The law given by God serves as a mirror, reflecting our transgressions and making us acutely aware of our rebellion against His will. This awareness, while increasing our guilt, is not meant to lead us to despair but to a deeper understanding of grace. In the heightened state of sin, grace abounds even more through Christ's obedience. The gospel proclaims that no matter how great our sin, the grace offered through Christ is greater still. This is a profound truth that challenges us to see the law not as a burden but as a guide that leads us to the overwhelming grace of God. [12:28]
Romans 5:20-21 (ESV): "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Reflection: Consider a specific sin or struggle in your life. How can you invite God's grace to abound in this area today, transforming guilt into growth?
Day 2: Christ's Obedience Upholds the Law
The gospel upholds the law by demonstrating that Christ's perfect obedience satisfies both its commanding and condemning power. Through His life and sacrificial death, Christ honors the law's demands, allowing God to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus. This truth reveals the seriousness of our sin and the immense value of Christ's sacrifice. It is not that the law is nullified, but rather that it is fulfilled and magnified through Christ, showcasing God's justice and mercy in a way that calls us to a life of faith and obedience. [32:38]
Romans 3:31 (ESV): "Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law."
Reflection: In what ways can you actively uphold God's law in your daily life, not out of obligation, but as a response to Christ's perfect obedience?
Day 3: Redemption Reflects God's Honor
The price paid for our redemption reflects not our intrinsic worth but the honor due to God as the offended lawgiver. This highlights the seriousness of our sin and the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice. The gospel message is not about our worthiness but about God's glory and the honor He deserves. Understanding this shifts our focus from self-centeredness to God-centeredness, recognizing that our redemption is a testament to God's justice and mercy. It calls us to live in a way that honors God, acknowledging the profound cost of our salvation. [39:24]
1 Peter 1:18-19 (ESV): "Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."
Reflection: How can you honor God in your daily actions, recognizing the immense price paid for your redemption?
Day 4: The Consequences of Rejecting Grace
Rejecting the gospel results in facing the full weight of God's justice, while embracing Christ's righteousness promises eternal favor and the smile of God. This truth underscores the urgency of responding to the gospel. The offer of grace through Christ is not just an invitation but a call to escape the consequences of sin. For those who accept this grace, there is the promise of eternal life and favor with God. It is a decision that carries eternal significance, urging us to choose life and righteousness through faith in Jesus. [54:21]
Hebrews 10:26-27 (ESV): "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries."
Reflection: Reflect on your response to the gospel. Are there areas in your life where you are resisting God's grace? What steps can you take to fully embrace His righteousness today?
Day 5: The Urgency of Responding to Grace
The gospel exalts the law and the lawgiver by offering a way of escape through the obedience of Jesus Christ. This emphasizes the urgency to respond to this offer of grace. The law reveals our need for a savior, and the gospel provides the solution through Christ's obedience. It is a call to action, urging us to not delay in accepting the grace that is freely given. This response is not just about avoiding judgment but about entering into a relationship with God that transforms our lives and aligns us with His will. [57:36]
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (ESV): "Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
Reflection: What is one immediate step you can take today to respond to God's grace and deepen your relationship with Him?
Sermon Summary
In today's reflection, we explored the profound nature of God as a lawgiver and how the gospel magnifies His glory in this role. At first glance, the gospel might seem to challenge God's authority as a lawgiver, but in reality, it upholds and honors His law in a magnificent way. Romans 5:19 serves as a pivotal point, illustrating the contrast between Adam's disobedience and Christ's obedience. Through Christ's perfect obedience, the law is not only fulfilled but also magnified, showcasing God's justice and mercy.
The law, as given by God, serves to illuminate our transgressions, making us aware of our rebellion against His will. This awareness increases our guilt, yet it is precisely in this heightened state of sin that grace abounds even more. The gospel proclaims that no matter how great our sin, the grace offered through Christ's obedience is greater still. This message of free salvation, based solely on Christ's merits, can be unsettling to some, as it seems to offer no incentive for obedience. However, the true incentive lies in the transformative power of grace, which leads to a life of holiness and reverence for God.
The gospel does not nullify the law; rather, it upholds it by demonstrating that Christ's obedience satisfies both the commanding and condemning power of the law. His perfect life and sacrificial death honor the law's demands, allowing God to be both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus. This profound truth reveals the seriousness of our sin and the immense value of Christ's sacrifice. The price paid for our redemption reflects not our intrinsic worth but the honor due to God as the offended lawgiver.
As we consider the gravity of our sin and the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice, we are reminded of the urgency to respond to the gospel. Those who reject this offer of grace will face the full weight of God's justice. Yet, for those who embrace Christ's righteousness, there is the promise of eternal favor and the smile of God. This gospel exalts the law and the lawgiver in a way that nothing else can, offering a way of escape through the obedience of one man, Jesus Christ.
