Fulfillment of the Law
Transcript
All right, good morning. My name is Chet. I'm one of the pastors. When I was a junior in college, I was going on a mission trip to Romania and had to fly from the Atlanta airport to London and then to Budapest. Budapest, and then we were going to ride a bus to the rest of the way. So I went to the Atlanta airport.
I had just taken my bag that I had at school and just pulled all my books out of it, put the stuff I wanted. I was going to use that as my carry-on, put the stuff I wanted in to take as a carry-on, and went through to the Atlanta airport, put your bag on all the stuff, take your shoes off, take your belt off. This was before they could just see you naked through the scanner thing, so you just kind of had to, I guess they just had to use their imagination or whatever. So you would go through, and they would take your stuff, so they run it through the scanner, and then the guy who's a large black man, he pulls it over to the side, and he goes, whose bag is this?
And you don't want them to ask you that question. Like, you want the people to leave you alone when you walk through at the airport. They're never like, whose bag is this? And you're like, mine. They're like, this is a really nice bag. Where'd you get it?
Like, they don't do that. So whose bag is this? I was like, that's my bag. He said, come here. So he has his little gloves on, and he unzips the thing.
He reaches into the little pocket on the back end and pulls out a butterfly knife. Now, a butterfly knife, if you're not familiar with a butterfly knife, it is a, so like you have like switch blades, and switch blades have like a little switch, and then the blade pops out of the top. That's where they got their name. And they're real fast. They're like, and they're basically just saying like, I'm going to stab you. Like, that's all.
You're going to get stabbed. Like, that's what they're doing. Butterfly knives are two pieces of metal, and then there's a blade in the middle. And they take longer, but it's the same kind of purpose. Like, you don't use them for fishing. You can flip it around and stuff.
Like, little, looks cute, and then you stab people. So like, they have more to say. They're like, hey, how you doing? Do you like magic tricks? You're going to get stabbed. Like, that's what they're doing.
So like, switch blades are more to the point. Butterfly knives aren't. So he pulled it out. He's like, that's what I thought this was. He laid it on the table. All my church friends are looking at me like, what the heck, dude?
Why are you bringing knives on the plane? I was like, that's a good question. Then he reached in and pulled out another one because I collected them and did not realize I had them in my bag, took them to every class I had during the year. So if anything had gone down, I wouldn't have even been able to use it because I didn't know it was there. But so he takes them.
He sets them down, and I'm looking at him. He's looking at me, and I was like, am I in trouble? And he said, no, you just can't take this on the plane. I was like, seems fair. So he gave me my bag back, and I got on the plane.
Went to London. Got off in London. They make you go back through all this kind of stuff because you're going through customs now. So they run my bag through in London. Lady, little white lady, pulls it over, sets it down. She goes, whose bag is this?
And again, even in London, you don't want them to ask you that question. She wasn't like, sporty bag, mate. Like, she didn't do that. She said, whose bag is this? I was like, mine. Everybody with me is like, are you kidding me right now?
Like, what are you doing? So I walk over there. She unzips it and pulls out a third butterfly knife. I had all of the butterfly knives I owned apparently in that one place in my bag. Quick tip. If you're going to sneak a weapon onto a plane, have so many that they'll catch a few and feel like they're done.
So I had a butterfly knife that I had taken on a plane with me to London. And she goes, these are illegal. You're going to need to have a seat in that chair right there. And I'm calling the police. I wanted her to say Bobby, but she didn't. She said police.
So I'm sitting in a chair next to a guard. And I'm thinking, I probably could take the guard. Like, I'm thinking through, you know, what's going to have to happen here. Everybody else is going to get on their plane. We didn't have much time. And the pastor, he's sitting next to me.
I'm like, sorry, dude. He's real nice. He's like, it's okay, brother. But he was, you know, he could tell. He's bothered a little bit that I brought three knives for no apparent reason whatsoever. So we'll finish that story later.
But here's the deal. Laws are important. They matter and they affect us. And we need to know the laws. Like, you need to know the laws when you're driving. You need to know the laws of the country you live in.
You need to know the laws that affect your taxes. You need to know the laws of airports and other countries. Like, you need to know laws. They affect us. They make a difference. And what we're going to look at today as we're finishing up our covenant series are the laws that God gives to his people.
When he makes a covenant with his people and gives them his law. And this matters. Because we need to know what God's law is. What he wants from us. What is expected of us. Like, we need to know that.
So we're going to start. We're going to be in Exodus. I want to show you a verse here. But we've got to catch up a little bit before we get here. So, last week we were talking about Abraham. We spent a couple weeks talking about Abraham.
Because God came to Abraham and said, I'm going to make a covenant with you. I'm going to promise to accomplish some things for you. He promised to give him land. He promised to work on his behalf. He actually did a covenant ceremony where they cut up some animals. And God, in that ceremony, basically promised, you're going to obey me.
But if you don't, I'll pay the penalty. So, why did Jesus have to die is a question people ask all the time. And one of the answers to that is because God promised he'd pay the penalty for disobedience. With death. Like, that's what the ceremony was. So, God promised that he would do that.
And he comes to Abraham and gives him the sign of the covenant, which is circumcision. And then, we're jumping ahead hundreds of years today. So, we're jumping ahead from Abraham and circumcision. Abraham has Isaac. God reiterates his promises to Isaac. Isaac has Jacob.
