The Law and Grace

all right. What a wonderful morning today. It's nice to be able to experience such a beautiful weather here to wear cardigan. So we just Even in the little stuff even when everything else is going wrong. I just have might use to celebrate. The little big trees are stoking the facts. Here you tell him Lord. You are good.

He is a king of your heart today. I just invite you guys to. Worship with us. Even if you don't know you lyrics even if you're going to be lost that's fine. Just left the song Minister to you as were ministering to the Lord.

letter k

Does it keep stuff?

letter G

letter q

You're never gonna get it. Never gonna get it.

You're Never Gonna Let Me Down

Never Gonna Let You Down never going to let me down.

You never going to learn.

never going to learn

you never going to

Jojo

You're never going to love?

Georgia Power phone number

worship him. I know. sometimes it feels like

Denied his home.

Does Mom have?

You are, too.

We worship you Jesus.

You still hold on to it? So hold on to his father, even though it just feels like everything is going wrong. When darkness seems to just consume us bother you were still holding on to us whether you're walking with us toward and that's why you are good.

You didn't just promises Good Times father, but you are walking with us through it all father. That is who you are. You worked out Good Shepherd.

that will leave the 99 to

thank you Father and to bring us back into the fold. Marvelous Light pink you Lord

You're good. Joker

You're good.

Thank you, Jesus.

I don't know about you guys, but I stand and I asked. play father there's nothing good in me.

But I realized something this weekend. But even when there's nothing good in this because there's really nothing that we could offer on our own. It's his love.

It is his love for us that brings us back. It is his Precious Blood that he decided that his son would lay down his life for us. There's nothing that we can do to earn that.

That's why he is good to us.

Thank you, Jesus. We thank you for your presence. We thank you for those reminders father. We thank you for Jesus. We thank you for your precious plan.

So good. What does nothing get in as father? You are everything Lord. We worship you and we honor you Lord.

worship your father

making a good morning again Raymond church. Say again. Thank you for being here. Thank you for worshiping with us this morning and be watching us online as well. Thank you add this time. We're going to take a five-minute break yourself Bible ready to go get yourself something to drink.

Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, Raymond Church. Hope everybody's week was an amazing week. I know it's it's been a busy season for a lot of us and it continues to be a wind imagines going to get any any easier is as we approach the holiday season in the middle of a covid-19.

This week. We don't quite have it set for those who are following us live, but moving forward. There will be an outline for you online that will run the same time that we're doing the message. There is a bulletin online if you want to if you want to look it up. If you want to follow us, there are on on this life that we have a couple of instances where the system will cast the the the note or the reverse onto your phone to be able to do that. You have to follow follow or download the faithlife Bible or the longest Bible. Both our free will get into that at a later time. Thank you. Thank you again so much for following us we are. We just wrapped up a series on on the on Grace and defining Grace in the depth of what Grace actually is and what it is not we advance on something that that I had started to talk to you about in the middle of the grace series and that's the law. How many ways we've been taught that the law isn't something for us anymore because Jesus completa didn't so we don't need it anymore. And so we just missed the lies as if it has nothing or no effect to be sure. There's about 613 laws that were that we can find through scripture at least the ones that were written or spoken about through the Mosaic Covenant in the Nevada Covenant. There's about 613 different laws. How many of those laws still apply to us? And what impact do they have on how we see the gospel? I think that is the most important part of what we're doing. We're going to be dealing with for the next couple of weeks if you open your Bible Matthew 5:17.

MSU turning their I want I want to set the stage.

Jesus is is on scene and he's being asked about things now if you've ever noticed Jesus kind of set up a pattern. If you ever read through the gospels, he set the pattern he will preach about something and he sets the stage moving forward. For example, as he begins his ministry. He just wanting incredible thing. He invites others to join him in Ministry and some of them say, well, we have a parent to Barry we have businesses. Otherwise we have to do other things before we can follow you and eaten since Jesus says But the most important thing is just to follow. Insulin from that point forward what you see Jesus doing is he's he's on task. He's doing Ministry and he's going from place to place doing what he was called. He acknowledges the importance of family. He acknowledges the importance of what you have going on back home, but he identifies that above that is serving the lord. Much in the same way as we encountered a section of scripture Matthew 5:17, and I'll go ahead and start reading.

