In tenderness He sought me Weary
and sick with sin And on His shoulders brought
me Back to his fold again While angels at his presence
sang Unto the courts of heaven rang The love that sought me, oh The
blood that bought me, and oh The grace that brought me to
the fold of God Grace that brought me to the
fold of God He died for me while I was sinning,
needy and poor and blind. He whispered to assure me, I
found thee thou art mine. And I never heard a sweet It made my aching heart rejoice. Oh, the love that sought me. Oh, the blood that bought me. And oh, the grace that brought
me to the fold of God. Grace that brought me to the
fold of God Upon His grace I'll daily ponder
And sing anew His praise With all adoring wonder His blessings
I'll retrace. It seems as if eternal days are
far too short to sing His praise. Oh, the love that sought me. Oh, the blood That brought me
and all the grace That brought me to the fold of God Grace that brought me to the
fold of God Turn back with me to Romans chapter
six. I spent the week reading, studying, praying, And yet I feel so disjointed
this morning. I feel so disorganized. But by the same token, I never
felt so convinced of what I'll try to say. The Apostle Paul, as he does
in other places, most of the time to correct the
errors that are so often found among God's people, we need to
be reminded, we need to be reproved, we need to be corrected. But as the apostle instructs
the people of God in the way that they should live, in the light of God's goodness
to them, they are to live in this way
because of God's grace to them. As he instructs Thus, he repeatedly
and clearly tells believers in Christ, reminds believers in
Christ, that we are not under law, but under grace. And grace is the singular motivation
for our obedience to those things that he has commanded. If you look down here in chapter
six, he says, for sin shall not have dominion over you. For you are not under the law,
but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because
we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey? Whether of sin unto death, or
of obedience unto righteousness. But God be thanked that you were
the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered to you. Being then made free
from sin ye became the servants of righteousness. He reminds them of this in the
midst of everything else he has said. And the reason for this constant
reminding is because law and grace are two incompatible, contradictory
things. I read where an old preacher
once said this. He said, there are but few lessons
in the gospel which the saints have been more slow to learn
and fully comprehend than this one, that of our release from the
law and marriage to Christ. An old gospel grace preacher
with much experience said there are but few lessons in the gospel
which the saints have been more slow to learn and fully comprehend
than that of our release from the law and marriage to Christ. I've titled my message that this
morning, Marriage to Christ. You see, to learn the truth,
we cannot go to commentaries. We cannot listen to most preachers. Because one of the things that
men, in their efforts to control men, do is to deny the full work
of Christ and the release from the law by God's grace. We only find this in the Word
of God. But we find it everywhere in
the Word of God, and that's what's to be the basis for which we
believe. We're to believe it because God
said it. We're to believe it regardless
of what man says or tries to bind us with. We're to believe
it because it is the truth that sets us free. And this truth, as it is set
forth in the scripture, I know of nowhere that it is said more
plainly. Men have tried to say it one
way or say it this way or that way, but it still says what it
says. Paul writing in Romans 10 and
speaking of his own people after the flesh, he and them under
the law were born, says this in verse 4, is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believe it. Romans 10, 4. Christ is the end
of the law, not the goal, not what so many people have tried
to make it, but Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to every one that believeth. And Paul preached in every place. We read it in every epistle that
the law cannot justify. He says that the law cannot sanctify
or the law cannot satisfy a sinner. That is, it cannot save him,
it cannot make him better, it cannot keep him, it cannot convict
him of his sin. Think about how many people under
the Jewish economy had this law, but they were not convicted of
their sin by the law. and it is not the believer's
rule of life. It absolutely is never stated
as the believer's rule of life, not because of a fault in the
law, but because of a fault in us and our inability and unwillingness
to keep the law of God. And so he says, if righteousness
comes by the law in any degree or any way, if righteousness comes by the
law, then Christ is dead in vain. If righteousness in any way can
come by the law or by law keeping or law honoring or whatever we
want to call it, then Christ is dead in vain. So it has no
part of the gospel. It's contrary to the gospel. And so he anticipates by the
Holy Spirit, as he often does in these epistles, he anticipates
the question that he knew men would ask. And that is, what is the law
for? Then why did he give the law?
