By Grace
Key Passage: Exodus 19:1-8
Date: June 7, 2024
Exodus chapter number 19 tonight. We are studying through the life of Moses. Last Wednesday we had a little interruption. A good interruption, Randy Starr preached first, had a great job. And we’re getting back to the life of Moses. We are.
By the way, good to have some of the folks flipping them back there. That’s great. Good to see them. That’s good. But we are there out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, and coming down the wilderness of Sinai. It’ll talk about here tonight, and about to get the law. Many would call this a new dispensation, the dispensation of law where it starts here.
And so a little bit, we’re going to talk about the law tonight, and the good, bad, and ugly. I don’t know, he may take two Wednesdays on this subject. We’ll see how the Lord leads. And I do on Wednesday night try to be aware of time. I know a lot of you got to, somebody got to get like 4:30 the next morning, 4 o’clock, you know, so I try to be aware of that. If I can, I try. I didn’t say it, I try, all right, you know, okay.
But Exodus 19, and we’re going to start in verse number one. By the way, Brother Bill Jr., help me, is it 54 years for your parents? 54-year anniversary of the Johanhas, that’s where they’re out of town. So get back, tell them congratulations. 54 years, that’s pretty awesome. Amen.
So 54. Amen. Amen. That’s great. That’s right. Let’s stand, if you would, please. Exodus 19. We’re going to read the first eight verses. Don’t just drift. Try to focus on what he’s talking about here. Exodus 19, verse number one. In the third month, when the children of Israel were going forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Refraim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness, and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up into God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob. That’s speaking of Israel there. Until the turn of Israel, ye have seen what I did in the Egyptians and how I bear you on eagle’s wings and brought you unto myself.
Focus on this tonight, but I want you to notice that brought you unto myself. That’s what God wants. He wants to fellowship with you. He wants you and him to have a special relationship for all eternity. But he wants to start it now, just having sweet fellowship with him. Just a little side note there, how I bear you on eagle’s wings and brought you unto myself. Now, therefore, if you’ll obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine.
Just a little side note, just the children of Israel, where God’s chosen, still are God’s chosen people. God’s plan was to work in them and then through them to the rest of the world. They were like to be missionaries, if you will. And, of course, they disobey God. They rejected Jesus eventually. And that plan has not been fulfilled. Now, during the tribulation period, that will be fulfilled. And God will use the children of Israel in a great way during the tribulation. Remember the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. He’ll go back to that plan. Let’s talk about that here. Now, spiritually, through Jesus Christ, we’re a Jewish person, born again, one of the family of God. Romans 2 talks about that. And so God wants to make us peculiar treasure to him. By the way, if you’re living for the Lord, you’ll be a little peculiar to the world. Amen. It might not always fit in with everything in the world, you understand, you know, and he uses that term peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. First number six, and you should be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
And Moses came and called for the elders of the people and lay before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. Watch the response. And all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do.” And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.
A couple of thoughts there just before we really pray and get going here. They really, they didn’t even know what all the law was yet. I’m like, “Oh, we’re going to do all of it.” Nobody does all the law. This kind of shows a little bit of their pride and their self-reliance and I’m going to get the job done and all that. That’s what the law is about, showing us we’re not good enough, kind of humbling us, if you will, showing us we need a Savior. We’ll talk about that. But I want you to just kind of notice the response at the very beginning: “And all the people answered together, said, All that the Lord has spoken, we will do.” Good desire, good desire. But we’re sinful people, amen, you know.
Let me just say this right off the bat. No one has ever been saved by the law, okay? Sometimes we think, well, in the Old Testament, they were saved by keeping the law. Look over, if you will, in the book of Galatians. Galatians chapter 3 in the New Testament there. We’ll be a lot in Galatians tonight. Galatians is a book of the Bible where these people, a lot of them Jewish people, got saved by Jesus Christ, by putting faith in Jesus Christ. But then they went back to trying to be good enough to earn the favor of God through the law. And a lot of the book of Galatians is about the law and about you’re not going to win favor of God by keeping the law. Okay, so it’s a good book.
Well, we’re just going to a little bit talk about the law. But I want you to just, right off the bat, realize nobody, nobody ever got saved. Nobody ever has. Nobody ever will get saved by keeping the law. Look in Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3. Look in verse number 11 right there, verse number 11. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. It is evident, for the just shall live by faith.
