What’s So Great About God’s Law?

What is So Important About God’s Law?

Psalm 119:97

February 8, 2015 AM

Pastor Craig Ledbetter

Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland

www.biblebc.com

 

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

www.biblebc.com