Introduction: “Lexrex” has been on the license plates of my
cars for decades. Is my plate about Lex Luthor, the villain
in Superman? No. “Lex” is Latin for law, and “rex” is Latin
for king. It should be translated, “Law is King.” The
plates are significant to me because I’m a lawyer and
because of my belief in the importance of the Ten
Commandments to the Kingdom of God. Is the law the
foundation of God’s government, or is love the foundation?
Would love be meaningless without the law? When it comes to
teaching the importance of the law, error lies very close to
the truth. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and see
what we can find about the truth concerning the importance
of the law!
I. Inside the Ark of the Covenant
A. Read Hebrews 9:3-5. The “tablets of the covenant”
are the Ten Commandments. See Deuteronomy 10:2-5.
Why are they not simply in the sanctuary, not only
in the Most Holy Place, but actually inside the
Ark of the Covenant?
1. Why are Aaron’s staff and manna also in the
Ark? What do they all have in common?
(Numbers chapters 16-17 records that the
budding of Aaron’s staff was central to
putting down a rebellion and establishing the
leadership of Moses and Aaron. Manna, of
course, is the food God provided to feed the
people on the exodus from Egypt. These, along
with the Ten Commandments, are symbols of
God’s leadership and care.)
B. Read Exodus 25:16. God calls what was placed in
the Ark “the testimony.” Why? (It was to remind
the people of God’s care for them. They were a
witness to His care.)
C. Hebrews chapters 8-10 are an explanation of why
the sanctuary on earth with its animal sacrifices
were a type of prophecy about the coming of Jesus
and His superior sacrifice of Himself on behalf of
our sins. What does this suggest is a reason for
the Ten Commandments being placed in the Ark in
the Most Holy Place? (It suggests two things.
First, the law is of central importance to God.
Jesus died to fulfill the requirements of the law
on our behalf. Second, the law tells us what is
sin, and sin causes death. Thus, Jesus came to
save the law and us. Romans 6:23.)
II. Is the Law King?
A. Read Revelation 12:9-12. What has happened to
Satan and his allies? (They have been tossed out
of heaven and thrown to earth.)
1. Is that a good thing for the people who live
where Satan was thrown? (Of course not. “Woe”
is the term used to describe how we should
feel.)
2. Is it just bad luck to be where Satan landed?
(This is not an accident or bad luck. Humans
invited Satan to live here when we chose Satan
over Jesus in the Garden of Eden. See Genesis
3.)
B. Read Revelation 12:17. Who is Satan targeting with
his rage? (Those who keep the commandments of God
and hold to the testimony of Jesus.)
1. If Satan is not angry with us, what do you
think that means? (It means we are not his
opposition. We pose no problem for his wicked
kingdom.)
a. What does this say about the law? (It is
very important in the battle between good
and evil. Notice that, just like the law
being in the Ark, this reinforces the
importance of the law.)
b. What does it mean to hold to the
testimony of Jesus? (Look again at
Revelation 12:11. These are those who
testify that Jesus is God and who rely on
salvation by grace. The blood of Jesus
covers their sins.)
C. Read Colossians 2:11-14. What was nailed to the
cross? (“The record of the debt that stood against
us with its legal demands.”)
1. When the texts refers to “legal demands,” is
that a reference to the law? (Yes. We were
dead because we all violated the law. It is
our debt due to sin that was nailed to the
cross.)
2. These verses tell us that Jesus saved us by
keeping the law for us and by dying for our
sins. Why did He do that? Because of love or
because of the importance of the law? (If the
law was not king, Jesus would have merely
claimed “love,” and ignored our failure to
keep it. Jesus kept the law AND died in our
place because the law is central to His
kingdom and He loves us in an unfathomable
way. I think that makes law king.)
III. Relating to Lex Rex
A. Read Romans 7:3-6. Paul tells us that we are
released from the law – just like we are released
from our marriage vows when our spouse dies. Is
the King dead?
B. Read Romans 7:7-8. Some argue that the law that
died was the ceremonial law and not the Ten
Commandments. What do these verses teach us about
which law is being discussed? (These reveal that
the law from which we are released is the Ten
Commandments and not the ceremonial law. The
command against coveting is the Tenth
Commandment.)
1. If the law was so important that Jesus died
for it, why would we be released from the law?
Why would Satan consider his true enemies to
be those who keep the commandments?
C. Read Romans 7:22-25. What does Paul say is his
attitude towards God’s law? (He delights in it! He
serves “the law of God” with his mind. The
problem is that his body does not cooperate.)
D. Look again at Romans 7:24 and read Romans 8:1-4.
How are the requirements of the law met in us –
who have trouble obeying the law? (Through Jesus.
He obeyed for us.)
E. Read Romans 8:4-6. Has Paul just reversed course?
He told us that he wanted to do what was right but
could not (Romans 7:19). But now he warns us that
we will die if our mind is set “on things of the
flesh.” How do you explain this? (Consider for a
moment what we have studied so far. The Ten
Commandments were in the Ark because they are a
testimony about God’s guidance and love. Jesus
died over the law so that we could live. He did
not (as He could have) said, “Forget the law. My
love for you will overlook these artificial
requirements.” Instead He died to preserve the law
and us. This is a powerful witness to the
importance of God’s law.)
F. Read Romans 8:12-14. How does this say we are able
to keep the commandments? (By the Holy Spirit.)
1. How do you interpret this? Are we stronger
than Paul? (We cannot keep the law because we
are sinful people and our flesh is weak, but
the Holy Spirit changes all that.)
G. Read again Romans 8:4. The critical phrase is
“walk not according to the flesh.” We read next
in Romans 8:5 that this has to do with how we “set
the mind.” What God wants of us is an attitude of
obedience. He wants us to delight in the law. He
wants obedience to be the general direction of our
life. He does not expect perfect obedience – that
was His job!)
IV. Setting the Mind
A. Read Rev 14:6-7. This is called the “eternal
gospel.” Why? (We honor and worship God because He
is our Creator and Judge.)
1. What does our view of God as Judge say about
our attitude towards the Ten Commandments?
B. Read Exodus 20:8-11. What impact does Sabbath
observance have on our attitude toward God as our
Creator? (It is a weekly reminder that God is our
Creator. It weekly informs our attitude.)
C. Read Matthew 12:40. Most Christians believe that
Jesus was crucified on Friday, rested in the grave
on Saturday, and rose to eternal life on Sunday.
Why did Jesus observe the Sabbath in death? (The
Sabbath is not simply a memorial to Creation, it
is now also a memorial to our salvation by grace
alone. Jesus defeated sin on our behalf. He gave
us the gift of eternal life. We should remember
that on Sabbath. This is an important part of
“setting the mind.”)
D. Friend, the law is central to the conflict between
good and evil. Jesus died to preserve the law and
Satan targets those who keep the law. Whose side
will you choose? If you choose to delight in the
law the Holy Spirit will help you to do just that.
Choose today!
V. Next week: Spiritualism Exposed.
Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
