In Pastor Grant Brown's sermon titled "The Law of God #2," he elaborates on the significance and multifaceted role of God's law as described in Psalm 19. The sermon highlights three primary uses of God's law: conversion, instruction for the regenerate, and as a societal restraint against evil. The law serves as a mirror reflecting human sinfulness, leading individuals to seek righteousness through Jesus Christ, who has perfectly fulfilled the law's demands. The Ten Commandments are presented as a summary of God's moral law, enduring and applicable to all as a guide for righteous living. Pastor Brown emphasizes that Christians should find delight in God's law as it aligns with God's will and reflects His holiness. Furthermore, the law functions to restrain societal evil by instilling fear of divine judgment and setting standards for civil governance. The sermon underscores the need for faith in Christ as the foundation of true righteousness and encourages Christians to love and apply God's law in their lives.

Psalm 19, beginning in verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts 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. They are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them your servant is warned. In keeping them there is great reward." May God bless the reading and now the preaching of this is perfect work. Amen. Amen. You may be seated.

Well last week we began our study of the law of God asking the question, how do you get to a place as a nation and as a culture and as a people and even a church so that men can go into women's bathrooms and be applauded for it and homosexual mirage is celebrated and feminism and abortion on demand, murdering children on demand is demanded as a right, how do you get there? And the answer is you reject the law of God. When the law of God no longer becomes something that is worth far more than fine gold, when the law of God becomes something that is not sweeter than the honey on a honeycomb, you get tranny madness, you get homosexual mirage, You have people doing what is right in their own eyes. You get stupidity. And so we noted last week that the words of Jesus apply across the board.

You can either, you cannot serve two masters. You can either have Christ, you have chaos, you can either bow the knee to King Jesus and you can obey his law, or you can bow the knee to craziness and crazy lawlessness. You can love the law of the Lord and you can love the law of the Lord or you can love lunacy. Those are your two options. The law of the Lord or lunacy.

And so if you love the Lord and you do Christian, then you must love his law. Jesus said, if you love me what? John 14, 15, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. And so we with David in Psalm 19 verse 10 We wish for the law of the Lord to be sweet to us Sweeter than the honey on a honeycomb We with David in Psalm 119 we wish to say with him with all our hearts, oh how I love thy law. We need to know the law of God.

And we need to apply the law of God to our lives, right? We need to understand and apply the law of God to our households and our church and our state and indeed our nation to the ends of the earth. And so to that end we began last Lord's day examining how we are to use God's law. What are the ways in which God would have us use His law? And in verse seven of our passage we found the first use of God's law.

The law of God converts the soul. It restores the soul. The law of God leads sinners to Christ. This is the first use of God's law, conversion. Romans 3 verse 20, through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

So Calvin likened the law to a mirror that shows you your sin and that's accurate. While Luther likened it to a hammer or to an axe, which is accurate as well. The law of God is like an axe that cuts down any notion of self-righteousness. Friends, you need to understand this. You really need to get this.

In and of yourself, you are not righteous. No, not one. You have broken God's law. You have sinned and you need Jesus Christ to make you righteous in the eyes of Almighty God Romans 320 the law of God reveals your sin and it then leads you to Christ. Galatians 324, the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ so that we may be justified by faith.

That's the first use of the law. God's law shows you your need for the Savior so that you cry out with the public in Luke 18, God be merciful to me a sinner. And the promise is that the Savior that this law led you to, Jesus the Son of God, he is merciful. There is more mercy in him than there is sin in you sinner, and he will answer that prayer if you would but confess your sin to him. He will cleanse you.

This Savior Jesus is faithful and righteous and he will forgive you of all your sin he will forgive you of all of your law breaking and he will cleanse you from all of your unrighteousness by faith that is an invitation open to you this morning in fact we participated in it together for all those of us who are in Christ Jesus. We adored Christ, we adored God as Christ holy, we confessed our sin with the public in that though he is holy, we have sinned against him. We received an assurance of pardon. He is faithful and righteous to forgive all those in Christ Jesus. Friends, you need to hear this.

Please understand this. If you are trying to keep God's law because you think it will make you right with God. It will not work. The Holy Scriptures say very clearly that what does not proceed from faith is sin. And so even your best attempts at being righteous and trying to keep the law of God.

