Law, Liberty And Lasciviousness Pt.1

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Pastor Scott

November 17, 1996 Sun AM

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Hallelujah. Amen. Aren't you thankful for the cross this morning? Being able to identify with that crucifixion and burial, and our resurrection in Him, and if we be raised with Him then we can have the assurance that we will be like him praise God. Once quick announcement before we get into the teaching this morning. Those of you who had signed up for our proposed trip to the missionary journeys of Paul and a visit to the seven churches of Revelation, we're also going to be, in addition to the seven churches, we're going to be going into the areas of Phillipi, and we'll go down and prepare for departure at Thessalonica just in case the Lord comes we'll be ready for the rapture. We're going to drop in and see if the Bereans are still studying and have a good time in our way. We'll spend some time in Corinth, and then also in Athens, and go down and check out the unknown god that many of them are worshiping. Hopefully we can bring them to better understanding there on Mars Hill. So we'll be having a good time. Now there are a number of slots available. We had more people signed up than we could take but only thirteen have given us money, and so from now it's first come first serve basis again. Those of you that forget to get your deposits in you're out of luck. Now you're back on a list of first come first serve. So if you really are intending on going it's going to be on a space-limited basis. Thirteen have already got their hundred dollars in, they've got spots unless there's some other reason - I don't know who these thirteen are - that they might not be able to go. We're not taking young people, the teenagers. There's a couple that signed. Those that are in school will be making space for others to make this sojourn. So if you're interested get that hundred-dollar check to one of the pastors after service or by this evening because there's about twenty spaces available. So if you're interested I'd encourage you to sign up for that.

Let's turn if you would to the book of Matthew. And in Matthew's gospel we want to spend a little bit of time here understanding, I think, one of the most important subjects of the hour that we're in. We sang so much about it this morning concerning the finished work of Jesus on the cross, our regeneration that comes through faith in his redemptive work, and the ability to balance this great gift of grace and faith that's been imparted to us, the righteousness that's been imputed to us, and understanding also the responsibility that we have of walking in obedience to the will of God, to the word of God. So we want to talk about, for the next couple of sessions, law, liberty, and lasciviousness. Law, liberty, and lasciviousness. You see a lot of people think that liberty and lasciviousness are the same thing. They're not. A lot of people think that liberty means lawlessness and it does not. A lot of people seem to think that the law still has them in bondage, and is the only source of ordering their steps. It is not. So we want to talk about the full understanding of these aspects. Now in Matthew the fifth chapter let's go to see what the Lord has to say on this subject, and of course that's the place that we always want to go to have that understanding. In the fifth chapter of Matthew verse 17, we begin to allow the Lord to speak concerning his perception of the law, how he relates to it. And I think it's very important to spend a little bit of time meditating upon the Lord and how he did relate himself to the law of God. It's interesting to see that in his earthly ministry he walked in obedience to many of the ordinances that you and I are not responsible to walk in today. That's a very interesting comparison and something that we have to study his life, and his ministry to be able to distinguish between which aspects of the law you and I are obligated to, and which we are not. When I say law let me give you three different categories that we're talking about. And these are not synonymous, they're not interchangeable but they do comprise the perspective of law as it's referred to in both the old and the new testament. First of all when we talk about law we're talking about the moral law of God. The moral law. We can identify the most obvious and well-known aspects of moral law is what? The decalogue or the Ten Commandments. So we realize that is one aspect of the law. The law is referred to many times by the different teachers and in our understanding also by what's referred to as the ceremonial law or Levitical ordinances. Then there's the laws that are referred to in the scriptures that we would call civil or social laws. So when we're talking about law we're talking about a large category, a large spectrum of how God has revealed to man how he's to interact with himself, and with humanity. Because that's what law is all about. Law's all about giving instructions based upon interaction between man and God himself, and man and our sociological relationships that we have. The purpose of the law as we know it was made very clear that the law is a guide, first of all guiding men back to God himself, secondly a guide or a method of directing men in relationships. The purpose of the law then was to lead men to God and also - get this it's very important because you'll see that the ceremonial law and many of the social laws that I said were no longer applicable to our lives. Many of these ordinances were for the very purpose of identifying a people that were sanctified, old testament sanctification or set apart for God. Many of these laws were just for Israel to lead them into an understanding of that which would come and be fulfilled in Abraham's seed Jesus Christ.

