God's grace was displayed under the Old Testament law in six key ways: through His electing Israel, His frequent restoration of His sinning people, His announcement of the new covenant, the enablement He provided through the Holy Spirit, His revelation of Himself as Yahweh, and the great covenant He made with David. While the law served as a distinct economy, the basis of salvation remained the work of Christ and the requirement was faith, though the content of faith progressively revealed God's plan. This progressive revelation means believers today have greater light and thus greater responsibility to respond with increased worship, obedience, and delight in God's matchless grace.
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The psalmist certainly was right when he said, Come my children, hearken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. And what a privilege it is to teach boys and girls the fear of the Lord. Tonight we want to look at the grace of God and the display of God's grace under the economy of the law. And I'd like you to read with me a few verses from the tenth chapter of the Hebrews. Hebrews chapter ten and we'll begin reading at verse one and we'll read the first fourteen verses. I won't be expounding much from this passage but what Hebrews ten does is gives you a contrast between this blessed economy of grace under which we're living and that of the law that is a shadow of the things which we enjoy today.
So we begin at verse one. For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never be those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered, because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world he saith, Sacrifice, and offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, O I come, in the volume of the book, it is written of me to do thy will, O God. above when he said sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldst not neither had pleasure therein which are offered by the law then said he lo I come to do thy will O God he taketh away the first that he may establish the second by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all and every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oft times the same sacrifices which can never take away sins.
But this man, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Looking back into chapter nine, one verse, verse twenty-three, where we read it was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified by these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. And in that verse he's speaking of the ceremonial offerings under the law.
In the first half of the verse, in the latter half, he's speaking of the place to which our blessed Lord entered. that he speaks of in the next verses, heaven itself, not to appear in the presence of God for us. Now let's pray together. Our Father, we thank you for the great characters that our children could sing about. They could sing about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, of David, of Moses, and the crossing of the Red Sea, of the greatness of thy person that you own the cattle on a thousand hills, and the hills also. We thank thee that we can say this is our God even forever, as the psalmist said, for these promises are ours and they're real and they're blessed to us.
Now we ask you to abundantly bless your word tonight. In the moments that are before us, use the word to bear witness to yourself for Jesus' sake. Amen. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is set forth in the Word, and in the gracious work of Calvary, is as exhaustless as both time and eternity. The Gospel will never be exhausted in time, and throughout the unending ages of eternity, we're going to reap the benefits and the blessings of what our Blessed Lord did on the cross on Calvary's Hill.
The Gospel is a glorious message to the child of God. We never get tired of it. Anyone who gets tired of the gospel doesn't know the gospel. The gospel is a glorious message. And it's a message that the sinner needs. The sinner needs this message to be saved. Therefore, at the very outset of talking about the display of grace, for the gospel is the gospel of grace. And in talking about the display of grace under the economy of the law, I want to establish some very important things concerning the gospel as we think about it.
For there is only one gospel. There ever only was one gospel. And we need to examine this. For often we who believe in dispensations that we may not all agree alike as to the number of them nor the distinctiveness of them. But we have to distinguish dispensations because our Bible demands it. Our Bible is in two parts. So you have to at least make two. There must be an old and there must be a new. But we can make more dispensations than that and we can do it scripturally.
But they're those who are what they call non-dispensationalists and are very vocal. And usually they follow what is known as covenant theology. And covenant theology makes accusations against the dispensationalist. And they usually say that the dispensationalist believes that there's more than one way to be saved. That God had one way to save sinners under law. and he has another method to save sinners under grace. And therefore, at the onset, I want to mention a few things that are very important. Number one, the basis of salvation is every age is the death of Christ.
The foundation upon which salvation rests, whether it rests for a person who believed under law, or whether they believe in this blessed dispensation of grace, the foundation upon which our salvation rests, is the work of Calvary's cross, what Christ did at Calvary and what He did alone. The second thing I would like to lay down, or principle, is that the requirement for salvation in every age is faith. Believe Believe. As Paul writes to his son in the faith, he said, I am not ashamed.
I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. When the Philippian jailer cried out to Paul, what must I do to be saved? Paul said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. and of course when Peter was in the house of Cornelius he said of the Lord in Acts ten and verse forty three to him gave all give all the prophets witness that to faith in his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins the basis or foundation is the work of Calvary the requirement is faith The object of faith in every age is God.
