{"id":19108,"date":"2016-05-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/soteriology-017\/"},"modified":"2016-05-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-05-11T05:00:00","slug":"soteriology-017","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/soteriology-017\/","title":{"rendered":"Soteriology 017"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[88],"series_event":[459],"sermon_service_type":[473],"speaker":[6],"class_list":["post-19108","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-john","series_event-soteriology","sermon_service_type-sunday-school","speaker-dr-andy-woods","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"Soteriology 017","sermon_date":"20160511","sermon_month":"5","sermon_year":"2016","sermon_notes":3616,"sermon_slides":3617,"sermon_mp3":3618,"sermon_id":"511161858335","series_or_event":459,"service_type":[473],"speaker":6,"books_of_the_bible":88,"chapter_and_verse":"17:17","sermon_transcript":"Andy Woods\n\nSoteriology 17, John 17:17\n\nMay 11, 2016\n\nGood evening everyone.\u00a0 If we could take our Bibles and open them to 1 Corinthians or 1 Californians as Ray Stedman used to call it.\u00a0 1 Corinthians 1:2, continuing on tonight and next Wednesday, and then the Wednesday after that is the kid\u2019s presentation.\u00a0 Then the summer will be over but we\u2019re going to by then be into eternal security which we\u2019re going to continue Sunday mornings in the sanctuary during the Sunday School hour.\n\nWe have been talking about, through this outline, as we have been studying the doctrine of salvation\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and we\u2019ve been dealing with the results of salvation.\u00a0 Backing up just a little bit, Roman numeral V was how salvation is gained, by faith alone.\u00a0 Once you have salvation what exactly does that mean.\u00a0 Well, Dr. Chafer calls this the results of salvation, these things don\u2019t cause salvation but they occur because of salvation.\u00a0 And he itemized about 33 concepts that you presently possess as a Christian as a result of being saved.\u00a0 We can\u2019t go through all 33 but we can drill down on some that need more (probably) explanation than others.\n\nBut we talked about the fact that we have adoption because we\u2019re saved; eternal life because we\u2019re saved, regeneration because we\u2019re saved, justification because we\u2019re saved, forgiveness of all pre-cross sins because we\u2019re saved.\u00a0 And last week, remember, we talked about how we have the ability or the capacity for good works.\u00a0 We tried to make the case that good works are not automatic in the life of every child of God but they\u2019re desirable and it\u2019s what God wants to do in and through us.\n\nAnd something else we have, it\u2019s called sanctification, and let\u2019s spend a little bit of time tonight on sanctification.\u00a0 Sanctification is a huge topic in the Bible.\u00a0 For example, in the Old Testament (and I have those Hebrew and Greek names at the top. \u00a0\u00a0The Old Testament word, which is written in Hebrew for sanctification is kodesh, <\/em>\u00a0and it means the opposite of profane; profane just means common.\u00a0 So when someone uses profanity they\u2019re using vulgarity which is earth speech, common speech.\u00a0 And the Hebrew word for sanctification is the opposite of that, it means separated from sin.\n\nAnd as you track this through the Old Testament what you\u2019ll see is kode<\/em>sh<\/em> is used to describe things that to God are holy, like the tabernacle that He instructed Moses to build, like the temple.\u00a0 And you go into the New Testament and the Greek word for sanctification is hagiazo<\/em> which means\u2026, it\u2019s very similar to kodesh<\/em>, it means to be separated for God\u2019s use.\u00a0 That\u2019s what sanctification is, separated for God\u2019s use.\u00a0 It\u2019s the opposite of impurity.\n\nAnd as you go through the New Testament you\u2019ll see hagiazo<\/em> is applied to things that God considers special, like the city of Jerusalem, like the temple.\u00a0\u00a0 And one of the interesting things is this word, hagiazo<\/em>, and at least the concept of kodesh<\/em>, is applied to the believer.\u00a0\u00a0 So God\u2019s desire for us is that we would be sanctified; the opposite of common, the opposite of impure, that we would actually be a peculiar people, set aside for His purposes.\n\nSo notice if you will 1 Corinthians 1:2, it says, \u201cTo the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been\u201d what? \u201csanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling,\u201d and then the rest of the verse goes on.\u00a0 But you\u2019ll notice there that sanctification has three tenses to it.\u00a0 And here it\u2019s being used in the past tense.\u00a0 Now it\u2019s obviously not being used in the present tense because when you study the book of 1 Californians you\u2019ll discover that these people, 1 Corinthians, excuse me, these people weren\u2019t acting very saintly.\u00a0 So positionally they were sanctified or separated but practically they weren\u2019t.\u00a0 So their practice hadn\u2019t caught up with their position, and that\u2019s why Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians.\u00a0 But very clearly they were in a positional sense, in a past tense, already sanctified.\n\nSo regardless of your progress in progressive sanctification there is a sense where every child of God has already been sanctified, or set aside at least by position.\n\nTake a look, if you could, at 1 Corinthians 6:11, here\u2019s another example of it.\u00a0 \u201cSuch were some of you; but you were washed, but you were\u201d what? \u201csanctified,\u201d see how it\u2019s a past tense idea, it already happened to them.\u00a0 And then you read this whole chapter and these people are suing each other, they\u2019re visiting temple prostitutes for sexual purposes, so how in the world can they be sanctified when they\u2019re acting like that?\u00a0 Because this is not dealing with this word the way I\u2019m using it here, practical sanctification, it\u2019s positional, it\u2019s something that already happened.\n\nAnother example of sanctification in the past tense is the book of Hebrews, chapter\u00a0 10, verse 10, take a look at that if you could.\u00a0 Hebrews 10:10, you\u2019ll see sanctification used in the past tense again, and it says there, \u201cBy this will we have been\u201d what? \u201csanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.\u201d\u00a0 So sanctification has three tenses to it.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I just described as sanctification in the past tense, it already happened; the moment you trusted in Christ Got set you aside for His purposes.\n\nBut then what you\u2019ll discover in the Bible is sanctification is also used in the present tense.\u00a0 For example, notice John 17:17, here Jesus is praying for the disciples and those who would be impacted by the disciples, and He prays to the Father on their behalf, \u201cSanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.