Key Takeaways
1. The law reveals our sinfulness by increasing our awareness of transgressions, yet it is in this heightened state of sin that grace abounds even more through Christ's obedience.[12:28]
2. The gospel upholds the law by demonstrating that Christ's perfect obedience satisfies both its commanding and condemning power, allowing God to be just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus.[32:38]
3. The price paid for our redemption reflects not our intrinsic worth but the honor due to God as the offended lawgiver, highlighting the seriousness of our sin and the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice.[39:24]
4. Rejecting the gospel results in facing the full weight of God's justice, while embracing Christ's righteousness promises eternal favor and the smile of God.[54:21]
5. The gospel exalts the law and the lawgiver by offering a way of escape through the obedience of Jesus Christ, emphasizing the urgency to respond to this offer of grace. [57:36] ** [57:36]
How does Romans 5:19 illustrate the contrast between Adam's disobedience and Christ's obedience? What is the significance of this comparison in the context of the sermon? [09:54]
According to the sermon, what role does the law play in increasing our awareness of sin, and how does this relate to the concept of grace abounding more? [12:28]
In what way does Philippians 2:8 describe the extent of Christ's obedience, and how is this relevant to the sermon’s message about the law? [34:40]
How does Romans 3:31 address the concern that faith might nullify the law, and what does the sermon say about this? [30:57]
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Interpretation Questions:
What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between God's justice and mercy in the context of Christ's obedience? How does this impact our understanding of salvation? [32:38]
How does the sermon explain the transformative power of grace as an incentive for obedience, despite the gospel's message of free salvation? [17:07]
In what ways does the sermon highlight the seriousness of sin and the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice? How does this understanding affect a believer's view of their own sinfulness? [39:24]
How does the sermon describe the consequences of rejecting the gospel, and what does this reveal about God's justice and the urgency of responding to grace? [54:21]
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Application Questions:
Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed by your own sinfulness. How can the message of grace abounding more than sin, as discussed in the sermon, bring you comfort and hope? [12:28]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of Christ's obedience in upholding the law. How can you strive to live a life that honors God's law in your daily actions and decisions? [32:38]
Consider the transformative power of grace mentioned in the sermon. What specific changes can you make in your life to allow this grace to lead you towards greater holiness and reverence for God? [17:07]
The sermon warns of the consequences of rejecting the gospel. How can you share the urgency of responding to God's grace with someone in your life who may not yet know Christ? [54:21]
Reflect on the idea that the price paid for our redemption reflects the honor due to God as the offended lawgiver. How does this perspective change the way you view your own worth and the worth of others? [39:24]
The sermon discusses the misconception that God's grace makes Him a "pushover" regarding sin. How can you cultivate a healthy fear and respect for God as a lawgiver in your spiritual journey? [26:04]
Identify one area in your life where you struggle with obedience to God's commands. What steps can you take this week to align your actions more closely with His will? [23:21]
Sermon Clips
The law came in to increase the trespass, to make us more guilty. With the law comes light, with the law comes expression of God's will. You see, you can be out there doing wrong, you don't really know you're doing wrong, and then God says don't do that. Now suddenly your rebellion is confronted by wow, God is spoken, God has been clear, God has given certain precepts and statutes to govern my life, and now when I rebel I do it against that much more light so my transgression is that much more aggravated. [00:10:22]
Because of this man's this one man's obedience, because of that where sin increased no matter how aggravated it becomes, no matter how much it's increased, no matter how much the guilt is multiplied, grace abounded all the more because of the merits of what Christ and his obedience did. No matter how sin increases, the grace is greater than all my sin we sing. [00:12:25]
Brethren, do you recognize we can go out into this world of filth and depravity and unimaginable wretchedness and we can tell people what Paul told people. What can we tell them? No matter how great your sin is, you say but you don't know the things I've done. We just heard John Sidesmith said that they have made contact with a pastor in Reynosa who formerly was a cartel member, and he is now he has opened doors to preach the gospel to the cartel. [00:13:01]
Without any effort of your own, without any goodness on your part, without any law keeping on your behalf but solely based on the obedience of another man, you can be declared righteous by faith in that man. That brethren, God looks on the obedience of his son and says that's more than valuable for whatever you've done, it's always above, it's always beyond, it's always one step ahead. [00:14:03]
The terrible thing about sin like James was showing us, why do you break the whole thing if you break the law at one point? Because he who said the one is the same who said the other. Brethren, the thing about sin is that it is rebellion against God. It is man shaking his fisted God, it is man defying God. [00:18:15]
The thing we hear this so often we don't really grasp it, it comes off our tongue all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but you have to recognize what that means. Brethren, the idea behind that, that's the real wickedness of sin. Sin is a depreciation of God's glory. Here the most spectacular, the most majestic, the most beautiful, the most valuable, the most worthy being ever imagined expresses his will to really very insignificant creatures of his. [00:19:29]
Brethren, the issue here is we sinners are bought with a price, but the price set for us did not have to do with our intrinsic worth because if you read scripture you know what it says we were worth, worth less. That's what scripture says worth less. I see so often sinners go wrong at this point. If the price to ransom us goes up and up and up, it's not like the first scenario it's not because our intrinsic value must be that high. [00:36:50]
Brethren, do you imagine that God would do such things as he did to his only son if there was any cheaper way to pay the price? He did this to his son, his son, the son from his own bosom, the sun in which he took delight, the son who is more precious to him than anything else. Do you imagine that God would ever have sent his only begotten son to the cross if he could have duly honored himself as a lawgiver any other way? [00:41:18]
You want to know the seriousness of our law breaking, you gaze at that cross and you see the wrath of God and you see the tremendous agony that Jesus faced even in the days before in the time before the months before, the agony that he was pressed with in this coming judgment falling upon his own head. This thing, terrible seriousness is displayed of man's rebellion against God as a lawgiver. [00:43:31]
Brethren, a man rightly instructed about God and his law will come to grips with this, the fact that to have insulted the law and the giver of that law. Brethren, what do you think? What do you think? Do you think God's gonna allow you because of some partial effort on your part to keep the law and the best of your ability to the best of your power and to be as good as you can be? [00:45:12]
Brethren, we should tremble for lawbreakers who do not know our Lord Jesus Christ. God will not deal with such lawbreakers slightly and those who are involved in our lives. Jesus told the 72 who went out preaching the gospel, those people you go and preach that gospel to who refuse and reject you gonna be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for those people. [00:51:55]
Brethren, this just exalts the law and the law giver in a way that nothing else could. Father, we pray for mercy Lord you designed this, you gave man a way of escape a way out through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. Oh Lord, I pray that there would be many in this room that would make up the many that are found to be righteous through the obedience of another. [00:57:36]