Sermon

The Mosaic Covenant

Grace Bible Church of Conway's Podcast

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  1. One of the more foolish things I've ever done was when I was a sophomore.

  2. You know sophomore comes from two Greek words, Sophia, which means wise.

  3. The other word means moron.

  4. And that depicted me as a sophomore.

  5. And my roommate, who was an unbeliever, wanted to go and buy a mobile home.

  6. He wanted to look at mobile homes and he asked me if I would just go and look with him.

  7. And sure, so I get in the car with him, we go look at mobile homes and 30 minutes later I'm signing a contract to buy a mobile home, co-signing with my roommate.

  8. Now I don't know if you can imagine doing something foolish or irresponsible or something really that you haven't thought through.

  9. And then drive home, dawn on, what have I done?

  10. You know a contract.

  11. I signed a contract to buy a home with someone that I'm not sure I want to be in a contract with, you know, I had no intention to enter into that contract. I got back to the apartment and I begin to sweat and like how do I call my parents and tell them this. It was a moment of like what in the world have I gotten myself into.

  12. You know I've had buyer's remorse you know you can return the shoes you know like okay I shouldn't have bought those let me return them. You can return an item that you kind of maybe impulsively bought but a contract you can't go and return that. And the fact that it was a contract was the thing that was scaring me. I've never been in a contract before. And I'm wondering how in the world can I get out of this? If you're here today, you don't know it. If you're a kid, if you're a child, you may not know this, but you're in a contract and the contract is way more severe than purchasing a home.

  13. You're in a contract by birth.

  14. Your great, great grandfather, Adam, entered into it on your behalf.

  15. And it's not just a contract that you have to fulfill and hopefully get paid off and learn your lessons.

  16. This is a contract of the most severe consequences.

  17. If you can fulfill your end, your obligations, if you can live a perfect life from birth to death, really from conception to death, if you can live a perfect life of obedience to God's moral wall.

  18. The contract is wonderful.

  19. You get eternal life.

  20. You get glory.

  21. However, if you fail to keep the conditions, the terms of the contract, if you disobey God in the slightest way. The consequences is death, eternal destructions. And this is a contract I want you to think how in the world can I get out of it? Is there a possible way of escape? How can I rid myself of this contract. This contract is too severe, it's too harsh, it's too hard, it's impossible.

  22. I cannot keep it. I've already broken it. I'm scared. I'm scared of the consequences.

  23. Well, the Jews happened to enter into a quick contract or covenant with God. 400 years after After God promised Abraham that he would send a Savior and he placed all of Abraham's children under a covenant condition of circumcision, which we said last week represents the whole law.

  24. Four hundred years later at the base of Mount Sinai after they had escaped Egypt, they're They're gathered there and God comes and meets the congregation and enters into a contract with them.

  25. And this is the contract in Exodus 19 verse 3.

    Exodus 19:3

  26. "While Moses went up to God, the Lord called to him out of the mountain saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the people of Israel, 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on Eagle's wings and brought you to myself.

  27. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples.

  28. For the earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

  29. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.

  30. So Moses came and called the elders of the people and said before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.

  31. Now at that time the people should have said, "Is there another covenant?

  32. How about we just accept that promise you made to us?" But like I did many years ago, they foolishly answered together and said in verse eight,"All the Lord has spoken we will do." Think of the audacity of these unbelieving Israelites, thinking that they could keep the terms, the condition.

  33. We will obey you.

  34. We want to be your treasured people among the nations.

  35. We want to be special.

  36. We want you as our God and we want to be your people.

  37. And the condition is complete obedience to the terms, the moral law, obey me.

  38. And they said, we'll do it.

  39. All that you said, we will do.

  40. So in this we see that God enters into a covenant.

  41. And this covenant is built upon the covenant of works.

  42. It's built upon the moral law.

  43. And what we've talked about already is that wherever you see the law, the moral law, the Ten Commandments, wherever you see love God and love your neighbor as yourself, there you see the covenant terms, the conditions of the covenant of works.

