Law and Grace

The book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4, we've got two places we want to read today. And I want to start here in the Old Testament. What I have been appreciating recently is places in the New Testament where quotations from the Old Testament are quoted.

Now, it's very interesting when you look at the Bible as a whole, very interesting when the Spirit of God draws a clear distinction between truths of the Old Testament, for instance, the dispensation of law, as opposed to the dispensation of grace. And they're not to mix. And we're well aware of Galatians, chapter 4, where you have the two mothers, Sarah and Hagar, and then you have the two men that they produced, and they are not to mix whatsoever.

But what I do find interesting is often where a quote from the Old Testament is taken and the Spirit of God picks up a principle and applies that to the context of where you are in the New Testament. So I'm going to read a few verses here in Deuteronomy, chapter 4, because I'm going to eventually end up at the verse that is quoted in the New Testament, but I'm going to read a few verses so you get the flavor of what is really happening and what's behind the verse. So look at verse number 1. Now, the children of Israel have come to the border of the land.

Moses, of course, is not allowed to go into the land, and he's now going to spend a number of chapters talking to the children of Israel. Here's what he says. Verse 1, Deuteronomy 4, verse 1, Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments.

Now, of course, we're looking at all the laws of God there. Go down to verse number 2. He shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God. Now, verse 3, we have a bad incident that happened in their life.

Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal Peor. For all the men that followed Baal Peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. Now, that was over 24,000 individuals were killed.

The background of that quotation, you remember that Balak and Balaam, they tried to curse the people of God, and they couldn't. And then you remember the suggestion of Balaam, well, just intermingle, get the women, the Moabitish women, to marry, mingle with the children of Israel. And as a result, there was a lot of, you know, intermingling.

And you remember Phinehas, remember the man that came into the camp with the Moabitish woman, and Phinehas killed them both. And God actually commended that man for stopping the plague. So, you have the word of God given, and then you have this sin of the people in verse number 3. Now, come down to verse number 6. Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

So, this is what the word of God has done for these people. Verse 7, for what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statues and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Now, he reminds them in verse 11 of the giving of the law. And he came near and stood under the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, and darkness and clouds and thick darkness, and the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire.

Now, listen, ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude, only ye heard a voice. Now, you go back and you think about that situation that was happening. The children of Israel actually heard the voice of God in the giving of the Ten Commandments.

You're going to discover when you go back and look at it, that's all they could handle. They couldn't handle the voice of God any longer. And they ran to Moses and they said, Moses, tell God to stop.

We can't take it anymore. You go on our behalf. And remember, Moses went up into the mountain, and God gave him all kinds of additional information.

All right, we're almost to the end of where we're reading here. Come down a little bit further now to verse 20. But the Lord had taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace.

So we're looking at redemption now. Even out of Egypt to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are of this day. Furthermore, the Lord was angry with me.

So now he has clearly identified the sin of the children of Israel, Baal Peor. Now he comes down to himself. Furthermore, the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and swear that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

But I must die in this land. I must not go over Jordan. Now for those that are not familiar what's happening there, God told the people want water.

God told Moses the second time, do not strike, just speak to the rock. Now the first time, God told him to strike the rock and speak, and he did. Then the second time, God only said to speak to it.

But Moses took his rod, and he struck the rock twice, and out came water. And then God comes to Moses after and says, you disobeyed me. And it's so serious.

It's amazing how many times that is brought up through the Old Testament. I mean, I look at it as a very simple thing. But God says to Moses, you're not getting into the land.

You're going to die. You're not going to see it. So he's bringing before them just the holiness of God.

Now this is what we're trying to build up to. Look at verse 23. Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God which he made with you.

Now come down to verse 24. Here's what I'm reading for. For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Now I can understand that verse in some measure. I see the children of Israel as they sinned. Over 24,000 died.

Wow. The laws that God had given them, it made them different. It made them responsible, accountable.

