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[There seems to be a lot of debate in our day about which portions of the Bible apply to born again believers and which portions do not.  Whenever this debate begins to brew one scripture, among many, comes prominently to my mind,] 

[2 Timothy 3:16-17 ¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. ]

[It seems important to me that after our Lord resurrected from the grave He walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  Of that occasion the Bible records,] 

[Luke 24:25-27 ²⁵ Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ²⁶ Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? ²⁷ And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. ]

[It deeply interests me that our Lord expounded “all the scripture” to them and left nothing out.  This example weighs heavy in my mind and heart whenever someone suggests to me that there are portions of scripture that just do not apply to us today as Christians.  Even recently I have had Church leaders suggest to me that the law of the Old Testament does not apply to us today.  They even quoted,] 

[Acts 15:19-21 ¹⁹ Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: ²⁰ But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. ]

[Yet, in the years following this decree we received the written and inspired New Testament, that as we shall see, fully supports, endorses, and substantiates the whole of the Ten Commandments given in Exodus 20.  Perhaps our endeavor needs to be that we understand how the law of God applies in life and how it finds its way into our daily lives.] 

[Today, we will begin a study of the Ten Commandments by endeavoring the understand God’s purposes for the Ten Commandments and God’s means for working those commandments out of our lives.] 

Our Text Reveals, 

A.    The Law Was Our School Master (vs 19-23) [– Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. ²⁰ Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. ²¹ Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. ²² But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. ²³ But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. - People would like to think that they do not need a law to guide them.  But the truth is, and history has revealed, that without laws and authorities to back up those laws mankind has a propensity toward atrocities.  God’s law was given with divine purpose in mind.  The law is for the transgressor or the sinner.]

1.      The Law Reveals The Sinfulness Of Sin (vs 19; Rom 7.7-13; Gen 3.1; Rom 10.17;  Deut 32.4; Rom 6.23) [- Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions . . .  – There is right and there is wrong.  Right and wrong are not matters of opinion, as many in our culture try to suggest, but right and wrong are matters of an absolute authority.  That absolute authority is not civil government, it is not your personal governance, it is the absolute, immutable authority of the sovereign Lord God Almighty.  God has established right and wrong based on His character or who He is.  Right and wrong have never changed and never will change because God has never changed nor ever will change.]

[When God led Israel out of Egypt God wrote down His law for Israel and all mankind.  Why, perhaps because mankind had revealed that they needed clarity concerning right and wrong.  The Aposlte Paul wrote,]

[Romans 7:7-13 ⁷ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. ⁸ But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. ⁹ For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. ¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. ¹² Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. ¹³ Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.]

[God gave the Law to reveal our sin.  We would have speculated for all eternity about right and wrong without the written Law of God.  As a matter of fact, even with the written Word of God people still try to speculate about right and wrong.  Our spiritual adversary, the devil, first questioned Eve by asking,]

[Genesis 3:1 ¹ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, . . .]

[The devil knows that if he can get you to question whether you actually have the Word of God or not then he can drive you to the uncertainty of personal speculation and situational ethics based upon your feelings and ideas.  This is why the Bible reveals that,]

[Romans 10:17 ¹⁷ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. ]

[Law, any law, can only be established by a higher authority and ultimate law must be established by an ultimate authority.  That ultimate authority is Almighty God, and He has given an undeniable written law that reveals right and wrong and clearly identifies sin.  God gave us the written law so that no one could ever say; “I didn’t know that I was sinning.”]

[The Law Of God Reveals Our Sin And Sinfulness it also reveals the cost of our sin.]

[The cost of sin, the price tag on sin. – As the law reveals our sinfulness it also establishes justice.  God is just and right, the Bible says,

[Deuteronomy 32:4 ⁴ He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

[Now, Justice is to get what you deserve.  When the law is broken there is a clear penalty affixed to the transgression of a law.  A law without penalty is no law at all.  Many feel that law is subjective, because in our civil laws you can often break the law and get away with it.  If you break the law and an enforcer is not present to justify the law then you get away with the transgression.  Hence, someone might say, “It’s only wrong if you get caught.”]

