OPEN: Back in the 70’s the Police Dept. of the State Connecticut had a regulation, a law that after the 1st snowfall each vehicle in squadron had to have chains on its tires. One day after a particularly bad winter storm, a woman called into the police to report an accident where a state Trooper’s car had ended up upside down by the side of the road.
“Is anyone hurt?” the dispatcher asked.
“I don’t know,” the woman replied. “But, he is acting a bit bizarre. He’s standing on the car trying to put snow chains on the tires.”
APPLY: Now, did that police officer know what that regulation was?
Well yeah - he was putting chains on the car. BUT he was putting them on after the accident.
Why would he do that? Why would he put the chains on AFTER the accident?
Well… he was doing that, because there was a penalty. There was a price to be paid for his negligence. I don’t know what that penalty was, but it WAS severe enough - that he struggled to put the chains on even when they’d do absolutely no good.
I. Any law… in order to be effective - has to have penalties
John tells us that when God gave the law, He gave it through Moses.
Were there penalties then?
Oh yeah… look with me to Exodus 19:9-15
“The LORD said to Moses, ‘I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.’ Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said.
And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, “Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live.” Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they go up to the mountain.’
After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. Then he said to the people, ‘Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.’” (Exodus 19:9-15)
The law of Moses began with penalties:
God told Moses: “Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ’Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.’” (Exodus 19:12)
There were penalties associated with the Law of Moses
not just IN the Law
but even ON THE DAY that the Law was introduced.
(pause…)
Why are there penalties associated with laws?
BECAUSE nobody will pay any attention to a Law if there are no consequences.
The purpose of a law is to help us understand what is acceptable and what isn’t.
The Law is there to draw a line that says – “don’t cross here…” “don’t do this…” “don’t do that…”
BECAUSE - if you do cross here… or do this… or do that… there is a price to be paid.
ILLUS: Have you ever had a speeding ticket? (wait for a response)
Good… now I don’t feel so bad! Last Thursday, I was going up to my sister’s and I was late. As I came onto US 31, almost everyone was going 70 to 75 miles an hour… so I did too.
Now, I don’t know what happened to those other fellows… but the police caught me. I was given a ticket for $108.
II. Now, let’s ask a question… was the law good?
Oh yeah. Laws are there to protect us from individuals that do wrong.
They exist to protect us from people who endanger others because they’re in a hurry
The law that Connecticut officer disregarded (about the tire chains) existed to protect him and his vehicle from just the type of accident that turned his car upside down.
Laws are basically good. But laws have a couple of weaknesses.
1st… while laws exist to protect us, they can’t necessarily make us better citizens.
If we don’t want to obey a law… we won’t.
Did I know what the speed limit was last Thursday? Yeah, 55 mph. I can recite it in my sleep now.
Did that Connecticut State Policeman know what the law was? Yeah… that’s why he was putting the chains on after the accident.
You see, laws cannot make us do good. They can only warn us of what we shouldn’t do.
So… that’s the 1st problem with laws.
They can modify behavior, but they can’t change our hearts.
The 2nd problem with laws is that…
… they can’t change the results of bad decisions
… they can’t undo the damage of our behavior
Do you remember the state policeman? Why was he putting chains on his car?
Was it going to do any good now?
Would it undo the damage to his vehicle?
Would it help him turn the car right side up?
NO.
Obeying the law - after his accident - would do nothing to repair his car or change the results of his actions.
III. So, the law serves a purpose, but it is imperfect
The law is good because it is there to protect us from bad behavior.
But the law is imperfect because it is powerless to change our hearts and it is powerless to repair that which we have damaged.
That’s true of every law written by men… AND it’s even true with regard to the Law gave to Moses. In Hebrews we’re told that:
“If there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant (built upon the Law) no place would have been sought for another” (Hebrews 8:7)
In other words, when God gave the Law, the Law was good - but it was imperfect, and so it had to be replaced.
And that’s why Jesus came.
Jesus came to replace the Law.
What the law could not do Jesus Christ did.
He gave us the ability to be changed on the inside
AND He gave us the ability to heal our past - to cover our shame and our guilt so it exists no longer.
And He didn’t stop there. In addition he has given us blessing upon blessing.
“From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” (John 1:16)
IV. Today we’re talking about our tithes and our offerings
As we’ve mentioned before - our offerings on Sunday Morning are “free-will” offerings.
No where in Scripture does God dictate to us what we MUST give.
We know that God likes the tithe and that is a good place to start… BUT we are not commanded to give that. All Scripture tells us about our offerings is that they must be given cheerfully. Because we want to.
If we understand the blessings God has given us, then our offerings should be a reflection of the thanksgiving we have in our hearts.
ILLUS: In one church, a deacon gave his prayer for the offering after the collection had been taken up. As he prayed, he lifted up the offering plates and declared:
“No matter what else we may say, Lord… this is what we actually think of You.”
CLOSE: There’s one more thing I want to share with you this morning. It was something that really impressed me as I studied the difference between how the Law and Jesus were introduced in Scripture.
Moses & the Law (Exodus 19:9-15)
Jesus and Grace (John 1:14-18)
When the Law was given… God came down (1st time since Garden of Eden)but He was seperated from the people. Anyone who touched the mountain died.
When Jesus came… God came down and tabernacled amongst us. He pitched His tent and lived amongst us.
When the Law was given… God came down upon a mountain (Mt. Sinai)
When Jesus came… God gave His grace on a Mountain called Mt. Zion
When the Law was given… the people were to gather at the Mt. on the 3rd day to here the Law proclaimed.
When Jesus came… His grace was proclaimed on the 3rd day (resurrection)
When the Law was given… death came to anyone who transgressed upon the mountain
When Jesus came… death came to Him because of our transgressions
One person observed: “In the Old Testament the sheep died for the shepherd; but in the New Testament, the Shepherd died for the sheep.”
That’s the difference between the God’s Law and God’s Grace.
The law came to bring judgment and condemnation and that bro’t death.
But when Jesus came… He came to die for us bring forgiveness and Grace.
As John 3 tells us “…God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned…” (John 3:17-18)
When Jesus came… He came to replace the law with His truth… and His grace.
Jesus didn’t come to bring judgment.
Jesus didn’t come to give out penalty and pain.
He came to give us truth… (pause…) and grace.
That’s what keeps us from being condemned… It’s that thing called “grace”
What is grace???
ILLUS: Let me tell you what grace is.
Last Thursday, I got a speeding ticket. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t tell you about such a thing, but if I don’t, my family will. They really got a kick out of it. In fact, when I and my family arrived at my sister’s home, that was the first thing they talked about. My loving family just couldn’t wait to tell everyone what had happened. Everybody laughed… I laughed… but deep inside I felt a pain because speeding tickets don’t come cheap.
About an hour later… my brother motioned to me to come into the hallway and he pressed something into my hand. It was money… exactly what I owed for my speeding ticket.
Why would he do that? Why would my brother pay my ticket?
Was it his fault that I’d been speeding?
Did I deserve the money he gave me that day
No… he did it because he loved me.
I was guilty… but he paid my debt… because he loved me. That is grace.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
