That's our subject. What things
the law saith. Now what law is Paul referring
to? We've got to understand that
if we're going to get anything out of this. What law is Paul
referring to? Well, he's not referring to the
new law that Christ gives to his people. Thursday night, we
looked at Christ's new law in John 13, 34, and 35. If you haven't heard that message,
I would encourage you to listen to it as an accompaniment to
this message. It's titled Christ's New Law.
Christ gives his new law to his disciples alone, to those he's
teaching in the heart, and that includes his disciples today.
Christ said a new commandment, a new law, I give unto you that
you love one another as I have loved you, that you love one
another as I have loved you. The old Mosaic law said, love
one another as you love yourself. Christ said, love one another
as I have loved you. And by this shall all men know
that you are my disciples if you have love one to another. That's Christ's new law. It's
not the law Paul speaks of in our text. This law is given by
Christ. given to His disciples alone.
It's given in spirit, in the new spirit, in the new birth.
And this rule of love is the fruit of God the Holy Spirit.
It's taught and it's increased of God. Paul said, bear ye one
another's burdens. This is the psalmist substance
of it. Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law
of Christ. We're under His rule. He's the
rule we follow. Whatever Christ says, we look
to Him to learn all things. We don't look anywhere else but
to Christ. Now in Romans, we're going to
see another time Paul is showing us his whole point that he's
showing us is believers are not under the law but under grace.
That's the whole point Paul's preaching. Those in whom Christ
abides are under the law of faith in Christ and the law of love
to brethren. That's the yoke we're under.
Faith and love. This is his commandment that
we should believe on the name of his son Jesus Christ and love
one another as he gave us commandment. Paul said in Galatians 5, 6,
for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision,
but faith which worketh by love. So in our text, Paul's not speaking
of the grace of Christ. He's not talking about believers
being under grace. He's talking about another law.
Nor is Paul referring to the law of creation. He's not referring
to the law of creation. Remember he talked to us in Romans
chapter 1 and he said everybody's without excuse, even those that
don't have the gospel because they have the law of creation.
He's not talking about the law of creation here. He's not talking
about the civil law given to nations. He's not talking about
the five books of Moses. That's sometimes called the law.
Those first five books of the Bible, written by Moses, that's
sometimes called the law. He's not talking about the Old
Testament psalms and prophets and all the Old Testament scriptures.
That's called law sometimes. He's not talking about that.
Paul is speaking of the old covenant law of works which God gave by
the hand of angels through a mediator Moses at Mount Sinai. He's talking particularly about
the Ten Commandments and the ceremonial law. The law is one
law. Men divide it, God does it. The
law is one law. Now, our text today is declaring
to whom the law speaks. It's declaring what it says to
them, and it's declaring the end purpose for which God gave
it. And those will be our divisions. To whom it speaks, what it says,
and the purpose for which God gave it. Now first of all, to
whom does the law speak? The law of the Ten Commandments,
the whole ceremonial law, to whom does it speak? The whole
old covenant law of works. It technically began when God
gave one law to Adam in the garden. That was the covenant of works.
But then God added over 600 laws at Mount Sinai. Some of those
were civil laws He gave to just the children of Israel. But we're
particularly here talking about the law of the Ten Commandments
and the whole ceremonial law. Now, who does God say is under
that law? Who does He say is under that
law? He says here, We know that what things soever the law saith,
it saith to them who are under the law. Now, who is under the
law? Let's answer that by answering
who's not under the law. None are under the law to whom
Christ has come and given faith to rest in Him for righteousness
and holiness and all acceptance with God. We're not under the
law to whom Christ has come and given faith to rest in Him for
holiness and righteousness and all acceptance with God. Go over
to Galatians 3. Look at verse 19, Galatians 3,
19. Wherefore then serveth the law,
it was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to
whom the promise was made. If you want to capitalize that
word seed, you can. Because back in verse 16, we're
told that that seed is Christ. God gave the law till the seed
should come to whom the promise was made. Verse 22, But the scripture
hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ, by His faithfulness, might be given to them that believe,
to them that believe in Christ. But before faith came, and again,
I'm of the opinion you can capitalize Elf in faith because he's talking
about Christ. Before faith came, we were kept
under the law, shut up unto, and the word is until. Shut up
until the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore
the law is our schoolmaster until Christ, that we might be justified
by faith. But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster. for ye are all the children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus. He is saying what he said in
Romans 10.4, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth. So, none are under the law to
whom Christ has come and given faith to trust Him for our holiness,
our righteousness, all acceptance with God. We are not under the
law. So He's not talking to us. None are under the law who are
under grace. Look at Romans 6 and verse 14. He says, Sin shall
not have dominion over you. Remember He's speaking to believers
here born of God. He says, Sin shall not have dominion
over you for you are not under the law but under grace. What
then? Shall we sin because we're not
under the law but under grace? God forbid. Under grace means
we're under that rule of Christ which looked at Thursday night.