  44. Wherever the law is, that's a covenant.

  45. And God has written the law in our conscience.

  46. All of us, Jew and Gentile, we're all under the terms of the law.

  47. We're all under the covenant of works.

  48. Do and live, disobey and die.

  49. The day we sin, we shall all surely die.

  50. Thus, I'm seeking to help us understand the Scriptures and how the covenants work together.

  51. I want you to see that the covenant of works or the moral law is the very bedrock or the foundation in which all of scriptures are laid.

  52. Even the gospel is built upon the law.

  53. The law, God's righteousness is the standard.

  54. It's the foundation of all God's relationships, all of God's covenants, all that God does.

  55. And if God's going to work with you and is working with you, it's built upon righteousness, A covenant. We're all born into the covenant of works.

  56. Even Jews and Gentiles were all under the covenant of works.

  57. We're all already condemned by that covenant.

  58. And then God enters a covenant with Abraham.

  59. We looked at last week and that covenant, though it promised Abraham that there would be a seed who would fulfill the covenant.

  60. It placed all the seed of Abraham, all the children of Abraham under the law.

  61. They had to obey and if they did not obey, they would be cut off and cursed from God.

  62. That's what I want us to see as we look at this, though we are not Jews, we're all born under this covenant of works.

  63. But here, as we look at the Mosaic covenant in more detail, as we work our way through the attributes or the elements of the Mosaic covenant, We need to see that the Mosaic Covenant is built on the moral law.

  64. It's built on the Covenant of Works.

  65. So the Mosaic Covenant is an administration of the Covenant of Works.

  66. And that is my first point.

  67. And why did we say that the Mosaic Covenant is an administration of the Covenant of Works?

  68. For several reasons.

  69. We already saw in the terms of the Covenant that it was conditional.

  70. Moses writes in Leviticus 26 verse 3 if you walk in my statues and observe my commandments and do them Then I will bless you in verse 14 He says but if you do not listen to me and you do not obey all these commitments and If you're so of whores my rules so that you do not obey But break my covenant then I will do this to you. I will curse you Moses explains this throughout the Old Testament Throughout his writings and drew on me 7-11 You shall therefore keep the commandments and the statues and the judgment which are command you this day to do them Jeremiah later on he he echoes this he says this thing commanded I them saying obey my voice and I will be your God and you shall be my people And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may go well with you Jeremiah 11 6 hear the words of the covenant and do them So we have to understand that the Mosaic covenant made with the children of Abraham was a covenant of works a covenant of conditions do and your bless But it wasn't just a blessing based on a condition there was a curse Based upon disobedience or failure.

    Leviticus 26:3

  71. Deuteronomy 11 26 behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.

  72. A blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I commanded you this day and a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God and in turn aside of the way which I've commanded you this day.

  73. predicted as a prophet he predicted that Israel would disobey. He predicted the curses would come upon them. In chapter 8 he says all the commandments which I commanded you this day you shall observe and do them that you may live. Beware verse 19 I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish as the nations which the Lord destroyed before your face so you shall perish because Because you would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.

  74. Jeremiah, you know, this is a prediction.

  75. You're going to break this.

  76. You're going to be cursed.

  77. Jeremiah basically says in Chapter 11, this is true.

  78. Hear the words of the covenant.

  79. Thus says the Lord God of Israel, cursed is a man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt.

  80. Now you could go through Deuteronomy 28 and you could look at all the lists of curses.

  81. It says, "Moreover, all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you and destroy you because you did not obey the voice of the Lord to keep the commandments and His statues which He commanded you." Think young men, young women, who are under the covenant of works.

  82. you may not be under the Mosaic Covenant administration.

