IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE
Luke 16:27-31
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Fulfilling Prophecy
1. Harry and his neighbor Joe often borrowed things from each other. One day, Harry asked to borrow Joe’s ladder. Joe said, “Sorry Harry, I’ve lent it to my son.”
2. Remembering a saying that his grandma often used to tell him, Harry said, "Joe, you should never lend anything to your children because you'll never get it back."
3. Joe replied, laughing, "Don’t worry, it’s not my ladder. It's my dad's."
B. TEXT
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘O Father Abraham, then please send him to my father’s home— 28 for I have five brothers—to warn them about this place of torment lest they come here when they die.’29 “But Abraham said, ‘The Scriptures have warned them again and again….31If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even though someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:22-31, Living Bible.
C. THESIS
1. The implication of the Lord Jesus in Luke 16:29,31 is that people have been given all the warning they’re going to get.
2. Every person in the world will be judged according to God’s Laws in the Bible, even if they’ve never heard them!
3. We look at this principle (Ignorantia juris non excusat), see the grace of God in abundant warnings, and discover what actions this Law should compel us to take. The title of this message is “Ignorance of the Law is no Excuse.”
I. DESCRIPTION OF THIS CRUCIAL PRINCIPLE
A. THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ARE A CRIME
1. Using a Public Wi-Fi w/o Permission – a crime in many states called “piggybacking.”
2. Video, singing “Happy Birthday.” Copyrighted until 2016.
3. Using a Fake Name Online.
4. Eating something before you paid for it.
5. Sharing your password. It’s a Federal crime!
6. Sharing medication. 7. No license for your dog.
8. Throw away a cell phone. 9. Littering. 10. Having spray paint or broad tip markers in public – because of graffiti.
11. Driving under the speed limit.
12. But even though you didn’t know they were crimes, you still could have been arrested and punished for violating them.
B. REASON “IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE:”
1. “Ignorance of the Law is no Excuse” is a universal legal principle held by virtually all governments in order to maintain justice and law and order. [Its Latin jurisprudence designation is “Ignorantia juris non excusat.”]
2. EXAMPLE. A policeman pulls you over. He comes to your window and says, “Did you know you were going 50 mph in a 30 mph zone?” And you answer, “No, officer! I had no idea the speed limit was 30!” Does the officer say, “Well in that case we’ll just tear up the ticket!” No, he doesn’t say that. He’ll more likely say, “This will help you remember it next time!”
3. The reason it’s necessary to not excuse ignorance is because if people can escape the consequences of breaking the Law by claiming ignorance, most people would claim it.
4. This principle comes out in the Parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus because the Rich Man claims that his 5 brothers have not been warned of the dangers of Hell. The Lord Jesus (through Abraham) says that the Scriptures are sufficient warning to them and that no additional warning is necessary.
5. This is a sobering statement. It means that EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD WILL BE JUDGED ACCORDING TO God’s Laws in THE BIBLE and that THEY ARE ACCOUNTABLE, EVEN IF THEY’VE NEVER TAKEN THE TIME TO READ THEM!
6. Lev. 5:17 says the same thing, “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible.”
7. So this principle is a fundamental concept that every person in the world had better be warned of! This sounds harsh, but let’s go further to see God’s abundant mercies to warn us so that we’re not ignorant of His Laws.
II. EFFORTS TO INFORM PEOPLE OF THE LAWS
A. HUMAN GOVERNMENT EFFORTS
1. The laws that effect us are published and made available in public libraries, courthouses, law offices, and related businesses so that the public is aware of the crimes and penalties associated with them.
2. In addition, individual laws are posted, such as speed limits etc., guns/alcohol/smoking, weight limits, medical help, personnel rules, food handling, washing hands, etc.
B. GOD’S EFFORTS TO INFORM US OF HIS LAWS
1. GOD WROTE HIS LAWS IN CREATION ITSELF. Rom. 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” God has notified the world that He is the Creator and that He is holy, faithful, loving, etc. This should point the way to what is acceptable behavior or not.
2. GOD INTERVENED IN HISTORY TO LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY.
a. God used the nation of Israel as His medium to make a lasting monument to His name. 2 Sam. 7:23, “Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for Himself, AND TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods…”
b. God used Israel to draw the entire world’s attention to Himself by performing undeniable and huge signs and wonders to identify Israel as associated with Himself, so people would know where to go to find His laws and decrees.