If we cannot obey it, why did he give it? When the truth is,
when he was giving the law on Mount Sinai, the people were
at the base of that mountain, violating that very law. He never gave that law. thinking or imagining that they
would be able to keep it. So then why was the law given? Well, turn over with me to Galatians
chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3, and look
down at verse 19. Here is Paul by the Spirit of
God giving us that answer. He says, wherefore then serveth
the law? Or why was the law given? He says, it was added because
of transgressions till the seed should come, to whom the promise
was made, and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Paul answers, it was added because
of transgression till the seed should come. Now there are three
things approximately in that verse that we can learn by that
verse. And the first one is this, the
law had a beginning in time. It was added to something. It was added to something that
must have been existing before the law came. Then the second
thing we learn is this. The law had a particular purpose. It was added because of transgressions. Because of the many violations
and sins to all that God has ever commended, it was to reveal
the true nature of sin, which is transgression against what
God says and demands. And the third thing he says,
the law also came to an end. It was added till the seed should
come. That is, it came to an end when
the seed came, when Christ came. And Paul, in his writing and
preaching, he never makes a distinction like men do. He never distinguishes
between the so-called ceremonial law or the dietary law, or the
sanitary law, or the moral law. He just says the law, the whole
law, the Ten Commandments in particular, all the law can do
is curse the sinner. And we are all sinners. We are
all cursed by the law, as the hymn says. And these distinctions,
to try to make one part of the law more palatable or more relative
today, this simply, as one said, is the invention of man himself,
who by nature would rather be condemned by the law than to
be saved by the grace of God. If it's one thing that men have
shown, it's that they would rather, because they are sinners, because
they have a nature that is enmity against God, they'd rather be
condemned by the very law that condemns them than to be saved
by the pure, free, sovereign grace in Christ. And as he goes on, he teaches
us even more. Like it says in Galatians 3.19,
in another translation, it says, why then the law? On account
of transgressions, it was added, till the seed might come to which
the promise had been made, having been set in order through messengers
in the hand of a mediator. So he says the law had a beginning. When was it added? Well, we can
find out especially clearly in John chapter 1 and verse 17,
where we read The law was given by Moses. The law was given by
Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. It says the law was added to
what? To the everlasting covenant of
grace that the scripture says was before the law, and the scriptures
say actually here, as the Greek is for added, the law came alongside
of something. Before the law was the everlasting
covenant of grace. Before we have, you might say,
the bad news which comes by the law. We have already had the
good news which comes in Christ before the world began, the everlasting
covenant of grace. But look here closely again in
Galatians chapter three. Paul continues in verse 20. Now
a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God, is one. Is the law then against the promises
of God? God forbid, for if there had
been given a law which could have given life, barely righteousness
should have been by the law. No law could ever give life,
such as the Ten Commandments, or righteousness. But the scripture
hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before
the law came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto faith,
which should afterwards be revealed." Now notice this next verse. Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ that
we might be justified by faith. Now you look, if you're reading
in the King James there, you look at that verse carefully. Do you see anything that is different
in that verse? When that verse of scripture
was translated, the translators of the King James added this
phrase, supposedly for clarity, but they added this phrase, and
it is italicized. It says, to bring us. But it's really not there at
all. So he says, wherefore the law was our schoolmaster unto
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The law was our, and
that's the sense of this word, the law was our guardian. The law does not teach, the law
does not bring, the law simply guarded, was added to the transgressions
as the guardian until the time that the promise came and was
fulfilled, which was Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. The law
doesn't bring anybody to Christ. The preaching of the law does
not in any way bring anybody to Christ. The law simply, Paul
says here, the law was our guardian unto Christ that we might be
justified by faith, but after that faith is come, we are no
longer under a schoolmaster, for we are all the children of
God by faith in Jesus Christ." Abraham's seed according to the
promise. As a matter of fact, another
translation that reads this verse 24 says this, even translates
Translates it like this. So then the law was our guardian
until Christ came in order that we might be justified by faith,
not by our doing, but by believing on Christ. So we are commanded, therefore,
to preach the gospel. That being true, what does Paul mean when he writes
to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1? Look over at 1 Timothy 1. I'll begin reading in verse 3. to abide still at Ephesus. When I went into Macedonia, that
thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine."
