Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

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

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…

Paul quotes the book of Deuteronomy itself.

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…

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…

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…

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.

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

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…

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

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…

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.

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

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.

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…

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.

Why?

How can this be that Jesus, living a perfect life of obedience, dying on the cross, can lead us to having right relationship?