WITHOUT LAW
1. We just heard two verses from Matthew 7 (Mt. 7:22-23).
2. One day Jesus will say to a certain group of people “depart from me.”
3. Those who hear these words are described as people who “work iniquity.”
OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS WE HAVE LOOKED AT SOME OF THE WORDS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THAT DESCRIBE SIN; ONE OF THESE WORDS IS FOUND IN MATTHEW 7:23.
a) If you were here last week you may remember that I spoke about negating words.
b) We sometimes put “un” in front of words to completely alter their meaning.
c) Educated can be turned into uneducated by adding two little letters.
d) Excited can quickly be changed into unexcited by using this same technique.
e) By adding “un” discovered becomes undiscovered.
2) The word in Matthew 7:23 rendered “iniquity” is another Bible example of this technique.
3) The Greeks had a word for law, and this is the basic word in verse 23.
4) Greeks then put an “a” at the front of this word (which is be like our putting “un” before a word).
5) This change meant their word for law was turned into a word that meant lawless.
a) In the pews we have some copies of the NKJV.
b) If you were to check that version you would find that it says “lawlessness” in verse 23.
c) The New American Standard Bible also says lawlessness.
d) A more literal translation of the thought is probably not possible.
6) Of all the words that we will study for sin, this one appears to be the strongest.
7) Stated another way, it goes beyond what we might normally associate with sin.
8) It describes someone who acts as if there is no law.
9) It is one thing to break the law.
10) When someone behaves in a way that indicates law does not exist, this is especially egregious.
a) The significance of this definition is especially important in places like Mt. 7.
b) Verse 22 of this chapter describes people who lived very religious lives.
c) These people will appear on the day of judgment and they will make some strong claims.
d) They will try to convince God to accept them because of their lives.
e) People will claim they prophesied, performed miracles, and cast out demons.
f) All these acts will have supposedly been done “by/in Jesus’ name.”
11) Jesus foretold what these people will hear from Him.
12) They will be told they must depart.
13) They have no part in His kingdom.
14) We are familiar with all these points, but there is another thought that is easy to overlook:
15) Jesus said these people will be called workers of “iniquity” (“lawless”) people.
16) He will use the strongest possible word to describe them.
a) I imagine this will be the most shocking declaration these people will ever hear.
b) Consider what is said about these persons. They will have been church goers.
c) They will have been completely dedicated to their various beliefs and practices.
d) How could Jesus have the right to refer to them as lawless?
e) This almost seems impossible because surely these people were abided by their national laws.
17) The answer to this matter is found in the word Jesus used and in what this term means.
a) When we think of lawnessness, we probably associate the idea with criminals.
b) This association is right, but it does not give us the whole picture.
c) There is also application for this term in the sense of Mt. 7 (the spiritual realm).
d) We have a world full of people who act as if there are no laws in regard to religion.
e) People run around and shout, “Jesus, Jesus, I love Jesus.”
f) Lots of love is proclaimed, but little attention is paid to the Word of God.
g) These people approach their Lord on their own terms and with their own beliefs.
h) They feel so good about their religion, but God has a different view.
i) Notice Mt. 7:21 – READ.
j) We either obey God in the ways He has described in His word or we do not.
k) When people are not fully obedient to heaven’s word, they are lawless.
l) This is a widespread problem in modern times, and it is a problem the Bible discusses.
18) Today when we try to express this point to religious people we usually get the cold shoulder.
19) Discussing this topic with others causes them to look at us like we are nuts.
20) No person believes in Christ wants to hear that he or she might be lawless.
21) Many shrug us off as legalists and Pharisaical.
22) Yesterday at the Columbia City lectures some excellent points were made.
23) One speaker talked about the “unchurched”; society sometimes wants to “reach the unchurched.”
24) The thinking is that if people are in some church (doesn’t matter which one), they are okay.
a) Religion in general may be good for a nation, but it is not a good approach regarding eternity.
b) Mt. 7 talks about church people who are not obedient to God and they are called lawless.
25) When people make up their own rules about Christianity, they will die.
26) God says this way of life is breaking the law and He condemns this it the strongest possible terms.
27) Either we believe the Lord told the truth or He didn’t tell the truth.
28) If we believe He gave us the correct information, we want to be law-abiding people.
29) That is, we want to follow all of God’s spiritual laws revealed in His word.
OTHER VERSES WHERE THIS WORD OCCURS ALSO NEED TO BE CONSIDERED SO LET’S BUILD UPON WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM MATTHEW 7:23.
a) A little later in Matthew’s gospel we find this word again (13:41).
b) At the end of time angels will “round up” people who are lawless and help bring them to judgment.
c) Mt. 23:28 says people can be “full” of iniquity (this is the same word).
d) In fact, if you use the KJV and ASV the word in Mt. 7:23 is almost always rendered iniquity.
e) When you see this word in the KJV or ASV, think of it as lawlessness.
