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0:59It's important to think about this because many people pit the Mosaic law against the gospel, and they will see that the revelation given in the first five books of the Bible as either unnecessary or even antagonistic to the gospel. And so it's an important study for us. Andy Stanley made News in 2018 and has since then and several occasions. But he made this statement concerning the law in a sermon. Peter, James, and Paul elected to unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures. And my friends, we must as well unhitch the Old Testament scriptures from the gospel. He was pressed about it, and I think he was teaching from Acts chapter 15, one that we have recently been in, and he was making that statement between how the early church didn't put certain restrictions upon the New Testament believers. But when he was pressed on this, he said these words: The first century leadership of the church, and now I'll quote, unhitched the church from the worldview, value system, and regulations of the Jewish scriptures. It's quite a statement and certainly involves a lot of comments and conversation. What is the role? Is it unnecessary?

2:58How does it play? In. Now, as I've been studying through Galatians, I've come across quite a few statements made by the Reformers. I'm reading a lot of commentaries on Galatians, old and new. It is a book that has a lot of controversy and a lot of different interpretations. And periodically, I'll come across some statements that Martin Luther makes, and I really am enjoying his commentary. But at times, he takes a very strong and negative view of the law.

3:43One instance, he likened the gospel to the word of grace, and the law, and I quote, the word of wrath, the word of heaviness, and death. So the gospel is the word of grace, and the law is the word of death. In a sense, that's true. Then he says this, the gospel is the revelation of the Son of God. This is quite contrary to the law, which reveals not the Son of God, but it shows forth sin, it terrifies the conscience, it reveals death, the wrath, and judgment of God and hell. The gospel, therefore, is so. A doctrine as admits no law. Yea, it must be separate as far from the law as there is distance between heaven and earth.

4:45Statements like this leave people scratching their heads. Well, what is the role? And at times, Martin Luther seems to have a very high opinion of the law. But periodically, he'll make statements like that, and many others say things like that. But some such statements as these have led people to believe that the law is to be disconnected, has no relevance, or even antagonistic to the gospel. But the problem with these negative views of the law is that they really don't square with what the Bible says about the law itself.

5:27Listen to what the Holy Spirit says about the law. You know, Psalm 1. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law, the Torah of the Lord. And in his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields Its fruits in its season, and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he does, he prospers. Now, that's a remarkable statement about the law.

6:14It is the very way of blessing. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. The law is opposite to the counsel of the wicked. It's on the other end of the spectrum. And the law, the one who delights in the law, in the Torah, and in his law he meditates day and night, he will be like a tree firmly planted, nourished by streams of water. It will always be yielding its fruit, and whatever he does, he prospers. That's what the Holy Spirit has to say about the law. Now, the question is: does this condition cease? Is that no longer the case? Yeah, hard-pressed. Better have some good revelation to do that, and we don't. This was the testimony that the Holy Spirit had about the law. But it's not just there, it's actually throughout Scripture, this high view. And I certainly don't have time to go through. Through these, but let me take you to another one, Psalm 19. This one's worth even turning to.

7:38In Psalm 19, I'll just start reading in verse 1 for the choir director, a Psalm of David. It says, The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands. Verse 2: Day to day pours forth speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. So the psalmist opens up about the natural revelation and the beauty around him. He says, Look, looking up at the skies, the heavens are telling of the glory of God. And he goes on and he speaks about the glory of God in Psalm 19 and how they are pouring forth speech. In other words, no matter where you go, you hear, you see the glory of God pressed in from natural revelation or creation. It's pressing in and it's saying something about God. What is it saying about God? Well, it says that He's glorious, He's powerful, He's wise. You can see all that, He's good. You can see all of that in creation.

8:49But creation, natural revelation, only has a certain limit. It can tell you how great God is, but it's It doesn't tell you how to come to him. And then the psalmist in verse 11 says this: the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The law, the Torah of the Lord is perfect. It restores the soul. That's the word for conversion. It regenerates. It's an incredible word. It is the law that is an instrument in it. It is perfect. Now, if that's antagonistic to the gospel, we got a real problem. How can the law be perfect and be antagonistic to the gospel?

