Introduction to the Law of God - 06/12/2022

First Baptist Church Leominster

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And for our New Testament reading, we'll be reading Romans chapter four. If you'll turn to that and follow along with me as I read.

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And I'll be reading from the English Standard Version. Romans chapter four.

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What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

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But for what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.

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Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as is due. And to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

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Just as David also speaks of the blessings of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works.

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Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom the

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Lord will not count his sin. Is this blessing only for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised?

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For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him?

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Was it before or after he was circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

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He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.

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The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised so that the righteousness would be counted to them as well.

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And to make him the father of the circumcised who were not merely circumcised, but also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father

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Abraham had before he was circumcised. For the promise of Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

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For if the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.

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For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring, not only to the adherents of the law, but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all.

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As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. In the presence of God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist.

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In hope he believes against hope that he should become the father of many nations as he had been told so shall your offspring be.

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He did not weaken in faith as he considered his own body, which is as good as dead since he was about 100 years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.

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No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised.

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That is why faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also.

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It will be counted to us who believe in him, who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

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And let's pray. Our father, we thank you Lord for the blessings of being here today, to sit under the teaching of the word, to sing our praises to you, and have the fellowship of one another in Christ.

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Father, bless the words that's preached. May it bear fruit within our hearts.

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May it convict those who are outside of Christ, and may it bring sanctification to us who are in Christ.

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And Lord, bless Pastor Jason as he comes. Anoint him and help him as he proclaims the word.

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May he proclaim it clearly and may it go forth in a powerful way that your kingdom would be advanced.

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Father, bless us all and help us as we sit under the word. May it bring glory to you and sanctification to us in Jesus' name, amen.

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The scriptures repeatedly warn us that in the last days, there will be great depravity and great lawlessness within the world.

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2 Timothy 3, verses one to five. But understand this, that in the last days, there will be times of difficulty.

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For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self -control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power.

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Avoid such people. Indeed, the times of difficulty have arrived.

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This passage accurately depicts the world in which we live. People are lovers of self.

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People are lovers of money. People are lovers of pleasure. In these last days, our world is filled with those who are proud, abusive, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, reckless, brutal, and treacherous.

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Our world is enslaved to sin, enslaved to corruption, and bound in darkness.

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What our world needs more than anything else is to be delivered from these things.

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Our world needs to be set free and reconciled to the Lord God. The world needs to know the truth of the scriptures.

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The world needs to know the message of the good news, the gospel, that Jesus Christ is

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Lord. This message of hope and deliverance is to be proclaimed by the church.

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It is the church who has been commissioned to proclaim this truth. It is the church that has been entrusted with the message of reconciliation.

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It is the church who is to make disciples of all nations.

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Beloved, it is you who has been commissioned to boldly proclaim the gospel of our

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Lord Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. This is a simple task, but it often proves to be very difficult.

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Even though the world desperately needs to hear the gospel, most of the time, the world does not want to hear the gospel.

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So what are we to do? How are we to proclaim this message of truth? How are we to proclaim the message that Jesus Christ is

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Savior and Lord to a world that is clearly uninterested in being saved, and even less interested in submitting to the

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Lordship of Jesus Christ? Where are we to begin in order to fulfill our great commission?

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Well, we begin at the beginning, the scriptures. What do the scriptures principally teach?

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The scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty

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God requires of man. Our presentation of the truth, our evangelistic message to the world should begin with the

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Lord God and with what the Lord God requires of his creation. In our evangelistic efforts, there is no better place to begin our commission than with the law of God, the 10

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Commandments. The 10 Commandments teach us about the character of the Lord God, as well as man's duty to the

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Lord God. The law of God teaches us a great deal about the lawgiver and how we are to please the lawgiver.

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So the better you know the law, then the better you will know the lawgiver, and the better you know the lawgiver, then the better equipped you will be to be able to proclaim the truth of God to others.

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Over the next couple of months, and probably into the fall, we're gonna be looking at each one of the 10

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Commandments in great detail. And there are three goals that I'm hoping to accomplish with this series.

