Would you turn back to Matthew
chapter 23? Tonight, I'm going to be speaking
out of the book of Jeremiah. And we're going to look, I've
referred to this so many times, but I've never actually preached
a message on this verse of scripture, Jehovah Sitkanu. The Lord our
righteousness. And this is the very foundation
of the gospel. A very important message. The
Lord our righteousness. What does that mean? I've entitled the message for
this morning, The Weightier Matters of the Law. The weightier matters of the
law. The Lord says to the Pharisees
in verse 23, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, actors. That's what he's calling them.
I'm always amazed when I see the way, the Lord just He said
it the way it is, didn't he? He said, I love the way he speaks.
He says to these people, hypocrites, you're careful to tithe. And
he was not criticizing for this. As a matter of fact, he says,
these ought you to have done, this tithing you should have
done, but not let the other undone. But you've omitted, you've left
undone the weightier matters. the more important matters of
the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. And in doing that, you're
choking on a gnat, and you're swallowing whole a camel. You're majoring on minors, things
that really don't matter, and you're minoring on what really
is important. Now, this tells us that there
are some truths in God's Word that are more important than
other truths. The Lord says this. There are
weightier matters of the law. For instance, what we believe
concerning the person and work of Christ is far more important
than our millennial views, whether we're pre, post, or all. The glorious truth of electing
grace is much more important than our understanding of church
government. Our understanding of justification,
the Lord our righteousness, is much more important than whether
we have a Supra or subra-lapsarianism view. Somebody says, well, what's
that? I don't remember. I've read it somewhere, and I
remember they made issues of it, but I can't remember what
it means. But I know this. Justification is more important
than that. That word's not even in the Bible. There are some
things that are more important and weightier than others. And also, there are things in
life that are more important and weighty than other things.
Things that we do in this life. And in Bible study, I read that
passage of Scripture in Luke chapter 10, where the Lord said
to Martha, you're careful and troubled about many things, but
one thing is needful. One thing. And what is he referring
to when he says that one thing needful? Well, the first thing
we think of is himself. That's true. But what he was
talking about was Mary choosing the better part, sitting at the
Lord's feet and hearing his word. I know this. Hearing the gospel
is more important than anything else. More important than anything
else, there are some things in this life that are more important
than other things. Now, we don't have to speculate
as to what is weightier because the Lord tells us. What if it
was up to me to decide what was weightier? We'd be in trouble,
wouldn't we? But the Lord tells us Himself what is the weightier,
more important matters of the law. Judgment, mercy, and faith. These are the majors that we
ought always be dwelling on every time we meet together. Judgment,
mercy, and faith. And if I omit these things in
my doctrine or in my practice, and that's important. These are
the weightier things in doctrine and in practice. If I omit these
things, what I'm doing is I'm choking on a gnat, something
that's really not big and fairly inconsequential, and I'm swallowing
whole a camel. I'm majoring on minors and I'm
minoring on majors. Now, notice the order our Lord
gives when He gives these weightier matters of the law. There's a
divine order to this. First, judgment. And until judgment
is accomplished, We can forget anything else. First, judgment.