My pages are sticking together.

Matthew 5 verse 17

in a Reese's follows 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 for truly I say to you until Heaven and Earth pass away. Not an Iota not a DOT will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

therefore whoever relaxes one of these

Never relaxes one of the least of these Commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven menopause right there. Jesus is a lot in a short statement.

But what he prefaced what he was about to say was with this the law and the prophets not there have no effect. But everything has been pointing to him since the beginning of time. It's so if you do away with one you have to do away with the other and if you do away with both then what are you really have? The fact of the matter is that if we were to assume that got operated in one way in the Old Testament in a different way in the New Testament. It would be a fallacy and here's why because he was tells us that God is the same yesterday today and forever another word to God's unchanging and if he is unchanging will he change his mind about what he made with the law know some might argue and say what the law was very harsh and very critical and so how was how does that have to do anything with Grace or how did I have to do anything with with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? But when you examine it upon for the context and you see that the Jesus tells you not a not an Iota not a. He's dealing with the the language of the time. It's not even the most minuscule thing will pass. until Heaven and Earth pass away In other words, this is going to continue on and continue on and continue on and continue on. So then we as Christians have a question to ask ourselves. What is the importance of that Laden and how much of it do we have here by? Because Jesus and says whoever relaxes the least of these Commandments becomes the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We can be troubled over this because we hear a term called legalism. In the way that the church has applied. The term legalism is a little harsh. Because what legalism does it tells you or teaches you that somehow or another by adhering to every one of these laws you're going to reach some sort of Grey some sort of Merit some sort of favor. That's legalism. In other words. I have to trust that the law is going to be enough to fulfill with only Christ could have been filled. And if I live on that law and I live on the understanding that the law is going to be what saves me what I'm effectively doing is I'm practicing legalism.

We cannot do it with the law. Because what Jesus tells us is that we can't relax the least of these Commandments. What Jesus tells us is that? It's not going to go away. More importantly he continues to tell us not to relax on these Commandments and so you might be able then do I need to practice? The way that the Pharisees and Sadducees used to now he answers that in the same text, but I will address that next week. But I want to focus on those that that he's dealing with something that I don't know that many of us really understand that in the time. Of the law. That was the yeso 613 laws, but those three laws laws are broken down into three categories you have what's known as the moral law. You have what's known as the civil law and then you have what's known as a ceremonial law? All of these are laws. Let me point one out just as an example because we'll dive into that the definition of these laws in a little more context next week. When you deal with this area mount ceremonial law. This can be seen as a way of.

forgiveness, right because in order for the Jew at that time for him to be forgiven, he would have to bring an offering to the temple and in so doing he would lay his sins upon that animal and then become saved. The ceremonial practice how much of that ceremony still applies to us today? Well, do we not have a lamb that our sins are laid upon?

In other words the forgiveness for my sin. Still practices that very same law that was seen then appointed forward to what was to happen with Jesus Christ.

My Sims go on his shoulders. My Scene goes on the lamb the Lamb of God and he takes the sin and washes me clean And so with that quick example, I just wanted to illustrate that the law itself has had a very powerful effect on what we believe on how we go forward when you think about the civil law. The civil law is something that still applies to us today. A lot of our laws here in the United States are premised on a Christian Foundation. And that Christian Foundation is premised on a judaic covenant. So everything again is pulling forward to it to a time. And everything both the law and the prophets have been pointing to Jesus Christ the work on the cross go to move away from legalism. I would say there is a law it does apply to us, but we don't rely on the law for our Salvation or our righteousness. In fact following the law is a mark of true Christianity. Well, I won't get into it luggage laws this week. I want that to sit in the back of your mind and for you to begin to examine what these laws are because one of the what are the the marks of becoming or being a Christian is to know how to adhere to these laws or how they apply to us.