If your law-keeping is not first rooted in Jesus, if your good works do not first proceed from the Savior, they are but filthy rags in comparison to the perfect standard that God requires. So no amount of your supposed good works, law keeping can cancel the record of debt that stands against you because of your sin. Nothing can cancel that out that you do. You cannot cancel the record of debt that is yours because of your sin against the thrice holy God. But the Savior Jesus Christ, He has kept the law perfectly.

And at the same time, the Savior Jesus took the record of your debt, your law breaking, your iniquity, and He nailed it to His cross, and He bore the wrath of God for you in your place in your stead. So that by faith in Him, trusting in Jesus and His finished work on the cross, and trusting in Jesus' law-keeping, and trusting Jesus to cancel that record of debt by taking it as His own, You are forgiven and you are justified in the sight of God You are declared righteous you are declared righteous by Almighty God on the account of his son Jesus Because his son kept the law and so if you are in the law keeper Jesus when God the Father looks at you He says I see a law keeper because I see my son If you are not in the son Jesus the Christ He does not see a law keeper. He sees a law breaker. And you will merit an eternity in hell. But if you belong to Jesus by faith, your disobedience, that record of debt that stood against you was punished 2, 000 years ago at his cross and Jesus Christ's obedience was made your own obedience imputed to your account through his resurrection 2, 000 years ago as well.

Jesus must save. Only Jesus can save. You cannot be good enough. You cannot cancel out your sin. And you cannot in and of yourself fulfill the demands of God's law.

Jesus is your only hope. I know what a hope he is. That's exactly what we sang this morning in the time of our assurance of pardon. Rock of Ages Clef for me. Remember that song we just sang?

Not the labors of my hands could fulfill thy laws demands. Could my zeal no respite no. Could my tears forever flow. All for sin could not atone. Thou must save and thou alone.

So nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross of my King Jesus I cling. Naked come to thee for dress, helpless look to thee for grace, foul lie to the fountain fly. Wash me Savior or I die." And He does it. He does it. And the same Savior that washes you, the same Savior that that law brought you to that you might be washed and cleansed, that Savior then leads you back to His perfect law so that you know how to live as one washed.

And that's the second use of God's law that we discussed. As we impressed upon our hearts the last Lord's Day, The law of God rules those saved by Christ. We saw this in the second half of verse 7 of Psalm 19. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The law of God instructs.

You see, before you belonged to Jesus, the law of God condemned you. The law of God revealed your sin. And so you actually hated God's law. You didn't like it. God's law, before you were converted, was not a delight to you.

God's law before you were converted, it was not verse 10. It was not verse 10 to you before you were converted in Christ Jesus. It was not sweet to you, it was bitter. It was not gold to you, it was mold. It was not a delight.

It was a heavy, wearisome burden that you had to walk around with like Pilgrim in the Pilgrim's Progress. You don't like it. But when God saved you, when His law brought you to His gospel, to the gospel of his son, his son saved you. His son changed you. He made you into a new creation that no longer hates God's law, but loves it.

Why? Because God loves it. God loves His law. And you love what God loves because you love God. You used to be an enemy of God, but now you're a child of God.

And you love Him because He first loved you. Because you're his child. And so because you love God, because you love your Savior, you want with all your heart to obey him. That's what it means to be a new creation. And so the law, far from being something you hate now, Far from being something you just have to do.

When Jesus saves you, his law becomes something that you get to do. Something you long to do. Something you delight to do. As a pleasure. As a treat.

I say that word treat children did that make you treat children I have a question for you. Answer this question for me, children. Does anybody have to tell you to enjoy a treat? Thank you. Does anybody ever have to put some kind of sweet candy in front of you, and then they just have to convince you with all kinds of argumentation that that piece of candy will taste good.

Does anybody have to talk you into liking candy? Well if you like the brown girls, no. Do you ever see a piece of candy in front of you children? And you just think to yourself, oh my, what a burden to have to eat this delicious piece of candy. What a nuisance to pick this sugar bomb up and plop it into my mouth so that amazing flavor explodes all over.

What a burden to eat this treat. Is that how it goes? Thank you. Children, when someone puts ice cream, cookies, piece of candy in front of you, is the first thing out of your mouth, if only it was broccoli instead. I'm definitely not saying that.

