So this is a reading from Galatians chapter 3 and it says this,
O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?
It is before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
So let me ask you a question.
Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
Are you so foolish?
Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to perfect yourselves by your own flesh?
Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed it was in vain?
Doesn't He, that's God, who supplies the Holy Spirit to you, works miracles amongst you,
does He do so by you obeying works of the law or simply by hearing with faith?
Remember, Abraham, he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.
So then know this, it's those who are of faith who are the children of Abraham.
Because for all who rely on the works of the law, they actually find themselves there under a curse.
It is written, cursed is everyone who does not obey everything written in the book of the law and do them.
Now, it's evident that no one can be justified before God by the law.
For rather, the righteous will live by faith.
But the law, that's not of faith.
No, the one who does them must live by them.
But Christ has redeemed us, that means saved us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
Remember how it's written, cursed is anyone who's hung on a tree.
So, in Christ Jesus, the blessings that were given to Abraham, that promised to him,
might come to us, that we might receive the Holy Spirit through faith.
So, the law, is it then contrary to God's promises?
No.
For if a law had been given that could give life, impart life, well then righteousness would indeed come by that law.
But friends, remember the scripture imprisoned everything under sin.
So that by the promise, by faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe in him.
Now, before faith came, we were held captive.
We were enslaved under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed in Jesus.
So the law was like a guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come, now that Christ has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
For Christ Jesus, we are children of God.
And simply through faith.
For as many of you who were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.
This is God's word.
A couple of scriptures.
I don't know if you recognize any of these.
Deuteronomy 14 says this.
He shall not boil a young goat in his mother's milk.
Or what about Leviticus 19.
Don't plant two different types of seed in your field.
Or wear clothing made from different types of fabric.
Or Numbers 19.
Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.
Or Leviticus.
Do not turn to mediums and fortune tellers.
Do not seek them out.
They will make you unclean.
I am the Lord your God.
Now, the Old Testament has lots of rules and regulations.
And some of them are pretty unusual, right?
I wonder what you think of them.
If you are not a Christian with us today,
you may think,
that is one reason why I never want to become a Christian.
Look at all these rules.
Or maybe you think these Christians are crazy.
But,
if these rules and these instructions are in the Bible,
for those of us that are Christians,
or those of us that are on the journey towards faith,
what are we to do with them?
How do we make sense of them?
Should we obey them?
Should we not obey them?
And it gets a bit complicated,
because that is the question I want to ask.
How do Christians think about and handle these laws,
these commandments,
they find in the Old Testament?
And part of the thing that is confusing,
is that the Bible itself seems to not always be clear on that.
For instance, Romans 10 says,
For Christ is the end of the law for those who believe in Him.
It seems like Jesus is saying,
Listen, I claim you don't need to worry about any of those rules and laws.
But then, in other places,
Jesus, Matthew 5 says,
Do not think that I have come to do away with the law and the prophets.
I have not come to abolish them.
I have come to fulfill them.
In fact, if anybody teaches that these aren't important,
they'll be least in the kingdom.
Not one iota, not one dot is going to be taken away.
And whoever honors them,
that's a great person in God's kingdom.
So here you have these two sides.
On the one hand, the Bible says,
they're going to be done away with.
On the other hand, it feels like,
Jesus says, no, these are important.
So which one is it?
How do we handle this?
I want us to think about three things.
I want us to think about the purpose of the law,
the power of the law,
and the person's law.
So firstly, the purpose.
Let's think about this.
In the Old Testament,
there are many, many laws,
about 600 of them.
And they kind of broadly fit into three categories.
The categories aren't absolutely crystal clear.
There's a little bit of overlap.
You see a blurry line there.
The three categories of this.
There's the civil laws.
The civil laws helped Israel function as a nation.
Right?
There were laws such as,
when someone gets married,
what do you do?
If somebody loses their property,
what do you do?
What do you do if a thief breaks into your house
and steals something and you catch it?
Laws that are,
what happens if somebody unintentionally harms somebody else?
