Today will be our last sermon in this series called Covenant Theology for this semester.
We'll take a break going into the Psalms this summer, and then in the fall we'll have probably four more sermons on Covenant Theology to wrap up that series before we go through another book of the Bible.
Last week we looked in Exodus at how the Lord gave the law to the people at Mount Sinai.
And today we're going to see now what is the role of the law in the life of a Christian and the covenant through Jesus Christ that's gracious.
What role does the law have? That's why I'm calling it Mosaic Covenant Part Two.
Let me give you a bit of context because I won't read the whole chapter this morning.
But in Galatians Chapter Two, Paul is writing to a church in this region of Galatia.
And he tells them there is a practice that has been happening that is unrighteous.
There's something very wrong going on.
You're going to pick up on what this was.
He mentioned Cephas, and that's Peter.
When we finish the series in John, remember, it's Peter who received grace from Jesus.
Peter knows grace.
It's Peter also who preached grace.
And remember, when Peter preached in Acts 2, those who heard him were cut to the heart.
Austin reminded our group in baptism, that's language of circumcision of the heart, as we read in Jeremiah 31.
So let's pick up in our reading.
I'm going to start reading at verse 11.
But our sermon text, because you've got to handle what you read in the sermon.
Our sermon text doesn't start until verse 14.
But I'm going to start reading at verse 11.
Give us an on-ramp.
Galatians 2, verse 11.
Paul is writing to the church in this region of Galatia.
But when Cephas, that's Peter, came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James.
However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party.
Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
Now, verse 14.
When I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone,
If you who are a Jew live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?
We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.
And yet, because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ,
even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus.
This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law.
Because by the works of the law, no human being will be justified.
But if we ourselves are also found to be sinners while seeking to be justified by Christ,
is Christ then a promoter of sin?
Absolutely not.
If I rebuild those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.
For through the law, I died to the law so that I might live to God.
Now, here's the part we should all memorize.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
I do not set aside the grace of God.
For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
This is God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.
Thanks be to God.
I know I didn't say it like we normally do.
All right, you may be seated.
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever.
Let's pray.
Lord, thank you for your word.
Thank you for how your word comes down like rain and it washes over us.
And by the power of your spirit, it accomplishes what you intend.
It always prospers for your purpose, by your power.
We pray that your Holy Spirit will minister your word to us by your power again today, Lord.
Pray that anything that is not of you will just fall to the ground like dust and blow away.
But I ask for your help, that every word that comes from my mouth will be pleasing in your sight.
And I pray for your Holy Spirit to help the believers to discern well, that you will illuminate your word to all of us.
And so build us up together into the body of Jesus.
Thank you for each precious soul here, Lord.
You know what each one needs.
We trust that you will minister according to your will.
Amen.
Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
I want to warn you today, like Paul was warning the churches in Galatia,
of two invisible webs from hell.
Two invisible webs from hell.
Let me illustrate it this way.
Picture a dragonfly, the noblest of all the insects,
trying to make its way out of a barn.
One, it sees one web and swerves only to get caught in another.
You and I are like that dragonfly.
There are two sticky, invisible webs.
And they both appeal to our flesh and our pride.
Both are a constant threat as long as we're living in the flesh in this world.
We can call one of those webs legalism,
the other web lawlessness.
I'll show you my hand up front.
It's everything I'm going to do my best to summarize from these verses.
I'm trying to align myself with,
well, the most helpful summary to me is Sinclair Ferguson called The Whole Christ,
handling the law and gospel, the marrow controversy,
and our tincture of being united to Christ.
That's what I'm going to do my best to align with.
And from that book, he wrote that each is a web of attitudes of the heart.
It's an emphasis, a tone, a feeling about God,
a way of reading Scripture that is strongly present in a soul,
in a family, in a pulpit, and in a church.
That's the end of his quote.
And you and I, we get trapped by Satan into rejecting God's grace.
This translation said,
Do not set aside the grace.
Think about that.
There's nothing that Satan wants to do more
than to keep you and me from God's grace.
That's his mission.
And that's why these webs are from hell.
So don't reject God's grace.
Beware of these two invisible webs from hell.
The first sticky web, it's invisible, but it teaches this.
Works complete salvation.
Look at verse 14.
Paul says,
This is an invisible sticky web.
You know why?
Peter got caught in this.
