1095. Not Under the Law

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927. The evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today. That tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University Chapel platform today on The Daily Platform or continuing a study series entitled walking in the spirit which is a study of Galatians chapter 5 through the study will see how believers can have freedom in Christ as they walk with him each day. If you would like to follow along in the study booklet you can get one on Kindle or you can order a printed copy from the website. The Daily Platform.com. Let's listen to today's message were Steve will guide us through the relationship of the law to the believer from Galatians chapter 5.

As you take your Bibles this morning. Please, and turn with me to the book of Galatians Galatians chapter 5. As we continue our series of walking in the spirit.

I hope that these have been a blessing to you.

I hope the Lord is using God's word daily working in and through your heart.

We have been looking at the beautiful blessing that God is given us called Christian liberty.

We have an incredible freedom from the law. The Bible says is a means of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

That is, we don't earn salvation. Salvation is gifted to us, but we've also been learning here in the book of Galatians chapter 5 where Paul warns us that Christian liberty can be easily misused because of the nature of our flesh, and Paul exposes the frightening reality of art that are flash is so self-centered that it can take God's grace and twisted for its own selfish purposes. And so Paul tells us that the answer to Christian liberty the way it works is by walking in the spirit walking in the spirit is the only way to overcome the flash and nothing else is going to work and so last week we looked in verses 16 and 17 and just to remind you of what it was saying Paul is confirming, in verse 16 that if we walk in the spirit it's impossible for any believer to fulfill the desires of his flesh.

If you're walking in the spirit you cannot be in the flesh, and then we saw in verse 17, where he explains the reason why we have this confidence of overcoming the flash and that is because there's two natures.

The flash indwelling sin, and the Holy Spirit, God's indwelling son. They are mutual opposites. These natures are bitter enemies. They are totally against one another is like a civil war going on in your soul so that if you follow wine you cannot be following the other the desires of the flash and spirit completely contrast one another.

They contradict each other. They are in conflict to one another so that the flash is anti-spirit and the spirit is anti-flash.

That brings us here this morning to verse 18 where Paul writes these words.

But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law now is to look at that this morning and I believe that the key to understanding this verse and I want you to follow with Mama follows just the form of logic this morning and explaining the verse that this verse. The key to understanding this verse is to recognize that this is not an isolated standalone statement, but rather it's a continuation of what Paul has been saying since verse 16 where Paul says the only way to deal with the spirit. The only the only way that the spirit can deal with limited this way that only the spirit can deal with the flesh okay so it's following that way of thinking and now he brings us to the theme of the law and their two primary truths that I want to draw your attention to today as a speak to you on this theme victory by the spirit and not by the law. That is the victory over sin is always by God spirit and it's not by God's law and the two truths I want us to see in the first one is this, that victory over the flash requirements that we be freed from the authority of the law victory over the flash requires that we be freed from the authority or the jurisdiction of the law or you can say this way, we cannot have victory over our sin nature by trying to keep the law and our own self effort, as long as we are under the wall. We are slaves to our own flesh. You say will. How is this so and the answer is really quite simple is because of our flesh. That is our sin nature is so bad that God's laws do not motivate us to obey. They actually provoke us to send more and more the giving of the law, all provokes us. It irritates us, it rises rebellion up in our heart now want to show you this this morning by asking you take your Bibles and turn to Romans chapter 7 Paul is helping us understand their victory over the sin nature is not by the laws by the spirit.

He tells us the relationship, our flesh, as with the law. Look at Romans chapter 7 and notice if you will please. Verse seven.

What shall we say then, is the law sin God for bid may know, I had not known sin he says, but by the law, what is he saying the way I come to understand my sinfulness is actually by God's law knows what he said, for I had not known loss that's evil desire, except the law had said, thou shalt not covet.

In other words, we understand this, that the moment you tell somebody to not do something. What do they want to do if I say you can't have this. What is my heart say I wanted if I say this is forbidden, then there is something within me. That is so provoke that. Actually I want the very thing that is forbidden. Have you ever heard of advertisement in commercials they create within you desires.

The law actually motivates me to want what I'm commanded to not have notice for say he says, but sin taking occasion or opportunity by the commandment wrote to me all manner of concupiscence in the work in Cuba since is a same word for lost what he is saying is my sin nature takes the commandment the opportunity of the commandment and it works in me all kinds of evil desires, read-only Cisco app without the loss and was dead, for I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died in the commandment which was ordained a life I found to be a death for sin taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by its looming my sin nature took the opportunity of the commandment and it deceived me use it will how it might deceive because I thought I could keep it and in the end I found out that actually it killed me. It created within me evil desires. I fulfill those desires and I sin against God. So notice verse 12 wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good was then that which is good made death in the me. In other words, is there a problem with the law and he said God for bed but said that it might appear sin that is seen to be sin, working death in me by that which is good that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful he simply saying this, that the wall exposes how utterly sinful. I am in my heart so notice a conclusion. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin, so Paul is saying, what does the law do to us.