\u201d\u00a0 So they are already believers, these disciples, and yet Jesus prays for them to be sanctified and what He\u2019s praying for them, therefore, is that their practice would catch up with their position, which is called spiritual growth.\u00a0 As our daily life catches up with our identity or emulates our identity, that\u2019s the definition of maturity or growing in Christ.\u00a0 But here Jesus is specifically praying for their, not past tense sanctification, they already had that, but their present tense sanctification.\u00a0 And that\u2019s where you have all of these commands in the New Testament.\n\nFor example, Romans 6:19, \u00a0it says, \u201cI am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in\u201d what? \u00a0\u201csanctification.\u201d\u00a0 So when I no longer\u00a0 yield my body to my old nature but I begin to yield it more and more to the new nature what\u2019s happening is I\u2019m experiencing practical sanctification; there sanctification is used in the present tense.\n\nA couple more examples of present tense sanctification. Take a look at the book of 1 Thessalonians for a minute, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, \u201cFor this is the will of God,\u201d ever wonder what the will of God is for your life, I mean, believers scratch their heads their whole lives wondering what\u2019s God\u2019s will for my life\u2026 well here it is, right here in the Bible.\u00a0 Ready\u2026 \u201cFor this is the will of God, your\u201d what? \u201csanctification,\u201d now here it\u2019s obviously not talking about past tense sanctification but present tense sanctification because it describes what is to happen in our lives so that we can experience present tense sanctification, \u201cthat you abstain from sexual immorality.\u201d\u00a0 So what is God\u2019s will for your life?\u00a0 What is God\u2019s will for my life?\u00a0 Present tense sanctification, and we \u201cabstain\u201d from sexual sin.\n\nAnd then you move down to verse 7 and it says, \u201cFor God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in\u201d what? \u201csanctification.\u201d\u00a0 Present tense.\n\nTake a look if you could over at 2 Timothy, chapter 2, remember the two vessels?\u00a0 We\u2019ve been covering this Sunday morning, we covered it a few months ago but God in His house has two kinds of vessels, vessels that are common, like plastic wear, and vessels that are uncommon, like silverware.\u00a0 So do you want to be plastic or silver?\u00a0 Silverware you bring out for special occasions, right?\u00a0 Plastic wear you use for ordinary purposes.\u00a0 So what is God\u2019s will for your life?\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t want you to be plastic, He wants you to be silver.\n\nAnd that\u2019s what 2 Timothy 2:19-23 is talking about. \u00a0[2 Timothy 2:19-23, \u201cNevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, \u2018The Lord knows those who are His,\u2019 and, \u2018Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.\u2019 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. [21] Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things,<\/em> he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. [22] Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and<\/em> peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. [23] But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.\u201d]\n\nBut notice verse 21, 2 Timothy 2:21, it says, \u201cTherefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor,\u201d what\u2019s the next word?\u00a0 \u201csanctified,\u201d and then once you\u00a0 begin to experience progressive sanctification you become \u201cuseful\u201d to God,\u00a0 you\u2019re no longer plastic but silver, He can use you for\u00a0 not just common purposes but for very noble purposes.\u00a0\u00a0 But that\u2019s a collection of verses that talk about sanctification in the present tense, which is what God wants.\n\nAnd then one of these days we\u2019re going to die, or the rapture will happen, I hope the rapture comes first, personally, but I can\u2019t promise that.\u00a0 But I\u2019ll be out of this body, you\u2019ll be out of your body, and the temptation to go back into sin won\u2019t even exist, and at that point you will have achieved sanctification, future tense.\u00a0 So sometimes the word sanctification is used in the future tense.\u00a0 For example, notice 1 Thessalonians 3:13, \u201cso that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father\u201d now we know this is future because it says \u201cat the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.\u201d\u00a0 And then over in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 it says, \u201cNow may the God of peace Himself\u201d do what? \u201csanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame,\u201d when? \u201cat the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d\u00a0 So there the verb sanctify is used in the future tense.\n\nSo we have been dealing with the three tenses of salvation, haven\u2019t we: justification, the past tense of salvation; sanctification, the present tense of salvation, and glorification, the future tense of salvation.\u00a0 So what I\u2019ve just given you are synonyms for these three tenses.\u00a0 Another way of saying it is salvation in the past is the past tense of sanctification; salvation in the present is the present tense of sanctification, and salvation in the future is the future tense of sanctification.\u00a0 So I have been sanctified, I will be sanctified, and hopefully what\u2019s happening in my daily life is my life doesn\u2019t become sinless but I\u2019m starting to sin less, if\u00a0 you know what I\u2019m talking about.\u00a0 And as that begins to become a reality in our life we\u2019re actually growing spiritually and we\u2019re experiencing sanctification in the present tense.\n\nNow who sanctifies us?\u00a0 The answer is every member of the Trinity is somehow involved in our sanctification.\u00a0 For example, the Father is involved because Jesus prayed to the Father\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 regarding the disciples in John 17:17, \u201cSanctify them,\u201d so Jesus wouldn\u2019t have prayed that if the Father didn\u2019t play some kind of role in our sanctification, past, present and future. \u00a0[John 17:17, \u201cSanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.\u201d]\n\nAnd then going back to the verse we started with, 1 Corinthians 1:2 we know that the Son, the second member of the Trinity plays a role in our sanctification because it talks about the saints and those by calling in every place on the name of who? Our Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 So that\u2019s the second member of the Trinity playing a role.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t want to leave out the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity.\u00a0 Notice 1 Peter 1:2, he says there, [verse 1] \u201cPeter an apostle to those who are aliens, scattered [\u201cthroughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen,]\u201d and then verse 2 says, \u201caccording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the\u201d who? Holy Spirit.\u00a0 So when you study these passages on sanctification, what you learn is all members of the God head are involved in that process.\n\nSo obviously this issue of sanctification must be pretty important to God; we believe in one God but we believe He\u2019s expressed Himself in three personages because you can find verses that show you that every member of the Trinity is involved in this.\u00a0 So I have been sanctified, I will be sanctified, and hopefully what\u2019s happening in my life, which is the will of God for me, is I\u2019m becoming more and more progressively sanctified, which means I\u2019m becoming a vessel for not profane uses or common uses but special uses, just like the temple in the Old Testament and the tabernacle\u2026 you know, there\u2019s a reason the New Testament tells us our body is the temple of the what?\u00a0 The Holy Spirit; just as the temple was a holy place in Old Testament times that\u2019s how our bodies are to be.\u00a0 And those are the types of vessels that God uses for noble purposes.\n\nNow how does God sanctify us, exactly.\u00a0 Well if you\u2019re talking about sanctification in the past tense, where we\u2019ve already been set aside positionally what accomplishes that is the blood and body of Jesus.\u00a0 The body and blood of Jesus applied to us at the point of faith is what gave us positional (past tense) sanctification.\u00a0 So for example, notice Hebrews 9:13-14, it says: \u201cFor if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled\u201d what\u2019s the next word? \u201csanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,\u201d and then verse 14 says, \u201chow much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?\u201d\u00a0 So notice very clearly it\u2019s Christ\u2019s body which was sacrificed for us and His blood which was spilled on our behalf which is the means that God used to positionally sanctify us, past tense.\n\nOne more, notice Hebrews 10:10, it says, \u201cBy this will we have been\u201d what? \u201csanctified\u201d now notice the Bible doesn\u2019t just say we\u2019re sanctified, it gives us the means, \u201cthrough the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.\u201d\u00a0 So what is the means by which we are sanctified, past tense?\u00a0 It is the body of Jesus Christ which was sacrificed on our behalf and His blood that was spilled on our behalf.\n\nOkay, well then if that\u2019s all true what does God use to sanctify us today, in the present tense?\u00a0 And he uses two tools over and over again, the first one is the Word of God and the second one is the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Remember the prayer that Jesus prayed, going back to John 17:17?\u00a0 He prayed for the present tense sanctification of the disciples and remember what He prayed?\u00a0 \u201cSanctify them in the\u201d what? \u201ctruth, Your\u201d what? \u201cis truth? \u201cword,\u201d so there He very clearly says that the means that God wants to use is to bring these disciples and us into present tense sanctification is the Word of God.\n\nNotice Acts 20:32, these are Paul\u2019s words to the shepherds at Ephesus, the pastors and the elders, he says, \u201cAnd now I commend you to God and to the\u201d what? \u201cword of His grace,\u201d that\u2019s the Scripture,\u201d which is able\u201d able to do what? \u201cwhich is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are\u201d what? \u201csanctified.\u201d\u00a0 So do we want to be counted among those who have achieved through God\u2019s power some level of progressive sanctification in this life.\u00a0 If the answer is\u00a0 yes then we have to be routinely exposed to God\u2019s Word.\u00a0 God doesn\u2019t do it without His Word.\n\nAnd this sort of dovetails the teaching we\u2019ve been doing on Sunday morning through 2 Timothy 3 and 4 where we\u2019re in that section dealing with \u201cpreach the Word,\u201d how young Timothy is to preach the Word and Paul gives the benefits of the Word being preached.\u00a0 2 Timothy 4:2, \u201cpreach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.\u201d\n\nYou might recall 2 Timothy 3:16, \u201cAll Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for\u201d what? \u201cteaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness; [17] so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.\u201d\u00a0 Now notice if the Word of God is not being taught and people aren\u2019t exposing themselves to the Word of God then the process of progressive sanctification cannot and will not happen because you subtract the Word of God from the equation and suddenly teaching disappears, reproof disappears, correction disappears, and training in righteousness disappears, and equipping disappears.\n\nSo there\u2019s a lot of people that kind of have this mindset that it\u2019s just kind of mean God and I can kind of do my Christian thing while I sit under a tree, I don\u2019t need the church.\u00a0 The problem with that is the church is the place where the Word of God is supposed to be openly proclaimed.\u00a0 And if you\u2019re not in an environment where the Word of God is being openly proclaimed and you\u2019re not allowing yourself to be corrected and built up week by week through the Word of God then you simply can\u2019t attain progressive sanctification.\u00a0 You may have it positionally and ultimately but you can\u2019t have it practically.\n\nSo your progress in progressive sanctification is related to the extent that you avail yourself to God\u2019s Word, and it\u2019s not just listening to sermons, it would be reading it on your own, reading it with your family, reading it with your children, reading it personally.\u00a0 It\u2019s the extent to which you avail yourself to God\u2019s Word and not just have information going into the mind just for the sake of having it going into the mind but you actually start volitionally obeying and responding to God\u2019s Word.\u00a0 If there\u2019s not a perpetual intake of God\u2019s Word and there\u2019s not a perpetual response of obedience to God\u2019s Word, progressive sanctification in my life and\u00a0 your life is very negligible, if at all.\n\nSo it\u2019s very clear here that the middle tense of progressive sanctification is contingent upon the Word of God and its role in our lives.\u00a0 So that\u2019s why we\u2019re somewhat aggressive, at least at this church, in teaching over and over again the Word of God, because we want to see people grow.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want to see them pass an exam in college, this college I teach at I would like to see them pass an exam, but the ultimate goal is not to pass an exam, the ultimate goal is sanctification, which is what God wants to produce in our lives.