Now, as Christians, typically we know nobody’s saved by being good enough in our end time, but we think the Old Testament they got saved by the law. They never did. No one ever has. Jewish tradition says the law has 613 commandments. It’s kind of according to how you divide it all up, and then the Pharisees added a lot of tradition to it. A lot of times we think about the 10 major, the 10 most popular, the 10 big ones, the 10 commandments, but there’s a whole lot more reading through Leviticus and whatnot to the law, okay? 613, and so Galatians over here says, hey, nobody ever has kept all the law and been saved by the law. It’s evident, okay?
Old Testament, they never got saved by keeping the law. Now, the sacrifices they offered up, the lambs and the rams and the turtle gloves and all these different things, were a picture of the coming Messiah, and I think it often kind of showed they were putting faith in the coming Messiah, showed their salvation. But that didn’t save them. Jesus Christ is the only thing that saves. Ever has been. We know a lot more about it because it’s already happened. We look back to it. They were looking forward to it.
We’ll often compare it to like layaway, you know, and they put it on layaway, if you will. We look back. It’s already been paid for, and Jesus paid it all. So number one, just very, very quickly off the top: No one has ever been saved by keeping the law.
Number two, what was the need of the purpose of the law? Look in verse number 22, Galatians 3. You’re there. Look in verse number 22 of Galatians 3. And he talks about that a bit here. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. Notice that, not keep it, not do it, but believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us under Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster, for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
So it’s a schoolmaster to teach us, to show us we’re not good enough. 613, if that’s exact, who knows the exact, it’s kind of hard to say exactly, but somewhere like if there’s 613 commandments, you realize, hey, I don’t even know what they all are, much less keep them, you know. And it’s the schoolmaster’s job to show where none of us are good enough.
I like the comparison, and I think Brother Frank mentions it often, or used to mention it often, but comparing our righteousness and us trying to keep the law being good enough to go to heaven. It’s like comparing a light bulb to the sun. You know, you’ll go to light bulb after a while. You know, you’ll kind of get that bright light. You’re stuck in your eyes. You look away. But there’s no comparison that to the sun. And that’s, if we’re just, we’re just trying to be good enough. No, no, no. In fact, so many great Christians were trying to be good enough and they kind of came to the point, I’m not good enough.
I’m listening to a book, The Life of David Brainerd, great, great Christian missionary years going by. And boy, the first part of that thing, he was just trying to be good enough. He was trying to everything he could to be good enough. But the schoolmaster, the law showed him, David Brainerd, you’ll never be good enough. And then he knew he needed the Savior. That’s what the law is all about, to show someone, hey, you’ve got to have a Savior.
Spurgeon said this. This is interesting. He said, “The poor sinner trying to be saved by the law is like a blind horse going round and round a mill and never getting a step further, but only being whipped continually. The faster he goes, the more work he does, and the more he is tired. It’s just an endless circle.” You’ll never be good enough. That’s what the law is all about to show you that.
Now here’s the sad thing about it. Look over in Galatians chapter four. Galatians chapter four and verse number four. Galatians 4, reading a little bit here at the beginning of the Bible, a little bit of a Bible study on Wednesday night. We do that. Galatians 4. Look in verse number four. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God has sent forth His Spirit—excuse me—the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying, “Abba Father.” That’s daddy Father. Hey, you’re my Dad. So we’re not under the law; adopted, we’re born into the family of God through Christ. Because of that, God said, I’ll send the Spirit of my Son into your heart saying, hey, I’m a child of God. That’s my Dad up there. Okay.
But notice when I’m not under the law anymore. Keep reading verse number seven. Wherefore there are no more a servant under the law, if you will, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Watch that, through Christ. Not by your, us keeping the law, but through Christ. How be it then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. Don’t about idols there. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, wherein to ye desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and times and years and so on.
Now, he’s saying what I already mentioned already. Look, you got saved, Galatians, you got saved by putting forth your faith in Christ. You’re a child of God. You’re a son of God. You’re not a slave anymore, not a servant anymore. You’re a son. Okay? But you’re going back to the law and these weak and beggarly things. You’re trying to do all these Old Testament laws to win favor before God.