What happens if somebody borrows your jacket
and they lose it?
How do you handle these things?
These civil laws helped Israel function as a nation.
Right?
There's a second category called ceremonial laws.
These have to do with the temple,
and worship,
and sacrifices,
and,
and bills,
and goats,
and offerings,
and these kinds of things.
And there's lots of laws there.
How do you,
how many goats do you bring?
And,
what clothing must Aaron wear?
And all these kinds of things.
And these have to do with the worship and temple,
um,
in ancient Israel.
And there's a whole host of these laws
that restrict Israel from any practices
that resemble the,
the pagan nations around them.
Right?
And the point of these is to create a mental picture
in the minds of the people
that God is holy,
He's distinctive,
He's other,
and that we are,
are,
are not the same as God.
And we've got to find a way to
be brought into relationship with God.
That's the point of these laws.
Then there's a third category,
which is moral laws.
These really have to do with what's right or wrong.
Morality.
And think of the Ten Commandments, right?
Do not steal,
do not lie,
honor your mother and father.
And these laws have to do with,
what does it mean to be a moral agent,
a moral being in a moral universe,
living under a moral God?
So,
any,
each category has its own purpose.
Um,
now,
what do we do with these?
Do we obey them all?
Well,
the first category largely have fallen away,
right?
We,
we don't need to follow those largely.
They had to do with the nation of Israel
at that time and that place in Israel.
Uh,
we don't have a temple.
We don't have these nationals.
We've got Hong Kong laws.
We follow those laws.
We don't need to worry about the laws to ancient Israel.
The second category,
the ceremonial laws,
well,
those were really pointing towards a,
a truer and better fulfillment.
In other words,
they were meant to be a small scale picture
that pointed us towards something better,
which was Jesus.
So,
think about this.
Jesus is the true temple,
the one who brought heaven to earth,
the one that God's presence was on earth.
We don't need a temple anymore
because we've got Jesus.
Jesus is the true high priest
who intercedes for people.
So,
we don't need the high priest.
We've got Jesus.
Jesus is the true,
uh,
curtain that was torn in two on the cross.
So,
now we've open access to God.
So,
the ceremonial laws,
they tell us a lot about God,
but we don't need to go to the temple.
We don't need to follow all those
because we've got Jesus.
But what about the moral laws?
The laws that are right and wrong?
Do we still follow those?
Do we still have to obey those?
The Bible says that
Jesus actually takes
all these moral laws,
hundreds of them,
and brings them down to two things.
Do you remember what he says?
He says,
love God and love others.
He sums up all these moral laws.
He says,
if you can do these two things,
love God above all else
and love others more than yourself,
that's the point of the law.
Now,
I want us to think about it this way.
So,
so,
so they're,
they're the laws
and,
and they have different purposes.
Some of the purposes still remain.
Some have fallen away.
But what does that mean for us today?
How do we live this out?
If any of you have read the Old Testament lately,
what do you do with these laws?
Think about it this way.
Think of a mirror,
right?
What does a mirror do?
A mirror helps you see
that which you can't naturally see.
It helps you see that
which is out of your natural line of sight.
So,
one of the things I said this morning was
if you,
if you go to the hairdresser
and they give you a haircut
and they say,
do you like it at the back?
And you say,
oh,
I can't see it at the back.
So,
what do they do?
They pull a whole bunch of mirrors up
and they help you to see
what you can't naturally see,
right?
Mirrors help you to see
what is outside a normal line of sight.
The law
in the Old Testament,
God's rules,
God's commands
is meant to function like a mirror.
And in two ways,
it helps us to see
God and His heart.
Nobody can naturally see God
face to face,
but when you look into,
when you read God's commands
and His statutes,
it's meant to help us
to see something of God
that we couldn't see
apart from it.
So,
think about this.
Think about a law like
do not murder,
okay?
What's wrong with murder?
Why should we not murder?
Well,
one of the things is
it tells us a lot about God.
As we look at that
and think about that,
it tells us
it's like looking to mirror
that it reflects
who God is.
