Introduction:

[Isa 5:20 NKJV] 20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Judges 17:6 (NKJV) In those days [there was] no king in Israel; everyone did [what was] right in his own eyes.

Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)

There is a way [that seems] right to a man, But its end [is] the way of death.

Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV)

“The heart [is] deceitful above all [things,] And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Galatians 3:24 (NKJV)

Therefore the law was our tutor [to bring us] to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Two things the law does  

1. The law reveals the path of righteousness.
2. The law unmasks our sinful condition.

Romans 7:7 (NKJV)

What shall we say then? [Is] the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

[1Jo 3:4 NKJV] 4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

But even the Law without the Holy Spirit is not enough to help us to see the true application of the Law of God

[Jhn 16:8 NKJV] 8 “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

[Mat 5:21-22 NKJV] 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council.

But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

[Mat 5:27-28 NKJV] 27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

This society says, “Your own mind is the standard.”  

This society says, “There is nobody who can tell you what to do.”  

This society epitomizes. Proverbs 28:26. Read it, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.”  

You see, the mind can deceive you.You can justify almost anything if you depend on your own thought processes. In fact Hosea 8:7 puts it this way—


“They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind.”  

If you sow the wind you will reap the whirlwind. We’ve been sowing the wind of violence in the media and we are reaping the whirlwind of crime. We’ve been sowing the wind of immorality and we’ve been reaping the whirlwind of divorce. We’ve been sowing the wind of explicit sexual content on television, and online and we’ve been reaping the whirlwind of men with twisted minds preying on our children, broken marriages because of a generation of cheaters, broken homes because our values have slipped to the low standards of hollywood.


There is a cause and effect relationship. How do you protect moral values in an immoral world?

We have sown the wind and we are reaping the whirlwind. How can you protect your mind? How can you protect the minds of your children— Your grandchildren? How can you be moral in an immoral world?  

God’s law is the basis of morality and the standard of judgment. 

The Book of Revelation speaks to a society that says, “My mind is my highest standard. There is no judgment.” They say, “I’ll make my own moral choices.” The Book of Revelation says, you ARE responsible for your actions, “For the hour of His judgment has come.”  

The Book of Revelation calls us back to the law of God which is God’s moral standard. The apostle James, the brother of Jesus, puts it this way:  

“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” — James 2:12

The entire law of God is a law of liberty. Here are a few examples.  

The SIXTH commandment:  “Thou shall not kill,” — Exodus 20:13  liberates us. It preserves the sanctity of life.  

The SEVENTH commandment: “Thou shall not commit adultery.” — Exodus 20:14

Preserves the sanctity of the family. It protects the institution of the family.  

The EIGHTH commandment: “Thou shall not steal”, is a law of liberty. It protects our possessions and our property.  

Think of the chaos in society if the principles of God’s law were openly disregarded.  

“Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.” — Revelation 11:19

What is the Ark of His Covenant? Inside the Sanctuary God instructed Moses to build on earth, the Ark of the Covenant contained the law of God. God’s law was placed in the Sanctuary as the basis of all morality. The ark of God’s covenant contains His Law. God’s Law is the foundation of His throne.  

Echoing from the Book of Revelation is God’s call to keep His law. Judgment and Law are part of the Gospel. But, someone says, “I thought we were saved by grace and we didn’t need to keep God’s law.”  

When Christ was crucified on the cross, He was judged as a sinner dying to pardon our sins.
Judgment is part of the gospel. Look, if God could have changed His law, Jesus would not have had to die.  

The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” — Romans 6:23

If God’s law was changed why would Jesus have to die? – The answer is that, Jesus had to die, because we broke God’s law.  

Why would God send His Son to suffer that cruel death, if all God had to do was cancel his law with some stroke of magic. If the law could be wiped away, if God’s law could be changed, if somehow the standards of God’s law could be shifted — Jesus would never have had to endure those cruel nails. The Son of God would never have had to endure the twisted crown of thorns that was beat into His head. The Sovereign of the Universe, would never have had to be spit upon, mocked, cursed, never have had to allow his holy body to writhe on that splintered wood of Calvary’s cross… It was because the Law of God can not be changed, that Jesus had to meet the requirements of that Law and die the death that we deserved.

The law and judgment are all part of the gospel of Christ.  

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” — 1 John 3:4

I may not think it is sin to steal something, but sin is law-less-ness. Sin is more than what I think in my own mind. Here is the Bible’s definition of sin.  Sin is breaking God’s Law.  