Some religion do that in our day and time. Well, the Sabbath’s on Saturday, and you got to observe the Sabbath, you know. If you have church on Sunday, they get to the point, they’ll say that’s the mark of the beast. Sometimes they’ll say that. No, they’re going back up underneath the law. No, we’re not under the law anymore. We’re under grace.
Now, let me say this about that: the law is not bad. It’s not meaning, by the way, Christ—remember Jesus said, “I didn’t come to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law.” He fulfilled it all. Okay, doesn’t mean the law is bad. But we didn’t win the favor of God at salvation by keeping the law, and you’re not going to keep the favor of God by the law. Okay? And here it’s a little tricky. It’s a little tricky. The law is not bad.
You can divide, by the way, you can divide the law into two different parts. One is the moral law of God. God doesn’t change, same yesterday, today, and forever. You can learn a lot from that. And then the ceremonial law, that’s more like the city ordinances that he gave the nation of Israel. And that was for the nation of Israel. So you can divide it a little bit between those two there. So you can learn a lot from the law. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s all about your motives.
I’ve used this illustration before. Let me use it again. We’re going to try to get into what I think God wants to cover a little bit tonight. This is kind of introduction to it. But you’ve heard me tell that story about the lady that was married to the guy that was just a jerk. He was mean to her. He didn’t treat her right. He just kind of just harsh, you know. And he wanted her to have breakfast out about this time of the morning. I want my eggs to cook this way. And I want you to fold my clothes and put up in the drawer just like this. And I want you to put this dishwasher liquid—all this. He had particulars about everything. He wanted all this stuff. And he wrote a list: “You better do all these things,” you know. And he was just a mean, harsh husband.
Well, that guy died. Everybody say, “Praise the Lord” of that? No, I’m joking. I didn’t. But he died. I don’t think she killed him. The story doesn’t go like that. She didn’t kill him. But maybe so. I don’t know. No, she didn’t kill him. But he died. And she tried to be a good wife, even though she was like that. She tried. But she’s just hard. She tried out of character and a love for the Lord. Just tried to be a good wife. Even the little guy was like that. Well, he died.
And a couple years later, she met a guy that loved her. And she, of course, responded back. She fell in love with him. And he was good to her. I mean, he just treated her so good, so kind to her, loving to her. And he wasn’t like that. He just loved her, unconditional love. And treated her so good, like the queen of the home and the house, whatnot. And boy, she just, she wanted to please that guy. And he just, he just loved her no matter what. He loved her. Good days, bad days, he loved her. And she wanted to do whatever. And so she would kind of make a note if he wanted this, you know, this breakfast at this time or whatever. You know, he never demanded it. She just wanted to do it, you know. And she was so happy doing it. They had a great marriage, just enjoyed life. And he was, he wasn’t demanding, but she wanted to please him.
And a little while later on, she was in her bedroom. She opened her dresser drawers, and she looked down there, and she seen that list that her husband, first husband, had made for her. And she began to read: he wanted this some breakfast, and he wanted the clothes folded, he wanted this and had all these things. And she thought, “Wow,” you know, the honest truth? She said, “I’m doing now pretty much the same thing I did back then. But I don’t even realize it. He’s not demanding it. I want to do it. I love him. He loves me. I want to please him. I’m trying to find out what he likes.” Now there’s the difference. See, if I’m trying to keep the law to win the favor of God, there’s a wrong motive. God’s not going to beat you over the head if you make a mistake. But I try to do the things God wants me to do, not because it beats me over the head, but because he loves me. And I want to please him. See, it’s hard to know. Sometimes I’m outside because, look, the lady said, “I’m doing the same thing I used to do.” So by just looking at the things, it looks the same, but the motives were totally different. Right?
Now, so let me just talk for a minute here about sometimes we as Christians, the Galatian Christians, they went back up underneath the law trying to please God, all right? Excuse me, that’s wrong. I’m wrong. That would be a good thing, trying to please God. They went back up underneath the law trying to win the favor of God, all right? Trying to be accepted by keeping all that.
That’s why it’s so important that we teach and preachers teach the Bible does about eternal salvation. Once you become a child of God, he said, “I will no-wise cast you out.” You’re going to be saved. That’s the unconditional love of God. He said, “They shall never perish,” he said. “I have given them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father has given them to me, greater than all. No man shall pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” You’re saved.
