19, wherefore then serveth the law?
What is the purpose of the law? He'd already proved that no one
is saved by the law, so why did God give the law? What is its
purpose? Somebody might be thinking, what
exactly do you mean by law? I'm talking about the law that
God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. We're given in that law the Ten
Commandments. Actually, in the law, there are
over 600 commandments. We're given the civil laws, we're
given the ceremonial law, and you can't separate them. I've
heard people say, well, we're not under the ceremonial law
anymore, but we're still under the moral law. Now, wait a minute.
What gives you, makes you think that you can separate the law
at all? It all goes together. It all
stands or falls together. And even in the Ten Commandments,
we see this because in the Ten Commandments, you have a ceremonial
law, don't you? The Sabbath. It's found in the
Ten Commandments and that lets us know that this law is one
whole and it can't be separated. Now, what is the purpose behind
the law? Now Paul had proved clearly in
the previous verses that no one was saved by their obedience
to the law. Look in Galatians chapter 3 verse 12. Or verse, I'm sorry, verse 10.
But as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse.
For it's written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them, but that
no man is justified by the law on the side of God. It's evident.
For the just shall live by faith, and the law is not of faith,
but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Look in verse 18.
For if the inheritance, eternal glory, be of the law, it's no
more a promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Look
in chapter 5. Stand fast, verse one, 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, if you go the law route, Christ
shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every
man that circumcised that he's a debtor to do the whole law.
Christ is become of no effect unto you. Whosoever of you are
justified by law, You have fallen from grace. Now, you see those
strong statements regarding God's law and how no one can ever be
saved by the law. Now, here's the question. Why'd
God give it? What is its purpose? Now, just because it doesn't
save does not mean that it does not have a purpose. Just because
steel was never meant to be eaten, that doesn't mean it doesn't
have a purpose. There's a big purpose in steel, and the law
of God has a purpose. What is the purpose behind the
law of God? Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter
1. This scripture says so much. Verse 8. But we know, Paul says,
that the law is good. The Ten Commandments, the ceremonial
law, the civil law, the 600 commandments given in the law, with 22 sins
that demand capital punishment. We know that the law is good
if a man use it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made
for a righteous man. A righteous man does not need
law. What are jails for? Criminals. What are locks for? To keep away
the thief. But if somebody's a righteous
man, he doesn't need a law, does he? The law is not made for a
righteous man. but for the lawless and disobedient,
for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers
of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 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. Now, all I say, if I want to
be under law, is I'm a criminal. That's all I say. If I feel like
I need law, I'm saying that I'm not a righteous man. I don't
understand anything about righteousness. Now, Paul tells us in our text,
the law was added. It was an add-on. It was added
because of transgressions. That means several things. First
thing I think of is where would we be without law? What would
our society be like if everybody got to do what was right in their
own eyes and there was no consequences for anything you did if you wanted
to steal, if you wanted to murder? Go ahead, go for it. What would
our society be like? None of us would be in here,
would we? We'd all be dead. The law was added because of
transgressions. But the law was also added to expose transgressions. You see, the law, by the law
is the knowledge of sin. and the law exposes transgressions,
but it was never intended to save. Turn back to Galatians
chapter 3, verse 21. 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 been by the law. It never was intended to save
anybody. Now this destroys the idea of
what they call dispensationalism, like there was a time when God
tried to save by law, and that didn't work, so there's another
dispensation, and now he saves by grace. There's no truth to
that. Salvation's always been the same
way, by grace through faith in Christ. That's the way Abel was
saved, that's the way Abraham was saved, that's the way I'm
saved, by looking to Christ. That's the way anybody that's
ever been saved has been saved. There aren't different dispensations.
The law was never given as a means of salvation. Now, let me say
this. The law doesn't sanctify. I'm going to talk about what
the law does not do. The law does not sanctify. The law does
not give any power at all to obey. Has it ever become evident
to you? Look what he said. We've already
read this once, but look at verse 12. The law is not a faith. Or
verse 11. But that no man is justified
by the law on the side of God, it is evident. Has that ever
become evident to you? To what you know for sure, there's
no way you could be saved by the law. There's no way you could
be saved by your works. If any aspect of salvation is
dependent upon you, it won't work. Has that ever become evident
to you? The law doesn't deliver anybody
from the dominion of sin. It doesn't sanctify. It can't
save. It can't make righteous. It can't make holy. It doesn't
deliver anybody from the dominion of sin. Listen to this scripture
in Romans 6, 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you. This
is a promise to every believer. Sin shall not have dominion over
you, for you're not under law. That's why. You're under grace. You see, if you're under law,
sin has complete control of you. And if you can't see that, that
proves you've really been blinded. Sin has complete control over
you if you're under the law in any way. You see, the strength
of sin, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, 56, is the law. Now listen
to this. The law, the Ten Commandments.
