Law & Gospel

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Just an example of something that we hear with testimonies. Maybe you've given your testimony at one time and you've said this.

The Danger of Overemphasizing the Law

I know I've said something like this. But you've heard people give their testimony and they'll say, You know what? I was a dirty, rotten, no-good sinner until God saved me. And even in my flesh, I'm still a dirty, rotten, no-good sinner.

Who's heard that before? Yeah. Some probably think that language is a little much. Some probably think that. Or, you know what? Maybe it's 100 true. But either way, the profession that I'm a rotten, no-good sinner, that needs to be balanced with the fact that you're a child of God.

And that by grace, we have become the righteousness of God in Christ. So you need some balance there. Christians should not be living their life in guilt. Guilt has no place in the life of a believer.

Certainly not ongoing guilt. But the fact remains, every true Christian is still, at the same time, both sinner and saint. But here's the thing, you don't need to act like the sinner. You should be crucifying the sinner daily.

Now the reminder that you're still a sinner, that should keep you humble, hopefully. But as Paul said in Romans 13, verse 14,. So that's a danger in overemphasizing the law. You just make people feel guilty all the time.

And one of the reasons why people will lay a guilt trip is to do what? Try to manipulate someone else into doing what they want them to do. So we need to not fall into that. That's one danger of overemphasizing the law, that people can be weighed down.

The other danger of overemphasizing the law is that when you do that, you de-emphasize Christ. This is the real danger, de-emphasizing Christ and the gospel. In chapter 11, who remembers what Paul says about the false teachers?

What does he call the false teachers and the false apostles? He talks about Satan as an angel of light. And he said, well, it's no big surprise that if his ministers transform themselves into ministers of righteousness.

So in chapter 11, that's what he calls the false teachers. They appear to be ministers of righteousness. How can that be? You ever read that and thought about that? How can an agent of Satan appear to people as though he's a minister of righteousness?

Well, it's easy. He can preach about God's law and command people to obey. And it sounds like he's doing the right thing. But what do they do? They overemphasize the law. And when they do that, they de-emphasize Christ.

Or they add good works to the gospel. And those who do that, those who teach that, those who would intentionally de-emphasize Christ and the gospel. You know what that is? It's a clear sign of unbelief.

If you can de-emphasize Christ, that is a clear sign of unbelief. And the false teachers, they were unbelievers, right? False teachers are unbelievers. Now, do they come right out and tell people that?

No. And this is important to understand. You have to understand that no false teacher, no false prophet in the Christian church is ever going to come right out and tell you, I'm a false teacher. Or that's not the way that it works.

An atheist will say, I don't believe. An agnostic might say, I don't believe or I don't know. But within the church, it's completely different. It's completely different. You know, unbelief takes on many different forms.

Most of us, it's a danger to think that unbelief is someone just coming right out and admitting it. It's much more than that. A false teacher does what? They creep in to the church. Jude chapter 1 verse 4.

They creep in what? Unaware. So you don't know. They creep in unaware. A false teacher is usually, again, book of Jude, a false teacher is usually an apostate. That is, at one point in time, they professed the truth.

They may have even preached the truth, but they have fallen away from the truth. Something happened. And they start to intentionally teach things that create division. And they're doing it on purpose.

And when that happens, it has to be addressed. It has to be addressed. And this is one of the reasons why some of the people in the Corinthian church didn't like the apostle Paul very much. Because Paul was the guy who said, hey, I'm going to take care of this and I'm going to say something.

And it didn't earn him any fans. So I'm sure Paul experienced all of this. And that's one of the reasons why he had this ongoing opposition to his ministry. So I believe that is the background. That is why Paul is saying the things that he's saying.

So understand a legalist false teacher, while he may say he believes in Jesus, he does not believe. He says he believes. Maybe he's even convinced himself that he believes. But he does not believe. You know that people will say, I believe in Jesus, but they don't really mean it.

Right. When a Jehovah's Witness knocks on your door, they will tell you they believe in Jesus, don't they? When a Mormon knocks on your door, they will most certainly tell you that they believe in Jesus.