This means that their church, when they would gather,
they would share a meal.
Strong biblical encouragement for the body to break bread together
and share that meal.
But did you catch what was happening in verses 11 through 13?
Peter used to eat with those who were uncircumcised.
He would sit at the table.
We are one big family.
And now there is a separate table.
Well, that's how the synagogue and the temple were arranged.
There were spheres of holiness.
The closer you get to the holy of holies,
the closer you are to God.
But if you're a woman or a Gentile,
you get pushed further and further out.
So do you see the mistake that the early church had been making?
Even Peter, an apostle, who knew grace,
he had made the mistake of patterning the church after old Jerusalem.
They were patterning their fellowship,
their community,
the way that they break bread after the synagogue and the temple.
They're failing to see how Christ has fulfilled those heavenly shadows and types.
The real pattern is what Christ brings.
There's a newness to the new covenant.
Amen.
We are all susceptible to this.
If Peter could, I can.
I do.
And you need to call me out like Paul called Peter out when we do this.
In verse 14, we see that Paul had to confront Peter publicly.
If this happened before Acts 15, I think it is,
then that means by the time we arrive with the leaders from the churches
that are scattered all in Jerusalem for the Jerusalem council,
Peter is an ally and he agrees and he's on the side of Paul.
But it took some correcting at the beginning.
They were compelling other Christians,
so they were compelling these Gentiles to be circumcised in the flesh.
They were trying to apply a law to fellow Christians that Christ had already fulfilled.
But the motivation was so that they could secure their salvation.
Complete your salvation by adding on this work.
How can legalism,
how can that get into a Christian church like these in Galatia
and like ours right here?
We look back at the beginning of chapter 2,
we see that it was false brothers who secretly brought this in.
These were wolves in sheep's clothing.
And they were coming in the recommendation of the church in Jerusalem, James.
We read in verse 12,
even James, you know, had sent them.
They seemed very credible.
But Paul warns Titus of these same false teachers,
these Judaizers in Titus 1.10,
many are insubordinate,
empty talkers, deceivers,
especially those of the circumcision party.
Well, let's check ourselves right now.
How can you and I tell?
Yes, we know that we are saved by grace alone.
Probably tired of hearing that around here.
We know that.
But are you still trying to do more to really lock it in?
I can fall into that very easily.
Here's another test for each of us.
Are you more focused on how another Christian disappoints you
than your own need for grace?
Here's a third test.
If you're like me in my flesh,
we tend to think of God's commands
separate from the person and work of God.
Here's a fourth one.
Are you laboring for assurance
instead of resting in the completed salvation
and then instead just laboring in joyful gratitude?
In this church,
they were clinging to an outward sign of assurance,
circumcision of the flesh,
rather than God's goodness as the covenant keeper.
Paul's correcting them.
Your works do not complete your salvation.
Your works are an evidence of God saving you.
The same Lord who decreed your salvation,
who accomplished it,
and who is applying it,
He completes it in you.
He gets all the glory.
Look at verse 21 once again,
the last part of chapter 2.
If righteousness is through the law,
through your works,
then Christ died for nothing.
That's what's at stake.
It's the glory of Christ in our salvation.
Do not reject the grace of God.
Second question I want to put in front of you is this.
How does legalism snag your heart?
We've seen it's invisible and it's sticky.
How does that actually trap you?
How does legalism snag your heart?
Legalism grows in our heart
because of pride
and because we have the wrong view of God.
Those are the two root causes.
We have pride in our flesh.
We'll be battling our own pride
until the last day we take a breath.
The second thing is a wrong view of God.
Well, where does that wrong view of God come from?
Even for Christians.
It's because Satan is the accuser.
Satan is trying to take Christians
and accuse God to you.
Look at verse 15.
I think we get at the heart
of how they got snagged
by the way Paul addresses them.
Remember, they're sitting in separate tables.
This is the table for the circumcised only.
So you can get circumcised,
then you'd be welcome over here.
And Paul's basically calling out their pride.
He says,
we being Jews by nature
and not Gentile sinners.
He's saying,
yes, I can talk as one at the cool table,
the circumcised.
We're not like the sinners over there.
And then he just destroys them
like only Paul can do.
He's basically telling them,
do you forget
you were a sinner also?
Have you not read the Bible,
the Old Testament?
