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Pastor David Mitchell
Turn with me this morning to Luke chapter 16 and verse 16. Brother Greg, give me just a little bit of light up here. Too much just just the right amount. That's good. Thanks. Luke chapter 16 verse 16 and We're not gonna We won't stay in this passage very long, but we're gonna go through a lot of verses today we're still in the midst of our study of bibliology and We have moved from the preservation of the scriptures To proper interpretation of the scriptures.
We've been talking about that for a few times and we'll do so today and at least one more time after today. This may be the most important thing that we study Before we actually get into the great doctrines of the Bible is how to properly interpret the scripture.
It is important for many reasons the most important of which is because it's important that you know the truth it's important that when we read what God wrote that we understand stand what God meant by it and the sense of it and That we don't bring our own personal Doctrinal desires into these things.
That's a very difficult thing to obey but Probably the most likely mistake you'll ever make in Interpreting scripture is making it fit your favorite beliefs. To the expense of what the Bible is actually saying in a certain portion.
It's far better to make it fit what the rest of the Bible says that is the proper approach let the Bible interpret the Bible and We've talked about about eight different points and I won't go into those again today.
We will touch on them again as we do the conclusion. But today I want to we're we're kind of moving into the area of Bible interpretation that has to do with understanding dispensations and there's a lot of controversy about Dispensationalism and we don't know about it that much in our church because we really don't have that much controversy in our church.
But If you go out into the religious world even among Groups that say they're of like faith such as the Baptists or Bible churches different groups. They will have differences of opinion on the issue of the dispensations.
And so I want to make us aware of the differences and why there are why they exist. But at the same time I want to try to kind of dissolve some of them because they're not necessary. Like I say rather than making a doctrinal issue out of it.
Let's just see what the Bible says about it and that'll be good enough for us and I think it will Cause us to not have a problem if someone else someday comes up to you and says, oh, you're a dispensationalist.
Well, you might not have even known what they meant, you know, but they've already got you pegged and I know that's not fair. But that's how it is and they'll get you pegged and just say well, no, I'm not really a dispensationalist.
I'm a biblid but say it for me brother Otis. What are we? Yeah, there's more to it than that they give me the whole thing. That's what we are. Okay, so you just you just tell them that I Can't even say it.
But I mean, that's what I'm gonna tell. But it is important to see that there are in fact dispensations in the Bible, in fact, it is a Bible word. I mean we use words like the rapture that are not even in the Bible and we hold to that and yet some people will say Yeah, but there's no such thing as dispensations, but it's actually a Bible word.
Well there there are dispensations and it's very important to know Something about this because it does come to bear on our interpretation of different passages. So. But let let's what I want. We're gonna cover that in more detail next Sunday.
What I want to do today though is I want to talk about once again The two major dispensations that very few could argue with you about really. Usually what I tell people when they tell me well, I'm not a dispensationalist you are and that makes us different.
I say yes, you are and there's no I'm not one. I say you are too. I said you because you believe there's an Old Testament and a New Testament and I'll say surely you believe that the cross made a difference and.
That usually kind of just start seeing eye to eye on some things at that point, but I want to talk about those two major dispensations for a little bit longer today and I want to discuss the law and grace and and There's great controversy among theologians about those issues as well.
But let's look at Luke 16 and verse 16 this morning this is an amazing verse to me because it's as is so often true of all doctrinal issues in the Bible is. It's it's well I start to say it's as if but it's not as if God did do this what God has done is.
Usually if there's a strong verse on a doctrinal issue. The very next verse will touch on the opposing the quote opposing issue now only among men do the issues opposed. You have to understand that with God they fit together in a unity and there are no contradictions.
But the reason we have denominations and groups and 50 different Baptist churches within a 40 mile radius. Of course the Canada is because we have issues with these things but God God smooths those out if we get into the Bible more because what he'll nearly always do is He'll discuss both of them in the same breath now look this is this is amazing look at Luke 16 16 and verse 17 and We'll touch a little bit on what some of the controversy is among those who say they are dispensationalists and those who say they're not.
The truth is we're all say it again brother Otis Biblin Arians or Terrians. Is it an in earth? Marian, okay, we're Biblin Arians. That's what we are. Now. Let's read this. The law and the prophets were until John.
Now how many times if you've been in little debates where they'll be arguing about when the church started? Raise your hand if you ever been in such a debate. I have I mean, it's it's a common thing and Now that argument doesn't ever tend to seem to get real heated to me.
