Dardanelle Missionary Baptist Church — Dardanelle, Arkansas
Pastor Chuck Trusty — Sunday morning service, September 6, 2026 God’s Law, Lesson 1 of 4 · A3 D9 · Genesis 1:1 · Colossians 1:16-17 · Ezekiel 18:4 · Romans 14:11
Watch this lesson on video (43:51)
This morning we start something NEW. Over the next four lessons - just a little short four-lesson series - we are going to look at something most people think they already understand . . . but most people have never really thought it through carefully. We are going to talk about God’s LAW. Now when I say God’s law, I do not mean just the Ten Commandments, and I do not mean just a list of dos and don’ts . . . because before we can understand WHAT God has commanded, we need to understand WHO is doing the commanding - and why God’s word carries the kind of weight that it does. In other words, the most important words we know of are what? God’s words. So the one point of our lesson this morning is this:
The God who made everything has the right to make the law.
In the Beginning God
The Bible opens with four words - “In the beginning God” - and that is the FIRST and the most important fact we will ever come across.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” - Genesis 1:1 (KJV)
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” - Colossians 1:16-17 (KJV)
Now the first sentence in the Bible starts with a FACT - and it is actually the most important fact in the entire universe... We talk a lot around here about wisdom – knowledge - and understanding . . . so which one of those three does a fact fall under? “God created everything” is classified as KNOWLEDGE... We always say them in that order - wisdom, knowledge, understanding - but that is not necessarily the order they come in - because we have to have knowledge of a thing - before we ever gain wisdom or understanding about it. So - the most important piece of knowledge we will ever learn or hear is this . . . in the beginning God.
And notice the Bible does not say God created SOME things… It says all things - visible and invisible… He made the trees and the rocks that you can see… He made the stars . . . He made the wind - anybody ever seen the wind? We see what the wind does - but nobody has ever seen the wind… God made that… He made gravity - you cannot see it either - but you can sure see the effects of it - and magnetism - and all these invisible things… They are not just freaks of nature… God created every single one of them.
Then Paul says all things were created by Him and FOR Him - and that by Him (through Him, because of Him) all things consist... What does that mean? It means God is HOLDING everything together… The universe is not holding itself together . . . God is the power that holds the universe together… Now I understand the laws of physics - and gravity - and the earth going around at just the right speed so it does not fly off into the outer parts of the universe… I understand it is all put together- like a fine watch… But that is not by accident - and it is not holding itself in one piece… It was DESIGNED that way by a Creator - and it stays in one piece by design…
Think about a man who builds a house - a carpenter . . . the man who builds the house has the right to set the RULES for that house… A builder does not have to walk up to a 2x4 wall and explain why he is putting a door here instead of there - or a window here instead of over yonder… He owes that building no explanation at all . . . because the building did not exist until the carpenter built it...
Well - God built EVERYTHING… God is CREATOR - He brought everything into existence - literally from nothing… It was spoken into existence - not evolved into existence - and I am not going there this morning - but if you stop and think about it - believing in evolution actually takes more faith than believing God spoke it… God is SUSTAINER - He holds all things together by His power… And God is OWNER - everything that exists belongs to Him.
Now I have heard all kinds of explanations… “Okay preacher - I will compromise a little bit - God spoke everything into existence - and then He just sat back and let the chips fall where they may…” No . . . God is not some politician making rules so he can look important... This is the God who MADE us - who SUSTAINS us - and who KNOWS us - better than we know ourselves…
God’s Authority Is Not Assumed . . . It Is Absolute
God’s authority is not something that is assumed... God’s authority is absolute - which means no argument allowed.
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” - Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV)
Every person who has ever drawn a breath - belongs to God - by right of creation . . . and that means God has rightful authority - over ALL of our lives.
“Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” - Romans 9:20-21 (KJV)
Do we not think God has the right - to put a door or a window wherever He chooses? He is the one putting the building together . . . a lump of clay does not NEGOTIATE with the potter - and the clay does not have the right to question the potter’s decisions.