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The first goal is that each one of us will come to a greater understanding of the

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Lord God. My hope is that each one of us will have a greater understanding of God's nature, his character, and his attributes.

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The second goal is that each one of us will come to a greater understanding of what is required by the

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Lord God. My hope is that each one of us will more fully understand the will of God for our lives.

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And the third goal is that each one of us will come to a greater understanding of how to use these things, the character of God, the law of God, to proclaim the

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Lord Jesus Christ, and to make disciples of all nations, thus fulfilling our commission.

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Now, some of you may be wondering, if these are your goals, then why start with the 10 Commandments? Why start with the law?

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Why not start with the life of Christ, or with the Gospel of John, or with the Book of Romans? Over the years,

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I've come to realize that within the church, there is a lot of confusion regarding the law of God. In fact, for most of my own life,

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I never really thought much about the law of God. I never thought much about the 10 Commandments.

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To my recollection, it was never preached in any of the churches that I attended. It was never the subject of any

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Sunday school classes or Bible studies. I don't even remember discussing the law of God in Bible college, or in any of the classes that I took at seminary.

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20 years ago, if you'd asked me to name all the 10 Commandments, I probably wouldn't have been able to name half.

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I think this is a common problem in many churches. Do you know the 10

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Commandments? Do you know all of the 10 Commandments? Do you know them in detail? Do you use the 10

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Commandments in your evangelistic efforts? Many Christians can only name a handful, and fewer still truly understand the breadth, length, height, and depth of the

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Commandments of our Lord God. Some of the confusion regarding the law of God comes from a misunderstanding of certain

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New Testament passages. For example, there are many passages that appear to abrogate or to do away with the law of God.

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John 117. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

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Romans 6 .14. For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law, but under grace.

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Galatians 3 .24. So then the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

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But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. For in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith.

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Now at first glance, it does appear that these verses do away with or repeal the law of God.

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The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Thus, you're not under the law because you are under grace.

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Christ has come, faith has come, so you no longer are under a guardian, you are no longer under the law.

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However, there are also many passages that appear to propagate the continuation of the law, even after the coming of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. In the book of Matthew, the Lord Jesus Christ himself stated, Matthew 5 .17,

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do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

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For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

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In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul stated that he was under the law of Christ. First Corinthians 9 .21,

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to those outside the law, I became as one outside the law, not being outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ, that I might win those outside the law.

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So how are we to reconcile these passages? Are we under the law or are we not under the law?

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Is the law of God binding today or has the law of God been repealed? Which is it?

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Well, the answer depends on what you mean by the term law. The scriptures speak of law in three different ways because there are several different types of law mentioned in the scriptures.

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There is the civil law, there is the ceremonial law, and there is the moral law.

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The civil law consisted of the laws that govern the state of Israel as a physical nation under the

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Lord God. And these laws included guidelines for waging war, restrictions on land use, regulations for debt, and penalties for specific violation of their laws and their legal code.

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The civil law has been revoked. The civil law has expired. The reason being, we do not live in the promised land.

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We do not live under an Israelite king. The church is not the state of Israel.

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The church is not an earthly kingdom. The church is a spiritual kingdom with a spiritual king.

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This is the reason why we do not stone disobedient and rebellious children. This is why we do not put to death adulterers and fornicators.

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This is the reason why we do not have cities of refuge for the manslayer that he can flee when he unintentionally has killed someone.

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These are all examples of civil law. The civil laws of the

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Old Testament do not apply to believers. Now, the principles of these laws are still very useful for governing nations, but we are no longer bound by their specific regulations.

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The second type of law mentioned in the scriptures is the ceremonial law. The ceremonial law consisted of various regulations for the celebration of certain religious festivals and for worshiping the

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Lord God in his tabernacle, in his temple, in his sanctuary. For example, in the book of Leviticus, Moses explained all the laws regarding clean and unclean foods, instructions for ritual purity, guidelines for the conduct of priests, guidelines for the offering of the sacrifices.