They were to act different. And then I come over here to Moses. And even in his individual, go from the collective sense to the individual sense.

You think of Moses who God said, listen, I speak face to face with Moses. You try to, what I'm trying to get at is this. Try to think of the closeness that Moses had to God as opposed to the distance that the children of Israel had to God.

But when the children of Israel sinned, God judged them. And when Moses sinned, God didn't overlook it. You'd almost sit back and go, I mean, Lord, look at what Moses went through.

I mean, even the people provoked him. Could you not make an exception, God, and let the dear man into the land? Does this not sound almost severe? He's going to die. No, it's not severe.

And Moses reminds the people, doesn't matter who you are. Our God is a consuming fire. And he's jealous.

Now let's go to Hebrews chapter 12 where that verse is quoted. And let's see what it means. Hebrews chapter 12.

I'll just repeat this for those that would like to do a study. Never think that when you're reading through the New Testament, that's why it's nice to have a Newberry Bible, because he will put in bold letters where the quotation is. And it really jumps off the page at you.

Never think that as the writers of the New Testament were writing, oh, I'll just grab a verse in the Old Testament and sort of fill it in. That's what we might do sometimes when we're writing a letter. A lot of filler, just, oh, that flows kind of nice.

There's a purpose. Now, here's a good study for you. Whenever you're reading in the New Testament and all of a sudden there's a quote from the Old Testament, stop.

Go back into the Old Testament. Just have a look at the chapter before, the chapter after, and try to get the feel of what is going on. Now let's look at this.

Hebrews chapter 12, look at verse 18. Just a little bit of introductory thing here to move up to where I want to go. But verse 18.

For ye are not come unto the mount that might not, wait now. For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched. That's Sion way back, Sinai way back in the Old Testament where the law was given.

And that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they that heard entreated, that the word should not be spoken to them any more. For they could not endure, I already mentioned that, that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through the dirt.

And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. Now you don't read that back in the Old Testament. Moses exceedingly feared and quake.

Remember, Moses went up to the mountain and he came down and his face was radiating the glory of God. The people couldn't stand it. They said, put, put something over your face, Moses.

We can't stand looking at you. We know where you've been, but go back and allow your mind to think. When God came down from heaven onto that Mount, Mount Sinai gave the law.

God said, listen, three days, cleanse yourself. And there was lightnings and there was thunders and, and there was blackness and darkness. And in the Old Testament, the trumpets were getting louder and louder and louder and louder.

And what impressed me was this, this expression here in verse 21. I exceedingly fear and quake as close as Moses was to God. And as friendly as God was, you know, to Moses.

When in that sight of God's awesome power and holiness. Do you know what Moses said? I exceedingly fear and quake. He was so overcome by just who God is.

Now I think we're losing that today. That's what I think. I'll tell you the little lesson that I get here.

God, give me help. Not to think this common. I get so used to it.

Form. Ritualism. Huh? It's time to go to meeting at Sunday.

I go every Sunday, right? And it can just become like a dull belt on a wheel. Isn't it something that Moses, as long as he went with God. All those years.

Here's something when he got a hold of who God was. It just shook him right to the core. Now let's just sort of tag that in your mind and think on that for a minute.

Now, verse 22. Here's the contrast. But year come on to Mount Zion.

And on to the city of the living God. The heavenly Jerusalem. And to an innumerable company of angels.

To the general assembly. That general assembly means a festal gathering. It's a very happy, inviting scene.

And church of the firstborn. Firstborn is plural there. That is us.

The church of the firstborn ones. Which are written in heaven. And to God, the judge of all.

And to the spirit, to just man made perfect. And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. And to the blood of sprunk in that spring that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Now what's happening here? For those that don't know too much about the book of Hebrews. It's a lovely book. I've been studying it for months.

What's going to happen in the book of Hebrews is this. You've got these Christians, okay? And roughly I take it there's about three different groups within them. There's a group that's going on well.

