And we invite you to take your Bible and turn to 1st Timothy Chapter 1. And we're going to look at verses 7 to 11, picking up with verse 7 just for the context. Hope you do bring your Bible and follow along as I expound the scriptures. Verse 7, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, And if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. Let us pray. Father, we thank that Your Word will be living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, convicting us of sin in our lives. And if anyone needs Christ as Savior, I pray, Lord, You will show them their need today, that they may be saved. Help me as I preach, and each one as they listen, and we pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Well, in our last message, the Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to stay in the church in Ephesus in order to confront and deal with false teachers. Well, in the American church today, there are certainly false teachers. And we need to stand firm on the Word of God and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He pointed out in verse 7 that in Ephesus, there were some teachers who desired to be teachers of the law, but they did not understand even the purpose of the law. which Paul is going to bring out in this text of Scripture. Why is it that God gave the Ten Commandments? Why is it that God gave the Law? Did He give the Law as a means of salvation? Did He give the Law for us to live by in our Christian lives? Well, we're going to answer those questions this morning. We're going to see that Paul gives some specific applications of the law. In other words, a single commandment may have several different applications to different sins. And since Paul preached salvation by grace and not by the law, there are times when he was accused of being against the law, contrary to the law. And so the first thing we're going to see this morning from this text of scripture is the fact that the law is good. Notice that Paul is not against the law, but rather in verse eight, he says this, but we know that the law is good. That word translated good means it is commendable, it is admirable. It has wonderful qualities about it. Likewise, he said in Romans 7, 12 that the law is holy and the commandment is holy and just and good. The law is good because it comes from a good and righteous God and it has a good purpose in our lives. Yet the effect of the law being good is only true if what Paul says in the last of verse 8 is true. That it is used lawfully. That it is used correctly. The law is good if it's used in the right way according to its original intent and purpose. For example, there are some legitimate purposes of why God gave the law. God gave the law because it does tell us right from wrong. It helps us to know the will of God. God gave the law hopefully to restrain evil. But it does so only if someone hears the law And for unbelievers, for the most part, only if the law is enforced. In fact, because of the sinfulness of man, Paul points out in Romans chapter 7 and verse 8, that the law may, instead of restraining evil, actually incite someone to commit that evil. But once we recognize that the law shows us that we are sinners, that we're guilty, it should lead us to seek salvation in Christ. And that purpose of the law we'll talk about as we get further into the message. But on the other hand, Paul again points out that the law can be used wrongly, and it was being done so by the false teachers in Ephesus. For example, they probably taught the law as a requirement of salvation. And you had to obey the law in order to be saved. Yes, you got to believe in Christ, but you also have to follow the law, they would say. They would also teach the law as a means of living the Christian life. If you wanted to be a good Christian, you had to follow the law. But Paul is going to point out that the way they were using the law was wrong, was inappropriate. And he's going to show us the right and legitimate use of the law. And so here were some false teachers that were misusing the law. And you know what? There are false teachers that misuse the Bible. They misinterpret it. They misapply it. They are actually teachers of false religion, which will not lead to salvation, but lead to the opposite. And so what is the legitimate use of the law? It is good, it has a good purpose given by God, but why did God give it? Well, the second main point from the text we see today is this, that the law declares our guilt. The law shows us that we are sinners in need of a Savior. Notice what Paul says in verse 9, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous person. Those who are truly righteous and loving, those who are believers in Jesus Christ, born again, We have a new nature. God has put love in our hearts. And so we do what is right because of this new heart that God has given us, because he's given us love, which guides us, tells us what is right and what is wrong. God has also given us the Holy Spirit who guides us. He convicts us when we're about to do something wrong. He tells us how we ought to live. He fills us with his love, which is the fulfillment of the law. And so the law was not given for the righteous as a means of living the Christian life. Instead, the