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The ceremonial laws really encompassed everything that surrounded the sacrificial system.

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But like the civil law, the ceremonial law is no longer in effect today. It has been abrogated.

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It was abrogated at the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the ceremonial law, every one of its restrictions, its regulations and its rituals pointed forward to the

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Lord Jesus Christ. The ceremonial law was fulfilled in the person and work of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, in speaking about the ceremonial law,

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Colossians 2 .17, he said, "'These are a shadow of the things to come, "'but the substance belongs to Christ.'"

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In the book of Hebrews, Hebrews 10, verse one, he says, "'Since the law has but a shadow "'of the good things to come, "'instead of the true form of these realities, "'it can never, by the same sacrifices "'that are continually offered every year, "'make perfect those who draw near.'"

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The ceremonial law was a shadow of the good things to come.

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It was not the true form, but it pointed to the true form. Its many sacrifices could not perfect those who had drawn near, but its many sacrifices pointed forward to the one sacrifice that was able to make perfect those who draw near, the sacrifice of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is the substance. The Lord Jesus Christ offered himself as a once -for -all sacrifice and atonement for sin.

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Thus, no further sacrifice will ever be needed because the sacrifice of Christ was sufficient.

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It is finished. If we were to continue with the rituals and the ceremonies of the ceremonial law, then we would be denying the sufficiency of the cross.

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It would deny the sufficiency of the substitutionary atonement of the perfect and spotless

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Lamb of God, Christ Jesus. The ceremonial law pointed us to a better sacrifice, the

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Lord Jesus Christ, so it is no longer binding on us today. The third and last type of law mentioned in the scriptures is the moral law.

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And the moral law is the Lord God's declaration of his will to all mankind.

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The moral law promises life upon its fulfillment and it threatens death upon its breach.

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And the moral law is summarized in the 10 Commandments, in the book of Exodus, chapter 20, and in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter five.

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And a great summary of these commandments was given by the Lord Jesus Christ in the book of Matthew, Matthew 22, verses 37 through 40.

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And he said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart "'and with all your soul and with all your mind.

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"'This is the great and first commandment. "'And a second is like it. "'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

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"'On these two commands depend all the law and the prophets.'"

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The civil law and the ceremonial law were types and figures pointing to the cross of Christ, pointing to the kingdom of Christ.

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But now that the Lord Jesus Christ has come, the civil and ceremonial laws have been set aside. They are no longer binding on believers today.

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The moral law, however, which is summarized in the 10 Commandments, still remains.

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The moral law is eternal and perpetually binding because the moral law reflects the character of the law giver.

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So as Christians, are we under the law? No, we are not under the law as a covenant of works.

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The law cannot justify you. The law cannot redeem you. The law cannot even save you.

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Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone because of Jesus Christ alone.

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However, we are under the law of God as a rule of life. We are under the law of God as a means of sanctification.

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The law of God reveals the will of God. So the law is really a multi -use item.

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The law is an all -in -one tool. The law has primarily three purposes and thus three reasons why each one of us should read, memorize, study, and meditate upon the moral law of God.

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Firstly, the law of God is a mirror. The law of God reveals our sin.

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It reveals our depravity. To meditate upon the law of God is like looking into a mirror.

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A mirror reveals and highlights and manifests our great spiritual weaknesses, our glaring deficiencies.

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The law of God reveals the sin of man. It reveals the wrath of God.

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It reveals our need for a savior. And this is why the law of God is such an effective tool, such a necessary tool for evangelism.

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The law of God is like a sharp needle that prepares the way for the threat of the gospel. If man does not know the nature of the law, then he cannot know the nature of sin.

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And if he does not know the nature of sin, then he cannot know the nature of our savior.

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So the law is a mirror. Secondly, the law of God is a map.

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The law of God gives us instruction on how we are to live for the glory of God. It teaches us what is pleasing to the

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Lord God. It teaches us what is displeasing to the Lord God. The 10 commandments are a copy of God's will.

