As I said, the title of our lesson
this morning is What the Law Could Not Do. Now, the book of
Deuteronomy was written in the last month that Israel spent
in the wilderness before they went into the Promised Land.
And the whole book really is Moses' last message to the children
of Israel. And in his message, Moses reminds
the people of their history. He reminds them how God delivered
them from Egypt with the mighty hand, brought them out of Egypt,
He reminded them how when they came to the promised land the
first time, the people would not go in. They wouldn't believe
the report of Joshua and Caleb. They believed the evil report
of those 10 other spies. Because of unbelief, they would
not, they refused to enter the promised land. He reminded them
how when God sent them back out into the wilderness, these 40
years they've been wandering in the wilderness, God has supplied
their every need. And that's a pretty good outline
for a message, isn't it? It's good for us to be reminded
of what we are. It's good for us to be reminded
of all God's past mercies to us. And it's good for us to hear
the promises of God to his people. In this message, Moses gave some
promises of God. In this message is the first
prophecy, God's gonna raise up a king in Israel. Now he's always
told him, you're not to have a king, I'm your king. But in
Deuteronomy, it's the first place we read, God's gonna raise up
a king. He's gonna raise up David to
be king as a type of Christ. And then in this prophecy came
the, or in this message came the prophecy of that prophet,
like unto Moses. Him the people will listen to.
This is where we learn that the Lord Jesus Christ is gonna hold
all three of the principal offices, prophet, priest, and king. Now
most of the pages of the book of Deuteronomy is taken up with
Moses reciting the law for the second time. The word Deuteronomy
means second law, it's the second giving of the law. Now the law
was given the first time in Exodus chapter 20 at Mount Sinai. And
now in Deuteronomy, as Israel's getting ready to go into the
promised land, Moses gives the law again. And this time Moses
preaches on the law. He gives us some explanation
of the law. Now, why would God give the law
a second time? Wasn't the first time good enough?
Well, God gave the law the second time to drive home the point
that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. We can't
keep the law. We need Christ to come keep the
law for us, to fulfill the law for us. That's the point. That's
why the law was given the second time. The law was never given
so we would have a rule to live by. The law was not given to
teach us how to live or what to do and what not to do. That's
not why the law was given. God gave the law for two reasons.
The first reason that God gave the law was to show us our sin
and our personal guilt before God. Now Romans chapter three,
verse 19. Now we know that what things
whoever the law sayeth, it sayeth to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become
guilty before God. 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. Now look over a few pages at
Romans 7. This is why the law was given
to show us our guilt and our inability before God. Romans
7, verse 7. What shall we say then? Is the
law sin? God forbid! Nay, 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, taking occasion
by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.
For without the law, sin was dead. For I was alive, I thought
I was alive, without the law once. But when the commandment
came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment which was
ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking
occasion by the commandment, deceived me and by it slew me."
Now that's the law. The law was given to show us
our sinfulness, our guilt, our death before God. And God has
to convince us of that. I can't convince you of your
sin. I can't convince me of my own sin. Only God can convince
us of our sin before him. Now look over in Deuteronomy
chapter 31. This is what Moses tried to tell
the children of Israel. Only God can convince you of
your sin and your guilt before him. Deuteronomy 31 verse 24. And it came to pass, and Moses
made an end of writing the words of this law in a book until they
were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites that bear the ark
of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the
law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the
Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
For I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck. Behold, While
I am yet alive with you this day, you've been rebellious against
the Lord. You've been given the law, but
you've been rebellious against the Lord. And how much more after
my death? Gather unto me all the elders
of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words
in their ears and call heaven and earth to record against them.
For I know that after my death, you will utterly corrupt yourselves
and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil
will befall you in the latter days because you will do evil
in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through
the work of your hands. You've heard the law, Moses said.
Physically, materially, God's blessed you all these years in
the wilderness. And now you're getting ready to go into the
promised land, the land that God's gonna give to you freely.
