Grace In The Law - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ still have icons we still up objects of worship we still get that still make pilgrimages to places say I found God. There is a way that's where you want to place I want I want something where I want something to see.

I want something to myself. I want something to look at their joining up today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor broke your heart Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church, located in Metairie, Louisiana going pastor go get her now shows us how God's word world grace of God always precedes laws of God's grace.

The grace of God always precedes laws of God's grace twice because it's apparently not easily understood didn't seem to be understood by Israel for all the centuries before Christ. It certainly was not understood at the time of Jesus Christ, and it clearly hasn't been understood by the church since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The grace of God always precedes the laws of God's grace throughout history and even the day.

There are many who believe that obedience to God's law results in God's giving of grace. In other words, obedience get you in disobedience keeps you out. The idea behind it is, is that there's something you have to do and you do your best.

No one says you can do it perfectly, and then because you've done your best.

God's grace will come in and that grace then will push over the top allow you to spend eternity in heaven. The results of that kind of thinking of been tragic, tragic for Israel tragic for the church.

Philip Yancey says God dispenses gifts not wages. None of us gets paid according to merit for none of us even come close to satisfying God's requirements. Robert the point is that if the world could have been saved by the good bookkeeping of obedience. It would've been saved by Moses not Jesus is not only wrong about how law and grace relate were wrong about Their Pl. in God's program.

The best way to see the relationship.

I think between long grace is the look at the original laws. First, I want to open your Bibles to Genesis 15 Genesis 15 in verse 13. Just for some context.

We have looked at grace and creation. We have looked at grace in the garden and we have looked at grace throughout the book of Genesis, but I just want you to see one thing to give us context here in Genesis 15 verse 13 and God said to Abram know for certain that your descendents will be strangers in the land that is not theirs when they will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years, but I will also judge the nation whom they will serve and afterward they will come out with many possessions and nieces and asked for you. You should go to your fathers in peace.

He says you shall be buried at a good old age. God gives Abram up prophecy and basically it's a prophecy for his offspring is a prophecy for the nation Israel is one we clearly understand, but I wonder if we ever think about how sobering it really is your descendents are going to go through slavery for 400 years. Just imagine it. 400 years of being owned as a possession 400 years of slavery, no government of your own. No laws, no land saturated by these superstitious beliefs of the Egyptians and at 400 year. They grew to around 2 million strong. Then suddenly, through Moses their free and we know the story, we know the miracles we know the Passover lamb and the angel that we know all of that and they get delivered to the Red Sea and on their on their way to the promised land, but I want to really think about what the context of that is 2 million people been slaves for 400 years what even to do, how you gonna live see that's where the commandments came into play. That's what became so important in the story of grace. The law what we call the law is not outside the grace of God is right there in the middle of the grace of God turn out Exodus 20 Exodus chapter 20, and you know the chapter because it's the 10 Commandments you see them everywhere you've known to most your life or you think you do. By the way most Americans can only name two or three people in the church are much better by five will act like we know the 10 Commandments I went to see something here when the commandments are given the people down below Moses on Mount Sinai. God is giving him these commandments and he's giving these commandments to a specific group of people giving these commandments of the world is been given to the Egyptians, he just given to a group of people. And guess what these people are already redeemed, these people have already been delivered from Egypt's Paul says they've already been baptized in the Red Sea.

These people were already a God a people of God's own possession.

They're not getting these laws so that they can finally have a relationship with God. They already have a relationship with God based completely on the grace of God. Well, the preamble is interesting then God spoke all these words and he said I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

At first we just read that we understand it all. That makes a lot of sense but I want to put you in the place of one of the Israelites. What you know about God. Nothing you know anything about God. 400 years of slavery, you don't know what you know is powerful.

You saw how he delivered you out of Egypt but you don't know anything about them.

In the proof of that is once again in the wilderness. They demonstrate how little they know better knowing about God and notice what he says. He says I am the Lord your God think they were expecting. I am the Lord, the God says no.

I am the Lord your God. See, that's the context of this. I am the Lord your God. Then, on the one thing about God, but he is our God. You see them even make sense. In ancient cultures. You want people's gods. In ancient cultures gods in almost all ancient cultures were God's of different entities. The God of land territory, the God of the Nile, the God of the moon, the God of the sun.

