Welcome to Reign of Grace. This
program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries,
an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany,
Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege
to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace
and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program
will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening and now
for today's program. I'd like to welcome you to our
program today. I'm glad you could join us. And
if you'd like to follow along in your Bibles with today's message,
turn in your Bibles to the book of 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1, and I'll
begin here at verse 8. of first timothy chapter one
on the subject that i've been preaching on for the last two
sundays entitled using the law the law of god using the law
lawfully using the law lawfully now i have basically i've preached
two messages from this and i have two more that i want to give
you but it's very very important in reading and studying and interpreting
the bible that we understand what the Law of God is, why it
is given, and how it is to be used. What is the Law of God? Well, most people, when they
think of the Law of God, their minds immediately go to the Ten
Commandments, which is the Law of God and was given to the nation
Israel by Moses from Mount Sinai, by God through Moses, on Mount
Sinai. It was the moral code that was
the foundation of the Old Covenant. that old covenant that God made
with the nation Israel on Mount Sinai. That covenant lasted for
about 1,500 years from Mount Sinai to the cross. When Christ fulfilled that law,
crying out, it's finished, and he finished it for his people.
And I've mentioned this verse several times in these messages,
Romans 10 and verse 4. It says Christ, for Christ is
the end of the law. That means the finishing, the
completion, even the perfection, fulfillment of the law for everyone
that believeth. But think of the law of God this
way, not just as the Ten Commandments, which was a moral code that God
gave to Israel, but think of it this way, it's whatever God
says. It's His commandments in whatever generation, in whatever
way they're revealed. God gave a law to Adam in the
garden and Adam broke that law. The word sin sometimes means
transgression of the law. Sometimes it means falling short
of the law. But understand what Paul is writing
here. He's talking about those false professors, false Christians,
false preachers who claim to be teachers of the law. That's
in verse 7. They desired to be teachers of
the law. Now probably what he's referring
to is they claim to be teachers of the Jewish law, the Old Covenant
law, the Ten Commandments. Now you understand now that the
Old Covenant was more than just the Ten Commandments. The Ten
Commandments was the heart and the foundation of it. But there
was also the ceremonial law that was given, the Levitical law.
There were dietary laws. There were civil laws that were
given to the nation Israel. And so these false preachers
desired, he says in verse 7 of 1 Timothy 1, desiring to be teachers
of the law, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they
affirm. They're ignorant of the law and
they claim to be teachers of the law. And I'll tell you what,
that's like so many today who claim to be preachers of the
Bible who claim to be gospel preachers, but they don't know,
they don't understand what they're saying or what they affirm. They
preach a false gospel, a false Christ. And the Lord said that
would be one of the greatest signs of the nearness of his
second coming is false Christianity. But Paul writes in verse eight,
but we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. Nothing
wrong with the law, whatever law that God gives, whether it's
the old covenant law, whether it's the new covenant law that
the church is under today. It's good if a man use it lawfully,
rightfully. And he says in verse 9, he says,
but knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man.
Now that gives us a key of why God gives the law. You know,
the Bible teaches that we are all sinners. None of us are perfect. None of us have by our works,
or in any way, by our birth, by our works, by our will, a
righteousness that answers the demands of the law, that equals
the requirement of the law. None of us have that. Romans
3.10 says, there is none righteous, no, not one. You see, that's
the whole problem concerning a right relationship with God. Salvation. God is righteous and
we are not. And God cannot accept and commune
with anything, anyone, but those who are righteous. So the issue
of the gospel is how does one become righteous before God? Somebody says, well, what does
it require for us to go to heaven? We talk about going to heaven,
which means eternal glory with Christ. What does God require? And most people will say faith,
but you're missing the point. What does God require for a person
to enter eternal glory with Him, forever and ever, and live forever.
He requires righteousness. That's what He requires. Now,
God knows that we're not righteous. God knows that we're a sinful
people. When God gave the law to Israel
on Mount Sinai, He knew they would not keep it. So he says
here in verse 9 of 1 Timothy 1, knowing this, that the law
is not made for a righteous man. God gave that law to a sinful
people. The law of God, as it relates
to us today, is given to a sinful people. Somebody says, well,
I'm gonna, I had a man tell me one time, he said, I'm gonna
get to heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments. Well, my friend,
you're fighting a losing battle. You're already in the negative,
see? And as we all are, me too. That's why salvation is not by
works, but it's by grace. That law was not made for a righteous
man. A righteous man is one who is
justified, one who is not guilty, one who is righteous before God.
Well, the Bible says that in ourselves there is none righteous.