God is the object of faith. In the Old Testament economy, God the Father is the one that's preeminent and predominant. When we come to the New Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ is the one whom the Spirit and the Father have been pleased to make preeminent because of his work on Calvary's cross. and we read in Colossians one and nineteen that above all things he might have the preeminence and our Lord Jesus Christ is God who was manifest in the flesh so the object in every age is God and now the content of faith changes in various dispensations now I want you to catch that because That is the basis of the message.
The content of faith changes in the various dispensations. The object of faith never changes. For God says, I am the Lord, I change not. But the content of faith does, and I want you to understand what I mean by that. You see, this last point is what distinguishes dispensationalism from covenant theology. Now the covenant theologian, he accuses the dispensationalist. And by the way, I'm a dispensationalist. I'm not ashamed of it. I believe there's a time when man was innocent and there was a period of innocence.
And the Word of God speaks of creation to the fall of man. I believe that was an economy wherein God dealt with man. And of course, I believe there is a period where sin entered. And from the time that sin entered. And then the Word of God says the law entered that the offense might abound. And we have Scripture for this. And therefore, I believe there is a dispensation of law. And I believe there is a dispensation of grace. An economy of grace. So the covenant theologian... He accuses a dispensationalist of teaching two ways of salvation, which we do not do.
Now when I mention that the content of faith changes, I'm simply recognizing the obvious fact of progressive revelation. When Adam looked upon the coats of skins that God had provided for him and his wife after they sinned. I'm sure that Adam didn't see as much in the coats of skins that God provided as we do today because of the work of Calvary's Cross. I think we see far more in it by looking back at the cross of Calvary and now understanding what took place under the Old Testament economy than they ever did under the Old Testament economy.
Neither did the Old Testament saints see what we're able to see today because we have a completed revelation. This is what I like to call progressive revelation. Now there are two sides to this matter. that side which God sees and that which man sees from his side. Now, we have to believe that God has always been gracious. Otherwise, how could the psalmist write about what we sang tonight in our opening chorus? I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my mouth will I make known thy great faithfulness unto all generations.
God has always been gracious, regardless of the ruling dispensation. He has always been gracious. But that man is not at all times under an administration or stewardship of grace, has he been able to see the glories of God's graciousness as he can in this dispensation in which you and I are living. You see, it is impossible that the Old Testament saints had as conscious, objective for their faith as we do of the incarnate, crucified, risen, glorified Christ.
They saw some of these things, but they didn't see what we know and we understand in this glorious age. It is evident that they did not comprehend, as we do, that all the sacrifices that they offered year by year continually depicted the crosswork of our Lord Jesus Christ. They didn't understand it like that. But there was grace under the Old Testament economy, and we're going to prove it tonight. Now it is possible for a dispensation to incorporate features that are found in a previous dispensation.
There is no reason why the law, the dispensation of law, should not incorporate grace and in no way change the promises that were made in a previous economy. And that's the argument of the Galatian Epistle. The law which was added never changed the promises of God that were made to Abraham in a previous age. What grace was there really under the law? What grace was there? And I'd like to point out six ways in which God displayed His grace under the law. And you know when you, I don't know if this is too heavy for you or what?
I don't know, but all I can tell you is this. when I studied my soul leaped for joy. To see the grace of God as it was displayed under the economy of the law. And because of that, when I find something in Scripture, I can't keep it to myself. I have to give it away. Notice, first of all, the way in which God's grace was displayed under the law, number one, was by his electing Israel. In electing grace, he chose Israel. For election, according to Scripture, is what is known as the election of grace. And this was an act of unmerited favor.
Israel did not deserve to be chosen by God any more than you or I deserve to be chosen by God. God's choice of us is all of grace. And God's election of Israel brought with it certain promises. And these premises were made available to individual Israelites, along with a multitude of other blessings. Just because the Israelites belonged to the elect nation, many blessings flowed with it. And these blessings were blessings of grace, even under the economy of law. Turn with me to Leviticus twenty-six.
