“Of The Harmony Of The Law and The Gospel”
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Open your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 7.
This morning we come to the next heading in our statement of faith titled, “of the harmony of the law and the gospel”. This doctrine is every so fitting to be rediscovered in our day and age because by in large our churches in the 21st century have not seen the beautiful harmony between the two, but have rather come down with a hard rule on either side, either in chasing after law, or being discipled loosely through only grace.
But there is a harmony here between the two. You know the kind of harmony I am talking about. When you have heard only the melody for so long, but then there comes along one singing a line that is harmonious and adds such beautiful depth to the song being sun. That harmony does more than just makes the song sound better than before, it stirs our affections and moves us.
This is how it is between the law and the gospel. They go together like a beautiful song that is solely dedicated and are in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they must go together or else Christ coming to the earth would not make sense. I hope over the course of the next few weeks, and through this doctrine you will walk away with a better understanding of the law of God and our relationship to it as new covenant Christians on this side of the cross. Let me read our section in the statement of faith, and then we will stand for the reading of God’s word from Matthew 5:17-20…
We believe that the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of his moral government; that it is holy, just and good; and that the inability which the scriptures ascribe to fallen men to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their love of sin; to deliver them from which, and to restore them through a Mediator to unfeigned obedience to the holy law, is one great end of the gospel, and of the means of grace connected with the establishment of the visible church.
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
This morning I want to focus our time mainly on the first two verses that we read. Verse 17 and 18. These are words that serve as a strong reminder to us as Christians that have been living fast and loose in our walk with Christ singing grace grace, when there is no reason for grace. To us that have believed the teaching that the Law no longer has any effect on us as Christians beyond the cross. For what has Jesus said? Look at verse 18 again. Truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law. Now I ask you, has heaven and earth passed away? Then the Law of God is still in effect and will be until the end of time when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead.
Thus we must understand what our relationship to the law is. If the law is not going away, are we then to still seek to follow it as the Jews did for thousands of years? It is to be our rule for life? IN trying to understand these questions I want to put before you three headings about the law.
I. The effect of the Law
II. The requirement of the Law
III. The fulfillment of the Law
First,
I. The effect of the Law…
Come with me to Romans 5… And look at verse 12 and 13… Romans 5:12-13
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
We can see here that the law has an imputation effect. What does impute mean? Impute is a legal term and it means to ascribe or attribute; to impute is the action of attributing a person with knowledge, liability, duty, or other various forms of responsibility. But here is the catch, the act of imputing is indifferent to whether or not the imputee had sought or accepted those various forms of responsibility. So, there was sin in the world… from Adam, to Abraham, and Moses. That is obvious, sin entered into the world through one man, and that one man caused his entire race to be moved outside of the divine shelter of the grace of God and into a world of death.
They died, meaning there was sin. The wages of sin is death. But the law did something. The law gave people a knowledge that was they were doing was definitely wrong. Sure, their conscience was pricked before the law came into play. But now, all the more. Come down with me to Chapter 5 verse 20… Romans 5:20
20 Now the Law came in so that the transgression would increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
We will deal with grace and the harmony of the gospel next week. But this week let the Lord shore up any fogginess or lacking in our understanding of the law. The Law does not just have an imputation effect, but a multiplying effect as well! Through the law comes a knowledge of sin… Look at Romans 7:7
7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! Rather, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law. For I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
and verse 13…
13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by working out my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
All of this of course mattering the most not in this life. For many justify their works of lawlessness and are able in the most part to get away with it. Yet, there is coming a day when God will judge the secrets of men through Jesus Christ. Which leads me to our next heading,
II. The requirement of the Law
The Law shows us the holiness of God. The imprint of the nature of God on earth. Thus the Law is not simply a list of do’s and don’ts but requirements. All souls are the Lord’s (ezk 18:4). It is appointed once for man to die, and then judgment. Wait, judgment? Yes, have you not read the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:36-37
36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37 “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Or Romans 14 where Paul tells us that we will all give an account for our life before the judgment seat of God? If there is an accounting, and a judgment, what then is the rule of judgment? What is the standard that we will be judged up against? Do we not have a name for that in this world? We call it a Law. So it will be in heaven. We will be judged by the law of God. No matter if we rejected the law or not. Look at Romans 2:11-13…
11 For there is no partiality with God. 12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
The gentile that lives according to their own version of Spirituality, or a person that claims to be a christian and keeping the law, will be judged by the law. Now, are we talking about all 613 commandments? Including those about worship and the altars and the incense etc? For the sake of time, we would say that the law we are to consider as our guide is the 10 commandments.