And that shows, that’s just kind of the baseline, it shows that you are accepted, you’re saved, you’re his child, and he’ll always love you, no matter what. And if I’m not careful, I’ll do the right things, but I’m doing those things trying to win the acceptance and the favor of the love of God. When if you’re saved, he already loves you. You already accept it. You always will be.
Now let me give you just a couple of thoughts, maybe trying to make it a little bit more realistic to our everyday living, your everyday living. Let me give you some signs that maybe we’re reverting back to living under the law, trying to win the acceptance of the love of God, or maybe a sign that we’re living like a slave when we should be living like a child of God. Someone called this legalism or legalistic. Let me just say a word about that term. If you get real technical, it’s according to the definition of the word, but some will use that term and say, well, that means you’ve got to do all these things to be saved. And that, of course, is wrong. And I hope we never teach that. You know, some churches, if you do this, you’re going to hell if you do this.
Well, the honest, simple truth is sin, sin as far as going to heaven. If you do any sin, you’re going to hell. But sin is actually not the thing that sends you to hell. It’s rejecting Jesus that sends you to hell. It’s kind of hard to think that through, but that’s the truth. And Christ, he’s given you the medicine. You know, what makes you sick? You didn’t take the medicine. Christ is the medicine, see? So let me give a couple signs that maybe you’re living legalistically or judgmentally, if you will. By that, I mean you’re trying to gain the acceptance and favor of God by keeping the law. Let me give a couple things about that, just trying to bring it down to our everyday living where I think God wants us to cover a little bit here.
Number one, a legalistic person, someone that’s trying to gain acceptance and favor of God by keeping the law, is one that gets angry when others get grace. Somebody else’s got the grace of God and just kind of bothers you. Why would God give them grace?
Remember over there the parable when they go out into the work field? Look over, if you look over Matthew chapter number 20, Matthew chapter 20, and we’re going to be pushing it for time tonight. We may finish it all up next week. But this is a parable where a store—a parable is an earthly story that has a heavenly meaning, all right? This is a parable here with this guy. He is signing up workers to go work in his field. All right. And the first guy comes at 6 a.m. Typically the Jewish day starts at 6 a.m. All right. They coming at 6 a.m. They agreed. It’s always interesting to me. None of the other ones agree. But this one agreed. He agreed. Hey, look for a penny a day of pay. Now, when we think of a penny, we’re thinking of, you know, a little copper coin we have in our pocket. Maybe we don’t have in our pocket, but you know what I’m talking about. A penny or a pence was basically a day’s wage in that day and time. All right. So he agrees on an honest wage. That day and time, a day’s wage. And so he goes to work at 6 a.m. And then another guy comes along around 9 a.m. He doesn’t really agree on any amount. Another guy comes along at noon. Another guy at 3, another guy at 5. Now, 6 o’clock ends their day pretty much. They’re coming out of the fields, they’re getting their money. And the guy that started working at 6 a.m., he watches and the boss pays the guy that came at 9 a.m. a penny, a pence. The guy that came at 12, same thing. 3 p.m., same thing. One guy only worked one hour. He came to 5 p.m., gave him a pence. So this guy comes, and he thinks, well, man, I’ve been working all day long, he’s going to give me a lot more, and he gives him what he agreed, a pence. All right? And he’s mad. I’ve got to get that a little bit. Anybody out there? Notice what he says here. Look at Matthew 20. Look in verse number 10.
Matthew 20, verse number 10. But when the first came, that’s the first guy, started working, they supposed that they should have received more, and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house.
Now, we’re going to take time to read the good man and say, look, it’s my money. I got the right to do whatever I can with my money. We agreed on this. I gave it to you. But here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. If we’re not careful, we’ll be like that when God’s gracious to someone. And I’m like, well, why does God bless him like that? See. And I’m getting a little bit of a legalistic mind. I’m just telling what I’ve done and what they’ve done. Why is God blessing them and God’s not giving me that much? You understand what I’m saying? And I’m slightly going back up underneath the law. It’s just a very slick, sly trick of the devil to kind of get us where tally keepers, only everybody and everything. And why I should be honest. Truth is, if I get—well, they’re real justly, if I get really what I deserve, I deserve hell. And we all got the grace of God because of Jesus Christ, not because of what I am. But if I’m not careful, I’ll kind of go back up underneath the law and say, well, why are they getting all that? They don’t deserve it. You understand what I’m saying? And I’m slightly falling up underneath the law, if you will. So number one, it kind of reveals I’m living like a slave instead of a child when I begin to get angry when others get the grace of God.