last of verse nine says that the law was given for the lawless and the insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners. You know, even human law has been written not for law-abiding citizens, but for the criminal elements of society. And you know, whenever some new bad behavior is manifested in society, people say, you know, they ought to write a law against that. And oftentimes they do. The law is not for the righteous, but for the unrighteous, as Paul says. And then he gives some specific examples of the unrighteous people of society for which the law was given. Indeed, one purpose of the law is to show us that we're sinners. In Romans chapter 3 and verse 19, It says, the law was written so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Not one of us can live by the law and attain salvation that way. We're all guilty. The law is like a mirror. It helps to show you the sin in your own life. And to demonstrate his point in verses 9 to 10, Paul isolated sinners into three different categories. And the first three pairs that he mentions in verse 9 relate to our estranged relationship with God. And then he talks about the last six commandments of the Ten Commandments and shows different ways that people break the laws against man. And so let's see how he points out that sinful man is in rebellion against God and in the first four commandments of the Ten Commandments. The first pair is the lawless and subordinate, the pair of words. It gives a state of human condition and how it's manifest. First of all, mankind tends to be lawless. It's the attitude, you're not going to tell me what to do. God, even you're not going to tell me what to do. I'm going to live my life the way I want to. And the Bible warns that lawlessness is going to become more pervasive in the last days before Jesus comes again. Just look at the major cities. The lawlessness has taken place in many of our major cities today. Look at the looting that takes place in some of these lawless people in these last days. And I ask you, what about your own attitude? Is your own attitude, you're not going to tell me what to do? I'm going to live my life the way I want to? Well, I'm telling you, the law was written for you to show you that you need Christ because you're a sinner. But he also mentions the ungodly and sinners. That word translated ungodly refers to those who are irreverent and ungodly, who mine earthly things and have no regard for God. You know, the first commandment says you shall have no other gods before me. God says I should be number one in your life. But the ungodly have no regard for God. They live life as they please. And so Paul says the ungodly and sinners, because they're ungodly, they sin. Because they're ungodly, they veer off the pathway of righteousness. And then he mentions the unholy and profane. The word unholy refers to those who are irreverent. They have no regard for what is sacred. And yet the third and fourth commandments say what? You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. The name of God is holy. You're not to speak the name of God except for a holy and legitimate purpose. And yet people take God's name in vain all the time in common conversation. The fourth commandment says, remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. They usually set a day aside every week for rest and for worship. And it's a special day. It's a holy day. And yet people profane the Sabbath or the Lord's Day on a regular basis. Such a person will indeed be profane. They won't make a distinction between what is sacred and what is common. You know, even the Romans, even the Greeks recognize that some things are sacred and should not be violated. For example, they consider the Egyptian custom of marrying your sister as unholy, and it is. They consider the Persian custom of even marrying your mother as unholy, and it is. Most people regard at least some things that are sacred, some things that are unholy, but as our society is moving further and further from God, we're getting to where nothing is regarded as sacred anymore. You remember back in 1987, the uproar when some artists funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, taxpayer funded, did this so-called art of submerging a crucifix in his own urine? doesn't regard anything as sacred. And again, the opening ceremony of the Olympics, instead of regarding da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper as something that ought to be held as sacred. Instead, it was perverted before the eyes of hundreds of millions of people. If you do not reverence God and the things of God, if you don't reverence that, you know what? This is a holy Bible. It's a sacred text that ought to be reverence, that the Lord's Day ought to be reverence, that there are things that are holy, that ought to be held as sacred. The family marriage is sacred. And yet our society is becoming increasingly profane. And the law of God is what declares it so. It shows us that we're sinners in need of a Savior, Paul says. And so not only does the law address our relationship with God and how we are sinners in relation to God, but it also addresses violations of law in relation to other people. And so beginning in the last of verse nine, we