Good morning. Welcome to a new day. Well, I want to talk about a subject about which if you don't really understand it, you're going to have a disaster. And the disaster's going to go through a lot of different areas. You're going to have a disaster in your heart, you're gonna have a disaster in your family, you're gonna have a disaster in your church, and you're gonna have a disaster in your nation.

Other than that, it's really not that big of a deal of a subject. But we're talking about the law of God and, you know, there's nothing more controversial these days than getting into a discussion about the law of God. And so what I want to do this morning is repeat the words of the Lord Jesus on the law of God. Because you're always safe in a discussion when you're quoting Jesus. And so we're going to pick up this morning in verse 17 in Matthew chapter five where I left off last night.

And we're entering into a section where the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching his disciples and there's a purpose in his instruction because they live in a day where the law of God is being misapplied terribly and he's correcting a false view of the law of God and a false way of applying the law of God. And he's graciously speaking with his disciples about these things. And he's proclaiming really the perpetual value of the law of God. And he's really doing what David did when he said, oh how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day. The Lord Jesus Christ is praising the law of God in this section.

I was listening to a message by Sinclair Ferguson on this text a while back. And he said this about this text, that the Lord Jesus Christ is saying that the index of our attitude toward God is our attitude toward His law. There are many things that hang in the balance in your life from the perspective of your understanding of law and how you use it. You know this in the discussion of the law and the gospel it's always important to remember the interplay of the law and the gospel. The law convicts you of sin.

It tells you how wicked you are. It exposes the flaws in your thinking. It shows you the things that you're doing wrong, it shows you the way that you're living in a way that's contrary to the word of God. And so the law comes and it convicts you and it drives you to Christ. It drives you to the gospel.

It drives you to repent of your sins and to come to your only hope for your sins and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And so in that sense, The law exalts the gospel by driving you to the Lord Jesus Christ. And then the gospel soothes your guilty soul and then it sends you back to the law so that you would be taught what is pleasing to the Lord. And this is the beautiful interplay of the law and the gospel that you find communicated in the Bible. Somebody described it like this, that the gospel and the law are like a train.

And there are two things that are critical for transportation on a train. You have to have an engine. And that powerful engine takes you in a direction. But if you don't have any tracks, then you're not going in any particular direction. And so you need the power of the law of God, but you also need the tracks that are there to take you in the right direction.

Well let's begin in verse 17, where the Lord Jesus Christ says, and please open your Bibles to Matthew chapter five, and begin in verse 17. In fact, let's read this section. It's quite a long section, difficult to cover in the time span that we have, but we will cover it from beginning to end here. Verse 17, do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

For surely I say to you till heaven and earth pass away one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the law and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment." So In verses 17 through 20, the Lord Jesus explains the perpetuity of the law and its importance.

And then he begins to give six examples. And he actually exposits the law. He gives you examples of how he interprets the law. There's nothing more beneficial in a conversation about the law of God than to quote the Lord Jesus and to use the law the way that Jesus used the law. And if whatever you call your view of the law doesn't matter so much to me, except this does matter.

Do you say the same things about the law that Jesus did, and do you use the law the same way that Jesus used the law? And in Matthew five, Jesus teaches you how to use the law. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ was constantly quoting from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy was the book that Jesus loved. He quoted it from it more than any other book.

And he's constantly going back to Deuteronomy to explain the gospel. So anyway, in chapters, in verses 17 through 20, he makes these statements about the law, And then he does exposition of various laws. And he begins in verse 20, one, by saying, "'You have heard that it was said to those of old, "'You shall not murder.'" So he's now quoting the 10 commandments. "'And whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the council and whoever says you fool Shall be in danger of hell fire Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you Leave your gift there before the altar and go your way.

First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly I say to you, you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny." And then he goes to the seventh commandment on adultery in verse 27. And he does exposition and explanation on that law giving you a pattern showing you how you ought to interpret the law of God. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And then he speaks of the Old Testament laws on divorce and he, in verse 31, and he does exposition and explanation of those so that you'll know how to interpret the Old Testament on divorce. Furthermore, it has been said, whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But, I say to you, that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

And then he turns to the law of bearing false witness in verse 33 and he explains that and does exposition on that law. Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord. But I say to you, do not swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth for it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem for it is the city of the great king. Nor shall you swear by your head because you cannot make one hair white or black, but let your yes be yes and your no be no for whatever is more than these is from the evil one and then in verse 38 he he does exposition on the laws of retaliation in the Old Testament. And he says, you have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I tell you, do not resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek turn the other to him also if anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic let him have your cloak also And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him too.