  83. You are under the original covenant works today.

  84. How does it feel?

  85. Listen to me.

  86. How does it feel to be under the curses of God?

  87. The curses of the works of the law?

  88. How does it feel to know that you've come short?

  89. You've sinned?

  90. You've disobeyed?

  91. How does it feel to know that you're under this contract and it's a legal binding contract?

  92. It's legal in the courtroom of heaven.

  93. God has placed you under this.

  94. He signed it.

  95. He's God and you're a subject of God.

  96. He said, "I didn't agree to this.

  97. It doesn't matter.

  98. He's Lord.

  99. He's God.

  100. He made you." How does it feel to have this contract hanging over your head?

  101. And this covenant curse is not just famine, war, and pestilence. That would come upon Israel.

  102. But the ultimate curse, because this administration is built upon the moral law, the ultimate curse of the moral law is death, eternal death.

  103. Deuteronomy 2920, "All that the curses that are written in the book shall lie upon Him." That is, the curses will be imputed upon your head, laying on your head, resting on your head.

  104. and the Lord shall blot out His name from under heaven." This is the severity of the contract.

  105. If you disobey what you've already done, your name will be blotted out.

  106. You will be cursed.

  107. The law in all of its demands and all of its curses stands upon you.

  108. And the law is telling you, "Guilty, guilty, guilty." You see, Israel broke their covenant, as with you.

  109. And they said, "All that the Lord says we will do." Oh, foolish Israel, don't say that.

  110. Moses goes up to relay the message.

  111. Okay, they agreed to it.

  112. And as he's going to relay the message, the people have agreed.

  113. What do the people do?

  114. They build a golden calf.

  115. They begin to worship a false God.

  116. Moses comes down and he's angry. He throws the tablets which bears the Ten Commandments, the moral law, the essence, the foundation of this administration of the covenant of works.

  117. He throws the tablets down and breaks it. It's like you've broken the law.

  118. Throughout the Old Testament it says this.

  119. "Jerome 9, 24, you have been a rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you." Psalm 78, 10, "They kept not the covenant of God, and they refused to walk in His law." Hosea 6, 9, "Like Adam, they have broken my covenant." Isaiah 1, 4, "They have rebelled against me, O sinful nation of people laden with iniquity, offspring of evil doers, children who deal corruptly. They have forsaken the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They are utterly exchanged. Then in chapter 11 of Isaiah, verse 7, "For I earnestly exhorted your fathers the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt until this day, rising early and exhorting and saying, 'Obey my voice.' Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone followed the dictates of their own evil hearts. Therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, which they have not done. Jeremiah 11, the house of the Lord and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. Therefore says the Lord, behold I will bring evil upon them which they shall not escape. Amos 2 for they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his statues. Malachi 3 7 from the day of your fathers you have turned aside from my statue, have not kept them." Stephen, he's preaching to the Pharisees, he says, "Which of the prophets have you not killed?" From the very beginning until the very end, they are a rebellious, stiff-necked, ungodly, wicked people.

  120. They're covenant breakers.

  121. And thus the Mosaic covenant brings the curse upon them.

  122. Deuteronomy 28, 20, Moses says, "The Lord will send a curse upon you until you are destroyed." Hebrews 8, 9, the author of Hebrews in the New Testament says, "Because they can continue not in my covenant. I have regarded them not.

  123. Matthew 23 38 Jesus says to them, "Behold, your house, your racial lineage is left to you desolate a curse." Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 2 16 talking about the Jews.

  124. wrath of God has come upon them to the uttermost. We can go and look at 70 AD and how God's judgment come upon the temple and the people of God and destroyed them. You see, this is important to see because our Presbyterian brothers and sisters view the the Mosaic covenant as a covenant of grace. They see it as a gracious covenant and thus you're just as you enter into it and your seed are entered into through circumcision, they would say believers and their seed are in the covenant of grace.

  125. Well, it makes sense that your natural offspring are born into the covenant of works, but your natural offspring are not born in the covenant of grace.