We may think we may come to the point where we think. That somehow or another and this is kind of the way that the church has been taught. Somehow or another the law wasn't enough or wasn't good enough for wasn't made perfect. And so we dismiss it. We might come to the point of thinking that the law and itself because if it was because it was incomplete an imperfect.

That the law is God's first plan and Grace as we talked about all last couple weeks was God's Back-up Plan. I don't think God has a backup plan. I think everything points forward. To what God had intended from the beginning.

And with that we understand that God's laws are the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven.

God's laws are his way of life. And they are Divine and perfect in intent and equity in administration. Every one of those laws when there's a spirit of love the actual practice of the law every every bit of it was executed or given perfectly. This is the road map is of the template. He said how it is here in heaven. When you ascribed Holiness, what does it mean to be? Holy and pure? You would miss the entire purpose of Holt of being holy and pure if you just went and blindly did with the law said you'd actually have to understand what the purpose of that law was. So in intent and purpose and in its execution or its Administration, the law is has been made perfect. And a part of who we are as Christians.

So if we encounter in scripture many different text to tell us that we no longer bound to the law. We no longer are under the law. What is changed?

I don't think anything's changed. I think our understanding of the law as a Christian body needs to change. And I think we need to understand what it would in fact Paul who speaks very much about the law was trying to get at and what he was dealing with before we go off and disable. The law doesn't have an effect on me. So I don't have to follow it.

So what is the purpose of what is the need for the law? He will turn your Bible with me to Romans 3:20 and if you turn your Bibles there.

Not too long ago.

Some of us sat behind a seat in school. and even sometime, you know. in the not-too-distant past

the way that you would perform or give an examination. was It was given to you on paper. Whether it was a multiple choice. Fill in the blanks or whatever the case was. Everybody would be given a blank exam today. We do it on Google Sheets or some like that which is cool kind of flies. What do you think about this?

Is it is it? If we had a hundred multiple choice questions. Do you think the teacher who is grading these papers was going down every answer and making sure that if it was Mark see that this was in fact the answer for number one.

Let me clarify a little bit. First of all most often than not in those in that kind of a experience. What you actually had was a teacher's assistant who was grading papers who is grading exams. in a teacher's assistant if this was a multiple choice was given a clear sheet and all that clear sheet was the template of the answers and they would line up that clear sheet on top of your multiple choice any Mark that was above or below that Mark was considered a wrong answer. So what you see there is it there's a template. There is there was a temple that was given. How did I know what was going to be wrong? If I was grading papers, how did I know that? That was the wrong answer either? I'm really really good at memorizing everything. Or I have a template. One way or the other. I have a template because even if I have to memorize the answers and recite them verbatim, I memorize the template. Read with me if you will Romans 3:20.

Nepal has been dealing with the sin in in the gentile people the sin with the religious people to send with the Jewish people and he comes to this point in Romans 3:20, and he says this for by works of the law. No human being will be justified in his sight since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

And immediately we're brought the two understandings number one as I've been saying the law will never justify. The law will never make you righteous. The law that in itself isn't powerful enough to make you righteous before God. What it does do is it tells you what sin looks like. It tells you anything beyond this standard or behind the standard is wrong. And so it's like if I were to take that same template that same Clear sheet of paper and your entire life were to be enrolled before me. If I were to bring that clear sheet of paper and set it over yours over your life. Are there going to be March that are above or below the marks that are right in the marsh that are wrong. Because everything that doesn't match up is a wrong answer. Everything doesn't match up is a false answer.

What we are assured of is that in our work in our efforts, we we don't have it in us to do so much good. That we can actually pass this exam. What the Lord tells us his hey, here's the standard.

You can't reach the standard because this again goes back to the same statement that this is God's way of life. This is the way things are in the Kingdom of Heaven.