Now some of you kiddos may not know what a potter is… A long time ago you could not go to Walmart and buy a vase or a glass or an ashtray… There was a man called a potter - and he had a wheel that he pedaled with his foot - and he would take a lump of clay and set it in the middle of that wheel - and as it spun around - he would wet his fingers and form that clay into a shape… He actually MADE the vase . . . that is a potter. And the potter is the one who decides what that lump of clay is going to be . . . the clay does not get to say - “Now don’t make me into a commode - make me into a cereal bowl.” One vessel unto honor and one unto dishonor - and the potter decides which.
That is our relationship with God - we did not make ourselves… And the Creator who made everything has the right - the absolute - unquestionable right - to define the terms under which His creation operates.
Somebody might think at first, “Well - that seems a little harsh . . . a little narrow-minded.” It is not harsh . . . it is JUST - and we are just being honest... The potter looks at this lump of clay and says - “That one will not make a very good chair - and it will not make a very good bowl . . . but it will make a perfect vase.” Do we not believe God loves us enough to give us ONLY the things that are best for us? And are we naive enough - to think WE KNOW what is best - better than God does?
Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God - and faith requires us to humble ourselves before Him - and accept the decisions He makes - because if He loved us enough to die for us - He loves us enough to say NO when a thing is going to hurt us in the long run… I have said it before . . . He does not ask for our understanding - He simply asks for our obedience.
So - when God makes a law - when God says “this is right, and that over there is wrong” - God is not overstepping - and He is not being controlling - He is simply exercising His rightful authority as Creator - as Sustainer - and as Owner of all things - He is putting the doors and the windows where He wants them... After all - it is HIS house.
And here is something to slow down and think about . . . if God made us - and if God is the one holding us together this very minute . . . what claim could we possibly have to run our own lives?
Now freedom is a WONDERFUL thing - one of the most precious blessings God has given us - but let us not push that idea of freedom further than it ought to go... It is true we have freedoms - and I suppose we even have the freedom to rebel . . . but that is not a wise thing to do. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap… We can let our freedom run right up to the edge of God’s will and stop there - and that is a good thing. Or we can push a little further - “I am going to set God’s will aside on this one - because this is important to me - and I am going to do what I want regardless” - and yes - we have the freedom to do that... But understand there are CONSEQUENCES when we take our freedom further than it was meant to go.
A Law Is Not a Suggestion
God as Creator is a fact - that is KNOWLEDGE… How we USE that fact is what decides whether we are walking in wisdom - or walking in foolishness. And connecting ‘pride and disobedience’ with the consequences of rebelling against the laws of our Creator . . . that is the beginning of understanding. Understanding is basically knowing there is a price to pay for a particular action - connecting the dots. “Oh, THIS consequence is tied directly to THAT behavior.” Knowledge is what we should do . . . understanding is knowing what is going to happen if we do not do it.
A law is NOT a suggestion... A suggestion is something we can take or leave - and nothing much happens either way… A law is a rule that carries consequences - and the consequences come - when the law is ignored - when it is forgotten - when it is disobeyed - or when it is rebelled against…
Think about driving on the interstate . . . the speed limit is 75 I believe. Now that speed limit was not set by US… Nobody ever called this preacher up and said, “Preacher - what do you think the speed limit on the interstate ought to be?” Anybody ever call you and ask your opinion on it? No . . . so if we are running 90 or 100 and the blue lights come on - what happens when we tell the officer - “Well - I never did agree with that speed limit anyway”? We still get the ticket - because our agreement was not required. And what happens when we say, “Oh, I am sorry – officer - I did not know it was only 75”? We still get the ticket - because ignorance is not a defense against the law. A law does not need our awareness or our agreement to be valid. A law requires our OBEDIENCE.
God’s law works EXACTLY the same way . . . “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” That is not a guideline and it is not a suggestion . . . it is a LAW. The law has a rule about sin - and the law has a consequence when sin is practiced - and that consequence is death. And this law applies to every person in every nation in every generation - whether they have heard it - agreed to it - or believe it… The law is not going to change - and the consequences are not going to change either… That is God’s PRIMARY law - universal and unchanging - and every other law God ever gave - is built on top of it.