Even a devout Muslim will tell you that they believe in Jesus. They mean something different. They're redefining either who Jesus is or they're redefining the term believe. What does James say? James chapter two, verse 19.

You believe there's one God. You do well. But even the demons believe. And the demons tremble. The false teachers aren't trembling. So first, you have to have the right Jesus. Second, believing is more than just mental assent.

It's about trust. True, genuine faith. That's alive. OK, if it's alive, it's real. It's it's living. There's going to be evidence. If you had before you someone who's alive and someone who's dead, you can tell the difference, right?

Unless someone's a really sound sleeper. You can tell the difference. You can tell the difference. And how? How do you tell? Because there is there is evidence. Galatians chapter five, verse six. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love.

A true faith is one where there is evidence. Faith working through love. So it's not faith plus works. It's a faith that works. A faith that works itself out through love. Don't believe it. Read Hebrews chapter 11.

What is Hebrews 11? What do we refer to Hebrews 11 as the faith chapter? What does it say? By faith, Noah, by faith, Abraham, by faith, Moses. Go ahead and read it later today. In almost every example, their faith results in them doing something right by faith.

Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac by faith. Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin.

The Veil of Unbelief in Israel

So back to Moses. Okay. We mentioned Moses here. Back to Moses and the Israelites. What was the problem? What was the problem with the Israelites in the wilderness? Why did Moses have to put on the veil?

See, they believed God existed. That wasn't the issue. They knew God existed. That was not the issue. The problem is they would not heed his voice. They did not believe God's word and their disobedience proved it.

So they did not believe. And this is what Paul is referring to when he's talking about the veil. The veil represents unbelief. Okay, the veil represents spiritual blindness. Look at verse 12. Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech.

Unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. So Moses put a veil over his face and he concealed himself so that the people couldn't see.

Compare that to Paul, who didn't conceal anything. Instead, Paul just preaches the fullness of the faith. He preaches the mysteries of God kept secret from the foundation of the world. And we believe Christians believe Moses talked.

He gave them the commandments. Did they believe? No, they did not. Look at verse 14. But their minds were blinded. Past tense. But even now, Paul says, for until this day, the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament.

Because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. So the Israelites in the wilderness, they did not believe the word of the Lord.

1500 years later, 2000 years ago, when Paul's writing this, nothing had changed. The Jews, generally speaking, the veil was still there. They were blind. Why? Because they missed the most important part of all of it.

Christ Is the Key to the Old Testament

Christ. They did not and do not believe in Christ. So think of the Old Testament scriptures as like a treasure chest with a big lock on it. And Jesus is the key. And the spirit gives us that key. Second Corinthians 317.

Now the Lord is the spirit. And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. The law only brings condemnation. It is the ministry of death. Because man in his flesh is both unwilling and unable to keep the Lord's commandments.

In fact, when a person hears thou shalt not, you know what it makes them want to do? It makes them want to do it that much more. Man is a slave to sin in his natural condition. But through the ministry of the spirit, through faith in Christ, what happens?

The heart is changed. Lives are transformed to where now the believer through the spirit can walk, not in bondage, but in Liberty. Because the veil has been taken away in Christ. Verse 18. But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.

Just as by the spirit of the Lord. So now that the veil has been lifted, gaze upon Christ. The more you look to Christ, the more you will become like Christ. And as we will see next week, Paul begins chapter four.

After all of this, he says, therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy because of this, we do not lose heart. Let's close in prayer. Our father, we thank you for the ministry of the spirit and for each and every heart that you've touched.

When we are weak, you make us strong. When we stumble and fall, you pick us up. And when we sin, you are willing to forgive. And Lord, if there is anyone listening who has never asked you to forgive them of their sin, I pray that they would consider Christ and look to Christ.

Who was nailed to a cross and rose the third day so that they might be reconciled unto God. As your word tells us, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It's in Jesus name we pray. Thanks for listening.

I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, MorrisCornickChurch .com. And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.

Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.