And if this is the way things are in the Kingdom of Heaven, it doesn't go by my emotion. It doesn't it doesn't care about how I feel about certain things. I can feel a certain way about living with my girlfriend. Well, I married by the way. And if that's okay in my in my moral compass, I can try to justify it. As a matter of fact, I can make a million ways to justify that behavior. Let me assure you I could even take scripture and justify that behavior. What have I effectively done? I've manipulated scripture to fit my lifestyle when in reality. I need to be manipulating my life to fit what scripture is telling me. I need to change who I am and you change how I live. I need to change how I walk in order to be able to fit the template that God has set before me. What the law effective lead us for as it gives us a reference point. It gives us a way point of where we're headed of how to get to that point often times in aviation. We would Mark waypoints. And it was telling the people behind us. We're coming in behind us where we had been where was okay for them land. Where was located for them to fly over. It's the exact same thing that we're doing here. The Lord has set before you a template I said hey, this is Milo right here. everything inside of this Falls in good everything else Falls outside of that has fallen in the bed. Where do you stand?

All of us all of us have fallen short and that's what the law shows us. More than just showing us that we are good or bad.

If we were to read on Romans 3 verse 20, let me start their again and it says for by works of the law in the human being will be justified in his in his sights and through the law comes knowledge of sin, but now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law all the law and the prophets bear witness to it. What do they bear witness to?

the righteousness of God

This is the god you serve. This is his righteousness. This is how he is and how he live in his perfection. It shows us exactly the way that God is and affirms to us. If this is the way of the Kingdom of Heaven. the lawn itself I will magnify the righteousness of God.

And he goes on to say through the faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

So it doesn't just end.

You see the law for someone who doesn't believe in Jesus Christ basically just looks they look at God. That's it. Wow. That is a really harsh standard man. How do you want to be a Christian and live that life? There's like no fun. You got to walk a certain way. You got a dresser and where you got to talk a certain way. You need to avoid certain friends. You need to surround yourself with other friends may be friends. You might consider a bunch of dorks, but you're like well, they believe in Jesus. That's probably my crowd.

Fact of the matter is that when you look at a Christian you say with that's a very boring lifestyle, but I can tell you this that once you understand the reason why we why he sets a holy standard there is joy. There is joy in the Holy standard. Let me give you an example. He really quick before I move on to the next point because I want you to understand that it's not just the stated law. It's the intent of the law. If the law has told me to not have premarital sex.

It's one thing just to follow it blindly, but it's another thing to raise it to that standard and find out why. Find the holy standard. What does it mean to not have sex out of marriage?

Something that has been given to us that is wonderful between a man and a woman who are married.

But instead of striking fear into your heart of why you shouldn't have sex out of marriage. Let me tell you what greatness comes when you save your Purity for when you finally find your life partner your wife your husband.

Because you have something to give and something to receive. That is Holy and pure. You not just kept yourself apps and then just to keep yourself absent. You understand that what you have is something that God has given you as a gift.

And it's not just Purity that he's giving you.

But look at the Heartbreak that is happening when you have sex out of marriage and you go from one partner to another partner to another partner to another partner and each time you get heavier and heavier and heavier and heavier and heavier with burdens.

Because you jump in bed with one person and another and another and you carry on whatever they had. Now you can now becomes a part of Who You Are. They came from a broken home. And now you have that same sense in you the sense of Abandonment the sense of hurt the sense of pain, but that's a spiritual effect. What about the physical effect? What is use a condom and birth control and we're good?

Let me tell you that I know. A story about birth control and condoms. They don't work. My oldest is a product of it just saying.

You don't want a child don't have sex.

That's the only way don't have sex. Well, I can't understand you can't possibly think that like with my hormones. I should be able to like hold out right I come on.

What about the heartache when the person you decided to give yourself over to decide if they don't want her want you?

the physical pain you endure

and what about the unintended consequence of that pregnancy when that mother decides she no longer wants to carry that baby to term and wants the board it. How many comes in turn someone who is murdering a child for her own desire?

What about the young man who contracted HIV or Aids syphilis gonorrhea?

And now you have a disease. Was that was the standard so high set so high so that you couldn't have fun or was it standard set high so that you could live in. And you can actually have and enjoy a long and fruitful life with your partner.