God reiterates his promises to Jacob. Jacob has 12 sons that end up being the whole 12 tribes of Israel. They end up in Egypt where they're enslaved for 400 years, which God kept putting in the promise. He kept being like, I'm going to give you this land. I'm going to bless you. I'm going to make you a people.
You're going to be enslaved for 400 years before that happens. He just would, like, tag it at the end. But he keeps that promise. They end up being enslaved for 400 years. They go to Egypt where they grow. They become big.
They're doing well in Egypt. And then, because they got so big, the Egyptians get uncomfortable with them and enslave them. So, as we're picking up, we're going to show this on screen. And then, we'll go to Exodus 19 here in a second. But during those many days, this is, let's go to Exodus 2, 23 through 25.
We'll have it on screen. Okay. There was a map. Show the map real quick, just so that we didn't, it wasn't up there for no reason. There's Egypt. Nailed it.
Okay. Go to the verse. Exodus 2, 23 through 25. During those many days, the king of Egypt died. And the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery. And they cried out for help.
Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel, and God knew. So, God hears them, and he remembers his covenant. He remembers that he promised them.
And so, God sends Moses. And he sends Moses. He says, go down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land. Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go. Like, he sends Moses to go do this. And so, Moses goes and says, let my people go so they can worship me.
And God uses plagues. And he finally gets them out. It's really interesting. We're not talking about any of that. So, he goes out. They get into the wilderness.
And they go to the mountain. And now, we're going to pick up where God gives them his law. Where he makes the next step in the series. What we're talking about. Where he gives them his covenant. And so, go to Exodus chapter 19.
It's on page 39. And you're, if you're in a blue and white Bible. And if you don't own a Bible, take this one with you. It's our gift to you. Exodus chapter 19. Starting in verse 1.
On the third new moon. After the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt. So, they've been slaves. They've been free now for three-ish months. It's the third new moon. On that day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
They set out from Rephidim. And came into the wilderness of Sinai. And they encamped in the wilderness. There, Israel encamped before the mountain. While Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain.
Saying, thus you shall say to the house of Jacob. And tell the people of Israel. You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians. And how I bore you on eagle's wings. And brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice.
And keep my covenant. You shall be my treasured possession. Among all the peoples. For all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests. And a holy nation.
These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. So he calls Moses up. And he says, I'm going to give you the law. And if you'll obey me. If you'll keep this. This is my covenant with you.
And so this is where we get the law. And this is what a lot of times in the New Testament. They just refer to the entire Bible as the law. Because this encapsulates their understanding of who they were as a nation. They were the people of Abraham. But they were the people who were given the law.
So God gives them the law. And here's. This is a major step forward in the timeline we've been looking at. So what we've been talking about. Is in Eden. Everything was great.
God had his people. In his place. In his presence. And then Adam and Eve rebel against God. They basically reject God's rule. And there's the fall.
And since then. We've been marred. By the fall. Like we can't choose correctly. We don't make good decisions. We're rebelling against God.
And so God promises Adam. Well. He basically promises the serpent. That sin won't win. So then we looked and saw how.
When everything got terrible. And we're looking. And God wants to destroy the entire earth. He actually says basically. Sin won't beat my promise. So even though.
You don't deserve to be saved. He steps in. He rescues Noah and his family. Then we saw Abraham. How God says. You're going to be a people.
And you're going to show everyone what I'm like. And now. In Moses. And when they. They have the Exodus. And they end up making it into the promised land.
It's the first time. That these three things start coming back together. God has a people. He puts them in a place. And we'll talk about that next week. And he begins to have his presence.
Back around them. Through the tabernacle. And eventually the temple. Which we'll also talk about next week. But he says to them.
I'm going to show you. So he's. In the moment in history. Where they've come now. He's on the mountain. And he says.
I'm going to show you what it looks like. To follow me. I'm going to give you my rules. You're going to obey me. You'll know what you're supposed to do. Which.
All of us I think. Believe we don't like rules. But they're massively helpful. If I said. Hey let's play a game. One of your first questions is.
Okay. How do we play? Like what are the rules? And if I said there are no rules. And then I pushed you. And I was like 10 points for me.
You would hate this game. But I'm winning. That's probably why you're mad. Like we want rules. We need them. And if we're going to exist in God's world.
We need his rules. And so he says. You're going to be the people. Who know my rules. You're going to be the people. Who know my law.
And so. In. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. And Deuteronomy.
We get God's law. We get his rules. Now I will tell you. Numbers gets a really bad rap. And it is way easier to read than Leviticus. But it's where God tells us his law.
It's where we understand the law that he gave to this people. And so. He says. I'm going to give you my rules. I'm going to give you my law. And.
You're going to follow me. You're going to obey me. And so. I want to take a second. And just walk us through. Kind of how those laws look.
And this is a. Maybe a simplified way to think about it. But it's helpful. There were civil laws. And civil laws. Just.
We kind of categorize them as this. The Bible doesn't really categorize them. They're not like. Color coded. But I can tell you how to kind of.
Think about it. Civil laws affected. They were going to be a nation. So they had rules as a nation. They had laws that were for their nation. So that these rules are like.
If you own a cow. And it kills somebody else's cow. Here's what you do. If you dig a pit. And you don't cover it. And somebody's cow dies in that pit.
Here's what you do. One of the ways to tell it's a civil law. Is that. There are penalties. So to say things like.
If you murder a person. Here's the penalty. If you steal. Here's the penalty. Because they had. Penalties for the civil laws.