It's not one people live and die for it seems like but they they have an opinion. Everybody does and. And and look what this says the law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is preached in every man presseth into it.
Now this shows a true Biblin Arian approach to dispensationalism but if we only had verse 16, it would create a problem because those who would claim to be dispensationalist would then get out of balance and They would get to the point where they said well, we're a quote New Testament Church.
How many have you ever been involved with a New Testament Church where the I mean where they advertise? We're a New Testament Church. You have to be a little careful if they put that on the side be a little careful the greatest New Testament Group that I'm aware of in this country and especially in the south is called Church of Christ.
I mean if you're familiar, do you have kin folks or friends maybe who are members of the Church of Christ now? You have to understand in the north the Church Christ is that means a different thing. It's it's more like it's I would say a lot of the churches of Christ up north or kind of like what our Christian Churches are like here, you know.
We have one here called First Christian Church a little bit more like that. But you get to the ones down here in the south and if you don't get baptized in their water in their building you're not saved and Of course, you can't use any musical instruments in the church because it's a New Testament Church.
And there's nowhere in the New Testament where it says to have musical instruments. And even though it's just through and throughout the Old Testament, you can't use that because we're a New Testament Church now.
That's a that's an ultra dispensationalist and that's heresy. Ultra dispensationalism is heresy just like hyper Calvinism is heresy and. Yet it doesn't mean that the tenants of Calvinism aren't right and it doesn't mean that there aren't dispensations.
It's just they're out of balance. Now. Look how beautifully the scripture puts it in balance. Let's start and read verse 16 again. But this time let's not stop until we get to the period at the end of verse 17.
It says the law and the prophets were until John since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it and It is easier for heaven and earth to pass. Than one tittle of the law to fail.
Now if you're an ultra dispensationalist, how do you handle verse 17 matter of fact? How do you handle part of verse 16 because look what it says now you like the first part it says the law and the Prophets were until John.
If you could just put a period there, it'd be great because you could say that means it's over now it they were and That means they are now not. Isn't that usually what it would mean? But isn't it interesting that it says since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it.
Do you realize that the ultra? Dispensationalist will tell you that the kingdom of God starts with the Millennial Kingdom and They'll say that nearly in fact some whole books of the New Testament are not even for us.
It don't not even apply to Christians such as the book of Matthew. And especially Matthew chapter 13, they'll say this is kingdom of tear material. Well, it is kingdom material. I've said that before and it is.
But what an ultra dispensationalist means when he says his kingdom materials. He means it does not apply now because we're not in that dispensation and yet this passage clearly shows That if you want to go so far as to say the law and the prophets as a system.
Stopped with John the Baptist. You also have to say the kingdom started. But that doesn't fit the ultra dispensationalist because to him you have the grace the church age. In fact, some of them even put a little period there during the life of Jesus and this is a dispensation and another one starts.
You got the church and then the kingdom but the scripture makes it very simple. It shows us here are two major dispensations the time of the law and the prophets and then the kingdom and. Many times in the New Testament it taught Jesus talks about the gospel of the kingdom and so forth.
And it talks about this here in this passage. But look at verse 17, it's easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail. Isn't that amazing that that's in the same breath with the verse that says the law and the prophets were they were.
So, how do we reconcile all of this together? Well, this is a good study in Bible interpretation in and of itself. Because you can find several groups whole groups of denominations that have been built on.
Not reading those two verses together. Are not caring to hear what God says when he says those things because it doesn't fit their their little system. Turn to Acts 28 23. With me if you would. You know.
This is going to be one of those kind of sermons where you can't go to sleep because you're going to be turning the pages. There's lots of verses in this sermon. You will work up a good hunger and thirst by the time this is over.
You'll be ready for lunch. You'll be tired more out. Your arm will be nothing but a nub no fingers will be left. Okay, Acts 28 23 and when they had appointed him a day. Now who's the hymn there? Since we don't have time to read the context.
Important thing is I did I did read the context you need to when you get home is. This is Paul in Rome and he's going to meet with the chief of the Jews and The Roman guards are being kind to him. He's in prison, but they're letting him stay in a house and he's not bound and so He has a meeting with the chief of the Jews in the city of Rome and that's the context and when they had appointed him.
A day they came many to him unto his lodging. To whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God now. How is it that if the kingdom doesn't start until the millennial period that he's preaching the kingdom and that's not for the church age.