The law was made for the lawless, the disobedient, the ungodly,
for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and
mothers, for manslayers. Verse 10, 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 is committed to my trust. So anything that's
contrary to the gospel is sin. That's what he's saying. Let
me give you a couple of things to think about here from the
scripture. If God knew, for example, Israel,
when he gave that nation the law on Mount Sinai, he knew they
wouldn't keep it. Why did he give it? Why is there
a revelation of any law from God to mankind in any form if
God knows that we won't keep it? And he knows that because
we're sinners. Well, let me give you this, and
I talked about this. In Romans 5, for example, Romans
5 in verse 20, it says, moreover, the law entered that the offense
might abound. The offense there has to do with
our sinfulness. He says, but where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound. That as sin hath reigned unto
death, verse 21, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. That verse 21 has always
been one of my favorite verses since the Lord opened my eyes
to see the gospel of Christ. It's where we get the name Reign
of Grace. Grace reigns through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ. This is Eager Avenue Grace Church,
but we call the ministry that we have on television
and in our books, we call it Reign of Grace Media Ministry.
So, he says the law entered that the offense might abound. Over
in the book of Galatians 3 and verse 19, He asks the question,
he poses the question, wherefore then serveth the law? Why is
the law given? And he says in verse 19 of Galatians
3, 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 hands of a mediator. The old covenant law was ordained
by angels, messengers of God, in the hands of a mediator named
Moses, but it was given until the time the seed should come.
And if you read Galatians chapter 3, you'll find that the seed
there is Christ. So why was the law given? Let
me give you these four reasons. Number one, The law was given
to Israel to show God's standard, God's perfect standard of holiness
and righteousness. Verse 9 of 1 Timothy 1, knowing
that the law was not made for a righteous man. In other words,
God has a standard of perfect righteousness and it is perfection. Be ye perfect without any flaws,
without any sin. Any sin is imperfection, unrighteousness. We quote Romans 3.23 quite often. You probably do too. For all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The word sin
there, that's the most common Greek word used for sin in the
New Testament. Where are we going to find the
glory of God? Well, the glory of God is only
found, the saving glory of God, is found in the person and the
finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. His righteousness alone. Again, for Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it.
And so the perfection of the law. So the law was given, number
one, to show the standard of holiness and righteousness And
then, secondly, the law was given to show that no person fallen
in Adam and born spiritually, dead spiritually in trespasses
and sin, can measure up to that high standard. I cannot measure
up. You cannot measure up. Try to
be the best you can be and you cannot measure up to the standard
of righteousness. You cannot work your way. You cannot think your way. And
you cannot even sincerely strive and make yourself righteous before
God. By deeds of law shall no flesh
be justified. That's what the law was given
to them to teach. And then thirdly, the law was
given to show that we are unable to achieve righteousness by our
own efforts. So religious efforts, moral efforts,
ethics, Whatever you can think of, in any realm of society,
it's impossible to achieve this righteousness by our efforts. And then fourthly, and here's
the main reason, the law was given to show our need of salvation
by God's free, sovereign grace. Unearned, undeserved, based on
His justice, satisfied, the law satisfied, by pointing us to
Jesus Christ as the only one who kept the law and fulfilled
its requirements and satisfied its justice. The law was a schoolmaster,
you might say, to lead us to Christ. That's the whole issue. There is no law keeping. There is no satisfying the law. There is no righteousness. There is no forgiveness. No pardon. You see, forgiveness and pardon,
this is something that people need to learn today. Forgiveness
of sins and pardon of sins is based upon justice satisfied. The law's justice. The justice
of the law. And if your idea or your claim
of being forgiven is based upon anything that does not satisfy
the justice of God, it's a false claim. It's a false refuge. And that's why the forgiveness
of sins, you know, in 1 John 1, it says, if we confess our
sins, God is faithful and what? And just. to forgive us our sins. And the if there is not a conditional
if, it's an evidence. Those who have been forgiven
evidence it by confessing their sins. And that's based upon justice
satisfied through the blood of Jesus Christ. Now that's why
we speak of righteousness imputed so much. You see, the righteousness
that I have before God is not one that I had any part in working
out or producing. The righteousness that I stand
before God in is one that the Lord Jesus Christ alone worked
out and produced by His obedience unto death. That's the gospel
of substitution and satisfaction and imputation. And that's why
we talk about it. That's the heart of the gospel.
Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead. Who is Jesus Christ? He is God in human flesh. And the Bible says that He was
made under the law to redeem them that were under the law.
In other words, Jesus Christ became accountable for the sins,
he became responsible to pay the debt of sins of the people
whom God had given him before the foundation of the world.
That's why he said, all that the Father giveth me shall come
to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
That's why the Bible says that those who are in Christ are not
under law. In other words, they're not condemned.