A man says, “Look, I’m not satisfied in my marriage. So If I go out for a weekend with my secretary, that’s okay because it’s two consenting adults.  

But the Bible says, “Thou shall not commit adultery.”  

God’s law is His eternal moral standard which defines sin and establishes our accountability to God. His law defines what morality is even if your mind does not. The Bible says, “Sin is breaking God’s law.”

The Book of Revelation says, “The hour of God’s judgment is come.”  

The Book of Revelation says, you are responsible for your actions. The Book of Revelation says the foundation of God’s throne is God’s law. And what our children need today is not a diet of murder, violence and immorality on TV or on Youtube or on Facebook. Our children need to be taught the moral principles God has given us.  

You see, The moral law of God, The Ten Commandments, protects us. God’s law is not some arbitrary regulation to restrict our happiness. God’s law is the pathway to freedom and genuine happiness. God’s law protects us from a lifestyle which would destroy us.  

Some Christians have even said,


“We don’t preach on the law in our church.” “We preach about His love.”


As if they are two different things. Love always leads to obedience. Love doesn’t lead you to disobedience. It leads you to keep God’s commandments. Jesus even told us:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15

Did Jesus say, “If you love Me, You DON’T have to keep my Commandments”? No! Love’s response is to keep God’s commandments.  

The reason we obey is not because we are trying to earn God’s favor. It’s the response of our love for Him. I do not obey God to earn my salvation. I obey God not in order to be saved, but because I am saved. All my obedience does not earn salvation. Christ accomplished all that for me on the cross. But when I come to the cross, my obedience is evidence that I’ve truly accepted Jesus as Savior & Lord — I Love Him, and I want to do what He asks me to do.  

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” — 1 John 2:3, 4

John says here is the evidence that we know God. Here is the evidence that we are born again believers. Here is the evidence that we are truly Christ’s. That we have received His salvation and His grace in our lives.

He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” — 1 John 2:4, NKJV

When we are committed to Christ, when we genuinely know Him, when our hearts are surrendered to Him, the natural response is to do what He’s asked us to do.  

Anyone who says to you, “God’s law is done away with. Forget about those commandments,” is not teaching you all of the gospel. Grace and law are not opposed to one another as some preachers say. When you are saved by grace you are not saved to continue in sin, you are saved from your sin. You are not saved so you can disobey, you are saved so you can obey, you can do the things that are good and right and holy according to God. God saves you from your lusts, He saves you from a lawless life, He saves you from the brokenness adultery would cause, He saves you from the freedom that would be taken from you if you murdered, God saves us for obedience, He doesn’t deliver us from sin just so that we can continue in sin.

What is the role of God’s Law?  

First, all salvation is by grace. Old Testament believers looked forward to a Christ who would come. In the New Testament we look to a Christ who has come. They were saved by a grace to come. We are saved by a grace that has come. But if it’s all by grace, what’s the role of God’s law then?  

“. . . by the law is the knowledge of sin.” — Romans 3:20

If you do away with the law, there is no sin. If there is no law, there is no sin.  

“By the law is the knowledge of sin.” God reveals sin through His law.  

Paul says in Romans 7:7


“I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’”  

If you break God’s law, it is sin. So the role of the law is to define sin. The law says, “This is right and this is wrong.” The law defines the moral standard of God’s judgment. The law defines the foundation of all society. The judgment in Revelation calls men and women everywhere back to law keeping. It calls Christians that are saved by grace to live obedient, righteous holy lives. Revelation’s judgment does not justify our own sinful behavior. It calls us to moral responsibility.  

So if the role of the Law is to point out sin in our life, What is the role of Grace?  

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” — Ephesians 2:8, 9

Grace is God’s mercy. God’s pardon, God’s forgiveness, Grace is God’s power to save a sinner like me. Grace is God’s love reaching out to those strung up on drug-ally, His love reaching to one caught in a world of sex slavery, Grace is God’s love reaching down to the guilty and condemned where they are, to lift them up out of their pit of sin, to wash us, clean us, restore us back to a life that is no longer entangled in the dark web of sin.

Does Grace do away with God’s Law? If I am saved by grace does that lead me to break God’s law?  

“Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” — Romans 3:31

Paul says, “Don’t think we do away with the law by faith through grace.” We establish it. We keep it. People who are saved by grace are obedient.  