Many of them were for the purpose of preserving a nation in it's wandering from Egypt into the land of promise. Many of the dietary laws, many of the health laws that were given were for the very purpose of preservation of that people, literally preserving them for the glory of God. So we begin to see that Jesus' ministry - and you'll see it here in just a moment - was one of taking all of these aspects of the law of God and making sure that you and I understood first of all why they were introduced, but now how they're better understood, and applied in the spirit realm. And that which does not pertain to the eternal is no longer binding to those of us since the new and better covenant, i.e., pork. How many of you know that it's not a sin for you today to eat pork? And yet you read the old testament, and if we're going to be under the law, and begin to believe that every aspect of the law of God is binding upon us today, then we can't eat pork. You know it's not the best thing for you to eat. We all understand that it clogs up your arteries. It can have strange effects, and cause deformities like some of those people at the Redskins games. Have you seen those guys with noses down there? So you never know what's going to happen so I'd encourage you to approach it accordingly. How many of you know that you're not obligated to build a banister around the roof of your house today? How many of you know that's in the law? You were to build a banister. You were to build a little fence around the roof of your house so no one would fall off. When's the last time you had somebody on your house? And those of us that don't believe in Santa, we're not worried about that fat guy either are we? So we realize then that these were laws that were applicable to that day, that custom, and yet we have the mandate that says guilty of one guilty of all. Which law is that speaking of? The intermingling of materials as you sew garments together? Is it talking about banisters? Well obviously no, that's not what he's referring to. When Jesus speaks towards these areas of our obligation, he's always speaking to the moral law. If the ceremonial laws or the Levitical laws are what we're being referred to then we have a big problem because most of them were centered around one act - what was it? The visitation of God upon the mercy seat, the sprinkling of blood, the day of atonement. And how many of you know that after the Babylon captivity the ark of the covenant has never been seen again? Now if that's the case then all through subsequent time keeping the law was impossible. There was no ark. So it's very important for us to make these distinctions.

One other thing before we get into the reading here of Jesus teaching on the sermon on the mount. I think it's very important to understand what he's making reference to here. When Jesus makes these statements, you've heard it said, but I say unto you, Jesus is not quoting the prophets nor is he quoting Moses. This is very important, and this is what applies to you and I today. He's quoting the teachers of his day and how they're applying the word of God. How they had taken their traditions, and their own convictions, and interwoven these things into the word of God. Jesus is literally not defusing the moral law but, in fact, bringing it back to the place of prominence, and dominance that it should have in the beginning. And yet many teachers seem to think that somehow Jesus is minimizing the law of God. He is not. He's reemphasizing it, and he's diffusing man's perspective, and Jesus is basically saying this, let the word of God speak for itself. So it's a very important thing to understand what he's making reference to here in Matthew the fifth chapter. With all that said let's look at it and begin to appreciate what the Lord's saying to us. Think not, verse 17, that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets, I am not come to destroy, but what? To fulfill. Very interesting. Let's briefly look again at the life of Jesus. Was Jesus in his life subject to certain principles within the law? Yes he was. He was circumcised wasn't he? We realize that he attended different aspects of festivals at the temple. We realize that he came and interacted with the doctor's of law in the temple concerning many of the ceremonial laws. The great shadow of the things that were to come as the scripture refers to them. And yet Jesus was always in conflict with the legalists of their day because in their legality they were not just trying to hold to the word of God, they were wanting to hold to the traditions of men or how it was perceived by established teachers, and here, most importantly, how it would be perceived by the onlookers. So when Jesus and his disciples would eat without washing hands this bothered them. When Jesus would heal on the Sabbath, this bothered them. Jesus was continually contending with the Pharisees, and with the legalists of his day, saying you're missing this whole thing man. The Sabbath was given for man, it was to bring that rest, and that ability to spend time in the presence of God, it's for the good of men. Anything that's done that's good on the Sabbath is the very spirit of Sabbath rest. And they didn't understand that. They felt that just keeping these different traditions - they were looking for abstinence and Jesus said, there is never a time to abstain from doing good and right. So the conflict was there in the natural mind how it was perceived what God was wanting in the lives of men. Jesus didn't have any problem healing on the Sabbath. Jesus didn't have any problem traveling on the Sabbath. Now we know and I won't get into the logistics of it, but we know that many of the Pharisees in that day came up with all kinds of, and I wish some time that I could gather that up. I used to have the information on how many of legalists of their day would get around the laws, and still legally be keeping them, but find all kinds of loop holes as to how they could travel beyond Sabbath days journeys, how they could partake of many different things, and still feel that they had not defiled themselves in disobedience. Thousands of little loop holes that they would walk through and justify themselves, and Jesus, of course, made it very clear to them in Matthew 22. In fact let me show you something. Might as well look at it while we're just hanging out here. In Matthew 22 verse 34, "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Which is the greatest commandment? And Jesus response to them was this, love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, this is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. In his instruction to them he sets down the spiritual foundation. It's interesting as you read on into the 23rd chapter, Jesus begins to wail on these guys for their hypocrisy. In verse 13 of the 23rd he says, "woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you shut up the kingdom against men, for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you suffer them to enter." He said, I want you to know you who devour widows houses, and for a pretense make long prayer, you shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold the children of hell that you are. Jesus kind of jumped bad on these guys didn't he? Now what is it that's got Jesus ticked? Well you'll find out that he goes down into verse 23 and he says, woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites. Seems to begin to be a continual phrase. You pay tithe of mint, cummin, but you've omitted the weightier matters of the law. Outwardly clean, whited sepulchers, inwardly full of dead men's bones. An outward appearance. But he says, you're keeping all of these outward things that can be observed that would cause other men to say, oh, aren't they holy, aren't they righteous. But he said, you're denying, omitting the weightier matters of the law such as judgement, and mercy, and faith. These ought you to have done, and then he says, and don't leave the other undone. It's not wrong. It's your motive. You're doing it to be seen of men. You're doing it to feel good about yourselves. He said in verse 25, you make clean the outside of the cup, but inwardly you're full of extortion and excess. You blind Pharisees cleanse first that which is within the cup that the outside of them might be clean also. So as we begin to look and understand what Jesus is saying and begin to appreciate his heart. He's declaring that the law to be used effectively must have an inward motivation, and it's done because of a recreation of the spirit not an obligation being put upon us by spiritual leaders, by society, by fear of damnation, or any other external motivation. It has to be because of a new heart, a clean perspective on who and what we are in Jesus Christ.

