Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. ² Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. ³ There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; ⁴ yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, ⁵ which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. ⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat. ⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; ⁸ the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; ⁹ the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. ¹² But who can discern his errors? Clear thou me from hidden faults. ¹³ Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. ¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Matthew 11:29-30

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Matthew 22:37-40

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

Summary and Purpose

Summary: The Law is good, wonderful and holy. Although it does not save us, the Law plays a vital role in the Christian life. The term ‘Law’ refers to the directions God gives us through Scripture. These directions teach us how to live our lives within the moral framework established by God. If people would just follow these directions, our world would become a paradise. This is because loving God and neighbor is the summation of the Law. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone loved each other with God’s type of love. Our sinful inclination, however, keeps us from following the Law.

There is, however, good news. Through faith in Jesus, we receive empowerment to follow God’s Law. As we walk with Christ, the Holy Spirit transforms and enables us to more closely follow God’s Law. We become more loving. If you want to live up to God’s Law and be the person God created you to be, repent and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Purpose: To encourage the congregation to seek Holy Spirit empowerment to obey the Law. 

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Completing a task w/out looking at the directions

2. I’ve done this when changing a tire on my wife’s SUV

• I’ve changed many tires in my life but never on an SUV.
• I figured I didn’t need to look at the car manual. I wasn’t going to admit I needed help.
• I put the jack in the same place you would for a small car. That, however, is not the place to put it on an SUV.
• I hiked the jack up to its full position, but the tire never left the ground.
• My wife then pulled out the car manual and showed me where to place the jack.

4. The Law provides us with directions on how to live our lives.

II. The Law

2. These directions are given to us throughout the Bible

• The truths gleaned from Bible stories
• The Ten Commandments
• Old Testament commandments
• Old Testament wisdom literature (Proverbs, Psalms, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes)
• The sayings and commands of Jesus
• The Sermon on the Mount
• The New Testament Letters

3. The summation of the Law: LOVE

• Matthew 22:37-40: “And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
• We should not think of the Law as a list of DOs and DON’Ts. We should think of the Law as instruction on how to love God and neighbor with a Godly love.
• Look at the Ten Commandments: First four commandments deal with how to love God and the last six deal with how to love neighbor.

4. The Law is what is best for us

• Psalm 19:7-11: “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; ⁸ the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; ⁹ the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
• Matthew 11:29-30: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
• It’s similar to the rules parents place upon us as children. Although we may not like them, parental rules are what’s best for the children.
• Imagine what your life would be like if you and everyone around you always obeyed God’s Law. (Remember, the summation of the  Law is love)

III. The problem and good news

1. The problem: We can not, on our own, obey God’s Law.

• This is acknowledged in Psalm 19:12-13: “But who can discern his errors? Clear thou me from hidden faults. ¹³ Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!” The Psalmist realizes he needs God’s help not to sin.
• We can try as hard as we can to obey the Law but, at some point, our inclination to sin will get the better of us. Our pride and selfishness will keep us from loving God and others in a perfect way.
• This is why the Law can not save us. We can not earn our salvation because we can not live up to God’s Law. We are totally dependent on God’s grace through faith in Jesus for our salvation.

2. The good news: God will transform and empower us to obey his Law.

• Romans 8:29: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.”
• Once you repent and trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will enter your heart and begin the transformational process to make you more like Jesus. In this way, you will be empowered to obey God’s Law.
• This is one of the major differences between Christianity and the other religions.

IV. Conclusion: Say yes to what’s best for you. Say yes to the Law.

1. It begins with repentance and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.