Radio Broadcast Tuesday 10/04/2022

Classic Christianity – A Closer Look at Law & Grace P08 (10-04-22)

Trying to Obey the Law Will Cause More Sin in Your Life ~ The Answer: Live By Faith in the One Who Took Away All Your Sins on the Cross!

~ So in Romans 5:20 were say, the law was added so that the trespass might increase. In other words, did we just not read that the law was added because of transgressions, until the seed came. And it was added, so that the trespass, the transgression might increase, but where sin increased, Grace increased all the more, so that just as Sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness, to bring what? eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So we’re going to see that wherever we are as Christians, under the law, that you’re going to see that the power of sin is in the law. And as a Christian, when you put yourself under the law, instead of entering into where God called you to the Sabbath rest, that you’re going to find that in your desert experience attempting to find your righteousness through obedience to the law, that all you’re going to discover is that you’re sinning more, either outwardly or inwardly or both, that the more you’re under the law, the more sin is going to increase in your life. So the law was added so that the trespass might increase. Now, as a lost person, what I need my trespassed increase, for I’m already dead. But as a living person, I need to see my trespasses increase, in order to die to what is causing that increase so that I can walk into the promised land and walk under grace in the newness of life.

Listen in to today’s lesson with more in-depth teaching, from the Bible study booklet, A Closer Look at Law & Grace, available for purchase from our online Bob George Ministries ecommerce store.

Jesus asked how does God love and accept us? And how does he expect us to live the Christian life? To answer those questions, this insightful study explores a vital issue at the heart of the Christian experience, the biblical relationship between law and grace, understanding their role in our relationship to God will bring joy, freedom and spontaneity to your Christian life. Now, let’s take A Closer Look at Law & Grace.

Bob George 0:39
So, but experience and my own salvation experience, would show me this, that the law of God became more active and more pertinent after coming to Christ than before. Before coming to Christ, the average person doesn’t even know what the law says if you ask the average non Christian what are the 10 commandments, he could name 10. It’s like It’s like somebody one of the actors, comedians one time said, Have you ever learned the 10 commandments? He said, No. He said how come said so I can plead ignorance. So no, I’m not gonna learn them this way. I can just say I didn’t know. It’s like WC Fields a that an old grouchy comedian. Somebody walked in when he was on his deathbed reading the Bible said, What are you doing? is I’m looking for loopholes. So if you see, you see the law is not really even know now there’s a law in our hearts that knows right from wrong. I mean, you don’t have to be brilliant to know that stealing isn’t right adultery isn’t right. worshipping idols isn’t right. Coveting isn’t right. You don’t have to be a genius to know that. It’s there. But it’s not there. But when you become a Christian, boy that’s when you really become aware of the law isn’t it? sure. And you’ve got a lot of good teachers around teaching you that you see where before, as a non Christian, you’re really not learning much about the law or about the grace of God is true. Unless you’re in an evangelical church. And there you could be learning about those things in the energy of the flesh and never be saved. So Bob, as I see this and I see the Israelites, they weren’t saved by the law, nor were they convicted by the law, they didn’t have the law. They were saved by believing God, they were saved exactly like Abraham had told them, they were going to obtain righteousness is by belief. They trusted in what God had shown Moses and said, We’ll follow you. That’d be a scary thing going across that sea with water, you know, 12, 15 feet above you and going through a little, a little valley in there, that would be pretty frightening to me. But they did, they believed him and they went through. Now when they got over there, they demanded the law, and God gave it to them. Now, what did the law accomplish to the Israelites in that 40 years? What did the law do? Well, it said that it was added because of transgressions, whose transgressions were the Israelites transgression, that the law was added because of their transgressions. So it wasn’t added to point them out. They were already there. It wasn’t add them to any added increase them they were already there. But now here they are in a point of what is considered salvation in the desert, but refusing to go to Cana, refusing to enter in the Promised Land. And so God use the law to show them their inability as a saved person, their inability to ever obtain righteousness in the sight of God to what they were doing. Is that important for us to know? If righteousness is by faith and faith alone, as a child of God, I need to know that why because if I don’t, then I will be doing what all religions do. And that is spend my life trying to make my acceptance and my love from God predicated on what I am doing instead of predicated upon what he is doing. And therefore I will be forced to go build religious institutions. Instead of allowing God to make individual relationships with man, I will be forced to put my faith back upon man and the accumulation of men and women and what they are doing, rather than what God is doing, I am forced to build a religion. So we’ve built one called a Christian religion, the Israelites had the Hebrew religion, it was given to them by God, although it said, although God was not pleased with all those things, it was given by God in order to show them that they could not accomplish it.

