The Believer and God's Law
Matthew 5:17-20:
17“Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
18For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not [g]the small
est letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!
19Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [h]others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20“For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Introduction:
This is a continuation of our series on the Sermon on the Mount. Some refer to it as the greatest sermon ever preached, because it came directly from the mouth of Christ. It was directed primarily to those who believed in Jesus, or those who claim to believe in Him.
The sermon started with what we know as the Beatitudes, beautiful attitudes or virtues that should mark the lives of believers. And with each one, there is declaration of blessing.
As believers, we all desire those blessings in our lives, but that blessedness was not only meant for us to enjoy, but also for us to share. That was why Christ called us to be salt and light.
Salt and Light- To be instruments of God. “influencers”, not in the usual sense that we the term is used to day. But that by our life and our deeds,-- our blessedness shines the light, not on ourselves, but on God and His excellence. Not for acclaim, recognition, nor for any worldly gain, but for God and for His glory, alone.
Matthew 5:16:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
So let us not be like the salt that has lost its taste. Or a light that is hidden under a basket that bene fits no one.
Jesus said, let others see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Good deeds or works of righteousness. This has roots in what God has revealed and commanded as recorded in the Old Testament. We will look closely at what Jesus had to say about Himself, the believer and God’s laws.
Matthew 5:17-18:
17“Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished
The “Law and the Prophets” refers to two of the major divisions of the Old Testament. Law – first 5 books of the OT, also known as the Torah or the Pentateuch. The Prophets consists of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the minor prophets, and could also include the historical books such as Josh-
ua, Judges, Samuel, etc. These plus the Poetry books (Psalms, Proverbs, etc) make up the entire Old Testament.
This was at the early stage of Jesus earthly ministry. He was just entering on his
work and It was important for him to state what he came to do. His teachings were in opposition to those of the scribes and Pharisees, and some might charge Him with an in tention to destroy the Jewish laws and to abolish the customs of the nations. He assured them that he did not come for that end, but rather to fulfill or accomplish what was in the law and the prophets.
I. Christ Fulfilled the Law
⇒ Christ fulfilled the law in His teaching.
The theologian Charles Hodge wrote:
"The progressive character of divine revelation is recognized in relation to all the great doctrines of the Bi ble... What at first is only obscurely intimated is gradually unfolded in subsequent parts of the sacred vol ume, until the truth is revealed in its fulness."
Progressive revelation is the doctrine in Christianity that the sections of the Bible that were written later contain a fuller revelation of God than the earlier sections. Thus, the OT is not a sufficient revelation, be cause it is not a complete one. It could not contain all truth, because when it was written the Jews were not capable of receiving all truth.
Christ fills up the deficiencies of the old testament revelation. In this sense he fulfils it. He does not only fulfil prophecy by doing what has been foretold, but he makes the whole revelation of God perfect by filling up the “gaps” that appear in the Old Testament.
⇒ Christ fulfilled the law by His own personal, unbroken obedience.
The Law had never been perfectly kept till Christ came. He was absolutely faithful to it. He came to fulfill all righteousness, by perfect obedience to the letter and the spirit of the Law. 2 Corinthians 5:21:
God made Him who knew no sin to be sinb on our behalf
I Peter 1:19:
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.
⇒ Christ fulfilled the law in His Person
Christ accepts the prophecies of the Old Testament as Divine, and points to Himself as their fulfil ment.
Luke 4:16-21:
16Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the syna gogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,
17the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captivesf and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”g
20Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the syn agogue were fixed on Him,
21and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
John 4:25-26:
25The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
John 5:39:
"You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,
Luke 24:25-27:
25He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scrip tures concerning himself.
The books of the Old Testament contain many passages about the Messiah— prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ, His birth , His life, His suffering, His death and resurrection. And still more to be fulfilled when He comes again to reign.
II. Christ Affirmed the Law
To affirm means to uphold, accept or confirm the validity.
These words of Jesus reveal the historical continuity of Christianity and expresses the unchangeable ness of the divine word.
Matthew 5:18:
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!