see how the law convicts us of breaking the next five commandments of the Ten Commandments. For example, he mentions violating the Fifth Commandment. You know what the Fifth Commandment is? Honor your father and your mother. But in stark contrast to that, Paul says in the last of verse nine that the law was given for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers. Now, Paul actually uses technical terms that refer to patricide and matricide. And in the ancient world, it was more common than you might think. For example, someone may kill their father and mother to claim an early inheritance. Or perhaps your mother and father is getting too old and hard to care for. And so you just kill them and put them away. And folks, our society is moving more and more toward euthanasia of the elderly, which is exactly an application of what Paul is talking about here. The law of God in Exodus 21 and verse 15 says that if you strike your father or mother, you're worthy of death. There are many ways to violate the commandment to honor your father and mother. You know, this is not so unheard of even in America. We were shocked in 1989 when Lyle and Eric Menendez were convicted of working together to kill their parents. And when your parents get old and when your parents need care, you honor your father and mother by seeing to it they get the care that they need. That's what Jesus taught in Mark 7, verses 10 to 13. Leviticus 29 says if you curse your father or mother, you're worthy of death. Deuteronomy 27, 16 says, Cursed is he who treats father or mother with contempt. And so the law condemns us that any time you fail to honor your father and mother, you are guilty of breaking God's law. And by the way, there are some parents who have had their hearts broken by what their children have said or done. The law was also given because people violate the sixth commandment. Exodus 20, 13 says, you shall not murder. So in the last of verse 9, Paul says the law was also given for manslayers. Now he's not talking about manslaughter in the legal sense of the word, but literally someone who kills a man is what he says here. And that must have brought up bad memories for the Apostle Paul, because you remember when he persecuted the church, he arrested people, put them in prison, and some of those people were put to death. And Paul was responsible for their judicial murder. That's why he says in verse 15, I was the chief of sinners. And doesn't the killing of the unborn fall into this same category? What's the difference between killing a child after they're born or before they are born? The law also convicts us of violating the seventh commandment. Exodus 2014 says you shall not commit adultery. should not commit adultery, which violates the sanctity of marriage. So in verse 10, he gives two examples of violating the commandments regarding the sanctity of marriage. First of all, he mentions fornication, which is a general word for any kind of sexual relationship outside of God's design for the sanctity of marriage. And then he mentions sodomites, literally referring to two men in a bed. Why is that contrary to God's law is contrary to God's law, because it's contrary to God's design. He created us. And when God created man, he said it's not good for a man to be alone. And so he created marriage. And when he brought Eve to him, They were married. They were married. God did not create Adam and Steve. He created Adam and Eve, you know, as the original plan of marriage and the relationship within marriage. And yet our society has legalized what God says should not be lawful. Our society is increasingly becoming like the society that was in Noah's day, the society of Sodom and Gomorrah. The law convicts us that we're sinners in need of a Savior. The law convicts us of violating the 8th commandment, Exodus 20, 15. You shall not steal. Well, one of the worst ways to commit theft is to steal a person. It violates the sacredness of life and property. This stealing, man stealing, is specifically forbidden in Exodus 21 and verse 16. Yes, people would be taken from their homes and their families and even their country and sold as slaves for profit. And I'm sorry to say that practice was a part of our history as well. And yet this is happening even in modern America today. Human trafficking where women and children are being sold into the sex industry is happening in America today. And if you have not seen the movie The Sound of Freedom, you need to see it. It's eye opening of what's taking place in America today. Now, you may think you're pretty well off so far. Oh, I haven't done that. I haven't done that. I haven't done that. You know, as he mentioned, some of the gross examples of violations of God's law. But yet, he moves on to the ninth commandment. Exodus chapter 20 and verse 16 says, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. So in verse 10, Paul gives two forms of lying. The first, refers to just any form of lying. And the second refers to breaking a oath as you give false witness in court. Lying is a violation of the ninth commandment. It's proper application of the ninth commandment. And yet the Bible says that all men are liars and how true that is. Everyone in this room has lied sometime