Now turn to Romans 4 and let me set down a couple of principles for understanding the law in relation to what Jesus said in Matthew 5. Jesus said, I did not come to destroy the law or the prophets I came to fulfill it. What does it mean to fulfill the law? What is the purpose of the law? Romans 4 gives us the purpose of the law about as clearly as any other passage of scripture. Beginning in verse 19 the scripture says we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to those who are under the law. Get that in your notes. Whatsoever the law says it says to those who are under the law. This might help you a little bit in understanding where we're going here in the next couple of teachings. Romans when it speaks of the law is dealing predominantly with moral law. The contrasting of Galatians with the law is dealing primarily with ceremonial law and how regenerated man relates to ceremonial law, Galatians, and here how a regenerated man understands the purpose of moral law, and what it's provided. Verse 19. We know that whatsoever the law saith it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. The purpose of the law is to make you guilty before God. How many of you realize that when you're walking in the spirit and that inward work that we were just talking about earlier is manifesting itself in you, and you realize that in this walk in the spirit your motives are right, and you're free, and you open the word of God, and yo'uer reading it, and there is no condemnation, amen? And then how many of you know that when you're harboring, your motives are wrong, you're harboring in your own heart lust, and you realize that when you open the word of God all of a sudden, man the condemnation comes, the guilt comes. Now what do most Christians try to do at that time? They want to cast that away. There's no condemnation to those of us that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. It's amazing how many people want to say, there's never to be any condemnation if you're a Christian. There should be condemnation if you're a Christian in disobedience. Amen? That passage says there is condemnation to those of us who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.

So we realize then that the word of God, the law of God came to bring men to an understanding that they are guilty before God. Verse 20 says, therefore by the deeds of the law you will never be justified. The law can't justify you it can only tell you that you're not right. You're not right. That's how too many people deal with their children today. We just keep telling them, no that's wrong, don't do that, that's not right. Well tell them how to do right. Show them how to do right. Lay your life down for them and be an example instead of provoking them through a continual condemnation. Bring them deliverance and thank God that's what was done for us, amen? Because by the deeds of the law he says there's not any flesh going to be justified in his sight. For by the law is the, write it in your notes, we're talking about what the law is for, for by the law is what? The knowledge of sin. By the law is the knowledge of sin. The law helps you understand when you've transgressed. It brings to your understanding I'm out of right relationship with God. So what do we do to get right? Double up on our tithing? Kill another bull? Offer two gallons of blood at the altar? No. Thank God that under the new covenant what do we do? We confess our sins and he's faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But the law by the spirit of those of us that are regenerated helps us understand when we've moved contrary to what is acceptable in God's sight. Now what I'm doing is I'm setting a foundation for you for where we're going in this study to show you the limitations of your liberty. Some of you are not taking enough liberty and some of you are taking too much. There's limitations to our liberty. What am I saying to you this morning? You're never free from the moral law, amen? You can't say, well brother I just haven't gotten revelation on that, thou shall not commit adultery. You better hurry up and get some revelation. You want to know how long it takes to get revelation on thou shall not commit adultery? Hearing it once, amen? You just got revelation and you are accountable to obey the moral law, and the moment you transgress it you're under the judgement, you're under condemnation, period. There is no freedom from the moral law. The law when it's transgressed will always, always rise up and bring you knowledge of sin, period.