Leviticus twenty-six. And we want to read verses four through eight. God is speaking to the nation. I know this is conditional. He says, if you walk in my statutes in verse three and keep my commandments and do them, that's law. But he says, but notice the grace that would result. God says, Then will I give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield their increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time, and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will rid evil beasts out of the land, Neither shall the sword go through your land. Oh, that's grace. God's grace unto his own. Look over at Deuteronomy seven. Deuteronomy chapter seven. And verse fourteen. Thou shalt be blessed above all people. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your cattle.
And the Lord will take away from thee all sicknesses. And we will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee. Thine eye shall have no pity upon them. Neither shalt thou serve their gods. for that will be a snare unto thee. Here we see a manifestation of grace, and this was available to the individual Israelite because of God's electing love. And it was a display of grace during the economy of law.
But then there's a second display of God's grace. God displayed His grace by frequently restoring his sinning people. Exodus chapter thirty-two, thirty-three and thirty-four is a great illustration of this. In Exodus chapter thirty-two, while Moses was receiving the law and before Israel ever saw it, Israel had already broken it by making a golden calf, and they were worshiping a golden calf and ascribing to that golden calf the attributes of deity. And to the mediatorial work of Moses in the presence of God, God restored Israel and his favor showed, shown toward them.
Grace was displayed in the lives of men under law, like David, who grievously sinned. And like Solomon, whose heart was turned away from God. Yet God displayed His grace toward David and Solomon. So we see a display of God's grace. For salvation is always by grace. It has to be otherwise no one would ever be saved. There's a third way in which God displayed His grace. God displayed His grace by announcing the new covenant.
during the period of the law. It was during the law period that God announced the new covenant. Oh, turn with me to Jeremiah chapter thirty-one. Jeremiah thirty-one is a chapter in the Bible that every child of God should rejoice in continually. Notice verse three very quickly. The Lord has appeared unto me of old saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, have I drawn you? Now look down at verse thirty-two. Verse thirty-two. Verse thirty-one.
Behold, the days come saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers. in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. Which my covenant they break, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law into their inward parts and write it in their hearts, and they will be their God, and they shall be my people. and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more and this glorious prediction was made during the time of law and what a display of grace it was and it was put into reality the night in which our Lord took the cup.
And we remember that week after week. For when he took the cup, when he instituted the Lord's Supper, he said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do ye as oft as ye drinketh in remembrance of me. And one of the joys of the Lord's Supper on a Lord's day morning for me is to rejoice in my own soul over the fact that I'm a partaker of the blessings of the new covenant. This new covenant predicted by Jeremiah and brought into actuality that night in which our blessed Lord was betrayed and I can be a partaker of it.
There's a fourth way in which God displayed His grace under the covenant of law. and God displayed His grace under the law by the enablement which He gave to His people. Dispensationalists, to tell you the truth, have often pictured the law as a period when enablement is completely lacking. And because they have, that's one of the reasons covenant theologians attack them as they do. Now it is true that there's a great contrast, a sharp contrast, of enablement under the law and the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart today.
There's no question about that. But it is not accurate to say that there was no enablement under the law. There was. The Holy Spirit indwelled some. That's what we read in first Peter chapter one verse eleven we've often forgotten that and I don't know that I've ever heard any Bible teacher teach that and yet it's taught in two places the Holy Spirit indwells some under the Old Testament economy I want you to turn with me to first Peter chapter one first Peter chapter one verse eleven Speaking of the prophets, it says, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify.
Notice what it says. It doesn't say the Spirit of Christ on them, but the Spirit of Christ in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Daniel chapter four, verse eight is a very interesting verse. Daniel four, verse eight. Where we read in verse eight. But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belshazzar, according to the name of my God, in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God.
And before Him, I told the dream, saying, Notice the Spirit of God in Him. But the Spirit of God came, indwelt some under the Old Testament economy, and came upon others. It came upon many others for special power. And you have examples like Judges, chapter three and verse ten, and First Samuel, chapter ten. verses nine and ten where the Spirit of God came upon Saul the first king of Israel and you have the same thing in Exodus chapter twenty eight and verse three there was no special guarantee that he would permanently or universally indwell God's people as he does today under the Old Testament economy but the thing is this he came upon some and he indwell some there was divine enablement and that divine enablement beloved is grace pure grace as God does that for his own there is a fifth way in which God revealed
himself and made a display of grace God revealed himself during the period of the law as Yahweh Jehovah and that word Jehovah is the redemptive name of God In other words, the name Yahweh or Jehovah is associated with the many specific acts of God's grace toward His people. And it is that name, Yahweh, that is referred to in the Psalms and in Jeremiah as being so precious and so gracious. Notice Psalm hundred forty-three, verse eleven.