Now, again, Galatians 3:16, the promises that were spoken to Abraham and his seed, now the seed is Jesus Christ. So in Romans 5:20, were say the law was added so that the trespass might increase. In other words, did we just not read that the law was added because of transgressions, until the seed came, and it was added, so that the trespass, the transgression might increase, but where sin increased Grace increased all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring what? eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So we’re going to see that wherever we are as Christians, under the law, that you’re going to see that the power of sin is in the law. And as a Christian, when you put yourself under the law, instead of entering into where God called you to the Sabbath rest, that you’re going to find that in your desert experience attempting to find your righteousness through obedience to the law, that all you’re going to discover is that you’re sinning more either outwardly or inwardly or both. That the more you’re under the law, the more sin is going to increase in your Live. So the law was added so that the trespass might increase. Now, as a lost person, what I need my trespass to increase for, I’m already dead. But as a living person, I need to see my trespasses increase, in order to die to what is causing that increase so that I could walk into the promised land and walk under grace and the newness of life.

So we’ve ignored the truth of what the law is, is there to do to a saved person. And I know him own life is I’ve it’s kind of been a teaching that the law was given, so that I would come to Christ for salvation. And there may be truth to that. But I see the law, the purpose of the law more after salvation than before salvation. And that’s to get rid of a believer self sufficiency, so that he will walk in to where? another land, not go back to Egypt, but go into Canaan, which is where God is.

You’ve got two areas that that the law is used for to the last you see, the last is trying to find acceptance in the sight of God through their works. If you were excepting by grace, why you’d be saved. So if you’re a lost person, it means there is a person who is trying to be saved by joining a church, trying to be saved by being baptized, trying to be saved by being christened, trying to be saved by being a Catholic, trying to be saved, because I’m a Hebrew, trying to be saved because I’m a Baptist or Protestant. So no one is saved, because they’re a Catholic, or Protestant or a Hebrew, or a Muslim, or a Hindu period, no one is saved by that. And yet, in each one of those categories, people are working at salvation, because of that thinking, that is my salvation, because I am a, whatever that might be. So in other words, salvation is by works. Then to the person who comes to Christ truly comes to Christ with a born again, experience by faith and faith alone, whereby they say, No, I cannot be saved for those things. I am saved because Christ came to save me. I have recognized the fact that Jesus took away my sins at the cross. But he did far more than that he was raised from the dead in order to solve my real last condition, which is death. And the only solution to death is life. So he was raised from the dead, so that that resurrected life could be given to me and raised me from the dead, so that I have a life called eternal life. And I can’t work for that. And certainly, being a Hebrew or Gentile or Catholic, or a slave or free is not going to bring that about. So Lord, I guess you’re the only one who did. And so I accept that. And I believe that and when that occurs, you’re born again, you’ve you have been given now the life of Christ living in you and have been made complete whole, you are now perfect. You are a human with a body and a soul and a spirit that is now being joined by the Holy Spirit of God living in you. Now, that’s a picture of of leaving Egypt and going into the desert, and the and and the sea closing behind you. But now we got another thing with the law.