So as we go on and talk about the liberty aspect of this a little bit later probably this evening, you'll see why this foundation's important that we're laying for you this morning. He goes on and says in verse 21 some of the great theological truths that cause you and I to stand in assurance, and liberty in these next couple of verses. He says, we do now have a righteousness of God without the law. And we've taught on this extensively so I won't refer to it this morning. But there is for you and I in the new covenant without the law righteousness. The law cannot make your righteous. We are righteous without the law. How? Through the righteousness, verse 22, which is of God by faith of Jesus Christ. Unto all and upon all them that believe for there is no difference. We, verse 24, have been justified. Now the word justified means what? Pronounced right. To be justified just means to be pronounced righteous. We sang it this morning - justified. What does that mean? It means to be pronounced right with God. How many of you are glad this morning that when your name comes up, Star Scott comes up on the computer screen, and then next to it flashes up, he's right with God. That's good news, amen? How many of you are glad that when your name comes up that right next to it is, this guy's right with God. That's what this is all about. Why, because I didn't commit adultery this week? No. Because I didn't kill anybody this week? No. That's not what makes me righteous. That's not what makes me right with God. Now if I were to do those things it would indicate to me that I'm out of fellowship with God. But that's not what makes me right with God. What makes me right with God is the free justification, verse 24, by grace through the redemption that was affected in Jesus work on the cross. Nothing I do can make me right with God. Absolutely nothing I do makes me right with God. But there's things I can do that make me wrong with God that indicate that I am not right with God that I'm not trusting in his Lordship that I'm not yielded to his will. But nothing can make me right with God but my belief in what Jesus has accomplished for me on the cross. And even that belief is a gift from God.

Let me take just a moment and explain something to you how this works. This is where I differ from what we would call a five-point Calvinist, and even men that I have regard for in their knowledge, men like R.C. Sproll and some of these. But here's one area where these guys have really missed the truths of the word of God, and it's because of their belief in predestination. And because they're coming to the scriptures from a preconceived idea of predestination, they've missed some biblical principles. Got most of it right. But their comment is that man has nothing to do or no place whatsoever in regeneration. Even to the place of being able to make a choice. And what they put forth is a propagation of something that's called irresistible grace. You cannot help it. You cannot oppose it. There is no way you can oppose God's grace when he comes to call you to himself if you are one of the elect you will be saved like it or not. What does that do to whosoever will? Now where the Armenians get into trouble is they take whosoever will and make the will of man of such a focus that makes man think that not only whosoever but whensoever. And if I decide to come to God I'll come and I'll come on my own terms, and I'll come when I feel like it. Wrong. No man can come except the Father draws him, amen? I would encourage every man who is feeling drawn to come, this is the day of salvation you may not get another chance. So this is the two extremes, the two positions people take theologically. What happens when God is drawing a man to himself? We know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. How shall they hear without a preacher is the scripture. That's why you and I are to go and to preach this gospel message and to share with people that God has reconciled man back to himself through the free gift of Jesus Christ. And when we speak of the death, the burial, the resurrection of Christ, the free access now to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, what happens is when you speak that message, beloved no one can hear the message of the gospel and remain neutral. It's impossible. When these words are spoken by faith, when these words are spoken in the name of Jesus Christ it has to be accepted or rejected, it cannot be in any way responded to in neutrality. Now watch, when you and I hear this message, and here's the distinction, we hear this message, and all of a sudden there's an illumination, and you say, that's truth, and I want it. And we're not talking about the understanding, that's true and I reject it. We're saying that finally the illumination comes and you say, that's truth, and I want that. What we need to understand beloved is this, that the grace of God that gave us the illumination, you didn't come to it on your own, flesh and blood does not reveal this to a man to where we can testify, thou art the Christ the Son of the living God. It comes from Father, amen? And so we understand that now my mind is illuminated. So many times we think, and now my will chose God. Yes we made the choice by his grace and by his faith, amen? For by grace are you saved through faith and that's not of yourselves it's a gift of God lest any man should boast. Though our will is the factor in it, and I believe necessary, where I do not agree with the Calvinists. I believe that even at that moment our will must be infused by the faith of God to allow us to make that choice which then creates in us regeneration. And regeneration now we have, for lack of a better term, resident illumination. We've come now to spiritual life, and now I can begin to understand the things of God. Where as before the god of this world had been blinded lest I should believe the light of the glorious gospel, I have now by God's grace believed it, and now my mind is illuminated because of regeneration in my heart. That's what we call being born again. And once we're born again we are capable from that moment of understanding all spiritual truths. This thing of saying I've got to be saved for twenty years before I'm accountable to know truth is deceit, it's a lie of the devil. Once you have been regenerated, once you have been illuminated you now have the capacity to know truth when you hear it, and when you know it you're responsible for it. So this thing of thinking that I've got to grow in my spiritual life before I'm accountable is a falsehood. There's no indication. Now we're not talking about maturity. We're not talking about the fact that you're going to learn more things. We're not talking about the fact that you're going to get stronger in your pursuit of God by reason of use. Get this down in your thinking here also as we're going to talk about this liberty that we have, and how we relate to the law.