STORY: Here is a classic example. A preacher had been giving lectures just like this on the East Coast of the United States. He was in a hurry that particular evening. He was really driving a little too fast because he had another appointment. The Speed limit was 60. He was probably going about 70. A policeman stopped him and asked for his driver’s license. He handed the officer his ministerial license. The officer smiled. They talked a little while.The preacher said,


“Honestly, I was just down at the auditorium and I was preaching on the law. I was telling the people that they should keep the law, So can’t you give me grace this one time? Because you and I are on the same team. You catch them after they break the law and I tell them to keep the law. I make you work less, so please, CAN’T you give me grace this one time.”  

He said, “All right Preacher, this time you are under grace, go on!”  

Now, when the preacher broke the law what did he deserve? He deserved a speeding ticket. When he received the ticket, did that release him from the condemnation of the law? Yes. Did it release him from all speed limit laws? Certainly not. Did he get back in the car and say to his wife, “Honey, I’m not under the law, I’m under grace.”  

and then floored that thing. Did peel out from the side of the road, and speed away at 90 miles an hour because now he was under grace? No, he got in the car and drove ever so carefully. It was a 60 mile an hour speed limit. He was going 40, 45. He was even looking over his shoulder to see where that police officer was.  

You see once that preacher was under grace, he wanted to keep the law. He was so grateful for the grace shown him, he didn’t want to take advantage of grace, misuse grace, he didn’t want to take it as cheap grace…

Jesus saved me by His grace, and because of that I do not want to break His law. He saved me by grace. I am not going to turn my back on His commandments. When you are saved by grace, you are not under the condemnation of the law, but that Law isn’t done away with.

Jesus said,  

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” — Matthew 5:17

Jesus didn’t come to do away with the law. He was the living law. And Jesus Himself obeyed the law. He fulfilled it.  

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” — Romans 6:14

When does sin have dominion over you? When you follow your way, rather than God’s way.

When you flippantly go out and break God’s law, then sin chains you, because the Bible says,  

“Sin is the transgression of the law.” Paul says,


“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”  

What does it mean to be under the law? It means to be under the law as a method of salvation. It means to be under the condemnation of the law because I broke it. It means I trust the law to save me but I don’t keep it. So I’m condemned.  

What is sin? Sin is breaking God’s law.

I’m condemned by the law I broke so I’m under the law.  But what does it mean to be under grace? To be under grace, means that I come to the cross. I kneel at the foot of the cross. To be under grace means that I accept Christ’s pardon, receive Christ’s forgiveness, and am filled with His power. Christ writes His law in my heart and in my mind. I desire to obey Him.  

The Bible is very clear on this subject. When we come to Jesus Christ and throw ourselves at

His feet, He says,  

“My child, no matter what you have done in the past, no matter how sinful your life has been in the past, my child I will forgive you. You can begin again.”  

The Law reveals our need. When I look at God’s law, I see who I am. I don’t measure up to that law. When I come to Jesus Christ, when I look at His law, I see times when I have been impatient. I see times when I haven’t been as kind as I should be.  

When I come to Jesus, I fall at His feet. This is what David means in—  

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.” — Psalms 19:7

That perfect law drives me to Jesus and I say— “Oh, Jesus, my heart is broken. My heart is crushed because of my sin. Jesus, forgive me. Pardon me. Lead me, dear Jesus to keep your law. Lead me, dear Jesus, to be obedient.”  

Somebody came to Jesus once and tried to trick Him. A lawyer came and he asked.—  

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ — Matthew 22:36-40

What was Jesus doing? He was summarizing the Ten Commandments. Because Jesus said—  

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  

The entire Law can be summarized in one word —Love. Love God and your fellow man. Jesus summarized the first four commandments with LOVE to God and the last six commandments with LOVE to our fellow man. Jesus was saying if you love fully, You will love God. If you love fully you will love your fellow man.  

Love always leads to obedience.  

Of all the pages of the Bible, of all the words of the Bible that God committed to prophets and holy men to write, there is only one part of the Bible so important to God that He didn’t let a single man write it. God’s Ten Commandment Law was written with God’s own finger on tables of stone. Now God could have written it on paper that could be crumbled up and thrown away, God could’ve written the ten commandments on wood that could be burned to ashes, God could’ve written it in sand to be blown away by the wind — But God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own fingers in Stone!