  126. You have to be born again to be in the covenant of grace.

  127. See, this is a covenant of works, and all who are born by natural generation are born under the demands and obligations and the curses of the law.

  128. So that's my first point.

  129. The Mosaic covenant administration is a covenant of works.

  130. But second, as we think about the Mosaic covenant, an administration of the moral law or the covenant works. By the way, the covenant works is the eternal covenant. And the Mosaic covenant itself is not an eternal covenant. It's just an administration. It's a temporal administration that has a beginning and it will have an end.

  131. It has a timestamp on it. And it's an administration of that eternal covenant because one, it has a time stamp on it and it's made to a particular people.

  132. The moral law is universal and eternal.

  133. In hell, people are still under the moral law.

  134. In heaven, the moral law is still the standard of righteousness.

  135. That doesn't ever get abrogated or canceled or changed or altered.

  136. But an administration can be altered or changed or it can be canceled or broken or pushed away.

  137. And the Mosaic covenant is no longer a covenant that is enacted because the Bible tells us in Hebrews 8 that it has become obsolete.

  138. It is now gone.

  139. Now that the new covenant replaced it.

  140. But it's a temporal covenant and as an administration it adds positive law to the moral law.

  141. But those positive laws we'll get to in a minute is built upon the moral law.

  142. The moral law is the foundation of all laws.

  143. In fact, if there's not a law that can't be traced down to love God and love your neighbor as yourself, then it's not a just law.

  144. But all the laws in the Bible that God issues, even the positive laws that he issues to Adam of not eating of the tree and to Abraham be circumcised.

  145. And to all the positive laws that gives to Israel, don't eat pork.

  146. Don't mix your fabric.

  147. All these positive laws, though they are not eternal or transcendental, though they're not universal, though they're not written on everybody's heart, those laws are based upon God's moral law.

  148. And thus, as an administration, the heart of the Mosaic covenant is God's moral law.

  149. This is why Moses in Deuteronomy 4.13 summarize the Mosaic covenant with these words, the Ten Commandments.

  150. Galatians 3.17 speaks of the Mosaic covenant that was confirmed before Christ as the law.

  151. Second Corinthians 3.7 speaks of the Mosaic covenant written in graven on stones.

  152. So we know we're talking about the Ten Commandments written on stones, which is an administration of death. So the heart of the Mosaic covenant is this eternal law that cannot be abrogated.

  153. But on top of that eternal law or built out of that eternal law is particular applications that are temporal, time sensitive and given to a particular people. So God made particular laws with Jews. He didn't make these laws with the Gentiles. The Gentiles had no obligations to not mix their fabric or to restrain from eating pork.

  154. When Gentiles died and went to the judgment seat to face God, they're not going to have to go, "Well, you ate pork." No, they're not accountable to that one.

  155. They weren't given that law.

  156. They were given the Ten Commandments.

  157. They were giving the moral law, "Love God and love your neighbor as yourself." That was written on their conscience.

  158. They'll be accountable for God's moral law, but not to these special, time-sensitive, particular positive laws.

  159. And those include the civil and the ceremonial laws.

  160. We know the ceremonial laws are positive laws because we know they're all been fulfilled.

  161. They were all types and shadows of the real Atonement in Jesus Christ.

  162. All the laws of the tabernacle, all the laws of the priesthood, those are no longer enforced.

  163. Those have been abrogated because the full fulfillment have come in Christ Jesus.

  164. But also the civil laws.

  165. There was a civil law, for instance, you have to pay, if someone works for you, pay them before the day's up.

  166. Pay them before the day is up was a civil law.

  167. Now that's not an enforceable law that God has implied for all employers today. Pay every two weeks or monthly. You got to pay. You're obligated to pay.

  168. But it's not necessarily by the end of the day. But that was applied to Israel as with many, many other civil laws that was given to them.