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The 10 commandments teach us what sins we are to avoid and what duties we are to pursue.

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Without a map, without the law of God, we would all be lost. We would not know the will of God.

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We would not know the requirements that the Lord God demands, nor would we know the character of God.

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The law of God gives us direction. The law of God is our moral compass.

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It is our true north. The law of God is a map. Thirdly, the law of God is a muzzle or a restraint.

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The law of God informs the conscious of man so that the sinner has a heightened sense of what the

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Lord God requires and what he forbids. The commandment of the law, with their accusation of guilt and their threat of punishment, will often discourage people from sinning against the

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Lord God. The heart of man is not changed, but his actions are restraint.

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His actions have been muzzled by the fearful denunciation of the law and the consequent dread of punishment.

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The law of God is a mirror. The law of God is a map, and the law of God is a muzzle.

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Now, there is one more introductory matter that we really need to address before we can actually get to the exposition of Exodus chapter 20, which will be next week.

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I think this is the first time I've preached a message where I haven't actually gotten to the text. But it's very important that we understand the proper interpretation and understanding of the law.

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Now, at first glance, the 10 commandments seem to be very direct and very straightforward.

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There are 10 standalone commandments. There is one commandment for each one of our fingers.

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In fact, the commandments are so simple that the scriptures refer to them literally as the 10 words.

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However, an in -depth study of these 10 words reveals profound and amazing depth. The 10 words properly interpreted and understood are relevant for any and every situation.

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The 10 words are applicable to every aspect and sphere of our lives. And there are five interpretive rules or principles that are essential to unlocking the length, the width, height, depth, and breadth of the

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Old Testament commandments, the 10 commandments. The first rule of interpretation is the biblical rule.

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Every commandment must be understood within the context of scripture, within the context of the entire scriptures.

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In other words, we cannot read the 10 commandments without taking into account the historical books or the poetry of the

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Psalms or the Old Testament prophets or the Gospels of the New Testament or the letters of Paul.

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To understand the full implication of each commandment, we need to discover what the whole

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Bible teaches about it. The part must be examined in light of the whole.

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Each and every commandment must be examined in the light of the whole of the scriptures.

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Now, the reformers refer to this principle as the analogy of the scriptures. Since the scriptures are the supreme judge and the final authority, then the scriptures must be interpreted by using the scriptures.

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The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, which is our confession of faith, in Article I, Paragraph 7, states the infallible rule for the interpretation of scripture is the scriptures itself.

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And therefore, whenever there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture, which is not manifold but one, it must be searched by other passages which speak more clearly.

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All 66 books of the Bible are one harmonious message. The Bible is without contradiction.

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The Bible is without confusion. And if you have a question about a commandment, if you have a question about a certain passage of scripture, then go to the scriptures first before you go anywhere else.

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Let scripture interpret scripture. The second rule of interpretation is the inside -outside rule.

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The 10 Commandments are internal as well as external. In other words, the 10

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Commandments demand inward integrity as well as outward conformity.

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The 10 Commandments require the inward affection of love as well as the outward act of obedience.

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Thomas Watson remarked that man's law bind the hands only. God's law bind the heart.

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Otherwise stated, the law of God is spiritual. The law of God deals with our souls as well as our body.

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It reaches the understanding, the will, the affections, and all the other powers of the soul as well as our words, our works, and our gestures.

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The 10 Commandments were never meant to be used as 10 standalone rules that govern the behavior and actions of men.

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Outward conformity to the law is not enough. The law is spiritual and we must apply it to our inward affections as well as our outward actions.

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The law of God affects the inside as well as the outside. The third rule of interpretation is the two -sided rule.

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The two -sided rule. Every commandment is both positive and negative.

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Where a duty is commanded, the contrary sin is forbidden. And where a sin is forbidden, the contrary duty is commanded.

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For example, Exodus 2012. Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land that the

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Lord your God is giving you. The duty commanded is to honor your father and mother.