Give to him who asks you and from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away." And so he deals with that. And then in verse 43, he turns to the law in the scriptures, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, in verse 43. And he explains it, doing exposition on it, and saying how it's been misinterpreted. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For he makes his Son to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

So the Lord Jesus Christ makes a general statement about the law and then he explains how you should use the law. And that's really the subject of what I want to focus on during this whole time. So let's look more closely at verses 17 and 18. Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets, I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. And here the Lord Jesus is proclaiming the perpetuity of the law, that it is the most stable thing in the world.

Rather than setting aside the law of God, you should stand on it. And you should recognize that it's not going away, and it should not go away, and you should not let it go away from your heart or your home or your church or your government. And, you know, his ways will outlast your ways. They will not pass away. And he says that not one jot or tittle will pass until all is fulfilled.

The Lord Jesus Christ is explaining the perpetuity of the law of God. Now, whenever you're in a discussion about the law, you should quote the Lord Jesus Christ. You can quote theologians, you can quote your own heart, and you might not be representing the heart of God. But Jesus Christ's word is reliable and we ought to have confidence to quote Jesus on the law. And then he speaks of, In verse 19, the breaking and keeping of the law and what it tells about you.

He says in verse 19, whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ thinks it's great if you keep his law. And He also thinks it's very bad if you do not keep his law. And it also matters whether you teach people to obey the law or not.

And he's teaching about what is great in his eyes. And it's great in his eyes. It pleases God when you obey his law and it pleases him when you teach other people to obey the law this is why the Lord Jesus Christ in his last words to his disciples before he was resurrected or before he when it went to be at his father's right hand, in the Great Commission, he commands his disciples to teach all that he has commanded them. In other words, the disciple of Jesus, in order to fulfill the great commission is charged to teach people to obey all that he has commanded and it's a great thing when you teach people to obey the law of God. And so the Lord Jesus Christ is very clear.

Whatever you describe as your view of the law, at least make sure that you say the same thing about the law that the Lord Jesus Christ has said. And Jesus says that if you keep and teach the law, you will be great in the kingdom of heaven. The Lord Jesus loves it when his servants keep and teach his law. He delights in it. And this is why the Lord Jesus Christ himself said, I delight to do thy will.

Your law is written in my heart. And Then in verse 20, he speaks of this fact that love for the law determines your inclusion in the kingdom of God, verse 20. For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. And he's saying that your disposition to the law indicates whether you're saved or not. And he's not saying that you're saved by keeping the law.

That is not what he's saying. He's saying that when you love God, then you love his law and you desire to keep it from the heart because your heart has changed and you desire a righteousness that is from God. The Pharisees desired a righteousness that was from law keeping, but the Christian has a righteousness that is derived from Jesus keeping the law. Jesus kept every law. And because he kept the law and became your substitute for your sins, you have a righteousness from God, not a righteousness of your own, not a righteousness because you kept the law, But you have a righteousness from God because you loved God from your heart and you loved to keep his commandments.

And When you did not keep his commandments, you grieved and mourned for your sin and you trusted in the only one who kept every law, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And that's why he says, unless your righteousness succeeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. A person has that righteousness when they trust in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Not in their law keeping, but in their law keeper, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so this is why Sinclair Ferguson is right when he says your disposition to the law tells you whether you're saved or not.

So after introducing the law of God and its importance in verses 17 through 20, the Lord Jesus goes through and he's very careful to examine six different laws and how he has not abolished his moral law. And the first two are from the Ten Commandments and the law about adultery and murder. But the rest of them come from other laws that are in the law of God. So he takes you to the sixth commandment and then the seventh commandment. And what we recognize here is that Jesus doesn't make less of the Old Testament laws.