How am I going to be made stronger? How do I become a stronger Christian? By praying more? No. But you need to pray more. How am I going to become a stronger Christian by studying more? No. But you need to study more. None of that, none of that is what makes you stronger. It's the nutrition necessary to allow you to exercise choice, opposition to temptation and flesh, because we - the scripture makes it very clear - come to that perfection when by reason of use our senses are exercised to discern good and evil. You'll only become stronger through temptation and trial, through opposition; and in the midst of the opposition making the right choice. Why? Because you have been nurtured through prayer and study to make that right choice. But the knowledge, the preparation's not what makes you strong, it's the opposition, it's the choice, it is the exercise now of that will to do right because of the presence of Jesus in your life. That's where a lot of people make the mistakes. We seem to think that knowing about God, making mental ascent of what we believe in God is what's necessary rather than the fact that it's the doing the word not the hearing. We've got people who have ten times the knowledge of others here in our fellowship and not near the maturity. Because the one with ten times less knowledge is a doer with what they know and not just a student but a disciple. When you're a disciple you know the truth and the truth then makes you free from the bondage of sin, bondage of flesh because maturity is doing what you know and sin is knowing to do good and doing it not.

So as we begin to realize these aspects it shows us then as mature people how we relate to the free gift of righteousness and how we relate to the law of God when we do transgress. And we do periodically. But if we sin John says we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. Didn't say when you sin it said if you sin. And if you sin we have an advocate. He ever lives, the scripture says, to make intercession for us. Aren't you thankful for that? But this balance of understanding that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, and yet at the same time realizing that sin, that's in my members does not have dominion over me. It's there but it's not dominant. Now how do we walk this thing out? Paul goes on in Romans and says, don't you understand verse 25, that God has set forth Jesus to be the propitiation. The word propitiation means appeasement. It means the satisfaction of the debt, it's been paid. God has been appeased. Now how do we get experientially the liberty of understanding that apeasement? Because without that real liberty, we can't come boldly to God. And those that come to him must believe that he is and that he's a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. We know that there's bold access to the presence of God. How? By the blood of Jesus. But he's saying it doesn't affect you if you personally don't have faith in that blood. The access has been provided freely by Jesus but it's unto all and upon those that believe is what Paul said. The propitiation is appropriated by your personal faith in his blood. And for all who have that faith he declares righteousness which then brings the remission of sin's past through the forbearance of God. What's the conclusion of this Paul says? Verse 28. We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deed of the law.