In other words, I realized I’m saved by grace, but I’m sustained by keeping the law. And then we have the teaching, it says now that you are saved, why then God will help you to keep the law in Texas, they have helpyou. So now I’m saved so that God will help you to keep the law. We see there isn’t anything any farther from the truth, that God is not helping you to keep the law. He tried to free you from the law. But as long as you come enter into the desert, that’s desert stuff that we’re talking about. You in a desert are still now I’m going to try to keep your acceptance. In other words, I’m saved by grace, but I’m going to be accepted by works, loved by works, given my righteousness by my works, given my sanctification by my works, and I’m going to keep working under the law to fulfill the law. When Christ said, What do you think, if the cross already fulfilled it. So the law is used by God, to the last to show them they cannot be saved through obedience to the law. And then the law is used again in the desert because of man’s of man’s inadequacies, not God’s but God knows man. He said he knows what man is going to do. self sufficient lost man becomes a self sufficient saved man. And so he knows what man’s gonna do so people get back under the law as a saved person with this idea that God is going to help me now to obey the law. And so here we are in the desert trying to obey the law. And we don’t do any better in the desert than we did when we were back in Egypt. And that’s what causes people to say, I am not sure. But I think I was happier as a lost person than I was as the saved. Why was the last person now pay attention to the law. And so you know, you’re not you’re not struggling between flesh and spirit, you don’t have an experience. So you’re there in a struggle, you’re you’re just you’re just fulfilling the flesh, kind of enjoying it for a season. But there’s always this emptiness, it’s there. It’s not the deflation getting fulfilled. It’s the fact that my spirit is empty. And that’s what ultimately draws you to Christ as well as an awareness of the fact there’s something missing in my life. It’s like a solemn, and I’m fulfilling every single desire my flesh, but there’s still something missing, something’s wrong. And so as a saved person, we’re still under that law. Now, what is God doing? Is he keeping you is the law there? Because we’re to obey it. No, the law is there so that your sin will increase. So that what? where, where sin increases, Grace increases all the more you have to start depending upon the grace of God. Because what you find out is I just can’t develop enough laws to take care of all this stuff. God knows we’ve tried. So just as Sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And so in this desert experience, the law will continue to show you that where sin increases, Grace increases all the more.

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Bob George 13:43
The law will continue to show you that you may think God’s helping you to obey the law, but he isn’t helping you to obey the law at all. All the law is doing is showing you you’re total in capability of living up to the righteous requirements of the law, even as a saved person, so that you will cross the Jordan and enter into a rest where you are resting now from that mindset, just as Christ Jesus is resting from his works, you can rest from yours. And in that state of rest, God will have total reign to lead your life and teaching you how to walk in love, which is is the fulfillment of everything in the law. And you’re going to be walking in a newness of life that you never experienced before. You’re a new creature in the desert, but you will never experience what that means until you enter into that Sabbath rest. And the purpose of the law for a Christian is the same purpose as it is for a non Christian. It’s to show you that you can not live up to it with no help or with help. You cannot live up to the righteous requirements of the law. And therefore you’re going to ultimately be forced to turn to Christ Jesus alone to lead you in a newness of life. And that is not in the desert. It’s in the Promised Land. Yes indeed. That’s good news. Yes.