A legalistic person or someone that’s falling into this, they’re just kind of watching everybody, what everybody’s getting, what everybody’s not getting. A legalistic person constantly evaluates if they’re getting a fair shake. A little bit similar to the first thing. Go back over, if you would, to Luke chapter number 15, Luke chapter 15. And remember over there, the prodigal son. He was the younger of the two boys. And he said, “Dad, give me my inheritance,” and he got his inheritance, and he went out of Dodge, and he spent all the money in riotous, sinful living. And he’s broke, he’s in the pig pen, and he actually talked about eating pig food. Actually, the Bible says he vain would have ate. He wanted to, but I think the owner said, “No, you can’t eat the pig.” He couldn’t even eat the pig’s food. And he hit rock bottom, and that’s when he came to himself. And he says, “I’m going to go.” He said, “Dad’s servants have it better than me.” Remember that? And so he goes back home. I like it. He didn’t go around town talking about his dad or whatever else. He said, “No, I’m going to get back right. I need to go deal with Dad himself.” It goes back home, talks to Dad. “Dad, I’m sorry. I’m not right.” And remember what that dad—it’s interesting. It’s the one instance in the Bible, the father of the prodigal son pictures God the Father, where God’s running. And the father runs out there to meet the prodigal son. Man, give him a big hug, you know, and all that. And he’d come on home and they throw a big party for him. Remember he gives him a ring and a robe? And they kill the fatted calf. Remember that? They had this big party, you know. Everything is wonderful. Man, they’re just, they’re rejoicing, having a great time. Everybody’s happy besides one person. There’s an older brother, and he ain’t happy. And I want you to read what’s the older brother—I think the older brother kind of becoming legalistic, if you will. Watch what he does. Luke 15, look in verse number 29.
And he answered and said to his father, “Lo, these many years I do serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment. And yet thou never gavest me a kid that I may make merry with my friends.” Boy, he’s been keeping tally of it all. But as soon as this thy son is come, which thou hast devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. Oh, it’s a little similar to the first point, but be so careful of just kind of watching everybody and comparing. No, no, no. Hey, friend, I’ve already said it, but if we got what we deserve, all would get hell. And don’t get where we’re just kind of telling what all I’ve done because I’ve done all this, God ought to bless me like this. Friend, he blesses us because he’s good and he’s gracious because Jesus shed his blood on the cross. It is so important we don’t get where we’re just falling up underneath the law. I did all this, so I think I should get all these things here. Now, there are promises in the Bible, and if I honor God, He will bless that. But if I get the mindset, I’m just kind of keeping tally on everything, and I’m evaluating, am I getting a fair shake at life? That I must view it? If I get a fair shake, I’m going to get hell. Okay. I got to keep that mind.
Number three, number three here. A legalistic person constantly compares themselves to others. Luke 18, you’re in 15 around there. Look over to Luke 18, if it would, please. Luke 18. And these are where two guys are going to pray, all right? Two guys are going to go pray. They go to the temple. One is a publican. Now, publicans, you probably heard a little bit about publicans. Publicans are known as dirty, rotten sinners, you know. They were the ones the Roman government had taken over Israel and were oppressing Israel. And publicans kind of worked for the Romans. They, you know, they were traitors. They worked for the Romans. And the Romans said, “Now, look, Josh over there, he makes good money. He’s a millionaire,” you know. And he owes, Josh owes, we’ll say $500 in taxes. Well, the tax collector could go over there and say, “Hey, Josh, you owe $1,000.” And that tax collector had the Roman soldiers and the government to back him up because they said, “You can collect as much as you can, but you have to give the Roman government 500.” So if he collected 1,000, he pocketed the other 500. And it was legal by these traitors that worked for Rome, the publicans, because that’s the way they worked. So everybody thought, and the publicans are the sorriest dirt of the earth. I mean, they’re traitors. They’re not serving the Jewish people. And, you know, they’re just traitors serving Rome, and they’re greedy and they’re selfish and they’re, you know, all about money. And they’re just, they were known as sinners. All right. So this publican and then this Pharisee.
