The Law of God 1689 Chapter 19

Confession, turn to chapter 19, and if not, that's okay, I'll read it. So in chapter 19, it's called the Law of God, and this is one of the sections of our scripture that is very misunderstood by a lot of people, and even within Christianity, there's misunderstandings. It was not a coincidence either that we have several even Christian religions that reject God's law or portions of it.

And we have a culture that is spiraling out of control into total debauchery and complete devastation. As long as this country, in fact, was obeying God's laws, even not from the heart, when people were just obeying them outwardly, because we acted Christian in this country. We had a pretty nice, prosperous country for a while. And so we are not encouraging people to ignore God in their heart, but especially for some of the young people in this room, even if you are not a Christian, you are still obligated to God's law, and it is still good for you to try to obey it. and it will be good for you in the long run.

And then if and when you're born again by the Spirit of God, hopefully you will have less sin that you've indulged in and maybe even become addicted to, and you'll have a little better sensitivity to what's right and wrong when that day comes, Lord willing. But in chapter 19, paragraph 5, I just want to read what it says. It says, the moral law, doth, that means does, forever bind all as well justified persons as others to the obedience thereof.

So God's moral law, which was given to us in the Ten Commandments, it says earlier in paragraph two, binds everybody, not only those who are believers, but non-believers. So this is a refutation of the teaching that God's Ten Commandments were either only for Israel or only for believers. And then it says, not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect to the authority of God the Creator who gave it. so it's saying there that the law binds us we have to do what it says not just because the law itself says the good things so it's not because we read oh stealing, we shouldn't steal and then we think oh well stealing is pretty bad so yeah it's a good law we shouldn't do it but it's because it comes from the authority of God himself everything about his law is perfect even if maybe there was a part you didn't agree with or didn't totally understand.

And so it's very important that when we look at God's law we recognize that we are receiving something from a much higher power. It also has the phrase, who gave it? God's law is an extremely special voice and one of the reasons it so special and I know you guys in the Roberts family have been reading the Old Testament and family worship So how did God give us his law Does anybody remember Well, here, let me ask you, what, Michael?

Do you know? Tell me. Oh, yes. Okay, good answer. So did God send a pigeon into the world with a scroll that had his law written on it? No.

No. Did God put his law into the belly of a whale and then have the whale die on the beach and have people cut the whale open? No. No. Let's see. Did God make it rain and then after it rained, God's law was in the dirt, in the puddles?

No. So you guys know that's not how he gave us his law. How did he give us his law, his Ten Commandments? Remember in the book of Exodus. Does anybody remember? It's okay if you don't remember.

Here, how about if I give you some hints. A man named Moses went up on a mountain to talk to God about it. and when he came yes God gave us his law and as Jay said it was written in stone by God do you know that of all of the Bible that we have which is a wonderful book and you know that we love the Bible here and we think the whole Bible is from God written by God by the Holy Spirit through men for our benefit and all of it is the inspired words of God and it's all perfect and it's all in there and it's all infallible and it's totally sufficient, but there's only one little part of it that God actually wrote with his own hand for us. Isn't that kind of neat?

He didn't write the first Thessalonians with his fingers. When I say his fingers, I'm being metaphorical here. But God, it says, actually wrote the law with his hand onto the stone tablets. Why do you think it was on stone tablets? Any ideas, boys? Well, how about this?

What's the difference between if I gave you a piece of paper with something written on it, or if I gave you a stone with the same thing etched into it? What would be the difference? Tone. Hmm? Tone. Tone?

Smooth and rough. One would be rougher. Tone would be smoother. Which one would last longer, do you think? The piece of paper would last longer? No, you could crumple up a paper, right?

Yeah, or the ink could wear it. But a stone, that would take a long time for what was written to even start to fade. So God gave us his law on tablets of stone, and that was to show us that it's permanent. It was to show us how important it is. So God gave it to us, and that's super important because that actually means that even though the law could not save us, it was a gift.

We did not know the law apart from God giving it to us. We can understand some things naturally through natural revelation. But it was really a gift for God to tell us this law because God's law actually helps us to see how sinful we are. And why would that be a good thing Jack You know why would it be good that we would know how sinful we are Do you have any ideas Wesley?

