Christ and the Covenant through Moses
Christ through the Covenants • Sermon • Submitted
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Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” 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 hung on a tree.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
15 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
Introduction
Introduction
We continue our study this evening in the covenants in Scripture.
In essence, we have already considered the key covenants that are outlined in the Old Testament. Keep in mind that there were various other covenants that are not as prominent. We have not considered every covenant. We have rather been considering some of the key covenants that form and shape the outworking of God’s salvation purposes in the world.
What we’re doing now is we’re seeing how these covenants of the Old Testament were really looking forward to and pointing towards a promised Messiah through whom all the promises and plans of God for His people would be brought to fulfilment.
That is what we’re considering. Last time we were in this series, we considered together Christ and the covenant of Abraham, and we saw how the promises of God through Abraham were fulfilled in Christ.
This evening, we are looking at the covenant that God made with Israel through Moses as the mediator. And there are a number of really significant ways in which Christ came to bring to fulfilment and to accomplish all that the Law required.
As we consider this, I’d like us to see, firstly…
1. Man’s Failure to Keep the Law
1. Man’s Failure to Keep the Law
What is immediately important to see is the consistent message of the Scriptures that man failed dismally to keep the law that was given through Moses.
Here was a glorious covenant given. It was a time where God entered into relationship with His people, and called them to live in right relationship with Him because He had so graciously delivered them out of the hand of slavery of the Egyptians.
As He did this, He gave them the law by which they were to live.
This was a conditional covenant. It was a covenant that said, if you obey the commands and laws that I will give you, then you will receive blessings - in fact, great blessings!
However, said God, if you fail to obey these laws and commands that I am giving you, then you will come under the curses of God. And those were all very clearly outlined.
We know the outcome… Israel failed to obey.
Now, what is so important to keep in mind is that God knew that man would not, could not, fully obey. It was never intended that man would be required to continually fully obey God’s law. We will look a little later on at what God did intend through the law. But for now, we should appreciate the fact that this was not going to happen.
Why? Because man is sinful by nature.
Further to this, the kind of righteousness that is demnaded by God’s holiness is perfect righteousness. It is not a basic, half-way there, not too far off… kind of obedience. God’s holiness and righteousness require perfect obedience.
Notice v.10…
10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
Paul quotes the book of Deuteronomy itself.
26 “Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.”
Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
But Paul goes on in verse 11 of Galatians 3 to explain that it is obvious that no one can be justified by the law…
11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”
Paul’s argument here is that God has always indicated that obedience to the law would not bring about salvation. It could not, because of man’s inability to keep the law. Therefore, it was always God’s intent that the man who would be deemed righteous before God is the one who lived by faith in God and His promises.
Paul had already made this clear to the Galatians…
16 know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
The fact was that although God had given the Israelites a law to live by, a law that in itself was good and proper and beneficial to them, they were not able to obey that law. The sin nature of man prevented it. We get a picture of this reality through the prophet Ezekiel as it relates to Israel…
13 “But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; and My sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them.
This reality was a long time coming. Paul emphasized this truth when the Jews thought that they were superior to the Gentiles. Paul had to remind them that this was a mistaken notion…
Paul made it clear that there is not a single person (Jew or Gentile) that had been able to keep the Law of God, apart from Jesus Christ.
10 as it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
This was man’s predicament… The law was there, but man was unable to keep it.
God’s character and nature were revealed, but man was unable to live in accordance with it.
2. Faith’s Distinction from the Law
2. Faith’s Distinction from the Law
Paul doesn’t just leave these believers at this point, however. If he had, they would have been without hope. Rather, he contrasts a life that is lived according to the law with a life that is lived by faith in God. By “faith in God,” I mean, “A life trusting in the promises of God.”
Notice how this repeated theme comes up through this passage…
11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”
12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”
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 hung on a tree.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Very clearly, Paul is emphasizing to these Galatian believers that the Law and Faith stand in distinction to one another. It’s not that they have no bearing on one another. It’s also not that the law and faith are opposed to each other. In fact, Paul says that directly in verse 21.
Rather, they are mutually exclusive in the sense that the person seeking to live in obedience to the law in order to obtain God’s salvation mercies, or to win God’s approval, must keep the entire law, fully! And man is simply not able to!
In contrast to that, the man who lives by faith trusts wholly and fully in the kindness and mercies of God to keep his promises of salvation. It is a matter of where one places their trust.
Is your trust placed in a full and perfect obedience to God’s holy law?
Or is your trust placed in the promises made by God through Jesus Christ?
This leads us to consider…
3. God’s Intentions Through the Law
3. God’s Intentions Through the Law
Since this is the case, the question is going to be asked, “Why on earth give the law?!?!” What was the purpose of God in giving the Law if it was simply going to be impossible to maintain?! Why give the law if man would not be able to keep the law?
In summary, Paul outlines here that the purpose of the law was to guide people to Christ. Look at verse 24…
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
God’s intention through the Law was to demonstrate to mankind that God is holy, righteous, and that there is a standard of moral righteousness.