Now, who was the Pharisees? The Pharisees, the one that took the law, and they kind of added to it. They made all kind of specific things. They took the little Old Testament law, and they just, this is what it means. And they nailed down that you had to do this, this, this, this, this. And that was the Pharisees, and they kept so many of the laws and rules to gain the favor of God. Of course, Jesus got on to them so much because the end of the day was pride. And look at this thing, Luke 18, you’re in Luke 18, look at verse number 10 there. Luke 18:10.
Two men went up into the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee and the other a publican. And the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: “God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess.” And he’s describing what all he does. I’m going to turn over there. I’ve got a rope down my mind. I’m going to turn it down my mind. I’m going to turn over there so we can finish that thing up. We’re in 18. Look in verse number 14. You’re already there. And the publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Now here’s the thing. If you’re not careful, you’ll say, “Well, I’m glad I don’t raise my kids like they’re raising their kids. I’m glad I go to church more than them. I’m glad I put money in the offering plate. I’m glad I don’t go to that place at lunchtime. I’m glad I don’t talk like that.” And we’re comparing, like the Pharisee was. And I’m kind of getting back up underneath this. All right, I got to win the favor of God by doing—look, look, if you’re saved, you’ve got his favor. Okay? That’s what I’m getting at. Just some signs of this.
One more, a couple more things here. A legalistic person usually lacks joy because you’re always telling him by doing it enough to win the favor of God. It’s kind of like we’re going back to, you know, somebody’s trying to work their way to heaven. David said this, and I’m just going to read it for you. Psalm 32: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. That guy’s blessed. It’s impossible. If I get up underneath this legalistic thing, it’s impossible to be that just. I’m trying to keep all this to win the favor of God and have the joy. They don’t go together. When I realize how dirty my sin is—we all have dirty sin, how bad of a sinner, how awful a sinner—and how great his forgiveness is, I’m forgiven, I can stand redeemed, I can stand before God, he doesn’t see my sin. Man, after all I did, and God sees me as clean and righteous and just because of the blood of Jesus, that equals, man, I’m forgiven, a happy, joyful person. See?
Last thing, and then we’re going to kind of change gears here. A legalistic person feels like God is never happy with him. That’s a sad thing. If I felt like I have to earn God’s favor, instead of receiving it freely through the finished work of Jesus.
You say, how do we enter into this legalism mindset sometimes? Well, it can come somebody in different ways. First of all, it’s a temptation for all of us because it’s all kind of bottom line is just pride. And we all brought a pride out of pride out there. Me too. If you say, “I don’t battle pride,” you’re battling it right now. We all battle it. You know, sometimes it just comes out of the sincere desire. You want to be blessed and you want to please God. But it can easily kind of just kind of revert over: I got to do all this to be in favor, acceptance with God. Okay. Sometimes you just battle fatigue. You’ve been in the battle for good and right so long, and you’re just tempted to go that way. Sometimes by gauging ourselves by what others think of us.
Now, let’s just work quickly. You’ll give a couple of answers to this. Number one, answers. I don’t want to fall into this. I don’t want to kind of slip into this legalistic mindset. I’ve got to do all these things to be—to be in God’s favor. By the way, it’s going to look the same on the outside. Remember back over there, the illustration of the lady. You know, she’s doing the same thing for the second guy. It’s all about our motives, all right, as we’re really kind of dealing with tonight, our motives, all right? How do I keep the right motives in doing the right thing? And I’m not saying going out and sin and do all these things, you mess your life, wreck your life, but doing those things. But you want to be doing the right thing for the right reasons. Amen. All right. That’s what I’m trying to get.
Number one, number one, I want to fall into this legalistic mindset. Number one, focus on his love. Go over to the Book of Jude real quickly. The Book of Jude, it’s kind of the back part of your Bible. The Book of Jude. Most people, when you talk about the Book of Jude, they’ll emphasize this, and it’s right. It’s very biblical. They’ll say, well, the theme of the book of Jude is “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.” And there’s truth. There’s a Bible verse that says that in the Book of Jude. That’s right. But if I’m not careful in earnestly contending for the faith, by the way, it’s not just the faith, but the faith which was once delivered to the saints. I wonder sometimes, is our Christianity today going to resemble the Christianity they had back to under Jesus’ time? That’s what I’m supposed to be earnestly contending for, earnestly contending for, earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. But if I get caught up, I’ll always be battling, battling, battling for that. And it’s easy kind of slip into doing it for the wrong motives. See?