And after judgment is accomplished, then mercy. The way is open for
mercy and faith. These are the weightier matters
of the law. And in all of our doings, we
must be careful not to admit to leave undone these three things. Judgment, mercy and faith. Now, let's talk first about judgment. Judgment. This word means a separating,
a decision, a judgment. It's used with reference to Judgment
Day. When we read of Judgment Day,
that day when God rewards the righteous and when he punishes
the wicked. That's what judgment is. It's
God rewarding the righteous. He gives the righteous what they
have coming. He punishes the wicked. Turn with me to John
chapter 16. John chapter 16. Verse 8. And when he, the Holy Spirit,
is come, he will reprove or convict or convince. If you have God,
the Holy Spirit, working in your heart, doing something for you,
here's something you're going to be convinced of. You're utterly
convicted of it. And when he has come, he will
reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe
not on me. You're going to find out. When
God the Holy Spirit convicts you, you're going to find out
that you're an unbeliever. That you or unable to come up
with faith. You know, you haven't believed
until you've first seen you can't believe. It's only when you see
you can't believe that you'll begin to believe. As long as
you can believe, you'll never believe because you don't even
know what faith is if you think you can believe. But when God
the Holy Spirit convicts you, you find out that faith is out
of your reach. You are an unbeliever of sin. Here's what the true conviction
of sin is. When you find out that you can't believe, that
you don't believe. of judge or see verse 9 or verse
10 of righteousness, because I go to my father and you see
me no more. You become convinced that the only righteousness there
is, is the righteousness that the Lord brings to the father,
even his own. You're convinced of that. And
of judgment. You're convinced by the Holy
Spirit of judgment because of the prince of this world is judged
or has been judged, you're convinced of this thing. Now, God is just. God is utterly and absolutely
just. And there's not a shade of anything
but absolute justice in the Lord God. In Proverbs, we read, a
false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight
is his delight. He is first a just God and then
a Savior. And I said to Saul, the God of
our fathers has chosen me that thou mightest know his will and
see that just one and hear the voice of his mouth. God is just. Here's what all this means. Turn
to Romans chapter three. Romans chapter three. And this
is the way to your manner of the law judgment. Begin reading
verse 19 of Romans chapter three. 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. Now, let's begin where the Bible
begins with us, our state before God, guilty. Guilty. Now, it doesn't try to prove
God's existence. It doesn't try to prove the Bible
is the Word of God. It begins right here. We are guilty. And every mouth is to be stopped. No excuses. No extenuating circumstances. We stand guilty before God. Guilty as charged. Well, is there anything we can
do about this? Verse 20, No! No, there is absolutely nothing
you and I can do to change this state of guilt before God. Nothing
you can do. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, by the things we do, there shall no flesh be justified in
his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. All God's
holy law does is expose us as lawbreakers and trespassers and
sinners. That's all God's law does. Well, does that mean there's
no hope? You say we're guilty and there's
nothing we can do to change our state before God, does that mean
there is no hope? No, it doesn't mean that at all.
Verse 21, but now the righteousness of God. Without the law. Without my. Works. Is manifested. being witnessed
by the Law and the Prophets. This is what God's Word has always
declared, Old Testament, New Testament. Even the righteousness
of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ, His faithfulness,
His obedience unto all, that's the righteousness of God, the
faith of Jesus Christ, the faithfulness, the obedience of Jesus Christ,
unto all and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference. Verse 23, for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has
set forth to be a propitiation. That word propitiation means
a sin appeasement. He made satisfaction for sin,
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith
in His blood to declare His righteousness. Not just His mercy and His love
and His kindness, but His righteousness for the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say, at
this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus. Now, there's judgment. There's
judgment. God is just to justify the unjust. by what the Lord Jesus Christ
did on Calvary's tree. Yes, God is gracious. Yes, God
is forgiving. Yes, God is merciful. That's
all I'm saying. But here's what's taken care of first. Judgment.
Judgment. God is just. When God saves me,
that means He's given me what I've got coming. Because the
righteousness of Christ is mine. Christ deserved God's favor?
Absolutely. Then so do I. My sin became His. He was punished for my sin. And
His righteousness becomes mine. Now, how in the world can we
omit judgment? This is what he accused the Pharisees
of. You've omitted the weightier
matters of the law first. Judgment. Well, the first way
we admit it is by saying nothing about it. How many churches in Lexington,
Kentucky, have even considered how God can be just and still
justify the ungodly. You know, that's just a dry,
boring theological issue that nobody cares about in most people's
minds. And so I omit the weightier matters
of the law when I Don't say anything about God's judgment, how he
can be just and justify the ungodly. And this is also talking about
his justice in sending a sinner to hell. Would God be just if
he sent me to hell or you to hell? Would it be just? God's
judgment, justice must be settled first. How can I admit his judgment
by teaching salvation by works in any form? You see, if I teach
salvation by works, if I believe in salvation by works, by any
form, I'm bringing God down onto my level. I'm saying He could
be pleased with something I did when everything I do is sin.