There's a group and they're just sort of wavering. Should we go back to the law? Should we leave this new thing? Then you've got a group that has probably just gone back. So the epistle is written about AD 68.

Thereabouts. We know that the temple hasn't been destroyed yet. And what the spirit of God is going to do is this.

He's going to take every part of that law. The Jewish economy. He's going to take angels.

Moses. Melchizedek. He's going to take the law.

He's going to take the sacrifices. And he's going to compare it to the Lord Jesus. And in every circumstance the Lord is going to come out high.

Just brilliant compared to animal sacrifices. Christ, the blood of Christ. And so on and so forth.

And it's almost like as you're going through the book. There's always this comparison of this part of the law to Christ. This part.

Then he comes to chapter 12. And it's like the great summing up. And what he does is he compares two mountains.

Law. Grace. Mount Sinai.

Mount Zion. And it's almost like all of these individual parts of law. It's all now mounted up into one big mountain.

Sinai. Law. It could never make anyone just and right before God.

There was tremendous amount of fear. We read about it. Moses.

Exceedingly. Fear and quake. Then the contrast is.

But. Here, come on to Mount Zion. It's warm.

It's inviting. There's this festal company of angels. Back in the Old Testament.

The angels were there just to enact judgment. If one person stepped out of line. Back in the Old Testament.

If a beast wandered over to the mountain and touched it. It was so defiled. You couldn't even go over and touch the animal.

You had to stand back and you had to shoot it through with a dart or a spear. Here is this other mountain. Christ.

Grace. It's just. Come.

So what you can see he's doing in the epistle is this. Here are these. Professing believers.

And they're sort of what do we do? Do we go back to law? He says this. Don't go back to law. Go to grace.

It's inviting. It's warm. There's every characteristic about that mountain.

That's saying. Come. Don't run.

That was the opposite. When those people heard the voice of God. Back in Mount Sinai.

You know what they did? They literally ran to their tents. In fear. He.

You know what he does here? He says the same God that speaking. The same God that spoke there and cause fear. He's the same God that speaking now saying.

Come. Don't run. Come to me.

Now with that in your mind. Look at verse 25. See that you refuse not him that speaketh.

For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth. Much more shall not we escape. If we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.

Whose voice then shook the earth. There's the giving of the law. And then he contrasted to grace.

Look at verse 27. Verse 28. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom.

Which cannot be moved. Allah couldn't give you a kingdom. Grace gives you a kingdom.

Let us have grace whereby we may serve. God. Acceptably.

With. Reverence. And godly fear.

For. Whenever you see the word for in scripture. Do you know what it is? He's now going to back up what he just said.

Because. So look at it again. Verse 28.

Let. Whereby we may serve God. Acceptably.

With. Reverence. And godly fear.

Why. For. Our God is a consuming fire.

What's he doing? I'm in grace. I don't hear any loud voice. I'm not afraid.

I don't see any fire. I don't hear no thunders. I see when I read about Christ.

Everything just draws me. Do you know what the spirit of God does? Don't forget. It's the same God.

The very same. God. He didn't overlook the sin of the nation.

He didn't overlook the sin of an individual. As close as that individual was to God. And that's sometimes what happens.

Doesn't it happen to us? We gather to the Lord's name. On a Sunday morning. And as we are now.

The different assembly meetings. And because I can't physically see him. He's there by faith.

I can see him with the eye of faith. When I take the word of God. But what is it about us? That if I can't touch it.

Feel it. Somehow it's not real. The presence of God with us.

Is real. I just was enjoying that recently. The Lord Jesus did not promise.

Just his presence. It's him. He is here.

Now what I want to emphasize is this. And I don't mind. I hate when a preacher is up here.

And he's going around in circles. And you're just waiting for him to get to the point. I like stating the point.

We are told to serve God with reverence. And godly fear. What's the difference between those two words? Don't they sound the same to you? Reverence.