Just like we have laws. There's a law in the U.S. That you can't take. A knife on a plane. There's a law in London. That you can't own a butterfly knife.
Because those. I guess. They just realize. They're not used for anything. Really helpful. Other than what I was talking about earlier.
Which is trying to stab people. Or as in London. They say. Is giving someone a spot of bother. They don't say that. They say it.
But probably not about stabbing people. I don't know much about London. All right. So. I know that I wasn't supposed to have that knife there. So I'm sitting there.
And. Waiting for. Sitting next to this guy. Waiting for the Bobbies to show up. Which I'm assuming. They're coming pretty quick.
Because this is pretty. You know. International intrigue at this point. Probably coming to take the whole system down. And I'm sitting there thinking. You know.
I'm going to have to go Jason Bourne on these people. She's going to have to. And my pastor's going to have to watch. And maybe he'll help. We'll see how it goes. But.
He showed up. And I was thinking. For real. If you get in a fight with a Bobby. They just have a stick. So the worst thing that happened was.
I would get beaten with a stick. So I figured I could go for it. But he showed up. And he was real cool. And. Luckily for him.
He didn't try to arrest me. He just wrote me a ticket. And helped me get to my airplane. So I didn't get in trouble. That's the conclusion of that story. So.
Worked out well for everybody in the end. But. There are civil laws in the Bible. That are like that. That are just rules of how we're going to be as a nation. Then there are ceremonial laws.
And these are where we get most of the confusion. So I read an article the other day. That was like. Ten things. That the Bible prohibits. That we do every day.
And it probably said something along the lines of. You won't believe what number six is. Because that's what they do on those things. But. So. They tricked me.
And I clicked on it. And I read. The ten things. And most of them. Were from Leviticus. And were ceremonial law.
Most of them were clean and unclean laws. And these are the things. People have questions about it. That people will say. Oh you mean to tell me that's a sin. But you're going to eat shellfish.
And then they'll show you a verse in Leviticus. That says you can't have shellfish. And they're like. Boom. Don't even talk to me. You eating crab legs.
Like. Oh you're wearing polyester. The Bible says 100% cotton. Like. There's rules. These ceremonial rules.
In the Old Testament. That were. This is how you're going to be set apart. And this is what it takes for you to be clean. Before God. And basically.
In those rules. God was helping them see. You're dirty. You. You're not okay. Like you.
You need to be clean. And like. There's. There's things that you do. That make yourselves unclean. And there's this ceremonial.
Sacrificial system. And one of the ways you can tell. That it's the ceremonial law. Is it has. Steps you take. If this happens.
You're unclean. For this amount of time. And here's what you do. To get clean again. Here's how you wash. Here's how you clean.
They have some rules in there. That are just really helpful. One of them is. If you. Like. What do you do.
If you get a weird. Thing. Growing up on your skin. They have a process for that. Like if you get bumps. Or some kind of a white rash.
There's whole sections in there. That's like. How to tell. What the rash is. Which is helpful. It's helpful for everybody.
Because one. One of the first rules is. Get away from everyone. You are growing something weird on your skin. Like that's one of the first rules. Which is a great rule.
I hate it when I talk to someone. I see them. I say. Hey how you doing? We shake hands. And they go.
I'm alright. I've been sick for the past week. It's like. Why'd you just touch me? What is your problem? So one of the first rules.
With the skin thing. Is get away from people. And you're like. No. I want to hang out. And it's like.
Not until you figure out. What's on your arm. We're not friends till then. But then. Not only does it protect people. Who aren't sick.
There's also a system. For figuring out. Whether or not that's contagious. And then they get to come back. Which is great. Because.
We would probably. At some point. Just say. Look. If you got something weird. You can't ever hang out again.
Because you're making people sick. And we don't know how to tell. Well God gives them a system. For letting them come back. But there's ceremonial laws.
There's also. In the ceremonial law. The sacrificial law. Where they would have to. Kill certain. Animals.
To atone for sin. Intentional sins. It's unintentional sins. But there was the ceremonial law. And then there's the moral law. And the moral law.
Is basically where God says. This is wrong. And one of the ways. You can tell it's moral law. Is he doesn't give a. And if this happens.
Here's the civil penalty. Or here's how to get clean. He just says. Don't do this. Now again.
It's not color coded. And there's some. Where people debate. And there's some. Where there's overlaps. So like.
Moral law. Don't. Murder. And then there's civil law. Which is like. If you get in a fight.
And you murder someone. Here's the penalty. If you hide in a bush. And wait till they walk by. Obviously premeditating the murder. Here's the penalty.
So there's. Laws that affect. How they're going to be as a nation. And then rules that are just. God saying. This isn't okay.
All right. To help us out here. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to take a second. We're going to flip over one chapter. And we're going to look at.
The ten commandments. Which is the most. Well known section. Of the moral law. So God's come.
And he said. This is my covenant with you. And he begins to give them. These laws. That you're going to follow. You're going to obey.
And you'll be my people. But here's what we're going to do. We're just going to walk through them. As if God. Just gave them to us. So instead of just looking.
And saying. Oh I wonder how the Israelites. Would feel about that. We're just going to walk through. And talk about. If God had just shown up.
And said here. Here are my rules. Here's how you need to follow. And we're just going to walk through. And see how this would apply to us. So that we maybe can begin to understand.
What would have happened. As he took this group of people. Who were slaves. Who were used to being a part of. Worshipping a bunch of gods in Egypt. And begins to teach them.