He actually makes more of those laws. He makes more Moses, more applicable, more relevant, and more useful than the disciples ever thought. Because he goes and he explains the heart of the law. And so again, It's so important that we understand that whatever we want to call our view of the law in some theological term, make sure that you say the same thing that Jesus and the apostles says about the law. The Lord Jesus has declared what he thinks about the law, and he says, do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets, and neither should you.

This is what he says, but the testimony of the Lord Jesus is part of this wider testimony of what others said about the law of God. And we somehow in this antinomian culture, this law hating culture, we've got to learn what Jesus and the Apostles and the prophets and Moses said about the law. And because if we don't love what they have said about the law and know what they've said about the law, then we won't really know how to relate to the law in our own lives. You know, there are pastors out all over this country saying that, you know, pastors should not ever teach about obedience. They should only teach about the love of Jesus.

And I just think that we should get our wits about us and start saying what Jesus and the apostles said about the law. For example, I'm gonna give you several examples. If you have a pen, you might wanna write them down. The Apostle Paul, what did the Apostle Paul say about the law of God? First of all, write down Romans 7, 22.

Because Paul said, for I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. In 1 Timothy chapter one verse eight, we learn that the apostle Paul actually believed that the law was good. He said, the law is good if one uses it lawfully. And he makes a very important statement, the law is good. An unlawful use of the law is to use it to proclaim your own goodness, or to think for a minute that the keeping of any law would save you.

That's an improper use of the law. But the law is good if one uses it properly. So somehow we have to learn how to use the law properly. You know Paul believed that only the carnal mind did not subject itself to the law of God and that's why in Romans chapter 8 verse 7 he says because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor can it be." Now, when you find someone who doesn't want to be subject to the law of God, you have found a carnal person. You've found a carnal mind, a mind that has become twisted in its understanding of things, because Paul says that the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, but he says something even more terrifying than that.

He says, nor can it be. It cannot be subject to the law of God. So when you find someone who is not subject to the law of God you find someone who cannot be subject to the law of God and they cannot be subject to the law of God because their hearts have not been changed and they're not converted. It's impossible for them to be subject to the law of God. They can't say, like David did, oh how I love thy law.

They can't say, like Jesus said, I delight to do thy will. Thy law is written on my heart. They can't say that because it's too disturbing for them and it's too disturbing for them because their soul has not been washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul also believed that love fulfills the law. In Romans 13 verse eight, he says, he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

You know, why wouldn't anyone want to fulfill the laws of love. Well, every law of God is a law of love. But the apostle Paul believed that when you are loving one another, you are fulfilling the law. He also said that the law is not against the promises of God. In Galatians chapter three, verse 21, he says, is the law then against the promises of God?

Certainly not. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. And he's really speaking here of these two great truths about the law. And that is there's not a single law that contradicts the promises of the law or the Gospel or any promise of God. At the same time one cannot be converted by keeping the law.

You're not made righteous by keeping the law. The Apostle Paul also believed that we had actually been redeemed from lawlessness. In Titus chapter 2 verse 1 he says, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed. It's a good thing to be redeemed from lawlessness. And he uses that word, onomia, no law.

It's where we get our word antinomian. We are redeemed from antinomianism. And he desires to redeem us from lawless deeds. He redeems us from lawless deeds, first of all, by changing our hearts and making us be born again. And he gives us a new name, and he writes our names in the book of life and something happens in our soul.

We mourn, we mourn for our sins like we never could mourn before. And because we mourn for our sins, then we throw off our lawless deeds. And if you've been a Christian for any length of time, you know that God keeps revealing lawlessness in your life. And he's very patient. He's really patient with lawless people who have their hearts turned toward him but he continues to reveal their lawlessness to them the Apostle Paul also says that the law and faith are not contrary to another in Romans chapter 3 verses 19 through 31 we read in verse 31 do we then make void the law through faith certainly not on the contrary we establish the law So what the Apostle Paul is saying is that when you have faith the law is established, not abrogated.

You begin to, when you have faith You rest your whole trust in God. And you say, like David said, oh how I love thy law. And you establish the law by faith. You are saved by faith. And that salvation makes you love His law.