He's writing this to young Timothy. 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 have swerved, having turned
aside unto vain jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law, yet
understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm. But we know that the law is good
if a man use it lawfully. We know the law is good. We know
that the law of God is perfect. We know that the law of God is
not sin. We know all these things. But
what does he mean here? We know that the law is good
if a man use it lawfully. Now listen to the next verse. Knowing this, that the law is
not made for a righteous man. Not made for a righteous man.
But for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly, for sinners,
for unholy, and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers
of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that devour
themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for
perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary
to some doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed
God which was committed to my trust. In other words, Paul is
saying here, you be sure you preach the gospel. You be sure
that you set forth how the end of the commandment is charity
out of a pure heart, and of good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. Because there are so many that
have swerved from this, that have gone away from this, And
this law is good if a man use it lawfully. Now, what is a lawful
use of the law? I've been thinking about this
all week. What is the lawful use of the law? Well, it's to tell men as James
did. For whosoever shall keep the
whole law, and yet offend in one point, he's guilty of all. That's truthfully what to tell
people about the law. If you keep one part of it and
yet keep it tight totally, if you could do so, and offend in
one point, you're guilty of all of it. It stands or it falls
together. It's perfect obedience or no
obedience at all. What is it to preach and use
the law lawfully? Well, it's to tell people this,
as he did in Galatians 3.10, for as many as are of the works
of the law, they're under the curse. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things, which are written
in the book of the law, to do them. To do them. Not just to have
them as one man does in Northwood in your front yard, the Ten Commandments. It's not to respect them or to
like them or to hold them up or to try to live by them. If
we don't do all of them, We're under the curse, and we are cursed. And then to use it lawfully is
to use it as Christ did. He wrote in Matthew chapter 5. You have heard that it was said
by them of old time, thou shall not commit adultery. But I say
unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. You've heard that you're not
to kill a person, but Christ said, If you look at them and
hate them in your heart, you're guilty of murder. You say you need to tell people about these things.
Well, turn over to Romans chapter 2. You know what? In my lifetime, I probably have,
but I don't ever remember knowing that I preached to a Jew. I might have, but I don't ever
remember knowing it. But I've preached to a lot of
Gentiles. And do you know that the Gentiles
never had the law? The law was given to the people
of Israel, according to the Jews. The law was never given to the
Gentiles. The Ten Commandments, that covenant. But you look here in Romans 2,
chapter 11, what it says. Does that mean that the Gentiles
are without responsibility, that they're without sin? Look here
in verse 11 of Romans chapter 2. For there is no respect of
persons with God. For as many as have sinned without
law shall also perish without law. And as many as have sinned in
the law shall be judged by the law. For not the hearers of the
law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be
justified. For when the Gentiles, which
have not the law, do by nature the things contained
in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves,
which show the work of the law written in their hearts, not written on tablets of stone,
but written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing
witness, and their thoughts, the meanwhile, accusing or else
excusing one another. They have the law of God written
in their conscience, written in their hearts, he says. So
the things that they do, the things that they want to do,
they're either accusing, the conscience either accuses, if
it's not seared as with a hot iron, the conscience either excuses
or accuses them. And they show the law of God. written in their hearts. So what do they do? They sin against that very law
written in their conscience. They don't need the Ten Commandments
put before them. They sin against what they know
to be right, and they do that which they know
is wrong. Now turn over to Romans chapter
7. Now listen to Paul. Romans 7 verse
1. Know ye not, brethren, for I
speak to them that know the law. Paul knew the law, and you, his
fellow Jews, knew the law. 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 lives. For the woman which hath an husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. But if the husband be dead, she
is loose 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 is free from that law, so that
she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man."