And yet, what are you gonna do? You're gonna sin, you're gonna
worship idols, because you won't listen to me. You won't listen
to the law, you can't be convinced of your sin and your guilt before
the law. Now look back in Deuteronomy chapter 18. But Moses tells us
there's one coming. That prophet, the Lord Jesus
Christ is coming and his people will hear him. Deuteronomy 18
and verse 15, I'm sorry, verse 18. I will raise them up a prophet
from among their brethren, like unto thee, I'll put my words
in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command
him. God's gonna raise up a prophet,
that prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ. That prophet is the very
one that people were looking for when Christ came. Remember
after our Lord fed the 5,000 with the five loaves and two
fishes, what did the men say? This is of a truth, that prophet
that should come into the world. They're looking for the fulfillment
of this prophecy that Moses gives us in Deuteronomy. Now that prophet's
God. He's the only one that can convince
you of your sin. but he's going to be a man. He's
going to be raised up from the midst of thee. He'll be bone
of our bone and flesh of our flesh. He's going to be raised
up from our brethren so he can be our kinsman redeemer. And
God's people will hear him. Now you won't hear Moses, but
you'll hear him because he has the power to give you ears to
hear. He has the power to give you a new heart of faith that
believes him, loves him and looks to him. But unless that prophet,
unless Christ speaks to us in power, we'll never be convinced
of our sin. And that's the first reason the
law was given, to convince us of our own personal guilt before
God. Now look in Galatians chapter three. Here's the second reason
the law was given. The law was given to drive us
to Christ. Galatians 3 verse 21. Now is the law then against the
promises of God? God forbid, for if there had
been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have come by the law. Now you and I are so sinful,
we don't have the desire or the ability to keep God's law. So
sinners like us cannot be made righteous through the law. Read
on verse 22. But the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to them that believe. For before faith in Christ came,
we were kept under the law, shut up under the faith which should
afterwards be revealed. Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The law was given to show us
we don't have any hope in ourselves. There's no hope in our ability
to make ourselves righteous by keeping the law. The lesson of
the schoolmaster The lesson of the law, the schoolmaster law,
is to constantly beat us, to show us we can't keep the law,
so we must be shut up to Christ. The law was given to force us
to run to Christ that we might be justified by faith in Him,
not by our own obedience to the law. And that's the message of
Deuteronomy. Look back in Deuteronomy chapter
21. This is the message of the whole book of Deuteronomy, that
we're shut up to Christ, now run to Him. And it's very interesting
to me, Moses told the people, now here I've given you the law
the second time and you're going to go in the promised land and
you're going to sin. You're going to rebel against God, you're
going to worship idols. Even though he already knew that
was true, Moses blessed each of the tribes of Israel. He takes
up a whole chapter, chapter 33, blessing each of the 12 tribes
of Israel. Now, why would he do that? He
just said, you're gonna go in the promised land and sin. You're
gonna go in the promised land and worship idols. Why would
such a people receive a blessing from God? Well, it's not for
their sakes. It's for Christ's sake. They
weren't blessed because of their own works and their own obedience.
They were blessed for Christ's sake, by God's grace. And we
see that pictured in Deuteronomy. Now, Moses, remember, represents
the law. The law came by Moses. And Moses
could never bring the children of Israel into the promised land.
He brought them out of Egypt. He could lead them through the
wilderness, but he can't bring them into the promised land because
Moses is a picture of the law. And that teaches us that no man
can be saved by his own obedience to the law, Moses included. Look here at Deuteronomy 1 verse
37. He says, also the Lord was angry
with me for your sakes, saying, thou shalt not go in thither.
This is what we looked at last week. Because Moses struck the
rock twice to get water out of it, God told him you can't enter
into the promised land. Moses can't bring his own self
into the promised land. Well, he certainly can't leave
anybody else into the promised land, can he? But Christ does. And that's, Moses couldn't take
anybody into the promised land But there's one who can, Joshua. Look at verse 38, Deuteronomy
1. But Joshua, the son of Nun, which
standeth before thee, he shall go in thither. Now you encourage
him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. Joshua is a type
of Christ. The name Jesus is the New Testament
name for Joshua, the Old Testament name, Joshua. And it's Christ
who's gonna bring his people into glory. He's gonna bring
them in by his righteousness and his obedience to the law.