So what’s a good answer to it? In that book, look down, really old in one chapter, look down, verse number 21, verse number 21 of that book of the Bible. Jude 1:21. He says, “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” Now, you’re not saying there to keep yourself lovely to God because you’re not capable of doing that. Remember, God doesn’t love us because we’re lovely. He loves us because he’s loving. When he says, “Keep yourself in the love of God,” he’s talking about, keep your mind, your heart. Realize it: God loves me. He says, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
One of our men years ago, he was somewhere, and they had horses there, and he was petting that horse. And he said, “Man, that’s a beautiful horse.” He said, “Pastor, just imagine.” He said, when I said, it seemed like the Spirit of God, and he battles these things like all of us do. But he said, just seemed like the Spirit of God says, “That’s the way you are to God.” God thinks you’re beautiful, if you will. If you’re a born-again Christian, you have the love of God. Nothing can separate you from the love of God, and you’ll always be loved by God. Nothing can change that.
Now, he’s talking about you keep yourself in that and then realize I’m loved by God. Does that make me want to go and mess my life up and do that Saturday? No, it makes me realize I’m loved by God. Jesus said, “Do you love me? You’ll keep my commandments.” These commandments aren’t grievous. Somebody beat you over the head. You want to do them because you know how much we love him because he first loved us. First John 4:19. And the more you keep yourself in the love of God—he loves me—and then you love him back, and kind of like that lady with her second husband. You want to please him, doing the same thing. I’m not saying, well, let’s just go live like the world and live sinful, dirty lives. No, I’m saying we’re doing the same thing, but we’re doing it in different modes. We’re doing it because we know he loves us. We dwell on that. Every day, you ought to think somewhere along the day, you ought to just think. Just imagine God in heaven looking down, if you’re a born-again Christian, just imagine looking down and saying, “I love you.” Just think about that for a while. And just imagine God looking down, he said, “I love you.” Let me go step further. God looking down and saying, “You know what? I like you. I made you the way I wanted you.” David said, “I’m fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are all thy works.” And that, my soul, knows right well. David had been thinking about that. He knew that. And you dwell on the love of God every day. Why? Because I want to serve him. I want to serve him with the purest of motive: I love him. I don’t want to fall back into this legalistic mind—except just comparing and keeping mentality on everybody and everything, you know. God has got a blessing because of all this. If you get in that mindset, friend, and I’m trying to serve him in my flesh, then, man, the flesh profiteth nothing. No, get back in the right motives. He loves me. He always has. If you’re a born-again Christian, he always will.
Number two, number two, we’ve got to hurry along here. Remember, I don’t have to gain his favor; I already have his favor. Years ago, some Mormons knocked on my door when we lived over La Verne. And I went outside and didn’t invite them in. The Bible says, “Don’t invite them in.” And I went outside and I talked with them. Talked for a long time. Very nice guys. We had good conversation, an hour or so long. And I said, “Look, I said, here’s the thing, fellas. I do the same thing you do. I go door to door, of course, telling them about Jesus Christ. But so there’s something different. You do that to earn your way to heaven. I do that because he’s giving me heaven. And it’s already done. I do it because I love him. He loves me, and I love him.” You’ll never earn your way to heaven. I told those guys that. And same thing. Same thing. We’re doing the same thing. They’re going promoting their Mormonism, which, you know, Jesus is not the brother—Lucifer is not the brother of Jesus. It’s all the way getting all that stuff. But Joseph Smith and all that stuff. But here’s the thing: they go trying to, you know, promote their religion, if you will, but to earn favor. We go because we got the favor. I’m saved. I always will be saved. He loves me. I don’t deserve it, but Christ earned it for me. I’m going to go to heaven. I have no doubt about that. Christ—God looks down to me, on me, at me, through the love of Jesus Christ and shed blood. And he sees me as forgiven and cleansed and righteous. And, boy, he loves me. And I love him back, and I want to do these things for him. Same thing, but two different motives.