[The law of God is not like the law of man, for God is always watching, God is always recording your transgressions.  When you break God’s law you always get caught and, as the late R.G. Lee used to preach, “There will be a Payday Some Day.”  When you transgress God’s law, then someone must pay the penalty for that transgression, this is justice and God is just.  The Apostle Paul wrote,]

[Romans 7:10-11 ¹⁰ And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. ¹¹ For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. ]

[Why does the commandment slay us?  Because,]

[Romans 6:23 ²³ For the wages of sin is death; . . . ]

[Sin, your transgression of the law of God is always known by God and in God’s Justice the penalty for your sin must be fully paid.  Anything less would be unjust.] 

2.      The Law Reveals The Sabotage Of Sin (vs 24; Rom 7.10-11; Rom 6.23) [- Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster . . .  – Feelings and Authority - I have heard people argue, “Well, I know what right and wrong are!  I know right from wrong in my heart.  If it feels right then it is right, if it feels wrong then it is wrong?”  People need to realize that their feelings are based on their emotions which are base on their circumstances.  Feelings and emotions are the worst possible standard for right and wrong in life, because your feelings change daily, often multiple times in a day, as your circumstances change.  Feelings and emotions are a poor standard upon which to determine right and wrong.  This type of authority is called situational ethics and basically believes that your circumstances determine what is right and what is wrong.  Concerning situational ethics God says,]

[Proverbs 16:25 ²⁵ There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.]

[This false way is the result of,]

[Jeremiah 17:9 ⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? ]

[Because of mankind’s emotional blindness God gave mankind an undeniable written law.  God gave it in writing because people misunderstand things and manipulate things.  Therefore, we each needed the Word of God given in a way that mankind could not corrupt.  Hence the written Word of God.]

[There is sabotage in your sin.  You may think you can get away with your sin, but you just think that.  You may try to deny the law of God and the Word of God, but God’s Word and law never changes, it is immutable.  Watch out for the sabotage hidden within your sin.]

[God has declared right and wrong and put it in writing, undeniable law reveals your sinfulness and the clear penalty for your sin.]

3.      The Law Reveals The Seriousness Of Sin (vs 24; Rev 20.11-15; 2 Pet 3.9; Rom 6.23; 3.23-28) [– Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. – Any sin, all sin results in death.  This death is speaking of the eternal Lake of Fire revealed in Revelation 20.11-15.  Sin may seem pleasant for a season, but you had better wake up and realize that God has clearly declared right and wrong and will not excuse your sin.  Sin is serious business with God.  Sin carries definite and revealed penalties.]

[While God in His justice will execute the punishment required for your sin, that does not mean that the penalty is God’s desire for you.  The Bible states,]

[2 Peter 3:9 ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ]

[Through the written law God reveals sin and the seriousness of sin.  God has clearly declared what sin is and what the penalty for sin will be, eternal death in hell.  God cannot make exceptions or excuses for sin or its penalty and remain just.  But the Bible also reveals that God has provided justification and forgiveness for your sin.  The Bible says,]

[Romans 6:23 ²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ]

[Romans 3:23-28 ²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. ²⁷ Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. ²⁸ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. ]

[God sent Jesus to pay the full price that you owed for your sins, therefore meeting the justice of God concerning your sins.  Jesus satisfies the requirements of the law for your sin.  If you will recognize that Jesus paid for your sins on Calvary’s Cross, physically rose from the grave to give you eternal life, and will accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior; you too can be saved (Rom 10.9-10).  However, if you deny Jesus and refuse to accept the gift of God provided only through the Lord Jesus Christ then the justice that God requires will be paid in full, you will pay the penalty for your sins yourself.  You must and will go to hell for all eternity.  It is your choice.]

B.     The Law Is Our Liberator (vs 24-25) [– Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. – Having received the Lord Jesus Christ we are liberated from the stony law and as our text says it we are not longer under this cold heartless taskmaster.  Our text indicates that we are no longer under this schoolmaster in Christ.  So, just what is this liberty we have in Christ, as revealed in the Word of God.]