The law of faith and love. None are under the law for whom
our old husband, the law, is dead. Get what I'm saying? If our old husband was the law,
but for you to whom he's dead, and you're dead to him, You're
not under the law. Now, you're married to Christ
and you're under the law to Christ your husband, just like a wife
is under the rule of her husband. Look over at Romans 7. Romans
7 verse 1, Know ye not, brethren, for I speak to them that know
the law, how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as
he liveth? For the woman, this is an illustration,
okay? Don't get hung up on the illustration
and miss the point of the illustration. The woman which hath a husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. But if
the husband be dead, she's loosed from the law of her husband.
So then if while her husband liveth, she be married to another
man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead, she's
free from that law. So that she's no adulteress,
though she be married to another man. Now here's the point. Wherefore,
my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of
Christ. That you shall be married to
another, even to Christ who's raised from the dead, that we
should bring forth fruit unto God. We're married to Christ. were under His rule, and just
like a husband produces fruit in his wife, Christ produces
fruit in His bride. For when we were in the flesh,
the motions of sins which were by the law did work in our members
to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from
the law, that that being dead wherein we were held, that we
should serve in newness of spirit, not in the oldness of the letter. So we're serving now in newness
of spirit. What does that mean? Well, none
are under the law who are led of the Spirit of God. That's
what it means, to worship God in spirits, to be led of the
Spirit of God, taught of the Spirit of God. Galatians 5.18
says, if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law. What
does it mean to be led of the Spirit? The Psalmist said in
Psalm 25, 5, Lead me in thy truth and teach me, for thou art the
God of my salvation. On thee do I wait all the day.
God's leading His people. Christ is leading His people
and He's teaching His people the truth. He's teaching us the
way. Do you realize this is what most religion doesn't believe?
I think it's a lack of faith. You know, do you believe that
Christ really is in our midst just as real as He was when He
walked this earth in the flesh? He is. And He's the one teaching
His people. He's the one who actually, effectually
comes through the preacher of the gospel and teaches us in
our hearts. It's Christ that does it. And
He's leading us in the way we should go. None are under the
law who are in Christ, who are made a new creation, who walk
by the rule of faith, which works by the constraint of Christ's
love. Look over Galatians 5, 5. Galatians 5, 5. For we through the Spirit wait
for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ
neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision,
but faith which worketh by love." Is that a rule? Is that a law
that we're under? Go to Galatians 6.15. Look at here. He says, God forbid,
verse 14, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ by whom the Lord is crucified unto me and
unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything nor uncircumcision. That means it doesn't matter
if you are under the law and trying to keep it or if you don't
have the law. That's not what matters. but
a new creature, being made an entirely new creation. Look,
and as many as walk according to this rule. Faith which works
by love. As many as walk according to
this rule, peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of
God. So we're not under the law if we're in Christ, if we're
made a new creation, if we're walking by the rule of faith
which works by the constraint of Christ's love. We're not under
the law. For the love of Christ constraineth us, that is, in
opposition to the law of Moses constraining us. The love of
Christ constrains us because we have discernment now to discern
that if Christ died for all his people, then right now all the
old man of sin is dead for all his people. So that we who now
live don't live unto ourselves, but we live unto Christ who loved
us and died for us. You get that? This is what it
is to be under the rule of faith which works by love. You're going
to be under some rule. You can just forget saying, I'm
a free man. I'm not under the law of Moses or under the law
of Christ. Then you're an antinomian. See, Romans 6 says we're the
servants of sin or we're the servants of Christ. One of the
two. We're going to be under a rule. And the rule of Christ
is an easy and light yoke. By faith we fulfill the whole
law of God. Because Christ established it
for us. We don't make void of the law
through faith. God forbid. We established the law through
faith. Even as Abraham did 430 years before it was given. That's
a great blessing. Isn't that a light? Believe on
Christ. And rest. And just love one another. John, Kelsey, this is our newlyweds. Let me ask you, is it a strain
for y'all to love one another? Is that a big hard burden for
you? It's a light and easy yoke, isn't it? That's what we're talking
about. Alright, none are under the law
who are made righteous in and by Christ. Go to 1 Timothy 1. 1 Timothy 1. Look here now. 1 Timothy 1, Paul says, verse 9,
let's read verse 8. We know, let's read verse 7.