  169. them. And then there's an argument and say, well, if it's a law, it's a law. There's no division of the law. Well, the Bible does make divisions of the law. I mean, we've got to understand that.

  170. The tin commandments are set apart. It's not the ceremonial law or the civil law written on stone.

  171. It's just the moral law written on stone is set apart. And if you can go and go through Exodus. God gives the moral law first, the Ten Commandments, and after He gives the Ten Commandments, that's what they agreed to. Then after that, He gives the civil laws, and thankfully, after the civil laws, He gives the ceremonial laws knowing that they're going to need a sacrifice, knowing they're going to fail. So even the law is divided up in the way is issued and given. And remember when Saul sacrificed before Samuel got there and Samuel says, listen, obedience they're talking about moral law is more important than sacrifice.

  172. See, there's a hierarchical structure. The moral law is at the top.

  173. the top. Loving God is above loving your neighbor. The moral law is above the ceremonial laws.

  174. The moral law is universal and eternal while these civil laws are only temporal and particularly applied particularly to the land.

  175. The moral law is self-evident. Positive law needs to be instructed.

  176. You don't have to tell a kid to love God, love his neighbor. He knows already.

  177. So as an administration of the covenant works, the mosaic covenant can contain special positive laws that applied particularly for the Jews for the duration of that covenant. My third point is that covenant is ceased. It's obsolete. It's obsolete for a couple reasons. One, because of Israel's failure. Hebrews 8, 7 says this, "If that first covenant had been faultless," talking about the Mosaic covenant, "there would have been no occasion to look for a second covenant. For he finds fault with them when he says, 'Behold, the days are coming, the Lord when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel in the house of Judah, not like the covenant I made with their fathers when on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, so I showed no concern for them. I mean, God's rejecting them.

  178. For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days that declares the Lord and he outlines the new covenant.

  179. Then at the end, verse 13, he says, in speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.

  180. That first one, the covenant has been done away with.

  181. That is amazing.

  182. It's been done away with because one, Israel failed and the curses came upon them.

  183. And once the curses come down upon them in full, as Paul said, the Thessalonians, the wrath of God has come upon them to the uttermost, to the full, to the completion.

  184. The wrath was throughout the Old Testament, but finally in 70 AD, it was like it was the full wrath of God, non sparing.

  185. So it's done in that way.

  186. It's done in the sense for the covenant breakers.

  187. But in other sense, it's done away with because Christ came and satisfied it for those who are in him.

  188. Galatians 4, 4, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman," born under the law to redeem those who are under the law.

  189. So why can we eat pork?

  190. Why can, and not just us, Gentiles could always eat pork.

  191. That's not strange that we can, but why can Jews now eat pork?

  192. Why can Jews have mixed fabrics now?

  193. Why do we not baptize our infant children?

  194. It's because that covenant was based upon law and that covenant is abrogated.

  195. It is over.

  196. Now there are general equity of the law that still applies because every law was built upon the moral law, there's some wisdom and all those laws that could be applied to us and to civil authorities today.

  197. And also the authorities are under God's law.

  198. They're not necessarily under the particular positive laws of the Mosaic covenant, but there are under God's moral law and the wisdom that is applied to Israel surely applies to us today. But here's what I want us to see. Because this could just be a lecture on the Mosaic covenant and Jews and it's like, that doesn't relate to me. This is what I want us to see, especially you who are lost. You're still under, you're not under the Mosaic covenant administration, but you are under the foundation of that covenant, the moral law. You're under the covenant of works because the covenant of works still remains.

  199. The ministration and the positive laws can be abrogated, but the moral law is eternal and it's still over your head.

  200. This is why Paul tells us in Romans 2, he tells the Jews not to boast in the laws, it says that the Gentiles have the law themselves.

  201. They have the covenant of works.

  202. They know what to do.

  203. They know that their heart condemns them.

  204. They know they're under the wrath of God.

  205. They know that there is a God, and they're going to be judged one day.

  206. I don't understand.

  207. I mean, I could tell myself theology about total depravity and all these scenes and being dead and sense. I know all that. But from, I don't understand how your children are not sweating.