Is it? Well, that's what many would teach. You'll even hear some of our most beloved commentaries commentators that we love the most get a little far out there in this area. They'll get out there and say well, this is kingdom material.
But it's interesting if that's true Paul's preaching kingdom material right here. And he says he expounded and testified the kingdom of God. Persuading them. That's the Jews who he would call of the law.
He would call these who were of the law persuading them concerning Jesus. Now you start to see a great Summary in this verse of how the law if in their different ways. This gets confusing two different ways.
You can use the word law. What does law mean? Does that mean the whole Old Testament sometimes does when we use it depending on the context? Does it mean just the Ten Commandments? Sometimes it can mean that.
Sometimes we divide the law into three different parts and sometimes I feel that that may be unnecessary. I think that may be kind of like the gap theory it was proposed as a means to make try to make everything fit together smoothly and I.
You know, we divide it into the moral law. Some do and I suppose that would be the Ten Commandments, but sometimes that's not even all the Ten Commandments we'll leave a couple of them out and then there's there is the let's see, you got the law you got the ordinances.
What's the third one should have put it in my notes law the ordinances tell me brother Russ. I just drew a blank on it. Yeah, I know what I'm thinking. The Bible word is the judgments. So some divided into the law the Ordinances and the judgments and they'll say that the law is the moral law and that the ordinances have to do with the religious laws of the people of Israel and the judgments have to do with like their their social law and Actually would be their law that.
When we today would say we're breaking the law and be it's like their laws to run their nation by and so we see these Kinds of divisions that are often made in the books. We can read about the law. What's interesting many times when Paul talks about it?
He's kind of taking the whole thing in and he just calls it the law. It's almost as if sometimes it means all three of those. But look what he says here he says persuading them concerning Jesus both out of the law of Moses and Out of the prophets now when certainly he wants to make clear here that he's not just talking about say The moral law.
He's not just talking about the Ten Commandments. He's he's not only merely speaking of the ordinances and the judgments and the law. He's including even the prophets. So it's more like the Old Testament.
He's just it's like he's saying let's just go back everything that we have and he says he persuades them concerning Jesus. Both out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets from morning till evening.
Do you know what he was doing? He was not a quote New Testament Church. He was taking the Old Testament, which is what they had and he was preaching Jesus out of it. He was going through and showing them Jesus on every page in the law and the prophets in the Abrahamic promise in the Mosaic law.
He would go back to what some call the time of innocence. He can go back in the garden. He'd go back to the first portions of Genesis all the way up to Genesis 3 15. The great Evangelium verse that's that many say is the first time the gospel was given in the in the whole Bible.
He went through it all and guess what he preached. He preached Jesus in it and This is in a nutshell the greatest summary of How it is that verse 17 can fit with verse 16 in Luke chapter 16. How is it that he can say the law and the prophets were?
Until John as if to clearly imply that they stopped at John as a system or an economy. Well, that's what we call a dispensation and then he comes in and says since that time we have a different Economy or system or way that God deals with mankind.
Because he's given them additional revelation that they did not previously have and now he holds them responsible for that additional revelation and he says since that time the kingdom of God is preached as if it's a different thing and in a sense it is because more information has been added by God and given to man and Every man press it into it.
Do you see you see what all that says? That means there's neither June or Gentile now. Every man presses into it. Everyone comes to God by Jesus Christ on this side of the cross and It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail how can that be?
He just said the law and the prophets were. How can we say that it cannot fail? Well the passage in Acts explains a great deal of it because as we go and realize that the law If you want to take the strictest definition of it the law of Moses.
If that is passed away it is only passed away in the sense that the Jew believed he could keep it by the letter in his body and That that would please God. In the sense of him being able to be saved by it now a True Jew that really understood these things and knew God I think even in the Old Testament knew he couldn't be saved by it because why do you think they kept the sacrifices?
Why did the sacrificial system go on because he knew he couldn't be saved by the law. But a lot of the pharisaical Jews in fact all the pharisaical Jews by definition in Jesus day believe they could be saved by the law and So much of what Jesus taught and what Paul taught was teaching the this mindset.
The mindset that I please God by taking my feet my hands and my body my physical the physical and focusing on the physical and if I make it walk in such a way that I meet the letter that God is pleased with me and Jesus and the Apostles and especially Paul fought this and fought this and fought this and taught against it and taught against it.