Never looking back on the past and thinking whole. I remember when my other lever used to do all this other stuff and you don't do it. So you're not really good.

You save yourself from so much heartache. Buy a hearing to the stand of the Lord has set for you. The same standard as it gives you that reference point the same standard of gives you a template the same standard Bears witness to the righteousness of God, but more importantly if you'll turn to Galatians 2:16.

Directions to sixteen reasons Falls yet. We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. So we also have believe in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law because by works of the law, no one will be justified.

Justification doesn't come to the law. What you given as a template what you're given is a waypoint. What you're giving is a standard what you're given is a direction. These are my directions. Can you adhere to them?

Well, if if I want to be a Christian.

Send me that I have to live my whole life this way.

It has an interesting thing that happens. Eric a Christian does a couple of things first to give their life to Christ. Do a confession in the baptism they died of themselves. And upon Tyne to themselves. It is no longer I who live but Christ and then he lives. Galatians 2:20 what we done

the fact is it to live is Christ at the live the law of God and will see that you're as it plays out in Bristol Galatians 2 for 20 as I have been crucified with Christ no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh. I live by. By faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. By the grace of God for his righteousness. We're through the law then Christ died for no purpose.

I can't bring myself to a point where I can believe that the law is going to save me. Well, I will never have that affect the laws. I was going to appoint to a standard. But in order for me to live is Christ, I would have to first item myself. And if I'm dying to myself, that means that my flesh no longer lives the carnal passions of this world no longer mean as much as it means to live for Christ because it is he who lives in me? It means that no longer. Do I look at being a Christian is just a boring event.

But looking at the glory and majesty and power that it mean to have Jesus Christ live inside of you.

I have to make it an incredibly strong point through the sadist that in order for me to live. In order for me to be I have to dye my flesh has to die. And that's my flesh. Come to the point of breaking. It is Jesus Christ who becomes more inside of me as I become less. He becomes greater.

To the point where Christ and I become one.

If price and I are one. then it brings me to a very A very strong pause because in order for me to become as Christ, I have to live my life modeled after him who is called me. And if I have to model my life after him who has called me. I have to know how he lived his life.

John 5:19

at this point, I think we can all agree that Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is Lord.

And so we come to a point.

Where I think we all might see that the law that were talking about here and we're going to continue talking about you over. The next couple of weeks is not just a simple law. But it's the law of God. It's a law that teaches us what heaven is like if a lot of peaches is what the father is like. It's a lot of tells us to live as God to live as Jesus here on Earth. to seek that high standard to understand why that high standard and so you come to this section and scripture John 5 verse 19. So Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you the Son of God can do nothing of his own accord. But only what he sees the father doing for whatever the father does the sun does likewise.

Even Jesus followed the standard as a human being living on living on Earth. Fully God fully man who he is on Earth and you say I only do whatever the father has sent me to do. I will only do as a human being whatever God has asked me to do. What is your standard? To do whatever you feel like to do, whatever feels good to live your life for yourself because that's what the society tells you is live for yourself. We all do it, right we jumping in that right rat race, we get it. We get a mortgage. We get a car payment. We get credit cards. We have children. We have college that we have this other day and all of a sudden we're so encumbered by debt that we can no longer be free in Christ because we're in slave to this indebtedness and the longer we live in that indebtedness the further away we pull from God and we see what couldn't possibly be. The Lord has called me to serve him fully like this because I have bills to pay. right

many of us many of us have purchased the car. We couldn't afford without ever talking to the father.

But what would you have me do?

Many of us have married someone. Without ever asking the father Lord. Is this who you've sent for me?

Many of us have gone into careers without actually seeking for the Lord and steel or would you answer this for me? Is this where you were taking me?

In fact many of us who know we should be praying this we have more soap. Walked away from their prayers and say something to the effect of order. This is in your will close that door. Because what we know and what we are aware of is that we know we're not supposed to be there. We know we're not supposed to be doing that.

And yet we go to the father to ask permission. And then we said if he didn't want me to do it you would have closed the door.

