What is So Important
About God’s Law?
Psalm 119:97
February 8, 2015 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I.
Introduction (Psalm
119:97)
A.
Whoever wrote Psalm
119, loved God, AND loved God’s Law
1.
Didn’t just love the
promises of God
2.
Or the stories of
the Bible
3.
But the laws of God
– the statutes, the commandments, the precepts, the testimonies, the absolute
definitions of right and wrong
4.
They loved them!
B.
Listen to some of
the writers of the Scriptures, about God’s Law
1.
Psa 112:1
Blessed is the man that … delighteth greatly in his commandments.
2.
Psa 119:48
My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved;
and I will meditate in thy statutes.
3.
Psa 119:113
I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.
4.
Psa 119:127
Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
5.
Psa 119:163
I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.
6.
Psa 119:165
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
7.
Psa 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night.
8.
Deu 6:5
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy might.
9.
Deu 6:6
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
C.
But, Why Would
Anyone LOVE Them, Live by Them? WHY would anyone actually, and really love God’s
laws?
1.
Aren’t they harsh,
extreme, strict, tough, inflexible?
2.
In a word, Yes they
are!
3.
But that is a good
thing!
4.
Without Law, without
exact definitions of what is right and wrong, there could be no
a.
Justice – no hope
for it since what is wrong to you may be just fine with someone else
b.
There could be no
safety
c.
And there would be
no true Grace
D.
Jesus Loved God’s
Laws – respected them completely
1.
Mat 5:17
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil.
2.
Mat 5:18
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
3.
He is the only
person is history who was able to summarize all of God's laws into two
sentences... (Matt 22:35-40)
a.
Mat 22:37
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
b.
Mat 22:39
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
c.
Mat 22:40
On these two commandments hang ALL the law and the prophets.
E.
I would like to give
you a love for God’s Law. It will help you appreciate God’s grace a whole lot
more than you probably do right now!
II.
Background
A.
What Are God’s Laws?
1.
God’s absolute
conclusions about what is right to do, and what is wrong to do
2.
The perfect
revelation of how things should happen in a thriving, safe, secure society
3.
Nobody, and No
society can exists without laws
a.
Try to live without
laws…
b.
Try to live just by
“grace” and tolerance, and allowing everyone to do what they want…
c.
And you will live in
fear of your life as thieves rob your homes, and rape your children, and as even
your best of friends end up ignoring you and living only for themselves
d.
THAT is the result
of living without law
4.
Most people are
ignorant of them (Mark 7:9) on purpose
a.
They have replaced
them with their own laws, rules, opinions, beliefs
b.
It all began in the
Garden of Eden (Gen 3:5)
c.
People hate God’s
rules, expectations (Psalm 12:3,4)
d.
Pharaoh is a great
example (Ex 5:1,2)
e.
Ordinary, Common
people hate to be told what to do (Job 21:4,5)
5.
Modern people
constantly try and rewrite the Ten Commandments
a.
Because people
reject God’s Laws, they have to constantly make up new ones, and add countless
controls on societies that have no control
b.
An atheist’s List –
by Richard Dawkins - Evolutionary biologist
1)
Do not do to others
what you would not want them to do to you.
2)
In all things,
strive to cause no harm.
3)
Treat your fellow
human beings, your fellow living things, and the world in general with love,
honesty, faithfulness and respect.
4)
Do not overlook evil
or shrink from administering justice, but always be ready to forgive wrongdoing
freely admitted and honestly regretted.
5)
Live life with a
sense of joy and wonder.
6)
Always seek to be
learning something new.
7)
Test all things;
always check your ideas against the facts, and be ready to discard even a
cherished belief if it does not conform to them.
8)
Never seek to censor
or cut yourself off from dissent; always respect the right of others to disagree
with you.
9)
Form independent
opinions on the basis of your own reason and experience; do not allow yourself
to be led blindly by others.
10)
Question everything.
c.
Aleister Crowley -
Occultist and mystic
1)
Do what thou wilt
shall be the whole of the Law.
d.
Georgia Guidestones.
The Georgia Guidestones are large granite blocks that are inscribed with an
alternative set of ten commandments.