It actually provokes us to sin. Have you ever babysat a two-year-old and you looked at them and you said no no no, what did they do they look at you and they said yes yes yes. Let me ask you a question you think that's changed in your heart now that you're older.

What Paul is saying is the law provokes us to sin.

Furthermore, we're so bad that the harder we try to keep the law worse we get in. In either case, whether the flesh is being provoked to sin. We try to keep the long we get worse, it becomes evident that the desires of the flash our sin nature cannot be overcome by a Christian remaining under the law.

All a believer needs to be freed from the law. Let me say that this should deeply humble. All of us in two ways. Number one because by our nature. We hate to rebel against the very law that God says is holy, just, and good. It should humble us that we actually hate God's law, by nature, and secondly, bar nature, the more we try to keep the law, the worse we become.

That is, self effort, strength of our own nature is not sufficient. We cannot keep God's law for the mind that is set on the flash is always hostile to God. It will not submit to God. It cannot submit to God and therefore victory over the flash can only take place if were freed from the loss of the question is how are we free from the law and stay at Romans chapter 7 and go back to verse one and Paul explains it. Notice he begins in verse one. He says as long as you are alive. The law is your master verse one know you not rather for us speak to them that know the law. Now that the law hath dominion over man as long as he lived. That is, as long as you're alive. You're under law but Paul shows through the illustration of marriage. Our relationship can change through death. Look at verse two for the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he lives by the husband is dead, dead. She's loose from the law of her husband. All right, here's a man here's a woman they commit themselves to marriage their under the law to stay faithful to one another. But what if the husband dies than the woman by the law is freed, she's free from that law to stay married to her husband and now she can be married to another. So here's what Paul does. He explains our relationship to the law has changed because we died to the law when we died with Christ.

Look at verse four. Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ.

So when you and I put our faith in Christ.

We were connected to Christ. We were united to Christ we are in union with him and as he died, so we died with him. Now he says we can be connected or married to someone else who's that someone else is Jesus Christ. Look at verse four that you should be married to another, even to him who was raised from the dead.

So here's what Paul is saying because of our death with Christ, we are now disconnected from the old life under the law and what is the result of that we have entered into a new life that is now in the spirit. Now that we are in the spirit we actually can bear spiritual fruit on the God notice the second-half beginning in verse four, the second half of verse four. He says that we should bring forth fruit on the God for when we were in the flash the motions of sin, those evil desires which were by them all did work in our members to bring forth fruit on the death. In other words, the law provoked the flash and the flash gave in the sin and we died. But notice he says, but now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter he saying that now we have been freed from that wall and now we have God's spirit living inside of us. And now this spirit can bring forth spiritual fruit. So what is the fruit that the spirit brings forth take your Bibles and go back to Galatians chapter 5 and note if you will please. Verse 20 Senate verse 22, he says, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, or faithfulness, meekness, and temperance. What is the work of the Holy Spirit is to produce within us. These character qualities from the inside out.

But notice the last phrase of verse 23, he says.

Against such there is no wall. Do you know what, there are no laws that are written against the fruit of the spirit.

There's no law against love or joy or peace. Furthermore, there are no laws that can create this fruit.

You can't put people under law and say thou shalt be good or thou shall be faithful that this can only be created by the inner life of the spirit of God working in the believer's heart so the teaching of the New Testament is this that you and I cannot be spiritual if we are living under a law because that law provokes are flash we need a higher power to overcome our sin nature and light that leads me to the second truth and what Paul is saying here is something that is quite amazing. Something truly wonderful and even miraculous in it is this that only the spirit can actually fulfill the wall in my life that we've already had it made playing that the spirit can overcome the flesh. That's clear. But now Paul is saying something wonderful that the spirit of God is so life transforming that if we walk in the spirit we will have both the internal desire and the spiritual dynamic to keep the law, all without being under the authority of the law. We are freed from the law in Christ, but we fulfill the law, all by the Holy Spirit.

Romans chapter 8 verse three for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flash party saying that God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin can condemn sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flash, but after the spirit. What is the spirit do it doesn't lead us to be lawbreakers. It leads us to be law all keepers.

That's the beauty of the ministry of the Spirit of God. Now let's go back and look at verse 18. Now more carefully, he says, but if you are led of the spirit. You're not of the law. So what is this me.