I got a birth God of death. That's how you saw God. That's all the Egyptians saw God. That's how they would've seen God, but he says I am the Lord your God.

He states the relationship that he has with them.

How did he become their God.

What did they do for that.

Nothing subtrust was elevated, remember they were just told IK there's going to be this angel of death is going to come by. There's only one way to protect your household and you going to have to put a pass of a llama nougat haplessly to benefit blood when the doorpost not to protect you about way that doesn't even sound like a really good idea does it clear that protect us. What does it take in order to do that. Just trust. That's all we ever bring to grace, faith, trust, or in trust, and they did it, and because of that he says you've entered your relationship with me.

You are my people. I am your God. We already have the relationship. Now I want to tell you about some rules you see, the relationship implies rules. Just imagine relationship without walls, any rules almost always would lead into some form of rebellion and so consequently God says I want to give you some rules and hilly go.

The first one is you shall have no other gods before me. Remember there are people there been exposed to lots of God's nieces only be me. I am the one and the only fact literally in Hebrew, it says you shall have no other gods in my sight will be nothing else, that's one thing about God is pretty jealous. That way your relationship with God. He goes I'm the only guy this relationship and only tolerate any other gods that make some sense to us. Then he says you shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness. Don't miss this of what is in heaven above on the earth to look beneath or in the water under the sea. No idols, not to the typical person alive at that time, especially coming from Egypt. It had to be what you can worship without an idol. That's the whole point. Everything we've seen is you build idols, but there's even more to it than this God. Notice he says you shall not make an idol for yourself of any likeness of what is in heaven above will be no idols of me don't you make an idol of me, don't you carve something and then say there's our God why she say that he says because I cannot be represented by anything.

There is nothing you could build nothing you could sculptor. Nothing you could draw that would ever be a representation of me. So don't you do it. The also I think he wants them attach the living God answers whole point you respond to the living God, not some idle member.

That's what he told Moses before he sent a man whom I go to say sent me and he said tell them I am that I am sent you, Yahweh know what's interesting about this is you say well that's kind of understood to us that isn't really a big problem will replace or look at chapter 32 and I'll call this little excerpt. Meanwhile, down the ranch while God is talking to them.

Here's what's going on down there is talking to Moses now. When the people saw the Moses delayed the come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron, they said him come make us a God who will go before us for as for this Moses, the man brought us up from the land of Egypt.

We do not know what is become of him and Aaron said to them, tear off your gold rings. He says which are in your ears of your wives and your sons and your daughters and bring them to me and then all the people tore off the gold rings.

He says which were in their ears they brought on the Aaron and he took this from their handily fashioned it with a grieving tool when he made it into a molten calf. So what you think.

You think the Commandments justified gods as is.

No idols might meanwhile Moses are building one right now.

Man has a propensity for this terrible thing member got a spirit can be represented by anything but think of it now. We still have idols. We still have icons. We still have objects of worship we still get that we still make pilgrimages to places say I found God. There is only that's where he is seal want to place I want I want something to where I want something to see. I want something on my shelf. I want something to look at concerts don't do that. Don't dare do that you can capture me with something you're going to make a fashion she that's the whole point. Then he says in the third one you shall not make yourself a night, or any likeness of what is heaven on the earth beneath the water under the earth, and you shall not, he says worship them or serve them. I am the Lord your God am a jealous God is an iniquity on the fathers on the children in the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing lovingkindness.

He says the thousands.

He says to those who love me and keep my commandments said I'm dead serious about this.

Then he says you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. We have the third commandment now. What's that mean it means a lot more by the way, than saying when you're hammering something you missed the nail heater hand and then you yell out something so you should do that is taken the Lord your God name in vain. But it is but that's not what got stuck son about something else. You see what he's talking about here is that them. He saying that you cannot attach God's name to something that he has and attached himself to see the idea placing a name in their culture meant to give it authenticity.