Now those of you that are bound up by law I want you to catch these principles that we were sharing with you this morning. The conclusion is you're justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Those of you that are wanting to bring other people into bondage, touch not, taste not, you're not justified by that, you're justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Do not bring people into bondage through your own weak conscience that Jesus has made free by his blood. Be very careful about that. Because that is just as much a stumbling block as someone who is using their liberty as an occasion to their flesh. You need to be careful. Because a man is not justified by the deeds of the law. Well then do we make void the law? Through faith. Man, no one's ever asked that question before. Verse 31. God forbid. We establish the law. Faith doesn't negate the law. Faith doesn't abolish the law. Faith establishes the law. It takes the very spirit of the law and applies it through our obedience to the law by faith in Jesus Christ. In other words what we're saying is this, that with Jesus as the Lord of my life, if my steps are being ordered by God, if I'm walking in the spirit, I will be doing absolutely everything necessary to remain in right relationship with God and any thing that's contrary to moral law he will illuminate me because the law has been established in my heart now by faith. The writing of the commandments now are internal, they're spiritual, they're not external ordinances, do, don't, pray fifteen minutes, pray seventeen minutes, new moons, Sabbaths, touch not, taste not. He said that's not what walking in the spirit's all about. So we realize then, according to the 3rd chapter verse 20, that the purpose of the law brings you and I to the knowledge of sin and to that fact that there is no righteousness or justification by the deeds of the law but by faith only. Romans the fifth chapter verse 20 makes it very clear to us that the law when it was declared, and remember the law was not God's first method of dealing with man, faith was. When he spoke to Abraham and began to draw men to himself it was through faith - the fourth chapter of Romans makes it clear to us. We come into chapter 5 and we find this statement in verse 20 to where he says, the law entered that the offence might abound. Man knew he was doing something wrong. Man knew he wasn't right with God. How many of you before you were saved, before you ever stepped inside a church, how many of you knew you weren't right with God? All of us. And man's without excuse because the knowledge of God, Romans tells us, is in every man. And we don't know exactly what it is. We don't even know necessarily that we are dealing with that fact that we're not right with God we just know one thing we're miserable and we know when we look around us and we see some life style or ordinance that's contrary to the life pattern that we've established that reflects some form of righteousness that it causes us to pause and think, maybe there is something outside of myself. Maybe there is a God. Maybe there is a right and a wrong. Scripture says this knowledge is in every man and we have to deal with it. The sad thing was it wasn't well defined. There was the knowledge but it wasn't well defined. Even the knowledge the scripture says of the Majesty of the Godhead is internalized. But Paul says in Romans chapter 5 verse 20, that the law entered that the offense might abound. It amplifies. It says, you know that which you were internally sensing here's what you've done wrong, here's the offense to God, here's the offense to man, and here's the consequence of that type of a life. Now it's abounded. Now I understand clearly what I'm responsible for and what the consequence of disobedience are going to be. But then listen to what the spirit says to us - but where sin abounded, what? So the law comes and says, here's where you're guilty, and you have capacity within yourself to ever do that which is acceptable before God. So what does he do? He makes up a temporary system of atonement. And he said if you're serious about being right with God, if you'll follow these directives judgement will pass over you and if you'll take to the priest these sacrifices, and if you'll acknowledge that these ordinances that I give you are true and just, the decalogue, then I want you to know the provision is coming. Galatians says the law is a school master to do what? Point us to Christ. Moses said it there's one that's coming like me, greater than I, hear him. His life is going to transcend the laws of Sinai. The prophet says he's going to take hearts of stone and turn them into hearts of flesh. And he says that though the law brings the knowledge of sin to the place of abounding, to the place where you look and you say, is there any hope for us, he said at that moment grace will much more abound, that as sin has reigned unto death even so this grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Oh beloved, listen to what the apostle's saying to us here. We've got people today that are wanting to run from the law, run to the law and see how great a salvation you have this morning. How guilty you are that there would be no tendency toward self righteousness to where you and I could come and say in my flesh there's no good thing. I merit a devil's hell, what I have is a free gift of God. You see the tendency for many of us once we're saved is we start thinking we are good and you're the same dog you always were in the flesh. Absence the life of Christ from within you. Listen to the psalmist's cry even before regeneration, take not thy Holy Spirit from me. What about the times that you sin and you know that fellowship is broken, and you cry with the same intensity of the Psalmist, oh God create in me a clean heart. Renew this right spirit within me. You begin to cry with the apostle and say, for me to live is Christ. How comfortable are you? How long are you comfortable when you know you're not right with God? How long does it take you to repent? If you're comfortable in that grace then you don't understand grace. Because the scripture tells us very clearly what this law is for. First Timothy speaks to this as it pertains to you and I as believers and I think we've already established clearly that we're not talking about any righteousness by the law. We're talking about a vehicle by which sin or the offenses abound. The knowledge of sin is by the law.

