what keeping the ten commandments does for you

1. The Question: What does keeping the Ten Commandments have to do with establishing a personal relationship with God?

2. The Answer: Absolutely nothing!

3. Why: Because the Ten Com-mandments are a summary of the Law of Moses which became obsolete . . . when Jesus went to the cross!

Colossians 2:13-14 - When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

4. What can the Law of Moses do for you & what can it not do!

I. What Could the Law Do for You?

I. What Could the Law Do for You? A. It could show you what sin is. What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. -v7-8

I. What Could the Law Do for You? A. It could show you what sin is. What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. -v7-8 1. Two words for “know”.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? A. It could show you what sin is. What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. -v7-8 To know by observation.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? To know by personal experience. A. It could show you what sin is. What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. -v7-8 To know by personal experience.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? Exodus 20:17 - You shall not covet! A. It could show you what sin is. What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. -v7-8 Exodus 20:17 - You shall not covet!

I. What Could the Law Do for You? B. It could have brought you life, but instead brought death. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. - v9

I. What Could the Law Do for You? B. It could have brought you life, but instead brought death. 1. When you didn’t know what sin was, you were justified by your ignorance.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? B. It could have brought you life, but instead brought death. 2. But you couldn’t be righteous because God can’t fellowship with sin.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? B. It could have brought you life, but instead brought death. 2. But you couldn’t be righteous because God can’t fellowship with sin. Isaiah 59:1-2 - Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? B. It could have brought you life, but instead brought death. 3. What you need is not just justification, you need right- eousness.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? B. It could have brought you life, but instead brought death. 3. What you need is not just justification, you need right- eousness. 4. When you sin, you do so knowingly & willingly!

I. What Could the Law Do for You? C. How does the law deceive you & kill you by exposing what sin is? I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. - v10-11

I. What Could the Law Do for You? C. How does the law deceive you & kill you by exposing what sin is? 1. The Jewish leaders only satisfied the legal demands. Luke 11:42 - Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? C. How does the law deceive you & kill you by exposing what sin is? 2. Only Lord Jesus satisfied the ethical implications as well. Luke 11:42 - Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? D. Why was indwelling sin in Paul working out death in him? So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. - v12-13

I. What Could the Law Do for You? D. Why was indwelling sin in Paul working out death in him? James 2:10 - For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

I. What Could the Law Do for You? D. Why was indwelling sin in Paul working out death in him? 1. The law could point out sin, but not provide the remedy!

I. What Could the Law Do for You? D. Why was indwelling sin in Paul working out death in him? 1. The law could point out sin, but not provide the remedy! 2. Once the law was broken, there was no way to restore the sinner!

I. What Could the Law Do for You? II. What Could the Law Not Do for You?

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin.

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 1. Who sold Paul to sin? We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. - v14

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 1. Who sold Paul to sin? We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. - v14 Sold could be “sold under sin”.

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? “sold myself under sin”. A. It could not help you overcome sin. 1. Who sold Paul to sin? We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. - v14 Sold could be “sold myself under sin”.

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 1. Who sold Paul to sin? 2. Paul was the responsible one, the one who was accountable!

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 3. How did Paul sell himself?

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 3. How did Paul sell himself? Romans 6:16 - Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey — whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 3. How did Paul sell himself? As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me . . . Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. - v17 & 20

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 4. The law could only reach the intellect! I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. - v18

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 4. The law could only reach the intellect! I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. - v15-16

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 4. The law could only reach the intellect! So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law . . . - v21-22

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 4. The law could only reach the intellect! For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing . . . but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. - v19 & 23

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 5. What was the key?

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 5. What was the key? The law could expose sin, but it couldn’t help him overcome it!

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. 5. What was the key? The law could expose sin, but it couldn’t help him overcome it! When Paul received the Holy Spirit he was empowered to live life victoriously!

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? A. It could not help you overcome sin. B. It could not rescue you from sin by providing forgiveness!

The law was incapable of doing this! II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? B. It could not rescue you from sin by providing forgiveness! Who will rescue me from this body of death? - v24 The law was incapable of doing this!

II. What Could the Law Not Do for You? B. It could not rescue you from sin by providing forgiveness! Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! - v25

You can’t be good enough to get to heaven by obeying the Ten Commandments. You obey the Ten Commandments because you are saved - not in order to get that way!