It's not given as a rule of life. It's not given as a rule or a
guide as to how you should live. Now let me make good on that
in the scripture because it makes you think, well, it seems like
it'd be good to try to follow the Ten Commandments. It seems like
it's what we ought to do. I mean, they are God's commandments.
Shouldn't we use that as a guide for life? Well, let's hear what
the scripture says. Look in Galatians chapter three,
verse 24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster,
to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith,
but after the faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. We no longer need the law. And notice, too, let me bring
this out. It says the law was our schoolmaster to bring us
unto Christ. Notice to bring us is in italics.
It's not in the original. You could read this just as well.
The law was our schoolmaster until Christ. And when you come
to Christ, you don't need that schoolmaster anymore. But see,
you're a child now. You're not a slave. You're a
child. You know, as far as that goes,
did the law bring you to Christ? No, the law didn't bring you
to Christ. God brought you to Christ. The Holy Spirit brought
you to Christ. You were drawn to Christ irresistibly
and invincibly by the grace of God. So the law is not given
as a rule of life. Look in Galatians chapter 4 verse
9. But now, after that you've known
God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again to the weak
and beggarly elements, whereunto you desire again to be in bondage?"
He's talking about the law. He said, why are you turning
to weak and beggarly elements that can only put you in bondage?
That's all the law does is put you in bondage. Look in verse
21 of the same chapter, chapter 4. Tell me, you that desire to
be under law, don't you hear what it says? Don't you hear
it's condemnation? Look in chapter five, verse 18.
But if you're led of the Spirit, you are not under law. Look in chapter six, verse 16. As many as walk according to
this rule, not the rule of the law, what rule? Verse 14, But
God forbid that I should glory, save from the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto
the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything
nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk
according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy and upon
the Israel of God. Now, someone is thinking, are
you saying that it's all right for Christians to break the law
since they're not under it? Did I say that? No, I didn't say that. It's never okay to break the
law. But the fact of the matter is, and I'm speaking from my
own experience, I've not kept one commandment one time. Not once. You mean every time you open
your mouth you're lying? Even when I tell the truth, there's
some kind of cover up. And it's that way with you too.
Not one person in this room or outside of this room has kept
one commandment one time. So if the law is my rule of life,
I'm getting an F. I'm flunking. I am not getting
it done. I'm not saying it's okay to break
the law, but I'm saying in my own experience, all I do is break
it. Look in Romans chapter 2. Now he had given this great big
list of sins at the end of of chapter 1 beginning in verse
29, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity,
whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding,
covenant breakers, without natural affliction, implacable, unmerciful,
who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such
things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure
in them that do them." Now, would you agree that these are bad
people? You'd agree, wouldn't you? These
are bad people. Now look what Paul says. Therefore,
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. If you made this judgment against
these people, for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself,
for you that judge do the same things. Now, turn to 1 John 1. I'm not saying it's okay to break
the law. But I'm saying every time you breathe, every time
I breathe, we do it. That's what a sinful nature is.
Look in 1 John chapter 1. If we say we have no sin, verse
8. If we say we have no sin, and
there the word is a noun. It's not talking about something
you do. It's a noun. If we say we have no sin, I have
no sinful nature. I have no sin. If we say we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves. and the truth is not in us, we've
already lost all credibility. We're liars. We say something
like that. And then in verse 10 it says, if we say we've not
sinned, and they're the words of verb, that means with regard
to anything that I do, it doesn't matter what it is, even while
I'm up here preaching, if I say I've not sinned, I'm lying. Because I did it. And if I did
it, that makes it sin. You see, the plowing of the wicked
is sin, the scripture says. Now that's talking about our
own experience in the flesh. And so, no, I'm not saying the
law is okay to break, but I'm saying we break it all the time. And you know, even saying that,
the new man, I delight in the law of God after the inner man.
I love God's law. I love the Ten Commandments.
I love thinking about them. Every time I go over them in
my mind, though, all it tells me is I've broken them. But I delight
in the law of God after the inward man, and I see clearly from the
scriptures that there are some things the law was never intended
to do. But what was the law or what is the law intended to do?
We see what it's not intended to do. Well, here's the first
thing. The law reflects the holy character of God. There's nobody like Him. Oh,
how beautiful God appears in His holy character. He cannot
accept sin. God is holy. And for me to come into His presence,
I'm going to have to have a righteousness that measures up to the holy
law of God. Oh, we love God's law. I mean, we're not speaking disrespectfully
of it or saying it's okay to break it. Oh, it reflects the
holy character of God and what he requires for me to come into
his presence and be accepted. We love God's law in that sense.
That's its first purpose. It shows us the holy character
of God. But secondly, the purpose of
the law is given to expose sin. It doesn't give any power to
obey. It can't sanctify. It can't make holy. All it can
do is expose sin. Now let's look at several scriptures
on this. Turn to Romans chapter 2. Now this is with regard to someone
who has never even heard the law, maybe a Gentile that has
never heard the Ten Commandments read. Look what it says. Verse
14, for when the Gentiles, which had not the law, they didn't
have any revelation from God, do by nature the things contained
in the law, they all know it's wrong to steal. They all know
it's wrong to kill. They all know sexual sin is wrong.
You know, that's why people say, well, you need to be taught to
live. Everybody already knows how to live. You know you ought
to pay your bills. You know you ought not steal.
You know you ought to be pure. Everybody knows that. Somebody
says, well, we need to be taught to live. You already know how
to live. I'm sure of that. Now let's go on reading. These having
not the law are a law unto themselves, which show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and their thoughts the meanwhile doing one of two things, accusing
or making excuses. That's all of it. Either I'll
feel guilty or I'll try to justify myself and vindicate myself and
come up with an excuse. Well, I was caught at a weak
moment or I was put in a bad situation. If I would have been
in a different environment, it wouldn't have happened. No. Now
turn to Romans chapter 3. Look in verse 9. What then? Are we better than they, us Jews?
Are we better than the Gentiles? No, and no wise for we have before
proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they're all under sin, under
the dominion of sin. As it's written, there's none
righteous, no, not one. There's none that understands.
There's none that seeks after God. They're all gone out of
the way. They together become unprofitable. There's none that
doeth good, no, not one. Look down in verse 19. Now we
know that what things, soever the law saith, it saith 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. Look in Romans chapter five,
verse 20. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, not to restrain it, but that it might
abound. Look in Romans chapter seven,
verse seven. What should we say then? Is the
law sin? God forbid, nay, I'd not known sin, but by the law,
for I'd not known lust, except the law had said, thou shalt
not covet. You know, all I got to do is
say, don't covet. And what are you going to do?
What are you going to do? I mean, it won't even be a second.
All I've got to do is say, don't covet, and you'll start coveting
immediately. That's what the law does. What
should we say then, is the law sin? God forbid, nay, I had not
known sin, but by the law, for I had not known less, except
the law, it said, thou shalt not covet, but sin, taking occasion
by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of evil desire,
concupiscence, covetousness. For without the law, sin was
dead. For I was alive without the law once. 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.
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, the law, that sin by
the commandment might become exceeding sinful. The law was given to expose sin. And the law was given to show
us our inability. Look in verse 14. Now this is
Paul speaking. And beloved, he's speaking as
a believer. He's not talking about what he used to be. He's
speaking as a believer. Paul's our hero, humanly speaking. But look what he says about himself
in verse 14. He says, For we know that the
law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin, sold as a slave
to sin that I can't get out of it. Look in chapter 8. Verse seven, because the carnal
mind, that's the natural mind, the natural man, the old nature,
the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it's not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed can be, it lacks the ability.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Okay, the law exposes our sin,
the law shows us our inability. And Romans 4.15 makes this curious
statement. It says, the law worketh wrath.