It's been so clear all along.
Jeremiah 4.4
Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh
and take away the foreskins of your heart.
That's what Yahweh is after
with his people.
Jeremiah 9.25
Behold the days come,
says Yahweh,
that I will punish all those
who are circumcised only
in their flesh.
Have you not read your Bible?
Well, what happens in legalism?
In this case,
they were worshipping a visible sign
instead of the invisible Savior.
Worshipping a visible sign
instead of the invisible Savior.
It's easy to do that
or to want to do that, isn't it?
I can see this big celebration.
I can see people, you know,
wearing t-shirts
and getting baptized.
I don't know if they've been discipled,
but we're going to celebrate
what's visible
because I can do that.
Rather, the invisible Savior
because that requires faith.
That requires me having
a different view of God.
And it's only possible
if He's circumcised my heart.
In this case,
they were also emphasizing
a physical behavior for Jesus,
for God,
rather than the spiritual union
of a believer to Jesus.
They were emphasizing
a visible behavior.
You go and do this
so that we know.
Instead of emphasizing union
to the Savior.
Legalism
fell for the same thing
that Adam and Eve fell for.
Remember,
it's the lie
that God does not have
your best interests in mind,
that He is not loving and gracious,
and that He requires you to work
to complete your salvation
by your own strength.
And He's going to hold that over you
until you're done.
And that's a lie.
When Satan tempted Eve,
remember what Eve said?
We're not supposed to eat
of any of the fruits.
Oh, that's the wrong view of God.
God said,
eat from all of the fruit,
from all the trees.
This principle of legalism
was introduced,
whether Eve came up with that
from Satan,
or maybe Adam preached it wrong
to her that way.
One or the other,
they were being legalistic
with what God had told them.
Jesus attacks this
in almost every parable.
Think of the prodigal son.
There's the elder brother.
He refuses his father.
He refuses the feast
that his father's inviting him to
because of the grace
the father showed
the rebellious little brother.
Think of the workers.
They worked all day
for a day's wage,
and that was fine
until they saw those
who showed up late
got the same wage.
That's when they had major issues.
It's seeing that God is gracious
that makes a legalist mad.
That's what exposes legalism
in our pride
and in our flesh.
If we feel strongly
that I need to compel
a saved sinner
and I need to bind
their conscience
more than Jesus Christ himself does,
then I'm stuck
in this web of legalism.
Verse 21,
if righteousness
were that way,
then Christ died
for nothing.
To get trapped in that
is to reject
God's grace.
That's how legalism
snags us though.
Third question,
how does the Holy Spirit
untangle
you and me
from this web
of legalism?
We see how he gets stuck in it.
How does the Holy Spirit
set us free
and untangle us
out of that?
Well,
in a short answer,
the Holy Spirit
gospels you
out of it.
The Holy Spirit
gospels us
out of that.
That's what Peter
hears from Paul next.
Paul preaches
two things
with the gospel.
What's the same
and what changed.
First,
what's the same?
The Lord reminds us
that He is the same.
He does not change.
He has always
saved anyone
older new covenant
the same way.
Look at verse 15.
We being Jews
by nature,
Jews according
to the flesh,
circumcised
from the line
of Abraham
and not Gentile
sinners.
Verse 16,
yet knowing
that a man
is not justified
by the works
of the law
but through
faith in Jesus Christ.
Read Galatians 3.
This is how God
saved Abraham.
It's by faith.
We know this.
God has always
said this.
Take for example
Hosea 6.6.
For I desire
steadfast love
and not sacrifice
the knowledge of God
rather than burnt offerings.
That's what God
is always after.
He desires
a covenant love.
He desires
hesed,
the Hebrew word
for steadfast love,
covenant bond
with His people,
not the ceremonial law.
That's what Samuel
preached to David
in his sin.
1 Samuel 15.22.
Has the Lord
has the Lord
as great delight
in burnt offerings
and sacrifices
as in obeying
the voice of the Lord.
Behold,
to obey
is better
than sacrifice
and to listen
than the fat
of rams.
The Lord
is always after
the covenant love,
the covenant bond,
the covenant
obedience
of His people.
So what's not changed
is God.
What's not changed
is how God
measures
and requires
obedience
and that's the
moral law of God.
The moral law of God
is the same law.
Adam and Eve
had it.