Some are desiring, let's read verse 6. Well, let's read verse 5. Hold
on a minute. Now the end of the commandment is love out of a
pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned. That's what
I just said. From which some, having swerved, have turned aside
unto 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, The
law is not made for a righteous man. If you are righteous in
and by Christ, the law is not made for you. You get that? The law is not made for you.
The law is made for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly
and for sinners and for unholy and profane and murderers of
fathers and mothers and manslayers and on and on and on. The law
is made for those outside of Christ who have not been made
righteous in Christ. That's who it's made for. So,
who are under the law? Who's under the law? We look
to not under the law. Who's under the law? Let's review
what we just saw. What we just heard. And we'll
see who are under the law. All are under the law to whom
Christ has not come and has not given faith to rest in Him for
all their acceptance with God. If you're not believing on Christ
and resting entirely in Christ, you're under the law. All are
under the law who are not under grace. All are under the law
who are not married to Christ under His rule as a wife under
the rule of her husband. All are under the law who are
not led of the Spirit of God. All are under the law who are
not in Christ, who are not made a new creation by the new birth,
who do not walk by the rule of faith which works by the constraint
of Christ's love. If you have to have law to rule
you, you're under the law. All are under the law who are
not made righteous in and by Christ. And that means all who
profess to believe on Christ, but are yet going about to establish
their own righteousness or their own holiness by the works of
the law. Telling sinners, unless or except
you go back to the law of Moses and keep the law, you can't be
saved. Well, you're under the law. If
that's how you think, you're under the law. Now, get what
our text says, the law only speaks to them who are under the law. Now we know what things soever
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law. So, if
you're not under the law, you're under grace, the rest of this
is not even going to apply to you. It's not what the law doesn't
say anything to you. This is what it used to say to
you, but it doesn't say this to you anymore. Now, what does
the law say to them that are under the law? What does it say? Romans 3.19, that every mouth
may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. The law says to all who are under
the law, shut your mouth. That's what the law says. Shut
up. Just shut up. The first thing
God teaches the sinner by His law is this. This is rule number
one. This is the number one first thing God has to do. You ever
tried to witness to somebody and, I mean, the minute you stop
speaking, they open their mouth and butt, butt, butt, butt, butt,
butt, butt, butt, butt. And act like they know everything there
is to know about the Word of God. So if they're going to hear
something, first thing that's going to happen is they're going
to have to have their mouth shut. Right? That's the first rule. Look here,
back up in Romans 3, 4. Here's the first number one rule
God's going to teach. Let God be true, whatever man
a liar. That's the first rule right there.
God is true. He's the rock. His work is perfect.
All His ways are judgment. A God of truth without iniquity.
Just and right is He. For the Lord is good, His mercy
is everlasting, His truth endureth to all generations. God is true,
and every man by nature is a liar. That's you and me and everybody
in this world. God's law shuts our mouths as
liars. Scripture says, Surely men of
low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie. To
be laid in the balance they are altogether lighter than vanity. Scripture says, Thou worm Jacob. Do you know what the word worm
means? Maggot. That's what God's law says about
you and me. Shut up mouth, shut your mouth because you're a maggot
before God. I was, the trash man every year
has picked up those crawfish the Thursday right after the
crawfish boil and this year he didn't. And they sat there till
Sunday. And they were full of maggots.