In I Timothy the 1st chapter he makes an interesting comment to us. He says there's a number of you that desire to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm. Isn't it interesting this disciple of Paul, the apostle of faith and grace? Listen to what he says. We know that the law is good, amen? The law's good. What does the scripture say to us? It says the law is perfect converting the soul, amen? We've got people today that are in this time that we're living proponents of grace that almost make us think that the law is bad, the law's evil. Thank God we've finally been set free from this evil thing called the law. The law is what kept you alive until grace manifested in your life. The law is that thing that pointed men to Jesus. The law is that thing that caused sin and the offense to abound. The law's good. Nothing wrong with the law. He just says you need to do what - verse 8? Use it lawfully. Well what's the lawful use of the law? Well you can't use it for justification. I wouldn't say that the law is real good for inspiration. I'd say it does a real good job of condemnation, amen? Don't you realize he goes to say, lawful use that the law is not made for a what? Now the moment you pull the law of God out and try to put it upon a righteous man you're not using this thing lawfully. The law is not for righteous men. When I open up this book, I can read all different passages in there. I can read about pigs and I can read about fences. Doesn't bother me a lick. Some of us want to fence in our pigs up on our roof. Gotta make sure we're keeping the law can't miss this thing. No I'm right with God. I'm justified by grace through faith. The law is being fulfilled in me. Jesus did not come and destroy it he fulfilled it. I am absolutely comfortable before God, and this law is not applicable to me. Don't be preaching to me, thou shall not kill, thou shall not commit adultery. I don't need that. Why? Because I'm living by two laws. Loving God with all my heart, and my neighbor as myself. The spirit of all the decalogue is being worked out in me. The law is for who? Read on in verse 9. The disobedient. Now if I commit murder do you have a right to come to me with the law? Sure. In fact if you're the one that I'm getting ready to kill you might want to quote it before. Amen? By the way I'd just like to remind you thou shall not kill. So we realize that the law is for disobedient. For the who? Ungodly. Oh now we're beginning to get a little bit of an understanding here. For sinners, for unholy, for 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 by any other thing that is contrary to - say it - sound doctrine, Christlike living, walking in the spirit. So we begin to see the purpose of the law. It's not for a righteous man. Tragically some of you here this morning have yourselves in bondage when you're supposed to be in liberty. Weak consciences because the ordinances of touch not, and taste not. You need to be able to start this journey of walking in the spirit. If you walk in the spirit beloved you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. You say, but Pastor man the flesh it just still dominating my life. Then you're not walking in the spirit. And the fallacy is this, if I can somehow stop smoking I'll begin to walk in the spirit. No. Stopping smoking won't cause you to walk in the spirit. You've got a bigger problem than your camels. You're still the lord of your life. The law begins to identify all of the offences. So we start going down the checklist - okay no camels. Now let me see what we're - those hours we were to go to the temple and pray again? What was it ten percent we're supposed to give? Now let me see - I just heard a teaching last week, I can't remember the passage for sure but I did hear one of the teachers, and they said that you can be angry at your brother if there's a cause. And Jesus said, you've heard it said by them of old but I say unto to. And they want the checklist. And you need a new heart. You need to clean the inside. Tragically beloved there's only one dirty thing in there. It's not cigarettes, it's not murder, it's not adultery, it's self. Once we begin to deal with that issue of death to self we begin this journey of walking in the spirit. Now the walk in the spirit doesn't mean that you're not ever going to sin again. We're not talking about sanctification like some of your Four Square, some of your UPC Pentecostal's would propagate. You've heard people say well praise God I'm saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. Well good. What they're saying to you and I is this - that they've experienced in those three experiences - they now are not only regenerated but in their sanctification they've been cleansed, and not only separated from and to, but delivered totally from any sin in their lives. Sinless perfection is what they're saying. And so you talk to one of these guys, it's interesting. Talking to a guy that believed this, believes it with all of his heart man. Sanctified, it is impossible for me to sin. Since that day I had that visitation of God and sanctified I have never sinned. Dude's sitting there man three hundred pounds, stuffing stuff in his face. I was scared. I thought I might be going down. He was grabbing everything that was of animal life and devouring it. My mind went to - First Timothy 1:9. This is dangerous on both sides. This liberty that comes from the theology of we're free in the spirit, sanctified. Praise God I've got liberty. I'm sanctified. Nothing I can do is sin. Now we've taught you all enough in the past to know what spirit that's coming from. The spirit of Antichrist, gnostasism. You bring them the law they say, we're not under the law. We're sanctified. I'm a new creature I live under the new and better covenant. We're going to point out what that is tonight that new and better covenant, and it is not license for your flesh. The law is good. The law is perfect. Jesus said I did not come to destroy the law. Turn to Luke 16 we're going to finish with this for this morning. Luke 16. This is Luke's rendering. And he brings out one other little point here that I think is good. Verse 17. We'll begin reading at verse 14. "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous heard all these sayings and they derided him. And he said unto them, ye are they which justify yourselves before men." Now catch the spirit of this. Listen to what Jesus' indictment is against them. They were covetous people and they were looking to justify themselves before men, but the whole issue is this beloved - see they were outwardly keeping all the do's and don'ts. What does Jesus say? Look, but God, say it with me, knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. We got people man that are keeping all the rules. Man they're praying, you look on the outside and you think, dear Lord if I could ever be as spiritual as that person. Every time they open their mouth they quote scripture. They're always praying. They're keeping all the do's and don'ts - and not all. We know people can do that in the spirit. That's what we're supposed to be doing in the spirit but it can also be done in the flesh, and it's an abomination in the sight of God. He said the law and prophets were until John but since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. You understand this, Jesus says, it's easier for heaven and earth to pass away then for one tittle of the law to fail. He was hammering on them for one subject here and you see that it was divorce that he's getting ready to go into because of the hardness of their hearts. But it's very obvious that Jesus is not speaking here of ceremonial or even social laws, he's speaking of moral laws. Because Jesus himself though he fulfilled many of the ceremonial laws, never hesitated to allow the law of faith, the spirit of the law to transcend the letter of the law whether it was healing on the Sabbath, whether it was his disciples taking a little bit of corn on the Sabbath to preserve themselves, and perpetuate the ministry. He said don't you remember how David partook of the shewbread that which was set apart just for the priests? Isn't it our discretion even today to take some of that which is God's money the tithe and use it at times for the children? It's holy to the Lord that shewbread was holy. But there's a time when it would bring more glory to God in sustaining the kingdom, and it was used in a discretionary manner that wasn't lawfully to be partaken of. That's maturity. And we'll answer some more of these questions as we get into the study a little further tonight and begin to talk about the liberty that we have. When I talk about liberty however, I want you to understand that we're not saying that the law is bondage, we're saying that the letter of the law is bondage. The spirit of the law is liberty. Psalm 119 verse 45, and this will be the passage that will lead over into tonight's teaching. Psalm 119 verse 45, "and I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts. For I will walk at liberty as I seek your law."