Every person
that's made
in the image of God
has the moral
transcendent
law of God.
We saw last week
in the Mosaic covenant
the Lord
writes this law,
the moral law,
the Ten Commandments
with His own finger
on tablets
of stone.
And then He gives
the ceremonial law
as a resource
to make that right
or to understand now
how you can be
in communion with God
knowing that you're a sinner.
Why did God require
bulls and goats
of the Israelites?
It's because they had
broken His moral law.
Why did the Israelites
need priests
that would mediate
a blood ceremony
for the forgiveness
that God would
attribute to them
because those animals
don't forgive anything?
It's because they knew
the moral law of God
and it was given
as clearly
as anyone could ask.
The moral law
reflects the nature
of the holy God.
God does not change.
So that's how
He first gospels
Him through it
is clarifying
God does not change,
the moral law
does not change.
But now what does change?
The Lord reveals to us
that Christ's incarnation
and work
changes everything
for His people
in the best way.
What do we mean?
Well, Paul says next
in verse 16,
he says,
even we,
meaning ethnic
national Jews
in the same way
as the Gentiles,
we believe
in Christ Jesus
that we might be
justified by faith
in Christ.
We are justified
in Christ.
if you are in Christ,
being united
not by any works
but by faith alone,
you are in Him
and God declares you
justified.
You are righteous.
You are holy.
You can enter
the holy of holies
if you are in Christ.
He tore the veil.
This is why
it changes everything.
But it changes it
for everyone
who is in Christ.
The same.
Not by works of the law
because no flesh,
no flesh,
no matter what
people group you're from,
will be justified
by the works
of the law.
He explains
this same point
to the church
in Rome,
Romans 2.29.
Paul says,
He is a Jew
who is one inwardly.
Circumcision
is that of the heart
by the Spirit.
So you're saying
circumcision has no
relationship to baptism?
No, we're saying
that the church
patterns itself
off of New Jerusalem,
the heavenly Jerusalem.
Those who have been
circumcised in the heart
receive the sign
of the new covenant.
Moses didn't only
give the Ten Commandments
written by God's finger
to the people of Israel.
That's the moral law.
He also received
from the Lord
a ceremonial law
and a civil law.
The ceremonial law
was fulfilled
by the person
and work of Jesus.
Ephesians 2.15.
He abolished
the law
and commandments
expressed
in the ordinances
that he might
create in himself
one new man
in the place of two
and so making peace.
What about
the civil laws?
Well, the civil laws
were given
for national Israel
as their rule
under God
as their king
for life
in that land.
How does the New Testament
command the church?
Well, the New Testament,
the church,
is an international
people of God
spread throughout
a lot of different
nations and cities
and rules
by those people
and we are told
to submit ourselves
to those worldly rulers
that God has ordained,
Romans 13,
as long as their laws
don't contradict
the higher law
of God.
So now for the church,
what's the role
of the law?
What's the role
of the law?
Well, we can be feeling
at this point,
I hate legalism.
I don't want to be that.
I want to be like
that dragon flying
swerve as far away
from legalism
as I can.
But that's only
the first invisible web.
The second sticky
web from hell
is this.
You are saved,
but you're not
united to Christ.
You're saved somehow,
you're declared righteous,
but you're not
united to Christ.
Verse 17,
we read,
If while we sought
to be justified
in Christ,
we ourselves
were found sinners,
is Christ a servant,
a promoter,
a minister of sin?
Certainly not.
Absolutely.
not.
Verse 18,
For if I build up again
those things
which I destroyed,
I prove myself
a lawbreaker.
This is a,
these verses are
difficult to interpret.
I'm going to save you
my exercises
trying to figure it out.
I think the best clarity
I got was from
Calvin's commentary.
When Paul says
in verse 18,
If I build up again
those things,
Calvin's interpretation
is that
Paul is using language
in general,
like,
I wouldn't even do this.
I wouldn't tear something down
just to build that same thing
back up.
If I wouldn't do it,
Jesus Christ definitely
doesn't work that way either.
That's the argument.
So,
Jesus Christ is no
lawbreaker.
His work does not
contradict
himself.
1 John 3,
verse 8 says
that Jesus came
to destroy
the works
of the devil.
And Christ
does not
build
sin
in his people.
Because that would be
a foundation
of destroying
the works of the devil,
destroying sin
in the life
of his people.