He used the Old Testament law of Moses and the prophets and said it's Jesus folks. It's Jesus it is not an it it is a Relationship it is the person of God it is Meaning what it means when Jesus told Nicodemus you must be born again.
There must be a vital union between your spirit that spirit. That is you the man. The spirit that is you and the Spirit of God must come together in one and become one spirit and when that happens, you see Jesus on every page of the law and The opposite which is wrong is to look for the law in Jesus or in you in what people would call New Testament Christianity.
Well, let's find the law and stick it back in there. And that's what the whole book of Galatians was written against as Sunday school. We talked this morning. We're in Galatians is that Paul was rebuking?
The church of Galatia because they had been listening to people that said well Let's bring the letter of the law back into this you need that to make it a whole thing and Paul said no. That's not true.
You don't get saved by it. He says neither. Do you walk in it you walk by faith? So While it is true that Jesus is in every page of the law. It is not conversely true that you then bring the law and bring it back in To the relationship that you have with him doesn't work backwards and we'll see that as we go on through these scriptures turn to Romans chapter 7 right at the first part.
Romans 6 of course dealt with the Dominion this sin and the law had over the flesh. Over the earthy that which is earthy and if you go into birth of chapter 7 Look at verse 1. Know you not brethren for I speak to them that know the law now.
Paul is speaking to those who had been under the law. To the Jewish brothers of his. How that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth. Folks this gets so deep this passage and I'm not preaching on this passage.
So it makes it hard on me. It makes it hard on me to go on. But just this one little passage. You see that as long as you're alive in the flesh. You are in fact under the law and bound by it and held to the law but Only as long as you live.
Now what happened to you the day that Jesus died on the cross if you were his today? What happened to you that day 2 ,000 years ago almost? Who can tell me excuse me? We died. We died in Christ. And that's what this whole passage deals with.
He starts off and says now you understand the law. I'm speaking to those of you who know the law and he says we will all agree that How the law has dominion over a man as long as that man lives. For the woman which has a husband is bound by the law to her husband.
So long as he liveth now, he goes into a human illustration to help us understand How the law has a binding effect On a man as long as he lives and he uses the law of marriage here. And he says but if the husband be dead she is loosed from the law of her husband.
So then if while her husband liveth she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead She is free from the law so that she is no adulteress though. She be married to another man now.
He says wherefore he says now, I'm gonna bring this together. I've given you the physical now. I'm gonna teach you the spiritual. Wherefore my brethren ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ.
You were in him when he died. You were baptized into him. Go back to chapter 6 of Romans and you'll find that in the first few two or three verses. You were in him when he died. That you should be married to another so now you are dead to the law you are no longer bound by the law.
You're not married to the law. You were dead you died. You're married to another now even to him who is raised from the dead. That we should bring forth fruit unto God now that little phrase bring forth fruit unto God is so very important because it ties in with verse 17 of Luke chapter 16 and It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail.
So that we should bring forth fruit unto God. This doesn't match anything in modern Christianity. Modern Christianity you pray a little prayer you bow your head you say dear Jesus come in my heart and save me.
Amen. And you go out and you live for the devil the very best you can and most of our youth groups in this entire nation Are nothing but little devils most of them not even saved. Most of our church members are not in most of the predominantly in the churches in this country and the youth groups are Pathetic in the most horrible place you could ever place your teenager.
Because if you don't believe it, I grew up in such a youth group. So I speak by experience it seems like just yesterday that I was my daughter Jenny's age and and. And Involved in a big Southern Baptist youth group.
I'm not knocking them. I mean, it's it's universal independent Baptist all it's everywhere and the reason is because People are not getting born again. I mean, they're not born again. And there are a few probably far less than we think there's probably a whole lot less carnal Christians than we think because most of Them are lost probably but there are a few carnal Christians.
And what is a carnal man? It's a bad phrase to use because it's it's misused in the books. You would read about they talk about carnal Christians. Let me just tell you what I mean. There are far there are few Christians who are not walking in unity with the Holy Spirit.
They they're not they're still married, you know marriages used as a picture of salvation. They're still married, but it's like a man and a wife. They're in the same house, but they're not the same bed together.
I Mean, they're not the guys on the couch. And they're out of fellowship. But they're still married and there's a lot of Christians live in that way. They are no longer in unity with Jesus Christ then than anyone because they are walking in the flesh.