Now to die in sin is to be separated from God in hell for all eternity - that is another fact of knowledge - and a pretty important one - would you not agree? So let us connect the dots again… Knowledge says, “If I die in sin - my eternal destiny is hell.” Understanding says - “Then I need to avoid that - and let Jesus save my soul.” A man who is void of understanding - will never make that connection - and he will never turn to God and ask forgiveness of his sins.
Go back to the traffic stop . . . we are pulled over for speeding - and here comes Jesus - who was NOT speeding - and He pulls in behind us - and agrees to pay our ticket for us. That is what it means when we say Jesus paid for our sins. To keep us from the consequence of spiritual death - God sacrificed His Son as payment for our sin.
The Garden - Where Authority and Consequence First Met
Let us go back to where authority and consequence first came together - the first time knowledge and understanding ever met.
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” - Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV)
The first law God ever gave a human being was SIMPLE - it was clear . . . and you would have to admit it was generous. God said - “You can eat from ANY tree in this whole garden . . . except one.” One boundary - one rule - one consequence . . . and the consequence was stated plainly - in advance - before anything ever happened. God told Adam exactly what the rule was and exactly what it would cost to break it.
That brings up a property line. When you buy land they put up survey markers showing exactly where your ground ends - and the neighbor’s begins. The line is clear - the boundary is set - no problem . . . UNTIL the day somebody decides that line does not apply to them. “I am going to plant my corn across that line - because the dirt over there does a little better than the dirt over here.” Put the fence up on the wrong side. Claim ground that was never his to claim. And that is when the conflict starts - not because the line was unreasonable - but because somebody decided to cross it.
The Garden of Eden had been surveyed . . . God set the markers - and God told Adam EXACTLY where the line was. And Adam crossed it - not by accident - but by DECISION. And the consequence was real because the law was real.
Let me say it again. The God who made everything has the right to make the law.
“It Seemed Right to Me” Is Not a Defense
Now this next part has human logic written all over it.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” - Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)
I sat and thought about that - and I believe that this is one of the most DANGEROUS ideas we will ever run across - the idea that every person has the right to decide what is right for himself. That was the ORIGINAL sin back in the garden. “Don’t you want to decide right and wrong for YOURSELF?” That was Satan – and that is basically what he told Eve.
Here is why it is so dangerous . . . the Bible says the soul that sinneth shall die. Well - who decides what sin IS? If God has pronounced death on the soul that sins - then it stands to reason - that God has to be the one who defines sin. Because if I were allowed to define right and wrong - I would look at my own life and - naturally - everything I do would be right. Then I would look over at Brother Kenneth and say - “Well - you do most of what I do - and that part is right . . . but you deviate here and there - so you are wrong. You are going to die and I am not - because I am right.” If God did not define sin - every man would define his own righteousness - and draw his own boundaries. Nobody would ever sin . . . and there would be as many “right ways” as there are people.
Last time I checked - how many truths are there? “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” One truth - not many . . . seems right is not the same as IS right. That IS WHY God does not let man define righteousness . . . because every man would declare himself righteous - and every man would be wrong. We could all be driving at different speeds and every one of us think we were right - but only one speed would actually BE right. God defines the speed limit - God defines the boundary - God defines SIN. And “it seemed right to me” will not hold up in a court of law in this land - and it will not hold up in the court of God’s law either.
So - let us get PERSONAL . . . I do not want anybody thinking about Brother Ken right now, or about Sister Annie Mae. Think about SELF - Where in my life am I still driving at a speed - just because it seems right to me?
The X-Ray Shows the Break - It Cannot Set the Bone
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” - Romans 3:23 (KJV)
“The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.” - Proverbs 24:9 (KJV)
Paul hands down a universal verdict - ALL have sinned . . . not most of us - not just the bad ones - not just the ones in this country - ALL. And then Solomon goes further… We usually think of sin as bad behavior - but Solomon says even the THOUGHT of foolishness is sin - not the act - the thought - an attitude we should not have - a leaning toward something God does not approve of… Even THAT is sin . . . which tells us God’s standard is set so high - perfect holiness – sinlessness - righteousness in God’s eyes – set so high that nobody can reach it alone. If that kind of perfection were a physical height - we would not need a ladder - we would need a SPACESHIP. That is how far out of reach it is for every one of us.
