Sermon Tone Analysis

Matthew 22:34-40

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2000

The Law

 

Ÿ  Young girls aren't allowed to walk a tightrope in Wheeler, Mississippi, unless in church.

Ÿ  In Blackwater, Kentucky, tickling a woman under her chin with a feather duster while she's in church service carries a penalty of $10.00 and one day in jail.

Ÿ  No one can eat unshelled, roasted peanuts while attending church in Idanha, Oregon.

Ÿ  In Honey Creek, Iowa, no one is permitted to carry a slingshot to church except a policeman.

Ÿ  No citizen in Leecreek, Arkansas, is allowed to attend church in any red-colored garment.

Ÿ  Swinging a yo-yo in church or anywhere in public on the Sabbath is prohibited in Studley, Virginia.

Ÿ  Turtle races are not permitted within 100 yards of a local church at any time in Slaughter, Louisiana.

You may laugh at these rediculous laws, yet today many are trying to please God by keeping rules, laws and traditions.

This is nothing new.

In Acts 15 the Jerusalem Council dealt with the same issue.

Although laws abound in society today it doesn't necessarily make the world a better place.

People can't keep them.

Today I would like to look at the relationship between the Christian and the Law.

In the old testament believers were commanded to keep the Law.

/Is the Church required to observe the law?/

The Law contains three main sections.

The */Ceremonial Law/* relating to worship, sacrifices, hygiene and diet.

The */Civil Law/* relating to community life and responsibilities.

The */Moral Law/* stated in the 10 commandments.

/Are we responsible to keep the ceremonial law today?/

No. /Are we obliged to keep the civil law?/ No. /Are we responsible to keep the moral law?/ No. /Can we keep God's law?/ No. /Has anyone kept the 10 commandments all their life?/

Please put your hands up.

This  morning I would like to look at the Christians relationship to the law under 2 headings.

I.

The Failure Of The Law            &              II.

The Fulfillment Of The Law

/Firstly/ The Failure Of The Law  -  /Legalism & Sin          /

/ /

*Matthew 22:34-36* /But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?/

/ /

/a.

The Law Leads To Condemnation/

/ /

One of the Pharisees showed respect for the Lord's answer to the Sadducees and asked a question of his own: /Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?/

This was not a new question, for the scribes had been debating it for centuries.

They had documented 613 commandments in the Law, 248 positive and 365 negative.

No person could ever hope to know and fully obey all of these commandments.

So, to make it easier, the experts divided the commandments into “heavy” (important) and “light” (unimportant).

A person could major on the “heavy commandments” and not worry about the less important ones.

The fallacy behind this approach is obvious: You need only break /one law,/ heavy or light, to be guilty before God.

*James 2:10* *says:* /For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

/According to God's justice, to break one commandment is to break them all.

The Law condemns people, it can't justify them.

*Galatians 2:16* *agrees with this:* /Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

/Although Israel had the Law they never kept it.

Stephen accused Israel's leaders of this very thing.

The Law condemned them as it will condemn all who try to keep it.

/ /

/b.

The Law Leads To Conceit/

/ /

The danger of observing the law is pride.

When Christians make up a list of rules to obey they become proud of their achievements.

A list of do's and don'ts is tangible and appeals to our ego.

Before long legalistic believers compare themselves with other believers.

They despise those who don't measure up to their own standard.

They become self righteous.

Such believers are blind to their own faults.

The trouble is that this self righteousness is outward and never deals with the sins of the heart.

Jesus warned about this in *Matthew 7:1-5.*

Christ said that to lust after a woman was really adultery and hatred was equivalent to murder.

Israel is an example of legalism.

They became proud of their spiritual heritage and this lead to their downfall.

Instead of allowing the Law to convict them of sin they used it to attain self righteousness.

They despised the Gentiles who they considered to be unclean.

They were proud of their works.

But God rejects all attempts to attain self righteousness.

* *

*Romans 9:30-32* /What shall we say then?

That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.

Why?

Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law.

For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.

/We too, need to be careful here.

We must never look down on others because we keep certain traditions.

Our observance of the Law can't gain God's favor.

/Why?/

Because we can't keep it all.

We are justified by faith not works.

Therefore we have no reason to be proud of our position in Christ since we didn't earn it, God gave it to us by grace.

/ /

/c.

The Law Should Lead Us To Christ/

/ /

*Galatians 3:19, 24-25* /What purpose then does the law serve?

It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor./

/ /

The purpose of the Law was to lead us to the Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Law condemns people of sin.

It is only when we acknowledge our guilt that God can save us.

In fact, Jesus Christ died to save us, something the law can't do.

*Galatians 3:13* /Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.

/*D.L. Moody* said the /Law tells me how crooked I am; grace comes along and straightens me out/.

*We are saved by grace through faith, not by the works of the Law.

No one will ever boast before God.

Romans 4:2-5: */For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

For what does the Scripture say?

Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness./

Application

/ /

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only person who kept all of the Law.

He kept all 613 commands.