Father we thank you for the word of God. We ask that you would continue to speak to us as a people in this day when just like throughout history there seems to be a polarization. Whether it be Armenian or Calvinistic. Legalists and liberals. The assurance that we have before you this morning is that we are right with God. Without the law righteousness. A justification by faith. And we thank you Father for the free gift of Jesus Christ. We thank you that while we were yet sinners without hope you loved us. That Jesus you came and offered yourself the free sacrifice for all that whosoever would might come. The free gift that's unto all and will manifest upon all them that believe. You called and we've responded. And we're confident that you'll keep that which we've committed unto you against that day. And we stand in full assurance that no man can ever pluck us from your hand. Father we come in boldness and yet in humility. Boldly because of the free access by the blood of our redeemer and in humility because we know we have no merit on our own. We stand before you without shame but we stand before you without merit. We can just say thank you. And Father don't let us cheapen the blood of Jesus by trying to put works with it. Don't let us deny the great redemptive work of grace and faith through misapplication of the law. We thank you for the school master. And we welcome the reproof of that tutorage anytime that we defect from your Lordship, but we in no way look to it as merit or justification to righteousness. Only a guide, a lamp unto our feet. With the understanding by the illumination of your spirit that now lives in us, the spirit of truth that leads us into every right choice in Jesus name. Thank you for it Father.

As Gary begins to play and we take just a moment in the presence of the Lord. Are you here this morning and you've trusted in something other than the work of Jesus Christ for your salvation? You've trusted in works, you've trusted in knowledge, and the very law you've trusted in has condemned you this morning. Because if you're guilty of one, you're guilty of all. And you're willing to lay down your own righteousness and your own pursuits, and allow God to draw you. You say this morning I surrender, I empty myself, and accept his free gift. I expect eternal life because of what Jesus alone has accomplished and not anything I've done, but I am fully persuaded that he's calling me to that at this moment, and enabling me to partake, and by faith I receive it in Jesus name, and I choose life. If that's your heart's desire you stand to your feet right now and let God illuminate you. Let's sing it together. Oh thank you Lord. Just sing it more time just rejoice in him. Oh hallelujah. Take just a moment and just fellowship in his presence. Just thank him for the free gift. Thank him for the confidence that you have this morning that you're a child of God, an heir, a joint heir with Christ Jesus. Thank him for the fact this morning that righteousness has been imputed to you. Sanctification imparted to you and that we have the capacity to walk free now from sin's power in our life. That sin no longer has dominion over you according to Romans chapter 6. And you now have the capacity to yield your members as instruments to righteousness. You now have the capacity by your own volition through his presence to choose right. Thank you for it Father in Jesus name. Amen. Turn to somebody and say the law is good praise God. Go in peace. God's love go with you in Jesus name.