9:49How can it be unnecessary if it is perfect? Well, the problems with us and our understanding of the law. God's not confused about the law. He doesn't see an unhitching that it needs to be unhitched. In fact, he took years to put it all out there so that the gospel could be understood. Without the law, you can't understand the gospel. You don't know what Jesus dying on the cross even means without the law, without the Lamb, without the Passover, with all that history. You know, a guy shows up and dies. What is that? But when you put it at the backdrop, Of the law, sacrificial system, atonement, being in the presence of God, and all of that, all of a sudden, you have a way to understand it. But the psalmist doesn't stop there. The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The testimony, which is in the law, all these words that will come out, then speak about that which is written in the law. The precepts, verse 8, of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true. They are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. So the psalmist starts out with this amazing view of the heavens declaring the glory, but then he says, But the word of the Lord, the law of the Lord is perfect. And let me tell you about the law of the Lord. It restores the soul, it renews the soul, it makes the simple wise, it rejoices the heart.

12:00It is pure, it enlightens the eyes. This is the law, this is the Torah. The judgments of the Lord are true, righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold. Now, this guy doesn't have a desire to unhitch himself from the truths that are revealed in the Torah, in the law, and neither should we. Then he goes on. I don't know what I did. He goes on, but it doesn't look like we're going on. If you could advance it to the next slide, no, go back.

13:01Yeah, we'll just leave. Okay, so let's just look at verse 19. Verse 12. Who can discern his errors? How can you discern your errors? Well, the law of God, the testimonies, is sure. Acquit me of hidden faults. You see what he's done? He's been studying the law, studying the testimonies, the judgments, and now he's crying out, acquit me of faults. It's doing a work. The law is doing a work in his heart, causing him to reach out and ask God for acquittal. Verse 13, who can discern his errors? I mean, verse 13, also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. God, interject yourself in my life.

13:56I need you to not let these sins rule over me. You see how his dependence, the law is creating a dependence. Then he goes on in verse 14: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Somehow, through the study of God's word, he comes to understand who God is. God is the Redeemer. Yahweh, my Redeemer. You see how the law has helped him, has pointed him in the right direction. Yes, it has made him aware of his sins so that he can find the Redeemer and turn to the one who will acquit him.

14:48Turn to the one who will make sure that these sins don't rule over him. He's crying out for help. The law is bringing him to that point. See, the way of conversion is through the law. Not only is the way of blessing, as Psalmist 1 says, Psalm 19 makes it clear that the law is perfect and is the very way of conversion. It is instrumental in God's salvific purposes. So, is the law contrary to the gospel?

15:32I could spend a lot more time with a lot of different scriptures and show you how throughout scriptures, the Holy Spirit, people, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they extoll God for his knowledge and wisdom and delight and joy that they have discovered in God's law. Psalm 119. For those of you who remember, we spent a long time going through that book. That's what it's about: the joy in the law, God's Word. So, how do we reconcile this notion that the law is at odds with the gospel? Is it contrary? Well, first of all, I think the answer is an emphatic no.

16:23Galatians 3:21, we just studied this. Galatians 3:21, Paul asks the question: is the law? Then contrary to the promises of God? And his answer is: may it never be. May it never be. Like, don't even let that question come into your mind. Absolutely not. Get that thinking out of your head. Absolutely not. It's not contrary to the gospel. And he goes on to say: if a law had been given which was able to impart life, which there isn't, it can't impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on the law. It points to the life-giver, and in that sense is used as an instrument of conversion. But in and of itself, there is no law that imparts life.

17:20But it does point you to the law giver. So the law is not contrary to the gospel that was preached or promised to Abraham and those who would be blessed through him. Second element of this is that Paul emphatically states that the law is our tutor. Galatians 3:24, therefore the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ. As you know, we're in our morning series, we're working through Galatians 3 and 4, and Paul uses many. Images that relate to the ministry of the law. The law is a prison warden shutting everyone up under sin.

18:12The law is a custodian. The law is a guardian of a child. The law is a property manager for an heir's estate. But what I want to focus this series on is this one image in Galatians 3:24. Therefore, the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ. A tutor is a schoolmaster or a teacher. And maybe a kid doesn't always like to be under a tutor. The tutor has a role to teach. And to sometimes teach someone who doesn't want to be taught. But the goal is still the same.

