Handwriting Of Ordinances

Colossians 2:14, Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

I.       Handwriting of ordinances

A.    Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross

1.     “JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS”.

B.    God on the other hand wrote something different on the cross.

1.     He wrote the ordinances

a)     He wrote the Ten Commandments

b)     God wrote all the laws which we could not keep

c)     The Laws which we are guilty of breaking

2.     God put them on the cross to fulfill the all the ordinances

a)     The law had to be fulfilled

b)     And Christ was the one who could do it.

C.    The word “ordinances” mean “written code” which means an autograph of any kind or sign-manual. (Bible)

1.     Which is a bond or obligation having the sign-manual of the debtor or contractor.

2.     It like have a debt, which we cannot pay, and the creditors are looking for us to pay the bill.

a)     Creditors are going to call you almost every day

b)     They are going to send letter and just keep on with everything they can until you pay the bill

D.    Back in the Old Testaments days the Jewish people might be said to have the “sign-manual” of the debtor and contractor.

1.     They have said to sign the contract when they bound themselves by a curse.

2.     In Deuteronomy 27:14-26 the Jews said “cursed be the man that”

II.     Blotting out

A.    Means to “blot out” or “wipe away” to “erase”

B.    This means to take away, as we do not have it any more

C.    Isaiah 43:25, I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

D.    Psalm 103:12, As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

E.     And how does God blot out our sins?

III.    By Nailing it to His cross

A.    Christ died on the cross because we broke the law.

a)     Christ was sinless

b)     Because of us He went to the cross

(1)   Henry Brown told me a story of a little girl who was crying in a Sunday school class.

c)     We are the sinners (Romans 3:23, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;)

B.    The death had to be paid and we could not do it.

C.    Nailing means that the law was torn up with Christ’s body

1.     Destroyed with His death

2.     The document itself was torn up and thrown aside

3.     We are now free from our debt or bill which we owed

4.     We are not under the law of the Old Testament any more.

Conclusion:

We are free from the bondage of the law, and are now free to fall in love with God.

To serve Him because you want to and not because you have to

That is the different between Law and Grace

            Law = you obey it because you have to

            Grace= you obey the Law because you want to

Sunday Morning Biker Service 8/3/08