Now there's no way in the world that you can look at such a Christian as that and make Luke 16 16 70 make any sense. At all because the law has in fact failed from their life because they're not keeping it they're living like the devil and like the devil's people and.
So those who then start to write books about these issues say well or if you go back into Paul's day. They were preaching these issues. They said well you need to get circumcised then because you're living like the devil.
I mean you're you're claiming to be a Christian and. So so we better make sure you get circumcised and and make sure you keep the days and the feast and everything exactly, right? Along with the gospel and Paul rebuked him and said that's not where it is.
It won't help you one bit to do that because you're still trying to live it in the flesh. And the flesh can't hack it and the law is weak in the flesh. So what do we do? We have to establish that union that is supposed to be there in a healthy normal Christian.
Just like in a healthy normal marriage. The man is not sleeping on the couch and that unity that's there. And then all of a sudden look what happens. I'm back in Romans 7 verse 4 where for my brethren He also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ not so that the law can go away.
Not so that the law can be seen as a bad thing. Not so that the law can be seen as merely that which causes me and you to sin. That's not the purpose that we want this law to to be dead to us and us to hit the purpose is that You may be married to another.
Now we have a higher law now we have the laws of the heavenlies the law that we call the law is of the earth and it's Predominantly of the people of his people of the earth, which is the nation of Israel.
And we're gonna see that in the Millennial Kingdom. It's gonna be an earthly kingdom. There's gonna be a spiritual aspect of it too. And that's gonna be me and you. That's really interesting to read and try to figure some of that out where you have this thing looks like a satellite a four square city and.
And The different things where Jesus says we will rule and reign with him and we're already in our spiritual bodies. And yet there are people living and breathing on this earth in physical bodies and predominantly will be a Jewish kingdom at that time.
And yet he says that we should bring forth fruit unto God being married to another Jesus Christ that union that you have with him because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is Christ's spirit is In union with your spirit.
Do you realize that the book of 1st John says you cannot sin when you're in that state? Let me ask you this if you cannot sin any more than you will be able to when you are actually in heaven. Do you know that Paul teaches us in Ephesians that we are now? seated in the heavenlies.
Can you sin then? Depends on who you think you is. If you if you get into the rest of Romans 7, you may find out that you can't sin. Because the real you is the new man. The new man is already seated in the heavenlies positionally.
In fact in reality. Spiritually you are and if we could visualize ourselves as in Christ seated in the heavenlies. With the father and This body that you're looking at preaching to you and the bodies I'm looking at sitting in the pew are nothing more than instruments.
That belong to you and me to get God's work done in a physical world. And but what Satan does he lies to us and says no. No. This body is alive in the sense that it is going to make you the instrument to accomplish the dirty things of the devil.
That's all it is. Satan says it's alive in the sense that it can tell you what to do and it can make you be the instrument of uncleanliness and God said it is dead. Ye are Crucified. Who do you believe?
It's all faith. Paul. Paul rebuked these Galatians because they're trying to get back in the law. You don't need the law. You do not need the law. Not in that sense. You need by faith to be seated in the heavenlies and now you're above the law you're in the New Jerusalem now.
The law pertains to the Old Jerusalem. Scriptures say that Paul's taught that the law pertains to Jerusalem the Bible says but grace and Salvation in Christ and connected to Christ and being in Christ has to do with the New Jerusalem.
Which is the real thing the one down here is the pattern. Do you understand the whole law is a pattern? It's a pattern of the real thing. So we lest we go back to that pattern and be caught up in that that Paul would rebuke us soundly.
That's not the whole point here. But on the other hand lest we become ultra dispensations and say well We don't even need to read the Old Testament. Well, if that's the pattern and the type and all of these little beautiful pictures, I'll tell you this in the New Testament.
It's such a short book. You don't get the details in that isn't that a an amazing not a contradiction, but uh. What do you got? My mind's really really I'm on too many drugs. That's the problem. Double horn dilemma.
I don't know what it is. Isn't it peculiar that the New Testament oxymoron? That's what I was looking for. Yes. We know who the moron hit me anyway, the New Testament is the little book where this whole thing of grace is Revealed to us.
But it's only about that thick. Do you think you can get all of the details and the colors and the facets and the depths? That God has given us in that. No, where do you get all the colors and the details and the facets and the truths that you haven't even thought of.
You get them back in the Old Testament. You get them from the feasts. You get them from the law. You get them from you go on the back every just how many dispensations you want to put between the garden?