And every time I'd open up that thing, I'd just... That's you. And that's me. A maggot feeds
on one thing. Death. And that's all we feed
on. By nature, it's death. Everything
a man thinks is life by nature and spiritual is death and carnal
by nature. Thou worm, Jacob. Thou maggot,
Jacob. And every man is just a liar.
The voice said, Cry, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass, all
the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The
grass witherth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord
bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. When
is a man going to be made to shut his mouth? When is he going
to hear the law and realize, I'm a liar? When the Spirit of
God blows on him. All his goodness, he was bloomed
out, he thought he was a rose. And God's gonna blow up on him,
and when he does, he's just gonna wilt and become just an ugly
old dandelion. God by His law teaches the sinner
he's guilty before God. By His law God brings the sinner
to the place He brought David. Where was David brought? David
was brought to say against thee and thee only have I sinned and
done this evil in thy sight that thou mightest be just when you
speak and be clear when you judge. He does it no matter who we are.
He says that all the world may become guilty. That means everybody. You know, we have a way of judging,
don't we? We judge those who are profane
and drunks and dopeheads, we judge them one way. We judge
those who are our friends another way. We judge those who are our
family another way. And we judge those who are our
children and our wives and husbands an entirely different way. Don't
we? Not God. Not God. He says all the world. It doesn't
matter if you're profane, you're drunk, you're the harlot, or
if you're sitting up in the White House. It don't matter. The Lord
looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if
there were any that did understand. If there were any that did seek
God. They all gone aside. They together become unprofitable. There's none good, no not one. None that even seeks God. It
doesn't matter who we are, what we are in the world. We could
be highly educated or we could be uneducated. We could be rich,
we could be poor. We could be male, we could be
female. We could be Jew, we could be Gentile. It doesn't make any
difference. The law speaks to you in all
the world. He says shut your mouth, you
guilty. That's what God teaches you when
He comes and makes you hear the law. We try to look at those
that we think are worse than us and we try to judge them and
justify ourselves and act like we wouldn't do that. He takes
that and He says, Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that
judges for wherein thou judgest another. Thou condemnest thyself
because you do the same thing. When we judge somebody and we
say, that's awful, they shouldn't do that. We're judging ourselves
because in just a little while we'll be doing the same exact
thing. He shuts our mouth as totally ruined and guilty in
sin. He shuts our mouth so that no
flesh of glory in His presence. Now, every sinner here, And now,
I'm saying this mainly to professing believers who say, but believers
are still under the law. Well, if you want to be under
the law, that's what the law says to you. I don't care if
you do profess to believe Christ. If you want to put yourself back
under the law, then that's what the law says to you. Shut your
mouth and you're guilty. You see, it doesn't matter if
God has given you a new heart or He hasn't given you a new
heart. To everybody He's given a new heart, there's still an
old sinner in you so that everything you do is mixed with sin so that
there's no way you can go back to the law and claim to have
ever kept it at all for anything. We can't do that. These men that
claim they've kept the law have never kept the law, not in themselves. You can't keep the law. If we
could have kept the law at all, then all God would have had to
do was pride His Spirit on us so now we could go to the law
of Moses and keep it ourselves and we would have been fine.
But that wouldn't do. So He had to send His Son and
only His Son kept the law. Only His Son fulfilled the law.
Can you take your place at God's feet with your mouth in the dust
and confess yourself to be what God says you are, guilty before
God? You see, God's not going to save
you or me until we're brought to the place where we shut our
mouths from boasting and justifying ourselves and confess to God,
I am not worthy to be saved. I'm a guilty, hell-deserving
sinner. That's all I am. We got to be
brought there before God's going to do anything for us. That's
what the law was given for. That's what the law is given
for. In the hand of God, He comes and brings us to that place using
His law. Now thirdly, what was that purpose
for which God gave the law? Romans 3.20. Watch this now. 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. God never gave the law for a
sinner to use it to justify himself or to make himself holy. God
didn't give it for that reason. Romans 3 20 Therefore by the
deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his
sight. That old covenant law is a covenant
of works. When God gave the law He said
this do and thou shalt live. You do this law right here and
you can have eternal life. So to be justified before the
law, here's what you have to do. To be justified before the
law, by the works of the law, we have to keep the law with
absolutely no sin, and I'm talking about all the law, with absolutely
no sin in thought, word, or deed. That's what you have to do. Romans
2.13, Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but
the doers of the law shall be justified. Listen to James 2.10,
Whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point,
he is guilty of all. That's why Paul said in Galatians
3.10, As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. Because it's written, cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. You see what a curse the
law is? Isn't it amazing that men who
profess to believe Christ will yet go back and say, I'm under
the law, when the scripture clearly says, everybody who's under the
law is under the curse. Because you have to continue
in all things that are written in the book of the law to do
them. All things. You can't take the law and bring
it down to man's level and act like God's changed it now to... What is it I have to ask for
because I'm deaf? You know, a consideration or accommodation. You know, that's the thing. If
you've got a handicap, you tell somebody, I need an accommodation.