I know there are those in here this morning that believe they are good in this department. They would claim like that young man that came to Jesus, all these I have kept! You have? You fool. You ave not kept them nor are you now. Can you tell me in the last week that you have not broken one of these commandments? You have not ascribed glory or worship to anything other the God? You are planning to keep the sabbath today? You haven’t looked in lust at another human? You haven’t coveted or desired something that wasn’t yours? You have honored your parents completely? I can say will full assurance you cannot say you have kept all of these things. But this is the standard…
If you were to die today, what is it that would save you from your impending doom? You have broken the law of God and it is required of you that you keep it? What will the just and perfect judge rule on that solem day? Which is what leads me to our third heading,
III. The fulfillment of the Law
Jesus tells us in our original text, Matthew 5:17
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Jesus came to fulfill the law. He came to do that which is required of you, because we just established that you cannot fulfill the requirement of God. Every day, you break the commandments of God. So, what will stop the hand of God from slamming the gavel down and delivering a verdict to you that will lock you up in the fires of Hell forever? Come with me for the last time today to Romans 8:2-4
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Now, we are going to unpack this scripture a bit more next week. However, we get the point here. You could not keep the Law, so God sent a law keeper on your behalf. The law has not changed, God has not changed. He will not judged men based on our perceived understadning or assumed understanding of what goodness is. No one will stand before God on judgment day and tell Him what they thinking actual goodness, and actual justice, and actual righteousness is.
God has prepared his Ark, as in the days of Noah. There is coming a judgment on the earth like that has never been seen before according to the standard of His holiness. A fire is coming, and the winnowing fork is in the Hands of the King of Kings. Will you climb on to the ark and be saved? Will you humble yourself and reject any righteousness of your own only to place your full trust in Jesus’ righteousness?
My friends, God has given you a way out of the judgment you deserve. There is no one righteous, no one that has kept the law, no one that has met the requirement of God. God will not have mercy on you because you did one thousands acts of righteousness and one act of wickedness. God will only have mercy on those who are found in His everlasting, and steadfast love. God will have mercy on those who are found in Jesus Christ at the day of judgment. Are you being carried into death by the ark of Christ? Or do you stand in scorn like those surrounding Noah, and say through your own foolishness, there will never be a flood that big.
Does this not make Jesus all the sweeter? Does this not make Him all the more worthy of your alligence? All the more worthy of your sacrifice of selfish desires and your seeking after unreserved thanksgiving? Though you fail mightily, Jesus, the Lamb of God, has stood in for you!He offers you perfection. Take your life and offer it up to him as a sacrifice of praise.
How do I do that, you may ask. Believe his word! Consider, where is it you have been offering up vain glory to things of this earth? Find it and crush it at whatever cost. Offer up praise and glory to God alone! Are you in the habit of using the Lord’s name in vain, or laughing when it is the punch line of a joke? Repent and make his name holy! How many sabbaths have you carried out at the feet of your own altar? How long will you be content to lush after women or men that are not your wife or husband? Have your parents been lacking honor and respect from you? Have you lied about anyone? Have you been coveting that thing that you think will finally make you happy? Believe this morning the commandments of the Lord out of great love for the Lords salvation! The Lord’s covering of your sin!
Come to Christ, this morning. Wait no longer. See to it that your confession is not on your own goodness and merit. Repent from your vain profession of human cunning and goodness. He will welcome you with open arms, if you should turn from your pride and come back to Him. Set your confession and your hope firmly on the righteousness of Christ alone. He is a sure salvation.