Now, first Timothy 1:8 and 10 says we know the law is good if one uses it properly. So the issue is, well, then how are you going to use it properly? Well, we know that the laws made not for the righteous, but for law breakers and rebels, and ungodly and sinful, the unholy the air religious for those have killed their fathers and mothers for murders for adulterers, for perverts, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine said just a good old day in Dallas. Yeah, I gotta hits that. Now you say, Well, what do you mean using it properly? Well, just what we were talking about the law is what points out those things to yourself and to people. And a society cannot live without laws. So the law is not for the righteous. For those who have been declared righteous in the sight of God by faith and faith alone. The law is not for them, even though as a righteous person, we put ourselves under it and will soon soon learn if we truly are born again. And we truly have experienced that my righteousness does not come from obedience to the law, but through Christ Jesus alone, I’m going to realize as a saved person, wait a minute, this isn’t for me. And that’s what the passage in Hebrews deals with was the law is going to have to fade and it will soon disappear. That doesn’t happen overnight. Folks, you as a Christian, if you’re like the majority of Christians in this world today, you have stepped out of Adam into Christ, but you’re in a desert, still under the Law. And there’s has to come a time in your life where you realize, wait a minute, this law is not for me. It’s not for the righteous, it says so very clearly, we know the law is made not for the righteous, but for the unrighteous. So it’s not for me, so what am I doing under it? And if I’m not under the law, what am I under? You say you’re under the law of love that can only be experienced over here in the Sabbath rest over across the Jordan, right. That’s the only place you’re gonna find that. And you realize, wait a minute, this is not for me. But I said, Well, what have I been doing then under the law? I mean, I’ve been being taught that if I keep the Sabbath and and I go to church on Saturday, why then we’re the only ones are gonna go to heaven, because we’re the law keepers. Now that people said no, no you go to church on Sunday. And, and you’ll be law keepers. And, and you can come down though, well, I gotta wear this, they have to wear that. So we make up some new laws as to what dress is going to be like and what it isn’t. And we just have all kinds of laws. And all of a sudden, we find out Wait a minute, am I saved? Or aren’t I? Now if I’m saved, I’m going to realize full well, that if I’m lost, rather than didn’t make a difference what day I’m going to church, I’m not getting anything out of it anyway. So it didn’t make any difference to me when I was last, whether I went to church on Saturday or Sunday, or on Tuesday or Wednesday. I wasn’t get anything out of being there anyway. So it didn’t make a difference what day I planted my body there wouldn’t get anything out of it. I was lost. When you’re saved. You start thinking about this a windmill, I’m not under that law. And besides that, I start reading the Scripture, which is a terrific help to understanding. And I started reading the Scripture and I hear that the Sabbath is not a day of the week, the Sabbath is a state it’s called today enter into this Sabbath rest, it is a state of rest that God is calling us to it’s called Get out of the desert that you’re in under the law and move into Canaan. That’s what this whole thing is about.

Now, Romans 3:19 to 20. What does it tell us? We know that whatever the law says it says those to those who are under the law, well, who’s under the law? Well, obviously, the lost is under the law, whether they want to be or not. The saved are under the law because they don’t know that there’s a Canaan. So they just remain under it. They asked for it just like the Hebrews did here. They were saved in the desert. They said, We want the law. So God said okay, I’ll give it to you. So we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that so that why, why does why does it say that? Whatever it says, it says to those who are under the law, who’s under the law? whoever’s listening that’s under the law lost or saved. What does it say? That every mouth would be silenced. And the whole world held accountable to God if you want to be under the law, accountable to God, what is it perfection.

But as we continue in This exciting study of long grace, I want to make one thing clear. When you’re dealing with salvation, you’re dealing with a total change of identity. And you you only have one identity as a child of God, that’s who you are, is a child of the living God, you only have one nature. And that’s the new nature that’s been given to you, in Christ Jesus, which, quite frankly, is his nature that we’re told we have the privilege of partaking in His divine nature. So his nature has come to live within us. And that has become our nature, it’s become our identity. But it’s kind of like the, the story that I’ve given before. And this is literally a true story about a man that was on death row that was getting ready to go in to be executed. And he had a friend of his that was, was blind. And so he, he requested that his eyes be used and to be able to transplant the retina, and to be used to help to see if it could make this friend to see. And his death occurred, the transplant took place. And all of a sudden, this man who was born blind, was able to see because of the eyes of his friend. Now, in as much as those eyes have now been taken out of one person and put into another person, you would not go up to this man who was born blind and say, Jim, man, you’re looking good, but then look real carefully with some great scrutiny and say, but you got a murderers eyes in Yeah.