You never even asked. What would you bless me with this awesome new? Range Rover

Hey, you got the credit for you. Got the money for it. Go for it. But did you ask the Lord?

Well, if you didn't want me to have it I wouldn't have this job. And then six months later, you lose that job.

And then you have a problem because now you look at God and you say Lord. Why did you do this to me? Because I didn't do that you did it you never asked. You never you never wish to follow my my log because if you had followed God flaw you would have said okay load. What do you want? How much of me do you want? What can I give you? What can I bring you? And instead you said what do I what can I get for myself? But we see very clearly here. Is that Jesus Christ himself being able to do it all. Says no, I will not I will only do whatever the father has done. I will only go wherever the father sends me. I will only say whatever the father says through me.

As a pastor, that's my prayer Lord send me where you want me to go. Put the words in my mouth that you want me to speak. For teach me what it is that your people need. And then when I pray for myself as Lord teach me Teach Me. Teach me how to be teach me how to be patient and he teaching me how to be patient.

Teach me how to love my children. Oh, and he teaches me how to love my children.

every step of the way what we sticking here is what does God want? What are your laws? What are your commands Lord?

Turn the first John to Ford.

And what I had said here was that an order for us to be what Christ is we would have to know who Jesus Is Right.

to know the Lord

pics of Stewie to know Jesus Christ is to be able to live my life as he

I apologize. My pages are super sticky this morning.

It's true. Or Red Bull or whatever it is, and I'm drinking. Yeah. 1st John chapter 2 RS4 whoever says I am whoever says I know him but does not keep his Commandments is a liar.

And the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word in him truly. The love of God is perfected by this. We may know that we are in him. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked if you had any questions about whether or not we should be following the law.

There it is. How does Jesus walk according to God's commands? And one of those commands will he a lineman for you? He gave you his lies he gave you God's law. I need his follow this. If you say, you know, Jesus Christ, but you do not know his God's law. You don't know Jesus Christ. You know of the idea of Jesus Christ.

If you do not make it an intentional point to learn with allies telling you.

Both in how it is written in its intent and its Administration and what it means to you is to live in the gospel. You don't really know Jesus Christ. Because the ones who know the Commandments the ones who live as Jesus Christ have truly come to know Jesus and in this God's love is perfected.

In this God love is perfected.

We Ready earlier that whoever relaxes even the least of them becomes the least in Heaven

To know Jesus is to obey Jesus.

In the same way to love God. It to obey God.

Staying here first John turn your Bibles with me. John 5

can also hear worse when everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God and everyone who loves the father love love. Whoever has been born of him by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his Commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments. And his Commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world. our faith

Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus? Is the son of God?

I love God, I love his people is to obey his commands. More importantly that has you love God and you love his people and you seek and intentional externship with God. You have to learn to love the Commandments.

It is not your faith in the law that that brings you peace. It is not your faith in the law that will bring you some issue. But he says it's a Salvation comes in the Lord your faith in God, but in order to please God you have you have to have faith in him and her to have faith in him. You have to love him in order to love him. You have to be able to know him. But in order to know him you have to know his commands. None of these are apart from one another. What effect does the law have on us as we live in the in the gospel of peace? What effect does the law have on us who live under grace? The effect of the law has is that it tells us a that's a sin don't do that. Don't go there. That's a sin.

Look racist hot as this. That when we do make a mistake we have an advocate in Jesus Christ. Oftentimes we can we confuse it to him. We said we will just bring more we'll just do more of the church will just will hold the door open for people will will will attend all the discipleship groups will just turn all the the the teachings will do everything we can.

But there's something that you're missing. Because that's not marked as a obedience. When you don't know his type of God's law when you do not know God like you have yet to reach obedience. It's no wonder why in 1st Samuel Samuel comes to Sala nieces. What have you done? This is why I did what you always do the religious thing. I added that sacrifice to make you always do.

So I told you to wait.

God said to wait

when will you learn? are obedience it's more. then sacrifice

And you can't say I'm I'm obeying when you don't even know God's law.

You can't say I'm living in Grace when you have no idea what the law is. That's not Grace. You have to come to terms with what the law actually is. In that it is the word of God. It resides in Jesus Christ Jesus Christ when he was here on Earth ascribe to it and followed it and did with the law said He doesn't do away with it. He tells you you have to believe in this you have to reinforce this you have to ascribe to this. You have to walk in this way. And then he said something really important. He tells you this. is it if you think If I being good, you're going to be saved. You would have to be as good as all these religious people. You have to be better than them.

I know what you can't just be as good as a Pharisee or sadducee. You have to be better than then. Another word for righteousness is not come through the law, but you have to know the law. The very bottom point is knowing the law and that's what the Pharisees and Sadducees knew what they knew the law. The new the letter of the law but didn't quite understand the spirit of the law. Is it two different things?

going to bring us to to stopping point I think if I get too much further ahead of myself will be here for quite some time. Because Allah carries a significant weight. In wall today. I haven't addressed any one particular law in very in specifics. I want to bring you to a law that we touched on when we were studying race. Because it really does Mark how we view that side of the Bible. Because we don't quite understand. When I was dealing with phrase we did a sermon and that was titled.

the shouts of distress

in that we went through four five different cases where we see a young woman who is a virgin. But on her wedding night was uncovered to not be a virgin. The law was this that is on that night. She was she was found not be a virgin. She would be brought to the front of her father's house to that door and she would be stoned to death.

Our minds can reconcile that kind of law. Our minds can't even begin to process why God would even say that.

Why would he deal so harshly with these young women? And so as parents or children, we have either taught or have been taught to be afraid of having relations with people.

We have been taught to be afraid of this God. Who will Smite you for doing the wrong thing? He's going to Stone you to death. If you're not a virgin when you get married during to get stoned to death. God doesn't like that. He's going to kill you. That was the letter of the law. Going to bring it to the intent of the law.

But young woman who gave herself over to somebody else before her wedding day.

She was being punished because she lied to her parents. She lied to her future husband. That's what she alone was punished. Look at the harsh treatment that it happens to the man when he takes advantage of an innocent woman. Because too often we focus on the lawn we see what they are doing to the woman, but we don't see what it's doing to the man because the man that took advantage of the young lady who was walking in the in the desert.

He is stoned to death without question.

So it's not just one or the other. That is the letter of the law.

When you come to the understanding of the law brings you to a higher knowledge of what God wants you to be when you come to the understanding that the law. It was just there as a template to give you an idea of what the spirit of God wants for you. You come to the understanding as we studied through that sermon of Grace but the young lady that was being stoned to death. It wasn't just a physical for her. It was a physical that the look in our society today. We have hundreds of thousands of young women who are walking around spiritually dead. Because they've lost their purity.

Hundreds of thousands of young men were walking around Spirit. She said they no longer feel the spirit you no longer sent with the Holy Spirit is doing in them because they have lost their way of holiness.

You see the spirit of the law was it to teach you? Hey, look you can do that. That's fine. You live under grace, but understand it even and Grace when you do something like that. You'll be brought to the front of your father's house and at that door post. Will be stoned to death.

And then you contend with the Lord or why don't I feel your presence anymore when I was a youth it was so easy to just step into your presents to lift my hands up. And to truly seeing God you are good and you might say well that's because you have you were looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. Everything then was Horseshoes and rainbows and candy and gum drops and all that stuff. But that's a lie, because in our childhood a lot of us have gone through some significant trauma.

But even then we could come to the throne of the father put our hands up and see Lord Here. I Am Here. I Am Lord and then without even save much more than Here. I Am Lord, you begin to feel the holy presence fall upon you and as if your mouth begins to other what's in the death of your core and you begin to cry out. You are so good.

You always been good to me. That young person understand what it means to live the darkness. But young person knows what it means to be to feel abandoned that young person understands what it means when we sing when the night is holding on to me. Because they know that they can't trust the people above them. They can't even trust the law that a lot of times has failed them. a broken system

and the only thing they can say is cod even when I was in that.

