Feb 10 16 Grace Not Law

Not Under The Law - Under GraceNot Under The Law - Under Grace

In this week’s reading we see God giving many

laws and commandments to Moses for His people

to obey.

Not Under The Law - Under Not Under The Law - Under GraceGrace

My thought today is, “Thank God, Christ freed

us from having to remember and obey

them.”


Let’s take a look at how we have been freed and what law we live under

now.


Romans 6:14 NET For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under

law but under grace.By grace you are saved

through faith.


Ephesians 2:4 NET But God, being rich in mercy,

because of his great love with which he loved us,


5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ — by grace

you are saved!


6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with

him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,


7 to demonstrate in the coming ages the

surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward

us in Christ Jesus.


8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not

from works, so that no one can boast.


What is Grace? Appropriately, the free

unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source

of all the benefits men receive from him. (Webster)

Has man ever merited salvation? No!


Notice Peter's statement concerning Paul.

2 Peter 3:15 NET And regard the patience of our Lord

as salvation,


just as also our dear brother Paul wrote to you, according to the

wisdom given to him, 16 speaking of these things

in all his letters.


Some things in these letters are hard to understand, things the ignorant and

unstable twist to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures.


Peter’s statement verifies the Apostle Paul’s

writings are included with the rest of Scriptures,

hence, they are from God, God breathed.


I wanted to make sure we’re all clear on this

because some of what we read today is from letters

written by Paul


Colossians 2:13 NET And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of

your flesh,


he nevertheless made you alive with him, having

forgiven all your transgressions. 14 He has

destroyed what was against us,


a certificate of indebtedness expressed

in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.


Blotting out (KJV) Greek, “Having wiped out”; coincident in time with “having forgiven you” (Col 2:13) hereby having

cancelled the law’s indictment against you. The law (including especially the

moral law, wherein lay the chief difficulty in obeying) is abrogated to

the believer,


as far as it was a compulsory, accusing code, and as far as

“righteousness” (justification) and “life” were sought for by it. It can only produce outward works, not

inward obedience of the will, which in the believer flows from the Holy

Spirit in Him.


the handwriting of ordinances (KJV) rather, “IN ordinances”; “the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” “The handwriting” (alluding to the Decalogue, the

representative of the law, written by the hand of God) is the whole law, the obligatory bond, under

which all lay;


the Jews primarily were under the bond, but they in this respect

were the representative people of the world; and in their inability to keep the law was involved the inability of the Gentiles also, in

whose hearts “the work of the law was written”; and as they did not keep this, they were condemned

by it.


that was against us ... contrary to us (KJV) Greek “adversary to us,” “Not

only was the law against us by its demands, but also an adversary to us

by its accusations.” [Bengel]


Tittmann explains the Greek, “having a latent contrariety to us”; not open designed hostility, but virtual unintentional opposition through our frailty; not through

any opposition in the law itself to our good. The “WRITING” is part of “that which was contrary to us”;

for “the letter killeth”.


and took it (KJV) Greek, and hath taken it out of the way” (so as to be no longer a hindrance to us), by “nailing it to the cross.” Christ, by bearing the curse of the broken law, has redeemed us from its curse. In His person

nailed to the cross, the law itself was nailed to it.


One ancient mode of canceling bonds was by striking a nail through the writing: this seems at that time to

have existed in Asia. [Grotius] The bond cancelled in the present case was the obligation lying against the Jews as

representatives of the world, and attested by their amen, to keep the

whole law under penalty of the curse. (JFB)


15 Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace

of them, triumphing over them by the cross.


Christ overcame and disarmed the spirits of darkness, the evil

angels. He triumphed over Satan and all his powers. Put

them to an open shame by triumphing over them in his

resurrection and ascension. (PNT)


16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with

respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or

Sabbath days —


the sabbath (KJV) Omit “THE,” which is not in the Greek.

“SABBATHS” (not “the sabbaths”) of the day of atonement and feast of

tabernacles have come to an end with the Jewish services to

which they belonged.


The weekly sabbath rests on a more permanent

foundation, having been instituted in Paradise to

commemorate the completion of creation in

six days.


A positive precept is right because it is commanded, and ceases to be

obligatory when abrogated; a moral precept is commanded eternally, because it is eternally right. If we

could keep a perpetual sabbath, as we shall hereafter, the positive

precept of the sabbath, one in each week, would not be needed. “rests,”

Greek, “keeping of sabbath”


But we cannot, since even Adam, in innocence, needed one amidst his earthly employments; therefore the

sabbath is still needed and is therefore still linked with the other

nine commandments, as obligatory in the spirit, though the letter of the law has been superseded by that higher spirit of love which is the essence of

law and Gospel alike. (JFB)


17 these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is

Christ!


The body, or substance, which casts the shadow is Christ. We are to pay no attention to the

shadows since Christ has come, but to observe what we find in him and the gospel. (PNT)


He speaks now more generally against the whole service of the

Law, and shows by two reasons, that it is abolished.

First, to what purpose would he that has obtained remission of

all his sins in Christ, require those helps of the Law?


Secondly, because if a man rightly considers those rites, he will find that they were so many testimonies of our guiltiness, by which we manifestly witnessed

as it were by our own handwritings, that we deserved

damnation.


Therefore Christ put out that handwriting by his coming, and

fastening it to the cross, triumphed over all our enemies, were they ever

so mighty. Therefore to what end and purpose should we now use those ceremonies, as though we

were still guilty of sin, and subject to the tyranny of our enemies? (Geneva)

Old and New Sacrifices Old and New Sacrifices ContrastedContrasted

First off let’s talk about the many sacrifices God

commands.

David has much to say regarding this topic.