This might help you, all right? This is a shame on me. I tell you what, my wife’s glasses here. But if you can picture yourself, these are the closest I can find, the rose-colored glasses, pretty close to it. Brother Frank, you look pretty peaked there. I’d tell you what, now, you know. There’s a glow. Two of them there. Anyway, anyway, you know, but just picture God. If you’re a born-again Christian, God is looking down on you with rose-colored glasses, if you will. Because you’re all that? No, no, no, because Jesus shed blood on the cross. So I don’t do all these things to earn the favor of God. I do all these things because I have. Sometimes we’re doing everything we can to earn acceptance in the favor of God. And God’s like, “You already got it. Jesus earned it for you.” And then I’m so often I’m doing the same thing, same thing I always do. I want to do right. I want to please God. I don’t want to have a corrupt mind or mouth or all that. I don’t want to watch filth. I want to dress being a good ambassador for all these things. I want to do all those things, not to earn his favor because I got it. I don’t deserve it. You see. And that’s the difference of Galatians going back up underneath the law or serving him because I’m his son and I got a wonderful Dad and I want to please my Dad.
Last thing, we’re done here, all right. What’s the answer to this? All of us from time to time are tempted to slip underneath this legalistic mindset. Number one, focus on the love of God. Number two, remember, I don’t have to gain his favor; I already have his favor. Number three, look at the cross. Look at the cross. Jesus earned God’s love and favor for you. When I try to earn it, I’m saying, “Jesus, what you did is not enough.”
Robert Murray McCheyne said this. He put it this way. He said, “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” Because when you look at yourself, you realize you’ve got so many problems and you’ve got to get better. And the more you’re trying to get better to earn his favor, the more discouraging it is because we’re all falling. It’s kind of like we try to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. And we say, you know what, I want to please him because Christ earned my acceptance. I’m beloved, the Bible calls me. “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” First John 3 says that. Amazing. I’m loved. I’m accepted because of Christ.
I already mentioned that Christ didn’t come to destroy the law. He came to fulfill the law. And by the way, fulfill means he filled it full. He kept every part of the law. And I’m accepted by God, a righteous, perfect, holy God, because of Christ. I keep my eyes on Christ. And we’ll be tempted to look at ourselves and our failure, at our problems. We all got them. Keep looking at Jesus. One look at yourself, at least ten looks at Christ.
Remember that lady, remember the wife. Now think about her, that second husband that truly loved her unconditionally—Agape love. “Husbands, love your wives, so Christ loved the church, gave himself for her.” All right? He loved her like that. Well, help me out, do you think if one day she maybe slept in and didn’t have breakfast just right? Do you think that husband just, “You sorry what I do?” Well, Christ loves you a whole lot more. Romans says, “Who shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus?”
You think maybe if one day, you know, she was washing clothes and she was washing the colors and she accidentally let one of his white key shirts in there with the colors and that white key shirt came out like pink? No real man ought to wear a pink shirt right now. Come on. We just divided the church over one statement. What about that right there? You think that guy, “Well, you sorry wife, I can’t believe you. You ruined my T-shirt.” No, no. 10,000 times more. God loves us through Christ. Jesus won the love of God. You will always be loved. There’s nothing. If you’re a born-again, if you’re saved, you’re a part of the family of God, a child of God. And I’m not saying go sin and mess up. I’m saying the more you realize how much he loves you, the more you’ll want to please him. You’re a saved, born-again Christian, you’ll always be loved because Christ won it for you.
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? Heads bowed, eyes closed. Would you do this tonight during this invitation? Would you just focus on his love for you? Focus on the fact that you’re accepted into the fold. You’re a child of God. Jesus won his favor on you. Would you do that for just a bit tonight? We won’t be long. You might want to do that at the altar. You might want to do it where you’re seated. But would you spend some time focusing on that tonight? Would you please stand? We’re going to have a word of prayer. I want you just focus on his love, and you’re accepted into the fold by cause of Jesus Christ. Would you do that for just a bit tonight?
Father, Lord, I pray that our motives for you would stay pure. Lord, remind us again, Father, we’re loved by you. I’m amazed. Lord, I don’t deserve your love. Thank you, Jesus, for winning it forever, for eternity. Father, help us to serve you, not comparing and tally keeping, but let us serve you because we know we’re loved. It was always happy, and we always will be because of Jesus. Help that thing to be real to us tonight. Jesus, then we pray. Amen.
Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - By Grace - Wednesday PM 11012023