Understanding the Law… vs. 17-24

• You who are called a Jew (to the religious) – 4 things…  vs. 17-20
  • Called a Jew / rest in the Law / boast in God…
    • The Jew trusted in who they were – Jews – and what they knew – the Law
    • Matthew 3:9 – “Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”
    • The Jews even boasted – told everyone – about who they believed in – God
    • James 2:19 – “You believe that there is one God… Even the demons believe…”
    • If you ask anyone – they will tell you they are a Christian / a Filipino (no difference)
    • They will say they believe in God – will even be proud of their ‘belief’ in God
    • You are now equal to a rock or a demon – that is not enough to get to heaven…
  • Know God’s will / approve of things excellent / cause they were instructed in the Law
    • The Jews knew what God expected of them – the difference between good and bad
    • Because they knew what God’s Word said – that did not mean they lived it…
    • We might think we understand God’s will for our lives – we have read the Word
    • We do the difference between right and wrong – but it is not enough to ‘just know’
    • Far to often we are only willing to SAY the right thing… say that we believe in Jesus…
    • We will all say that we want to follow God – live honest and good lives
    • But it ends there – with our words – and its not enough to just say the right thing
    • What about our actions – do our actions match up with our words
    • If we said nothing – would others still say that we believe in Jesus – live for Jesus
  • Guide to the blind / light to those in darkness / correct the foolish / teacher of babes
    • Because of their heritage and because of their knowledge – thought they were better
    • They saw themselves a guide and light to those who did not know God (non-Jews)
    • They would correct foolish ‘gentiles’ – teaching those who were ‘babes’ in God
    • Everyone has their ‘ideas’ and ‘wisdom’ to offer about life …
    • People are quick to be the ‘light’ to those who they see as in the ‘dark’
    • Men have ideas about how to make money / how to build a house / raise a family
    • Men have ideas on how to be happy / even how to be good enough for heaven
    • Their ideas are ‘based’ loosely on the Bible – but are filled with their own ideas too
    • Following the ideas men have about life – the wisdom of men – is not enough…
    • We might find we are following the wisdom of blind men…
    • Luke 6:39 – “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?”
  • Having a form of knowledge and truth in the Law…
    • The Jews did not have the full picture – only the ‘outline’ / form of the truth
    • Romans 10:17 – “[The Jews] don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Instead, they are clinging to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.”
    • For all the Jews thought they knew – they missed the truth about God and His Word
    • They thought the Law was there to make them righteous…
    • In fact the Law was there to show them they were not righteous – but sinners!
    • The Law was meant to teach them their need for a savior – Jesus!
      
• You teach others – do you not teach yourself… vs. 21-24
  • You who say – do not steal / commit adultery / hate idols…
    • The Jews had the Word of God – so they knew God’s commandments…
    • But their knowledge did not keep them from breaking those commandments
    • In fact the Law did its job perfectly – it showed them how great a sinner they were!
    • They stole / committed adultery / and robbed the idols from temples!
    • The Law can only tell us what is right – is has not power to make us right
    • God never intended His Law to make us good – no more than a ruler makes you taller…
    • The purpose of the Law was to show the perfect standard of God – so we would see…
    • Just how sinful we were – and how much we desperately need Jesus!
  • You who boast in legalism (no article before law) – dishonor the Law of God…
    • The Jews did not understand the purpose of the Law – so they created their own ideas
    • The made rules they could follow – ‘a law’ that did not show them as sinners!
    • The Jews created the Talmud to help ‘interpret’ the ‘meaning’ of the God’s Law
    • They then had to create the Mishnah to help explain their interpretation in the Talmud!

• For example the Sabbath: the Bible said you couldn’t work on the Sabbath…
• But as for what constituted “work” – that’s where the Jews stepped in…
• They defined what “God meant” when He said you could not work (39 do not’s)
• In Israel today: there are Shabbat elevators (pushing a button is work)
• You cannot spend any money – that’s work (credit cards are OK)
• You cannot toast your bread or cook rice! (you are not allowed to kindle a fire)
• They defined “work” – but they missed the purpose of the Sabbath – Jesus!
• Then they made their ‘law’/traditions more important than God’s Law!

• Matthew 15:8-9  – “‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
• The result is they dishonored God’s Law – through their new added rules/traditions
• Men followed these ‘guides’ and their ‘rules’ thinking they were godly
• In truth these ‘guides’ were blind themselves and completely missed God’s truth

• We all have traditions ‘rules’ we have inherited in life – they are not all bad…
  • How do we celebrate Christmas, New Years, birthdays, weddings, funerals
  • Why do we go to church on Sundays and to school or work Monday-Friday
  • There are Filipino traditions – Barangay traditions – family traditions
  • The problem only comes when our traditions contradict the Word of God…
  • The traditions of men must always come second to God’s Word
• Taking a stand for truth (God’s Word) – when it comes against tradition…
  • Just because everyone else does it does not make it right!
  • Matthew 7:13 – “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.”
  • The Bible says not to lie… Period! – We have a tradition – different kinds of lies
  • White lies, half truths, telling someone what they want to hear
  • Our tradition tell us that those are not as bad as a REAL lie
  • Because of our traditions we ignore the Word of God
  • Any time we put culture or tradition before the Word – big problem!
• In the end the Jews blasphemed the name of God – 2 ways…
  • Because the Jews lifestyle contradicting their words / because of their manmade rules
  • If we try to live up to the Law – we will end up being hypocrites – breaking the Law
  • If we don’t understand the Law – we come up with our own – one we think we can keep
  • Putting our ‘law’ traditions – above God’s righteous standard!

Becoming a child of God… vs. 25-29

That change of heart – circumcision of the heart – is the sign that you are God’s child

Circumcision – God’s covenant with the Jews – Genesis 17:7-14…

God give His covenant promise He will always be the God of Abraham’s descendents…

But Abraham – the and all Jews afterwards – had a part they had to keep – circumcision

The sign of God’s covenant would be that every male (free or slave) was circumcised

This may seem like a strange sign for an everlasting covenant with God…

It was a symbol – meant to show an outward change reflecting the inward heart

In other words it was not just about the act of circumcision – that was just a picture

It was a about the cutting away the sinful desires of the your heart

The change of heart (not physical circumcision) was the sign you were a child of God!

Two kinds of circumcision…

Outward circumcision – means nothing…

Every Jew was circumcised physically in obedience to the Law

But if they did not keep law – they showed were not truly circumcised (spiritually)

Gentiles were not circumcised – it was a Jewish custom – and painful…

Yet if the one who was uncircumcised kept THE Law – God righteous standard

Then their un-circumcision would be counted as (spiritual) circumcision

Circumcision of the heart – makes you a child of God…

So how do you live up to God’s standard – how do you become a child of God…

Outward circumcision does not make you a Jew (child of God)

Those who are circumcised in their heart – walk by the Spirit – are children of God!

Colossians 2:11 – “When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure—the cutting away of your sinful nature.”

Before we came to Jesus we did what our sin wanted us to – we were slaves to sin

We were bound and captive to the sinful desires of our heart – we did not know better

We did not think about Jesus – how to live for Jesus – how to live a righteous life

We did not trust in Jesus – we only knew how to trust in ourselves…

But when we accepted Jesus Christ – we died to that old sinful nature

The sinful desires of our heart were cut off – so we were free to live for the Lord

Romans 6:6 – “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.”

Did you ever wonder why sins bother you now when they did not used to…

It used to be if you lied, or cheated, or were mean to others – it did not matter

Yet now these things bother you – because you have been circumcised in your heart

You are no longer bound to sin – but free to love and trust Jesus will all your heart