Sermon for Trinity 10

\Romans 10:4 -- For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Every man, woman, boy and girl should know the 10 Commandments. God wants you to know the 10 Commandments. They show you what God wants you to do. That’s the law: God’s statement of what you are to do and not to do. It’s also good to know, as it says in the Epistle reading today that Christ is the end of the Law. That’s good to know. It should be a relief to know.

It’s good to know what’s the end, what’s the point we’re getting at. So as we have been going through the commandments and their meanings, we need to bring up the question, “what’s the end?”

Or perhaps, as we go through these you might be saying, “when will it end?” That’s how the law of God can strike a sinner, making you ask, “Aah! Where will it end?”

Take the 5^th Commandment for example, “You shall not murder.” Those of you who have never killed anyone, may have the quick thought of “No problem.” “I’m clean on that one. Tick, check the box. I’ve finished here.” But oh no, that’s not the end. Jesus says, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.” The fifth commandment does not merely condemn the outward act of murder, and end there. It gets at what’s in the heart: anger, resentment, contempt, jealousy, rivalry, impatience, all these vile thoughts and feelings that are basically saying, “I wish that so- and-so would just drop dead.” Likewise with all the other commandments, they don’t end with your outward acts and the outward appearance you can put on to make yourself look right. The commandments keep going until you are guilty of sin.

In this letter to the Romans, Paul reaches out to members of the church in Rome pointing out the difference between those who were pursuing righteousness on the basis of their works, versus those who have attained righteousness by faith. It was specifically the Jews who were relying on their works, their outward zeal for God to make themselves righteous. Because they were so good at following all sorts of rituals and gestures of outward righteousness, they assumed that they accomplished the law, even the end of the law. Verse 3 says, “For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

Human nature tries to find its own righteousness. But God’s righteousness is Christ. He is the end of the law for all who believe. God gives you the end. It is the person, Jesus Christ. God doesn’t want anyone to die. So He gives Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life. He is the opposite of the murderer. He lays down his life so you can live. He died so you don’t have to die eternally. He takes your away your guilt for not following the law. He gives you his righteousness. When is this all going to end? When Jesus says to you, I forgive you all your sins.

Actually that’s the end God had in mind all along. That’s the intended end point. From our perspective we hear, “Christ is the end of the law”, and we say, “Finally! Our struggle is ended because Jesus died for us. Our sin is atoned for. Our regrets are washed away. Our guilt is removed. We can stand righteous before God.” From God’s perspective, that was the end all along. The end of the law, the goal, the intention of telling you things like, “Do not murder” is Christ, that you believe in Him and find your righteousness not in yourself but in him. That was the end God had in mind all along.

You can see this with the first murder that ever happened. Cain killed his brother Abel, because of jealousy and out of spite. And God came to Cain and said, ““Where is Abel your brother?” (Genesis 4) That was a hard law question; it brought out the guilt. And the Lord said, “What have you done?”

God’s law says, “Do not murder.” The point to all humanity is clear. Don’t go around killing each other. Respect life. Respect God. He is the One who gives life and controls life and death. You don’t. You don’t get to decide who gets to live and who should die. Don’t despise the life God gives to the other guy. And the other guy should hear that too – for your good and your safety. You want the other guy to hear God commanding him not to murder you. That’s the point of the 5^th Commandment.

But God’s end point for the 5^th Commandment and all the commandments is that a guy like Cain, or any sinner would see their sin, and be sorry for it. God’s end point is that no one can find their own righteousness, but instead, believe in the righteousness of Christ.

That’s the end, that’s the goal.

Look to the end. Keep your eye on the goal, which is Christ. Like running a race, focus on the finish. Don’t have your head down looking inward at yourself. That’s what those are doing who think they can have righteousness themselves, by their own work. If your looking inward, looking to your own self and your own power you will stumble. The Bible says, “Christ is a stumbling block, a rock of offense” (Romans 9:33). If you are not running to Him, you’ll stumble on him. What a shame that’ll be. But then the Bible says, “whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

The only hope for the world and any sinner in it, is Christ. Those who do not have him as their end, stumble on him. He is in their way because they are running after something else. And eventually they stumble over him, and their end is destruction and shame. Even in his own temple Christ found those who were not focused on him and his righteousness. Jesus Christ visited the temple in old Jerusalem, and he found people chasing after other things. He warned them of the destruction that was coming. He said it was because “you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Friends, know the time of your visitation. God comes to you. He visits you and speaks to you. Each week, in church, every day in your heart, he says to you, “Follow my commandments. Repent of your sins. Believe in me. Believe in my Christ. Don’t have your own ends in mind. But know Christ. He is your end point. Your focus and your goal.” Amen.