How so?
Well,
it tells us that
for God,
every single human life
is necessary
and important
and valuable.
From a life
that's a few weeks old
in the womb,
maybe even the mom
doesn't even know
it's there,
to someone who's rich,
someone who's poor,
it doesn't matter
your socioeconomic status,
your ethnicity,
every human life
is valuable to God.
A law like do not murder
tells us something
about how God feels
about people.
Well,
think about the law
like do not lie.
Okay?
One of the ten commandments.
Do not lie.
What's so important about that?
Well,
think about what it tells us
about God.
It tells us that
in God,
there is no duplicity.
God is 100% truthful,
honest.
What you see
is what you get.
In God,
there's no hidden side,
no darkness
that you'll discover
later on on the journey.
God himself
is 100% honest,
truthful,
transparent,
and so his law
reflects that.
Or think of a law
like do not harvest
your fields up
into the margins,
but leave some
for the sojourner,
the foreigner.
What does that tell us?
It tells us about
God's care and compassion
for the suffering,
those that are vulnerable
in our city.
Or think of a law
like do not turn
to mediums
and fortune tellers.
Do not seek them out.
I am the Lord your God.
What does that tell us
about God?
Well, it reflects that
God is the one
who holds our future.
We don't need to
control our future.
I don't need to go
to Guna here
and find out,
Guna, sorry,
Guna.
I've got another friend
called Guna
that I was talking to
this week.
I don't need to go
to Guna and say,
Guna, tell me the future,
tell me the future.
Actually, my future
is held in God's hands,
not in his hands.
So when you look
at the law,
it's like a mirror
that reflects something
of who God is.
But the law
is also meant to be
a mirror that
reflects what God
reflects something
about us.
Think about this,
right, when you're
having lunch with
somebody and someone
says, hey, Jeremy,
let me pick on Jeremy.
Jeremy, you've got
something in your teeth,
right?
And you pull out a mirror
to see that which
you can't see yourself.
And you look and say,
oh, okay, I better
go sort that out,
right?
A mirror tells us
something about us
that we can't see
about ourselves.
When we read
God's law and
commandments,
His statutes,
sometimes they can
feel arbitrary,
but they're meant
to be a mirror
that shows us
what's going
in our own hearts.
So let's again
think about those
two laws.
God's law says,
do not murder.
What does that
tell me about me?
I'm not sure
about any of you.
I haven't murdered
anybody lately.
You'll be pleased
to know.
But what is that
law really saying?
What's it speaking
to?
It's saying,
don't harbor
bitterness or anger
or resentment
in your heart.
Sometimes when I
read that and I
think about it,
I think,
actually,
that's not me.
I am somebody
that sometimes
harbors bitterness,
resentment.
Sometimes I get
highly frustrated.
I don't really
want to forgive
people.
Actually,
it reveals
there's something
wrong in my
heart.
Well,
think of another
law like,
do not lie.
What does that
mean?
It doesn't just
mean blatant lie.
It means,
let my life be
100% transparent
before other
people.
In every situation,
every circumstance
I'm in,
to project what's
absolutely true.
No facade,
no projecting
an image,
not trying to be
something I'm
not,
in social media,
in front of my
boss,
clients,
my family,
this is who I
am.
When I read
that commandment,
it says,
do not lie,
and I think about
that,
I think,
gee,
does that really
reflect my life?
Is that really
who I am?
Actually,
maybe I'm not
the most honest
person.
It's like a
mirror that's
shining a light
into part of
my life and
my soul.
So,
God's law is
meant to be like
a mirror,
the purpose.
Second,
think about the
power of the
law.
Now,
there's a
problem here,
and that is,
the law,
let's go back
to the analogy
of a mirror.
What can a
mirror do?
A mirror can
point something
else,
but it has no
power to
change it,
right?
So,
let's say,
let's say I'm
having lunch
with Bernard,
and Bernard
looks,
I take a big
bite of my
burger,
and Bernard
says,
hey,
kid,
have you
looked at
your teeth
lately?