That would be ludicrous, wouldn’t it? Yes. Because the very moment that those eyes were taken out of one person and put into another, they became their eyes. We do that with all types of transplants that are taking place today miraculously, with with internal organs, whereby there are people who donate their organs, and they are taken out of one person and put into another, well, you wouldn’t go up and say, well, you’re looking good, but that kidney, yours is from somebody over there, you know, the murderer, that guy’s a murderer, you got a murderers, kidney and you, you wouldn’t think of saying that, because that kidney now belongs to your body. Now, that’s what’s happened to us. When we are born again, Christ, Jesus came to live inside of us. And when he did, we took upon ourselves, his identity that he gave us called a child of the living God, only have one identity, not two, I don’t have an old man, new man only have one, a new creation of any man be in Christ, Christ is in you in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away. That means my old identity has totally gone and behold, all things have become new. Now, but now, now that’s dealing with identity.

So as a lost person over here, Bob George, without the Spirit of God living in me, I was under the demands of the law, that I could not keep. But whether it was through the law, or what it was, God works in our hearts to let us know there is a void there that cannot be filled by the earth. And somehow we are born again. Now I have a new identity. But under now, this new identity, even though we have moved again, out of Egypt, into the desert, a new person, we bring that law over there. And God goes ahead and uses that law. Because the desert is not our ultimate destination. Canaan is our ultimate destination. In other words, there’s three places where we can live, in Egypt lost in the desert, saved and miserable. Or in Canaan, walking in the newness of life has been given to you in Christ, Jesus walking totally under the grace of God. Those are three places that we can live. Now, as a saved person, I can live with my new identity in the desert or I can live with a new identity in Canaan, the Promised Land, what is the difference? Change my identity? No, there’s no change of identity. There’s just a change in the quality of life that you’re going to live. It’s if there’s a terrific change, are you going to chow down on manna every day, you’re gonna go in and eat a beautiful fruit. There’s a total change of lifestyle. And the average Christian not knowing that there is a rest available to us that is totally under the grace of God, you’re gonna have to leave the law behind you got to there is no law in Canaan. You’re gonna have to leave that behind. And you’re going to have to determine that that law really doesn’t belong in the desert but that’s where it is. And I’m going to leave it. Now, folks. That’s why it says we know that what the law says it says to those who are under it, and that’s under it, whether you’re under it as a lost person or under it as a saved person. And before the law came, which was given in the desert, it says in Romans 4:15, that the law brings wrath. In other words, you cannot have a law without wrath for the violation of the law. And from God’s vantage point, here’s the law and the wages of sin is death. In other words, one violation from the time you were born till the time you die, that’s what Jesus said, If you violated the least of these my commandments, you violated all of them. He said, the law written on letters says, don’t commit adultery, but God’s law looking on your heart says, If you lust it’s the same as it. The law written on stone says Do not murder but God sees the heart and says if you’re angry at your brothers, same thing as murder. Now, folks, we pay no attention to that because it as a Christian as an example, see, we don’t pay attention that at all, we say, well, it’s okay to be angry at your brother. So you don’t have to love him. It’s okay. It’s okay to lust just as long as they don’t do it. In other words, you don’t inhale. And so it’s all that’s all. But God is saying, no, no, no, you’ve missed the entire point. I didn’t tell you that as a standard of performance, I told you to show you that you can’t do it. The law was given so that your transgression might increase so that you will see that we’re sin increases grace will increase all the more. So the law is given to point you to Christ.

Now, it goes ahead to tell us that truth in Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in the same way death came to all men because all sinned all of us. You mean even before the law Yeah, goes had to say before before the law was given sin was in the world. But sin was not taken into account, when there is no law. You’re but you’re still dead. In other words, your sins aren’t held it weren’t held against you prior to the law, but you were still dead prior to the law.

Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity, with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord, find more information online at shop.BobGeorge.net. There you’ll also find available CDs, DVDs, and bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.