1)
Maintain humanity
under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2)
Guide reproduction
wisely - improving fitness and diversity.
3)
Unite humanity with
a living new language
4)
Rule passion - faith
- tradition - and all things with tempered reason.
5)
Protect people and
nations with fair laws and just courts.
6)
Let all nations rule
internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7)
Avoid petty laws and
useless officials.
8)
Balance personal
rights with social duties.
9)
Prize truth - beauty
- love - seeking harmony with the infinite.
10)
Be not a cancer on
the earth - Leave room for nature - Leave room for nature.
6.
But the Laws
contained in THIS Book are
a.
Perfect (Ps 19:7).
Complete
1)
None of the above
“laws” that are any good, are new and better than what GOD already wrote down
3,500 years ago!
2)
There are no new
laws that are “better” than the ones contained in the Bible!
3)
There is nothing
wrong with them – the only wrong is with us who attempt to live by them
b.
Everlasting – last
for all time (Ps 119:152; 111:7,8)
c.
Are for our good (Dt
10:13; 11:8,9; 11:26-28; 1Jn 5:3)
d.
Make a person,
wiser, smarter than the world (Psalm 119:97-104)
e.
Gives Liberty (James
2:12)
f.
Is all men’s
schoolmaster (Gal 3:19-25)
1)
You and I do not
KNOW sin without the law
2)
Exposes Wrong Doing
(1Tim 1:9; Rom 3:20; 4:15; 5:13; 7:7-25)
3)
You may feel like
something is wrong, or right
4)
You may even believe
something is wrong
5)
But without God’s
law, how do you KNOW it is wrong, or right? (Rom 7:7)
6)
Is holy and
spiritual (Rom 7:12-14)
B.
(IGNORE) Given to
Moses (John 1:17), but they began BEFORE Moses
1.
Way back in the
garden
2.
To do things God’s
way – eat of every tree except one
3.
To have one man, and
one woman, for life – that was a law of God
4.
To rest on the
seventh day, just like God did
C.
(IGNORE) There are
More than Just Ten
1.
Those ten that God
gave to Moses are pretty amazing
2.
But, they are not
the only laws there are for us to be obeying and living by
3.
Some people have
concluded that there are 613 laws in the Old Testament
4.
I have found many
more (I haven’t finished counting and sorting), and the Lord Jesus gave us at
least 100 new commandments, that exceed all the Old Testament commandments!
III.
Message
A.
Mankind NEEDS God’s
Laws
1.
They govern the
entire universe
a.
The Law of Gravity
F=(GmM/r2)e
b.
The Laws of
Thermodynamics
c.
The Law of Energy
Conservation E=MC2
d.
Murphy’s Law
e.
Isaac Newton’s Laws
of Motion
f.
The Constance of the
Speed of Light
g.
The strong force,
holding all matter together
h.
Without all these
and more laws, this universe would fly apart!
2.
They govern all
societies
a.
Just like we all
need Laws governing
1)
Driving
2)
Banking, and how
money is valued
b.
We need laws that
govern…
1)
Marriage and the
Family
2)
What we expect of
our government leaders
3)
What we should
expect of each other
4)
Our actions AND our
attitudes!
5)
We need God’s Law
3.
They are amazing!
You would WANT God’s Laws to be obeyed!
a.
No Adultery (Exodus
20:14) – Thou shalt not commit adultery, in heart or in body
b.
No incest, or sodomy
(Lev 18:6)
c.
Honour your parents,
and everyone older than you (Ex 20:12)
d.
Do not lie (Exodus
20:16)
e.
No stealing (Exodus
20:15)
f.
No killing (Ex
20:13)
g.
No gossipping (Lev
19:16)
h.
No grudges (Lev
19:18)
i.
Keep your promises
(Dt 23:24) – never break a vow (Num 30:3)
j.
Take care of the
poor (Ex 22:21; Lev 19:9; Dt 15:7-8)
k.
Eat healthy foods –
clean foods (Lev 11:4,11,13)
l.
Do not eat blood
(Lev 7:26)
m.
No overeating (Lev
19:26)
n.