What it's like to follow him. Exodus chapter 20. And God spoke all these words saying. I am the Lord your God. Who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Out of the house of slavery.
So he begins by reminding them who he is. And then he says this. You shall have no other gods before me. So for them that meant. You got to put away all the. They were used to having gods everywhere.
A God of the river. A God of the rain. A God of fertility. A God of parties. And God says no. It's just me.
So for us that would be. If he was doing this right now. He'd be saying. Everyone worships me. Everyone does. There are no other gods among you.
No other. No other people you worship. No other people you bow down to. No. Nothing. Just me.
You'll have no gods before me. I am it. I'm the God of everything. Four. You shall not make for yourselves. A carved image.
Or any likeness of anything. That is in heaven above. Or that is in the earth beneath. Or that is in the water. Under the earth. You shall not bow down to them.
Or serve them. For I the Lord your God. Am a jealous God. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers. On the children. To the third and fourth generation.
Of those who hate me. But showing steadfast love. To thousands of those who love me. And keep my commandments. So he says.
You're not going to make any carved images. But I just want to cover something. He says in the middle there. He says I'm a jealous God. And I've heard people get this confused before. So I just want to help us out here.
And God says he's a jealous God. He doesn't mean he's jealous of you. He means he's jealous over you. Explain how that works. I'm married. I find my wife.
Small and attractive. I find her small. She is small. I don't know. She's smaller than me. So I guess that works.
I think she's attractive. If I saw her. Talking with a guy. And let's say he was big and beefy. And had a chiseled jaw. And laughed like.
Ha ha ha ha. Like that. You know. Like he's obviously rich. I would. And if I saw this conversation happening.
I'm going to tell you a few things that would be going on. Like in my brain. And just kind of. As I was watching. I would be jealous. But I would be jealous over her.
Not of her. If I was jealous of her. I'd be thinking. I wish that guy would flirt with me. Why doesn't he think I'm interesting? That's not what would happen.
Like let's say she reached up. While she was laughing. And like touched his elbow. Or something. Like I wouldn't be thinking. I wish I could touch his elbow.
Like that wouldn't. Like. If I. I would be thinking maybe about. Like putting my hands on him. But it wouldn't be like.
He'd be like. Like whatever. That's jealous over. Like I would want to. Harm him. That's what jealous over means.
Like I want her to only like me. So when God says I'm a jealous God. What he's saying is. Just me. I want you. For just me.
I'm not sharing you. You belong to me. You're my people. And it's just me and you. And that's actually a type of love that we want. I want my wife to not want to share me.
I want her to want just me. And me to want just her. Like that's the way it's supposed to work. And that's what God's saying here. But he says this.
You're not going to take anything. So if God just stepped down and said this to us. And said you're not taking anything. And making an image that you're going to worship. Here's what that means for us. Yes.
We can't have a little statue we pray to. But when you look at the first two together. Where God says there will be no gods before me. And you won't take anything. Under the earth. Above the earth.
Anything. Any image of anything. And worship it. What it means is we can't look to anything. For our hope. For our joy.
For our satisfaction. We can't look to anything to save us. So let me tell you what God just told us. You know that stuff in your wallet. That stuff in your bank account. It's got a little face on it.
That means so much to you. That consistently tells you. I'm what will make you okay. I'm what will protect you. I'm what will make life good. You can't worship that.
You can't believe the lies that money tells you. Just me. He says you know the image of that perfect man. Or that perfect female. That either doesn't exist yet. Or that you've met someone.
And you've started to apply that image to them. That they're going to fulfill you. And they're going to complete you. And they're going to make you whole. Can't do that. Can't look to anything.
Before me. For satisfaction. And joy. And fulfillment. He says. Let me tell you a little something about donkeys and elephants.
You can't. Every four years. Lose your mind. And think. For one second. That one of those.
Is going to save everything. Or one of those is going to ruin everything. That if we. If we. We've got to. Just have this.
And if we don't. Have this one. Everything falls apart. And this is where our hope is set. And this is where joy is found. And if.
And if it's this person. Oh my goodness. Everything's going to crumble. But if it's this person. Holy magic. Shiny land.
It's going to be amazing. Says. No you can't do that. Nothing. On the earth. Or under the earth.
That walks around. That creeps. Can you look at. Build an image out of. And say. I'll find my fulfillment in you.
It's just me. Seven. This is the third one. You should not take the Lord. Take the name of the Lord. Your God in vain.
For the Lord will not hold him. Guiltless. Who takes his name. In vain. One of the ways that can be translated. Is not just take.
But carry. So. Take. We kind of hold the idea of like. Using God's name as a swear word. Or like Jesus Christ.
As some sort of expletive. Or something. And I think it means that. Like they would have understood it to mean that. But it also means.
You can't just slap God's name on things. And then do whatever you want. You can't. Put God's name on something. And carry it around. And then.
Dishonor him. So if you run a business. And you put a Jesus fish on your card. And you have Bible verses all around in your room. And then you. You cheat people.
So you didn't just cheat people in your name. You cheated them in his. If you. You declare that God told you to do something. And to start something. Or led you to do something.
And you just go doing your own thing. You're carrying his name with you. One of the biggest arguments against belief. Is that. So many terrible things have been done in the name of God.
And he says that's a problem. Eight. Remember the Sabbath day. To keep it holy. Six days you shall labor. And do all your work.