And I'm just bringing God down to my level when I believe in
salvation by works in any respect. We omit judgment when we fail
to give the true meaning of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's when we omit judgment when we pass over, when we fail
to give the meaning of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. For
instance, if I stand before a congregation
and say, Jesus Christ died for the sins of all men without exception
and made payment for all sin. If I make that statement, I've
passed over judgment. I say by that, if I say that
Christ died for everybody and yet some of those people that
he died for might wind up in hell if you don't do your part,
I say God's not just. If my sin was paid for by Christ
and he makes me pay for it again in hell, I'm saying God's not
just. That's all I'm saying. That's
blasphemy. It's heretical. It's contrary
to the gospel. You can't preach the gospel and
preach something like that. You've passed over judgment.
That's the message of the hypocrite. That's the message of the Pharisee.
There's no judgment there. If I make the cross out to be
something where God is punishing Christ, even though Christ didn't
deserve it. And I make the cross like that,
I've omitted judgment because here's what happened on the cross.
My sin became his to the point where he deserved the punishment
of God and his righteousness is given to mine, to me. So,
you know, I preach this every time I preach, I suppose. And
I'm I hope, by the grace of God,
I preach this every time I preach until I die. Judgment. Judgment. Now, he says to the
Pharisees, you've left out, you've omitted the weightier matters
of the law. Judgment. Now, the next thing he says that
they've omitted is mercy. Mercy. Now, there can be no mercy
without first God's judgment and justice being settled. But
mercy is the weightier matter of the law. Now what does the
Bible mean by mercy? Would you turn with me to Ephesians
chapter 2? Ephesians chapter 2. Verse 1. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein, in times past, you walked
according to the course of this world, you were just like everybody
else, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, but God. Not that you turned it around.
Not that you saw the light, but God, here's the difference, who
is rich in mercy. For his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved. Now, his mercy is saving mercy. When you talk about the mercy
of God, you're talking about saving mercy. You're not talking
about mercy offered. You don't offer mercy. You never
offer mercy. You give it. An offer of mercy
is not mercy at all. This is the saving mercy of God. Turn with me to Romans chapter
9. Here's what God's mercy is. Romans chapter 9. Verse 11, for the children, talking about
Jacob and Esau, being not yet born, neither having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, Salvation is not of works, but of him that
calleth. It was said unto her, The elder
shall serve the younger, as it's written. Jacob, this is God speaking,
quoting from Malachi, as it's written, Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated. Now God says, I hate Esau. Is there any question about that?
God says this. And before we get stuck on how
could he hate Esau, remember, Esau was a profane man. And God's
hatred is not like our hatred. His hatred is with regard to
justice and righteousness and holiness. Esau didn't care anything
more about God than a bowl of soup. That's how valuable God
was to him. He sold his birthright. He sold
his position of the firstborn for a bowl of soup. He didn't
care anything more about God than a bowl of soup. He was a
profane man. He didn't care about God. And
really, I have no trouble in this thing of God hating Esau,
because I can see. Here's the reason. First, because
the Bible says it. And I can also see, apart from his grace,
apart from his mercy, apart from Christ, I can see why God would
hate me. Can't you see that? Can't you see why God would hate
you? What you are in and of yourself, your sinfulness? Now, let's go
on reading. Verse 13, Jacob hath I loved,
but Esau hath I hated. The amazing thing is that he
loved Jacob. I can identify with Jacob that
I loved. Jacob, this sinful, sinful, weak,
with nothing even to say good about Jacob. If you look at his
character, he was a swindler. He was a deceiver. I mean, there
wasn't anything to him. But yet God says, Jacob have
I loved. What should we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Is it unfair for God to love
Jacob and hate Esau? God forbid, for he saith to Moses,
I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy. There's God's mercy,
sovereign mercy. I'll have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, and I'll have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then it's not of him that willeth. Now you take everybody's
view of free will. Here it says it's not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth
mercy. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared
throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens." Now, how
do we omit or pass over mercy? Let me give you four or five
ways. First, we omit mercy by making
the reason for mercy merit rather than God's sovereign will. We
totally deny mercy when we say, well, God gives you mercy because
you did something. That's not mercy. That's works. That's payment. Can't do that. We omit mercy by making it the
end rather than the beginning of salvation. If you do this,
if you do that, you'll have mercy. Salvation begins with the sovereign
act of God's mercy. He has mercy on whom he will
have mercy. We omit mercy by denying God's
sovereignty in it. When we do that, it's no longer
mercy. It means payment. And we admit mercy by denying
man's responsibility for his own sin, making mercy man's entitlement
rather than God's gift. May God deliver us from omitting
mercy. And he says to the Pharisees,
you've omitted the weightier matters, judgment, mercy, and
faith. Faith is the weightier matter
of the law. So I hope that right now God
will give me the grace to say what faith is and give me the
grace to exercise it. and proclaim it, and give you
the grace to hear and understand what faith is. This is the weightier
matter of the law. The law shows the necessity of
faith. Now, what is faith? What is faith? Do I believe? Do I know what faith is? Do I
enter into this? What is faith? Now, listen real
carefully. Faith is simply this. Faith is
believing what God said. Is it that simple? Yes. That's why it's so difficult.