Nobody needs to tell your children to eat that candy, do they? Nobody needs to convince you that it's not a burden to eat that cookie or eat that treat. Why? Because you what? You see it you what?

You want it. I want to eat this. I know it's sweet. I know it's good. I know it tastes really good.

You know it will be a delight to you. Far from a burden, it's a treat. I mean, you don't even have to see the treat to know it will be a delight, often. You come in from being outside children, maybe you've been helping your father do something out in the yard. As you enter into the house you smell the smell of cookies baking in the oven.

Your nostrils get hit by this. And if you got any lick of sense about you, adrenaline shoots through your body. At least it does mean. I literally will often times say when I come home from work and I smell fresh bread or cookies, oh boy, can't help it. I don't even have a boy in the house.

But I say it. Oh boy. Nobody, at least no child, comes through that doorway and says, oh mother, why do you torture us? Why do we have to eat cookies? Nobody says that.

If you do, you don't say that children, because why? Far from being a burden, it's a treat. And that's exactly what David says in verse 10 of Psalm 19, when God saves you, and he makes you his child, the taste buds of your heart change because he's given you a new heart. Your sense of smell changes because he's given you a new nose. Spiritually sense.

Far from a burden, the law of God becomes a treat to you. The law of God becomes a delight to you when God restores and converts your soul and makes you his child. And so the question ought to be, Christian, burdened in your heart, yes. I want to live for Him who loved me and gave Himself for me. Yes, I want to obey King Jesus, But how?

Yes, the law of God. It is a delight to me. I want the law of God to be a delight to me. It is. It is.

I want to obey Him. I want it. Better than any cookie. But Pastor, what is it? What's the law of God?

Pastor, stop yacking and give it to me straight. How am I to live as a new creation in Jesus Christ? What is God's law? I'm glad you asked that question. That's the question we're going to answer this morning.

Is the law of God, what is the law of God? What is the law of God that you are to obey, that you are to delight in, that you are to follow. We'll look again at Psalm 19 beginning in verse 7. We're going to read our passage just one more time and then talk through each of these lines pretty quickly. Beginning in verse 7, the law of the Lord is perfect restoring the soul the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart the commandment of the Lord is pure and lightning the eyes The fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever The judgments of the Lord are true.

They are righteous altogether. That describes the law of God. But what is it? What is the law of God? Well let's go through each of these quickly.

Verse 7, we've already talked about it. The testimony of the Lord. The testimony of the Lord, that's the second line in verse 7. We talked last week about how that is the Ten Commandments. The testimony were the tablets of stone that Moses put in the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus chapter 31.

They were the tablets of stone. Same word used in Exodus 31. Tablets of stone. What were the tablets of stone? That was the decalogue, the Ten Commandments that God gave on Mount Sinai.

So the law of God, at least in verse 7, is described as the Ten Commandments. Now look at verse 8 of Psalm 19. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. And the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. So the precepts, the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.

The commandment of the Lord is pure in lightning-ye eyes. So these words precept, commandment, testimonies they're all synonyms for God's law. We're asking the question well what is God's law? Like what is a precept? What is a command?

What is the testimony? We know the testimony refers to the Ten Commandments, but what about precepts and commandment? Well, that word precepts there in verse 8 could be translated quite easily. Instructions. That Hebrew word is actually only used in the Psalms, only used in the Psalter, and it's almost always, almost always connected on some level with covenant so God's covenant people are given precepts on how to live as the covenant people of God God's precepts, listen to this Christian, God's precepts are his instruction for you Christian as a person in covenant with God.

His precepts push his law into all the corners of your life. God's precepts are for the covenant people of God. Well, where were the Ten Commandments placed? The Ten Commandments were put into the Ark of the Covenant. So put it together, If the precepts of the Lord are for the covenant people of God and the Ten Commandments were what was put in the Ark of the Covenant, then it stands to reason that the Ten Commandments are the law by which you, His covenant people, are to be ruled by.

Make sense to me? The Ten Commandments. What's the law of the Lord? So far we've got the Ten Commandments. Now notice the rest of the verse.

What will these commandments do? End of verse 8. These commandments will enlighten the eyes. So you were once blind in your sin, but God made you to see. He's given you His word.

He's given you His law. He's given you His ten commandments as to be a lamp unto thy feet and a light unto thy path. The precepts of the Lord are right. The commandments of the Lord is pure and light in the eyes. Now this verse I think should make you think of something in the New Testament.