The meaning is obvious. Nothing truly belonging to the Law, however seemingly trivial, shall be dis regarded or forgotten until it has done all that it was meant to do.
The Bible speaks of the Old and the New covenant.
♦ The Old Covenant was a foreshadowing of the New, a foundation for things to come. The Old Covenant pointed forward to a Messiah or Savior who came in the Person of Jesus Christ.
♦ Jesus instituted the new covenant at the Last Supper: “This cup that is poured out for you,” he told his disciples, “is the new covenant my blood” (Luke 22:20).
♦ The New Covenant is superior to the Old.
Hebrews 8:6-13:
6But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. 7For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for an other.
13By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Historically Christian theologians have recognized three different types of laws within the Mosaic law
-- Moral, Ceremonial and Civil (or Judicial).
• Moral Law – this is law which reflects God’s character and his design of this world. Examples of this law would include but are not limited to commands regarding mur der, children honoring and obeying their parents, adultery, covetousness and theft.
Matthew 22:37-40:
37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38This is the first and greatest commandment.
39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 5:19:
Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
These words teach us the permanent authority of the moral principles of the Jewish law. As king dom citizens, we still have the obligation to keep God’s moral laws. And not only to keep, but also to teach God’s moral laws.
• Ceremonial Law – this set of laws that God gave to Moses that were specifically for the nation of Israel as a theocracy. These laws were meant to show God’s holiness and the holiness He expected from His people, to remember His past actions, and to point to the future Messiah. These laws dealt with the qualifications for priests, requirements for how and when to perform sacrifices, cleanliness laws, dietary laws, festival laws and some would argue -tithing laws. The ceremonies, and sacrifices in the sanctuary system that were types and shadows of Christ. And when Christ’s redeeming work was completed, the New Covenant had overshadowed the old.
Hebrews 9:1,10:
1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary 10They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations apply ing until the time of the new order.
Hebrews 7:12:
12For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.
1 Corinthians 7:19:
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
Colosians 2:16-20-22:
19Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
20Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still be longed to the world, do you submit to its rules:
21“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?
The passages above confirm for New Testament Christians that the Old covenant has been replaced with New Covenant of God. It is abundantly clear that Ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant have all been done away with in the New Covenant.
• Civil(Judicial) Law – All nations must have civil laws to help deal with disputes between their citizens as well as to enforce the morals of the people. While not all of the Mosaic civil laws dealt with moral issues, a great deal of the Civil laws for Israel did in fact deal with how to punish or make resti tution for violation of God’s moral laws.
In these, the New Covenant would have raised the bar for believers, that instead of “an eye for an eye”, believers should strive more for restoration & forgiveness and love & compassion. The Old Covenant specifically refers to the Mosaic Covenant that God made with Israel when he formed them as a theocracy. The first covenant centered on the people of God as an ethnic and physical na tion. The New Covenant would expand the people of God beyond any ethnic group or national borders to include a whole world of believers and worshipers of God.
III. Christ expounds the Law.
Matthew 5:20:
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The “authorities” who at times
♦ adheres to the letter, but not the spirit of the law
♦ overriding even the letter by unauthorised traditions
♦ would focus on the formal and external, rather than on righteousness in the inward parts ♦ would desire the praise of men that that of God
♦ lowering the standard of righteousness to the level of men’s practices, instead of raising their practices to the standard which God had fixed.
In the section that follows, Jesus would say “… you have heard it said… but I say to you…” He con trasts what the teachers are teaching, and the righteousness that God demands.
I shall not go into further detail, as these will be covered in sermons for the upcoming weeks. Matthew 7:28:
28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, 29because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Conclusion:
Matthew 5:20:
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Maybe you may think that you are better than the worst of them, maybe even better than the best of them, the Bible tells us that that we can never be good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. Romans 3:20:
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Romans 3:22:
22This righteousness is given through faith in hJesus Christ to all who believe.
Ephesians 2:8-9:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
If you have not made a decision to trust God and receive Christ as your Lord and
Savior, do not let this opportunity pass.