Anybody? Anybody? Jason? Well, one reason would be to see how much we need to be saved. Yes. So when we have God's perfect law, and God's law doesn't have the power to save us, but God's law actually shows us how sinful we already are, that actually helps us to know, oh God, I need you.

I need your mercy. I need your grace. because you cannot keep God's law and I cannot keep God's law. And so that's one of the wonderful things about God's law and why it's actually a gift from God that he's given it to us is that God's law helps us to see how far short we fall of his perfect standards, not just to terrify us and to make us feel bad, but to actually drive us to Jesus Christ who perfectly kept God's law on behalf of sinners.

And that's the gospel, right? That Jesus Christ came into the world, obeyed God's law perfectly, even though we couldn't, and then he suffered and died on the cross in the place of sinners, and then rose again three days later after being in the grave. And all those who believe in him can be forgiven of all their sins, all the times they broke God's law, if they will believe in him. and so we say that the gospel is salvation by faith through faith and by grace meaning that you don't do any works to earn salvation and in here in paragraph 5 in chapter 19 it says neither does Christ in the gospel any way dissolve but much strengthen your obligation to keep the law so even though we cannot keep God's law and even though God's law is at least in part designed to lead us to see how far short we fall of keeping it so that we will believe the gospel, the gospel that tells us that we can't keep the law and that there's nothing we can do to earn God's favor and to earn our way to heaven, God's gospel to us actually strengthens our obligation to keep the law.

So because God makes you born again, because he gives you a new heart and puts his spirit within you when you get saved, you're actually supposed to delight in God's law and meditate on it day and night. And you're actually supposed to try to keep it. And you should have more power to try to keep it once you become a Christian because you have the spirit of God inside you.

Does that make any sense? Any boys? Any boys? Any sense? Yeah, a little bit. Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 5, Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.

I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. So, what should you remember tonight? What's one thing you remember, Jude, that we said about God tonight or about His law? Do you remember anything? God's law was written on what? On stones that right Jack do you remember anything tonight Anything that you learned or just remember Why don't we let Jack go first?

That God shows us that we're sinful so that He can show us how much we need Jesus. That is wonderful. God shows us that we're sinful so He can show us how much we need Jesus. perfect answer Jace what Jack said what you were going to say what else about God's law can you remember is God's law good or bad even though it can't save us it's still good yeah because it's from God right Wesley do you remember anything from tonight Who did God give his law to?

Or whom? Do you remember? Who went on the mountain and got the stone tablets? Moses, that's right. Michael? Michael, how many commandments are there? well it's two great commandments that's right and two tables they say ten commandments so praise God for what he provides for his people and everything he does is good and right and sometimes God will actually give us things that don't feel good to us like his law sometimes actually makes us feel bad but it's not God's fault or God's law's fault it's actually our fault when we feel bad because we're sinners and so we're supposed to run to the Savior and so what I want you boys to think about before you go to bed is I want you to think if Jesus Christ returned tonight while you were sleeping or if something should happen and you even died in your sleep are you born again? have you cried out to God and asked him to save your soul because you're a sinner and you need his grace? because don't harden your hearts and let sin continue to harden you.

You should call out to God as soon as you can and ask Him to be merciful to you. So think about that when you're all alone. You think about it when you're with your dad, your mom. Think about those things. But nobody will be justified in the eyes of God apart from Jesus Christ by works of the law. only those who repent and trust Jesus. So can you guys remember that?

Jude, will you remember that? Trust Jesus. Jace, can you remember that? Ask God for mercy. Jack, do you remember that? Believe the Gospel.

Repent. Trust that Jesus died for you. Michael, you have to believe that you have no righteousness of your own, only Jesus. Okay? Alright, I want you guys to think about that when you're alone at home and stuff. Thank you for listening to Be a Berean with your host, Michael Coughlin.

I am a writer at thingsabove.us and I also have a personal website, michaelcoughlin.net You can contact me by emailing me, michael at thingsabove.us I hope that you have been encouraged to search the scriptures