And therefore your faith establishes the law. And you become a law keeper rather than a law breaker. Trusting in the great law keeper, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well that's the Apostle Paul. And we've seen what Jesus said about the law, we've seen what Paul has said about the law.

What about the Apostle John, what did he say about the law? Because again, whatever your view of the law is, make sure that whatever comes out of your mouth about the law is what God says about it. And in John, John 14 verse 15, He said, if you love me, keep my commandments. That keeping the commandments is an evidence of your love. Loving God and keeping the law are inseparable in the Apostle John's mind.

And that's why in 1 John 2 verses four and five, he says, he who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar. I don't know how how anything could be more clear that if you say you love God and you do not keep his commandments, you're a liar. Then he continues, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know we are in him." In other words, you know you are in the kingdom of heaven because you keep his law. But why do you keep his law?

Because you mourn for your sin and you hungered and thirsted for righteousness. And that hunger and thirst for righteousness did something to you and it made you want to keep His commandments, not set them aside. John in 1 John 3 verses 4, verse 4 says that sin is lawlessness. He says, whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness and sin is lawlessness and there the Apostle John uses that same word on oh me a anti know me and no no law you know I had one of the funny memories of our family when my kids were growing up. I had them memorize Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit.

You know the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And we we would go on vacation and there's this pool at this place my uncle had this place and and When my children were really little they were you know at this size and we would go swimming and we were memorizing this And I I wouldn't let them we had this little train where they would jump in the pool and then come around, but I wouldn't let them jump in the pool until they recited the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. And so My daughter Blair gets up there and she recites it perfectly and she gets to the end where the text says, against these there is no law. She says, and in me there is no law. And she shook her little body and jumped in the pool.

In me there is no law. That's exactly what the apostle John is saying, that sin is lawlessness. In me there is no law. And when there's no law in you, Jesus is not in you either. In fact, John even says that law keeping shows that you abide in him.

Law keeping doesn't save you, but it shows something about you. He says in 1 John 3.24, Now he who keeps his commandments abides in him. Do you want to abide in Christ? Do you want to be found resting on his breast? Do you want to be in his everlasting arms?

Do you want to abide? Do you want your mind to be filled with His words and His ways, to be saturated and nourished and cherished by His word, to be abiding in Him? Do you want that? Well John says that if you keep his commandments, you abide in him, and then he says, and he in him, and by this we know that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given us. So that's what the Apostle John says about the law.

So whatever you say about the law, make sure you're saying what Jesus says about the law, what Paul says, and what John says. Well, what about David? You should also be saying what David said about the law. Well, David believed that the law was perfect in Psalm 19 and you should memorize it. Every family should memorize Psalm 19.

In Psalm 19 David says the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold, Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. And then he says, By them is thy servant warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. So David believed that the law was perfect. He also believed that law keeping makes you happy.

In Psalm 1 verse 2, he says literally, you know, happy is the man who keeps the law. Happy is the man. Or what about Solomon? What did Solomon say about the law? Well, Solomon has some pretty distinctive things to say about the law of God.

And what he says really should be well understood by you. He actually believed that if you forsook the law, it put you on the side of the wicked." In Proverbs chapter 28 verse 4 we read, Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them. So Solomon believed that if you turned your head away from the law and rejected it, then you were praising the wicked. If you want to praise the wicked in this society, then set aside the law of God. You know, you don't want to be praising the wicked.

Hey, the people who are saying that the law has nothing to do with the Christian today, they are praising the wicked. You need to tell people what they're doing. And open to Proverbs 28 verse 4 and ask them to please stop praising the wicked. To turn around to repent of their lack of understanding of God and His law. Solomon also in that same chapter made it very clear that if you kept the law, it would make you a certain kind of a person.

It would make you a discerning kind of person. In verse 7 in Proverbs 28, He says, whoever keeps the law is a discerning son, but the companion of gluttons shames his father. And even more startling in chapter 28, verse nine, he says that if you forsake the law, God does something to you. He turns his ear away from you. God does not listen to you if you forsake the law.

Let me read it. One who turns away his ear from hearing the law Even his prayer is an abomination if you stop desiring to hear the law and You want to stop your ears in the hearing of the law? God does something to you He will not listen to you He will not hear your prayers And this is why when you find antinomians in this world, people who are embracing things that are called New Covenant theology and various other kinds of theologies that really set aside the law of God. Quote the Bible, repeat what Jesus has said, tell them what Paul said, tell them what the Apostle John said. Quote Solomon, quote David on the law.