This should remind you of somebody who talked about blessed are the pure in heart. Right? For they shall see God. That's the same language. Same language in Matthew chapter 5 that the Lord Jesus Christ uses.

And what is Jesus doing in Matthew chapter 5? Do you remember what Jesus is doing In Matthew's Gospel in the fifth chapter, he is unpacking the law of God. He is explaining the law of God. And he explains to us in Matthew 5 that the law is not merely external. No, it's in fact a matter of the heart.

What's in here, what's in the heart matters. It must be ruled by God's law too. You break the law here, you've broken it out there. Same thing. In fact, what happens out there is because it first started in here.

And what is it? That is, Jesus is unpacking the law of God. What is it that Jesus quotes from in Matthew chapter 5? So he's talking about the law of God, and what? Well, what is it?

Jesus, what is the law of God? Well, what does he quote from? Jesus quotes from the what? It rhymes with thin and commandments. Ten commandments.

Matthew 527, you have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. That's the seventh commandment. You have heard that it was said, he's quoting from the Ten Commandments, you've heard of this said, don't commit adultery, but I say to you that everyone who looks, that sounds like Psalm 19, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. What does our text say, Psalm 19 verse 8? The law deals with the heart and the law is pure.

And now in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus is saying the same thing. If you look at a woman with lust in your heart, if you're not pure in your heart, you've broken God's law. So what then is Jesus saying the law of God is? Jesus is grounding every bit of his teaching on the law in the Ten Commandments. He quotes from the Ten Commandments.

What's he saying? Jesus is saying in Matthew chapter 5 in conjunction with Psalm 19 that the law of God is summed up in the Ten Commandments. Later on in Matthew chapter 22, so if you have Matthew 5 where Jesus unpacks the law, you've got Matthew chapter 22 where Jesus is asked this question, Hey Jesus, what's the greatest law? What does Jesus say? All of God's law hangs on these two things.

Love for God and love for neighbor. So Jesus says in Matthew chapter 22, Love for God and love for neighbor. So Jesus says in Matthew chapter 22, love for God and love for neighbor. What are the two sections of the Ten Commandments? Commandments one through four, love for God, commandments five through 10, love for neighbor.

We'll talk more about that in coming weeks. Jesus is saying in Matthew 5, in chapter 22, in conjunction with Psalm 19, they're both answering the question, what is the law of God? How are you to live as a new creation? What is the standard by which you look at you say okay? This is the way God wants me to live What's the answer?

Ten commands The ten commandments are the summary of the law of God Now I want you to keep seeing this you might think man. He's beating the dead horse. I don't think it's dead yet So I want you to keep seeing this you might think man he's beating the dead horse. I don't think it's dead yet So I want you to keep seeing it look at verse 9 First nine of our passage psalm 19 verse 9 the fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever The judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether so you've got you've got the word fear as a synonym for the law you've got judgment as a synonym for the law David uses the word fear and judgment do you remember what happens right after God gives the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai do you remember what happens He gives the Ten Commandments and what happens?

Exodus 20 verse 20. Gives the Ten Commandments and Moses tells the people, don't be afraid for God has come in order to test you and in order that the fear of him may remain with you so that you will not sin. The Ten Commandments are given and then Moses immediately says right after that he's done this so that the fear of God may remain with you. Does that sound like verse 9 of Psalm 19? Sure does.

The fear of the Lord. Same thing happens in Deuteronomy chapter 5. The Ten Commandments are given in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5. And again in Deuteronomy chapter 5, right after the giving of the Ten Commandments, God says the same thing. He gives the Ten Commandments and then he says this, all that they had, all that these people, all that these people I'm giving my Ten Commandments to, all that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments.

In both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, God gives the 10 commandments as a summary of His law. You hearing that? A summary of His law. He immediately connects the 10 commandments to the fear of the Lord. So when you read Psalm 19 verse 9 you should do the same.

You should do the same. The fear of the Lord is clean. That word clean is probably better translated morally pure. So the fear of the Lord is moral pure connect that to the Ten Commandments because that's exactly what God did in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 so say it like this the law of God The moral law of God is summed up in the Ten Commandments and it endures forever. I'm just trying to get you to see what David sees, what God would have you see.

The Ten Commandments are the summary of God's law. Verse 9 says, the fear of the Lord is clean, it's moral, enduring forever. So What does it tell you about the Ten Commandments, brothers and sisters? The law of God endures forever. The Ten Commandments are enduring forever.

The moral law of God is not changed. The Ten Commandments are not abrogated. They are not canceled out. The fear of the Lord is enduring forever, as are the Ten Commandments, which are the basis for that fear. So if you're wondering in your heart, do all ten out of ten apply to me?

The answer is, the fear of the Lord, which stems from the Ten Commandments, is clean, enduring forever. Yes. Yes, the ten apply to you. They endure forever. Look at the end of verse 9.

End of verse 9 says the same. The judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether. Again that word judgments is the same Hebrew word that Moses uses right before God does what? Gives the Ten Commandments.

Same Hebrew word in Psalm 19 is in Deuteronomy 5, judgments of God. Deuteronomy 5 verse 1, hear O Israel the statutes and the judgments that I am speaking to you. What are those judgments in Deuteronomy 5? He says, hear O Israel the judgments I'm speaking to you. And then he lists the 10 commandments.

Now in case you think well okay Then in Exodus, the book of Exodus, right after giving the Ten Commandments, same thing happens. The word judgments are used to describe the Ten Commandments that just came before. So in Deuteronomy and in Exodus both, here's what you got. Ten commandments given, and on either side of the Ten Commandments, they're described as the judgments of God. Judgments of God, Ten Commandments, Judgments of God.

So I like bookends. What are the Ten Commandments? The judgments of God. The Ten Commandments are the summary of God's law. So you asked the question which I was glad that you did.

What is the law of God? And I wanted to show you in Psalm 19 that the law of God is summed up in the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt make no graven images, no idols. Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain.

Thou shalt remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Thou shalt honor thy mother and father. Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not bear false testimony or witness, and thou shalt not covet. This is the foundation, this is the summary, this is the law of God for you. Forever binding on your life. It reveals your sin, it leads you like a tutor to Jesus, to be converted, and then Jesus leads you back to it as you rule for life forever as his covenant child. You see how the law works?

And in case you think, maybe, well this is exactly what both the Westminster Confession and the Second London Baptist Confession say about the law of God. I'm gonna read it to you. They say it identically, so their language matches exactly. Here's what both confessions say. The moral law of God is the quote, perfect rule of righteousness and as such was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in ten commandments and written in two tables.

The first four commandments containing our duty towards God and the other six our duty to man and this moral law doth forever bind all as well-justified persons as others to the obedience thereof." End quote. So there's all kinds of confusion when it comes to God's law. There is confusion like crazy. And Psalm 19 helps us clear it up a bit. So let's sum it up so far.

The law of God, a tutor that leads us to Christ. Number two, It's a demonstration of what it looks like to glorify God and enjoy him forever found in the Ten Commandments But there is a third use of God's law There is a third and final use of God's law that the scriptures hold out to us We've all but lost it in America. All but lost it in the world. And this is found in Psalm 19 as well, there in our final verse. The law of God, the third use of the law, restrains evil and promotes right living in a world that belongs to Jesus Christ.

I'm going to say that again. I'll put it up here. The third use of the law is that the law of God restrains evil and promotes right living in a world that belongs to Christ. This is often called the civil function of the law. The civil function of the law.

So this is different than the first two. You'll notice the first two functions of the law according to God's Word. They convert and they instruct the regenerant. Those who have been converted are instructed by God's law. The law brings the lost to Christ, he converts them, and then he instructs them by his law.

The first two deal with those that God saves, but this third use of the law, this deals with the unregenerate as well as the regenerate. This deals with God's common grace in all the world. God's grace towards the ungodly. The law of God applies to them too. You need to hear that.

The law of God applies to them too. It keeps society from being as bad as it possibly could be. So I'm going to try to explain this. There are like entire books written on just this third use of the law. And I've got like 15 minutes.

Buckle up. So, let me try to explain this best I can. So we embrace the doctrine of total depravity, don't we? So total depravity, all men and women, from head to toe, from mouth to hands to heart, we are corrupt inside and out, right? Every part of every person is infected and corrupted by sin that they inherited from their first father Adam.