He said the word if there is not something that is conditional is actually a statement of fact. It's referring to something that's happening right now. You can read this white séance. You are being led by the spirit not go back. He says in verse 16. Walk in the spirit that's a command here in verse 18. He says land being led of the spirit that's the idea of being dependent or being guided by what Paul is saying is you are now as a believer in a new relationship with God where you're being guided, directed, and compelled by the spirit you are freed from the law but by the spirit you are actually fulfilling the law so you say will which law is that there were that were keeping any authority told us. Look at verse 14 he says, for all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. You see the beauty of it. The Holy Spirit is not gonna lead you to be disobedient, rebellious that your flesh, but the spirit of God is actually going to so work in our heart that we will actually fulfill the law by the working of God in our heart to love and serve one another. So we go back and understand Christian liberty. What we understand it's a lifestyle of love is a lifestyle that is controlled by God spirit and we are free from the law. I like what John Stott wrote with regards to the Christian in the law.

He said these words, God is never done away with this law. His basic commands have not change his will for our lives is expressed in the moral law is eternal.

Although we cannot gain acceptance by keeping the wall yet. Once we have been accepted.

We shall keep the law out of love for him, for it reflects who he is. Who is accepted us and is given us his Spirit to enable us to keep it.

Why do we keep the law of God, because God's love was poured into our hearts and therefore we love him so I don't want to lie. I don't want to steal. I do not want to be unfaithful because God spirit is now been poured into my heart. Now let me give you two illustrations.

Hopefully that will put all this together.

The first illustration has to do with my wife and I we were married on 16 August 1980, and so this past summer we celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary with my wife and I got married and we set up our home. I did not take a sign and posted up on the refrigerator that said this, you must keep these laws if you're going to stay married to me and then I made a list of all the laws my wife has to keep she has to cook. She has to clean she has to wash she has to iron she has to sweep she has to vacuum. She asked all they do all these things and if my wife if I wrote that sweetheart if you keep these laws I will love you and stay married to you telling me I should question how well do you think she would receive that what would that have done to her, it would've provoked or if you know my wife. It would've really provoked her. I asked my wife one day do you love me and she said of course I said why do you love me. I was waiting for response like because your handsome because you have a wonderful personality and she looked at me.

She said I love you because God told me to well is not very romantic but sure hold you in pretty good stead in life.

My wife loves me. My wife does these things not to keep or maintain a relationship, but it flows out of a heart of love. That's what walking in the spirit is all about and that is God's freed us from the law brought us into relationship with his son and with our foot with our father a love relationship, and therefore we look at the law is something we actually want to do right. Let me bring you a second illustration that I think is slightly closer to home when my son came here to Bob Jones University. I sat down with us at sign. I want you to know how to be happy at BJ. You and I said to him I said son it's not focusing on the rules because if you spent all your time thinking about the rules of Bob Jones University, one of two things are going to happen number one either is going to provoke you to irritation those piñatas. How many of you have ever been provoked to irritation at Bob Jones University by at least one rule don't lie. God is watching you raise your hand. Okay, sure, mazelike either is going to provoke you or number two you are going to live in a constant fear of failure when my wife came here as a student she was not provoked by the rules. She lived in fear. She says I think I'm breaking them all the time and I don't even know it.

This what I said to my son as it son, to make it simple. Here's how to go to Bob Jones University be happy it's real simple is called love. Jesus said if you love me, keep what my commandments is simple. If I come here and I walk in the spirit and I choose to love and by the way I'm choosing to love them to love my RA I would love my roommates, love my Dean, and I think the Danes are cool.

I love them and how do I love anyone I love them by surfing them and what is the best way for me to serve them by being a student that is supportive.

That is, that is a part of what's going on alone. I'm here. God put me here God's put me around these people in either I can love the people I can serve the people.

Or I can fall back into a self-centered way of thinking foot start focusing on how the school affects me. What I don't why why is why dad and all of these things for I can love God. God's put his Spirit in me, I can love the people here and guess was the result of that love, joy and peace pay this goodness. Jan told us meekness, faithfulness, self-control.

Against such there are no laws. So God is made a way for us to have victory over the flesh, not by the law by the spirit that is but within our hearts.

May God help us to walk in the spirit father, thank you for your word. Help us to walk in and help us to be urgent about daily surrendering our hearts to you in Jesus name, amen. God bless you. You been listening to a sermon from the study series in Galatians chapter 5 by Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University.

For more information on Dr. Pettit series, visit our website The Daily Platform.com where you can get a copy of Steve's study booklet entitled walking in the spirit. The Kindle version is also available. Thanks for listening and join us again next week as we study God's word together on The Daily Platform