Solomon also believed that there was a reward for fearing the commandment we should fear the commandment you know fear is come on hard times nobody wants to fear anything anymore But God actually desires that you fear the commandment, because it's perfect. Proverbs 13, 13. He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded. I mean, God is saying he will destroy you if you do not love his law. In Proverbs 29, 18, he says, happy is he who keeps the law.

In Proverbs 6, 23, Solomon says, for the commandment is a lamp, the law is a light, reproofs of instruction are the way of life. So whatever you say about the law of God, Make sure you say what Solomon said. What did Moses say about the law? Well, Moses made it very clear that all the laws were summed up in one word, love. That's how good the laws are.

You can take every law, every commandment from Genesis to Revelation, you can take all the commandments in the Old Testament and you can take the 1, 050 commandments that are in the New Testament and every single commandment of God is a law of love. You know the people who say, the Old Testament commands don't mean anything to the New Testament Christian, they've really forgotten that there are 1, 050 commands in the New Testament. God is not done with commanding his people. And he actually, in the Great Commission, commands his disciples to teach everything that God commanded. But Moses says that every law is a law of love.

When you call people to keep the law, you're really calling them to love. Do you understand that? When you ask your children to obey, you're really asking them to love. When a husband keeps his covenant to his wife, he's really keeping a law of love for her. In Leviticus chapter 10 verses 10-11, Moses speaks about how the law helps you to distinguish between what is filthy and what is beautiful.

He says, you must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses. You know the law teaches you what's clean and unclean. It teaches you what's holy and what's not holy. It gives you the ability to discern. If you're well schooled in the law of God, it will not save you, but it does make you a discerning son.

It helps you to unpack the things that you see. It helps you to see beyond the surface of the things that people say and the things that are being communicated and promoted in the world. It makes you a discerning person. It allows you to see through the sham and distinguish between what's holy and what is common. You know if you teach your children the law of God then they will they will know how to see the world and they'll know what's good and they'll know what's evil.

And they'll also have the Holy Spirit working in their heart because there's also the law written on their heart Just as it was written on Jesus heart when he said I delight to do thy will thy laws written on my heart the law is also written on the heart of the Christian And it's also written in the book and you need both. And the prophets also spoke in Hosea chapter four verse four Hosea says, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because you've rejected knowledge. I will reject you from being a priest to me. Since you have forgotten the law of God, I will forget your children. Here in Hosea, the prophet says that if you forget the law of God, God will forget your children.

People who reject the law of God need to recognize what that means for them. That God will forget their children. And so, Jesus makes these statements. I did not come to destroy the law or the prophets. I do not come to destroy but to fulfill." Jesus is making this statement.

And all this to just say, let's be very careful that we repeat what Jesus has said about the law and the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John and James and everyone else who spoke about the law of God. That's what we should do. Our children hang in the balance, by the way. So it's very, very important how you interface with the law of God. Now after making this declaration of the perpetual relevance of the law of God, Jesus explains these various laws.

Murder, adultery, divorce, swearing falsely, retaliation and the laws of love. He goes through and he does exposition on the various laws that are in the Old Testament. And he's giving examples of how he has not abolished the law. And he's really demonstrating how to use the law of God. This is a beautiful text to help you understand how to use every law that was given in the Old Testament and how it applies.

And what you learn is that Jesus thinks the law is bigger, it's more applicable. And he's saying that the law against committing murder is far, far deeper, far, far more intrusive than just don't kill somebody. The commandment against murder is far beyond don't go stab someone. And don't think that you're righteous because you haven't stabbed anybody and killed them. How many here have ever killed anyone in this room?

Don't raise your hands. Well there probably aren't very many who have committed murder. But Jesus says that law is bigger than just killing someone. He says it really has to do with your heart and you can murder your brother in your heart. And if you hate your brother, you're murdering, you are a murderer, You're a law breaker.

The Lord Jesus doesn't minimize the Old Testament law. He maximizes it. He takes it deeper. And He says that same thing about adultery. You have heard that it was said, thou shalt not commit adultery.