The law cannot make any man perfect. The law cannot bring any man
into glory. No amount of begging, no amount
of pleading, no amount of saying, I'm sorry, and I won't do it
again. No amount of religious activity. I mean, even true religious
activity. can ever bring us into glory
by our own works. Even no amount of faithful service
to God himself can get us into the promised land by our own
works. Look over a page of Deuteronomy chapter three. This is what Moses
experienced. Deuteronomy three, verse 23.
Well, you can imagine being Moses, God called him, He's 80 years
old, he goes down to Egypt to bring the people out. The trouble
and the turmoil and what this man went through leading the
people out of Egypt, bringing them to the, I mean, he was at
the edge of the land, promised to his fathers. He couldn't go
in because of the unbelief of the people. He led that stiff-necked
people through the wilderness for 40 years. He couldn't wait
to enter into that land. He wanted to see that land of
rest. He wanted to see that land of promise. And when he struck
the rock twice, God told him he can't go in. Moses begged
God, let me go in. Look here at chapter three in
verse 23. And I besought the Lord at that
time. saying, O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant
thy greatness and thy mighty hand. For what God is there in
heaven or on earth that can do according to thy works and according
to thy might? I pray thee, I'm begging you,
let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, the
goodly mountain in Lebanon. But the Lord was wroth with me
for your sakes and would not hear me. And the Lord said unto
me, let it suffice thee Speak no more unto me of this matter.
Get thee up into the top of Mount Pisgah and lift up thine eyes,
westward and northward and southward and eastward, and behold it with
thine eyes, for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. You're not
gonna go over. No amount of begging is gonna
make that happen. But it's the Lord Jesus Christ
who brings his people in. Look at verse 28. but charge
Joshua, that type of Christ, and encourage him, and strengthen
him, for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause
them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. Now salvation
is by grace alone. Our merit has absolutely nothing
to do with salvation. Salvation and all of its benefits
are by pure grace alone. Look over in Deuteronomy chapter
six, Salvation is by pure grace. Verse 10. And it shall be when
the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which he
sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give
thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not, and
houses full of all good things, which thou fillest not, and wells
digged, which thou diggest not, and vineyards and olive trees,
which thou plantest not. You're going to go into this
land for which you did not labor. Now, when Israel entered the
promised land, they first crossed over Jordan into the promised
land. All those enemies of God that lived throughout the promised
land, they didn't all run out in a day. No, God drove them
out little by little. Israel came into the promised
land, but God left those enemies alone for a time. And he did
it because he was using those enemies of God. He was using
those idolaters for his purpose, to provide for Israel. Those
idolaters, you know why they prospered in the promised land?
Not for their sakes, for Israel's sake. They're gonna have bumper
crops. They're gonna become wealthy and build nice houses and nice
cities and nice roads, not for their sake, but for Israel's
sake. Those enemies, God used them.
They're still there planting their crops. They're building
houses and doing maintenance on their houses and cities, keeping
everything in good repair. They're taking care of their
crops. They're taking care of all their possessions so that
when God drives them out, everything's ready for Israel just to move
in and enjoy without doing a lick of work. The crops were ready
to harvest. Some of them were already harvested,
put up in barns. The houses and the roads and
the cities were all built The vineyards were all ready and
God sent hornets in to drive out that enemy. And they just
left everything as it was and ran for their lives. The hornets
came through, Israel came right behind them and just came in
and enjoyed everything. Everything was ready for them.
They just strolled in, took possession without doing any work. Israel,
when they came into the Promised Land, not like settlers in this
country. Settlers in this country, when they went out west, They
had a hard trip. They went on covered wagons,
and they had to clear forests. They had to break up ground so
they could plant crops. There were no roads. They had
to build them. There were no houses. They had to build them.
And it was hard work, a life of hard work. That wasn't the
life of the children of Israel. They came into the Promised Land.
The roads were all built. The houses were all built. The
crops were ready to harvest. They just moved in and enjoyed
everything that they did not provide one thing with their
own work. You know, they weren't like a
victorious army. You know, in World War II, when
the Allies got to Berlin, I mean, they just destroyed that place. I mean, it wasn't until the 80s
that that city was completely rebuilt. Well, the victorious
army, you won the war, now look what you got for your efforts.
You got a pile of rubble. You're going to have to go in
and rebuild. That wasn't Israel. They didn't have to fight these
huge battles and destroy the city. The hornets just drove
the people out. And they came in and everything
was ready for them to use. Somebody in Israel moved in one
day. God said, okay, now it's time
for you to take this city. The hornets drove the people
out, and here comes this Jewish family. They come into this house,
this is gonna be our house now. Boy, it's a nice house. Somebody
else built it for us, it's nice. And they moved in, it was dinner
time. The table was all set, the dishes all on the table. The stew was just finishing over
the fire. Everything was ready. Sit down
and eat. You didn't do a thing to provide
for it, but sit down and eat. That's salvation. That is salvation
that God's people enjoy. A land for which you did not
labor. Our works don't contribute anything to that salvation. No
believer has ever dug a well to get the waters of life. Christ
put it in us. He said, you come to me and drink,
I'll put in you rivers of living water. The believer hasn't built
walls for our own defense. Christ is a wall of fire about
us. Salvation will God appoint for walls and boards. No believer
has to build a house to live in, a spiritual house now, except
the Lord build the house, they labor in vain to build it. No
believer has to buy spiritual food to eat. Christ is our bread
and our drink and our meat, and it's free. Isaiah said, now you
come and eat. It's all free. Come buy wine
and milk without money and without price. It's free. A believer
doesn't weave even a patch of our own righteousness. Christ
is our righteousness. A believer doesn't have to sanctify
ourselves or keep ourselves holy. Christ is our sanctification.
A believer doesn't have to give your life on the battlefield
to obtain freedom. Christ our Savior died to obtain
our freedom. A believer doesn't have to meet
any qualifications in order to be accepted by the Father. We're
accepted in the beloved. Our works contribute nothing,
do they? That's a land for which you did not labor. And if you
labor to have any of it, you can have none of it. That's salvation. It's all Christ or nothing. And
don't ever forget now this great salvation for which you labored
not, it's all of grace. That's what happened to the children
of Israel, they forgot. At the end of verse 11 there
in Deuteronomy 6, when thou shalt have eaten and be full, then
you beware, lest thou forget the Lord which brought thee forth.
out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Don't ever
forget that, salvation is all of grace. Now, Romans chapter
eight. It's kind of a long introduction
to get to this point, what the law could not do. Moses represents
the law. Moses cannot bring the people
into the promised land, but Joshua will. Romans eight, verse three. For what the law could not do,
and that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own
son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled
in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Now what the law could not do.
Now there's nothing wrong with the law. It's not a weakness
in the law that the law can't bring us sin. The problem is
with us. We don't have the desire or the
ability to keep God's law. So God sent his son, made of
a woman, made under the law to redeem them that are under the
law. And Christ set his people free. He brought them into the
promised land by keeping the law for them and dying the death
that they deserve because of their sin. Now look back in Deuteronomy
chapter 34. When God saves His people, He
doesn't set the law aside. He doesn't weaken the law so
we can somehow get around the law. No, the law's in full strength,
full effect. It's just that Christ keeps the
law for us. In Deuteronomy 34, verse seven, now remember Moses
is a type of the law. And Moses was 120 years old when
he died. His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. Moses didn't die because he was
weakened by age. He just served his purpose. His
purpose was finished and he died. That's the law. God didn't water
the law down in order to save his people. He saves his people
through the law. Well, how can we be set free
from the law? One way, just one, by death. Before Joshua could lead the
people into the promised land, Moses had to die. Look in chapter
34 of Deuteronomy verse one, Moses had to die before Joshua
could lead the people in. Moses went up from the plains
of Moab into the mountain of Nebo to the top of Pisgah that
is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the
land of Gilead under Dan and all Naphtali and the land of
Ephraim and Manasseh and all the land of Judah under the utmost
sea. and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the
city of palm trees, unto Zoar. And the LORD said unto him, This
is the land, which I swear unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed. I have caused
thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
So Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land
of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him
in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth Peor.
