Would you turn to Exodus chapter
20? And last week we considered the
law and faith. And this evening we're going
to consider the law and the gospel. And we see the gospel so clearly
in Exodus chapter 20. Now, God had just given the 10
commandments. We considered the 10 commandments
last week, the perfect holy law of God. And I want you to think
what kind of place this place would be if everybody kept the
Ten Commandments. It'd be paradise, wouldn't it?
It'd be paradise. God's holy law. There's only
one problem with the holy law of God. You know what it is?
Us. We are the problem. with the
holy law of God, sinful men and women. Like I said, I've entitled
this message, the law and the gospel. Now remember God had
just given the 10 commandments and in verse 18 of Exodus chapter
20. And all the people saw the thunderings
and the lightnings. and the noise of the trumpet
and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they
removed and they stood afar off. What a fearful sight. It scared
them to death. They heard the law and all it
did was scare them to death. And I can imagine why. It scared
me too. To hear the law apart from hearing the gospel, all
it does is drive you to distraction. All it does is scare you. All
it does is condemn you. Think of this sight they saw.
They saw lightning and smoke and thunder and the earth was
quaking during the giving of the law. That must have been
a very intense sight. Look in verse 19. And they said
unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear. But let not
God speak with us, lest we die. Turn over to Hebrews chapter
12 for a moment. Hold your finger there. Turn to Hebrews chapter
12. Verse 19. This is the New Testament commentary
on this passage of Scripture. Verse 18, For ye are not come
unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with
fire, nor into blackness, and darkness, and tempest. And you
know the law, listen, the law is blackness, darkness, and tempest
apart from an understanding of the gospel. All it does is bring
us in the dark. We can't see. Verse 19, In the
sound of the trumpet, in the voice of words, Hebrews 12, 19,
which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken
to them anymore, for they could not endure that which was commanded. And so much as a beast touched
the mountain, it should be stoned and thrust through with the dark.
You know what that means is they couldn't keep the law. They could
not endure. They couldn't stand up to that
which was commanded. It just was something they knew
that they couldn't keep and it scared him to death. I think
looking at this site of the giving of the law is an awesome thing.
And they realized their need of a mediator. They said, Moses,
you talk with the Lord. We don't want to hear his voice.
You talk for us. Now, Moses is a type of Christ
here. Moses in himself was just as sinful as they were. Moses was just as sinful as I
am. That's hard to get hold of that,
but it's true. Moses was a man. And he needed a mediator too,
but here he's a type of Christ, our mediator. There's one God
and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. Now, what is a mediator? A mediator
is a go-between. He's one who brings two contending
parties together. Now, there's two contending parties.
I don't know what other kind of language to use. I mean, we're
just using human language with regard to these things. But God
has a contention against us. We broke His law. And we, because
of our sinful nature, have a contention toward God. We don't love Him.
We don't love Him as He is. We are rebellious toward His
commandments. You have two contending parties, and it's going to take
a go-between to bring them together. I can't come into God's presence.
God can't accept me. I'm sinful. He's holy. Somebody's
going to have to go for me. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the great Mediator. He's the one who brings me into
God's presence. God can't come to me. I can't
hear His voice like the children of Israel. Don't speak to me,
we'll die. Have somebody else speak. Christ Jesus comes as
the Mediator. He comes as man. The God-man, but He comes in
a way that I can hear. God-absolute, I'm scared to death
of. I don't want to have anything to do with. But Christ Jesus
comes as man, the one mediator between God and men. Christ Jesus
is Immanuel, God not against us, God with us. God with us. He brings me to
God. He brings God to me. He is the
mediator. Christ, as God the Son, can be
accepted by the Father. As the Son of Man, meek and lowly
in heart, He can come to me. Through Him we have the great
Mediator." Now, God is in the thick darkness. Let's go on reading. And Moses, verse 20. And Moses
said unto the people, Fear not, for God has come to prove you,
that His fear may be before your faces, that you sin not. And
the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick
darkness where God was." Now, first I see the gospel right
after the giving of the law and all this terror. I see this mediator,
Moses coming into the very thick darkness of God where I can't
see and bringing my interest into the very presence of God,
and Christ coming back to me, the mediator. There's one God
and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. Now God gives us the gospel right
off the bat as the mediator, Moses the type of Christ. Now
let's go on reading. Next, we have a revelation from heaven.
Verse 22, And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto
the children of Israel, You've seen that I've talked with you
from heaven. You've been given a revelation. You shall not make
with me gods of silver, neither shall you make unto you gods
of gold. Now, when I see the holy law
of God, how can I stand before it? All it does is condemn me. The only way that question can
be answered is by a revelation from heaven. He says, you see,
I've talked with you. I've spoke with you. I've given
you a word from heaven. That's the only way I can know
how I can stand before this holy God because men can't come up
with the answer. Men can't figure out a way is how a holy God can
accept a sinful man. Not in a way that justice would
be satisfied. Only God and a revelation from
God can bring that answer. You know, I was reading about
the rich young ruler this week. Would you turn to Mark chapter
10 for a moment? Mark chapter 10. And He comes to the Lord
on the footing of law. Mark chapter 10, verse 17. And when He was gone forth into
the way, there came one running and kneeled to Him and asked
Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? There's
none good but one, that is God. Now the reason the Lord says
this is He knows this man is coming to Him just as a man.