Why would Jesus
now be a minister
of sin?
Why would Jesus
be ruling over
his people
like saving them
but not
freeing them
of that bondage
to sin anymore?
That's the argument.
It might be better
understood by this
paraphrase by Matthew Henry.
To live in sin
because you are
justified by faith
alone
is to try to make
Christ
the minister of sin
at any thought
of which
all Christian hearts
would shudder.
Matthew Henry
is pointing out
that same thing.
If you are truly
in Christ,
the thought
of Christ
now building
a life of sin
in you
would make you shudder.
Anyone who's
truly in Christ
would never view sin
that way.
But why can we
get tangled up
in this other
invisible web?
Why is it,
why does it work
on us?
Sinclair Ferguson
calls these two
unidentical twins,
like non-identical twins
from the same womb.
They both come from hell
and they both appeal
to the same thing.
They appeal to
our pride,
again,
and a wrong view
of God.
when we become
frustrated
by our weakness
to obey
God's law,
we all have,
that's Romans 7,
we don't do it well,
we don't love God
and obey Him
as much as we wish
we did.
Then what our pride
wants to do
is to blame
God's law.
Doesn't it?
Well,
surely I can't be
the problem,
it must be
the law of God
that's the problem.
in Christ,
you are justified
and you are no longer
under the dominion
of sin.
If you are in Christ,
He will rule
over your life
as your covenant Lord.
You are truly
in covenant
with God
through Jesus Christ.
Sin no longer
has dominion
over you
if you are in Christ.
1 Corinthians 7,
19 says,
for neither
circumcision counts
for anything
nor uncircumcision
but keeping
the commands
of God.
So it's the Christian
who can read
Psalm 119
and agree
how I love
your law.
It slays me,
it makes me humble,
it teaches me
I am weak
on my own
but it brings me
back to my union
in Christ,
the only mediator.
That's why I love
your law.
I don't hate
the law,
I don't blame
the law.
Your works
do not
complete your salvation
but your works
are evidence
of your salvation.
And just like
legalism
is to reject
the grace of God,
lawlessness
is the same.
You reject grace
if you detach
the way you live
from the person
and work
of Christ.
You have a wrong
view of God
if you get trapped
in this
because it means
you don't believe
that Christ
has any real power.
You don't believe
that He loves you
even more than
you love yourself
because He does.
Satan wants you
to have that wrong view.
Satan wants to
accuse God to you.
Satan wants you
to not believe
God could possibly
want you
to have assurance.
And there's nothing
that God wants more
than for you
to be assured
of your union
and you're standing
before Him
in Christ.
That's the gospel.
When you get
stuck in this web,
you accuse God's law,
you believe that
God is not love
or good,
Satan stirs up
that pride
into even more
disobedience.
And what this does
is your disobedience
and mine,
it robs us
of ever truly
enjoying assurance,
of ever truly
trusting God
and trusting
that His grace
sanctifies you
because you truly
are in Christ.
When we get stuck
in one,
we want to overreact
and we're like
that pendulum
on an old
grandfather clock.
We want to
overcorrect,
don't we?
Satan wants us
to think that
lawlessness
does not
free you.
I'm going to
say that a different
way.
I'm so sorry.
When I'm stuck
in legalism,
I think,
in my flesh,
with Satan accusing,
I think the way
to get out of
legalism
is to go to
lawlessness.
When I'm in
lawlessness,
I think the way
to correct that
is to go back
over to legalism.
Look at what
Paul says next
in verse 19.
He says,
For I,
through the law,
died to the law,
that I might live
to God.
For I,
through the law,
died to the law,
that I might live
to God.
Paul is saying
lawlessness is not
what frees you
out of legalism.
It's the law
that kills
legalism in you.
The problem
was never
God's law.
Satan wants
to use God's
commands to
deceive you
about the nature
of God
who gave the
command.
But the problem
all along
has been my
own sin.
Would you turn
with me to
Romans 7?
Look at
Romans 7,
verse 8.
Romans is laid
out as a
systematic
theology.
It's laid
out sequentially
in a very
purposeful
order.
I believe
Romans 6
is about
justification.
I believe
Romans 7
is about
a Christian
being sanctified.
Romans 8
is about
assurance.
Romans 7,
starting at
verse 8.