But the seventh day. Is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it. You shall not. Do. Any.
Work. You. Or your son. Or your daughter. Or your male servant. Or your female servant.
Put an employee there. Or your livestock. Or the sojourner. Who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth. The sea and all that is in them.
And rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord. Blessed the Sabbath day. And made it holy. I think as Americans. We've been like.
Oh I can do the. The first ones. This one. Is going to be really hard for us. Because it attacks two things. That we as Americans love.
One is. Productivity. Your value. Comes from your work. Some of you. Have not had a day off.
In a long time. And maybe you weren't at work. But you were working. Because you just got to get this done. This is the only time I have to accomplish this. Oh these.
This. I got to send this report. I got to. I got to check my email. I got to send in this thing. I got to go over and work on this.
I can't. There's no time to rest. You see when God said this. He said this to slaves. Slaves work seven days a week. And their value comes from how much they can accomplish.
And once they can't accomplish anything anymore. They have no value anymore. And God looks at them and says. You're going to rest. One day a week. You're going to stop.
And you're not going to accomplish anything. And for some of you. That's terrifying. You have to sit. Well can I. No.
You can't. But what if I just. No. I'm sorry. But if I don't do it today.
You can do it tomorrow. What God is saying is. He built everything in six days. And he can handle it for one. While you're sitting down. And for some of you.
What he just said was. Six days. You will labor. Because the two things that we love as Americans. And we hold them simultaneously. Is this.
I love working. And I want to be able to show. That I have value. And if I go to bed at night. And I haven't really accomplished anything. That eats away at me.
But I also. Want to find a job. That lets me work three days a week. And make enough money. To have four off. And do nothing.
And he says. No for six days. You need to work. It doesn't necessarily mean. You have to go to. Go to a job.
But it means you need to be productive. Now. He told them later. There were times. Where they were supposed to take. A whole week off.
They were supposed to. There's some vacation. But we're supposed to work. And we're supposed to rest. And you know. Which one you are.
As to how this would be offensive to you. If God just told you to do this. And some of you are both. And you're really messed up. In your little heart. Number 12.
Honor your father. And your mother. If I'm confusing you. 12 is the verse number. Because these are the 10 commandments. And I just said number 12.
And you're like. Dude. We should have been done two ago. So. Honor your father. And your mother.
That your days may be long. In the land. That the Lord your God. Is giving you. So your parents.
Maybe use that against you. Because it says. That your days may be long. And they're like. I will kill you. But what he's saying.
Is honor your father. And your mother. So what he just said was. For the children. In the room. For the.
Those staying. In your parents house. Honoring your parents. Means obedience. It means they said. Go to bed.
Go to bed. It means they said. You're not allowed. To use this. For a certain amount of time. Don't use it.
It means. They don't have to hide. A charger from you. If they told you. That you weren't allowed. To use your phone.
That's honoring your parents. It means not. Disrespecting them. Talking back to them. It means. Maybe if you're in college.
It means when you answer the phone. Sorry. It means you answer the phone. And then it means. You hold the phone. To your face.
You don't do this. You don't do this. You talk to them. You show them respect. You honor them. When you get older.
It means not that you answer the phone. It means you pick up the phone. You call them. You ask them how they're doing. You visit them. You take care of them.
You honor your father. And your mother. Because they're your father. And your mother. That's the only reason given. Some of us.
Had terrible parents. I know. It hurts. It's hard. And you got to try to figure out. How to do that.
But what he stepped in and said. Was honor your father and mother. Period. Verse 13. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery.
That's having sex with someone. Who's married. Or being married. And having sex with someone else. You shall not steal. Nothing that you did not purchase.
Or that was not given to you. Should ever come into your. Hands. You shall not bear false witness. About your neighbor. You can't say something.
About someone. Unless you know. In fact. That it is true. Cuts out half. Of some people's activities.
You shall not covet. Your neighbor's house. You shall not covet. Your neighbor's wife. Or his male servant. Or his female servant.
Or his ox. Or his donkey. Or anything. That is your neighbor's. Our whole. Financial system.
Is basically. Based off of coveting. We call that. Buzz marketing. It's coveting. But we call it buzz marketing.
Which means that you have something. And I look at it. And say that's really nice. And what I'm thinking is. I want one of those. And then I say.
Where did you get it? And you tell me. And then I go get it. And then we both have an Apple watch. And now you're not better than me. Because you thought you were.
Like that's. That's what we do. Like coveting is. Like it just. Springs up in us. You ever been to someone's house.
Like you're perfectly fine at your house. Until you visit someone else's house. And you see their TV. And then you go back home. And you look at your TV. And you're like.
I don't even want to look at you right now. You make me sick. Like this was a real thing for me for a while. Do you remember the TVs that had like the curved front? Y'all. Young people.
You think they just made up the curved TV. They had that a long time ago. It just curved the other way. Remember that? And then you went and saw someone who had a flat TV. And you didn't even know why it was better.
But you were like. That's better. They're like. There's not a tube in there. And you're like. I hate tubes.
I'm so mad at my TV with its tube. Do you know what it does? I didn't know what it did. I didn't know how they made the flat one. But it just was like.
Yes. This is better. High definition. Like. I just saw a fly. Fly by.
While I was watching football. And then you watch football at your house. And you're like. I can't see flies at all. This is terrible. This is garbage.
How do I even know if there are bugs there? Like. You got a flat TV. And then someone got one that wasn't square. Do you remember that? Like.