The law worketh wrath. Now, first, the wrath of God
comes because of his law being broken. That's who God is, and
he's going to punish all sin. The law worketh wrath. But you
know what? It works rather than us. The example he uses in Romans
chapter 7 is being married to the law like being married to
a bad husband who beat you, who never complimented you, who complained
about everything you did. All he could do is expose your
wrong. You'll get resentful. You know, and we hear of all
the demands of the law, and it makes us mad. It makes our old
man mad. I mean, the thing that is, you
think of it, you draw a line in the sand, and somebody says,
don't step over that. What do you want to do? You're
going to step over it. I mean, that's what the law does. It
excites enmity in that sense. It worketh wrath. Now, here's a real good thing.
All these are good, but The law slays all hopes of self-salvation. That's what God's law does. It
just puts to death any hope you might have that you can do anything
to save yourself. Look back in Galatians chapter
3, verse 11. Or verse 10, for as many as are
of the works of the law are under the curse, for it's written,
curse it is everyone that continueeth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. That no man's justified
by the law on the side of God, it's evident for the just to
live by faith. Now look over in chapter four for a moment.
I think this is one of the most important statements regarding
the law that you're going to find in all the word of God.
Paul says in verse 21, tell me you that desire to be under the
law. Don't you hear what the law says? For it's written. Now, if I were writing that,
I would have started going over the 10 commandments. It's written.
Love the Lord God with all your heart. Don't commit any kind of idolatry. Reverence his holy name. Remember
the Sabbath to keep it holy. Honor your mother and father.
Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt
not lie. Thou shalt not covet. Now that's
what I would have said if I would have said, don't you hear what
the law is saying? Don't you see what, but look what Paul
says. That's not what, that's not the way he deals with it.
He says, verse 22, for it's written that Abraham had two sons, the
one by a bondmaid and the other by a free woman. Now you remember
the story, God had promised Abraham and Sarah a child. Years pass,
it doesn't happen. Sarah says, well, for God's promise
to be fulfilled, we need to do our part, Abe. Now here's what
we need to do, you go into Hagar, you do your part, or God's promise
won't come to pass. You go into Hagar, and you'll
have a child by her, and that'll be your child, and we'll help
God out in fulfilling his promise. God says no. No. You see, there wasn't anything
supernatural about that. God had Abraham going to Sarah
after she had already gone through menopause and had a son supernaturally. That is the promise seed. Now,
let's go on reading. You know the story now. For it's
written that Abraham had two sons, the one by bondmaid and
the other by free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman
was born after the flesh. But he of the free woman was
by promise, which things are an allegory, for these are the
two covenants. The one from Mount Sinai which
genders to bondage is Hagar. Now Hagar, Hagar is man doing
his part. Now, listen real carefully. I
want you to get this. If any aspect of salvation, I
don't care if it's at the beginning, an act of your free will, I don't
care if it's in the middle, you somehow making yourself more
holy through your personal acts of obedience and self-denial
and so on, and you becoming better, becoming better and better, or
at the end, if you get a higher reward in heaven, if any aspect
of your salvation is dependent in any way on you doing something,
that is salvation by works. If you believe in free will,
that's no different than believing you're saved by keeping the Ten
Commandments, because you believe salvation is somehow dependent
upon you. And that is salvation by works. What did God say? Cast out the
bondwoman and her son. For the son of the bondwoman
shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. You know when
I think of people thinking about heaven being rewarded, you know,
you're gonna be rewarded for your works down here and you're
gonna get higher positions in glory, I think, really? Do you
have that high opinion of your works? Do you think it's that
good? If you deserve a higher reward,
I hope you get one. Hope you get one. But I think of what, I couldn't help
it when I'm thinking that, I thought about what the Lord said, Many shall say unto me, Lord,
Lord, have we not preached in your name? In your name, have
we not cast out devils in your name? Have we not done many wonderful
works? Notice the quantity, many. Notice the quality, wonderful. And what does the Lord say to
them? Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. I never knew. They weren't so wonderful after
all, were they? The law slays all hopes of salvation. As many as are of the works of
the law, here's all you can say about them. They're of the curse. They're under the curse. Now,
look in Galatians 3.24 again, and let me try to say a little
bit more about this. I've never really understood
this until yesterday, actually. Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster,
and once again, note, to bring us is in italics. Wherefore,
the law was our schoolmaster until Christ, that we might be
justified by faith But after that faith has come, you're no
longer under a schoolmaster, for you're all children of God
by faith in Christ Jesus." Now, that schoolmaster, a pedagogue,
he was hired by a wealthy family to shadow the boy. Whenever he
got in trouble, he'd beat him. He'd hit him, and they would
really mistreat him and everything. And the boy was afraid to do anything.