You were holding on. You would not let go. Dickinson you are good. You are so good to me.

It's us as adults. That we get to that point. We have no idea why we sing it. Because we say you're good. You are good.

I can think about man. My life really sucks right now. I'm really hurting. My children don't listen to me. My husband left me. I'm getting foreclosed on losing my car's I just lost my job.

My grandparents are dying. My mom has Kobe and you can't sing God you are good.

Because you've lost sight of what the law has told you. I set a template for you to this is holiness. You want to be holy you want to cry out and be holy and say that you are holy and say that you are a holy nation. This is my standard. Got the cross. You'll never reach it.

It's not dismissing the left out of the Bible. It's taking a left out of the Bible and seeing and understanding that this God's law this God's law. These are the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is what it means to be. Holy. This is the way my life should be modeled.

Because God's laws perfect. It was never a secondary plan. It was never a a oops. Moment forgot this was God's plan from the very beginning but the law and the prophets with pointed Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ will filling being fulfilled in that. Not carry this forward until it's obey what God has said. Obey God's law. Not as a religious people do because if you're going after religiosity, you have to ascend higher than them worship team. You can come.

You would have to ascend. In your religiosity to being greater than the lives of people. If you are looking for true Holiness this here is the standard. And when you look on this side, you see the cross.

This has always pointed to the cross. And the cross tells you this is Grace, but look that way because that's your standard. That is your standard. You want to be a holy nation? You want to be a people that loves God you want to be a people that serves the Living God you have to look at the law. I don't just look at the law and its physical effect in its immediate context. You have to understand what the spirit of God was telling you back then because that young woman who was thrown at her doorstep was being told one thing in the physical from the spiritual today. You're told he look if you go around and you do this you're going to you're committing suicide because spiritual you're going to die. We've got it. It's no wonder why Jesus Christ says you got to be childlike. You've got to be childlike. You got to have this in mind that you that I have to pursue the law of God. I have to pursue what God is calling me to with such faith in God and saying God is going to do for me.

Not because I'm afraid that he's going to kill me or fight me or destroy me. Or punish me.

What we see is a God who is calling us into a covenant with Jesus Christ that through that Covenant in Jesus Christ. We may we may be made holy. only when we've come to understand what the law is calling us into

do you understand what the law is saying?

Have you made time to uncover God's law? Because I assure you it's more than ten commandments.

It is a lot more than just the Ten Commandments. even when you think about Sabbath you see what we're not Jewish. We don't celebrate the Sabbath. But the intent of the Sabbath remains with us today. When is the last time you found rest?

When is the last time you sat and found rest for some of you rest you can beat you can find yourself resting doing gardening? That pruning of the of the leaves. That fertilizing of the ground that picking of the Harvest and you find rest. For some of you is opening up a book and you start to read and it's not that you're getting lost in thought but that you have found rest husbands and wives one of the last time that you was a couple went and found rest together, then I'm not saying you went on a big giant long retreat, but you made it an intentional purposes sit down and have a meal together and not talk about the weight of the world. But you were talking about the love that you share. Do you not find rest there? Children, when is the last time you turned off or disconnected from from some sort of social media Network or electronic device? And that set outside and looked at at the Artistry at the Cannabis at the Lord is painted for you. When you look at the colors and you smell the sense. And you pick up an all the little things that the Lord has done for you and you find rest. That is Sabbath. The intent of Sabbath was always to find yourself at a place of rest. But the law would tell you or the people the religious people would tell you. And the way they portray the Sabbath burdensome it's heavy but God says that his law is not burdensome. So why are we burning one another with these laws? Why am I telling you don't walk more than 300 steps because if you do you're drinking you think I transfer you go back and forth. Now you're working. I just I had to walk to the restaurant. I had to walk back to my seat. That's 300 steps, but you dug a hole. What's legalism?

When we are found in the love of Jesus Christ, when we are found understanding the stated law the intent of the law and the administration of that law. We will find and finally come to a point where we know Jesus Christ. And how much he loves us as we intern love God the Father you are obedience. That's worship together.