We're gonna talk about that next Sunday, by the way between the garden and John the Baptist put 15 in there if you want to but in every single one of them. All you're getting is the colors and and the details and the beauty of grace.
Now an ultra dispensationalist can't deal with that because that's not grace that's law over there. Well, the Bible just simply doesn't teach it that way. And when the Bible when when Paul want to give you the greatest understanding of salvation by faith, who did he use?
Did he use my friend Peter over here? Let me show you his life. It's the perfect illustration of salvation by grace. No. He used Abraham. That's Old Testament. I thought we were a New Testament Church.
Well, we're not don't ever tell anybody you're a member of a New Testament Church. Because you're not you're a member of a Bible Church. But it's Jesus Christ as born out in Moses and the prophets. That's exactly what Paul told these Jews.
It's what he told the Gentiles. It's what he told everybody. So in Romans 7 as he discusses it in more detail He says look to I'm speaking to those of you who understand the law see in certain other places.
He speaks to the Gentiles they don't have a clue much about the law and he doesn't always teach them exactly the same because they don't have an Understanding of the types and the feasts and all those things very very very well, but here In Romans and and he's talking to.
It's kind of interesting. You you might think that the book of Romans is written to the Gentiles but when you get up into this passage in Acts 28, you start to understand that he was Speaking to the chief of the Jews there at Rome and it said many of them were saved said some believed and some didn't.
So that church in Rome I hate to tell you Gentile friends of mine and brothers and sisters that did you know started out like a Jewish church? And then some of the Gentiles began to be saved and Paul taught them.
It's neither June or Gentile. They became a church, which is the way it should be. But now he says but I'm going to speak to you as those who know the law. Let me let you understand that when a man dies He's not under that law anymore.
And he says but you're under another the law of Jesus Christ you will be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead. You see that that is a resurrection religion. Has nothing to do with the law which kills You you've already gone through that stage.
You've already died. You've already entered heaven and you're now in heaven. Does the law bind you at all in heaven? Not not in the sense that the Old Testament person thought he had to keep the law. Why.
Because by nature you just keep it. Can you sin in heaven? Is it possible? Some of you kind of going maybe it's a trick question. It is not a trick question. You can't it's impossible. Could Jesus sin?
Are you in Christ in? Heaven will you be in Christ? Can you sin? The law is not an issue. It's absolutely not. You're not going to break it. You're not even thinking of breaking it. You're not thinking of keeping it.
You just are. Now I'm going to show you that in a scripture in a minute, but it'll blow your mind but you see we're supposed to dwell in that realm day-to-day as we walk as as New-testament Christians the whole New Testament is all about keeping everything God has by nature.
Did he not say I've not you know, it's not like I'm gonna write this in stones. I'm gonna write this in your hearts. Romans 10 1 he said brethren my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.
And he goes on to explain how they missed it. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. He's just talking about himself, isn't he? How does he know this. Because this was Paul you go back into Romans 7 as we continue into the end of this?
Very chapter. I Mean the chapter several chapters before we're in chapter 10, but you go just back to chapter 7. He was still struggling. He Said I find that I don't keep the law that I my mind agrees with but I find him in my body another law.
My body battles against it against my mind. It's in Christ Jesus He says for I bear them record that they have a zeal of God. But not according to knowledge for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own Righteousness have not submitted themselves under the righteousness of God.
There are many people who call themselves Christians today that do this. They they wouldn't call themselves Jewish. They wouldn't even call themselves legalist and yet they're trying to please God every day by getting their body to walk in a certain way.
Or to dress in a certain way or to act a certain way or to speak a certain way. They have set up a bunch of rules the independent badgers call them standards nothing more than than Judaisers. Paul you wait to see the whipping.
You wait to see the whipping that Paul himself if the Lord delegates that to him gives these independent Baptists. When they get there, I'm not saying they're not gonna be saved. I don't know. I mean, they're awful close to walking in the law but I think they're just Galatian churches and You know being ignorant of God of God's righteousness.
What is God's righteousness in Christ in the heavenlies? God's righteousness is the righteousness of God if you are in Christ. That's righteousness, but they're ignorant of this righteousness. So what do they do?
They try to establish it by being or what I shouldn't say by being that by doing and Lord willing next Sunday We'll get in the Old Testament and look and we will see the point where the children of Israel chose to do rather than to be.