But no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day." Moses died. Now Joshua can bring the people
into the land that God gave him. But Moses had to die first. Before
God saves anyone, they must die to the law and the law must die
to them. Well, how's that possible? only
in Christ our substitute. You don't have to turn here,
let me read this to you. It's only in Christ our Joshua. In Romans 7 verse 1, this is
what Paul teaches us. 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 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 should be called an adulteress. But if her husband
be dead, he's died to the law, she's free from that law, so
that she is no adulteress though she be married to another man.
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by
the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to
him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit
unto God. That's how we become free from the law. It's by death. If a sinner's gonna be free from
the law, we have to die to the law, have to. Well, how can we
die to the law? In Christ our substitute. When
Christ died, we died in him. When Christ died, we died to
the law. That's what the ordinance of
baptism represents. The death, burial, and resurrection
of Christ. We're identifying with Him, saying
when He died, I died in Him. When He was buried, I was buried
in Him. That's what being put under the water represents. And
when He was resurrected, I was resurrected in Him. When Christ
died, we died to the law, and the law died to us. When Christ
died, He completely satisfied the law. He obeyed the law perfectly
in His death, and He satisfied the law's last demand. when he
died for the sin of his people. So when Christ died, the law
died to us and we died to the law. Now we're free to be married
to another. Now we're free to follow Christ
into the promised land. Now Moses, he wrote the law. He couldn't bring the people
into the promised land. He gave the law the second time. But
you know, Moses' message was never the law. His message is,
even though Deuteronomy is mostly taken up with him giving the
law the second time, Moses' message wasn't the law. Moses' message
was Christ. He was giving the law always
to shut us up to Christ. What did our Lord Jesus say about
Moses? He said, Moses wrote of who? Of me. Moses' message was
Christ. Now Moses died. No man buried
him, God buried him. No man knows Moses' sacrifice
to this day. Moses died, nobody saw him die,
nobody saw him be buried. Moses went up to that mountain
and looked out over the promised land. God showed it all to him.
And then Moses died. Nobody saw him after he went
back up to that mountain. Nobody ever saw Moses again.
Until when? When was the next time anybody
on earth saw Moses? It was at the Mount of Transfiguration,
wasn't it? Look at Luke chapter nine. We've turned to a lot of
scripture. This will be our last one. Luke
chapter nine. When Moses appeared at the Mount of Transfiguration, what was Moses talking about?
Well, he wasn't talking about the law, was he? He wasn't talking
about man's obedience to the law. He wasn't giving the law
the third time. Moses was talking about our Joshua. He was talking
about the Lord Jesus Christ and how Christ was going to bring
his people into glory. And this is what he would accomplish
by his death. Now look at Luke 9 verse 28.
And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings,
he took Peter and John James and went up into a mountain to
pray. As he prayed, The fashion of his countenance was altered,
and his raiment was white and glistering. And behold, there
talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias, which appeared
in glory and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at
Jerusalem." Nobody else had a death that
they accomplished. You know, when we die, it's because
something defeated us, wasn't it? Disease, old age, Somebody
shot us, whatever, you know. When we die, it's the defeat
of this body. When Christ died, he died a victor. He died accomplishing something. He accomplished salvation for
his people. What the law could not do, and
that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son
in the likeness of sinful flesh for sin, for a sacrifice for
sin, condemned sin in the flesh. that the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh,
not after the motions of the flesh and obeying the law, but
after the spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ, our Joshua,
did what Moses and the law never could do. He brings his people
into glory. That's the message of Deuteronomy.
All right, I hope the Lord will bless that.