There's
something
really strange.
Your one
teeth is
going really
skew,
right?
Is that
normal?
I haven't
noticed that
before.
And I
pull up my
mirror,
and I
look and
say,
oh,
my tooth
is chipped,
or something
wrong,
right?
The mirror
can tell me
what's wrong,
but it has
no power to
fix me,
no power to
heal me.
It has no
power to
change our
circumstances.
All it does
is it tells
me what's
wrong.
But what
does the
mirror do?
It tells me
I need to
go get it
fixed,
I need to
go get it
sorted out.
In other
words,
it's going
to drive me
to the
dentist,
right?
Or somebody
looks and
says,
hey kid,
you've got a
big gash on
your face,
what happens?
Oh,
I don't
know.
I look in
the mirror
and I
see,
oh,
I'm
bleeding.
What's
it going
to do?
It's got
no power
to heal
me,
but it
does have
the power
to go
and drive
me to
the one
that can
heal me.
When we
read the
commands in
the Bible,
sometimes it
feels like
it's so
condemning.
Don't do
this,
don't do
this,
this is
right,
this is
wrong.
But what's
the power?
The power is
not meant
to fix
you,
it's meant
to drive
you to
the one
who can
fix you.
And that
leads us
to the
third thing,
the purpose,
the power,
and the
person.
What is
the law?
What are
God's commands
meant to
do?
They're
meant to
bring us
to Jesus.
Jesus is
the person
that can
heal us,
that can
fix us,
that can
make things
right again.
If you've
got a
bulletin in
front of you,
I want you
to just look
at some
scripture.
There's a
couple of
verses I want
to point out.
The commands,
the law,
are never
meant to
solve our
problems.
They're never
going to
make us
righteous
people,
but they
can point
in a
direction.
What is
the direction?
It's not
moral perfection,
it's not
religious duty,
it's to
Jesus,
to Christ.
Look at
what verse
24 says,
24 is near
the bottom.
It says,
so then the
law was like
a guardian,
a guardian
means somebody
who shows
you the way,
somebody who
helps you
along the way,
until Jesus
came.
And now
that faith
in Christ
has come,
we don't
need that
guardian
anymore.
In Christ
Jesus,
we are all
children of
God.
Friends,
these commands
are meant to
show us,
we need
Jesus.
Think about
that verse
I quoted
earlier,
Matthew 5,
where Jesus
says,
I have come
to fulfill
the law.
How did
Jesus fulfill
the law?
Well,
think about
three ways.
One way
Jesus came
to fulfill
the law
was,
he perfectly
obeyed it.
every single
thing that
the rules
and the
commands
and the
statutes
and the
commandments,
every single
thing it
asked for,
Jesus perfectly
fit the bill.
Did Jesus
love God
above all
else?
Absolutely.
Did Jesus
love people
more than
himself?
Absolutely.
Did Jesus
even love
his enemies
more than
himself?
He went to
the cross
for us.
Jesus
perfectly
obeyed
every aspect
of the
law.
But think
about another
way that
Jesus
fulfilled the
law.
The law
had two
things.
It promised
blessings for
those who
followed it,
but it also
said those
who didn't
are going to
be under
a curse,
under judgment,
under punishment.
Look at our
verse,
look at verse
10 in the
reading.
It says,
For it is
written,
cursed is
everyone who
doesn't abide
by the things
written in the
law and do
them.
That's what
the law
said.
The law
said,
this is
God's
statute,
but if
you don't
keep it,
there's
trouble for
you.
Verse
13,
but Jesus
has redeemed
us from
the curse
of the
law by
becoming
a curse
for us
in our
place.
So in
Jesus,
the blessings
that were
promised to
Abraham might
come to
all of us.
Friends,
Jesus was
judged as
a sinner so
that we can
be accepted
as holy
and righteous.
Jesus was
judged as
someone who
broke all
God's laws,
even though
he hadn't,
so that we
can be judged
as those who
have kept
all God's
laws,
even though
we haven't.
Jesus went
to the
cross and
was punished
in our
place.