I have DVDs. I used to buy DVDs that were full screen. Because I didn't want it to be letterboxed. And now if I put that in. I'm so annoyed. Because my TV is wide now.
And I'm like. This is so stupid. I need to buy all widescreen movies now. You don't even have to leave your house. Just watch HGTV. They will make something look so nice.
You will hate your house. Let me tell you something. Most of us. I'm just. I'll just talk about me. I never really thought about my bathroom.
Just used it. You watch HGTV. You go in your bathroom. You're like. I hate having to use the bathroom in here. This is terrible.
Look at this. What is this? Just a toilet. I need. Decorations. Like it just.
I don't know. Something happens to us. We're designed to covet. And God just stepped in and said. No. Be happy with what you have.
Period. Don't look at anything and say. I'd be happy if I had that. I'd be okay if I had that. If my wife could just be like that. If my husband could just be like that.
If I could just have a husband. If I could just have a wife. If I could just have that car. If I could just have that house. If I could just have that salary. If I could just have that.
He says no. This is the first ten. In the moral law. Hadn't even gotten into ceremonial. On how to be clean or unclean. Just this is right.
And this is wrong. That's it. First ten. And here's what happens. We think. Everyone for a second goes.
It's going to work. God's going to give the law to his people. And they're going to live in his city. And they're going to love each other. And it's going to end. And if you're smart.
You realize it doesn't. Because it's like way early in this thing. It doesn't end. Because all that happens. Is for a second we think. It's going to work.
He's going to give us the law. And it's going to work. I'll even show you in verse 24. Let me show you what they say. This is just. You look at this.
And maybe part of our heart thinks this is true. Chapter 24. We'll have it on the screen. Sorry. I'm pointing backwards. Because I have a screen there.
Moses came and told the people. All the words of the Lord. And all the rules. So that's all of them. Civil ceremonial. That's all of them.
Moral. And all the people answered with one voice. And said. All the words that the Lord has spoken. We will do. That's an optimistic crowd.
And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. And then in 7 and 8 it says this. Then he took the book of the covenant. And he read it. In the hearing of the people. And they said.
All that the Lord has spoken. We will do. And we will be obedient. And Moses took the blood. And they had sacrificed some animals. Which they do all the time when they're doing these.
Because it was showing you. This is what happens if we fail. We die. There's got to be blood for this. To show you what's going to happen. If we don't do this.
Behold. The blood of the covenant. That the Lord has made with you. Oh. Sorry. I jumped.
So. And Moses took the blood. And threw it on the people. So he took blood. He had a little brush. And he started slinging blood on people.
He said. Behold the blood of the covenant. So that blood would spatter on you. And spatter on your clothes. And you would remember. This is what happens if I don't follow these rules.
Behold the blood of the covenant. The Lord has made with you. In accordance with all these words. And what they said was. We'll do it. We'll obey.
We just read 10. And I've already failed. We just read 10. I've already not done those. And if I was to bet on my future ability to not do these. I would say not.
I'm not going to be able to do that. There's going to come a time where I'm going to lie. There's going to come a time when I'm going to covet. There's going to come a time when I'm going to look to money. And say. I trust you.
I believe in you. My hope's in you. You have to save me. So the question for us today. Because all that happened for them. Was that they realized.
What happens as we look at this in God's story. Is we see. They couldn't keep it together. It just shows how far away from God they were. It just shows how desperately broken. You think.
Finally we're going to do it. And they don't. They don't keep it together. They don't follow. They don't obey. It falls all apart.
And see God was teaching them. With the clean and unclean laws. He was showing them. You're not clean. You're not okay. You can't just walk in front of me.
You can't just come before me. Like you. You and I are separated from each other. There are things that make you dirty. And we intrinsically know this. We don't have clean and unclean laws.
Like this. That we're trying to follow. But we know this. This is why you bathed before you came here. This is why you put on different clothes. When you go out somewhere.
Legitimately. When I. Go on dates. I would. I mean you can only work with what you got. But then you.
You got to try to like cover stuff up. Like I would put on. I'd take a shower. I would try to do something with my hair. A lot of times it was just real short. I didn't have to worry about it.
And then I would like. But I would use shampoo. Put on deodorant. Put on like nicer clothes. That like. Help me look.
Nicer. Like I don't know. I've never graded that either. But there you go. And then I would put on like. Some.
Polo. Ralph Lauren. Like smell good stuff. And you want to know why I had to do a lot of that? This is real. If I didn't.
Like I did like five things. To keep me from stinking. You realize that? Like I just. Just stunk. Apparently.
And dude. Like I've got. Like I have to work. To not smell bad. Around other humans. Like I wanted.
If I went on a date. I wanted girls to think. This is what I smelled like. You smell that? That's me. That's what I smell like.
This is. This is why. Someone's coming over to your house. What do you do? Oh we got to clean. Oh we got to clean up.
Why? Because there's something inside of you. That says we're dirty. We got to clean. You ever. To my knock on your door.
You didn't know they were coming. You just stick your head out. What's up? They tell people later. I think they were just completely naked. I don't know.
That's because you didn't want them to see your house. If you had to go out somewhere. Go to Walmart. In the evening. Sometimes. Sometimes random.
Sometimes you were sick. Had to go to CVS. And then you see somebody you know. And you're wearing like. Your house shoes. And.
Anybody ever hid from somebody? You saw them and you were like. They didn't. Trying to wait until they leave. And then you can go up to the counter. Do you know why?
