Evidence of Ten Commandments in Men by Nature

The point: Understand that the gospel has no meaning apart from the holy, inflexible, and righteous law of God, which reveals sin and guilt.

The foundation of a house, with its slab and footings, is used to illustrate the crucial nature of introductory studies to the Ten Commandments, supporting the superstructure of exposition and application.

that I have never preached a series on the Ten Commandments in all the years of my ministry that we have begun a series of studies in the Ten Commandments. And last Lord's Day, I indicated that the first task in opening up this series was to lay a proper foundation for our study of the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, or what is commonly designated as the moral law of God. And I used the extended imagery of the foundation of a house. For the foundation with its slab and its deeper footings and with its walls

9:08 - 9:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Man, as creature, created by God, is under an inescapable obligation to render perfect obedience to God.

A concrete mixing truck dumping a 'five-yard load of concrete' illustrates the laying of the first foundational statement: man's inescapable obligation to perfect obedience.

Now in pursuit of that announced goal, I then set before you one foundational statement. To use my extended analogy, we drove up with our concrete mixing truck and we dumped one five-yard load of concrete to begin to lay the slab of our foundation last week. And that aggregate was made of this statement. Man, as creature, created by God, is under an inescapable obligation to render perfect obedience to God.

11:25 - 12:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Man, as creature, created by God, is under an inescapable obligation to render perfect obedience to God.

The concrete truck returning with a 'fresh load of concrete' illustrates the introduction of the second foundational statement: the Ten Commandments as a comprehensive summary of God's required obedience.

the revealed will of God, and the role and mission of God. the ultimate expression of this obligation, the work of Christ, and the final day of judgment. Well, now the concrete truck is rolled up again this morning, and it has a fresh load of concrete to pour down into the foundation. And as last week, it will be comprised of one statement that I hope God helping me this morning and this evening to open up and complete next Lord's Day morning.

12:49 - 13:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He transitions to Romans 2:14-15, explaining that Paul addresses Jews who pride themselves on the law, but then parenthetically explains that Gentiles 'do by nature the things of…

An example of visiting a 'semi-stone age part of the world' is used to illustrate how even in morally depraved societies, natural law principles like parental authority, marital sanctity, and condemnation of murder and theft are still evident.

So here's a group of Gentiles. You go into a community, into a village in some almost semi-stone age part of the world. And there are such places that still exist in this very hour. And you get to acquire, a knowledge of the language of the people.

40:10 - 40:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He transitions to Romans 2:14-15, explaining that Paul addresses Jews who pride themselves on the law, but then parenthetically explains that Gentiles 'do by nature the things of…

The natural actions of a newborn baby crying and seeking nourishment are used to illustrate what it means to do things 'by nature,' without being taught or coerced, contrasting with learned behaviors like saying 'please' or 'thank you'.

influence, education, or coercion. They do them by nature. And I was wrestling for an illustration for you kids. There's some things you did, I hope you still don't do them, by nature.

42:30 - 42:44 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He transitions to Romans 2:14-15, explaining that Paul addresses Jews who pride themselves on the law, but then parenthetically explains that Gentiles 'do by nature the things of…

The account from Acts 28 of Paul being bitten by a viper on the island of Malta is used to illustrate how even 'barbarians' (Gentiles without written law) instinctively recognized murder as a sin worthy of divine justice.

Acts chapter 20, verse 28, of this sense of doing by nature the things in the law and having a sense that if we don't do them, there is indeed judgment from God. And we'll have occasion to come back to this passage. You remember Paul and his companions were dumped up on an island after their ship was broken up, and they were amidst a bunch of barbarians. These were people who had no scrolls and no synagogue and had no revelation of the Old Testament.

46:13 - 46:43 Read in full sermon