So total means, total means every part of you in total is corrupted, infected by sin. So we get this from Romans chapter 3, Ephesians chapter 2, right? Mankind is dead and in bondage to sin. No part of any man is free from sin the wills and bondage to sin their heart is in bondage to sin their mind is in bondage to sin their strength is in bondage to sin go down the list Paul does that in Romans chapter 3. He talks about like every body part is infected by sin.

Mouth, legs, hands, swift to shed innocent blood. We are totally depraved in that sense. So if that's true, and it is, that every part of us as a people, apart from Jesus doing the work, every part of us is infected and totally corrupt by sin. There's no part of us that is free from sin, if that's true, and it is, then think about this. What is the only trajectory available to dead and depraved people?

If left unchecked and every part of them is corrupted by sin, what is the only trajectory that a dead and depraved people will take. Great evil. So only Pat, if left unchecked, a people left to their sin without any restraining will only engage in greater and greater and greater evil as the sin that's in them expresses itself in more grotesque and more grotesque ways. Okay? So I mean think of like the flood.

Think of Sodom and Gomorrah. God removes his restraining hand, the evil that goes untouched, unchecked, evil that's not restrained, we're getting to that level, and God brings about terrible judgment. That's the end of a society. That's the end of a civil realm where there's no restraint on people, people in bondage to sin, people depraved in their sin, and there's no restraint. They just go off until they get to the greatest of all years.

And so the law of God in a society is that restraint. The law of God is the resistance that holds a society in check, though they be unregenerate. This is called the civil function of the law, the civil use of the law. Here's how John Calvin put it. The unregenerate are restrained by the law of God, not because their inner mind is stirred or affected, but because being bridled, so to speak, they keep their hands from outward activity and hold inside the depravity that otherwise they would wantonly have indulged.

Consequently they are neither better nor more righteous before God, but hindered by fright or shame, they dare neither execute what they have conceived in their minds, nor openly breathe for the rage of their lust." So they're afraid to do so. Why would they be afraid to do so? Because throughout the scriptures, what do you see? The law of God is written on lost people's hearts. The law of God is written on people's hearts.

We see this throughout the scriptures. God has put the law of God on people's hearts. It hasn't regenerated them. It hasn't made them converted. But for fear of divine judgment, they don't, they're not as bad as they could be.

Theologian Brian Collins puts it this way the civil use of the law refers to the laws function in restraining sinners this use of the law is focused on the unregenerate especially on those sinners who have little concern to obey the law or to please God. Nevertheless, the law of God pronounces threats and curses against those who do not keep its precepts. The law encourages sinners to adhere to God's law simply to avoid the consequences. So in a society in which the law of God is seen as normative, some may keep the law in order simply to avoid shame within the society. So the law of God threatens pagans, it threatens the ungodly with divine judgment.

And we read about that in Romans chapter 2, so you can make a note and you can read this later. Romans chapter 2, that the pagans who don't have the law written down for them on paper, they don't have the law, they don't know the law, they think they don't know the law, they still are a law unto themselves, Paul says in Romans 2. They demonstrate that The law is written on their hearts because their consciences bear witness that they know the truth about God. So what does God do? God's law restrains them from doing something they would otherwise do.

What keeps a person who is totally depraved from engaging in greater evil. The law of God written on their hearts that says, you know that there is God. We look at it in creation, Romans chapter one, what can be known about God is plain to them, clearly seen, his divine attributes, his eternal power, it can be seen to them, they're without excuse, they know the truth about God, but they've exchanged it, and in exchange for a lie, right? They know the truth about God. The law of God is written on their hearts, so it restrains them, divine curses restrain them, But also, God's law operates in societies that embrace it.

And so, when you have a society that bases their laws on God's laws, those otherwise pagans who would engage in gross evil, they don't because they're afraid of the civil penalties. They're afraid of being shamed in a society that fears God and uses God's law. So God's law restrains evildoers from being as evil as they most assuredly could be, because the civil authorities govern according to God's law. We see this in Israel's history, do we not? Law of God restrains the people, not all of Israel were truly Israel.

You had people that were restrained from doing greater evil because there was the law of God in their midst. This is the civil function of God's law. It has everything to do with Psalm 19. If you're wondering where is it at in Psalm 19, I'll show you. Look at verse 11 of our passage.