Because we're unclean. And God was just teaching them that. You can't just come before me. And even if they were clean. No matter what. They still had to have a sacrifice.
They still had to have an animal die on their behalf. Every year the whole nation had what they called the day of atonement. And they would bring two goats up. Don't get attached to the goats. They would bring two goats up. One of them.
They would put all their sin on the goat. They would lay their hands on these goats heads. One of them would die. To pay. For the sin. And one of them.
They would send off. Into the wilderness. To take the sin away. So that the sins they had committed. And the sins that had been committed against them. They tried everything they could to take them away.
And God had set up a system. Because they weren't going to be able to keep it together. He set up a system that was. No matter what. You. Are going to need a sacrifice.
To come close to me. So here's the question for us. What do we do with this? If this was what God stepped in and said. This is how it looks to follow me. This is what you have to do.
What do we do? Are we supposed to follow this? Am I supposed to memorize these laws? Am I supposed to work to be clean or unclean? Like are we supposed to apply this? When that article says.
That I need to. If I'm not wearing all cotton. And avoiding crab legs. I'm in trouble. Like is that true? Like didn't Jesus fix this?
Well let's see what Jesus said. Matthew 5. This is Jesus talking about this. 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. For truly I say to you. Until heaven and earth pass away. Quick test. Has that happened yet?
Alright. I'm glad you're with me. Alright. Totally focused. Earth is still here. Not an iota.
Not a dot. Will pass from the law. Until all is accomplished. Until heaven and earth pass away. Not a dot. Is gone.
The law has not been abolished. It's not gone. The problems of being unclean. The problems of moral sin. The problems of following God. The way we're designed.
Are still problems. Has not been abolished. It has not disappeared. But what's he say? He didn't come to abolish. But to fulfill.
And they won't pass away. Until all is accomplished. The law is still in force. But it has been fulfilled. And it has been accomplished. Through Christ.
Jump to Hebrews chapter 10. It's going to be on page. 651. We're still held accountable. To the law. You are still supposed to be clean.
When you stand before God. You are still supposed to. Uphold all of his moral law. So a second ago. I just want you all to know. We should all be kind of scared.
A second ago. We read through the Ten Commandments. Maybe some of you skated out. Maybe some of you like. I nailed it. No you didn't.
You need friends. Who can point things out to you. All of us fail. We can't do this. And then Jesus says. It's not abolished.
This isn't gone. And so we need to figure out. What that means. How do we stand before God. Hebrews 10. For since the law.
Has but a shadow. Of the good things to come. Instead of the true form. Of these realities. He's talking about the law. And it's just a shadow.
It's just showing us what's real. Sometimes you're looking for a parking space. And if the sun's right. You can pull up. You don't have to see all the cars. You can just see the shadows.
And it's like shadow. Shadow. Shadow. Shadow. No shadow. And you're like.
I'm going for it. Because I think there's no car there. But it may be a moped. Anybody tracking with me. You know what I'm talking about. Looking for parking spaces.
The shadow shows you something real is there. So what he just said was. The shadow. Of the law. Is showing us that something real is coming. Something solid is coming.
Coming. That's weird. Shadow of the good things to come. Instead of the true form of these realities. It can never. By the same sacrifices.
That are continually offered. Every year. Remember the two goats. Make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise. Would they not have ceased to be offered.
Since the worshippers having once been cleansed. Would no longer have any consciousness of sins. So he's saying. If the sacrifices had worked. They wouldn't have to keep doing them. They had to do them every year.
But in these sacrifices. There is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible. For the blood of bulls and goats. To take away sins. Consequently.
When Christ came into the world. He said. Sacrifices and offerings. You have not desired. But a body.
Have you prepared for me. In burnt offerings. And sin offerings. You have taken no pleasure. Then I said.
Behold. I have come to do your will. Oh God. As it is written for me. In the scroll of the book. Then he said.
When he said above. You have neither desired. Nor taken pleasure. In sacrifices. And offerings. And burnt offerings.
And sin offerings. These are offered according to the law. Then he added. Behold. I have come to do your will. He does away with the first.
In order to establish the second. And by that will. We have been sanctified. Through the offering. Of the body of Jesus Christ. Once for all.
Sanctified. Sanctified means to be made clean. To be set apart as holy. So Jesus. Does not get rid. Of the law.
He fulfills it. He fulfills it. He makes us clean. We still believe. In the clean and unclean laws. We just believe.
Jesus fulfilled it. If you're a Christian. You have been made clean. Cleaned. So if someone says to you.
Oh you mean to tell me. You think you can eat shellfish. I would say yeah. Because I believe in Jesus. And if I kept. If I kept trying.
To not eat shellfish. If I kept trying to. Only not wear polyester. Or whatever. Mix them up. If I kept trying to follow.
These clean laws. Here's what I'd be saying. I'm trusting them. Not Jesus. But in Christ.
Because he went to the cross for us. And fulfilled the law for us. We have been cleaned. We've been sanctified. It's been accomplished for us. A buddy of mine in high school.
Peeled out. Like he. Caught a wheel in front of a. A cop or whatever. Spun out. You know what I'm talking about.
Like. Throwing smoking stuff. He did it in front of a cop. Cop pulled him over. The cop gave him. I think 10 hours of.
Community service. What did he not do. After he had completed his 10 hours. The answer to that really confusing question. Was he did not show back up. To community service.