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Thus, the sin forbidden is the dishonoring of your father and mother. Exodus 2015, you shall not steal.

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The sin forbidden is theft. The sin forbidden is stealing. Thus, the duty required is to work hard, to lawfully earn money, and to share your wealth with those who are in need.

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Beloved, there is a flip side to every one of the commandments. If a commandment condemns a vice, then it also is commanding a virtue.

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If a commandment is commanding a virtue, then it is commending a vice. This particular rule helps us, helps to keep us from obeying the letter of the law alone, rather than the spirit of the law, which is what the

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Lord God intended. The law of God was given to prevent both inner and outer sin.

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The law of God was given to promote both inner and outward righteousness. The fourth rule of interpretation is the rule of categories.

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The rule of categories. Each commandment stands for a whole category of sins.

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Each commandment not only governs the specific sin that is mentioned, but also all the sins that lead up to it, and the supposedly lesser sins of the same kind.

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For example, Exodus 2013, you shall not commit murder. The sin forbidden is murder.

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However, to apply the rule of categories to this commandment not only is the sin of murder forbidden, so are the sins which have given it occasion.

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All of the sins leading up to the act of murder. Unforgiveness, hatred, bitterness, anger, wrath, malice, physical violence.

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In the book written by Stone, Philip Grand Rican writes, the 10 commandments generally forbid the most extreme example of a particular kind of sin.

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Bowing down in front of an idol is the worst form of false worship. Misusing God's divine name is the worst form of blasphemy.

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Murder is the worst form of violence. Adultery is the most destructive act of sexual sin, and so forth.

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But this approach is not intended to make us think that the big sins are the only ones that matter.

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Rather, it shows us that God considers every sin in that category to be as sinful as the most heinous form of that particular sin.

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So for example, every kind of poor stewardship is as culpable as stealing.

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Every kind of dishonesty is as reprehensible as lying under legal oath, and so on.

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The rule of category should impress upon us a greater awareness of the seriousness of sin.

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Every sin. In the eyes of the Lord God, a little bit of anger is equivalent to the sin of murder.

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A lustful look is equivalent to the sin of adultery. Even taking an extended lunch break without permission is equivalent to the sin of theft.

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The rule of categories really opens things up. It opens up the 10 commandments. It's much more than just 10 words.

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The fifth rule of interpretation is the brother's keeper rule. In addition to keeping the 10 commandments ourselves, we are also required to help others keep them.

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We are not allowed to encourage someone else to do that which the Lord God has told us not to do.

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In other words, we must do everything in our power to help people keep the law of God.

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Thomas Watson, in his book, The 10 Commandments, wrote, God's law forbids not only the acting of sin in our own persons, but being accessory to, or having any hand in, the sins of others.

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In other words, if we fail to help others keep the law of God, or worse, if we encourage others in sin, then in some way we will share the guilt of their sin.

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We are culpable. Well, in what ways do we partake of, or are an accessory to, or have a hand in the sin of other people?

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Firstly, we share in the guilt of others when we impose on them that which is sinful or unlawful.

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In the book of 1 Kings, we're told that King Solomon loved many foreign women. And I think the term many is a bit of an understatement.

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He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. And these foreign women turned his heart away from the worship of the

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Lord God alone. And this resulted in the kingdom being torn from him. And it was given to his servant, but not in his lifetime.

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So after the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was given to his son, Rehoboam. And at his inauguration, the people of Israel asked

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King Rehoboam to lighten the hard service and the heavy yoke that King Solomon had placed upon them.

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Rehoboam was a young man, he was inexperienced. And rather than listening to his father's advisors, who agreed with the request of the people, he listened to his advisors, who were also young and inexperienced.

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And Rehoboam answered the people, my little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. I will add to your heavy loke.

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My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions. Now, understandably, the people of Israel revolted.

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The kingdom was divided. The southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin stayed loyal to King Rehoboam, but the remaining northern tribes rejected

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King Rehoboam, and they crowned Jeroboam as their king. But now as their king,

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Jeroboam had a major problem, because the temple of God was in Jerusalem.