  208. I don't understand how you're not fretful.

  209. I don't understand how you can think that God's just going to let you slide.

  210. The Bible says, "Do not be deceived.

  211. God will not be mocked.

  212. You will read what you sow.

  213. You will be held accountable.

  214. You're under a contract.

  215. This contract is legal, is eternal, is binding, and the curses of that contract are hanging on your head, and they're coming.

  216. They're coming, and you're not scared, and you're not frightened by it." You see, Paul tells us in Romans 3.9,"What then are we Jews better off?" No, not at all, for we have all charged that all both Jews and Gentiles are under sin.

  217. We're all condemned by this law.

  218. We're all under this contract, this legal binding contract.

  219. And it stands upon us.

  220. And God is just, and He's got to uphold the legal terms.

  221. He can't just undo the contract.

  222. contract is over your head. Oh, how can you get out of it?

  223. Paul says in Romans 3, 19, we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law. It's meant to stop your mouth so that you may stop your mouth because some of you think you're not that bad. You think that you're going to make it to heaven because if you're righteous, you think you're a good person and you're sliding in or you'll slide in just because you're not evil. But the law is there to show you your sins. It's to point out that you're a failure, that you're a wicked, ungodly sinner who has broken the contract. Your life is going to be repulled. I mean, I can imagine, you know, sometimes lawbreakers are running from the law, they've sold money or they did something terribly wrong and they go on the run and they're running their whole life. They're running their whole life and they're afraid they stopped. They're afraid to stop and they're always paranoid, always looking over the shoulders and eventually some of these people give up and they turn themselves into the police officers just so they don't have to run anymore. Why are you running?

  224. Turn yourself in and say have I've broken the law. I've broken the contract. I know the penalty is Coming You know this contract the Bible says in Romans 7 1 that the law is bonding as long as you're alive If that's what it says the law is binding on a person as long as he lives This contract this covenant works its binding it will stay upon you as long as you live And it goes on to give this illustration for a married woman is bound by the law to her husband while he lives You know if you get married, okay, you're that's your wife. That's your husband. Well, how do I get out of this?

  225. You got to die That's what it's saying to death do your part this contract is legal But I want out. I don't like it. I don't like the terms. You've got to die. The Bible says you've got to die and be somehow married to another. You need to be married to Christ, but how are you going to die? So that's the question I want to conclude with. How do you You die to the law.

  226. How do you get out of this contract, especially you who are still under it?

  227. And, Bible, by the way, for you who believe, Paul warns you, don't go back to it.

  228. If you're justified by faith, don't go back to the works of the law.

  229. Don't go back to it.

  230. We live by faith.

  231. But for you unbelievers, how do you get out of it?

  232. I want out of the contract.

  233. Is there a way?

  234. And think about this.

  235. I mean, we already know the way for us who've read the Bible and heard the gospel, but think about this.

  236. If you hadn't heard the gospel, you would be thinking there's possibly no way out.

  237. Three things to get you out of this contract.

  238. By the way, my roommate saw me sweating.

  239. He goes, "Man, you great getting in that, buying that?" I go, "Yeah, I'm so scared." He goes, "Let's go back." We drove back and the good man that sold us the mobile home says, it was a Gloria.

