8/31/05 & 9/04/05 - “When Grace Becomes Disgrace– Part 4”
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts  
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word 
and facts that affect you!

Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today’s subject – “When Grace Becomes Disgrace– Part 4”

Before we begin today’s program, shall we reverently seek God’s presence. Heavenly Father we ask for divine guidance as we open the word and continue to study this subject of Your grace and how modern Christians unaware, have turned it into disgrace. In Jesus name Amen.
I continue to keep my pledge to lift up my voice like a trumpet and to show God’s people where they are going against God’s Will.
Over the last three weeks we have been discussing how the Christian world has turned God’s grace into disgrace, simply be becoming careless regarding God’s moral law the Ten Commandments. Peter warned that the unlearned and unstable would twist Paul’s writings to their own destruction in 2 Peter 3:14-16, where it says, “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.   And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”  
So what has the Christian world done? They have seen the word law in the New Testament and immediately apply it to God’s law, when Paul is speaking of the Law of Moses. Over the last three weeks we have seen that there are two laws and that God’s law still stands, while the Law of Moses regarding religious ceremonies was fulfilled by Jesus and was nailed to the cross. This week we will expand on what we have learned so far as there are yet other ceremonial things in Moses’ law that Jesus fulfilled, but God’s holy law of Ten Commandments and Moses’ ceremonial law are two very different and distinct things, two great laws, one ceremonial, the other moral. One temporary the other was permanent. One was nailed to the cross and the other was not.  Can we be clear on that today?
When Moses had broken the first set of commandments in rage over the idolatry of Israel worshipping the golden calf, God ordered Moses back up on the mountain the 2nd time.  And we saw upon reading Deuteronomy 31:18, that God did not re-write the Ceremonial law.  No, He wrote the Ten Commandments again .  
Two different laws. Notice the diametric differences so clearly brought out in Scriptures between these two laws.  
A COMPARISON  BETWEEN GOD’S LAW AND MOSES’ LAW.
1)  –God’s law is called the royal law of liberty   (James 2: 8-12). 
•	Moses’ law was against the people   (Deut.31:26).  
2)  –God’s law was spoken by God   (Deuteronomy 4:12). 
•	Moses’ law was spoken by Moses’ (Leviticus 1:1-3). 
3)  –God’s law was written by God on stone     (Exodus 24:12). 
•	Moses’ law was written by Moses in a book  (2 Chronicles 35:12). 
4)  –God’s law was placed in the ark   (Hebrews 9:4).  
•	Moses law was placed in the side of the ark (Deut. 31:26). 
5)  –God’s law was to stand forever   (Psalm 111:7,8).  
•	Moses’ law ended at the cross   (Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 9:10) 
6) –God’s law gives the knowledge of sin   (Romans 3:20). 
•	Moses’ law showed what to do because of sin   (Heb.8:3; Heb.9:7). 
7)–God’s law is not grievous   (1 John 5:3). 
•	Moses’ law is contrary to us   (Colossians 2:14). 
8)–God’s law judges all men   (James 2:10-12). 
•	Moses’ law judges no man   (Colossians 2:14-17). 
9)–God’s law is spiritual    (Romans 7:14). 
•	Moses’ law is carnal    (Hebrews 7:16 & 9:10). 
That’s clear isn’t it? 
Do you know that you can no more do away with the Holy Ten Commandment law of God than you can do away with God Himself.  One of the most beautiful studies in the entire Bible is to see the parallels between God and His law.  Everything that God is called in the Bible, His law is called the same thing.
God is good (Luke 18:19).			His law is good (Romans 7:12).
God is holy (Isaiah 5:16; 6:3). 		His law is holy (Romans 7:12).   
God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4). 	His law is just (Romans 7:12).
God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). 	His law is perfect (Psalm 19:7).
God is love (1 John 4:8). 	His law is love (Romans 13:10).
God is righteous (Ex. 9:27; Rev.16:5). 	His law is righteous (Psalm 119:172).
God is truth (Deut. 32:4; John 14:6).  	His law is truth (Psalm 119:142).  
God is pure (1 John 3:3). 	His law is pure (Psalm 19:8).
God is spiritual (John 4:24).  	His law is spiritual (Romans 7:14). 
God is unchangeable (Malachi 3:6). 	His law is unchangeable (Matthew 5:18).
God stands forever (Deut. 33:27). 	His law stands forever (Psalm111:7,8)                                   

