THIS BOOK OF THE LAW!

At the end of Moses life, before the Lord would deliver the nation of Israel into Canaan, the Lord commanded Moses to write down in a book including everything that God had given him. We call it the Pentateuch. This book includes that which the Lord created in the beginning, the Lord's promise to Abraham, the history of how God's mighty hand delivered Israel from bondage, and the sin of Israel in turning from God to themselves. This book included the law given from Mt. Sinai, both moral and ceremonial. All the Lord God's statutes, commandments, and judgments were included in this book. Moses was commanded to write all that the Lord God promised toward those who would trust him alone. I want you to see how all this was recorded, what was done with it, and why?

Deuteronomy 31:26: Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

1. First, notice that this whole word of God is contained in one book. It is called this book of THE LAW. The law of God is not divided. There is not one book for the everlasting covenant, another book for that which took place in the garden and yet a third for the promise made to Abraham. We never read of a fourth book for law toward God, a fifth book of law toward men, nor yet a sixth book of ceremonial law. There is not a seventh book of blessings and an eighth book of cursing. Nor is there a ninth book of God's statutes, a tenth including his commandments and an eleventh book of the judgments of God. All the law of God is contained in this one book and it is called THE LAW.

Today, we have God's full word, THE BIBLE. It is the book of THE LAW OF GOD.

2. Now, notice the final resting place where this book of the law was placed: in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God.

What a picture! This book of the law found its final resting place, by the direct command of our covenant Lord God, in the side of the ark of the covenant because "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Romans 10:4.)

Throughout the book of God's law, the mercy and judgment of God is set forth toward his chosen people and both mercy and justice meet together in Christ. He is the full seal of the promise of salvation. He is the embodiment of the everlasting covenant of God. His blood is the Yea and Amen of perfect redemption. He is the end-safe refuge for the manslayer. He is the subject of which the prophets and the apostles write. This law, in which the covenant promises, the commandments, the statutes and the judgments all agree, was placed in the side of the ark of the covenant to show us that Christ is the fulfillment of everything that is written in the scriptures.

Whether its God's word in the garden, God's promise to Abraham, the law on Mt. Sinai, the prophecy of Isaiah, Ezekiel or Malachi, the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, the epistles to the churches or the letters to Timothy and Titus, this book is the law of God. It has one purpose. Through this word, the Holy Spirit, MAKES CHRIST JESUS THE SON OF GOD AND HIS FINISHED WORK OF SALVATION KNOWN IN THE HEARTS OF SINNERS BY REVEALATION. This one book of the law--the blessings along with the cursing--has all been fulfilled in the Ark--that is, in the person and finished work of the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ. That means that if you believe that God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is truly your holy, just and good standing before God then, through faith in Christ alone, you have established THE LAW.

3. But notice something else. This book was placed there for a witness to testify against someone.

Heed the lesson carefully! Religious folks every day deceivingly divide the law of God so that they can divide men from the truth by their deception. After all, it would be foolish to command worshippers to bring a bullock in their car on Sunday morning for sacrifice. Nobody sacrifices bullocks anymore! But that would be no more foolish than doing what so many in our day do. We may claim to believe that Christ fulfilled the law in precept and in penalty on behalf of his people but to then say believers are still under some part of the law is to build again that which Christ removed. God gave the law, God fulfilled the law, and God rules in the hearts of those he has saved from sin and death. The law is given to shut sinners up to that fact. Like the law and the prophets, God's word in the epistles all have their end in turning believers from calling our sin righteousness--FROM JUSTIFYING OURSELVES BEFORE MEN--to staying immovably set on true Righteousness, Christ the Lord alone.

This book of the law is fulfilled in Christ so that if a carnally religious man goes to it expecting to gain life by a knowledge of scriptures or to gain a better acceptance, more holiness, more wisdom, more righteousness or a better reward than can be had in Christ the Lord alone--then this book of the law, and Christ the Fullness of it, shall be a witness against us. John 5:39: Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40: And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Therefore, all who are attempting to approach God by self-righteous works, this book of the law is in Christ, that it may be there for a witness against thee. That is exactly what the Holy Spirit of grace means when he says, "He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17: 31.)