JESUS and the Law (Ex.9-24)

Moses had spent a lot of time dealing with issues among the people.  At one point, his father-in-law gave some very wise earthly advice - delegate!  Then God gave Moses and the people some very wise heavenly "advice" in order to enjoy the best in life, sort things out and all get along.  But first...

           (Exodus 19:9-10)  The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

10 The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them..."

To appear before God, we must be clean of sin, or we will die.  God wanted the people to understand the gravity of this.  And even after physically cleaning and preparing themselves, they still felt (and for very good reason) unworthy to stand before God.

While the Israelites waited, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, AND many other laws which would help them deal with every sort of issue that might come up.  God also sets up the sacrificial system of dealing (temporarily) with sin.  This would have been a constant reminder that where there is sin - there is death.  The shedding of blood was needed to cover that sin.  For each sin!  FYI: we tend to sin a lot.  This whole process - wow - "tedious" comes to mind.

But when Jesus, the Lamb of God, offered Himself up as the perfect and eternal sacrifice - not only paid the price for all sin for all people - He simplified everything.  All we have to do is BELIEVE in our hearts - then the forgiveness of sin is complete and eternal.  Unchangeable! GRACE!  (FYI reminder - people living BEFORE Jesus' work on the cross - all they had to do was believe and it was reckoned as righteousness, James 2:23... Jesus paid for ALL sin of all time, including past sins.)

And once Jesus saves us, He does not leave us to fend for ourselves... He sticks by us - REAL close!

     (Galatians 2:20)  I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

As believers, we are also immediately sealed with the Holy Spirit.  This is a forever thing!  Just like back in the day, when a letter was designated to a specific person, the sender would put their seal (of wax) over the opening.  The letter could not be opened until that person received it.  As Christians, we are going to heaven and nothing and no one can undo that.,, not even ourselves.

     (Ephesians 1:13)  In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise...

The Holy Spirit (part of the Trinity) is also there to guide us.

     (John 14:26)  ...the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Being guided by the Holy Spirit means that the law of God is written on our hearts...  perhaps like, our conscience is amped up.

     (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

And all of God's laws to us can be boiled down to two things:  love God and love people.  Under the old covenant, God promised the Israelites blessings, which would come to fruition WHEN they obeyed God.  God never took the promise away, but when the Isralites disobeyed, there would be consequences (much like a teenager who is given a car - it's theirs never to be taken away, but they are only allowed to drive it when acting responsibly).

God is consistent, but obviously, the Israelites' obedience was not consistent.  And we (now) would not have handled things much differently.  God knew this.  So after Jesus' work on the cross, there was a new covenant established, which completed the old.  Now, as children of God, we are eternally saved... we are cleansed of all sin and can stand before God.  We cannot lose our salvation, and when we live in God's will ("clean" up our act... confess our sins continually), things just go better, relationships with God and others are better...  I think this scripture sums it all up the best...

     (Hebrews 10:15-25)  And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws upon their heart,
And on their mind I will write them,”

He then says,

17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds
I will remember no more.”

18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.