Do you see, God’s law is a transcript of His very character. Does a Christian obey God and keep the commandments, to earn Jesus’ gift of salvation or in gratitude for Jesus’ gift of salvation?  It is in loving gratitude for Jesus’ wonderful gift.  That law is written in his heart.  He loves Jesus. What used to be unnatural now comes naturally.  
Commandment keeping is not the bridge to salvation.  It is not the means to salvation.  Commandment keeping is the fruitage or evidence of salvation.  When a person comes to truly know the gospel, and understand the love of God, then he’ll get so much love in his heart that he’ll want to obey God and keep His commandments.
Someone might ask, “But doesn’t living under grace by faith, make keeping God’s law non-essential?” Paul answers that question in Romans 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”
This might lead someone else to ask, “Doesn’t the Bible teach that we’re not under the law?”  
Friends, The story of the Bible is a story of love and obedience.
	Romans 6:14, and this is always quoted to do away with the law of God.  “For sin shall not have dominion over you:  for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”  
And they say, “See, I’m not under that law, I’m under grace, now that Jesus has saved me. Therefore, I don’t have to keep it.”  
When Paul wrote verse 14, it entered into his mind that people might get that false idea, and so right away he wrote the next verse, which nobody hardly ever reads. 
The next verse reads, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” And what have we discovered is the Bible definition of sin? 1 John 3:4 “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 
	So, what does it mean to be under the law? 
To be under the law means to be under the law as a system of salvation. 
	Paul says in Romans 3:19,20 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
	So you see if I keep the commandments I am not under the law and its penalty. But if I choose to break God’s law, I come under the penalty of the law and that is death.
	To be under grace means to accept God’s grace as the means of salvation, not keeping the law as the means of salvation. 
	By faith, I accept Christ’s death in place of my sins. Some people get so confused by the fact that Paul sometimes refers to the law as a law of condemnation.  Let’s make this simple: 
PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO CONFLICT BETWEEN THE LAW AND GRACE, OR BETWEEN THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL.  
Listen carefully.  A simple definition or two will help us out. 
According to the Bible, what are the wages of sin?  Death! (Rom.6:23)   How many have sinned?  All of us. (Rom.3:23).  What shows that we have sinned?  The law!  (Rom.3:20.; 1 John 3:4;)  It’s our teacher or it’s our schoolmaster because the law teaches us of our need. (Gal. 3:23-25)
It’s true that it is the law that condemns us to death, because it points out where we have transgressed.  But it’s a law of condemnation only for those who’ve not come to Jesus in faith for forgiveness.  
Now when we come to Jesus, He forgives us of our sins.  So we’re not condemned anymore.  Therefore it’s for the unrepentant that the law is a law of condemnation.  He remains in a position of needed conversion and forgiveness.
Romans 8:1  “There is therefore now no condemnation (NOT—NO LAW!) to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Holy Spirit filled Christians love and keep God’s law!  They’ve become doers of the Word and not hearers only!  (Rom.2:13)
The very existence of the gospel proves the law is still in force, for what would be the point in preaching the good news of salvation from breaking the law if the law were no longer in force?  A man cannot break that which does not exist!!!
Romans 5:13  “ . . . sin is not imputed, when there is no law.”
Galatians 3:23-25
“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”
To illustrate: As long as I am driving my car within the speed limit, I am having no problems with the law. But one day I choose to drive 80 miles an hour in a 65, and who do you think is the next person in the world I am having a conversation with? I am under the law as I am guilty and must now pay the penalty. However at the appointed time, I am standing in a court of law before a judge who hears my case.  The judge has seen my spotless driving record, hears my apology and decides to dismiss all the charges against me. I am now under grace. 
	Let me ask you something, now that I am no longer under law, but under grace, am I at liberty to drive the highways at whatever speed I liked, stating, “I have grace so now I don’t have to obey the speed limit!”  Of course not!
I was no longer under the condemnation of the law, or schoolmaster, that is what Paul is talking about, but don’t think for a moment that I was no longer under the jurisdiction of the law—meaning I no longer had to obey the laws of the land? Sure I was! And there is a world of difference!  

Well the clock on the wall says time is up, so be listening next week as we continue studying the awesome truths in God’s word, our subject, “When Grace Becomes Disgrace– Part 5”. 

Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. Even so, Come Lord Jesus. 

Continue on Rev Prom script 8 page 16 slide “Another example is a man on death row” for the next program part 5.