3. GOD PUBLISHED HIS WORD IN THE BIBLE. More Bibles have been printed than any other book, in more languages than any other book, and is older than any other religious book!
a. A survey of the Bible Societies concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion (as of 1/1/19).
b. As of 2018, the full Bible had been translated into 683 languages, the New Testament had been translated into an additional 1,534 languages and at least some portion of the Bible had been translated into 3,350 languages.
c. The Bible must be older than any other book because its laws were written down by Moses approx. 3,400 years ago, and he probably had older source documents. God made sure that His truth has been published throughout the world!
4. GOD WROTE HIS LAWS ON OUR HEARTS. Even those who’ve never heard the Gospel have it written on their hearts, “They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them” Rom. 2:15. We all have an innate sense of
right and wrong, at least, when born. That “image” of God in us is often twisted by sinful choices & circumstances.
5. GOD ALSO GAVE US CONSCIENCES & THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUTH. Change occurs when:
a. The Holy Spirit holds court in our hearts; He…
b. Reads the Law of God which you have broken; He…
c. Presents the evidence of your conscience against you;
(your conscience is at first pure, but when you sin, it’s violated. Each violation is recorded on the conscience. Sin may be described as having weight, “it’s weighing on his conscience.”)
d. H.S. Renders a verdict: “Guilty before God!”
e. You hear the Sentence: “Separation from God and everlasting punishment.”
f. YOU PLEA: “Is there any way I can be spared?”
g. ANSWER: “God has supplied a Sacrifice for your sin; Believe on Him.”
C. GOD IS A JUST & MERCIFUL GOD
1. The Bible clearly shows that God is a loving and merciful God (Jer. 31:3). He wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4).
2. The fact that God gave His most treasured possession -- His Son -- to die a terrible death on the cross so that we could go to heaven, demonstrates in the most graphic terms God’s desire for us to be saved.
3. With this in mind, we can trust God’s good intentions, that He will do everything possible to make sure that every person who's ever lived will have a chance to make it to heaven.
III. THIS TRUTH SHOULD MOTIVATE US TO:
A. READ & STUDY THE BIBLE
1. When I found out there are rules for putting out yard signs, I made sure I learned those rules so I wouldn’t get in trouble. Similarly, when we know we’ll be held accountable for God’s Laws, it’s only smart to read them.
2. If fact, a person would be dumb NOT to read them. I mean, the fact that we’ll all stand before God’s tribunal and give an account is not something to be treated lightly!
3. Someone might say, “Yes, but I’m saved and covered by
the blood of Christ, so I won’t come into judgment.” Not so, even if you’re saved, you will face the believer’s judgment. It will be a place of great rewards and great shame too.
4. God told Joshua, “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” Josh. 1:7-8. I think that’s good advice!
5. In the N.T. Paul said, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” 2 Tim. 2:15.
B. TO WIN OUR FRIENDS TO CHRIST
1. Since most of the people around us are guilty of violating God’s laws and don’t realize they will stand trial before God, if we love them we should be passionate about, not only witnessing to them, but winning them to salvation.
2. We should be unrelenting until they surrender to Christ. Would we rather see them tormented in the lake of fire? Would we want to hear their cries, “Why didn’t you warn me so I wouldn’t come to this terrible place?”
3. I think it would be better to err on the side of offending them rather than to quietly let them slip into Hell. What parent wouldn’t yell and kick down doors to save a family member from fire? An eternal fire is coming: will we do less?
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. My son Joel’s father-in-law and brother-in-law, Ty and Tyler Fisher, were on their way back from a vacation, driving in separate cars. As they passed under a bridge, an oncoming car crashed into a concrete bridge support. The engine immediately caught fire.
2. Both Ty and Tyler pulled over and ran to the car. The car was full of smoke. Ty tried to kick the driver’s window in but couldn’t. Tyler began kicking the passenger window and it busted and fell in.
3. The smoke was so thick he could see no one, so Tyler extended his arms and leaned in the window. A man reach around his neck and Tyler leaned back out and pulled the man out with him.
4. The man signal he was alone, They fled and immediately
the gas tank exploded. Everything was split second for the man to be saved.
5. Tyler kept the shirt he was wearing as a memento, for on the back are two black prints of the man’s smoke-covered hands grasping for life.
6. The man is alive today and thanks God for 2 strangers who stopped to save his life. Will we stop to save someone from the spiritual fire that will consume them? God help us!
B. THE CALL
1. You can’t claim ignorance of God’s Laws. The Word clearly says we will be held accountable.
2. Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.” John 15:22
3. The one thing to do is REPENT and appeal to God for MERCY, then BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and RECEIVE Him as your Savior who can regenerate you.
4. How many of you have a family member who’s away from God? Will you pledge to warn them and get them to pray the sinner’s prayer?
5. Let’s Pray.