Now think about an X-ray . . . if I break my arm - we go to the emergency room and they take an X-ray - and that is a wonderful thing - it shows exactly what happened. “Preacher, there is your crack right there in the bone.” But nobody ever healed a broken arm with only an X-ray. The X-ray shows the break . . . the X-ray does not heal.
God’s law is the X-ray - the law shows us EXACTLY where we are broken . . . but the law cannot set a bone any more than an X-ray can. That is why God gave the law - not to make us righteous - but to teach us two things. ONE - where the boundaries are - so we know what sin actually is. TWO - that we cannot keep those boundaries on our own - so we know we need His mercy and His grace - and something a good deal taller than a ladder.
The law is not the cure - the law is the DIAGNOSIS . . . and the X-ray points us - to the only Physician who can heal what the X-ray reveals. The Bible says plainly - that no man is justified by keeping the law . . . by the law is the knowledge of sin. The law shows us where we are broken . . . have we ever THANKED God for the X-ray? Have we ever thanked Him for loving us enough to show us - where we are broken?
Four Things God’s Authority Settles
As we come to the end this morning, there are four things God’s authority ought to settle in our minds and hearts.
One - God has the right to make laws. He is the Creator - the Owner - and the Sustainer. In the beginning God.
Two - God’s laws have consequences. Let me say that again. God’s laws have CONSEQUENCES. They are not suggestions and they are not guidelines. God is not mocked . . . whatsoever a man soweth - that is exactly what he is going to reap - and maybe worse.
Three - we have ALREADY crossed the boundary. Do not sit there and pat yourself on the back - “Well - I got close a time or two last week – preacher - but I never went over the line.” That is pride… If we say we have no sin - we make God a liar - and His truth is not in us. We have crossed it - not because we are especially bad people - but because we are human. The Bible says straight up - there is none good, no, not one.
Four - the law points to God’s GRACE. God did not give the law to condemn us and leave us lying there . . . “You are broke - too bad.” He gave the law to show us our need for a Savior - to show us we need more than a tall ladder - and more than a set of rules. The X-ray leads to the Physician - and the Physician is Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son - to heal the broken bone - the law shows us is there - in every one of our lives.
Closing
“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” - Romans 14:11 (KJV)
Every knee WILL bow . . . that is not negotiable, and it is not a maybe.
God’s law is not His way of being cruel to us. God’s law is His way of being HONEST. He tells us the truth about who He is – Creator – Owner - and Judge. He tells us the truth about who we are - sinners who have crossed the line. And He tells us the truth about what He offers – mercy – forgiveness - and a Savior who has already paid what we owe. The authority of God to make law - is not a burden. That authority is a gift . . . because a God who tells us the truth about our condition - is a God who loves us enough to point us to the cure. God made the law - God revealed the sin - God provides the remedy . . . because that is who He is.
So the one point of our lesson this morning was this: the God who made everything has the right to make the law. Are we willing to submit to His authority?
I have been guilty of this - BIG time. I will submit to about 97 or 98 percent of what God says . . . but there is this one little corner over here - I want to keep for myself. Willing to submit to ALMOST everything - but not quite everything . . . well, that does not count. God wants all or nothing. I am not talking about salvation - we are not going to lose that. I am talking about our relationship with the God who made us - and serving Him after we are saved. God wants TOTAL commitment. And if it is not total commitment . . . it is not commitment at all.
Scripture Used
Genesis 1:1 · Colossians 1:16-17 · Ezekiel 18:4 · Romans 9:20-21 · Genesis 2:16-17 · Proverbs 14:12 · Romans 3:23 · Proverbs 24:9 · Romans 14:11 (all KJV)
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