Now, is that a moral lesson? Is that a legal lesson? Paul
said, this is the way it was under law. You that know the
law know this. But that's not the purpose. Here's the purpose of it. Verse
4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law by the body of Christ. How can we
be dead to the law? How can we be dead from this
principle of doing in order to gain the favor of God? Never
ever, by our doing, one way, the death of Christ. You know why Christ is the end
of the law? Because his death satisfied that
law in the only way that anyone ever has who has sinned. Those he represented have all
sinned, but they had never been able to die that death that satisfies
the law of God. The law of God ended, was satisfied,
was honored, because Christ bore the penalty
of that law. So like a debt, when it's paid,
it's over, it's no more. Now listen to this, that you should be married to
another, even to him who is raised from
the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Now all he says we ever brought
forth under the law was this, fruit unto death. But married to Christ, we bring
forth fruit unto God. In using this illustration, that how a woman married to a
husband was ever bound to him until he died. And then even
under the law, when he died, she was no longer bound to him
and could not in any way be called an adulteress if she married
another. This is the example that Christ
gives. And I thought instantly in scripture
about the perfect illustration. Did you ever read about a woman
named Abigail in the Bible? It was said of Abigail that she
had a wicked, overbearing husband named Napal. It says he was a
curlish man. He was just a bad guy. I don't know if he beat her. I don't know what he did. He
made great demands of her and all. But he didn't even like
it when she warned David, when she gave David and his men some
food. But God killed him. God killed Nabal. And when he killed Nabal, guess
what happened? David married Abigail. You see, the same thing is true
in another case with David. David loved Bathsheba, but he
couldn't take Bathsheba to wife until Uriah, until the legal
connection was there. What did he do then? and married
by Sheba. All these things are pictures
of Christ and his people. Nabal is dead. The law, he represented
the law. Uriah is dead. He represented
the law and all the connections. As in Adam, all die. So in Christ,
all shall be made alive. And then I thought about this. Moses, God said, speak to the
rock. He spoke to it. He struck the
rock. He told him to strike the rock
first, and he struck the rock while they were in that wilderness,
and out of that rock flowed water. They were so pleased. But the next time that happened,
God said to Moses, you speak to the rock. And Moses, in his
anger, struck the rock again. Well, the water came out. That
can't change God's unchanging grace. But Christ was once smitten
with our salvation. And so here is God dealing with
Moses now. And they come down to the rock. Jordan, about to go in the Promised
Land. Moses can't take them there.
Why? Because he's the type of the
law. And so God killed Moses. He rebuked him for what he did,
for striking the rock that second time and failing to sanctify
him in the eyes of the people. And for that reason, he not only
could not take him into the promised land, he had to die. And you
know what God did? He not only killed Moses, he
buried his body, and he made sure nobody could find it and
dig it up. But works preachers. We, by nature, are always trying to dig his
body out. Well, let's go back. Let's go
to the Old Testament law like a smorgasbord. We'll just pick
and choose what we want. We'll take this command out of... take just the Ten Commandments
and separate it from all the other law. You know, if we, under
the law, were law keepers, we wouldn't even be here this morning. Because it would be against the
law to do so many things that we've already done. We would
have been here yesterday. But we wouldn't have been here
because we couldn't have crossed a certain distance. We wouldn't
have eaten because we couldn't have even picked up sticks on
the Sabbath. When Christ died, the law died to us. that we might be married to another. We're not without relationship. We just don't have that relationship
with the law anymore. We have a relationship with Christ.
We're married to Christ. We're given these commands. Go
ye into all the world and preach the gospel. Paul in Acts 16 assured
that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Paul
in Romans 1, so much as he is, I'm ready to preach the gospel. And he said, Christ sent me not
to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross should made of none effect. Well, how in the world is anybody
ever convicted of sin if we don't preach the law? Well, my first
question in answer to that is this. How was Adam convicted of his
sin before the law? Or Abraham? or Isaac, or Jacob, or so many
more, before God ever gave this law to Moses. I'll tell you how. I'll tell you exactly how. The Spirit of God, through the
preaching of Christ crucified, is the one who convicts men and
women of their sin. These Jews, such as Paul and
others, they had the law proclaimed to them, recited to them, reminded
to them, year after year after year, and they were never ever
once convicted of sin. Rather, they took that law and
they convicted other people of that sin. but when Christ revealed himself
to Paul on the road to Damascus. I'm telling you where sin is
seen. I can tell you where sin is known. It's known and it's
seen in that sight of a bleeding Christ on a cross. Paul said,
I know, determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. Timothy, don't you ever leave
preaching Christ and Him crucified. The offense of the cross is there. Not by preaching the law, but
by preaching the cross. There's the perfect man. There's
the Son of God. What's he dying for? Because
of the sins of his people. I wonder how many people ride
down Henderson Drive every day and they see in that man's yard
the Ten Commandments. Maybe one time they'll glance
at Reddit Thought a little about it. They don't do it anymore. They don't do it anymore. And
they'll never know anything about sin. They'll never know anything
about grace. They'll never know anything about
the fulfiller of the law in the only way that he could fulfill
it for you, which was to die for you. That's in the preaching
of the gospel. Before I ever knew that there
was a law, I had some sense of right and
wrong. But what did I do? I did just like the first. I read this morning again something.