\n\nAnd the second tool that God uses to bring us into progressive sanctification is the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, and notice Galatians 5:16; Galatians 5:16 says, \u201cBut I say, walk by the\u201d what? \u201cSpirit, and you will\u00a0 not carry out the desire of the flesh.\u201d\u00a0 Now what does it mean to \u201cwalk by the Spirit\u201d?\u00a0 It means to be continually dependent upon the Spirit.\n\nSo the Bible never calls us to overcome the lusts of the flesh, and by the way, notice you still have lusts of the flesh as a Christian; the lusts of the flesh are still there.\u00a0 In fact, sometimes the lust of the flesh are more obvious to you as a Christian than they were to you before you were a Christian, because now the Spirit of God is inside of you pointing out righteousness.\u00a0 So some people actually feel worse about themselves after they get saved than before and the reason is because something greater than yourself lives inside of you now, who constantly brings to our awareness sin and things that are displeasing to God.\n\nBut you\u2019ll notice that it says if we walk according to the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.\u00a0 I don\u2019t overcome the lusts of the flesh through willpower in and of itself.\u00a0 I overcome it by submitting to the commands of God under His power.\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t have any teaching on the spiritual life, which most Christians don\u2019t have because the subject, for whatever reason is very poorly understood, the only thing you\u2019re left with is a set of rules, you know, don\u2019t smoke, don\u2019t chew, don\u2019t go with girls who do, don\u2019t have a tattoo, not that I\u2019m in favor of tattoo\u2019s necessarily but it\u2019s a rule people put on themselves, I can\u2019t have a tattoo, I can go to PG movies but not R movies, maybe PG\u2026 there\u2019s so many ratings now I get them all confused, there\u2019s PG 13.\u00a0 You guys get my drift, it\u2019s a set of rules that I have to follow because God\u2019s people are supposed to act this way but not that way.\u00a0 So that\u2019s the only thing I\u2019m left with is a set of rules which we call legalism if I don\u2019t have any teaching on the spiritual life.\n\nWhat gives you, by contrast, progress in progressive sanctification is not a set of manmade rules and do\u2019s and don\u2019ts.\u00a0 The Pharisees had all that stuff.\u00a0 It\u2019s walking moment by moment under the Spirit\u2019s power; that\u2019s how the lusts of the flesh start learning to say no to the lusts of the flesh with greater and greater regularity.\u00a0 So the more you\u2019re in the Word and obeying it and drawing upon the resources God has given you and saying no to the lusts of the flesh the more you\u2019re developing as a Christian, and growing, and becoming a sanctified vessel, middle tense, that God can now use for noble purposes.\u00a0 So that\u2019s a tremendous source of wealth that we have, our progressive sanctification.\n\nLet me add another to your list if I could, let\u2019s take a look at Romans 8:30 for a minute.\u00a0 Another source of wealth that we have is glorification.\u00a0 What is glorification?\u00a0 Glorification is the future tense of salvation.\u00a0 Justification is the past tense of salvation, freedom from sin\u2019s penalty at the point of faith.\u00a0 Sanctification as we just finished talking, depending on what tense you are in, focusing on the middle tense is the present of salvation where we\u2019re being gradually delivered from sin\u2019s power as we walk\u00a0 under the Spirit\u2019s control.\u00a0 And then the future tense of our salvation is glorification, because you see now, in a certain sense I\u2019m dual natured.\u00a0 I have a new nature that wants to please God but as long as I\u2019m still in this body I have an old nature that I can return to any moment.\u00a0 And in the middle tense of my salvation I have to start depending upon God\u2019s resources and saying no to that old nature with greater frequency.\n\nBut in glorification you\u2019re single natured again; there is no old nature to return to.\u00a0 So the desire to go back to the sin nature, the desire to retreat to the sin nature isn\u2019t even there in glorification.\u00a0 And so that happens the moment we are out of these bodies, either through rapture, in which case my body will be transformed, or through death.\n\nNow your glorification\u2026 are you in glory right now?\u00a0 You guys don\u2019t look like you are, I don\u2019t think I look like I do either, but did\u00a0 you know that the Bible teaches that your glorification is a done deal; it\u2019s part of your wealth.\u00a0 So God looks at us legally as if we\u2019re already glorified.\u00a0 How do I know that?\u00a0 It\u2019s right there in Romans 8:29-30, he articulates the various phases of our salvation.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFor those whom He foreknew, He also predestined\u201d now predestined is in the past tense, right?\u00a0 It already happened. \u201c\u2026to become<\/em> conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; [30] and these whom He predestined, He also called;\u201d \u201ccalled\u201d is in the past tense, right?\u00a0 \u201c\u2026 and these whom He called, He also justified;\u201d \u00a0\u201cjustified\u201d is in the past tense, right?\u00a0 And then look at the rest of the sentence, \u201cand these whom He justified, He also\u201d what? \u201cglorified.\u201d Past tense.\n\nSo if glorification is a future tense of my salvation then it hasn\u2019t happened yet how in the world can Romans 8:30 put it in the past tense? \u00a0And the answer to that is it\u2019s a done deal; it\u2019s so sure from God\u2019s perspective that He can articulate it in the past tense, although it factually hasn\u2019t happened yet.\u00a0 If you want a fancy name for this it\u2019s a distinction between De Jure and De Facto.\u00a0 De Jure means legal, De Facto means in fact. So legally I am already glorified as far as God is concerned.\u00a0 Factually it hasn\u2019t happened yet; that\u2019s got to wait till death or the rapture.\n\nAnd Ephesians 2:6 tells us that we legally are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.\u00a0 [Ephesians 2:6, \u201cand raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.\u201d]\u00a0 Are you seated with Christ in the heavenly places factually right now?\u00a0 No, you\u2019re stuck in this building, although it\u2019s a nice building, we have cushioned seats and air conditioning so praise the Lord for that.\u00a0 It\u2019s a comfortable place to be, but it\u2019s not your ultimate destination.\u00a0 You\u2019re legally not here, you\u2019re legally seated with Christ in the heavenly places, Ephesians 2:6.\u00a0 So that\u2019s a De Facto De Jury distinction.\u00a0 Legally that\u2019s where we are; factually we\u2019re not there yet.\u00a0 So legally I\u2019m already glorified.