Because he didn't have to anymore. It had been fulfilled. The law still was there. But it had been accomplished on his behalf. It had been accomplished. So.
We don't have to follow the dietary laws. And the clean and unclean laws. Because Jesus has already accomplished them for us. We don't have to show back up. We don't have to walk back through him. We believe that he's done it.
So. By faith in Christ. It keeps us. From doing these. Because Jesus fulfilled this on our behalf. But we have to have a sacrifice.
Even if you're clean. You had to have a sacrifice. And so. In Hebrews 9. It says this. For when every commandment of the law.
Had been declared by Moses. To all the people. We read this earlier. He took the blood of calves and goats. With water and scarlet wool and hyssop. That's the thing he had in his hand.
And sprinkled both the book itself. And all the people saying. This is the blood of the covenant. That God commanded for you. And in the same way. He sprinkled with the blood.
Both the tent. And all the vessels used in worship. Indeed. Under the law. Almost everything is purified. With blood.
And without the shedding of blood. There is no forgiveness of sins. There had to be a sacrifice. And as Christians. We don't need the sacrificial system anymore. Because the forgiveness of sins.
Came through the shed blood of Jesus. You have a sacrifice. And we continue. When we sin. When we fail. When we fail the moral law.
They would have to go. Have a sacrifice on their behalf. When I sin. When I covet. When I'm angry. Jesus later says.
That if you hate someone. You've already murdered them. When that happens. I just continue to trust. In the sacrifice. That's already been made for me.
In Christ. That's how that works. Okay. Two quick things. If you do not realize. That the law has not been abolished.
Let me tell you. What can happen to you. If you don't realize. That the law is still in effect. That you're still held accountable. To this law.
Let me tell you what happens. Or what can happen. First of all. You can completely miss the fact. That there is a God. Who will hold you accountable.
For yourself. That you are dirty. You are small. You do not get to just walk in. In front of him. And be okay.
If you forget. Or fail to realize. That the law has not been abolished. You will stand before God. Condemned. If you fail to realize this.
You also can spend your life. Trying to figure out. What it is God wants you to do. This is what's always funny to me. I'll give you an example. How this works.
Because we do. We'll spend. People spend time being like. I wonder what God wants from me. Well if he's real. He actually has actual qualifications.
Actual things that make you okay with him. They're building a new Costco. Down the road. If I want to work at Costco. How do I. How do I do that?
Well since Costco exists. I go to their website. Or I go to their location. And I ask them. What do you want from me. So that I can get a job here.
They have forms they want me to fill out. They have an application they want me to submit. Right. Because they exist. So I do what they want.
If God's real. And he has an actual standard. Then we do what he wants. We say. What do you. What does it look like for me to be okay with you?
I can't just say. Well if there is a Costco. Then they should be okay with. A picture of my grandmother. A lock of my hair. And my video application.
To the TV show Survivor. And if that's not what they want. Then I don't want to work with them. You know what you would say to me? That's good. Because you will not be working with them.
And you would think I was crazy. But some of us. Your understanding of God is. I guess I'll just. Do what I think is best. And if that's not what he wants.
Then I can't worship a God like that. It's like. Bro you just made yourself God. God. That's not how it works. If he's real.
He has an actual law. And so I want you to know today. If you didn't realize this. There is an actual law. And you are actually unclean. And actually sinful.
And you stand condemned before God. There is an actual standard. Because there is an actual God. But if you fail to realize. That Jesus fulfilled this on your behalf. I'll tell you what happens.
First of all. You won't place faith in Jesus. Once you realize. He's accomplished this. That's where our trust. And our joy.
And our hope. And everything we have. Goes to Jesus. Because we realize. That he did everything for us. But if you're a Christian in here.
And you keep. Not realizing. That all of the law. Has been fulfilled. On your behalf. That it's been accomplished.
Let me tell you what happens. You keep worrying. Am I doing enough? Have I done enough. To make myself okay? When you read an article.
That says. The Old Testament law. Says this. You go. I ate shellfish. Am I okay?
Did I really have to give up bacon? Every time you hear. Some new fad. Of like a. This is something. You need to start doing.
You need to start living this out. You need to like. You start worrying. Have I done enough? And here's the answer. To that question.
No you have not. But Jesus has. And in Christ. The law has been fulfilled. You stand before God. With the law accomplished.
On your behalf. If you have placed your faith in Jesus. You are clean. It has been fulfilled. And you can rest. The band is going to come back up.
We are going to sing. We are going to enjoy the fact. That because of Jesus. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers.
And Deuteronomy. Have been accomplished. That we are. That we are. That we are. We are clean.
That we are. We are loved. That we are. We are free. And we don't have to sit around and worry. Have I done enough?
Am I good enough? Do I live up to the standard? You don't. But Jesus does. not a drop of ink written in the law is gone but Jesus dropped his blood on the ground spread his blood out just as they were covered in blood Jesus' blood has covered us the penalty has been paid, the law has been fulfilled and we're free so in the covenant God makes we realize how far short we fall but ultimately in Christ it's been fulfilled on our behalf let's pray God we thank you for your grace, we thank you for your love God I thank you that we believe that the law is true, that we hold it as true but we understand that it does not hold us any longer because Jesus has accomplished it on our behalf that while it hasn't been abolished, it has been fulfilled Jesus, we praise you that you have made us clean that you have made us right with you we love you Lord, in Jesus' name, amen
July 24