It just came to my mind. Adam who didn't have the law.
The Lord, after Adam's sin, you go there and read it. I believe
it's in Genesis 3. When God spoke to Adam in the
garden, he said, where are you, Adam? He said, I'm hid over here
in the trees. The Lord said, who told you you
were naked? Who told you you were naked? Who told Adam he was naked? Adam admitted the fact. He said, I sinned. I'm naked. But then he tried to put the
fault on first his wife, He said, the woman gave me the
tree, of the tree, and I ate it. I did it, but it was her
fault. Then he said, then she comes along, she admits the same
thing, but she doesn't admit the fault. The serpent beguiled
me. And they both, in the blaming
for sin, they both blamed God. He said, the woman you gave me,
It's your fault, Carl. The serpent. You created the
serpent. It's your fault. But what did they do? They did
that which is natural to law, whether it's on stone or whether
in the heart, wherever it is. They went about sewing themselves
fig leaf aprons to cover their nakedness. They thought they
were robes of righteousness, but they were only robes of sin,
because everything that men and women do. The law ended when
the seed came. Grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ. The grace and the truth revealed
in the written word of God That one offering, that blood shed
by the Lord Jesus Christ, that alone will purge the conscience. We have a new covenant. We have
a different mediator. We have a different message.
We have a new law. Paul said, it is the law of the
spirit of life. What is that? That's the gospel. The law of the spirit of life
that's made us free from the law of sin and death. Now look one more place, if you
would, at Galatians chapter five. Galatians five. Look at verse one. The whole
book of Galatians is about what I've been talking about this
morning. Free from the law, O happy condition, Jesus has bled, there
is remission. He says, stand fast therefore
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage." What is that? That's
the law. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you
that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. If
you do anything under any principle of obedience to gain favor, you
get 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." But that's not the end of it.
He said, stand fast in this liberty. But look down at verse 13. For brethren, you have been called
unto liberty. Only use not liberty for an occasion
to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law
is fulfilled in one word, even this, thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one
another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth after the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary
one to another, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would do.
But if ye be led of the Spirit, You're not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are
manifest. Which are these? Adultery, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revelings, and such light of the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in the past, that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Now, is that
plain or what? But the fruit of the Spirit, not obedience to the law, the
fruit of the Spirit, because of the grace of God to you is
love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have
crucified the flesh with the affections and loves If we live
in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit, and let us not
be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. And all these are the things
that God commands us, not only not to do, but the things that
He commands us to do. In the law, it said, thou shalt
not commit adultery. Be faithful to your wife, be
faithful to your husband. But when Paul wrote in Ephesians
5, he said, husbands, love your wives. Love your wives. That's positive. That's a command to do. Not to abstain from it, but to
do it. Now what's the example? Even
as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. That's our example. That's our
motivation that we have been loved with this unconditional
love in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are freed. The law is dead. And it's such that we might be
married to Christ. You suppose that Abigail, that she wanted to live under
the commands of Nabal again? I just expect she did. She might have been sleeping
one night, woke up in a dream, feeling that pressure of that
old relationship. She might have had nightmares
about some of the things that neighbor did. But when she woke,
clear in the light, She remembered, I'm not married to him anymore.
I've got a good husband. I've got the perfect man. I've
got David, who's the type of Christ. Did you suppose that she, David,
every day sat down to her and said, now, here's your list for
today. Be sure you do this. clean the house,
cook my supper, wash the kids, feed the goats. Would that be a relationship
of love? No, she did all those things because she loved David. I tell you obedience to Christ
out of love. I love His law, as David said. All they can do is condemn me,
because I'm nothing but sin. But thanks to goodness, I'm married
to Christ. Our Father, forgive us for our weakness, our frailties, for our failures to understand. Help us. Help me to preach Christ's
crucifix. Help me to lawfully use your
law. Tell men that They're not justified
either before or after conversion by any works of the law. But Christ has satisfied the
law. That's what his death is about. We pray that you'd help us open
our understanding. Give us faith to believe and
take your word above all other words, above our own feelings. Never let what we don't understand
be the enemy of what we plainly understand. For we pray in Christ's
name, amen. Thank you.