The Nature of the Law of God Eng
Law & Gospel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Parental rules differ from household to household
My dad wanted the butter on the counter
My uncle wanted the butter in the fridge
We can learn things about them
My dad wanted toast every morning, my uncle didn’t
Government rules depend on each country, province, or even each city
Nothing is universal
What about God’s Law?
Many would say His law changes with the times, and culture
Homosexuality was a sin, but isn’t anymore
Did some of His laws expire with Israel?
Which ones continued?
How do we use the law?
Avoiding legalism & antinomianism
Obedience vs faith
Series on the Law
Very important subject
Probably the most abused and misunderstood subject
Intro:
Lawgiver
Content of the law
Use of the law
Exposition of the 10 commandments
Tonight:
Looking at the lawgiver before the law itself
To see what we can learn about God through the Law that He has given us
Outline
Supremacy of the Lawgiver
Character of the Lawgiver
Holiness of the Lawgiver
#1 - Supremacy of the Lawgiver
All that He does is according to His nature (Matt 5.48
48 Soyez donc parfaits, comme votre Père céleste est parfait.
He cannot deny Himself
He cannot lie
His Law is defined by His nature
Flows from His own nature
I am who I am (Ex 3.14
14 Dieu dit à Moïse: Je suis celui qui suis. Et il ajouta: C’est ainsi que tu répondras aux enfants d’Israël: Celui qui s’appelle « Je suis » m’a envoyé vers vous.
His will for His people is their obedience to His law (Eph 2.10
10 Car nous sommes son ouvrage, ayant été créés en Jésus-Christ pour de bonnes œuvres, que Dieu a préparées d’avance, afin que nous les pratiquions.
Created for Good works
No external cosmic standard
God is subject to no other besides Himself
He writes the laws of nature
Even they are subject to Him
Application: We owe obedience to God alone
He is the creator, we His creatures
We are made in His image, with His law on our hearts, so that we can follow and obey Him alone
The first commandment outlines our exclusive service to God
Not to primordial principles
#2 - Character of the Lawgiver
Every commandment reflects an aspect of the lawgiver (Rm 7.11-12
11 Car le péché saisissant l’occasion, me séduisit par le commandement, et par lui me fit mourir.
12 La loi donc est sainte, et le commandement est saint, juste et bon.
Nothing is arbitrary
Treat His name with reverence because He is Holy
He is generous, so don’t steal
He is the source of Life, so don’t murder
Murder attacks Him because we are in His image
The law is good because He is good
We know his goodness and perfection through His law
He is the standard and definition of His attributes
He is good by virtue of Himself, not an external definition
His nature defines these things
If you want to know what Love is, look to God
See His love demonstrated for us in Christ (1 Jn 3.16
16 Nous avons connu l’amour, en ce qu’il a donné sa vie pour nous; nous aussi, nous devons donner notre vie pour les frères.
By knowing His character, we see His glory more
His power in creation
His wisdom in providentially governing the world
His justice through the judgement of lawlessness
Application: To love God is to love His law (Ps 19.7-9
8 La loi de l’Eternel est parfaite, elle restaure l’âme; Le témoignage de l’Eternel est véritable, il rend sage l’ignorant.
9 Les ordonnances de l’Eternel sont droites, elles réjouissent le cœur; Les commandements de l’Eternel sont purs, ils éclairent les yeux.
10 La crainte de l’Eternel est pure, elle subsiste à toujours; Les jugements de l’Eternel sont vrais, ils sont tous justes.
We know who He is, and who we are through the law
Increases our love for Him as we become more dependant upon Him
As we see how ruined we are before His law
It pushes us to cling to Christ more and more
To love Him as we come to understand what He has done for us
We love His law as it reveals our God
#3 - Holiness of the Lawgiver
Holiness refers both to His moral perfections, and to His separation from all imperfections
He is set apart form the world
Distinct from the world
He is good and holy, while we are not (Rm 3.20
20 Car personne ne sera justifié devant lui par les œuvres de la loi, puisque c’est par la loi que vient la connaissance du péché.
We think to little of God
Sin is essentially saying we don’t respect God or His authority
Disregard for His law
Diminishing our view of Him
If we recognized how great and holy He really is, we would flee from all sin
Our sin becomes more evident
The mirror of the law exposes our imperfections
The first use of the law
The law magnifies His holiness, and exposes our corruption
Judgement of the law
Due to our law breaking, God must judge all lawlessness
His justice demands judgement
Hell is that judgement
All sin will be judged without exception
None can escape the judgement from His law because He is everywhere
Application: Deliverance from the condemnation of the Law is found in Christ alone
1 Il n’y a donc maintenant aucune condamnation pour ceux qui sont en Jésus-Christ.
Deliverance from condemnation, not from the law completely
The law is good and just, and not abolished, but fulfilled in Christ
He took the penalty for our lawlessness (Titus 2.14
14 Il s’est donné lui-même pour nous, afin de nous racheter de toute iniquité, et de se faire un peuple qui lui appartienne, purifié par lui et zélé pour les bonnes œuvres.
Now through His grace, we can freely obey the law, liberated from it as condemning power
Conclusion
The same God who revealed His law to us saves us from the condemnation of His law
As we will see, Christ strengthens our obligation to obedience, not lessens it
The law points us to the lawgiver
It reveals his character
What He likes and dislikes
The law points us to Christ
For our deliverance
Christ points us back to the law
As a rule of obedience
To show our love for God for such a great deliverance
Meditate on the law (Ps 1.2
2 Mais qui trouve son plaisir dans la loi de l’Eternel, Et qui la médite jour et nuit!
Day and Night so that you would know Him and His will more