Because it's so simple. Faith is believing what God said. Now, what is the foundation of
our faith? The Word of God. The Bible. The infallible, inspired Word
of God. You cannot have faith if you
do not believe that the Bible is God's Word. Somebody says,
well, prove to me this. I can't do it, but I know it
is. I'm speaking as a witness. I'm testifying. I know this is
the Word of God. Well, you can't prove it. Well,
I don't need to. But if you don't have this, what
do you have? Believe what? Remember, faith's
foundation is believing the Word of God, the written testimony. What is the object of faith? The Lord Jesus Christ. He is
the object of faith. I'm relying on him. I'm relying
on who he is and what he did as everything in my salvation.
I'm not looking to myself. I'm not looking to anything I
do. I'm not looking to anything I believe. I'm not looking to
anything I intend to do. All that God requires of me,
He looks to His Son for. I'm not looking to my experience.
I'm not looking to my feelings. I'm looking to the Lord Jesus
Christ alone as everything in my salvation. He is the object
of my faith. We look to Him. We're not looking
within. Not looking to you. Look to him. All my assurance is found in
him. Nowhere else. He is the object
of faith. Now, upon what ground can I believe
that he did something for me? Upon what ground can I believe
that he's done something for me? It's so simple. Are you a sinner? That's the only question I'm
asking you. Are you a sinner? A real bona fide sinner? Somebody who in and of yourselves,
all you do is sin and you cannot not sin. That's what you are.
You're a sinner. Are you a sinner? Now, if you can give that question
the affirmative, yes, I am. And I'm talking about what the
Bible means by sinner. I'm not just talking about, well, nobody's
perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. I'm not talking about that kind
of sinner. That's a sham sinner. I'm talking about somebody who's
completely evil in and of themselves. Are you a sinner? You say, well,
I'm not going to go that far. Well, I can't give you any assurance
that Christ has died for you. I really can't. But if you're
a sinner, listen to this scripture. This is a faithful saint. and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save who? Sinners. Of whom I am the chief. If you're a sinner, Christ died
for you. Your sins have been washed away. You're accepted in the beloved.
What is my warrant for believing? Everybody doesn't have faith.
What makes me think I can have faith? What makes me think I
can believe that he died for me? What makes me think I can
believe on him? What gives me the right to believe on him?
His command. Believe. That's a command. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Now, you have the right to do
what he commands you to do, don't you? His command to you and to
me. is to believe the gospel. And
what is the result of faith? He that believeth is not condemned. Faith believes that God is satisfied
with Christ and nothing else is needed. Do you believe that?
And faith is satisfied with the same thing God is satisfied with,
Christ. Do you believe? Faith. What is faith? This is the weightier matter
of the law. Faith is the gift of God. It's not something you
can work up. You won't have it unless He gives
it to you. Faith is the gift of God. But not only is faith
the gift of God, you're commanded to believe, and you yourself
must believe. God won't believe for you. God
the Holy Spirit won't believe for you. I can't believe for
you. You can't believe for me. You
yourself must believe. Now, how do I leave faith undone? By not believing. By teaching
salvation by works. By changing the meaning of the
word faith and making it into a work rather than faith. You
know, some folks think they're saved by their faith or because
of their faith. No, I'm saved because of Christ,
who he is and what he did. Faith believes that. But when
I make faith the cause of salvation, I omit what faith is. By neglecting to bring out the
necessity of faith, you must believe there's no salvation
apart from faith. Or by not calling on men to believe.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Now,
these are the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and
faith. Now, these are also. The weightier matters of practice. Judgment, mercy and faith, I'm
going to be brief, but I want you to listen, this is just as
important. If these are not my practice, I don't have any understanding
of the doctrine either. Judgment, mercy and faith. Judgment. It's always right to
do the just and right thing. That's simple enough, isn't it?