I mean, would you do something wrong if that pedagogue's standing
there watching you? No, you're scared to death. You don't want
to do anything. Now, that's what the law is.
It's our pedagogue until Christ. Until Christ. Now, the law did
not bring us to Christ. The law certainly shows me my
need of Christ, but the law didn't bring me to Christ. Law and terrors
do but harden when attended all alone, but a sense of blood-bought
pardon will dissolve a heart of stone. Now here's the point. After Christ, you no longer need
a pedagogue. You're now a child. You love
your Redeemer. You really do. You love Him.
You want to please Him. You want to follow Him. You want
to walk with Him. You love your Redeemer. You know,
law never produces love. It only produces resentment.
But grace, from Christ Jesus, neither circumcision
avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. Oh, grace causes love. Law causes fear. Law causes resentment. Grace causes love. Romans 10, 4 says Christ is the
end of the law. The goal of the law and the termination
of the law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believes. And oh, how a
believer delights in that. Now, the law is necessary. I
mean, it's got a purpose. It's got a purpose. The law is
necessary, and it is a permanent enemy of our own most dangerous
enemy. Who's your most dangerous enemy? My righteousness. That's the most deadly enemy
I have. My own righteousness. Now listen
to me real carefully. Your sin will never keep you
from Christ. It won't do it. It will cause
you to go to His feet and ask for forgiveness, ask for mercy,
ask for cleansing. And you're always welcome. It's
never good to try to wait until you feel better, you're a little
bit more pure before you can come in. No, you come just as
you are in your sinfulness and your need of Him. And you're
welcomed and you're received. Your sin does not keep you from
Christ. It's your righteousness that
keeps you from Christ. Boy, I'm so thankful for the
law because it shows me that my personal righteousness is
nothing more than filthy rags. That's what the scripture says.
You believe that? You believe that about your righteousness
that it's nothing more than filthy rags? You know, the law serves
us in this sense. The law makes us know that the
only righteousness there is, is the righteousness of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And that is my personal righteousness
before God. And I can come into God's presence
boldly in His righteousness. Because His righteousness is
my righteousness. As He is, so are we in this world. Is He righteous? You better believe
it. Oh, His righteousness, I am too. And the law continually teaches
me that the only righteousness I have is the righteousness and
merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in that sense, the law serves
us, doesn't it? It serves us. It's good for us.
Good for us. Now, one final thought. Look
in Romans chapter three. I mean, yeah, Romans chapter
three. Verse 31. Do we make void, meaningless,
useless, the law through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish
the law. You know the way you can honor
God's law? There's only one way. Faith in Christ. Anything else is dishonoring
to the law of God. Anything else makes a little
God who could accept my works. It makes me real big. I don't
want to be that way to you. The only way you and I can truly
honor the holy law of God is by looking to Christ only. Someone says we ought to try
to keep the law. I wouldn't deny that, but when
have you done it? See, that's the deal. I mean, people, y'all
try to keep the law. Well, you flunked. You haven't
done it once. I mean, if you want to go, the
only way to honor God's law is not by trying to keep it. I'm
not saying sin's okay, you know that, but the only way you honor
the law of God is by looking to Christ only and resting in
who He is and what He did as enough to make that law of God
look at you and say there's nothing to condemn Him for. That's how
we honor the law of God, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So
yes, the law's got some good purposes, doesn't it? It serves
us. It can't make us holy. It was
never given to be a means of salvation if we could just keep
it. It can't sanctify us. All it does is expose sin. But
thank God It shows me my need of a righteousness better than
I can produce, even the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and it makes
me rest in Him. And can't you say, I delight
in the law of God after the inner man? We love God's law, don't
we? Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that our
Savior kept the law and fulfilled the law and that his obedience
to the law is the obedience of all who believe. Lord, we confess
our breaking of the law. We pray for forgiveness. We pray
for cleansing. And Lord, we ask that you would
give us grace. to deny ourselves, to take up
our cross daily, and follow thy blessed son. In his name we pray, amen. We
got Dwayne.