They're not responsible to bring forth righteousness to save them. They're under grace. And as we
read before, grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ. You see, grace God's love, God's
grace, God's mercy, God's compassion is based upon justice satisfied,
the law satisfied by Jesus Christ, not by you, not by me because
we always fall short. That's why I say I'm a sinner
saved by grace. And I'll never be anything more
in this life than a sinner saved by grace. And when I go to be
with Christ in glory, I will be perfectly free from the influence
and contamination of sin. But it will always be by His
grace, not by my works. So when we speak of imputed righteousness,
what we're speaking of is a righteousness that Jesus Christ, the God-man,
God in human flesh worked out by His death on the cross in
the place of His people. And it is imputed, it is charged,
it is accounted to them by God in the courts of His law and
justice. You see, God must justify the
ungodly. And that's why the Apostle Paul
wrote over in the book of Romans, chapter 8, and I love these verses. It speaks of the assurance of
salvation and shows you why a person who is truly saved can never
lose that salvation. He says in Romans, chapter 8,
in verse 31, he says, what shall we then say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us? Now, how can I know
that God is for me and not against me? Well, there's only one way. That is through Jesus Christ,
the Lord and Savior of His people. You see, a person who does not
know and believe in Christ as He is presented and extinguished
and identified in the Bible can have no confidence, no right
confidence, let's say, no true confidence that God is for him. If God is for you, then at some
point in your life, you're gonna be brought under the preaching
of the gospel, and you're gonna be reconciled to God in your
mind and heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, what shall
we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? Look at verse 32. He that spared
not his own son, you see this is Christ, but delivered him
up for us all. Now all there is not all without
exception. The Bible doesn't teach that.
He delivered him up for us all, all who believe, all who love
God, here in verse 28. delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him, with Christ, also freely, unconditionally,
without a cause, give us all things? If Christ died for me,
then I'll have all things, all blessings in Him. But look at
verse 33. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Now,
the only way that sin can be charged to anybody is on the
basis of the law. Paul wrote over in Romans chapter
5, where there's no law, sin cannot be imputed. Sin cannot
be charged. That's what imputed means. It
means charged, accounted, reckoned. Sin cannot be charged to anybody
except on the basis of law. That's why Paul said, the law
was not made for a righteous man. The law charges sin to a
sinful people. So when he says, who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect, it's God that justifies. What does it mean, God justified
me? It means in his court, you might say it this way, In God's
mind, in God's court of justice, He looked upon His people and
He says, not guilty. Not only that, He looks upon
His people and He says, righteous. They're righteous. Now how can
He do that? Because God saves sinners. And we've all sinned. We fell
in Adam. We're born dead in sin. We come
forth from the womb spiritually dead with the capacity to lie. And so we do. We all sin. And
sinners deserve damnation. Justice demands payment be made. So how can God look at me, a
sinner, and declare me not guilty and still be right and just? How can God look upon me, a sinner,
and declare me righteous and still be just? Well, here's the
answer now. And this is the marvelous, amazing
grace of the Gospel. This is the glory of the Gospel.
Listen to it in verse 34. Here's the basis of God doing
that and remaining right and just and righteous in Himself. It says in verse 34, Who is he
that condemneth? It is Christ that died. You see, God cannot condemn anyone
for whom Christ died. These people that are telling
you that Christ died for everybody, conditioned upon their making
the right decision, even for those who end up in hell, they're
not teaching you right. They're not preaching the true
gospel. They're not telling you the truth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather
that is risen again. His resurrection was based upon
justice satisfied in the place of His people based on their
sins imputed, charged to Him. Why is it that God cannot charge
sin to me? Because my sin was charged to
Christ. My sin debt. And so he says,
that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who
also maketh intercession for us. Christ right now, on the
basis of His law work, on the basis of justice satisfied by
His death, on the basis of righteousness established as signified by His
resurrection. Right now He's seated at the
right hand of the Father living to make intercession for His
people. Now that's the whole thing of
the law fulfilled by Jesus Christ and that's what it is to use
it lawfully. Now next week I'm going to show
you a scriptural example of the law being used lawfully in the
salvation of a sinner. But, you know, the Bible says
in the book of Romans chapter 3 that faith does not make the
law void. Well, how does it not make the
law void? It pleads Christ and His righteousness. I hope you'll
join us next week for another message from God's Word. We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
a copy of today's program or to learn more about Reign of
Grace Media Ministries or Eager Avenue Grace Church, write us
at 1-1-0-2 Eager Drive, Albany, Georgia, 3-1-7-0-7. contact us by phone at 229-432-6969
or email us through our website at www.theletterofgrace.com. Thank you again for listening
today and may the Lord be with you. you We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
a copy of today's program or to learn more about Reign of
Grace Media Ministries or Eager Avenue Grace Church, write us
at 1102 Eager Drive, Albany, Georgia, 31707. contact us by phone at 229-432-6969
or email us through our website at www.theletterofgrace.com. Thank you again for listening
today and may the Lord be with you.