Clarity on the Law, the Curse, & the Promised Spirit

Read

Galatians 3:13–14 (ESV)

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Opening Prayer

Intro

I had every intention of getting us to the final verse of Chapter 3 this morning.

I had the sermon studied out and prepared.

And, as I was putting it together I was overwhelmed with a sense of needing to give a few things in this passage some more time.

So, I want us to recall and I want to clarify a few things that may have entered you mind...

Maybe questions that have risen in your mind as we’ve worked through Chapter 3.

First question…who did Christ become a curse for?

Jew & Gentile alike, all who put their faith in Christ alone.

This is at the heart of all that Paul is saying here.

Galatians 2:15–16 (ESV)

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Second question…what law are Gentiles under?

Romans 2:14–16 (ESV)

14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

So, the Bible teaches us that all people, Jew and Gentile alike are under the moral law of God.

Now, it’s true because God’s word says it is true...

But, this knowledge of right & wrong is witnessed in mankind by missionaries who go to 3rd world countries and tribes in the deep jungle...

And, those people groups who have never heard of, nor seen a Bible know that murder is wrong...

Stealing is wrong and so forth.

They know it is wrong.

This bears witness to the moral law of God being written on the heart of every human being born...

Both Jew & Gentile alike.

As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches us that the moral law is universal...

And eternal because it tells us what God approves and disapproves.

It tells us what God considers righteous and unrighteous.

The moral law of God is what Adam & Eve were under...

Given in one command.

Now, how does this affect Jews and Gentiles...

Listen to what Paul says regarding Jews first...

Romans 3:1–2 (ESV)

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

So, they had the Word of God as a people which we know how valuable that is...

Because the Word of God is God’s revealing of His will for His image bearers.

Also, as we’ve seen in this passage that there is great benefit in the Mosaic Covenant...

In that it was preparatory for the coming Messiah...

Meaning it was intended to drive us to hope in the Messiah, Jesus Christ...

And, not hope in self-righteousness.

Now, Paul also says...

Romans 3:9 (ESV)

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,

Why is it that Jew & Gentile are both under sin...

Both under condemnation?

They both have the moral law of God written on their hearts...

The Jews also had it in the written Word of God.

So, why the condemnation?

Why are Jews just as guilty as the Gentiles?

Because the heart in both, Jew & Gentile alike,...

Is a heart of stone…

Cold and callous towards God.

That’s why Paul can say in this 3rd chapter of Galatians that Law cannot give life.

Law does not enable us with the ability to obey.

What enables us to obey is a heart that loves God.

Now, with that in mind it is important to understand that the moral law of God has not been done away with.

As we stated before it is eternal as it is a revealing of what God considers righteous or unrighteous.

It’s not the moral law that has been removed...

It is the penalty for Christ’s covenant people’s violation of God’s moral law...

That is paid for on the cross.

This is why Christ went to the cross after living a perfect life.

After keeping the covenant between man and God perfectly.

Here is where we get back to the promise mentioned in Chapter 3...

The Offspring of Abraham...

Who would be the means by which God would bless the world...

The promise can only happen...

If the True Offspring, the True Vine of God, the True Israel accomplishes His mission of redemption...

Last week we looked at the glorious truth that Jesus accomplished perfectly all that the Father gave Him to do.

[reread green] And, if the Holy Spirit, who is in the promise...

Carries out His role to ensure the New Covenant takes affect on the true people of God.

Regeneration, which makes the heart of stone...

That dead, cold, callous heart towards God...

And, makes it a heart of flesh...

Living, warm and loving towards God...

Which enables us to see God for who He is...

Lovely, glorious, gracious, kind, longsuffering...

And turn our hope to Him...

So that the true people of God are those who are of faith.

So, the new covenant is absolutely necessary for there to be a true, spiritual, holy people for God.

Now, I want to read again the characteristics of the new covenant...

Obtained, established, and ratified by Christ...

And applied to the true people of God.

Jeremiah 31:31–34 (ESV)

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.

[this covenant will be different, its not the same covenant, its new, different, better, more glorious]

33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

This covenant is first given in Genesis 3:15...

We are told who will accomplish it in greater light as we approach the NT...

And then Christ establishes this covenant in the NT by His blood.

This new covenant tells us what kind of people are in it...

It tells us the limitations/parameters of who are in it.

Those who are in it are the people of faith.

Faith in what or who?

Faith in the promised Offspring who kept the covenant between God and Man...

For His people, in order to be their Federal Representative before God.

One more thing about this...

Know, the moral law of God doesn’t go away in the new covenant...

It is enhanced by being written on hearts of flesh.

It’s enhanced because we have now through regeneration...

A disposition to love and obey God’s law.

Third question…in addition to the moral law that all mankind are under, what other laws were Jews under in the Mosaic economy?

They were under the ceremonial law or religious law of the Mosaic economy.

They were under the cultural law of the Mosaic economy.

All the laws in these categories were to distinguish them and separate them from the Gentile nations.

They had more purposes, and we’ve discussed them in this series...

But, they were to separate them from the Gentile nations...

In who and how they worshipped.

In how they dressed and what they ate.

What was temporary in the Mosaic covenant was the ceremonial law and the cultural law.

Part of the ceremonial law was circumcision.

Let me read John 4 and here what Jesus says about the ceremonial/religion laws of Israel.

This is the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

John 4:19–26 (ESV)

19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Do you hear what Jesus is saying?

This is incredible and critical to understand.

Paul is teaching us elements of this herein Galatians.

At the time Jesus said this, the Jews have it right.

Jerusalem is correct.

But that is going away.

The hour is coming where this mountain in Northern Israel...

Nor Jerusalem, neither will the places to worship God.

The hour is coming, and as a matter of fact is here now because of me...

Worship is going to be re-established:

The Old done away with, the New established.

Because of the finished work of the Messiah.

Because of the inclusion of the Gentiles into the true people of God.

Because of the establishment of the New Covenant in my blood.

Regarding the cultural and dietary laws...

Listen to what Peter was shown...

Acts 10:9–15 (ESV)

9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

And, when Peter went to Cornelius, this is what Peter had to say...

Acts 10:28 (ESV)

28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

Peter tells us that there is no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile...

Because out of the nations God is building a people for Himself.

Now, the NT epistles expound upon this...

And re-enforce this in how the church now worships God through Jesus Christ.

The book of Hebrews goes into great detail to elaborate on how the ceremonial law and cultural & dietary laws of the Mosaic covenant are fulfilled in Jesus and done away with.

Jesus is superior to angels.

Jesus is superior to Moses.

Jesus is superior to the priesthood as the Great High Priest.

Jesus is the Mediator & High Priest of a Superior covenant.

Jesus’ sacrifice is once for all time.

Jesus is the Founder & Perfecter of our faith.

Jesus is the King of an eternal, unshakeable Kingdom.

Hebrews 13:20–21 (ESV)

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Closing Prayer