It's right there you just read over it sometimes it is right there I Believe with all my heart from a human look at it from a human viewpoint for a moment. Not the sovereignty of God viewpoint because what is is.
But let's look at it from the human viewpoint for a moment. I believe that when God gave his a his covenant to Abraham. I Believe he offered that to the Jewish people. I believe it was offered to them again at Mount Sinai.
And they rejected it and they said no rather than to have. We will do. Rather than to have a relationship where we can talk to God face to face. We would rather not go near him Moses. You do that for us and we will do everything that he says.
That's where that's where the law came from you from a human viewpoint. I know God ordained it was supposed to happen everything but from the human viewpoint they chose it. They said do it we don't want we don't want the relationship that is I mean that would be overwhelming.
That would totally engulf our entire lives. That would mean that every moment that I walk I am in Christ and his will will be done. That will mean that my will takes the lower shelf. That would mean that the throne that's in my life.
I'm not seated on it anymore. Jesus is. He's on my throne. I'm up there on his. We don't want that we want to still be us so let us just do what you tell us to do and God said Okay, we'll do that. That became a dispensation and I'm going to show you how if you if the dispensations are there.
All they are is they show you the different ways that man can fail. That's what they're for. And boy, did they ever fail sorely under the law? How are we doing under grace. I'm gonna leave you with that thought this morning.
We're using it as an excuse not to have to please the Lord. But to do our own thing if we do we're really in the law. We're under the law of the flesh. Are we have so much grace in our lives that it allows us to do just what the Jews didn't say?
I'm gonna keep myself on the throne. I just do what I want to because I'm covered man brother. I'm covered. I'm seated in the heaven. You are but are you are you experiencing it are you practicing it because I'm gonna tell you what Jesus said the law says Thou shalt not kill thou shalt not murder.
Said but I say if you hate your brother, you've killed him. The law says thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say to you if you look and I don't quote this perfect brother Russ, but you know what? I mean if I look At a woman to lust after her you've committed adultery already.
He said you want to keep the law. Try that one and you know what? We we in the in the grace age we say well, I'm covered from all that so I don't have to do any of it. I don't have to worry and what we do when we live with that attitude is we place ourselves right back on the throne Of our own life and it becomes the self-life and Jesus said you just die.
He said but if you'll die You shall live. What do you mean? He said if we would just do the most beautiful thing that God ever gave humans in any dispensation we don't know what's coming in the next one, but I know up till now is a Connection a Relationship of unity where you are attached to Jesus Christ By the by his spirit who lives in your body somewhere and He attaches with your spirit and you become one in spirit and You are now above the law.
You're above everything earthly and you walk in the law because by nature you keep the law because you can't break the law. And so every jot and tittle is fulfilled in your life because who's on the throne Jesus.
Did not he preach unto them Jesus both out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets from morning till evening Jesus. You know need to get involved in Discussions or arguments about the law or not the law or grace or not grace or dispensation or no dispensation it's a matter of Who are you and where do you dwell?
You either dwell in the heavenlies. Or you dwell on the earth and if you're gonna dwell on the earth You might want to put yourself under the law because you're sure you sure need it. I mean you'd be better to go ahead and keep it than to be dwelling in the flesh totally without anything.
But Paul said you don't have to live that way. That's beggarly. It's a beggarly way to live. He said you are seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. And your body is an instrument. Under righteousness, let's stand and pray together father we thank you so much for We seem selfish when we say this Lord, but we thank you that you let us be born now.
So that we have a hindsight of so many things. We thank you that you let us be born after the life of the Apostle Paul and After those three years he spent with you and we thank you for the things that you taught him in that desert and the way that you entrusted these mysteries to this Servant of yours.
That he might share them with the whole world Jew and Gentile and it went so far beyond what any of the religious world of his day had ever seen or heard or spoken of. And we can see why they would have hated this man.
Because he totally undermined their systems. Father may we be willing to yield up our systems and To simply go above and beyond all that and be in fellowship with you. We know that when we do that we've given up self.
We haven't not not given up our personalities, but we've given up the self-life and yet if we would do that We could look around. And see the beauty of the very heavenlies. We can live eternal life right now.
We can walk with you in a better way than even Adam walked with you in the garden. We can walk with you in a closer way than even the Apostles could walk with The Lord Jesus when he was physically on this earth.
Father we have that so cause us to choose that each day this week. Father we ask you to bless our fellowship time together and our meal and we ask it in Jesus name. Amen.