The hundred forty-third Psalm and verse eleven, where we read, Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake. And the name here is Yahweh, for Jehovah's sake. Quicken me, O Lord, for the word Lord is Yahweh. You see, Quicken me, O Yahweh, for thy name's sake, for thy righteousness's sake. bring my soul out of trouble. And then, of course, in Jeremiah chapter fourteen and verse twenty-one, where we have a great statement concerning the dependence upon the name of the Lord.
Yahweh, do not abhor us for thine namesake. Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory. Remember, break not thy covenant with us. And in a glorious display of his grace, even under law God made known his name Yahweh to his people there's a sixth way and finally this is the last one God displayed his grace in the great covenant he made with David during the mosaic economy that covenant that we all sang about tonight I don't know if Psalm eighty nine thrills your soul or not.
But every believer should read over the eighty-nine psalm. It begins with the words that we sang. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness unto all generations. And this is written because of the great covenant that God made with David in second Samuel seven. And when you take second Samuel seven and Psalm eighty-nine and put them together, then you have the meat of what the psalmist is singing about there in the eighty ninth psalm and the very institution of the covenant was an act of great grace on the part of God the steadfast loving kindness of God that David speaks about and that God speaks about in the covenant that he made with David is linked with the Abrahamic covenant in Micah chapter seven and verse twenty It is linked with a mosaic covenant.
In Exodus thirty-four, six and seven. It is linked with a new covenant. In Jeremiah thirty-one and three, we read that tonight. The Lord has appeared unto me of old saying, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. And it is linked with a Davidic covenant in Isaiah fifty-five, verse three. We have to read that one. Isaiah fifty five verse three I could quote it but I better read it here God cries out incline your ear and come unto me here and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David and to talk about the sure mercies of David is speaking of the great covenant of kingship the Davidic covenant that God made with David in Second Samuel seven and in Psalm eighty nine a promise like this one that God made with David is one of the most evident displays of God's grace and it was made while
Israel and David himself was under the mosaic economy God is gracious beloved For you see, God only ever had one way of saving man. The basis is the work of Christ. It wasn't as clear under the Old Testament as it is to us. This is why, beloved, that we are far more responsible in this age than anyone ever was before. We are far more responsible than they were under any other age because God has given us so much.
The requirement was always faith. Believe what God says. Receive and believe go together. For you cannot believe without receiving. For if you don't receive, then you really didn't believe. In other words, Spurgeon used to say that we have a way of thinking with the upper part of our minds it leaves our hearts totally unaffected but the real faith that the Bible speaks of is a faith that not only believes with the mind but the whole of the body is involved in obedience to that which we believe beloved when we read of the heroes of faith in Hebrews eleven with the light that they had They did great exploits for God.
You see, beloved, the law did never cease to be law simply because God was gracious during that economy. The law was still law. But salvation was always by grace. And our God is a God of all grace, for he displays his grace. as he reveals his holy character. The content of revelation changes. God expects far more of you than he ever expected of a person under law.
You are far more revelation, you are far more light, and therefore you are far more responsible. Our worship should be far greater. Our obedience should be more steadfast. And our delight in the Lord should be a very manifest thing in our lives. God has displayed His grace in all ages, but especially to us.
What have you done with it? You're responsible to it. Oh, may God enable us to rejoice in His matchless grace. Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank you for the songs that the boys and girls sang. Truly out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, thou hast perfected praise. For you're the God who likes to take little things and make them big. and things that seem big to us to make them small. The great mountain before is irrevable would become a plain. The headstone would be put in with shoutings of grace, grace unto it, and we are not to despise the day of small things.
Oh, we ask you now that you'll take the word and with it speak to our hearts. Give us, O God. a delight in thy loving kindness. It's display throughout all your dealings and all the economies and cause us who live under this glorious economy of grace to rejoice in that which you provided for us. Hear us in these things and dismiss us with a knowledge of our responsibility for Jesus' sake. Amen.