  240. Oh man.

  241. You know how good it was when he ripped that contract in part?

  242. He's a man I understand.

  243. He tore it apart as if it never was there.

  244. I mean, I'm going to run out of papers here, but center this document.

  245. This document, I'm not going to tear this.

  246. This document is hanging over your head.

  247. It's written in your heart.

  248. Don't you want it?

  249. Don't you want this contract to be ripped?

  250. It says you don't have to worry about it anymore.

  251. You don't have to pay it.

  252. You don't have to face the curses.

  253. Don't you want that?

  254. Three things, three things.

  255. The Bible says you have to die.

  256. You can't get married to another until you die.

  257. Well, that's the problem why you're in the contract.

  258. You still don't want to die.

  259. You don't want to die to yourself.

  260. You don't want to be crucified, but you can't live a new life.

  261. You can't be born again. You cannot have a new contract of grace without dying to the first contract. You got to die to yourself. You see, the law wasn't meant to give you a ambition to find life by it. The Bible says the law was made to kill you, not to give you life. Paul as a Pharisee says, I was alive once. You know, he thought himself spiritually alive. He thought himself to be right with God though. He inwardly was dead in his perception.

  262. He was right with God because he says from my youth up. I kept the law all that the law has said I've done. He says until in Roman seven until I started contemplating the 10th commandment thou shall not covet because the other commandments seem to deal with external things. I haven't killed anybody. I'm not a liar. I'm not an adulterer. I haven't committed these overt sins. Then he got to the 10th commandment and he began to think, wait a minute, I have coveted. He says the very law that I thought would bring life to me has brought death to me. The first thing you need to do to get out of this contract is to realize you're dead, to realize you're hopeless, to come to the end of yourselves and go, I need out, please God, will you tear the contract up?

  263. This is one Galatians 2, 19 says, "For through the law I died to the law." The law is useful, not in life, but bringing you to the end of yourself to bring death upon you.

  264. Through the law I died to the law so that I might live to Christ.

  265. So you must die first.

  266. You must die to your self-desire to live for yourself.

  267. You have to come underneath the authority of Jesus Christ and you've got to repent of your sins and forsake everything that you have and give your life to Christ.

  268. Die to self.

  269. This is why you have to be crucified.

  270. went on to say I have been crucified with Christ. This is the thing you can't kill yourself.

  271. In fact, if you did kill yourself, you're going straight to hell under the law. But how are you going to die without killing yourself without suicide? How are you going to die?

  272. I want to die. Well, listen, this seems to be an impossible scenario. I need out of the contract, but it says I got to die, but I'm afraid to die. If I die, I'm going to go to also, how am I going to die without dying? Jesus has to die on your behalf.

  273. Jesus has to take your curse and pay for it for you. You have to have to substitute a savior, one who takes the contract and listen, the contract cannot rip it up. He can't rip it up.

  274. He says, okay, what does it say? I'm going to do it. And then he goes, okay, I did all that it says to do now look you failed now I gotta take the curses you have to have someone to take your place upon the cross this is why it said curse it as everyone who hangs on a tree someone to face God's wrath on your behalf and you have an An offer to you today as one who's done that for you. His name is Jesus.

  275. And by faith you can say I have been crucified with Christ.

  276. I have died. He died on my behalf and his death is my death.

  277. I need his life or righteousness but I need his death to be free from the curses of the law.

  278. Last, get out of this contract, you must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart.

  279. Forsaken all self-righteousness, all attempt to complete this covenant yourself, all attempt to try to earn your way in, then you come to the end of yourself and say, "I'm a sinner." And then you look to one person alone.

  280. All of you could be saved today.

  281. All of you could go home a Christian.

  282. All of you could have the wrath of God removed.

  283. You don't have to face the judgment.

  284. You can have the covenant ripped apart so that you can be free.

  285. All you have to do is look to Jesus Christ and believe on Him and you shall be saved.

  286. willingly placed Himself under Your contract obligations to fulfill the demands that it required of You and took on its curses on Your behalf so that You can be a free man, that You can be out of the contract.

  287. You see, you must forsake all self-righteousness.

  288. Turn everything you in.

  289. Count everything that you are as rubbish before God.

  290. And you don't have to do anything else but believe.

  291. No more works.

  292. No more efforts.

  293. Jesus says, "All who are heavy laden, burdened." I will get you out of that contract.

  294. I will give you rest.

  295. Amen.