2) We also find this term in Matthew 24:12.
3) Before the destruction of Jerusalem Jesus said “iniquity” (same word) would abound.
4) 2 Cor. 6:14 is a place where this term occurs, and this is a familiar verse.
5) Paul asked what fellowship righteousness can have with iniquity (lawlessness).
6) If we are lawful people in the eyes of God, what fellowship can we have with the unlawful?
7) Notice that 2 Cor. 6:14 may be joined with Mt. 7:23, and this is a helpful point.
a) In our day time there are congregations that say, “Let’s join with denominations.”
b) “Let’s work together with all kinds of religious groups.”
c) That sounds nice, but let’s consider this idea from the perspective of the scriptures.
d) People or groups like those described in Mt. 7 are lawless; doing what they want.
e) If we are encouraged to join with them, we encourage people to partake of lawlessness.
f) In the secular realm this would be unthinkable, but in the spiritual realm it is praised.
g) Why on earth would we encourage Christians to join with folks who Jesus said He condemns?
8) When anyone encourages fellowship with groups Christ did not build, he is:
9) Either ignorant of what the Bible teaches, (2) or is deliberately leading people astray.
10) We can have no fellowship with unlawfulness because of Tit. 2:14.
11) God redeems His people from all “iniquity” (same word).
12) Lawlessness destroys people so God wants His people totally freed from it.
13) Yet, brethren today are encouraging Christians to embrace it.
14) What are the people of God thinking?
15) We need to know and apply this word because of what the New Testament says about it.
a) Heb. 1:9 uses this word and says God hates it.
b) Part of this verse says, “thou has loved righteousness and hated iniquity.”
c) Because it is so bad Rom. 4:7 says blessed is the man whose “iniquities” are covered.
THE VERSES I HAVE GIVEN YOU ALL USE THIS WORD AS A NOUN. OTHER PARTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT USE THIS TERM AS AN ADJECTIVE AND AN ADVERB.
a) Mark and Luke, for instance, both apply it to Jesus.
b) Mark’s use of it is in Mk. 15:28 and Luke used it in Lk. 22:37.
c) Jesus was reckoned with “transgressors” (people who were lawless).
d) In the first century people didn’t get crucified for walking on the wrong side of the street.
e) This punishment was not administered to those who took camels for joy rides.
2) Jesus was put on a cross with lawbreakers—people who acted as if they was no law.
3) Speaking about the crucifixion of Christ, you may be interested in knowing about another passage.
4) Peter used this word on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:23).
5) He said “lawless” people crucified Jesus. These people also acted as if there was no law.
6) When it came to the Lord, many were not too concerned with the laws of God.
HUMAN BEINGS ARE COMPLEX CREATURES AND WE LIVE IN A COMPLEX WORLD.
a) Only a few days ago I heard another politician say, “We can’t legislate morality.”
b) About the time this remark was made I was looking at some information on the IN Criminal code.
c) Our state (as well as the others) have legislated conduct. We have legislated morality.
2) If certain actions are engaged in, there are consequences.
3) We have rules, and the government does go after lawless behavior.
4) God says a similar thing is true in the spiritual realm, and this should not surprise us.
5) Most of us have heard the words “anarchy” or “anarchist.”
6) Both words describe rebellion, disorder, chaos, a refusal to follow orders.
7) The Greeks had a word that described people without a government/no lawful government.
8) People who have studied ancient writings have found something.
9) The word which described no government or no lawful government was often combined with a 2d word.
10) This second word is the term often rendered “iniquity” in the New Testament.
11) These words were joined together because without a government, people are going to be lawless.
12) Even when a nation has a government, some are still lawless.
a) Such is also true in the spiritual realm, but there are those who refuse to concede this point.
b) No society can properly function if every person is a law unto himself/herself.
c) Do we not agree that this point is true? There must be laws.
d) Yet, in the spiritual realm people expect and even demand the right to be lawless.
e) Every person wants their own ideas, their own interpretations, and own way of doing things.
f) Each individual wants to be a religious law unto himself/herself.
g) God says in Mt. 7 that everyone who takes that approach will be declared lawless.
i) It is such a violation of the divine standard it will damn people on the Day of Judgment.
h) This sin is just as deadly a sin as robbery, murder, battery, or any other you want to list.
13) We can be lawful in our nation and lawful in the eyes of God (doing all He has said),
14) Or we can be lawless.
15) What will our choice be?