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And the Levites were in Jerusalem. The priests were in Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was in Jerusalem.

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First Kings chapter 12, verse 26, Jeroboam said in his heart, now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David.

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If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their

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Lord, to Rehoboam, King of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam, King of Judah.

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So the king took counsel, and he made two calves of gold. He said to the people, you have gone up to Jerusalem long enough.

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Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

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Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.

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He also made temples on high places, and appointed priests from among all the people who were not of the

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Levites. In an effort to retain his power, in an effort to retain his kingship,

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King Jeroboam led an entire nation into gross idolatry.

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He led an entire nation into sin, and to rebel against the

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Lord God. He made his own gods. He made his own temples. He appointed his own priests.

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He appointed his own feasts. All of which were devised from his own selfish and wicked heart.

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Now the decisions of King Jeroboam offer us great insight into the powerful influence that a person can have over other people in a negative way.

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King Jeroboam was not his brother's keeper. He didn't care about the spiritual state of his people.

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He only cared about himself. He was not his brother's keeper. Not only did he sin, but he made all of Israel to sin.

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And his rebellion brought about the extinction of his dynasty. So we must not impose on others that which is sinful or unlawful.

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Because if we do, then we will share in their guilt. Secondly, we share in the guilt of others by not hindering them or preventing them from sinning when it is in our power to do so.

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In the book of 1 Samuel, we're introduced to Eli the high priest. And Eli was in charge of the tabernacle at Shiloh.

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And Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. And they served with him as priests.

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But Hophni and Phinehas were exceedingly wicked men. In fact, the scriptures call them worthless men.

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Because they did not know the Lord God. The sins of Hophni and Phinehas were very great.

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They were very egregious. And they were very well known by all the Israelites. In their temple service, they would commit adultery with the women who served along with them.

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They would steal meat from the sacrifices of the people. And if they were confronted, they would resort to threats of physical violence.

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As an old man, Eli eventually rebuked his boys. 1 Samuel 2 .24.

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He said to them, why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.

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No, my sons, it is not a good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad.

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If someone sins against man, God will mediate for him. But if someone sins against the

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Lord, who can intercede for him? But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the

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Lord to put them to death. So Eli's rebuke fell upon deaf ears.

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Because Hophni and Phinehas' hearts were calloused and hardened, they continued in their sin.

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These men continued to aggravate the thrice holy God. And eventually, a man of God was sent to deliver a stinging rebuke.

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Now, who do you think received this stinging rebuke? It wasn't Hophni and Phinehas.

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It was their father, Eli. 1 Samuel 2, 27. Thus the

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Lord has said, did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt, subject to the house of Pharaoh?

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Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me?

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I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded?

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And honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people

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Israel. This stinging rebuke was then followed by a very strict and severe consequence.

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The house of Eli was to be destroyed forever. And all of his descendants were to die by the sword of men.

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And their iniquity was not to be atoned for by sacrifice or by offering forever.

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And then a sign was given to Eli in order to verify this prophecy. Both Hophni and Phinehas would die on the very same day, which eventually came to pass.

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The house of Eli was forever punished for the iniquity of Hophni and Phinehas, for the iniquity that Eli knew about, but he failed to address and correct.

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Eli's sons had greatly blasphemed the Lord God, and yet he did not restrain them.

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So Eli was culpable for their sin. As a parent, this is a very sobering thought.

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It's sobering to reflect upon the life and example of Eli and his sons. As a parent,

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I will share in the sins of my children if I fail to rebuke them. I will share in the sins of my children if I fail to correct them.

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I will share in the sins of my children if I fail to instruct and to admonish them. Failure to prevent sin and failure to oppose sin is the same as promoting it.

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Beloved, we will share in the guilt of others, our children, our family, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, our fellow man, if we do not hinder them or prevent them from sinning when it is in our power to do so.

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If you allow an offender to go unpunished, then you make yourself an equal offender.