And he takes the law much farther than those who were expounding on it at that time. Because the expounders of the law in his day were saying that adultery is just a physical act and if you can just keep yourself technically from that physical act, you've not committed adultery. And Jesus says, not so fast. That if you look at a woman with lust in your heart you've committed already committed adultery with you her in your heart Jesus doesn't minimize the law at all. He maximizes it.

And he's really saying the law applies to far more than you ever dreamed. Every law is more applicable. It's deeper. It cuts to the heart. That's why the Bible says the law is spiritual.

It's not wooden. It's not just about stabbing someone or hopping in bed with somebody who's not your wife. It's far deeper. It's far more penetrating. It penetrates everything in your heart.

And no one can stand righteous before the law. Everyone is condemned before the law. No one ever kept the laws of God. Only Jesus Christ kept the law. Jesus is expounding these laws to explain that the law of God is deeper and more powerful, more beautiful, more penetrating, more applicable than anything you've ever imagined.

And that's why the Apostle Paul, when he wants to explain why you should pay your pastor, he goes back to the law about how you treat your ox who's working. He takes how you treat your ox and relates it to how you should treat your pastor. Because the law is more applicable than you ever dreamed. It's deeper and more penetrating. Now I want to give you seven questions that you should always ask when you're interpreting the law.

Number one, you've got to ask is it a judicial law? Because there are three kinds of laws in the Bible. There's judicial laws, moral laws, and there's civil laws. Is it a judicial law? Secondly, is it a moral law?

Thirdly, who is given responsibility to carry it out? Like, for example, when it comes to murder, it's the civil government that has the job. The civil government carries the sword, not the church. The family uses the rod. The church uses the keys.

And the civil government uses the sword. But who is responsible to carry that law out? The fourth question is, how is this law fulfilled in Christ? Is it a ceremonial law that was abrogated by Jesus Christ, or is it a moral law that Jesus Christ exemplified in everything he ever said and did. You should also ask, how is this a law of love?

How does this cause me to love my neighbor? How does it express the love of God? Sixthly, how does it reveal sin? Seventh, and how does it apply? How should this law change my conscience or modify my behavior?

How should it improve my marriage or my home life or my work life? How should it change the way I speak to my brother or relate to my pastor or or my friend? It's so important that we understand how to apply the law of God. Every law is a law of love. The world tells you every law is a law of hatred.

That Proclaiming the law of God is not legalism. Calling for obedience is not legalism. It's faithfulness. That's why Jesus Christ said that his disciples should go into all the world and teach them to obey everything that He has commanded. It's faithfulness to teach obedience.

It's not legalism. And if you don't get that confusion fixed in your life, God will forsake your children, and you will be found praising the wicked and you will not have any love in your heart because every law of God is a law of love. Let me close with what Charles Spurgeon said about this. By the way, Charles Spurgeon has a great sermon on this called The Perpetuity of the Law. Just Google that.

He gives a fantastic disclosure of this. And by the way, he said this, what is God's law now? It is not above the Christian, it is under a Christian. Some men hold God's law like a rod in terror over Christians and say, if you sin you will be punished with it. It is not so.

The law is under a Christian. It is for him to walk on, to be his guide, his rule, his pattern. We are not under the law, but under grace. The law is the road which guides us, not the rod which drives us, nor the spirit which actuates us. The law is good and excellent if it keeps its place.

He said, the law, so to speak, is Jesus Christ's dog to go after his sheep and bring them to the shepherd. The Law is the thunderbolt which affrites the ungodly men and makes them turn from the error of their ways and seek after God. In the very last section of the Bible, The Apostle John repeats the Lord Jesus Christ who says, Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Blessed is he who obeys the commandment of God.

I pray for a new generation of Christians who say with all their heart, oh how I love thy law, It is my meditation all the day. And I pray for that generation, that they would rise up and they would contend with the enemies of God in the gates by declaring the perpetuity and the applicability of the law of God. Would you pray with me? Lord, I thank you for your perfect and precious word how it has converted and corrected and comforted and helped and so nourished and cherished your people. Oh that you would give us such love for it.

Amen.