Godly fear. You take a little time to study into it. You'll understand.

One is an inward thing. And the second one is only the outward expression. Of that inward consciousness.

If you want to know what the word means. Reverence. It's really the idea of shame.

It's only used twice in the New Testament. The other time it's used is 1 Timothy 2 and 9. Linked with the godly demeanor of women. With shame facetness.

Now that word shame facetness. Sort of doesn't really give you the full idea. It's really shame facetness.

It's really the idea of a sense of shame. That is rooted deep in character. It's really the understanding of just whose presence I am in.

That's really the understanding of the word. And as a result of understanding the greatness of somebody. The majestic glory.

It has that effect of shame. I'm little. I'm nothing.

He's everything. With godly fear. Now that's going to be expressed somehow.

Now listen. My personal opinion is this. I do not believe it is right to call God you.

And it doesn't really matter if you don't agree with me. You can talk to me about it after. That's fine.

I am so convinced from this book. That I should use language. That makes a difference.

I'm going to go further. I should wear what I the best I can. I don't I don't know.

I don't too. The way I speak in the way I dress. I have no other idea how you show reverence.

We're just recently. We had the princess and the prince and the princess to P.E.I. It was it was amazing. Here everywhere they were on the island for two days.

One night two days. Every place they went. Every little gathering they had.

Every single person that was going to be in the same room. With earthly royalty. Don't they did.

Weeks of weeks ahead they went. And they gathered everybody together. This is how you dress.

This is how you talk to royalty. This is how you shake hands with royalty. This is how you look at royalty.

This is what you do. And nobody nobody put their hand up and went. Yeah you can't do that.

Oh you're just being too legal. Oh come on. I'll just do what I want to do.

Isn't it strange. When someone stands up in God's assembly and tries to say. We should do this.

Right away. Oh you're legalistic. Oh you're trying to put up.

You're trying to put some sort of a form on us. Listen I hate legalism. Absolutely hate it.

Rules will never produce spirituality. Never. But listen.

Do you know the age that we're in now. We're afraid to give guidelines. Nobody wants to get up here and say something.

And for fear that someone in there might go. Oh he's a legalist. We know where he stands.

Listen I don't believe that's legalism. I believe. There should be proper language.

And dress linked with his presence. I don't I don't. I can only go back and reflect on my own life.

24 years of age saved out of the world. The last time I would have been inside. Witness the breaking of bread when I was 16.

I did not talk with thee and thou. But you know what I did. I just sat in the seat of the unlearned and I listened.

I never owned a suit before I got saved. I had I don't know how many people offered to buy me one. Just recently I was speaking along this line.

This gentleman came to the door and he just had a golf shirt on you know. Is this not good enough he said. You know what he said to him.

My dear brother. I'll buy you as many suits as you want. I wouldn't wear it if you bought it.

You see there's an attitude. That's what I'm striking at today is an attitude. Because I have not fully gotten a hold.

My God is a consuming fire. Now just to prove my point just a little bit further. Mouth is getting dry better drink a drink of water.

When you get into touchy situations like this the saliva goes. Anyway you're being very well so far. Here's here's here's the thing that people will throw up at me.

They'll say. Listen. Nobody talks that way today.

It's the same as you. Let me ask you a question. I want you to think today.

Okay. The and thou means the same thing as you. Is that right? Okay.

Let me ask you a question. Would you object to me closing in prayer right now. And instead of saying father.

I say dad. It's the same word isn't it. I mean when I'm at home.

And I call my father up on the phone. I don't say father. Would you like to go for breakfast.

I say dad. I'm being very respectful. I'm not you know looking.

But I know the minute I said that you know what hit you right here. Nobody should call God dad. All right.

We've got an example in scripture. I mean I can go out into it. Thank God for the booksellers.

I don't sell these books. I can go out and buy the translation called the word. Where right in there.

The disciples call the Lord Jesus boss. Right away we know. Whoa.