\n\nBy the way, just to tip my hand a little bit that\u2019s one of the reasons you can\u2019t lose your salvation.\u00a0 Your salvation is so sure your salvation is so sure, your glory is so sure God can speak of it as if it\u2019s already happened.\u00a0 In other words, nothing can derail future glory for the Christian.\u00a0 Satan can\u2019t derail it; we can\u2019t even derail it.\u00a0 The fallen angelic realm can\u2019t derail it; the tribulations and trials of life and suffering can\u2019t derail it either.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the whole point there of Romans 8, as\u00a0 you move into Romans 8:30-38, nothing can separate us from the love of God because one of the pieces of wealth which we already possess is our glorification.\n\n[Romans 8:29-38, \u201cFor those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become<\/em> conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; [30] and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.\u00a0 [31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is<\/em> for us, who is<\/em> against us? [32] He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? [33] Who will bring a charge against God\u2019s elect? God is the one who justifies; [34] who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. [35] Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?\u00a0 [36] Just as it is written, \u201cFOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.\u201d\u00a0 [37] But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d]\n\nGlorification is yours, it\u2019s in your account currently, even though it hasn\u2019t happened yet.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of like what God did with Joshua, you read Joshua 6 and God brought Joshua to Jericho and before there was any battle at all God told Joshua you already won, before they had even gone out to do anything militarily God announced in Joshua 6 that you already won.\u00a0 So that is the position of the believer, we\u2019ve already won.\u00a0 That\u2019s why the devil hates our guts.\u00a0 That\u2019s why we\u2019re called overcomers.\u00a0 The battle is over, the way is over, just factually a few things have to work out first but legally that\u2019s our position, we\u2019re glorified already.\u00a0 That\u2019s a phenomenal thing, isn\u2019t it?\n\nLet me add one more to your list, we are at the end of the Law.\u00a0 Take a look at Romans 10:4.\u00a0 This can get a little tricky so watch carefully on this.\u00a0 Romans 10:4 says, \u201cFor Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to\u201d who? \u201cto everyone who\u201d what? \u201cbelieves.\u201d\u00a0 So if you are \u201cin Christ\u201d you are at the end of the Law, the Law is a thing of the past.\n\nSo what in the world does that mean?\u00a0 I mean, it\u2019s stated there in Romans 10:4.\u00a0 First of all, does the Law play any role?\u00a0 Now when I\u2019m talking about the Law I\u2019m talking about what God gave Moses at Sinai.\u00a0 Does the Law play any role in your justification?\u00a0 Not really, other than to maybe alert you to the fact that you\u2019re a sinner and need to be justified.\u00a0 The only thing that justifies you is faith alone in Christ alone.\u00a0 Paul is very clear about this in Acts 13, which is his first major speech in the synagogue there in a city in Pisidian Antioch. \u00a0Acts 13:39 he says, and he\u2019s speaking in the Synagogue to Jews who were steeped in the Law.\n\nTo the Jew the Law was everything; they even looked at it as an instrument of salvation.\u00a0 They perverted its meaning and that\u2019s why Jesus, in John 5 says to the Jews, the Pharisees, your hopes are set on Moses.\u00a0 So these folks thought I gain salvation through adherence to the Mosaic Law.\u00a0 Paul upset their apple cart a little bit\u2026 a little bit? \u00a0A LOT, because he says in Acts 13\u2026 this is why they kicked him out of the synagogue, they hated his guts, he\u2019s contradicting 1,500 years of false teaching.\u00a0 He says, [Acts 13:39] \u201cand through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not<\/u> be freed through the Law of Moses.\u201d\u00a0 Obedience to the Law of Moses is not what justified you before God Paul says.\n\nNotice Acts 15:10-11, \u00a0now here the church at what\u2019s called the Jerusalem Council, the leadership of the church was still Jewish at this time, but the problem is you\u2019ve got a lot of Gentiles saved on Paul\u2019s first missionary journey.\u00a0 [Acts 15:10-11, \u201cNow therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?\u00a0 [11] But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.\u201d]\u00a0 So these Jews in Acts 15 who are now Christians are trying to figure out what do we do with all these Gentiles.\u00a0 And a lot of them thought well, let\u2019s just make them all go under the Mosaic Law because that\u2019s what Gentiles did in the Old Testament.\u00a0 Those folks were called what?\u00a0 Proselytes.\n\nOne of the most famous proselytes in the Bible is Ruth, the Moabitess, from Moab, and what did she say to her mother-in-law, Naomi?\u00a0 \u201cYour people will be\u201d what \u00a0\u201cmy people, your God will be my God.\u201d\u00a0 [Ruth 1:16, \u201cBut Ruth replied, \u201cDon\u2019t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.\u201d]\u00a0 So that\u2019s how you grew as a Gentile in the Old Testament era, is if you were a believer in Yahweh you went under the Law of Moses to grow spiritually.\n\nSo now Paul has gone out on missionary journey one and almost everybody that\u2019s saved is a Gentile and now all of these Jews are trying to figure out, are we going to put all these Gentiles under the Law?\u00a0 And I believe this is Peter who speaks up and I like what he says, it\u2019s almost a little bit humorous.\u00a0 Acts 15:11, it says, \u201cNow therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? [11] \u201cBut we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.\u201d\n\nIn other words, Peter says why in the world do we put all these Gentiles under the Law; we Jews did a terrible job of obeying the Law, just read the pages of the Old Testament.\u00a0 This Law was a\u00a0 yoke we Jews couldn\u2019t even bear and we\u2019re the chosen people and we\u2019ve had zero success at keeping the Law, why would we make a bunch of Gentiles go under the Law.\u00a0\u00a0 This is another verse that you can add to show that we are at the end of the Law.\n\nAnd notice the book of Galatians which is really the whole book is about this, how do you achieve growth in the Christian life?\u00a0 There\u2019s a whole bunch of people there in Galatia saying if you really want to grow as a Christian you\u2019ve got to go under the Law.\u00a0 And what does Paul say?\u00a0 Galatians 3:23-25, \u201cBut before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. [24] Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us<\/em> to Christ, so that we may be justified by\u201d what? \u201cfaith. [25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.