We say we pray in the name of Jesus. What that means is we pray in the stead of Jesus. What were praying for is what Jesus would pray for were praying under the authority of Jesus. You see, in the name of Lisa, don't you take my name and make it vain don't use it was something that I would never use it. For example, New Testament a way of violating this commandment, and one other core man. The Jews had a system called core man and Corbin was simply this, when ever you were to fulfill your responsibility of taking care of your aged parents. The Jews figured out a way that they could take all of the resources and they could call them core man and Corbin met my resources are all pledged God, so that when I die. God gets all of it now goes the temple so mom dad loved to help can't see all my money is tied up and Corbin dummy while you're using the money for yourself. And Jesus goes right after this, you see there attaching the name of God the something God would never attach his name to throughout history. There's been a lot of things like that. The Crusades that's going to kill those people I met you kill us.

So who gets a piece of dirt that using God's name in vain. Inquisition is torture people and killed in the name of God, never ethnic cleansing in the name of God. Soon I mean that's what he means using in vain if you're looking for an application the day to me would be people who are Christian to say we need to bomb abortion clinics and kill those people.

God would never attaching his name to something that he would not attach his name to.

That's what the violation is of that particular then the fourth commandment.

Remember the Sabbath think keep it holy.

By the way, the fourth one is the final one of our relationship with God and it it's supposed to be a celebrate of said to be a big celebrant.

It's a celebrate of commandment.

Remember the Sabbath keep a set apart in it interesting.

By the time of Christ. They have 39 different classifications of hundreds and hundreds of laws about the Sabbath in order to justify the before God. Just the opposite of what God said isn't celebrate this. He illustrated to them by the way when they were in the wilderness. They ate food was called Manna, not in its workmen means what is it they did know God provided it. Every morning I get up there is on the ground.

That's grace. By the way, and then what would happen is there was only one day in the week. Would God been provided. He didn't provided on Saturday you get up Saturday morning arisen on the run.

So God said on Friday.

Get enough for today's and if you did it. Then on the Sabbath, you have to pick it up.provide now. By the way the tribe stored any other time it rotted result to teach this principle from God's even take the creation we can assess and God rested on the Sabbath.

He wasn't hired he was finished. You see, the whole idea is the key to what is in your tire. Give me today's rest he was finished so we rested. This is the only commandment, by the way of these 10 that's not in the New Testament for us to abide by the only one in. The reason is simple for you and me as believers in Jesus Christ every day is a Sabbath everyday. I honor every day is the day of rest and why it is finished he is finished the work we wanted everyday. It's a celebration and of course they use it as a ritual of the worst sort notice. All four of these commandments are simply commandments about your relationship with God. God says is going to be smalls and here are the rules about your relationship with me and I am the one and only that you don't try to make idols know that idea and the idea he says don't take my name in vain. Emmett celebrated day a week together resting in me and then he moves to others, and these are all common to us, but they want Israel. This is not like the Egyptians lived is not common to them but it's common to us because we grew up in America. If you look at America or you look at Europe. Both of those cultures are founded on these commandments. So consequently there's things that we understand but it would've been understood exactly the same way. What's kind of odd to me is the very first one that he starts with honor your father and your mother a place to start. By the way, though you run what Jesus said when he was asked what was the greatest commandment. And Jesus said well that's they thought they tricked them with it because I mean I had 600 of them plus I would he pick one will get them for.

Then he said yeah that's an easy answer. Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength. That's mammoth 1 to 4. Love your neighbor as yourself. That's commitments five through 10. You see, because I got them all right there. That's all.

But here he starts out with this idea of honoring honoring. You see, God has something in mind here is nationbuilding.

That's what he's doing, you realize how odd these people are, God told them then I can have a king.

Now go back in history and see how many other nations. At that time exist without a king or Pharaoh nine. You have to have a leader that said no leader call theocracy you're actually going to exist as a nation simply by taking these rules and I'm giving you and applying of your life. You build cities, your farmland, your raise armies you have taxes single do everything that a nation does, but the been okay just be the relationship you and I have mine do that said, I'm doing this to show the world how you grace of God is pastoral government on the radio ministry of fellowship, nor if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly report just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website SBC Nola.org that SBC 10 oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the messenger looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listening and remember all this absolutely free of charge.

Once again our website is SBC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt injuries and heart you for listening to fellowship in order