in your life. And if you regularly lie, you need to question whether or not you've been born again. And so we need to be careful about lying. And yet, you know, we're in the political season. I'm appalled at how these politicians will speak such bold faced lies. I mean, I hear when I go, how can you say that? Everybody knows that's not true. And I'd like for them to hear Revelation 21.8, that all ire shall have their place in a lake which burns with fire and brimstone. Watch out, it's no small thing to lie. When was the last time you told a lie? One thing is clear. as you see the New Testament word by the Apostle Paul that the moral law of God has abiding relevance to today. But Paul adds in the last of verse 10, if there's any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, God's law was given for that as well. You see, he doesn't address the 10th commandment specifically, but that blurb includes the Tenth Commandment, you shall not covet or any other thing that's contrary to sound doctrine. Yes, all of us have violated some of the Ten Commandments. All of us have violated most, if not all of the Ten Commandments, at least in our heart. At some point, we need a savior. Galatians 3.10 says, Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things of the book of the law to do them. But Galatians 3.13 says that Christ bore the curse of the law in our place. His death will satisfy the wrath of God against our sin so that we can be saved by trusting in Him. And notice, by the way, he refers to sound doctrine. That word sound is a medical metaphor. It refers to what is healthy. There is sound doctrine which produces spiritual and physical health. And there is false doctrine that is detrimental to your spiritual well-being and even your physical health. Let me give you one example. Genesis 2 18 says it's not good for a man to be alone. And so God created marriage. It's healthy, marriage is healthy. In fact, a 2019 Harvard Health Publishing Survey found that men who are married and stay married generally are healthier and live longer than those who are not. And the longer you stay married, the more longevity benefit you derive from it. I've been married 46 years. You know, that speaks well of what it's going to do for me in my longevity and health. And so it's sound and healthy doctrine, Paul says. And so, you need to understand why the law was given, what its purpose was, primarily as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. And so, that leads to my last point, and that is this, we need to understand the relationship between the law and the gospel. I've been talking about the proper role of the law, but notice that verse 11 mentions what is according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God. In the same text, he mentions the law and the gospel, and the two go together. They go hand in hand. The law convicts us of our sin and need of Christ. The gospel tells us that Christ came to save us. The law without the gospel is diagnosis without remedy. And notice he also calls it the glorious gospel. pointing out that the gospel is preeminent. It's what brings us salvation. The law cannot save us. Only the gospel can save us. And what is the gospel? Look at verse 15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Christ came into the world to save sinners. That's the gospel. Amen. Yes, we're sinners, but God loved us so much that He sent His Son, who died on a cruel cross, suffered what our sins deserve, so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life. And by the way, in this text, verse 11, Paul talks about the gospel of the blessed God. God is supremely blessed and he is the source of all blessing. And one of the great blessings that God wants to confer to us is forgiveness and eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the gospel. And you know, Paul says that the gospel was entrusted to him. And so he's going to stand for the gospel. He's going to defend the gospel. He's never going to pervert the gospel like the false teachers. And the gospel has been entrusted to us as well today. And we must never pervert the gospel. We must stand fast on the gospel. We must proclaim the gospel in order that people will be saved. But you know what? You can hear some preachers and go to churches and you'll never hear the law. You'll never hear much about sin. But you can't be saved without understanding that you've sinned against God. That's the first and necessary step. And so let us be faithful to the whole gospel of Jesus Christ. And if there's someone here today and God has convicted you, yes, I'm a sinner in need of a savior. I need to be forgiven and transformed so I can live the way God wants me to live. And we invite you, as we sing in just a moment, to be the first to step forward to trust Christ as your Savior in repentance of sin. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Gospel. We also thank You for the law. We don't like that it shows us we're sinners, but it's needed. It's needed, Lord. And Lord, as I faithfully proclaim both the law and the gospel this morning, I pray that if it be your will, that someone would be saved today in their hearts and hopefully publicly as well. And we pray and ask this in Jesus name. Amen.