Presence of Moral Law in the New Testament (2)

In this part of the sermon: He reviews three arguments for the Ten Commandments as a comprehensive summary of God's required obedience: their influence on all men, the unusual circumstances of their giving…

Jesus' exposition of the law is like restoring a painting by scraping away dark varnish, revealing the true significance of the commandments beyond external actions to motives and desires.

and binding standard of righteousness. And we had time only to consider the pivotal passage in the recorded utterances of our Lord Jesus, namely Matthew chapter 5, verses 17 through 20, and then the outworking of the principles enunciated by our Lord in the next two paragraphs in which He expounds the true significance of the sixth and the seventh commandments. Using the illustration of the restored painting,

7:45 - 8:25 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin argues that God used the law, particularly the tenth commandment, during Paul's three days of blindness to dismantle his Pharisaic self-righteousness, preparing him to…

Martin posits that during Saul's three days of blindness, God used the tenth commandment to expose the deep covetousness and sin in his heart, dismantling his self-righteousness and preparing him for faith in Christ.

of Saul of Tarsus don't you it first is set before us in Acts chapter 9 perhaps the life of Stephen and particularly the death of Stephen we know Saul of Tarsus was present they laid the garments down at his feet he was consenting in the decision that he should be stoned to death perhaps it was then that conscience began to be active we don't know but when the Lord arrested him on the road to Damascus he says Saul it is hard for you to kick against the goads and he is arrested by a revelation of Jesus Christ from heaven he beholds a revelation of

28:47 - 29:32 Read in full sermon

The point: If you don't know the struggle of Romans 7, you've never been slain by the law, and your native enmity has never been discovered or subdued.

Before conversion, people view the law like a Rembrandt covered in soot and grease, only seeing external outlines of behavior, leading to self-congratulation if their external life seems decent.

You see, Paul knew nothing of this warfare before he was a Christian. He looked at the law like, as we saw this morning, people would have looked at that Rembrandt. All covered with soot and grease and dark and varnish. And all you see is a few little outlines of external behavior.

46:58 - 47:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize your inherent sinfulness and potential for evil, despite a godly upbringing, and see your heart's depravity.

He challenges children from godly homes to recognize their inherent sinfulness and potential for evil, despite their upbringing, comparing them to a child from a violent ghetto background, to highlight the depth of total depravity.

You children, with all of the props you have, from a godly home and Christian education, whether administered in the home or in a Christian school, and Sunday school and church, and associations with shared values, how easy it would be for you kids to be self-deceived, to think because you're respectable and nice and kind, in virtue of all of that pressure brought to bear upon you, all must be well. I ask you kids, have you seen that left, left to yourself? You could be as vile and foul as any kid born and reared in a ghetto, in a single parent family,

49:18 - 50:02 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin concludes by showing that in the practical section of Romans, Paul unashamedly brings in the Decalogue as a guide for believers, demonstrating that love is the fulfillment…

He uses the analogy of being ignorant and indifferent to the laws of Afghanistan or Pakistan to illustrate that if the law were not binding, believers would have no concern for fulfilling it.

If the law is not an abiding standard, why be concerned whether I fulfill it or don't. I frankly don't lose one wink of sleep over whether or not I'm keeping the laws of the country of Afghanistan. I don't even know them. I'm blissfully ignorant of them.

60:23 - 60:43 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The old Puritan was right when he said, law is love's eyes, and without it, love is blind.

Quoting a Puritan, 'law is love's eyes, and without it, love is blind,' to explain that the law provides direction for love, preventing it from being arbitrary or harmful.

Love is movement. Motive, law is directive. The old Puritan was right when he said, law is love's eyes, and without it, love is blind.

64:52 - 65:03 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The old Puritan was right when he said, law is love's eyes, and without it, love is blind.

Martin adds his own couplet, 'love is law's heart, and without it, law is dead,' to emphasize that mere commandment without love is a dead letter, highlighting the necessary synergy between love and law.

And I like to add this couplet, love is law's heart, and without it, law is dead.

65:06 - 65:13 Read in full sermon