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So don't forget the narrative of Eli and his sons. This is a strict and stern warning.

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Lastly, we share in the guilt of others by being a bad example. Oftentimes, the failure of our obedience to the law of God results in other people following the same example.

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A bad example will often give occasion for others to follow, which results in their sin and you becoming an accessory to their sin.

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In the book of Galatians, Paul sharply rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy and his sin.

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Paul opposed Peter face -to -face because he stood condemned. Galatians 2 .12,

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for before certain men came from James, Peter was eating with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.

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And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically right along with him, so that even

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Barnabas, the son of encouragement, was led astray by their hypocrisy. In this example,

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Peter sets a very bad example to the church. He was previously in the habit of eating with the

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Gentiles, but as soon as certain men arrived from the party of the circumcision, he withdrew from the

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Gentiles and he held himself aloof. Even though there was nothing wrong with sharing a meal with the

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Gentile believers, Peter withdrew from them because he feared man more than he feared the

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Lord God. And Paul boldly called him out. Galatians 2 .14,

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but when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, if you though a

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Jew live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?

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Peter had sinned. Peter had succumbed to the fear of man. He had chosen to withdraw from the

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Gentile believers, risking the division of the church, rather than standing with them and uniting the church.

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Peter had failed to set a good example and other believers were carried away with him in his sin.

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Beloved, this is an area that we must give great attention. A good example can be very powerful and very helpful to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Unfortunately, the reverse is often true. A bad example can be a very powerful and very detrimental to your brothers and sisters in Christ.

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And as the Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples in Luke 17, temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come.

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It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

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Pay attention to yourselves. That's good counsel. Pay attention to yourselves.

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There are many, many ways to share in the sins of others. So remember, you are your brother's keeper.

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Do not set a bad example. Remember Peter at Antioch. Do not impose on others that which is sinful or unlawful.

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Remember King Jeroboam. Strive to hinder and prevent others from sinning and breaking the law of God.

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Remember Eli. Remember Hophni and Phinehas. These five interpretive rules, the biblical rule, the inside -outside rule, the two -sided rule, the rule of categories, and my brother's keeper rule are essential to unlocking the 10

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Commandments. And so it's very important that you understand these rules. As believers, we're not under the law as a covenant of works.

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Again, the law of God does not save. The law of God cannot save.

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But we are under the law of God as a rule of life. All Christians are under the law of God as a means of sanctification.

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The law of God is a mirror. It exposes our sin. It reveals our great need for a savior and deliverer.

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The law of God is a map. It gives us instruction on how we are to live, how we are to please the

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Lord God, for the glory of the Lord God. The law of God is a muzzle.

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It is a restraint. The commandments of the law with their accusation of guilt and their threat of punishment will often discourage people from sinning against the

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Lord God. Meditating and studying the law of God will greatly enhance your walk with him.

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It will greatly enhance your understanding of the Lord God, who is the law giver.

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It will give you greater understanding of what the Lord God requires from you. It will reveal his will for you.

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It will greatly assist you in your proclamation of the gospel and in making disciples of all nations.

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Beloved, you are to keep the law of God, not to get right with God, but as a way to please and glorify him who has made you right through the

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Lord Jesus Christ. You've been saved by grace through faith because of Jesus Christ alone.

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So, be very careful to observe the commandments and the law that Moses, the servant of the

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Lord, commanded you. To love the Lord your God and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.

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Then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success.

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Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for this passage.

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We're thankful for the law of God. King David loved the law of God. He sang the law of God.

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He meditated upon the law of God. And Lord, we need to do the same. Help us in our study of the law.

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Help us to see our need for you, our great need for a savior, our great need for a deliverer.

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Help us look to the law of God to determine what it is you will for us. We thank you,

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Lord, that it reveals who you are so clearly. And we pray that you would bless us as we reflect upon these things.

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We thank you, Lord, for a wonderful morning. We're thankful for the word of God. We're thankful for the spirit of God.

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We're thankful for your church. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen.