Not Under Law? (Galatians 5:18; John 1:17)

The point: Demonstrate errors to be contrary to the truth by the Word of God, seeking to persuade judgment and conscience.

Explains that 'convicting gainsayers' means demonstrating their errors to be contrary to truth by the Word of God, persuading their judgment so they stand condemned in the theater of their own consciences, not a civil court.

And in the context, a gainsayer in Titus 1, 9 is someone who speaks against any aspect of the wholesome teaching which is the apostolic doctrine, the doctrines of the Word of God. And what does it mean to convict them? Well, it doesn't mean to hold them before a civil court and have them committed to jail for heretical teaching, but to demonstrate their errors to be contrary to the truth, to seek by the Word of God to persuade their judgment and the judgment of God's people in such a way that they stand condemned in the theater, of their own consciences. Now, in the course of our introductory ...

6:19 - 7:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Never simply dip into the Scripture and rip a text out of its setting, especially in Paul's epistles.

Compares ripping a text out of Paul's closely knit argumentation to dipping into a proverb, highlighting the irresponsibility of ignoring context in epistles.

We have the Holy Spirit within to lead us into a path of righteousness. And to go to those Ten Words is in essence to denigrate the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And that, that teaching is often extrapolated from this text, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now as we did with the Roman 6 passage, and as we do responsibly with any passage, we must never simply dip into the Scripture and rip a text out of its setting, especially when it comes in the midst of the very closely, knit, logically tight strain of argumentation. It's one thing to dip into a proverb where you have ...

15:53 - 17:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not use Christian freedom as an occasion for the flesh, but through love be servants one to another, fulfilling the moral law.

Illustrates the Judaizers' teaching as 'Christ was a good starting point for salvation, but if you wanted a complete salvation you needed to go back to Moses and the whole Mosaic system as a way of life,' clarifying the core heresy Paul fought.

That is not at all the concern of the apostle when he writes this epistle. The error was nothing less than the sole destructive heresy of seeking acceptance with God on the basis of circumcision leading to keeping the whole Mosaic system. In other words, what the Judaizers were teaching them was this, Christ was a good starting point for salvation, but if you wanted a complete salvation you needed to go back to Moses and the whole Mosaic system as a way of life. It is all right to start with Christ, but Christ by faith is not enough. You must go from Christ by faith to commitment to the whole ...

25:49 - 27:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Understand that in fulfilling the moral law, it is not to earn life or salvation, but out of gratitude to God who loved you in Christ.

States that 'the law becomes love's eyes and without it love is blind,' emphasizing the law's role in guiding how to love one's neighbor.

Here he says you are to be concerned with the moral law and you must understand that in fulfilling that law not to earn life and to earn salvation, but out of gratitude to the God who loved you in Christ and who in Christ procured a complete salvation, that you must love one another and with genuine love, take the posture of serving one another. And when the question is asked, how do I in love serve my neighbor? I turn to the second table of the law for the law becomes love's eyes and without it love is blind. Now then, when he comes to this portion, here we're coming close to our text now, bu...

28:56 - 30:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Love the Lord your God with all your mind, as well as your soul, strength, and heart, and be willing to think deeply about Scripture.

Describes every bleating lamb and washing priest in the Mosaic system as pointing forward to Christ, the 'great sacrifice himself hanging on a cross,' illustrating the Old Covenant's preparatory nature.

they said we are Moses disciples they say in John I believe chapter 9 whose disciple are you we are Moses disciples Moses was the great mediator of the whole administration of law and that whole administration of law although it was permeated with grace and truth was all pointing forward to and preparing men to feel the need of what the fullness of grace and truth in the coming promised seed of the woman every lamb that bleated when its throat was slit was a bleat that pointed to the lamb of God every priest who washed himself and adorned himself according to God's ordinance was a prefiguring ...

52:22 - 53:49 Read in full sermon

The point: If your soul has been harmed by an imbalanced or improper use of the law, do not let your battered psyche determine the place you give to the Ten Commandments; let responsible exposition of Scripture lead you.

Quotes an old writer who observed that in reacting against an error, people often go 'clean through the balancing point of truth and go into an error of the opposite direction,' explaining why some believers reject the law.

because he's over reacting to a wrong use of the law that was harmful to his own soul or he may have been in a religious climate where people were basically Judaizers they really believe that if you kept the law and its external demands and you did your religious things you were accepted with God oh yes Christ fit in there somehow he was the starting point or he was ancillary but only to lead to something else and because they were in an environment where there was a harmful use of the law they react from anything that has to do with the ten commandments now listen carefully one old writer mad...

61:09 - 62:38 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have an area of controversy with God that the law addresses, do not let moral controversy make your head play tricks on you; allow your judgment to be persuaded and submit to God's will.

Illustrates the difference between God's mind confronting a child's mind (information about an apple tree) and God's will confronting a child's will (commanding to pick an apple), explaining how the law exposes spurious faith.

Christ if led by the Spirit you're not under the law they are spurious believers whose true state of heart is described by Romans 8 7 the carnal mind is enmity against God it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can it be so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God you see there's nothing like a close careful application of the ten commandments to blow off the lid of a spurious faith because you see when we encounter the law it is God's will confronting your will let me illustrate you may take your little son or daughter out in the spring where there's some fruit trees and ...

67:04 - 68:32 Read in full sermon