THE LAW

 SpringGrove 28..10

 [Audio of The Law]

What does the weather have to do with chocolate cake?

Crowded House – and two of the most annoying songs ever sung. Another Piece Of Chocolate Cake, Everywhere You Go Always Take The Weather.

One of the worst things for me about working in factories, or as an off-sider in a truck was having to listen to other people's choice of secular radio/music. And the mindless drivel that is thrashed on the radio.

But every now and then you get one that has some good theology. And I have chosen one of them for my theme song this morning.

“I Fought The Law And The Law Won” ~ Bobby Fuller Four Theme Song.

Has anyone here had a brush with the law? Wait, don't answer that, I don't want anyone incriminating themselves.

I have just a couple of examples from my mis-spent youth here (assorted traffic violations).

There are a lot of laws governing how we live our lives. And there are more being added every day.

Recently there were 5 cyclists tragically killed in 5 days. And the vocal minority is up in arms saying we need more laws. Vehicle drivers need more training, licenses should be re-sat more often etc (I have my own views on who should be sitting licenses and getting the training).

But the point is people wanted more laws.

Even more recently we have lost an extraordinary amount of men in a mining tragedy. Once again there are calls going out for more laws and tougher regulations.

“Man is naturally a legalist. He desires to be justified by his own character and his own works” (William G.T. Shedd ).

We can see this from the beginning of time.

Eve tried to justify herself by blaming the serpent for her transgression.

Adam tried to blame Eve for his transgression.

Cain wanted to be justified by the fruits of his own toil and brought some of the harvest of the soil as an offering to the LORD.

How did God respond to this plea for self justification?

He chose a group of people and said, OK I am going to set you apart. Jeremiah recounts God's words

Jeremiah 7:22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you [NIV]

According to the Jewish Talmud (the writings outside of the Scriptures) there were some 613 Laws and regulations in the Torah (the books of Moses). By the time of Christ, some 1400 years after Moses received the Ten Commandments, the Jewish law makers had increased that to several thousand.

Every law in the Scriptures was surrounded by numerous other laws to prevent people breaking the laws found in Scripture.

An example of the additional laws taken from the Talmud concerning the Sabbath law:

"One who ploughs, grubs, weeds, or prunes." The rabbis taught: One who tears out herbs (which when damp are good for human food) for the purpose of eating them is culpable if the quantity equals or exceeds the size of a dried fig. For cattle the prescribed quantity is that of a goat's mouthful. If for the purpose of using for fuel, the prescribed quantity is as much as is used to cook an easily boiled egg with; if for the purpose of cleaning (weeding) his place, he is culpable even for ever so little...

So you can see that by the time of Jesus the Pharisees were pretty smug that they could justify themselves according the law. After all they gone to great measures to ensure that they did not break the letter of the law.

But for you get too critical of the Pharisees and the Jews let me remind you again why they did not want to break the law.

Exodus 31:12 Then the LORD said to Moses, 13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people.[NIV]

Numbers 15:30 “‘But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD and must be cut off from the people of Israel. [NIV]

Deuteronomy 28:1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God... [list of blessings]

Deuteronomy 28: 15 However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:

16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.

18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out... [and the list continues].

Isaiah 24:4 The earth dries up and withers,
the world languishes and withers,
the heavens languish with the earth.
5 The earth is defiled by its people;
they have disobeyed the laws,
violated the statutes
and broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore a curse consumes the earth;
its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,
and very few are left. [NIV]

This is overwhelming law

Combined with the constant requirement of sacrifices - not just any, perfect sacrifices day after day.

I won't read through the multitude of references to sacrifices.

But I will say that the Temple in Jerusalem had more in common with the Stoke FreezingWorks than it does with our nice clean Church. Rivers of blood flowed from the alter.

This is overwhelming law.

It isn't just the oppression that we face of trying to stick to the speed limit and not to park on the footpath (that really wasn't as bad as it sounds, he says justifying himself).

So what is the purpose of the law?

The purpose of the law is not salvation as so many people seem to think, which is why they are always calling for more laws. They think more laws will save them from getting hurt in whatever shape or form that may take.

No, the purpose of laws is to increase lawbreakers.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. [NIV]

Romans 5:20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [NIV]

Which is why the theology of our theme song is so good. If you fight the law, the law is going to win.

The only way to beat the law is through death.

Romans 7:1 Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 3 So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

Just as with a marriage, where you are legally bound until death, so it is with the law. You are under the law until you die.

If the law is looking for you, they will stop once you are dead. If you are legally required to take a particular action, death will release you from that requirement.

So it is with God's laws. While you are alive, you are bound by the laws of God. As soon you lay down your life in the waters of baptism, you die to self, and to the law. From that moment it is not you who live but Christ who lives in you.

Man is a legalist. He wants more laws. He wants to be able justify himself by the law. Even though more laws just produce more transgressions.

Where man complicates things Jesus simplifies things.

The Pharisees expanded the numbers of laws to try and save themselves, Jesus reduced the number of laws.

Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 22:34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” [NIV]

Romans 13:9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. [NIV]

When Jesus said he was the end of the law he did not mean end kaput, he meant end as in ultimate goal / completion. When he announced on the cross “it is finished” the law was complete – the debt was paid in full.

From that moment forth anyone who lays down their life for Christ is no longer under the curse of the law but is set free.

So if you are struggling with legalism, or are “fighting the law” today we ask that you do not leave here with out finding the freedom offered in Christ.

John1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ [NIV]

ACTS 13:38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses [NIV]

~Dean McNamara