You know, when you're given a choice to choose between the lesser
of two evils, choose neither. What's the right thing to do?
We know. We know. And if we don't but
want to know, we'll know. And remember, to him that knoweth
to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. To omit judgment
is to fail to do what's right. It's leaving this undone. And that makes me cry, Lord,
order my steps in your word. And let not any iniquity have
dominion over me. Second, mercy. Mercy. Being merciful, not being harsh. Not being a critic. Not being
a judge. Not judging people. You know,
I was thinking about this. I mean, I've said it many times.
Who am I to set in judgment on anybody. I am utterly unqualified, and
you are too. We don't know the facts. Besides
everything we're judging somebody of, we're guilty of doing the
same things and worse in reality. So this attitude of being harsh
and critical and judgmental is wrong. Oh, I'm to be merciful. moved to action by the misery
of others. You know, I may be sound as a
dollar in the doctrine of sovereign mercy, but if I'm not a merciful
person, I'm rotten to the core. This is the rule of our practice.
Mercy, being merciful, moved to action, blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy. And what is it to admit mercy?
It's to fail to be merciful. It's really that simple. And
then the third wavier matter in our practice is faith, judgment,
mercy, and faith. Faith is more than a doctrine.
It's what we live by. The just shall live by faith.
You see, faith is the grace that gives us the unlimited resources
of God Almighty. That's what faith is. All things are possible to him
that believeth according to your faith, be it unto you. The Lord said, all things whatsoever
you ask in prayer, believe that you receive them and you shall
have them. All things are possible. Do you
hear that? All things are possible to him
that believeth. Faith is the receiving grace. The only way you receive what
God gives is by faith. If any man lack wisdom, let him
ask of God who gives to all men liberally, and upbraid not, and
he'll have it. But let him ask in faith. If you don't ask in faith, You
won't have it. Understand, I must believe faith
is a conscious dependence upon Him for everything. We walk by faith and not by sight. We omit faith when we fail to
live in a conscious, confident dependence on Him for all things
material and spiritual. Judgment, mercy and faith, the
rule of our doctrine, the rule of our practice. Now, I want
to close by looking at a passage of scripture in the book of Micah. Micah, chapter six, Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah and Micah. Probably take me as long to find
it as it does you. Micah, chapter six, verse six. Are you there? Wherewith shall I come before
the Lord, and bow myself before the high
God? Shall I come before him with
burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord
be pleased with thousands of rams, or with tens of thousands
of rivers of Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
and the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what
is good, and the stuff you bring it, and what doth the Lord require
of thee? But to do justly, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God. There are those three things.
to do justly. Now, is that talking about my
actions? Well, here's the glory of the gospel. If Jesus Christ
did justly, I myself actually did justly and do justly. Did he do justly? Then so do
I. And God requires that of me. In Christ, I do justly. This describes me. Perfect obedience. And that doesn't take away from
the importance of you and I are always required to do what's
right, to do what's just. And the second thing, there's
judgment. That's the way to your matter of law. Second thing,
to love mercy. I love mercy. I love being saved by the mercy
of God, don't you? I love being saved by the free
mercy of God. And I love being merciful. May God make me a merciful person. To love mercy. And to walk humbly with thy God. And the only way I can walk humbly
with my God is to walk by faith. There we have the three weightier
matters of the law. And may this be always before
us in our conscience. Judgment. The accomplishments
of Christ on the cross. I always want to do what's right.
You know, when I say that, I think of what Paul said, To will is
present with me. But how to perform it, I find
not. To will is present with me. Mercy. Salvation by God's mercy and
being merciful. and faith, the doctrine of faith
and the life of faith. May God enable us to not swallow
camels and strain at gnats, but to love judgment, mercy and faith.
Let's pray together.