The Law Had a Purpose

To Be Our Guardian... Until Christ

Galatians 3:24 (New Living Translation) " ...The Law Was Our Guardian Until Christ Came; It Protected Us Until We Could Be Made Right With God Through Faith."

To Help Us See Our Need For God

If you don't feel you've ever sinned, the law will help you realize your need for God.

Once you've received Christ in your heart by faith, you are made right with God and His New law is written on your heart.

Jesus' teachings reveal many New Kingdom Laws -- to be covered later.

The Royal Law of Love encompasses all of the 10 Commandments.

To Silence Every Boastful Tongue...

Romans 3:19 (The Passion Translation) “… The Law Is Addressed ... For Two Reasons: So That Every Excuse Will Be Silenced, With No Boasting Of Innocence, And So That The Entire World Will Be Held Accountable To God’s Standards.”

To Give Sin Its Power

1 Corinthians 15:56 (The Passion Translation) "It is sin that gives death its sting and the law that gives sin its power."

Example: Tell someone they can't do something they want to do, and inside they'll say, "Well, bless God I shall do it!" It goes along with the saying that laws are meant to be broken.

Living a life focused on performing laws/rules only leads to hypocritical living.

God Chose to Dwell with His People

The Tabernacle

God's presence came to live with the Israelites after they left Egypt. The people responded in fear, preferring their Egyptian idols. After hearing God's voice, they begged to return to Egypt.

God, still reaching out to them, made a Covenant with them and gave them the Law, which they agreed to obey in full. This Covenant Law had blessings and curses and was performance based. Moses built the Tabernacle to house the Law -- what we know as the 10 Commandments. These laws were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. God's presence rested above the ark and a thick veil separated the ark from the priests. Only one high priest, once a year, was able to approach the Ark of the Covenant with a blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of all the people.

Under King Solomon's reign, the Ark of the Covenant was moved into a proper temple.

This limited "path to God" remained in effect until the death of Jesus Christ. At the moment of His death, the temple veil was split from top to bottom, signifying the acceptance of Jesus' blood sacrifice as the fulfillment of ALL the Law required. God's wrath on mankind was satisfied once and for all -- for all time.

God's Presence

Exodus 29:45 (New King James Version)

"I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God."

Jesus Made us Right With God

The Law Led to Death

2 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT)
"The Old Way, With Laws Etched In Stone, Led To Death, Though It Began With Such Glory That The People Of Israel Could Not Bear To Look At Moses’ Face. For His Face Shone With The Glory Of God…”

Old Way ... New Way

2 Corinthians 3:9 (New Living Translation) "If The Old Way, Which Brings Condemnation, Was Glorious, How Much More Glorious Is The New Way, Which Makes Us Right With God!”

Christ's death may have ushered in a New Way, a New Covenant, but the essence of Heaven, or God, on the earth did not change. God loved the world before the beginning of time. The way to God's presence just became more intimate.

Christ's Death Satisfied God

Christ's perfect obedience to the law

...satisfied the justice of God

...exhausted the wrath of God

...removed our sins from the presence of God

...redeemed us from the curse of God

...reconciled us to God

(from Jerry Bridges: The Gospel for Real Life)

God Accepted Jesus' Sacrifice

God accepted Jesus' blood sacrifice as the fulfillment of ALL the Law required.
Once for all...
For all time.

It was time to usher in a New Way to God.
We are No Longer Separated from God!
God's wrath has been completely satisfied.

Christians Now Live in Full Assurance of Faith

Hebrews 10:1-2 (The Living Bible) "The old system of Jewish laws gave only a dim foretaste of the good things Christ would do for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but even so they could never save those who lived under their rules. If they could have, one offering would have been enough; the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all and their feeling of guilt would be gone."

Hebrews 10:22 (NKJV) "... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

...To Give us Acceptance With God

Christ's Death Paid for All Sin

Hanging onto past/present sin keeps you from approaching God.
Stop trying to mend the temple's veil/curtain so you can hide from God.
God is a Good and Loving God!

God is approachable!
God Loves and accepts you because of what Jesus did... not because of what you've done.

We Can Approach God With All Freedom

Hebrews 10:19-20 (New Living Translation) "And So, Dear Brothers And Sisters, We Can Boldly Enter Heaven’s Most Holy Place Because Of The Blood Of Jesus. By His Death, Jesus Opened A New And Life-Giving Way Through The Curtain Into The Most Holy Place."

Even Though We Are a Mess...

"God is a spirit, and He sees us in the spirit realm. Even though we may be a mess in the natural, when we approach God in Jesus' name, we instantly enter into the Holy of Holies in our spirit, which has been sanctified and perfected forever (Hebrews 10:14). This is how we can still fellowship and relate to God even though we sin." (excerpt from book: "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by Andrew Wommack)