\u201d\u00a0 So the Law is our schoolmaster that brings us to Christ.\u00a0 How does it do that?\u00a0 It points out our guilt before God.\n\nIf you can look at the Ten Commandments and be inflated with a sense of pride and say you know, gosh, I\u2019m doing pretty well here you don\u2019t even understand what the Ten Commandments are about.\u00a0 The Ten Commandments are there to not make us feel good about ourselves but to make us feel bad about ourselves because the Ten Commandments reveal our sinful heart, particularly when you understand that the Law sits in judgment, not just on what I do but what I think.\u00a0 What\u2019s the tenth commandment?\u00a0\u00a0 Anybody know?\u00a0 \u201cThou shalt not covet.\u201d\u00a0 Now coveting is something I can do in my heart; it\u2019s desiring something that doesn\u2019t belong to me.\u00a0 So I can be committing the sin of coveting and no one could even know it because the Law sits in judgment on my heart.\n\nSo my heart has committed sin that my hands haven\u2019t gotten around to yet.\u00a0 That\u2019s what the Law reveals.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the whole point of Christ\u2019s Sermon on the Mount, when He says things like in Matthew 5:21-22, if you\u2019re angry with your brother you are already a what?\u00a0\u00a0 A murderer.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0[Matthew 5:21-22, \u201cYou have heard that the ancients were told, \u2018YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER\u2019 and \u2018Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.\u2019 [22] But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, \u2018You good-for-nothing,\u2019 shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, \u2018You fool,\u2019 shall be guilty enough to go<\/em> into the fiery hell.\u201d]\n\nAnd then Matthew 5:27-28 if you\u2019re lusting sexually after somebody that you\u2019re not married to then you\u2019re already an adulteress.\u00a0\u00a0 [Matthew 5:27-28, \u201cYou have heard that it was said, \u2018YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY\u2019; [28] but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [29] If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.\u201d]\n\nNow who among us can look at that standard and see ourselves as innocent?\u00a0 So that\u2019s the function of the Law; the Law deals with my wicked heart.\u00a0 And then I say oh my gosh, Lord, what am I going to do?\u00a0 And the Lord answers that cry for mercy by pointing to Christ who paid the penalty for our sins and we trust in Him.\u00a0 So the Law is my schoolmaster that leads me to Christ, it\u2019s like a tutor, but once I\u2019m in Christ there\u2019s no need to go back and re-submit myself to the Law.\u00a0 See that?\n\nSo the Law doesn\u2019t have any role in our justification, it makes us aware of our need for justification.\u00a0 Notice if you will Romans 3:20, it says the same thing, it says, \u201cbecause by the works of the Law no flesh will be\u201d what? \u201cjustified in His sight\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Okay, well if no one is justified in His sight through the Law why did God give the Law.\u00a0 Look at the rest of the verse, \u201cfor through the Law comes the knowledge of\u201d what? \u201csin.\u201d\u00a0 So you\u2019ve got to get a man lost before you can get him saved.\u00a0 What makes us aware that we\u2019re lost is the Law but after the Law has done that and brought us to Christ its job is over.\u00a0 See?\u00a0 So the Law doesn\u2019t play a role in my justification.\n\nNow does the Law play a role in my progressive sanctification?\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to follow me very carefully on this because there is massive confusion on this today.\u00a0 First of all, why did God give the nation of Israel the Law?\u00a0 Who did God give the Law to?\u00a0 Only to Israel.\u00a0 Psalm 147:19-20 was only given to the nation of Israel. of the Law, says, \u201cHe declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.\u00a0 [20] He has not dealt thus with any nation; and as for His ordinances, they have not known them.\u00a0 Praise the LORD!\u201d\u00a0 Who was the Law given to?\u00a0 Only Israel.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t even given to the United States of America.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t even given to Sugar Land Bible Church.\u00a0 It was given specifically to the nation of Israel.\n\nNow for what purpose?\u00a0 Watch this, it\u2019s very important to understand this, not to justify them!\u00a0 How do I know that?\u00a0 Because when the nation of Israel crossed through the Red Sea, which God closed on the Egyptians, and before that put the blood of the Passover Lamb on the doorpost, they were justified before God.\u00a0 The Law hadn\u2019t even been given yet.\u00a0 How do I know they are justified before God?\u00a0 Because they are in the hall of faith; the generation that passed through the Red Sea is in the hall of faith, Hebrews 11:29.\u00a0 [Hebrews 11:29, \u201cBy faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.\u201d]\n\nAnd then when they passed through the Red Sea it says they believed in the Lord which is the same Hebrew construction to describe Abraham\u2019s salvation, Genesis 15:6, which everybody takes as a type of our salvation.\u00a0 [Genesis 15:6, \u201cThen he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.\u201d]\u00a0 That\u2019s how Paul uses Genesis 15 throughout his writings, Romans 4, Galatians 3:and many other places.\u00a0 So these people were already saved, they were already redeemed.\n\nAnd then you look at Exodus 19:1 and\u00a0 you\u2019ll discover that two months passed after they came out of Goshen, out of Egypt, passed through the Red Sea it took them two months to get from passing through the Red Sea to Sinai.\u00a0 [Exodus 19:1, \u201cIn the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.\u201d]\u00a0 What did they receive at Sinai?\u00a0 The Law.\u00a0 So why did God give these folks the Law?\u00a0 Not to redeem them, they already were redeemed.\u00a0 Not to justify them, they already were justified.\u00a0\u00a0 He gave the Law specifically to Israel to teach God\u2019s redeemed people how to behave.\n\nThe Law was never given to redeem a people, it was given to a redeemed people, and it was only given to the nation of Israel, because as they\u2019re going from the Red Sea to Sinai, a two month journey, Exodus 19:1, what are they doing?\u00a0 \u00a0Are they acting saintly?\u00a0 Not at all.\u00a0 Every crisis that arises they complain against God, they complain against the leadership, they don\u2019t like the food, it comes from heaven, they don\u2019t like anything.\u00a0 In fact, a lot of them say we just want to go back to Egypt, at least we got three square meals there; we\u2019re out here in the wilderness and God is just going to kill us.\u00a0 I mean, they had no faith at all.