1.      Our Liberty In Christ (Gal 5.1; John 14.15; Exo 20.3; Mat 4.10; Exo 20.4; 1 Cor 6.9; Exo 20.7; Mat 4.10; Exo 20.8-11; Mark 2.27; Heb 10.25; Exo 20.12; Luke 18.20; Eph 6.1-2; Exo 20.13; Matt 5.21-22; Exo 20.14; Matt 19.18; Exo 20.16; ; Matt 19.18; Eph 4.25; Exo 20.17; Luke 12.15; Heb 10.9-14) [– The apostle Paul wrote of this liberty,]

[Galatians 5:1 ¹ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.]

[Romans 6:14 ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. ]

[Now, Liberty is an incredible and great thing.  To be free is a natural desire of life.  It seems everything wishes to be truly free.  However, freedom without restraint, liberty devoid of responsibility quickly becomes tyranny and chaos. There are those in our day who would lead us to believe that through Christ there is no more biblical law for us to follow.  Now, while no law sounds like an enticing thing, the lack of law is not the implication of this liberty.]

[Jesus said,]

[John 14:15 ¹⁵ If ye love me, keep my commandments. ]

[Notice, that our Lord clearly links love with commandments.  What were the commandments of our Lord?  The New Testament clearly reiterates all of the Ten Commandments or the moral law.]

·         [Thou shalt have no other God’s before me (Exo 20.3; Mat 4.10)]

[Exodus 20:3 ³ Thou shalt have no other gods before me. ]

[Matthew 4:10 ¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. ]

·         [Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (Exo 20.4; 1 Cor 6.9)]

[Exodus 20:4 ⁴ Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:]

[1 Corinthians 6:9 ⁹ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,]

·         [Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (Exo 20.7; Mat 4.10) – To take the name of the Lord in vain means to make God’s name worthless.  It would be to say that the Lord God is no god at all.]

[Exodus 20:7 ⁷ Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. ]

[Matthew 4:10 ¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. ]

·         [Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Exo 20.8-11; Mark 2.27; Heb 10.25)]

[Exodus 20:8-11 ⁸ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: ¹⁰ But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. ]

[Mark 2:27 ²⁷ And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: ]

[Hebrews 10:25 ²⁵ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. ]

·         [Honor thy father and mother (Exo 20.12; Luke 18.20; Eph 6.1-2)]

[Exodus 20:12 ¹² Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.]

[Luke 18:20 ²⁰ Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. ]

Ephesians 6:1-2 ¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. ² Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

·         [Thou Shalt not kill (Exo 20.13; Matt 5.21-22)]

[Exodus 20:13 ¹³ Thou shalt not kill. ]

[Matthew 5:21-22 ²¹ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: ²² But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. ]

·         [Thou shalt not commit adultery (Exo 20.14; Matt 5.27-28)]

[Exodus 20:14 ¹⁴ Thou shalt not commit adultery. ]

[Matthew 5:27-28 ²⁷ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: ²⁸ But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.]

·         [Thou shalt not steal (Exo 20.14; Matt 19.18)]

[Exodus 20:14 ¹⁴ Thou shalt not commit adultery. ]

[Matthew 19:18 ¹⁸ He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ]

·         [Thou shalt not bear false witness (Exo 20.16; ; Matt 19.18; Eph 4.25)]

[Exodus 20:16 ¹⁶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. ]

[Matthew 19:18 ¹⁸ He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ]

[Ephesians 4:25 ²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. ]

·         [Thou shalt not covet (Exo 20.17; Luke 12.15)]

[Exodus 20:17 ¹⁷ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.]

[Luke 12:15 ¹⁵ And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. ]

[The Levitical or Ceremonial Law dealing with the sacrifices of the temple we find have all been fulfilled through the sacrifice of the eternal Lamb of God our Lord Jesus Christ.]

[Hebrews 10:9-14 ⁹ Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. ¹⁰ By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹ And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: ¹² But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; ¹³ From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. ¹⁴ For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. ]

[The Civil Law enacted to establish the national laws of the Jewish nation were the laws of that nation and apply only to Israel as a nation.  Each nation has its own set of laws.  These laws primarily pertain the things like capital punishment, domestic harmony, and national defense.  People of the Word of God must always remember that God placed the jurisdiction of capital punishment wholly in the hands of human national government.  It is no individuals responsibility to execute capital punishment apart from his government, like a vigilante, that is the jurisdiction of a national government and the laws of the land.]