Moreover, by them, by the law, by the Ten Commandments, so we're talking about God's law, by the Ten Commandments, your servant is warned, in keeping them, there is great reward. So the law of God warns us as believers, doesn't it? Sure. It serves as a warning to us as believers, but it also serves as a warning to society, and particularly, God's law serves as a restraint on evil when civil magistrates, When governors, when mayors, when legislators, when they pay attention to God's law, when they govern according to God's law. So what does God call those He puts an authority over you?

Romans 13 verse 4, what does God call your mayor? What does God call your legislators? What does God call the President of the United States? What does he call that? Calls him authorities.

He says they are ministers, deacons, or this translation, servants of God. Romans 13 verse 4, very very clear, Paul calls the civil magistrates servants of God. And Psalm 19 verse 11 says, by them, by your law, your what? Your servant is warned. The law of God is for who?

It's for the regenerate. It's also for the unregenerate. It's for the civil magistrate. So we as a church, you as a people, we tell the civil magistrate, fear God. Obey the son, kiss the son, govern according to his law.

Why? Because you're to be his servant and right here it says that these things warn you these things instruct you these laws, the ten commandments, the law of God is for you And so we tell our civil magistrates, you're his servant, so obey his law. Here's his law, legislate according to his law. Here are the Ten Commandments, thou shalt not murder. So rid the nation, rid the state of the scourge of abortion right now.

Why? Because God's law warns you what will happen if you don't. It's a warning to you. God's law in the Ten Commandments demands sexual purity. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

That's the seventh commandment. Therefore, magistrates, get men out of women's restrooms. It's easy. Stop mutilating children's genitals. That's even easier.

God says so in his law. This is the civil function of God's law. So if you ever think, well, does God's law have any place in the world? By them, your servant is warned. Who's the servant?

Romans 13 verse 4, civil magistrate is. The civil function of God's law is restraining evil and promoting right living in a world that belongs to Jesus Christ. So brothers and sisters, those are the three uses of the law. And part of today we talked about how the law is summed up in the Ten Commandments, and so that's where we're going next. We're going to go to the Ten Commandments, we're going to go to Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, unpack the law of God together, and use all three uses.

How does this lead me to Jesus? How does this tell me to live? What does it mean for the society? We're going to use this grid as generations before us have used to understand the law of God and rightly applied. So I'm really excited about that.

And if you're not, well, bummer. So before we conclude, but before we're finished, I do wish for your eyes, the eyes of your hearts to be upon the Lord Jesus. I want you to end Psalm 19 with your eyes on Jesus. So in Psalm 19, did you see the way that Psalm 19 describes the law all those times? Look there in Psalm 19 really quick.

The law of the Lord is perfect, it's sure, it's right, it's clean, it's true, it's righteous. See all those descriptors? The law is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, and righteous. Is not your Savior the same thing? He is exactly those things.

The Lord Jesus is perfect. Without spot, without blemish, and by grace through faith, He, the Lord Jesus, presents you, presents you, his church, his bride, he presents you to himself without spot, without wrinkle, without any blemish or any such thing. He does that. Christ does that for you. Jesus is sure.

The law is perfect, the law is sure, Jesus is sure. All of the promises of God are yes and amen in the Lord Jesus Christ. Surely. He is right. The Lord Jesus is pure.

The Lord Jesus is clean. And through His finished work on the cross, He makes you right. He makes you pure. He makes you cleansed of all your unrighteousness Why because he cried out on his cross? It's finished and he was raised up from the dead proving that it surely was The Lord Jesus is true his laws true.

So was the Lord Jesus He is the way the truth and the life. He cannot lie And brothers and sisters, he's promised to hold you fast forever and ever. And the Lord Jesus is righteous. His law is righteous. So is the Lord Jesus.

The lawgiver is what the law is he is righteous and his righteousness is imputed to your account by faith because he kept the same law that he gave now he's turned you into someone that loves him you love him now and you love his law as one justified by faith. So we pray with Dr. Joe Beeke, and I'm finished. This is our prayer with Dr. Joe Beeke.

Lord God, we need thy law to convict us of sin, to drive us to Christ. So be with us now and be near to us and use the law in our lives so that we may need the gospel more, love the gospel more, and live out of the gospel more for thy son's sake. In his name, all his people said, amen. Isaac, if you'd come.