And man, they'll jump over themselves and do whatever you want them
to do. God's not going to give you an
accommodation. He's not going to bring His law down to your
mind and your level. No, sir. He don't do that just
because Christ has come. The law had to be fulfilled.
God's holy and righteous and His law had to be kept in every
jot and tittle. Christ said, except your righteousness
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you
can in no wise enter the kingdom of God. So don't think I've come
to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I came to fulfill the Law and
the Prophets. Men will take that and they'll
say, see there, we're still under the Law. He didn't destroy it.
He said, I came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Is it your
or my job to fulfill the Prophets? Only Christ could do that and
only Christ can fulfill the Law. That's what he was talking about.
Filling it full, giving it everything it demands so that there cannot
be one drop added to it. That's what he did for his people
so that there's nothing we can give the law. The law says, I
don't want anything you can give to me. I've already got everything
I want. From Christ your head, he gave
it to me. Therefore, God's sinful people
are justified one way, by Christ bearing our sin and curse under
the law. And when He gives us spiritual
life, the way we attain to the righteousness of the law is through
faith in Christ. God imputes righteousness to
His people because Christ made us, really and truly made us
the righteousness of God. Imputation is not God treating
you like you're righteous. Imputation is God declaring you
what Christ has fully, completely, totally made you by His blood
and His obedience. That's right. Now, look at Romans
3.21. Romans 3.21. Now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by the faithful
obedience of Jesus Christ. It's unto all and upon all them
that believe. That's the only way you're going
to have His righteousness, believe on Him. For there's no difference
for all if sinning comes short of the glory of God being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith
in His blood. Look at Romans 3.28. Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. Listen to Galatians 2.16. Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by
the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified. Paul said, is the law then against
the promises of God? God forbid, if there had been
a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by the faithfulness of Jesus
Christ might be freely given to them that believe. What's
the promise? He told Abraham, in you all nations
are going to be blessed. What's that to be blessed? It's
to be blessed with all spiritual blessings. Justification, sanctification,
redemption, wisdom, to be made like unto God, so that God will
receive you, so that you'll be perfect. How am I going to receive
that blessing? The Scripture has concluded all
under sin that the promise by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ
might be freely given to them That belief. That belief. You see how opposite faith is
to works? They are diametrically opposed. And get this now. Anybody who
professes faith in Christ and then goes back to the law, moral
or ceremonial, for justification or sanctification, Christ shall
profit you nothing. Because now you are a debtor
to do the whole law. Moral and ceremonial. That's what Paul's
whole letter to the Galatians is about. Go to Galatians 5,
look at verse 1. And men will try to totally disannul
this by saying, now he's just talking about ceremonial law.
No sir, he's talking about moral law and ceremonial law because
you can't keep either one of them. Watch this. Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. and be not entangled again with
the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you
that if you be circumcised, and you can put anything in that
place, if there's anything you have to do to add to what Christ
has done, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again
to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the
whole law. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, you're
fallen from grace. For we, through the Spirit, wait
for the hope of righteousness by faith. Grace and works can't
mix, brethren. Law and grace can't mix. We're
either under grace and not under law, or we're under law and not
under grace. That's just how it is. They don't
mix. Alright, so we see God gave the
law to sinners for one reason. Look at verse 20. Romans 3, 20. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. That's why I was given. Now get
what that's saying. It was not given as a code of
moral ethics. It was not given as the believer's
rule of life. Oh, I just offended about 99%
of religion. Go back and listen to Christ's
new law. You'll see that new law is not that old law. Or Christ
would have called it new. And when John said, a new commandment
I give you which is the old commandment which you had from the beginning.