\n\nSo these people were justified but they needed to learn how to live and so God took them to Sinai, not to redeem them but to show God\u2019s redeemed nation how they are to live.\u00a0 As a redeemed person how do you interact with your fellow believers, or your fellow man?\u00a0 Commandments 5-10 tell them that.\u00a0 [Exodus 20:13-17, \u201cYou shall not murder. [14] \u201cYou shall not commit adultery. [15] \u201cYou shall not steal.\u00a0 [16] \u201cYou shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.\u00a0 [17] \u201cYou shall not covet your neighbor\u2019s house. You shall not covet your neighbor\u2019s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.\u201d]\n\nHow do you act towards God, commandments 1-4 tell them that.\u00a0 [Exodus 20:3-6, \u201cYou shall have no other gods before me. [4] \u201cYou shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. [5] You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments\u201d]\n\nHow do you act towards the nations?\u00a0 The Law told them that because it gave them their calling as a kingdom of what?\u00a0 Priests.\u00a0 And what happens when you sin and you need to have fellowship restored between you and God?\u00a0 The Law told them how to do that, it\u2019s called the Levitical system.\u00a0 So the Law told them how to relate to God as a redeemed person; how to relate to each other, don\u2019t commit adultery with your neighbor\u2019s wife, don\u2019t steal, don\u2019t murder, as you relate to God make sure God is first in your life, don\u2019t use the Lord\u2019s name in vain, honor the Sabbath, those kinds of things.\u00a0 All of that comes from instruction in the Law.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0How do you relate to the unsaved world?\u00a0 The Law gave them their role as a kingdom of priests and told them how to do that.\u00a0 And what do they do when they fall into sin?\u00a0 The Levitical system taught them how to do that. \u00a0\u00a0There\u2019s nothing in the Law that taught these people how to be justified, it\u2019s all about sanctification.\n\nAnd the Pharisees come along and they switch the order around; they start telling people you know, if you really want to be right with God in terms of justification, you need to go under the Law.\u00a0 And they used the Law in a way that was perverted, and when the Law becomes a perversion it becomes a curse because you\u2019re using it for something other than why God gave it, and it\u2019s called a curse when it\u2019s misused in Galatians 3:13. [Galatians 3:13, \u201cChrist redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, \u2018CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE\u2019\"]\n\nSo many people today suffer under the curse of the Law because they look at the Ten Commandments and they think they\u2019re got to keep these commandments to be justified before God when in reality those commandments aren\u2019t there for that purpose at all.\u00a0 They function as a schoolmaster that leads us to Christ, but they\u2019re not there for that purpose.\n\nSo in justification the Law plays zero role; in sanctification the Law played a role for who?\u00a0 Israel, and who else?\u00a0 No one else.\u00a0 Are you with me?\u00a0 Because the Law, Psalm\u00a0 147:19-20, was only given to the nation of Israel.\u00a0 So if all of this is true, then how am I to achieve sanctification?\u00a0 A lot of people think I\u2019ve got to go back to the Law.\u00a0 But notice Galatians 5:22-23, \u201cBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.\u201d\u00a0 God never told us that we achieve practical sanctification through the Law; it\u2019s through the Spirit\u2019s empowerment.\n\nNotice 2 Corinthians 3:6-11, Paul is saying the same thing here, he says \u201cwho also made us adequate as<\/em> servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. \u00a0[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<\/em> 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.<\/em> [11] For if that which fades away was<\/em> with glory, much more that which remains is<\/em> in glory.\u201d\n\nNow you go through that paragraph and you\u2019ll see Paul comparing the Law to the Spirit.\u00a0 What is the Law to the New Testament believer?\u00a0 It\u2019s the old covenant.\u00a0 What is the Law of the Spirit?\u00a0 The new covenant.\u00a0 What can the old covenant do?\u00a0 It\u2019s the letter of the Law.\u00a0 What can the new covenant do?\u00a0 It\u2019s the spirit which gives life.\u00a0 The Law gives death because it points out our sins; the Spirit gives life.\u00a0 The Law is written on stone, the New covenant spirit.\u00a0 The Old covenant some glory, what do we have in the new covenant? Greater glory.\u00a0 What do we have in the Law?\u00a0 Condemnation.\u00a0 What do we have in the Spirit?\u00a0 Righteousness.\u00a0 What do we have in the Law?\u00a0 Something temporary, God never intended it to be permanent.\u00a0 What do we have with the life of the Spirit?\u00a0 Jesus said the Spirit will be in you for how long?\u00a0 Forever.\u00a0 He\u2019s contrasting our covenant with the old Mosaic Covenant and He\u2019s saying we are not under the Law to achieve progressive sanctification, we are under the Spirit\u2019s energy.\n\nSo therefore what you see here is the Law has no ability, number 1, to justify me before God, the only thing it can do is point out my sin which tells me I need to be justified.\u00a0 And it has no ability to bring me into progressive sanctification.\u00a0 That\u2019s the Spirit\u2019s job.\u00a0 Now you say well hold the phone here, are you saying we are not under the Law at all?\u00a0 If that\u2019s true then why is it that nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament?\u00a0 Every commandment is repeated in the New Testament other than which one?\u00a0 The Sabbath.\u00a0 So people say well, if we\u2019re not under the Law at all then why are nine of the Ten Commandments which comes from the Old Testament repeated in the New Testament.\n\nBeyond that, what do you do with passages like Romans 13:9 which quote the Law to the believer?\u00a0 Romans 13:9 says, \u201cFor this, \u2018YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,\u2019\u201d isn\u2019t that from the Old Testament Law?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t Romans in the New Testament?\u00a0 I\u2019m confused.\u00a0 Notice 1 Peter 1:16, is 1 Peter in the New Testament?\u00a0 The last time I checked it is, and yet what does 1 Peter 1:16 say, it starts quoting the Law again.\u00a0 1 Peter 1:16 says, \u201cbecause it is written, \u2018YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.\u201d\u2019\u00a0 That\u2019s from Leviticus 11:44.\u00a0 [Leviticus 11:44, \u201c'For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth.\u201d]\n\nSo if we\u2019re not under the Law what\u2019s Peter doing quoting the book of Leviticus for the New Testament believer?\u00a0 So you see this tension?