Paul,
writing in the
first person,
it's his own
testimony in
this battle.
He says,
sin,
seizing an
opportunity,
how?
Through the
commandment,
through the
moral law,
stirred up
all kinds
of covetousness
that was
inside of me.
The law of
God exposed
the sin
in me.
Is the
problem the
law or
my sin?
Paul's giving
his testimony.
The problem
is my sin.
Look at
verse 10.
Paul writes,
the very
commandment
that promised
life proved
to be death
to me.
Under the
Mosaic
covenant,
the arrangement
was do this
and live.
If you can
obey it all
perfectly,
personally,
and perpetually,
the promise
of life.
So it
promised life,
but it
proved to be
death to me
because I
can't do
that.
Verse 11,
for sin,
seizing an
opportunity
through the
commandment
deceived me
and through
it killed
me.
Verse 12,
so the law
is holy
and the
commandment
is holy
and righteous
and good.
The law
of God
is holy,
the moral
law of God
is righteous
and it's
good.
The moral
law is holy,
it's from
God,
from the
creator,
two creatures.
It is righteous,
it is still
pleasing to
God,
it has not
been abrogated
and it is
good,
it is a
blessing from
God for
me.
That's how we
ought to view
the law.
You can turn
back to Galatians
chapter 2.
Paul says,
through the
law,
I died
to the
law.
God's
law
killed me
in the
best way.
God's law
is what
killed my
pride.
God's law
killed
legalism
inside me.
When we
use God's
law,
when we
use the
Ten
Commandments
as a
mirror,
like we
read in
James,
it does
this.
It helps
us to
die to
legalism.
It shows
us,
if I'm
not in
Christ,
I am
utterly
hopeless
because I
can produce
no good
works on
my own.
When God
exposes sin
in you
and me,
it makes
us want to
praise Him
for one
reason.
It shows
me that
I am
united to
Christ on
the point
of my
sin first
because it
was my
sin that
Christ paid
for on
the cross.
And
therefore,
I'm united
to Christ
in His
paying for
my sin.
And
because my
sin unites
me to
Christ's
crucifixion
in my
place,
look at
what Paul
writes in
verse 20.
That's how
I,
my pride,
my sin,
my flesh,
have been
crucified
with
Christ.
The law
is not
what dies.
The law
kills our
pride and
it kills
legalism
inside of
us.
We are
dead to
legalism,
we are
dead to
sin's
dominion,
but the
law does
not die
because the
law is a
reflection of
the eternal
transcendent
God.
And Christ
rules over
His people
as He
always has
with a
good,
holy,
and righteous
law.
But we
don't take
the law
as we had
to at
Mount Sinai,
the people
of God
with trembling
knowing they'll
come short.
We take it
from the
hand of
Christ,
our Savior.
We take
it with
gratitude.
If you
are in
Christ,
when you
break God's
moral law,
it has no
power to
condemn you
any longer.
You are
free from
that curse,
and instead
you receive
only blessings
because it
draws you
back to
your need
to be
united to
Him again.
Well,
there's still
one problem
we've got to
resolve,
at least in
my own
mind.
we are
no better
as Gentiles
than the
Jews.
That's
Paul's
whole
argument.
Jews,
you are
no better
than the
Gentiles.
Gentiles,
you are
no better
than the
Jews either.
If the
Jews,
the Israelites,
lacked the
power,
the love
inside of
them like
Hosea
exposed to
keep the
law and
obey God,
what's our
hope?
We lack
that same
power if
we're under
that same
covenant.
I believe
that's what
is handled
in verse
20 and
21.
the power
that you
and I
lack on
our own.
Look at
verse 20.
Paul says,
now that I've
been crucified
with Christ,
it is no
longer I
who live,
but it's
Christ who
lives in
me.
That life
which I
now live
in the
flesh,
I live
by faith
in the
Son of
God who
loved me
and gave
himself up
for me.
What is
the secret
to walking
in Christ?
What is
the secret
to having
the power
we would
lack?
Well,
on Mount
Sinai,
the Lord
called this
mediator up
the mountain
and the
Lord wrote
on these
stone tablets
the moral
law and
he sent
them back
down with
Moses
mediating,
ruling over
the people
with God
as their
king.
And the
law gave
him a
direction,
live this
way,
this is
pleasing to
me.
