Read Romans 5:20-21
The role of the law has caused confusion among God’s people for quite some time. It’s clear that the Jews in Jesus’ day and Paul’s day thought that they could earn God’s favour by keeping the Law.
Paul declared in Romans 3:20 ‘Therefore No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law…’ This verse is Paul’s conclusion to a 3 chapter argument designed to prove that all people both Jew and Gentile are under the power of sin and cannot save themselves.
In Galatians 2:16 he also writes ‘a man is not justified by observing the law…’ and repeats it again at the end of the verse! If Paul were not countering a false belief, it seems odd that he would repeat himself so often!
In our day, it’s quite common in the modern church to hear talk of good Christians and bad Christians. While we may all struggle with obedience at times such talk hints at a works righteousness. We see it also in our condemnation of and back turning towards Christians who commit certain sins. Some sins like greed, anxiety and disbelief of certain doctrines are quite acceptable but others are shunned as totally and completely unacceptable! This should not be. Through the giving of the law we see the punishment that sin deserves.
The law of God was given so that we might know what sin is and that we might be able to call sin ‘sin’. It was given so that we might understand the full gravity of sin and that we might see more of how offensive sin really is to our holy and righteous God. But God in his righteousness, holiness and compassion is gracious. We read in the Old Testament in Exodus 34:6 that He is gracious and compassionate and even slow to anger. We read in the New Testament, in 1 Tim 2:4, that God longs for all men to be saved. Where sin increased and burdened us all the more, grace increased to offset it. As such we understand why grace flows so freely out of the cross. As God brings to our heart and mind an awareness of our sins and deserved condemnation the result without grace would be hopelessness and despair. But God also brings to our heart and mind an understanding of the grace of the cross. As we comprehend the horror and
Before God opened our eyes to His grace sin reigned in death. We were dead in our sins and trespasses. We were enslaved to sin. We were by nature objects of wrath. But God, being rich in mercy, lavished us with His grace and allowed grace to reign in us through eternal life.
The law shows us our hopelessness and deserved condemnation. It brings us to Christ and having received Christ shows us how to live to please our gracious God.
Prayer:
Use the bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Church this Sonday to bring glory to God and to edify all who come along. Pray for 95% attendance. Pray for God to be powerful among us and in us.
¥ Pray that those who don’t know Jesus to be converted.
Don’t dismiss the law of the OT. It’s there to show us about God, about ourselves and about how we can please God. . Love it. Live it. Learn it.
1. If a person comes to Christ as healer, will that person be saved? Defend your answer.
2. How can Christians tend to become legalistic?
3. If someone said to you that the idea of having to come to church weekly is just legalism, how would you defend the truth?
Intro: It’s great that we want to be good and to do the right thing. But God looks at our heart and weighs up our motives. Sometimes good things on the outside are driven by bad things on the inside. Can you think of any such examples in your own life?
Discuss how motives can make a good thing bad or vice - versa.
Read Ephesians 2:8-10
Why do we do good works?
What should we do if our motives are not good in a particular instance?
What do good works achieve for us?
Pray together that God would cleanse your heart and lead you to many good works.
Intro: Boys can often goof off and act silly just for the sake of it. How good is it to know that God looks at our heart and at our motives, not just our outward actions.
Discuss how motives can make a good thing bad or vice - versa.
Read Ephesians 2:8-10
Why do we do good works?
What should we do if our motives are not good in a particular instance?
What do good works achieve for us?
Pray together that God would cleanse your heart and lead you to many good works.
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