He wasn't talking about Moses. He was talking about that old
commandment that Christ gave you from the beginning. Listen
to this. It's not the believer's rule
of life. It wasn't given as a motive for
Christian service. It was not given as a measure
of sanctification. It was not given to be the grounds
of our assurance. It was not given as a basis for
reward in heaven. The only purpose of God's holy
law is to identify, expose, and condemn our sin, shutting us
up to Christ alone for acceptance with God. That's why the law
was given. Romans 5.20 Look there, Romans 5.20. This is what Paul
is going to come to. It's this whole point in this
Roman letter. Justification by faith apart
from the works of the law. And that includes sanctification.
Romans 5.20, moreover the law entered that the offense might
abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. Look at Romans 7 verse 7. What
shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. No, I had not known sin but by
the law. For I had not known lust except
the law had said thou shalt not covet. But sin, taken occasion
by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.
For without the law, sin was dead. For I was alive without
the law once. He had it. He had the law. But
like most men, not being born of God, he thought he could keep
the law. And so he thought he was really
keeping it. That was the concupiscence. It was working in him. But watch
this, but when the commandment came, when God made me hear the
law, sin revived, sin became alive and I, like a flower, in
all my glory, died. The spirit blowed on my flesh
and I died. Watch this, verse 12, wherefore
the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good. Was then
that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin,
that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is
good, that sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. That's why the law was given.
The only reason the law was given. Do you get that? Do you understand
that? That's why it was given. To reveal our sin. To make us
see we're sinners. So be sure to understand, all
men, right now, right here where we sit, all of us are either
under all the old covenant law of works and therefore guilty
before God, or we're righteous through faith by the righteousness
of Christ. We're either under grace or we're
under law. We're either led of the Spirit
or we're led of our sinful flesh. We're either taught of God in
spirit looking only to Christ or we're taught by the letter
of the law and we're looking to our flesh. One of the two.
We place no hope whatsoever in our obedience to the law. We
have neither salvation nor sanctification nor reward by obedience to the
law. We trust nothing but Christ alone
and we trust Him for all things. Redemption, justification, sanctification,
assurance and preservation. We trust Him for all. One last
scripture, Galatians 2.19. I, through the law, am dead to
the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ. That's what he means by I, through
the law, am dead to the law, I'm crucified with Christ. Now
how am I going to live unto God? 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. That is, by
His faithfulness leading me, abiding in me, teaching me, and
this is Him who loved me and gave Himself for me. Now listen,
here is my whole point right here. Here is my whole point.
I do not frustrate the grace of God. Any man that says you
are under the law as a believer, Any man that sends you back to
Mount Sinai, to leave Mount Sinai and go back to Mount Sinai for
anything whatsoever, he's frustrating the grace of God. I do not frustrate
the grace of God and here's why. Now listen to the charge. If
righteousness come by the law, if holiness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain. That's why we don't go back to
the law. Christ didn't die in vain. Christ accomplished righteousness
and holiness for His people. And when Christ abides in you
through faith, you have been created anew in the righteousness
of Christ and in the true holiness of Christ, and you're accepted
of God. Blessed with all spiritual blessings. Amen. Father, we thank You for Your
Word. We thank You that You've given us such a glorious message
and you've made us to see what sinners and wretches we are.
Lord, make us to honor your law, make us to rejoice in how good
and just it is by never ever bringing it down to our level
and claiming we've kept it. Make us rejoice in how holy and
good your law is by only declaring it must be fulfilled by Christ
alone. Keep us, Lord, looking to Him
only. Keep us ever trusting He's our only righteousness. Lord,
keep us ever proclaiming His holy name. We pray, Lord, You
would now speak and shut some sinner's mouth. Make him guilty. Make him see what he is. Shut
him up to Christ alone. Lord, this is our message. This
is our hope. This is our all. And we pray, Lord, you bless
it now to your honor and your glory. Lord, bless the food we're
going to eat later. Bless it to the nourishment of
our bodies. We thank you, Father. Everything we have came from
you. We thank you in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.