But it
simply
exposed
their own
flesh,
their own
inability to
keep it
by their
strength.
See the
similarities.
Moses himself
prophesied,
there will be
a prophet
like me,
one of your
brothers who
will come
and he will
give you
God's law.
And Jesus
in the same
way,
having completed
his work,
he ascended
to the highest
heaven.
He ascended
and from
there he
gives that
same law,
but he
gives it by
the power
of the
Holy Spirit
not written
on stone
tablets,
but written
in the
hearts of
his people.
The Holy
Spirit not
only writes
the law
in our
hearts,
but he
also
indwells
the believer
and he
gives us
the power
that we
lack
to walk
with him.
2 John
1.6
says,
this is
love,
that we
walk
according
to his
commands.
Love
and the
commands
working
together.
Sinclair
Ferguson
commented,
love for
Jesus is
expressed
by commandment
keeping.
Love is
the fulfillment
of the
law.
Love is
never said
to be a
replacement
for law.
It was
not legalism
for Jesus
to do
everything
his father
commanded,
nor is
it for
us.
The
difference
between
you and
I as
Gentiles
with the
Israelites
is that
Jesus has
kept the
law savingly
for us
already.
And on
top of
that,
he has
sent his
Holy Spirit,
what the
New Testament
calls the
Spirit of
Christ,
to live
in and
through his
people.
Hebrews 8
says,
everyone in
the covenant
with Christ
will know
him.
And he
will put
his law
in our
minds
and in
our
hearts.
We're
told as
Christians
to work
out your
salvation
with
trembling.
We're
told to
run the
race.
This is
language of
forward
movement
as a
Christian.
If you're
in Christ,
you are
marching
behind him,
you are
following
him.
And
forward
movement,
Sinclair
Ferguson
again
pointed out,
requires
two things,
a direction
and a
power.
He gave
the example
of a
train,
an engine
on the
railway
tracks.
The Ten
Commandments
are the
tracks.
It gives
us a
direction
of where
we go.
But there's
this massive
iron horse,
this engine
that needs
to be moved.
Where does
that power
come from?
Well,
the engine's
power is
the Holy
Spirit in
the believer.
It's the
love of
God poured
into our
hearts
continuously,
filling us
back up,
jet engine
to propel
us on
the tracks.
So in
the new
covenant,
we have
both.
We have
what the
Israelites
lacked.
We have
the direction
that we
share,
that doesn't
change,
but now
we have
the power.
We have
folks who
have been
preparing for
baptism,
and this
is what is
pictured in
baptism,
buried with
Christ,
and then
raised to
newness of
life.
You have
been crucified
with Christ,
united to
Him on
the point
of your
sin,
and now
you're
raised to
newness of
life with
the Holy
Spirit living
inside of
you.
That life
which I
now live
in the
flesh,
I live
by faith
in the
Son of
God who
loved me
and gave
Himself
up for
me.
You
notice how
this is
really the
refrain of
every one
of your
favorite hymns
and songs.
I pulled
a couple
examples.
John Bunyan
who wrote
Pilgrim's
Progress,
he put this
in first
person,
how this
was true
for him
in a
poem.
Run,
John,
run,
the law
commands,
but gives
neither feet
nor hands.
Better
news the
gospel brings,
it bids me
fly and
gives me
wings.
William
Cooper,
in a hymn
he wrote,
to see the
law by
Christ
fulfilled
and hear
His
pardoning
voice
changes
a slave
into a
child
and duty
into choice.
My
encouragement
for us
today,
don't
reject
God's
grace.
Don't
let your
pride
get you
entangled
in either
one of
these
webs.
Don't
let the
lies of
Satan
accuse
God
to you.
Believe
who
He
is.
As
we'll
sing in
a moment,
arise,
poor,
wretched
sinner,
and go
to Jesus.
He
will
embrace
you
in His
arms.
Rest
in His
grace
again.
Let's
pray.
Lord,
thank You
for this
glorious
gospel
that we
do have
life
in Jesus
Christ.
We have
been
crucified
with
Christ
for our
sin,
but we
have
life
in
Christ
by Your
power
so that
it is
no longer
I who
live,
but it's
Christ who
lives in
me.
Please work
this out,
Lord,
in every
aspect of
our lives
for Your
glory we
ask.
Amen.