\u00a0 A lot of verses say we\u2019re at the end of the Law but then you get into certain New Testament passages and it indicates that we\u2019re back under the Law again.\u00a0 So am I free from the Law or am I under the Law?\u00a0 What\u2019s the deal here?\n\nNow let me tell you the wrong way of handling this tension.\u00a0 This is what you get from Reformed Theology, John Calvin and others developed this idea.\u00a0 They say well, the Law of Moses has three parts to it; there\u2019s the ceremonial which deals with the sacrifices, there\u2019s the civil part of the Law which says stone to death Sabbath breakers and witches and homosexuals.\u00a0 And then there\u2019s the moral part of the Law, don\u2019t steal, don\u2019t covet and those kinds of things.\u00a0 And so the Reformed theologian says you see the Law of Moses had three parts to it: civil, ceremonial and moral.\u00a0 We are not under the civil, we are not under the ceremonial because Christ death rendered null and void animal sacrifices, but we are under the moral part of the Law.\u00a0 And you hear this a lot from people.\u00a0 We\u2019re not under the civil part of the Mosaic Covenant, or the ceremonial part of the Mosaic Law but the moral part of the Law we\u2019re under, and that\u2019s how they justify the fact that nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament.\n\nLet me tell you something; that view is totally 100% wrong.\u00a0\u00a0 Let me tell you why it\u2019s wrong.\u00a0 Number 1, Moses, when he was given the Law by God never said all right gang, here\u2019s the civil part over here, here\u2019s the ceremonial part over here, here\u2019s the moral part over here.\u00a0 That is an artificial, man-made distinction that you don\u2019t find in the Law of Moses.\u00a0 The second reason why Reformed theology is wrong on this account is because the Law of Moses is an all or nothing proposition.\u00a0 James 2:10 says, \u201cFor whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of what?\u00a0 \u201call\u201d of it.\u00a0 So if I put this little pinky fingernail and I stick it under the law in any sense, guess what?\u00a0 I\u2019m under the whole thing.\u00a0 So this idea that we\u2019re under the moral part but not the civil part or the ceremonial part is inaccurate.\n\nSo then, how do I handle this tension which says we\u2019re not under the Law but yet nine of the ten commandments are repeated in the New Testament.\u00a0 Here is the proper solution: we are under a similar yet different system.\u00a0 We are under a system that at places resembles the Old Testament Law, but it\u2019s a different system entirely because similarity is not always the same as what?\u00a0 Equality.\u00a0 I have two cars in my garage, they both have four wheels and seat belts and a steering column.\u00a0 Does that mean car A equals car B, even though they look similar?\u00a0 Obviously not, that would be a logical fallacy.\n\nSo we are under a system that you read in the New Testament it looks a little bit like the Mosaic Law but it\u2019s not.\u00a0 Texas law and California Law look similar, but guess what, I\u2019m a licensed attorney in California; I\u2019m not a licensed attorney in Texas.\u00a0 Well, why not?\u00a0 Because I never passed the Texas law, I haven\u2019t even tried to pass the Texas law because Texas has laws like California but they\u2019re a little bit different.\u00a0 By the way, if I steal something in California where am I going to be prosecuted?\u00a0 In California, I\u2019m not going to be prosecuted in Texas even though Texas also has laws against stealing.\n\nSo what am I trying to say?\u00a0 California law and Texas law look very similar but they\u2019re not the same.\u00a0 The system that we are under looks an awful lot like the Old Testament law at points but it\u2019s not the same, it\u2019s an entirely different system.\u00a0 Well, what are the differences?\u00a0 In our system we don\u2019t have sacrifices; do we stone to death Sabbath-breakers?\u00a0 Do you know what they said in Numbers 15?\u00a0 Hey Moses, we found a guy that wasn\u2019t showing up respecting the Sabbath.\u00a0 What did Moses say?\u00a0 Oh, here\u2019s what you do, I want you to pick up rocks and throw rocks at the guy till he\u2019s dead, Numbers 15 verses 32 and following.\u00a0 [Numbers 32-36, \u201cWhile the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. [33] Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, [34] and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. [35] Then the Lord said to Moses, \u2018The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.\u2019 [36] So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.\u201d]\n\nIs that what we do to people today who miss church?\u00a0 I\u2019ve thought about it but\u2026 [laughter] we don\u2019t do that because we\u2019re under a different system.\u00a0 The civil sacrifices and ceremonial is not here; the punitive element of stoning to death Sabbath breakers is not here.\u00a0 And here\u2019s what else is different with our system is we have a source of what?\u00a0 Power, if we walk according to the Spirit we will not fulfill the what? The lusts of the flesh. \u00a0[Galatians 5:16, \u201cBut I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.\u201d]\n\nSo I look at the moral teachings of God in the New Testament, which sometimes look like the Mosaic Law but I see a lot of differences.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see ceremonial, I don\u2019t see civil, I don\u2019t see punitive and I see a source of power which means that we are\u00a0 under a system that looks like the Mosaic Law at points but it\u2019s not the same as the Mosaic Law, it\u2019s different.\n\nBut what\u00a0 would you like to call our system that we\u2019re under?\u00a0 It\u2019s not up to us to pick that.\u00a0 The New Testament calls it the law of Christ, Galatians 6:2.\u00a0 [Galatians 6:2, \u201cBear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.\u201d]\u00a0 Not the Law of Moses, the law of Christ.\u00a0 Romans 8:2 calls it the law of the what?\u00a0 Spirit, not the Law of Moses, \u201cthe law of the Spirit.\u201d [Romans 8:2, \u201cFor the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.\u201d]\n\nSo I\u2019m not here preaching against the moral requirements of God as expressed in the epistles primarily as expressed in the New Testament.\u00a0 What I\u2019m saying is that\u2019s not the Law of Moses.\u00a0 So what role does the Law of Moses have in our justification?\u00a0 Zero.\u00a0 What role does the Law of Moses have in our progressive sanctification?\u00a0 Zero.\u00a0 Because we are under a system that\u2019s higher and better because we have privileges that those under the Mosaic Law didn\u2019t have.\n\nSo that\u2019s sort of what I mean by this idea that we\u2019re at the end of the Law.\u00a0 So what is in your ledger tonight?\u00a0 You sanctification, your glorification and the end of the Law.\u00a0 And we\u2019ll talk about, next week, some miscellaneous privileges that we have.","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t