Sunday Worship 11.00 am and 6.30 pm Minister: Dr William (Bill) J M Parker
1. Driven to Christ … Drawn back to the Law! – Exodus 20:1-21 – 29/10/17 (am)
Ten Commandments
Sermon Date: 29 October 2017 (am)
Driven to Christ … Drawn back to the Law! – Exodus 20:1-21
Main Teaching Point:
The Ten Commandments show us our helpless condition before God and so point us to Jesus for salvation.
Many Christians have lost sight of the Ten Commandments. Why?
- The moral climate of society numbs sensitivity to them.
Society promotes standards that are contrary to what the Bible teaches – abortion, same-sex relationships, materialism, religious relativism. Christians face steady pressure to acknowledge that these things are normative.
- A heretical interpretation of New Testament teaching cancels them out (Romans 6:14).
We must regain a Biblical perspective.
1. The Importance of the Ten Commandments
- They reflect God’s character.
God is a jealous God (1st & 2nd); God is holy (3rd); God is sovereign over our routine and life (4th & 6th); God’s authority as our Father (5th); God is faithful (7th); God is truth (9th); God provides for His creation (8th & 10th).
- They are a summary of God’s Moral Law. The standard for our relationship with God (1-4), and others (5-10).
- They mention specific sins but govern all sins leading to those specific sins. Anger and violence are forbidden under the sixth (Matthew 5:21-22), pre-marital sex, pornography, lust are forbidden under the seventh (Matthew 5:27-28).
- They are for all people in every generation. God’s moral Law was never abolished. The Civil Law [governing the Nation Israel] and the Ceremonial Law [governing Israel’s religious life] were abolished by Christ.
2. The Impossibility of the 10 Commandments
God’s Moral Law is impossible to keep (James 2:10).
- We are sinners by nature with a bent to disobey God (Romans 7:14-20)
- The Law actually provokes sin (Romans 7:7-8)
- Breaking God’s Law merits God’s wrath (John 3:36)
The Law mocks our efforts to keep it. It condemns us.
3. The Instruction of the 10 Commandments
So, what is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
- They show us how perfectly obedient Jesus Christ was (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- They show us how totally sinful we are (Psalm 51:5). ... it is the straightedge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are [Romans 3:20, J B Phillips].
- They point us to the Saviour Jesus Christ. The Law is our paidagogos, tutor/guardian (Galatians 3:24). An ancient document describes a paidagogos as a lover of fault finding! In one sense that is what the Law does! It points out our shortcomings and failures. It, therefore, shows us our need of salvation pointing us to Jesus ... Who kept it perfectly for us yet died being punished because we have broken it.
The man who does not know the nature of the Law cannot know nature of sin. And he who does not know the nature of sin cannot know the nature of the Saviour. John Bunyan
Conclusion—Driven to Christ … Drawn back to the Law!
The Ten Commandments drive us to Jesus. … Jesus then points us back to the Ten Commandments! Why? They are to govern our conduct and prove our love for Christ (John 14:15).
The law sends us to the Gospel, that we may be justified, and the Gospel sends us to the law again to enquire what is our duty in being justified. Samuel Bolton
© Dr Bill Parker 2018