That's not right. Nobody. Nobody should look to God and call him boss.

Well listen just think. All right. Here's another thing I'm impressed with.

I find. Everybody says oh that's that's tradition. Listen there's nothing wrong with tradition.

Proper biblical tradition. All right. For instance let me give you an example.

Tomorrow morning Lord willing. We will gather in this room to break bread right. Is there any scripture that says.

I'm just going to say the meeting starts at 10. I don't know what time it starts 10 10 10 10 o'clock. What would you think if I stood up at 10 0 1. And gave thanks for the bread.

Any scripture says I can't. No. But we have a good beneficial tradition.

Where we build up to it. And I'll admit it. You want to know how cold my heart is.

Your worship warms me. And the singing warms me. And there's just.

Can you not relate. There just seems to be that moment. When you just you feel.

It's now time to give thanks for the bread. That's a beneficial tradition. It has produced.

It has fostered an environment of what. Appreciation for Christ. Why is it that when people stand up.

And they say we should retain. Calling God D. I understand how it first started out very common. But there are things dear child of God.

That have become standards. And you want to know something. There's nothing wrong with it.

There's nothing wrong with it. Nobody had to stand over me with a hammer. And hammer it.

This is how you speak to God. Listen. I wish I could be more reverent.

He died for me. That does away with attitude in my opinion. I have no problem with a young individual.

Who is just saved. And I understand I listen. I would I had amen their prayer.

I make sure I go to them after the meeting. You say I enjoyed your prayer. But I'll tell you this.

If that same individuals praying the same way. One year. Like just recently I was in a place.

Young fella appreciate hearing him right. My dear in his prayer. He had the father coming into the world.

He had the father dying and shedding. His own blood. The father did not shed his blood.

Christ did. So there are things that we want to educate. And try to encourage.

Intelligent prayer. Nothing wrong with that. So I end with this.

I'm in pretty deep. I may as well just go all the way. I want to speak to elders.

Very kindly. You know sometimes we look at a child. And we say.

Look at that unruly child. Don't blame the child. Don't blame the parents.

The child is acting that way. Because the parents have allowed it to. Elders.

Shepherds. Don't feel. I can't say anything.

You know what my job is from this book. An elder comes alongside of me and talks to me. I am to obey.

No questions. He doesn't have to stand there. And go through a whole line of justification.

As to why this should be done. I'm to obey and submit. Little personality.

That's why there's no discipline in the family today. The dear little child. We don't want to harm it.

Well. I was disciplined. I turned out okay I think.

I look back now and I go. Should have gave me a few more. The way I used to go at my mother.

To the point where she'd be crying. And she'd call my father on the phone. At work.

And the phone was passed to me. Oh when you get home. Okay.

Nothing wrong. So. I look at oversight.

You know what. There is your responsibility. That flock.

Nothing wrong with brethren discussing. Are we going to allow this. Or are we going to try to deter it.

But you know what happens. We all wait. For a preacher to come along and do it.

That's not enough. Local government. Back up.

Or hey. You have a problem with what I said. Come to me.

I'll get up and apologize. Not for what I said. For how I said it.

Because I believe what is. In this book. I believe there's a principle.

Like I said. There's many times where that law and grace is. Totally totally opposite ends.

But then when I see a principle picked up. The holiness of God. And it's brought over into grace.

Just because I don't see fire and lightning. And thunder and everything else. Don't forget.

Our God is. A consuming fire. And that came right from the mouth of Moses.

And I'm sure as he was standing at that river. He was thinking back on. Whoa.

Look at all the evidence. The word of God. Just like the nation of Israel.

The word of God made that nation unique. Do you know what's unique about the assembly. Got the person of Christ.

It should be different dear child of God. And I should want to make it different. Not try to water it down.

Like everything else. So may God give help. I trust no one is offended by what I said.

I just in my own. This spoke to me. I just thought Scott.

Don't forget. Who I'm gathered to. May God give us help.