The Ten commandments were meant to last forever, as unchanging as God is. And the Ten Commandments were meant to bring God’s people freedom, to take God’s people out of bondage. The Ten Commandments were not given to restrict our freedom. They were given so we could be truly be free. They were given by God Himself. Listen to how they are introduced

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” — Exodus 20:2

It is the Lord God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth who wrote these commandments with His own finger on tables of stone as His moral principles for all time.  

Let’s read them—  

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” — Exodus 20:3-17

God is saying, “I am supreme in your life.”


No other gods, not your house, not your money, not your tobacco, not your marijuana, not your materialism, Not your video games, Not youtube, Not Facebooks… nothing else. Worship God supremely.  

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. . .”  

God says, “Don’t come to me through images. Come to me directly.”  

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain. . .”  

Love God enough to respect His name. Think of it, the name of Jesus; that name at which angels veil their faces; that name at which angels sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy;” that name is being dragged through the dust with vile curses.  

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God. . .”  

Worship the Creator of heaven and earth. Worship Him as the One who made you. The fourth commandment speaks to this generation.  

“Honour thy father and thy mother. . .”  

In an age when children no longer obey their parents; when a kid says to his parents, “You can’t tell me what to do.” Here is a commandment calling the children to respect their mother and father, to obey them. The fifth commandment speaks with relevance to this day and age.  “Thou shalt not kill.” 

At a time when nuclear weapons are being built to kill people; at a time of abortion on demand; at a time when snipers kill innocent children; there is still a commandment that says life is sacred: “thou shalt not kill.”  

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” 

At a time of immorality, at a time when there is a lack of moral purity, God’s law speaks to this generation. When a society turns its back on God’s law, when it is openly immoral, that society is on its way to disaster. This is a call for America and the world to come back to God’s law. To come back to God’s definition of sexual purity, not our own.

“Thou shalt not steal.”  

It’s still wrong to steal. It’s still wrong to shoplift. It’s still wrong to take something that does not belong to you.  

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”  

Lying is still wrong. Gossip is still wrong. Dragging someone’s good name through the mud is still wrong.  

“Thou shalt not covet . . .”  

The Ten Commandment law speaks to this generation. God’s commandments speak to you and to me. The Ten Commandment law speaks with relevance to our society today. The Psalmist reveals that His commands are forever.  

“The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever. He has commanded His covenant forever.”— Psalms 111:7-9

Satan lost heaven because of disobedience. Adam and Eve lost Eden because of disobedience. God is calling His people back to His Ten Commandment law.  “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” — Hebrews 8:10

God says, “I am going to put My law in your mind.” What does it mean? If God’s law is in our minds we know it. If God’s law is in our hearts we love it. God will have a last-day people whose law is written in their hearts and minds. This is the New Covenant — The Old Covenant was God’s Law written on stone, but God’s New Covenant is God’s Law written in your mind, and your heart. God’s people will love Him enough to obey Him at the end of time. Let’s read a description of God’s last-day people straight from Revelation.  

“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” — Revelation 14:12

Here they are. The faithful ones— Those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. The last chapter in Revelation describes the redeemed this way:  

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” — Revelation 22:14

Appeal: Jesus Christ pardons us. Jesus says, “Come to me, my child.” He gives us mercy. Christ looks into our eyes and says, “I have something special I want to do for you. I want to change your life. I would like to make you a new man or a new woman.”  

Would you like to say, “Jesus, come into my life. Jesus, do for me what it is impossible for me to do for myself.”  

Many years ago, a mother took her young son to hear the renowned preacher, Dwight Moody. After the sermon, she stood in line for one reason. She wanted her son to shake hands with the renowned evangelist Moody.  

When the boy’s turn came he clenched his fist and refused to shake hands. His mother was totally embarrassed. She urged; she coaxed. She took the boy’s hand and attempted to place it in the preacher’s hand. The boy would not open a single finger.  

When he finally did, there were a few beautifully colored marbles there. He thought the preacher was going to take all of his marbles!  What are you clinging to my friend? What are you holding on to?  

Is there anything more important to you than reaching out and taking Jesus’ hand right now?  His grace will pardon your past. His grace will transform your life. His grace will make you a new man or a new woman.

But you say — I can’t keep God’s Law!

That’s right friend, that’s because keeping God’s Law happens through His power and His grace!

Would you like to pray tonight: “Lord help me to keep your Law, I need your strength. I love you Jesus and I want to follow your commandments.” — Just raise your hand.our