[The whole point here is that there are Christian Laws that our Lord expects that those who are His will obey because they love Him.  Jesus never said, and scripture never endorses a lawless Christianity.  Again our Lord said,]

[John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. ]

2.      Our Liberty Through Compassion (Gal 5.13-14; James 2.8; Rom 13.8-10; Lev 19.34; Deut 11.2  ) [– Yet there is an undeniable distinction between the Old Testament law written on stone and the New Testament law alive in the hearts of Christians.  The old stony law of Moses has become the living law of love in the New Testament.  The Bible says,]

[Galatians 5:13-14 ¹³ For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. ¹⁴ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ]

[James 2:8 ⁸ If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: ]

[Romans 13:8-10 ⁸ Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. ⁹ For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ¹⁰ Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.]

[That Love is the heart of the law is not strictly New Testament the Old Testament states,]

[Leviticus 19:34 ³⁴ But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. ]

[Deuteronomy 11:2 ² And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm, ]

[Love has always been the key to fulfilling the law of God.  But mans capacity to love with God’s kind of love apart from the spiritual presence of God within him kept him from knowing and living in the unconditional (agape Gk) love of God.  In mankind’s quest to fulfill God’s law the law always became cold and dead through the abuses of sin and sinfulness.

3.      Our Liberty Through Conversion (Jer 31.33; Joel 2.28-29; Acts 2.14-18; John 14.15-17; 16.13-14) – Therefore mankind needed something more.  Mankind needed help to develop the kind of love that could fulfill the law of God through love.  So God, through Christ provided a better resource for mankind.  God prophesied this provision in,]

[Jeremiah 31:33 ³³ But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. ]

[Joel 2:28-29 ²⁸ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: ²⁹ And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. ]

[Acts 2:14-18 ¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: ¹⁵ For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; ¹⁷ And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: ¹⁸ And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: ]

[Jesus said, ]

[John 14:15-17 ¹⁵ If ye love me, keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. ]

[John 16:13-14 ¹³ Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. ¹⁴ He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. ]

[At the moment of our salvation our Heavenly Father sends the Holy Spirit into us, and He brings the love of God to life within us and empowers us to fulfill the moral law of Almighty God.  So that we are not under the law as one under a schoolmaster, feeling restrained and disciplined by the law.  Instead, the love of God in us energizes the law of God within us so that we are joyfully driven toward the fulfillment only known through the full expression of the law of God through us.]

C.    The Law Becomes Our Comforter [– Not our comforter in the sense that the Holy Spirit is our comforter.  But the law becomes our comforter in that as we find ourselves fulfilling the law of God, willingly, and with desire.  The law itself becomes a litmus test and evidence of our redemption and sanctification in Christ.  The fact that our deep love for our Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father will naturally compel us to fulfill the law of God in our lives be come evidence to us that we really are born again.] 

[Perhaps this is a bit of a paradox in life.  The natural lost man struggles to fulfill the law of God through religious practices, but will always utterly fail, and will find only condemnation and despair.  Their proclamation will be, “No one can possibly fulfill the legal demands of God.”  On the other hand, the born again Christian, often effortlessly seems to live joyfully by the same laws of God and confidently proclaims, with great joy and fulfillment, “The law of God is my love and contentment.”] 

[How can this be?  How can there be such a distinctive difference between the two.  There is but one explanation, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of God.]

1.      Love and His Presence (1 John 4.7-14)

[1 John 4:7-14 ⁷ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. ⁸ He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. ⁹ In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. ¹⁰ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. ¹² No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³ Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. ]

[Every time the word love is used in these verses the word for love is a form of the Greek word agape, which is the word used for God’s love.  When God, the Holy Spirit, comes into us at our salvation He teaches us to love with God’s love which is very different from this worlds love.  Now notice the result of this great love.]

2.      Love and His Persuasion (1 John 5.3)

[1 John 5:3 ³ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. ]

[When the Bible says, ]

[Romans 13:10 ¹⁰ Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.]

[We must come to realize that this transforming love is persuasive and life changing because of the presence that energies it.]

[In the weeks to come we will study the Ten Commandments under the microscope of the dynamic and life changing presence and love of Almighty God, who lives within each and every born again believer.  It is He who empowers us to fulfill the commandments of God in our lives, through the love of God in our lives.]

CrossRoads Baptist, August 2, 2009