The law reveals and presents the character of God. The law reveals how it is that a person should live if they would live in a manner pleasing to God. The law revealed that God is holy, and distinct from man, and that those who live according to the ways of God, are distinct from the world in general.
However, notwithstanding these things, God’s intent through the Law was always to lead man to de
The fact is that the Law put on display the unrighteous of man through their inability to keep the law.
19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.
When Paul says here that it was “added”, he is referring to the promise made (400 years) earlier to Abraham. If God made a promise to Abraham, why did he need to introduce the Law?
Because of transgressions. I won’t go to much into detail on this, but the thrust of the argument here is that the law was given to show sin for what it truly is. The law being given demonstrated the extent of the depravity of man and his utter inability to live up to the standards of God’s holiness and righteousness.
But we also find that the law was given for a time. It was only given until the seed had come. The law was put in place to show forth the righteous requirements of God, and the sinful condition of humanity in light of God’s holiness, but only until Christ Jesus came into the wrold.
That leads us to consider…
4. Christ’s Fulfilment of the Law
4. Christ’s Fulfilment of the Law
One of the most glorious truths of the Scriptures is that Christ came to live in perfect submission to the Father. He came to live in perfect obedience to the Father, and He succeeeded in doing this. Christ obeyed the Law. He perfectly fulfilled it.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
The great encouragement and truth revealed through the Scriptures, particularly the NT, is that Jesus Christ kept the law perfectly. Not only that, but having kept the Law with absolute precision and perfection, Christ submitted himself to death on a cross.
Thus Paul says in his letter to the Romans…
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5. Christ the Object of our Faith
5. Christ the Object of our Faith
Now, keep in mind that we’ve been looking at Christ and the law, and how those tie together. Quite simply, Christ in fulfilling the law becomes our head and representative, if we are in Him, and express our faith in Him for our salvation. He is the one that obeyed. He is the one who accomplished everything in terms of the righteous requirements of our holy God.
Since that has happened, all are called to submit to and profess faith in Him, for the forgiveness of their sins.
24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
Why? How can this be that Jesus, living a perfect life of obedience, dying on the cross, can lead us to having right relationship?
27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
When we confess Christ, we are literally clothed with Christ. His righteousness becomes ours.
Christ is the object of our faith, and He is the one through whom we obtain our salvation and right standing with God.
The law was given for a time to point to Christ. It was given in order to show the sinfulness of our hearts. Whenever we look at the law today, we are reminded that we cannot keep the law… we too will fail.
But was we look, we are reminded that Christ kept the law on our behalf. He perfectly obeyed. And when we are in Him, we are clothed in that righteousness.
But friends, we must see that it is only as we trust in Him fully that we may be clothed.
We cannot say that we trust in Christ and also want to try to be justified by works of the law.
Those ways stand in contra-distinction to one another.
But if Christ has fully kept the law, and obeyed perfectly, and if we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and if we are justified freely by His grace, and if we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, then we will never go back to trying to earn God’s favour through the law.
Will we seek to live in a manner that is pleasing to God? Of course!! We love God. We love the fact that He’s saved us.
But will we rely on our own rightousness for salvation? NEVER!!!
Implications of Galatians 3:25?
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
What are the implications of this.
We need to see something of the distinctiveness of the Old Covenant, the Law, and the New Covenant - in Christ.
This is what is clearly brought out in various passages.
1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?
2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.
5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,
8 how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?
9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.
10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it.
11 For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
12 Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
13 and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.
4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law;
5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.
8 For finding fault with them, He says,
“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day when I took them by the hand
To lead them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.
10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”
13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
Implications…
Implications…
“When you have Christ, you also have everything God promised through him.”
1. The blood sacrifices ceased because Christ fulfilled all that they were pointing toward. He was the final, unrepeatable sacrifice for sins.
11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
Because Christ was crucified - the one that perfectly obeyed the Law - He has now entered into the Most Holy Place once for all, and there is no longer a need for animal sacrifice.
2. The priesthood that stood between worshiper and God has ceased.
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.
3. The physical temple has ceased to be the geographic center of worship. Now, Christ himself is the center of worship. He is the “place,” the “tent,” and the “temple” where we meet God. Therefore, Christianity has no geographic center, no Mecca, no Jerusalem.
21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
4. The food laws that set Israel apart from the nations have been fulfilled and ended in Christ.
18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean.”)
Mark 7:18–19, “[Jesus] said to them, . . . ‘Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him?’ . . . (Thus he declared all foods clean.)”
5. The establishment of civil law on the basis of an ethnically rooted people, who are ruled directly by God, has ceased. The people of God are no longer a unified political body or an ethnic group or a nation-state, but are exiles and sojourners among all ethnic groups and all states. Therefore, God’s will for states is not taken directly from the Old Testament theocratic order, but should now be re-established from place to place and from time to time by means that correspond to God’s sovereign rule over all peoples, and that correspond to the fact that genuine obedience, rooted as it is in faith in Christ, cannot be coerced by law. The state is therefore grounded in God, but not expressive of God’s immediate rule. Romans 13:1, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” John 18:36, “My [Jesus’s] kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting.”