January 28

Read Exodus 19-24 The Law

The purpose of the Law is to Provide and Protect. It provides us with a glimpse of the nature of God. We cannot know the heart of God unless he reveals it to us. We see his holiness, his character and his will. The law shows us what sin is and that we can never be holy enough to make it to heaven on our good works. It teaches us that we need a Savior. It is like a medical thermometer, it shows us that we are sick and in need of a doctor.

The laws provides the best life possible. When we live by the principles of the law we will find that life makes sense. Did you see the phrase... I will give you a full life span. The 10 commandments give us the best possible life in a fallen world.

The law protects us from the dead ends of life. If you want to ship wreck your life, disobey the law of God. I can fill Boyle stadium in Stamford, with people who have crashed their lives by disobeying the 10 Commandments but I have never, ever heard someone say, “I lived by the 10 Commandments and God has ruined my life.”

An illustration from the Book The Country of the Pointed Firs.
Sara Jewett describes a woman writer on the pathway leading to the home of a retired sea captain named Elijah Tilley. On the way, the woman notes a number of wooden stakes randomly scattered about the property, with no discernible order. Each is painted white and trimmed in yellow, like the captains house. Curious, she asks Captain Tilley what they mean. When he first plowed the ground, he says, his plow snagged on many large rocks just beneath the surface. So he set out the stakes where the rocks lay in order to avoid them in the future. In a sense, this is what God has done with the 10 commandments. He said “These are the trouble spots in life. Avoid them and you won’t snag your plow.”

Let me make it very clear.. people were never saved by keeping the 620 laws in the OT. God will never say, “Wow, you really tried hard to live a good life and keep my commandments, so when you die I will invite you into heaven.” Because God is holy we have to be perfect to make it to heaven. There cannot be any sin in heaven, so if you are banking on “The Good Life” plan to make it to heaven, it’s time to abandon that plan. Our only hope is in the grace, mercy and forgiveness found in Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb of God slain to provide us with a ticket to heaven.

Is the Law still in effect today? There are three levels to the Law: Moral law, Civil law and Ceremonial law.

1. Moral Law
10 Commandments
Still in effect today but the day of rest has been changed to Sunday for the church because of Jesus’ resurrection.


2. Civil Law
Not in effect today. These laws were part of the Theocracy. A Theocracy is a government in which God is the head. We live in a democracy where people argue their position and the voters decide. The principles of the civil law have been the foundation of 2000 years of the development of Western civilization

3. Ceremonial Law
Not in effect today. God told Peter he was changing the rules of the game in the New Testament for the church. You can eat shrimp scampi and pork tonight for dinner.