Let the land rest
from farming for a year, every seven years (Ex 23:11)
o.
Do not cross breed
different kinds of animals (Lev 19:19)
p.
Always do all
business honestly (Lev 25:14; 19:35,36)
q.
Always pay the wages
of your workers (Lev 19:13)
r.
No slave labour (Lev
25:39)
s.
No buying or selling
of slaves (Lev 25:42)
t.
Take good care of
your working animals (Dt 25:4)
u.
All Judges must know
and live by God’s laws (Dt 1:17)
v.
All kings must hand
copy their own copy of the Law of God (Gen – Deut)
w.
Honour a judge –
never curse them (Ex 22:27)
x.
You must have at
least 2 witnesses that agree to bring a matter to court (Dt 19:15)
y.
All punishments must
be equal to the crime (Ex 21:18-24)
z.
All judges must be
impartial (Lev 19:15)
aa.
All people are
innocent until proven guilty (Dt 19:3)
bb.
Take care of each
other’s property (Dt 22:1)
cc.
Stone false prophets
(Dt 18)
dd.
No cross-dressing
(Dt 22:5)
ee.
Wash your hands
after touching anything that is either unclean, or dead (Lev 11:39)
ff.
Quarantine all
lepers (Lev 13) and people with incurable diseases
4.
Without God’s laws –
THOSE kind of laws…
a.
You would not KNOW
what is sin (Romans 3:20; 1John 3:4)
b.
You would not know
what you really are like – it is a mirror, or better yet, it is an x-ray
machine, showing what is in your heart – that you are by nature a law-BREAKER!
c.
You would never
understand God’s grace towards law-breakers!
B.
Do Not Rest On God’s
Laws (Hebrews 7:19)
1.
Do not trust that by
keeping the laws, you will be perfect!
2.
They cannot help you
a.
They cannot make
anyone perfect
b.
They can only show
you that you are NOT perfect
3.
Ultimately, They are
Damning (Rom 4:15; 7:)
C.
Thank God for God’s
Grace
(Romans 5:6,8,20)
1.
Grace does not throw
away, or replace God’s Laws
2.
It covers for it
a.
Makes up for all our
lack of keeping the law – all our failures
b.
It pays for our
sins, for our disobedience, for our stupid decisions and choices
3.
Jesus fulfilled the
whole law, so that you could be forgiven of breaking the whole law
4.
No longer do the
laws of God threaten your soul – a Christian has been PARDONED
5.
But they are what
direct your steps – how to live, now that God gives you second chances
IV.
Conclusion and
Invitation
A.
Whoever wrote Psalm
119, loved God, AND loved God’s Law
1.
Didn’t just love the
promises of God
2.
Or the stories of
the Bible
3.
But the laws of God
– the statutes, the commandments, the precepts, the testimonies, the absolute
definitions of right and wrong
4.
They loved them!
B.
But, Why Would
Anyone LOVE Them, Live by Them?
1.
Because They are
God’s Laws – not man’s whims
2.
Nobody, and No
society can exists without laws
3.
Nobody can improve
on them
4.
They are Perfect (Ps
19:7). Complete
5.
Everlasting – last
for all time (Ps 119:152; 111:7,8)
6.
Are for our good (Dt
10:13; 11:8,9; 11:26-28; 1Jn 5:3)
7.
Make a person,
wiser, smarter than the world (Psalm 119:97-104)
8.
Gives Liberty (James
2:12)
9.
Is all men’s
schoolmaster (Gal 3:19-25) to bring us to repentance and salvation!
C.
Mankind NEEDS God’s
Laws – THANK GOD for Them!
1.
Without God’s laws –
THOSE kind of laws…
a.
You would not KNOW
what is sin (1John 3:4)
b.
You would not know
what you really are like – it is a mirror, or better yet, it is an x-ray
machine, showing what is in your heart – that you are by nature a law-BREAKER!
c.
You would never
understand God’s grace towards law-breakers!
D.
But Do Not Rest On
God’s Laws – they only show fault and failure
E.
Thank God for God’s
Grace
F.
Right now, Accept
God’s Grace!
February 8, 2015 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland