Shabbat shalom everyone. Today we are studying the book of 1 Timothy. So I would appreciate if you turn in your Bible to 1 Timothy chapter 1 To remind you that this letter that Paul, Shaul, wrote to a younger Jewish man by the name of Timothy, he wrote it to this younger man who was left at the city of Ephesus in order to help the believers in the local assembly at Ephesus to maintain order in a local assembly. We live today, 2,000 years later, and obviously if there was a problem 2,000 years ago that it was necessary for Timothy to be left in Ephesus to set things in order, imagine how much disorder is existing today in the last days of the church age of the assembly, in the period of time in which you and I live in today, the Laodicean age.

And so I'm going to read today the first 11 verses. We have covered the first two verses in our previous meeting, and I would like to read from verse 3 today to verse 11. So, 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 3. As I besought thee to abide still in Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou might charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogy, which minister question rather than godly edifying, which is in faith, so do. Now the end of the commandment is love, out of pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned, from which some, having swerved, have turned aside into vain juggling, desiring to be teachers of the law, understand neither what they say nor whereof they affirm.

But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for men slayers, for whomongers, and for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men stealers, for liars, for prejudiced persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I'm going to stop here with this reading. And I'm so glad that I did not write those words.

This is the word of the Lord. And we can play with it. We can try to shift it into a way that it's pleasing for us, because this is divine inspiration. This is the word of God. And even though it must have been very difficult for the Apostle Paul to write such a thing to Timothy, and it must have been extremely difficult for Timothy who was to stay in the city of Ephesus and to set things in order because there were so many issues that rose up in this early assembly, early church. And Timothy was a young man and must have been very timid that the Apostle Paul, that Shaul, had to encourage him and lift him up and exhort him so he can continue on with the amount of pressure that he has experienced because he taught the message of the gospel.

And so even though, yet the Apostle Paul, yet Shaul gave us this by divine inspiration. You know, many people don't like the Apostle Paul because the Apostle Paul didn't beat around the bush. He preached the message as it is in sincerity and in truth. He loved God's people, whether it is the assemblies in various churches in Asia Minor, or whether it is his own beloved nation, the nation of Israel. He loved the people of God, Jew and Gentile alike, and he wanted to minister the word as it was given to him by divine inspiration. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, we have covered in our first meeting, the first two verses of 1 Timothy chapter 1.

We said that the writer is the apostle Paul. He became an apostle not by his own desire. It was by the commandment of God. God has called him to become this man that will be ministering to the assemblies, to the Gentile world, presenting before them the message of the gospel. He is our God. He is our Savior, as Paul mentioned here. And Lord Yeshua the Messiah. He is now saying that he is also, the Messiah is our hope. You know, we have no hope elsewhere. No hope unless it is found in the person of Yeshua the Messiah. No tikvah. People try to find hope in all sort of things.

And they cannot find true hope. Lasting hope unless it is found in our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Jesus Christ Yeshua HaMashiach. Then he wrote it to Timothy, verse 2. And to Timothy, my own son in the faith. Actually, in other translations, he said, a true child in the faith. He truly has embraced Yeshua as his Lord and his Savior. He has confessed his sins. He realized that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. And I needed my Savior, my Mashiach, my Messiah. And he was a true child in faith. He was not a phony. He didn't, one time he followed the Lord, another time he didn't.

He didn't say, one time I believe, another time I don't. He was sincere in his relationship with the Lord. And then he says here, grace, mercy, and peace. Most of the time when Paul is writing a letter, he says, grace and peace. But here, he had the word mercy. Because if you are going to serve among the people of God, you don't only need grace, chesed, you don't only need peace, shalom, but you also need a lot of mercy. Rachamim in Hebrew, that God will have mercy upon all of us because we all have shortcomings, we all have needs. And Paul says, Timothy, I'm wishing for you not only grace, chesed, I'm wishing for you not only shalom, peace, but I also wish for you mercy.

God is a merciful God. The God of Israel is a merciful God. The God of the Father of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, is a merciful God. As it says here, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from the Lord, Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. Now in the next verses, verses 3 to 11, is specifically lifting up a few things that are important. You see, already then, beloved brothers and sisters, there was false teachers, false teaching rise up already 2,000 years ago. Already we studied, if you remember, in our previous ministry meeting about the fact that Paul warned the Ephesians' elders. In chapter 20 of the book of Acts, I know that after my departure, grievous wolves will come, and they will not spare the flock.

And he added, even from among your own selves, some will arise. And it just shows us how we are so capable because of our sin nature. We ourselves never need to depend upon ourselves, but only upon the person of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, to help us for ourselves to follow the Lord because we are capable to shift our ways and to change our path and to go astray. We are no different than anybody else. And so Paul gave the warning. And notice, beloved brothers and sisters, in verses 3 to 11, God, through Paul, commending Timothy to teach healthy doctrine. To teach sound teaching. To seek to simply give the word of God so it will give health to the body of Messiah.

And so you notice that he began with verse 3. He appealed to Timothy and he said to Timothy, Timothy you please stay in Ephesus. Why? Because you need to learn some not to teach any other doctrine. Notice that. Let me read verse 3. As I besought thee, Timothy, to abide still at Ephesus, why, when I went to Macedonia, there, Timothy, here's the reason why I left you in the city of the Ephesians. Here it is. Why? Because I want you that you my charge. Some that they teach no other doctrine. God used Apostle Paul to tell to Timothy, Timothy, I left you in the city of Ephesus that you will speak to others and warn them.

And notice the word for charge here. The Hebrew word is mitzvah, letzavot. It is a command, not a command because Timothy was an authority, but Paul had an apostolic authority. When Paul left Timothy, a younger man, timid man, that he is going now to deal with all the leaders of these local assemblies and all those who are responsible. Timothy, I'm leaving you so you will charge them not to teach any other teaching or other doctrine. Now notice it says no other doctrine. The other means that already they have already have been heard of the message of the gospel. They have heard of the doctrinal truths that Apostle Paul has taught them.

That the Messiah came and died and rose again on the third day. That the only way of salvation is through the person of our Lord Jesus Yeshua the Messiah. And that right now God is establishing the assembly, the ecclesia, the called out one. taking Jew and Gentile, uniting them in the body of Messiah as a heavenly company. He had already taught them that. And you know, Paul paid a great price for this truth that he had received from the glorified Messiah. And so Paul taught it. And he had established certain local churches in Asia Minor. The Lord used him to be a sower of seed and a blesser and a teacher of the Word of God.

And he says, listen, Timothy, I'm charging you that you will teach some of them to warn or to charge some of them not to teach any other doctrine. Now, why is it so important to do so, beloved brothers and sisters? you know that it has always been so in the history of our nation, Israel, in the history of the church from its foundation, and in the history of the church of the assembly in the last days. It always has been important to have a sound doctrine. Sound doctrine means the right teaching that God has intended for the people with whom he communicated. you know we just read just a few minutes ago from Deuteronomy chapter 4 God warned our people of all the people of Israel now therefore all Israel he says hearken all Israel why?

he says this is my statutes this is the judgment that I've given unto you Israel what a nation that is great as you what a nation is as great that receives such judgment as statutes as you had received Israel when you received this from me when you came out of the land of Egypt all the nations of the world never had what Israel our people have received because God had elected Israel as a nation brought him to himself from all other nations but in the present time God now because our people Israel have not submitted to the authority of the Lord have not accepted Yeshua the Messiah he has introduced this present day dispensation where Jew and Gentile are united in the body of Messiah.

And you and I are proof of it here in this meeting today. We have people here whether they're Jewish or non-Jewish. We are people who are coming from every people, tongues, and nation. And all of us have been saved, not because we are Jewish, but because we confess that we are sinners and needed forgiveness of sins. And so Paul is warning. Now turn with me to Psalm 11 for a moment, for a verse. Look what the psalmist of Israel said years ago when he was speaking to our people. It's almost like a song that had been sung. Of course it is. The psalms are songs. But you can see the truth that he's teaching us even through the psalm.

He says, listen, in verse 3, why is it so important to have the sound doctrine? Psalm 11, verse 3 says, If the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do? if we don't have any foundation and every wind of doctrine everybody is going to bring it and if we don't have a sound teaching if we don't have the foundation how can we build anything you know sometimes people say this you know we don't need to know to have sound teaching as long as we have love in our midst to remind me what the Beatles used to say all we need is love but beloved brothers and sisters we don't need only love but we also need light 1 John tells us God is light and in him there is no darkness at all there is darkness in us but not in God and we as we walk with him as we walk in the light of his word as we listen to his teaching we also begin to walk in the light as he is in the light and we need sound doctrine.

Go to Psalm 82. Again there, the psalmist of Israel in Psalm 82 says this, verse 5. They know not, neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness. All the foundation of the earth are out of course. When you don't have foundation, when we don't have teaching, when we don't have instruction, then we go astray. Then we don't have anything whereby to stand upon. And so Paul is saying to Timothy, Timothy, I left you in Ephesus. I beseech you. Notice he used the word in verse 3. I'm back to 1 Timothy 1, verse 3. He says, I besought you. I appealed to you, Timothy. Abide still. Stay at Ephesus. Paul, why there's so many issues to deal with?

I cannot handle this he might say to Shaul Paul and yet Paul says I beseech you and here is the reason why Timothy I love the brothers and sisters of the Ephesians and I really want them to be protected from false teaching and he says therefore that you might charge and you notice he charged some you know in every groups of people there's always those some that timothy is exhorted to charge them not everyone but some because we are so inclined to have all kind of things crept in and to be careful to teach the word of god to charge them to not to teach no other doctrine that the apostolic teaching that the apostles have taught.

I remember years ago, I was teaching the Bible in another location. We used to teach a Bible class. It used to be every Thursday morning and Thursday night instead of a Friday morning and Friday night. And I remember somebody came with a Bible about that thick. And he was telling me, and he was spreading all kind of things among the Bibles and seasons. People start to come to me and say, Gideon, Gideon, Gideon. And they say, what, what, you know. So I just ask him, please, when you come in Naumit, let us be what we teach unless you want to take the teaching and I'll go somewhere else you take the responsibility and you do the teaching and then when I said this to him he was not happy with me and he said you are guilty of their own blood is upon you and I said but what do you mean I teach them the word of God what do you want me to do and it didn't take too long that he left he was not in our midst anymore and it's always a struggle every time And it's not only in my case.

I hear it in many areas that there are always those issues. We should really be sure that where we are and what we hear is that what we understand from the Word of God. Otherwise, we can teach so people will have tickled ears so we can make everybody happy and we can change certain things so that everybody will be happy. So it's very difficult for the young men like Timothy. Imagine the opposition that he had. He could say, what's the use? Let them be. I'm going to carry on and do my own thing. But Paul charged him. Timothy, I left you there for the purpose that you will charge those that teach things that are not right not to teach those doctrines because it harms the people of God.

Don't do so. And he was really strong when he said this to Timothy. But Timothy was a timid man. He was young. He needed an encouragement. So in verse 4, Paul is challenged Timothy now not to give heed to all sort of fables and genealogy. You know, brothers and sisters, it happened 2,000 years ago and it's happening today. Look what it says in verse 4. Neither give heed to fables. That word here for fables is the Hebrew word Haggadah, Haggadot. All kind of stories. And he continued, and endless genealogies. You know what, the son of this and son of this, and my forefathers and my grandparents and my great-grandparents, and everyone has all sorts of fable and genealogy.

And you know, remember, Paul was Jewish. Timothy was Jewish. We have history. It's tremendous history. Our forefathers is Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And there's so much history, and they were godly men. And when you think about it in Ephesians, they also introduce all sort of things, people with all sort of their genealogy and their fables and so on. And Paul said to Timothy, listen, all these things, the fables and the endless genealogy, you know what it does? It's minister questions rather than edifying with that which is in faith. It doesn't edify. It really doesn't edify. And you know, everybody has a story to say. In this case, there were fables.

If you just turn to chapter 4 of the same book of 1 Timothy, verse 7, it says, But refuse profane and old wives' fables, but exercise yourself rather into godliness. Timothy, all these fables. And you know, there are stories that can be told, and it's biblical and sound, which is edifying. But there are fables that one can hear that I'm sure happened in this assembly, in this local church in the city of Ephesus that were not helpful. Again, the word genealogy in Hebrew is limudei toldot. It's like telling certain stories and genealogies from the past and so on, which instead of leading people closer to the Lord, it led to all sort of confusion among the people of God.

He continued in the same verse as he said, it's ministered to questions. But he says, Timothy, rather than godly edifying which is in faith, so do Timothy. When you minister to the brothers and sisters of the Ephesian minister, that which is of the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, minister that which is edifying, Because God's people, you know, all of us, we are like sheep that is so liable to go astray because we are human beings. We have a sin nature. This sin nature oftentimes rises up. We have our own way, our own will, and at times we are going astray. Look at the history of the church.

It's not only talking about the history of our people Israel. Look at the history of the church. Look at what's going on in the last 2,000 years of church history. Look at the mass-divided state of the church. Somebody just said, I just passed by, on the way to the meeting, I've passed by at least by three, four, five places. Every place there, there's a church building. And you just wonder, and you say, why? Are there so many of them because everybody there have sound teaching and sound doctrine? Why is it all these divisions? Well, it's not always because we all have sound doctrine. It's because this group believed that way and that group believed this way and we don't have all alike in sound teaching.

And you can see how the people of God are so divided. I remember when I first became a believer, I thought, well, my Jewish people have so many opinions and so many views. There is the conservative Jews, there is the more liberal Jews and the more orthodox Jews and so on. And then I came to become a believer in Jesus the Messiah and I find that it is worse in the church. There are more divisions among the professing people of God than even among our own people, Israel. And you find out that it is everywhere the same. And so how? What are we going to do?

We're going to just allow every voice to tell us shouldn't we go to the Bible and find out what does the Bible say? What does God's Word say? Well, that's the only place to go. And even then we constantly have misunderstanding among the people of God. The one read a verse and he see it this way. Another read another verse and he see it another way and we don't see. So what we really need is the help of the Spirit of God to feed us and to help us to rightly divide the word of truth. We are all in a school. We are all to learn that.

And so Paul saying, you know, I'm challenging you, Timothy, now. Don't give heed to fables and endless genealogies. Why? Because it minister questioning. Rather, Timothy, you should minister in such a way that will be godly edifying, which is in faith. So do, Timothy. And this is a challenge for us, brothers and sisters, when we are speaking with each other and when we are learning from the Word of God, we want to have sound teaching. We want to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Otherwise, we can take this page out of the Bible and we'll pass on to another page. We can rip all the pages from the Bible and we'll never get to a time in which we find some sort of a sound teaching.

That's why Timothy was left at the city of Ephesus. Well, in verse 5, look at this. Paul points to the purpose of the commandment that God had given to Israel. And remember now that when Paul was writing, it is in the beginning of the church age. We are talking about 60-something A.D., about 60 A.D., the 65 A.D., the foundation, early days of the church. So the vast majority of influence was from the law, from the commandment that God gave to Israel, our people. And so you can understand that why you often find certain remarks that has to do with the law, the commandments, and all these kind of things.

He says now, the end of the commandment is love. Out of pure heart, and of good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. What was the goal of the law that God had given the people of Israel? The end, the goal, the aim was to produce in the believer and those that will seek to accept God's ways to lead them into, notice number one, love, verse 5. Number two, faith. In Hebrew, ahava and emunah. To love one another, to love God, and also to lead us to believe what God had said. Let me just read two verses in Romans chapter 13. And the first verse is found in verse 8 and then verse 10.

Look at that, Romans chapter 13 and verse 8. Paul is saying to the Romans, O no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. What the law ought to produce in a person who have accepted what the law aiming to were accepting the Messiah, first of all, but to produce in a person love towards one another. Notice what it says also in verse 10, love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. You see what Paul is saying to Timothy in this passage that we have just read in verse 5? The end, the goal of the commandment of the law is to bring someone to love and to faith.

To produce this. That's the aim eventually, is to bring us into a point in which we have this practice in our life. Love, number one, and then he says, he continues in verse 5b and he used the word also emunah, faith. Another verse is Galatians chapter 5, verse 14. It says in verse 14, for all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. You see, that's what the law is really aiming for. We're going to see in a moment what the law could not do because of our sin nature in us. That's why we need a new life and a new nature.

But the aim of the law and the fulfillment of the law is to love thy neighbors as thyself. So in verse 5, Paul points to the goal, to the end and the aim and the purpose of God's commandment. What was the aim is to produce in a person love, to lead us, to love our brothers and sisters. And also, the next word is faith, emunah. And you know the verses in Hebrews chapter 11. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh unto God must believe that he is a reworder of them that diligently seek him. It ought to produce in us faith, ultimately.

That's the end of the law. That's the goal of the law. That's the purpose of the law. And you see, here is where we're going to touch one or two things that I would like to mention. But before we're going to get to those things, notice what it says in verse 6 and verse 7. Paul points to some who strayed from the sound teaching. He says in verse 6, from which some, having swerved, in another translation he says strayed, Have turned aside unto vain talking, or jungling, as it says in the King James. Desiring to be teachers of the law, understand neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

Now Paul, you see, brothers and sisters, Paul had a real challenge in the first century. He really had a tough, why? Because after all, the whole world was exposed to the gospel through the Jewish believers in Yeshua the Messiah. Even our own Jewish believers had friction among themselves. If you remember, some want to keep the law, some didn't. Yeah, there was a real challenge in the first century. And by the way, it is still today among our Jewish brethren. We have various views, we look at things in various ways among our people and it's still coming on here in this present day. But in the early days of the church age, those Jewish believers who heard the message of the gospel and have accepted Yeshua the Messiah, and now they saw the Gentiles were coming in, that the body of Messiah was formed, and there was a challenge.

They had the special meeting in Acts chapter 15 where Paul had to come and to present before the church which was in Jerusalem what God was doing among the nations of the world. And so they commended him that he would just tell them that they should abstain from idols, abstain from blood, but accept the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. They didn't ask from the Gentile nations at all whatsoever to go under any ground of what God had given Israel as a nation. But simply that they will accept Jesus the Messiah and become part of the assembly of the local church, of the church in their locality.

And so here's a problem that existed then and there, and we are struggling with it still today. And so Paul is saying to them, some having strayed, they have turned aside into vain talking, desiring to be teachers of the law that understand neither what they say nor what they affirm. Now he had a lot of opposition. He was struggling because he was called by the Lord Jesus the Messiah to present the gospel to the Gentile world. He was an apostle to the nations, but what do we do when there's all these things rising up among the people of God? So Paul is charging Timothy to continue on.

And he gave him, Timothy, listen, some have gone astray. Some have swayed and have turned into vain jungling, vain talking. And it's ended up to be many friction that have happened at that time. And so now he's in the last verses, verses 8, 9, 10, and 11. Paul is now telling us, telling Timothy, telling the Ephesians, telling you and I, what is the purpose or the proper use of the law in believer's life today? What the problem, brothers and sisters, is not with the law. We're going to see it in a moment. But there is a proper use of the law in the life of believers in Yeshua the Messiah today.

And you notice what he began with? He began with, as he mentioned those four points in verses 8, 9, 10, and 11. He began with saying that the law is good. Notice how it says in verse 8, he says, but we know that the law is good. I'm going to pause here for a moment. Of course the law is good. Because it is a law that was given from the living God, the God of the universe, the God of Israel. Of course the law is good. But the problem is not with the law. We're going to see it in a moment. The problem is with humanity, with mankind. The standard of God is perfect, is perfection.

And the law is good. If God is going to expect for man to be accepted by him, man's standard has to be extremely high. And so he says, listen, the law is good. Then if you don't mind, if you just turn back to Romans chapter 7 and verse 12, Paul is saying, wherefore the law is holy and the commandments holy and they are just and they are good. In other words, he does not put down the law, but he wants to help the believers in a present-day dispensation to know how in a proper way to use the law that God had given to us in his word, but in believers' lives, those of us that are now have accepted Yeshua, the Messiah, and are part of the ecclesia.

So he began by saying in verse 8 of 1 Timothy chapter 1, But we know that the law is good, but then he continues, notice what he says? If men use it lawfully. In other words, in order for us to understand how to use the law in our present day dispensation, we have to use it lawfully, in a right way, to know what's to apply to us today. Now that we are part of the ecclesia, of the called out one, And remember, most of the people that were at Ephesus were Gentiles, from the goyim, from the nations of the world. They didn't live in Jerusalem in Israel. They were not part of the Jewish people who were called to come to Israel three times a year.

They were not part of the temple worship in the city of Jerusalem. They had a distance. But now they've accepted the Messiah. And so now that they've accepted the Messiah, They needed to learn how to apply the law that God had given to them in their own life today. And you and I need to know how to handle that because we ourselves often fail in knowing how to handle the law in our lives as believers today. So the first thing that he does in verse 8 to 11, he says, here is how properly to use the law in us, in our life as believers. Number one, recognize that the law is good if a man use it lawfully.

God gave the law. The Ten Commandments was written by the hand, by the finger of God, and therefore it is holy, it is just, it is pure. How do we lead, how do we handle this today in the present day dispensation? Paul tells Timothy how to do so. In verse 9 now, the first part of verse 9, we could see for whom the law was given. Look what it says here. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man. Now, just a minute. Who of us is righteous? Well, we know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The law was not given for somebody who is righteous.

Now, how can we call one righteous? You see, when Paul was writing to Timothy, he was speaking to him so he can speak to other people who are already believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, who were sinners by nature, but they receive forgiveness from the Lord and they become righteous positionally because of the work of Christ, because of the work of the Messiah. so he's saying to him Timothy really the law is good if it be used lawfully because the law was not made for a righteous man now let me just read a couple of verses if you don't mind to see how can you and I can be called today righteous we know very well that practically speaking we are not righteous in fact the people of Israel will say in the future day According to the prophet Isaiah, all our righteousnesses are filthy rags because it comes from a sin nature.

But how do we become righteous? How do God can declare an unrighteous man righteous? Well, look what Paul says. Turn to Romans chapter 3. This is important. This is really a doctrine. It is teaching. It is something we all need the Lord even to help us understand that there's so much here that sometimes one cannot grasp. Romans chapter 3, look at this. And Paul is now speaking in verse 20. After it says, and I'll read the last verse 19 of Romans 3, it said, all the world become guilty before God.

And then in verse 20, therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin you see Paul is saying look the law given to us the ten commandments or all the 613 laws that God had given our people of Israel in the decalogue in the first five books of Moshe all the law is really what does it do through the law we realize that there is sin in us the law is like a mirror it shows us our hearts it shows us how failing we are because God's law demanded a high standard and so he says for by the law is

the knowledge of sin then he continues he says but now but now now that we have accepted Yeshua the Messiah but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifest being witnessed by the law and the prophet now he's saying listen God can declare a person righteous on the basis of the written word because man is condemned because he is sinner now God says if you turn your heart to the Messiah I can declare you righteous the righteousness of God without the law is manifested and being witnessed by the law and by the prophet why by the law and by the prophet because the Lord says you are sinners and you need the substitute

the prophet says the substitute will come namely Yeshua the Messiah if you will accept him I will declare you righteous it says now in verse 22 even the righteousness of God which is by faith in Yeshua the Messiah unto all and upon all them that believe for there is no difference.

See now God can declare a sinner righteous not because we are righteous on our own but simply because we have accepted the Messiah Yeshua who paid the penalty for our sin. So it's unto all men, but only upon them that truly believe and accept Yeshua the Messiah. For all have seen, verse 23, this is a message that when we preach the gospel, all have seen and come short of the glory of God being justified or being declared righteous freely by the grace and through the redemption that is in Messiah Yeshua. You see, we have been redeemed, we are declared righteous on the basis of the finished work of Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah.

Now turn to Romans 8. Here's another thing. This is why oftentimes those who do not believe in salvation only on the basis of the work of Yeshua, the Messiah, this is why they don't like the Pauline ministry. Because Paul gave a clear message, and I have to mention this again and again. Paul was a Jewish man. He understood Phariseeism. He understood what the law is all about. He could teach all of us about the law that God had given our people of all, the people of Israel. But he also realized that on the basis of law, he could never be declared righteous. And therefore, he had accepted the work that Yeshua the Messiah had provided for him.

Notice Romans chapter 8 and verses 3 and 4. It says here, for what the law could not do. In that it was weak through the flesh. God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but walk after the spirit of God. walk after the Holy Spirit of God now again brothers and sisters look the law could not produce in us righteousness you know you set up all sorts of laws in the life of a person tell him you do this and you do this you do this you will notice that it doesn't take too long and we violated the very first command that we received why?

because the problem it was weak through the flesh a holy law a righteous law could not produce in a sinner, a lifestyle that is pleasing to the Lord. And maybe someone might say, you know what? I'm so obedient to the law in my outward appearance. But one thing God knows, that we have a heart that is deceitful. That we know that even though we successfully, outwardly have done something, we know our hearts, beloved brothers and sisters, And even more, God knows our hearts. And when we have to stand before him, he will reveal to us the reality about our hearts. And he will say to us, this is the reason why I send my Mashiach, my Messiah.

So you will be able to be declared righteous. That you will be able to say, God, I'm standing here not upon my merits, but upon the finished work of Yeshua, the Messiah. So the law is good, verse 8 of 1 Timothy 1, but the law was not made for righteous men. And here the reference to a righteous man, it's not for righteous men in general, because all have sin, as I mentioned. But the law was not made for a person whom the Lord declared already righteous, because of what Yeshua have done on our behalf. Now, let's look at the third thing. So, who are the people, or who are the ones for whom the law was made?

Well, look at this. Now I'm back to 1 Timothy, in chapter 1, look what Paul says. Who are the people for whom the law was made? And so, notice that. It says here in verse 9 again, but this time it's 9b and 10, in verse 10. Those two verses. Well, notice there are two kinds of people that is mentioned here in verse 9b. Number one, it says, but the law was made for, it said, for the lawless, for the disobedient, for the ungodly, for sinners, for unholy, for profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whormongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men stealers, for liars, for prejudged or people who are promised and break their promises.

And then it said, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. Now, who was the law made for? Well, the law, as it says here, the law was made for or was given to, look at the list, beloved brothers and sisters. There are two types here that we have. The first one is for those who are, and the second one is for those who do. Those who are and those who do. Number one, notice that, verse 9, those who are lawless, disobedient, ungodly, Sinners, unholy, profane, murderous, and so on. Notice that the first list is a list of people who are like so on.

That really includes all humanity. We are by nature, we are sinners. We are by nature lawless. We are by nature unholy. We are by nature disobedient and ungodly. That's all humanity. The reason that the law was given this high standard of God is to people like you and I who were born in sin, who are unholy or disobedience. We are not only what we do, but what we are by nature. But we became righteous on the basis of the work of Yeshua the Messiah. And that's why it says in verse 9, knowing that the law is not made for those righteous because the law is now condemning us for what we were by nature.

but now look at the second group here you might say not only those who are unregenerated but here's where you and I as believers are coming to the law was made for those who do including you and I even as believers so the law has a work notice what it does here it says for profane people verse 9b murderers of fathers and of mothers manslayers, whoremongers and then those who defile themselves with mankind and then for man-stealers and liars and those who break promises. Now here is where you and I as believers can fall into those things and indeed we can say that often time we fail.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever said a lie? Did you ever lie? What about made promises which you didn't keep? This is applied to us. So you see, here's how to use lawfully the law because it's applied to us. God is holy and he wants us that our life will be pleasing to him. And here it's not only applied to the unbelieving world or to us before we became believers. Here it's applied to us the standard that God had given. And how can we please the Lord and walk in such a way? Well, we just read Romans chapter 8. And you remember what we said in Romans chapter 8, and I want to reread this verse, Romans 8 and verse 3.

It says, for what the law could not do that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of flesh and forcing, he condemns in the flesh. And then he says, why that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. And then he added, who walk not in the power of the flesh, but who walk after the Holy Spirit, in the power of the Spirit of God. The only way that we as believers can somehow, in some small measure, adhere to this is when we allow the Spirit of God to lead us forward. Otherwise, the flesh is unprofitable.

So, you see, he has these two lists here. the ones who are unregenerated. And then we have all, including the believers, those not only who are by nature, but we are no longer sinners because we are saved through the Lord Jesus the Messiah. But now it's a matter of how do we do, how do we live. And at times, brothers and sisters, we have a guilty conscience because we failed the Lord even as believers. And therefore, beloved brothers and sisters, the law is now for us. we have to know how to use it in the present day dispersion. If the law is not leading us to the person of Yeshua the Messiah and convicting us, we will turn to Him and ask Him to help to lead us.

Otherwise, the law will not benefit anybody if it doesn't convict us to turn away and to follow after Yeshua the Messiah. So, number one, the purpose, the proper use of the law is recognizing that the law is good. Number two, we have to realize that the law was not given for a righteous man. Number three, we have to realize that the law was given to the unrighteous one and also to the believers who live in sin and allow this without to judge themselves. And finally, in verse 11, the law must be understood in light of the glorious gospel that the Lord had given unto us. And here's the last verse, and I'm going to conclude with that.

Difficult passage, yes it is. It says in verse 11, According, notice that, to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. Here's the fourth way in which we are to properly use the law. To use the law that God had given Israel, the law that God had given His word, must be understood in light of the gospel. In light of this grace of God provided for us through the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. if we understood what happened when the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, died for us on the tree. You see, when you and I became believers, 2 Corinthians 5, 17, all that are in the Messiah, Yeshua, are new creation.

All things have passed away, all become new. We receive the new nature, we receive a new life, we belong to a different person, no longer to this Adam and his failure, we belong to the man that came from heaven. We belong to Yeshua the Messiah. And therefore, we need to understand how to appropriate the law into our lives today, but always in the light of this glorious gospel. Brothers and sisters, I tell you, this gospel, you will never find such a wonderful message. God found a way that He can redeem my soul. God found a way to make you and I whole. God found a way to declare a sinner righteous.

God found a way. How is that way? The way was through the precious, precious blood of his beloved son, Yeshua the Messiah, who cried on the cross, it is finished. Who said, Father, unto thee I commit my spirit. He yielded up the spirit and he died and he was buried and he rose again and God has took him and placed him at his right hand and he is a risen and ascended and glorified Messiah who because of this message, you and I today can receive declaration of righteousness. And Paul was warning Timothy, Timothy, there's already there those that teach other teaching other than that which I have instructed them Timothy, I want you to charge them that they will not teach any other doctrine may the Lord help us all to understand and when we don't have the same view on certain things may the Lord help us to be gracious with each other to know how to communicate the word but never to change the truth of the Word of God.

God's Word will never, ever change. It remains firm as it is given to us in His Word.