He was
cursed so
that we
can be
set free.
That's
amazing.
Jesus
perfectly
fulfilled the
law.
But there's
one last
way that
Jesus
fulfills the
law,
and it's
this.
He says
that if
you will
trust in
him,
if you
will come
to him,
if you
will put
your hope
in him
rather than
yourself,
he will
actually give
you his
spirit that
will help
you to
live a
life that
looks like
you're
obeying
all the
commands
and the
regulations.
Jesus will
give you
his Holy
Spirit to
actually change
us from
the inside.
Rather than
just giving
you a mirror
saying,
hey,
this is
what's
wrong,
fix it,
Jesus will
take you
by the
hand and
say,
come,
come with
me,
I'm going
to help
you change,
I'm going
to fix
that for
you.
Jesus
will
actually
change
our
hearts
so that
we become
the kind
of people
who do
love God
and love
others.
But the
point that
Paul makes
here is
that there's
two requirements.
It's coming
to Jesus,
not ourselves.
It's trusting
in the
Spirit,
not our
own efforts.
You see
what Paul's
saying?
See,
the temptation
when you
read the
law is to
say,
okay,
I guess I've
got a lot
of work to
do,
I guess I
better get
busy and
get going.
But the
Bible says
actually don't
do that.
Friends,
take the
law and
get rid of
it.
rather come
to Jesus
and say,
Jesus,
I need
you.
I can't
do this
on my
own.
I can't
fix my
heart.
God,
I'm bitter.
I'm angry.
I find it
hard to
forgive others.
Jesus,
won't you
come and
change my
heart?
Well,
God,
I'm not
honest.
I'm not
transparent.
I project
an image
before people.
I want
people to
see me
a certain
way.
Jesus,
come and
change my
heart.
And Jesus
says that if
you come to
him honestly
and surrender
and trust to
him,
and ask him
to do what
you can't
do on your
own,
he will
give you
his spirit
and he
will change
you from
the inside
out.
Friends,
do you want
your life to
look something
like Jesus?
Man,
I know I
do.
I want to
love God
like Jesus
did.
I want to
love people
like Jesus
did.
I really
need that.
Do you
want to
love people
like Jesus
did?
The answer
is don't
look to
yourself.
Don't beat
yourself up and
say, I'm
going to try
to do better
this week.
I'm going to
try harder.
The answer
is come to
him and
say, Christ,
I need you.
Come and
have your way
in my life.
And he will
change you from
the inside
out and he
will make
you the
person that
you want
to be.
So friends,
here's the
point.
As you read
the Bible,
there's going
to be lots
of things
that are
going to
sound strange
and obscure
and you're
going to
wonder, what
on earth is
that law
about?
Don't think
this is some
old archaic
law, don't
even think
about it.
Don't think,
oh, this is
some standard
of righteousness,
I better
obey this
to be pleasing
to God.
Let it, like a
mirror, drive
you to Jesus
to say, God,
what I see
here tells me
something about
myself.
I need you.
Come and have
your way in my
life.
And if you
surrender to him,
if you trust
him, he'll
change you and
he'll give you
the Holy Spirit
so that you can
live a holy
life, pleasing
to him and
pleasing to you.
Let's close
there.
Lord Jesus, the
Bible is
sometimes hard,
sometimes confusing.
There are things
in there that we
don't always
understand.
But Jesus, we
want to trust
you.
God, every one
of us in this
room are in a
different place.
Some of us are
anxious and
worried.
Some of us are
fearful for the
future.
God, some of us
feel like life is
out of control and
we're just trying to
hold on for dear
life.
God, if we're
honest,
we don't always
love you and we
don't always love
others.
But God, we need
you.
And so we come to
you now.
Jesus, won't you
come and have your
way?
Won't you send us
your spirit to work
in our lives, to
write your will and
your ways on our
heart so that we
become the kind of
people that you
want us to be?
Not by external
influence, but
internal change of
heart.
Jesus, I pray,
come and have your
way.
Amen.