18:54And it can be a taskmaster, but it's a good. It has a good purpose. And so that schoolmaster or tutor has a limited purpose, a teaching role that has a view towards graduation. Once you have learned what the tutor wants you to learn, you are no longer under that tutor. And so the law's purpose was to lead people to Christ. Paul is very emphatic. About that. And we should not wonder: is the law at odds with the gospel? Absolutely not. Don't even think that the law is our tutor to take us to Christ.

19:47In history, that happens. And in personal history, that happens. And so, when you think about this purpose, that's a glorious purpose. To lead someone to Christ is a most glorious purpose. And that's why I've entitled this series, this spring series, Our Glorious Tutor. The purpose for the law is glorious. And we should learn from the law. In fact, I believe if you can understand the law, you will understand your Bible. There's so much there. The first five, and I hope we will become students of the law, understanding it rightly.

20:40You see, the ministry of the law started out very gloriously. It started out gloriously. I read some of these recently, but the angels were involved in the giving of. The law. It was a way to introduce this glorious tutor to the nations there at Sinai after all that took place with the Exodus. There was a purpose in mind. It wasn't just that God's down on the Egyptians. He has a glorious purpose that is to bring these people out from slavery, as he promised, and to teach them his ways.

21:26And so he gives them the law. And so everything about that, those days at Sinai were glorious. The sights, the sounds, and the angelic beings that were present all attest to the glorious nature of the giving of the law. Now, as you're reading through Exodus, you see about the thunder, the lightning, the thick clouds, and the very loud trumpet. You hear about all those things, but you really don't hear about the angels. But you do hear that as you keep going through scripture.

22:03In Deuteronomy 33, 2, Moses says, This, the Lord, Yahweh, came from Sinai and dawned on them from Seir. He shone forth from Mount Peron, and he came from the midst of 10,000 holy ones. At his right hand, there was flashing lightning for them. So Moses, at the end of Deuteronomy, is saying, Yeah, he's. He refers to the angelic beings. Psalm 68, 17 says this: The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands. The Lord is among them, as at Sinai in holiness. So the psalmist is saying, Look at the holy, there's God with the chariots, myriads, just like he was at Sinai.

22:59So this tutor, this glorious tutor of the law, was introduced gloriously. The ministry of the law also ended gloriously. Let me read you a portion of Matthew 27, verse 50 and on. You remember Jesus on the cross? This is where the tutor is complete, at least in history. Matthew 23, 27, 50. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, They entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now that's pretty spectacular.

24:08Now the centurion and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, Truly, this was the Son of God. And there it is. Jesus dies and the temple veil torn in two. Earthquake, people coming forth out of the graves. Now that's something. You see, the law was never intended to be an end in itself, but it was a means to a greater end, and that is knowing Christ and experiencing his salvation. That's what the law is about.

24:54Hebrews 2:2 says this: For if the words spoken through angels proved unalterable, speaking about the law, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? So the question becomes: how do we let the law tutor us today? Well, that's the topic of our whole spring series. I hope you will join us and continue to join us. The first major controversy of the church had to deal with this.

25:39And they addressed it. They addressed the matter with clarity, except the controversies continue to this day. We're asking some of the very same questions. 2,000 years later, what was the purpose of the law? How are Christians to relate to the law? How is Jesus Christ revealed in the law? Those are some of the most basic questions of Christianity. So I hope you'll join us as we continue this series, as we seek to answer these questions and many more.

26:22So I hope you'll be with us. I'm going to pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this time and for your goodness to us. May this be a rich and rewarding time as we look into your word and may we experience those promised blessings that are associated with those who meditate and understand your law and help us to put and relate to the law in the way that you want us to relate to it. Let it be our glorious tutor, revealing Christ to us, giving us wisdom. Wisdom, enlightening our eyes, showing us who you are, that we may delight in you and walk in the freedom of your children who have been tutored by your law, who have been redeemed in Christ, and who live according to your spirit as sons and daughters. In Christ's name, amen.