Psalms 51:16 NET Certainly you do not want a

sacrifice, or else I would offer it; you do not desire

a burnt sacrifice.


17 The sacrifices God desires are a humble

spirit — O God, a humble and repentant

heart you will not reject.


Hebrews 10:1 NETFor the law possesses a

shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely

unable,


by the same sacrifices offered continually, year

after year, to perfect those who come to

worship.


2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be

offered, since the worshipers would have

been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin?


3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take

away sins.


5 So when he came into the world, he said,

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for

me.


6 "Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in. 7

“Then I said, 'Here I am: I have come


it is written of me in the scroll of the book — to do your will, O God.' “ (Ps 40:6-8) 8 When he says above, "Sacrifices and

offerings and


whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did

you take delight in them" (which are offered

according to the law),


9 then he says, "Here I am: I have come to do

your will." He does away with the first to establish

the second.


10 By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for

all.


Of course there is no need of offering blood

sacrifices now…The perfect sacrifice Jesus

has been offered.

TheThe Decalogue DecalogueExodus 20:1 NET God spoke all these words: 2 "I the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other

gods before me.

TheThe Decalogue Decalogue4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image or

any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or

that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water

below.

TheThe Decalogue Decalogue

5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD, your

God, am a jealous God,


responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth

generations of those who reject me,


6 and showing covenant faithfulness to a

thousand generations of those who love me and

keep my commandments.


7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your

God in vain, for the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone who

takes his name in vain.


8 “Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as

holy. 9 For six days you may labor and do all

your work,


10a,b but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD

your God; on it you shall not do any work…..


12 “Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in

the land the LORD your God is giving to you.


13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 "You shall not steal.


16 "You shall not give false testimony against your

neighbor.

17a “You shall not covet …


Dare I say we no longer need The Ten

Commandments, The Decalogue?

The reason…


Because all of them have either been re-issued or have been broadened to not only including the

act, but even seemingly harmless thoughts.

TheThe Decalogue DecalogueIn regard to the commands

dealing with our relationship to God, ie,

You shall have no other gods before me,

You shall not make for yourself a carved image,

TheThe Decalogue DecalogueYou shall not bow down to

them or serve them, You shall not take the name

of the LORD your God in vain.

Here is the New Testament command.


Mark 12:30 NET Love the Lord your God with all

your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,

and with all your strength.'


What about this command; Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy… six days you may labor… the

seventh day…on it you shall not do any work.

God’sGod’s Promised Rest Promised Rest

Hebrews 4:1 NET Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you

may seem to have come short of it.

God’sGod’s Promised Rest Promised Rest2 For we had good news proclaimed to us just as

they did. But the message they heard did them no good, since they did not join in with those who

heard it in faith.


3 For we who have believed enter that rest,

as he has said, "As I swore in my anger,

'They will never enter my rest!' " (Ps 95:11)


And yet God's works were accomplished from the

foundation of the world. 4 For he has spoken

somewhere about the seventh day in this way:


"And God rested on the seventh day from all his

works," (Gen 2:2) 5 but to repeat the text cited

earlier: "They will never enter my rest!" (Ps 95:11)


6 Therefore it remains for some to enter it, yet those

to whom it was previously proclaimed

did not enter because of disobedience.


7 So God again ordains a certain day, "Today,"

speaking through David after so long a time, as in the words quoted before,


"O, that today you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden your hearts.“ 8 For if Joshua had given

them rest,


God would not have spoken afterward about

another day. 9 Consequently a Sabbath

rest remains for the people of God.


10 For the one who enters God's rest has also

rested from his works, just as God did from his

own works.


11 Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may

fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.


I understand from these verses our Sabbath, time

of rest, is yet to come when we rest eternally in

Heaven.


Honor your father and your mother. This

command seems to be re-issued then followed by a

reminder.


Ephesians 6:1 NET Children, obey your parents in the

Lord for this is right.

2 "Honor your father and mother,"

TheThe Decalogue Decaloguewhich is the first

commandment accompanied by a

promise, namely, 3 "that it may go well with you and that you will live a

long time on the earth."

TheThe Decalogue Decalogue“Do not murder” is one

command that is increased to even include thoughts

and words.Matthew 5:21 NET

"You have heard that it was said to an older generation,


'Do not murder,' and 'whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.' 22

But I say to you that anyone who is angry with

a brother


will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be

brought before the council, and whoever says 'Fool' will be sent to fiery hell.


'Do not commit adultery.‘

This command has been broadened to include

what we see, think, and desire in our heart.

TheThe Decalogue DecalogueMatthew 5:27 NET

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit

adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman

to desire her has already committed adultery with her in

his heart.

The commands dealing in our interactions with others are reduced one

word, but it is a powerful word…


GodGod is Love is LoveRomans 13:8 NET

Owe no one anything, except to love one

another, for the one who loves his neighbor has

fulfilled the law.

GodGod is Love is Love

9 For the commandments, "Do not commit

adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not

covet,"


(and if there is any other commandment) are

summed up in this, "Love your neighbor as

yourself."


10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore

love is the fulfillment of the law.


LOVE!!!

That is what it all boils down to. 1st our LOVE for God, 2nd our LOVE

for each other.

GodGod is Love is Love1 John 4:7 NET

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love

is from God, and everyone who loves has

been fathered by God and knows God.


8 The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 By

this the love of God is revealed in us:


that God has sent his one and only Son into the

world so that we may live through him.

10 In this is love:


not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our

sins.


Missionary Ron Elerick said it this way,

“Don’t lead them to Christ, Love them to

Christ.”


How are we at showing our Love for God in

loving others?

God Loves Us!

Do we reciprocate?

Spiritual

Feb 10 16 Grace Not Law