Christ and the Law; Kingdom Citizens and the Law

June 27, 2010

Series: The Sermon on the Mount

Passage: Matthew 5:17-20

Speaker: Daniel Sweet

The Sermon on the Mount

Christ and the Law; Kingdom Citizens and the Law; Matthew 5:17-20

 

  • Christ and the Law, Matthew 5:17-18
    • His High View of Scripture
    • His fulfillment of Every Aspect of the Law
  • Kingdom Citizens and the Law, Matthew 5:19-20
    • Affirming and Obeying as a Mark of Greatness in the Kingdom
    • Obedience from the Heart of the Moral Aspects of the Law as a Mark of Kingdom Citizenship


 

The Sermon on the Mount

Christ and the Law; Kingdom Citizens and the Law; Matthew 5:17-20

Scripture Reading and Prayer

  • Read Psalm 1:1-3 (Slide)
  • Read Psalm 119:16 (Slide)
  • Read Psalm 119:97 (Slide)
  • Law and Word used interchangeably
  • In the movie Sense and Sensibility (and I assume the book) which focuses on a family and specifically two daughters, one daughter is a romantic the other is an extreme pragmatist
  • There is a scene when the mother Mrs. Dashwood has a discussion with the romantic daughter Marianne about the other daughter and the potential of her relationship with Edward
  • Mrs. Dashwood: Why so grave? You disapprove her choice?
    Marianne: By no means. Edward is very amiable.
    Mrs. Dashwood: Amiable? But?
    Marianne: There is something wanting. He's too sedate.
    Mrs. Dashwood: Elinor has not your feelings. His reserve suits her.
    Marianne: Can he love her? Can the soul be really be satisfied with such polite affections? To love is to burn - to be on fire, like Juliet or Guinevere or Eloise...
    Mrs. Dashwood: They made rather pathetic ends, dear.
    Marianne: Pathetic? To die for love? How can you say so? What could be more glorious?
    Mrs. Dashwood: I think that would be taking your romantic sensibilities a little far.
  • Later, Elinor and Marianne are discussing Edward and Elinor’s feelings for him
  • Elinor Dashwood: I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him - that I greatly esteem him... I like him.
    Marianne: Esteem him? Like him? Use those insipid words again and I shall leave the room this instant.
  • Gentlemen, do not respond to your wife with this type of language when she tells you that she loves you
  • The Scripture does not call us to greatly esteem the Word. This is not a call to philosophical or intellectual thoughts that are agreeable. Love His WORD!
  • Read Psalm 119:105 (Slide)
  • What does Jesus think of the Word of God?
  • Read Matthew 5:17-20 (slides)

Exposition Matt. 5:17-20 (Slide 1 – Header Slide)

  1. Christ and the Law, Matthew 5:17-18
    • Read Matthew 5:17-18 (Slide 2)
    • What is meant by Law or the Prophets – Law had four potential uses “Torah” meaning the Decalogue, The Pentateuch, The entire Old Testament or the Old Testament plus the traditions of the scribes and elders
    • I think from the way Jesus uses the term here the word Law refers to the books of Moses, the first five books of the bible, the Pentateuch, because He includes it with the phrase or the prophets
    • Christ and the Law: His High View of Scripture
    • His fulfillment of Every Aspect of the Law
  • First, He fulfills the Law by keeping every single requirement of the law
  • Jesus never failed to accomplish any requirement of the law, He never told a lie, He never committed adultery either physically or in His mind, never took His Father’s name in vain
  • He fulfilled every ceremonial requirement of the law – circumcised the eighth day, redeemed by his mother as the first born child, in the temple at 12 for his pre Bar Maritza, He participated in the all the feasts and religious festivals including Passover
  • He fulfilled all the requirements of the law, unlike any person had ever done before or would do after – He perfectly completed every facet of every requirement of the Old Testament Law
    • So Christ has a high view of Scripture, He loves His Father’s Word and He loves His Father’s Word by completely fulfilling all the requirements of the Law
    • Beyond this, Jesus Christ also said that not one dot over an i or one cross over a t would be lost until all was “accomplished”
    • These two clauses “until heaven and earth pass away” and “until all is accomplished” are directly connected
    • All that the Scripture has said concerning God and His eternal plan will be accomplished
    • This is not even completed in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus for some of the Old Testament speaks to His coming kingdom, so there is still some aspects of the Scripture to yet be fulfilled
    • Read Luke 24:25-27 (Slide 3)
    • Here is how Christ has already fulfilled aspects of this statement
    • In Genesis, He is the One Who walks in the Garden with Adam and Eve and makes a provision for their sin, depicting his ultimate provision for humanity
    • He is the ram caught in the branches to be a substituted for Isaac
    • In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb bringing mercy to all who by faith receive His provision
    • In Leviticus, He is the two lambs of Yom Kippur – the propitiation lamb and the scapegoat
    • In Numbers, He is the serpent lifted up in the wilderness as a provision for His people
    • In Deuteronomy, He is the coming promised prophet foretold by Moses to Israel
    • In Joshua, He is the captain of the Lord of Hosts, with sword drawn
    • In Ruth, He is the kinsman redeemer for both Naomi the Jew and Ruth the Gentile
    • In I and II Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, He is the Messianic King who will sit on the throne of David forever bringing in peace and righteousness
    • In Job, He is the Redeemer, the One Job longs to see
    • In the Psalms, He is the Son of God, the Great King, Prophet and Priest
    • In Isaiah, He is the “wonderful counselor, the might God, the Father of the Everlasting, the Prince of Peace.” He is the suffering servant paying for the sins of His people.
    • And on and on the list goes, these were the ones just off the top of my head with no study
  • Read Matthew 5:17-18 (Slide 4)
    • Christ is the perfect and complete fulfillment of the requirements of the law, He is also the complete fulfillment of the promises of the Word of God that spans thousands of years of hopes and promises
    • In Christ we find His perfect obedience, but also His perfect fulfillment
  1. Kingdom Citizens and the Law, Matthew 5:19-20
  • Jesus now turns His attention to the role of the Law for all others in the kingdom
  • Read Matthew 5:19 (Slide 5)
    • Affirming and Obeying as a Mark of Greatness in the Kingdom
  • Read Matthew 5:20 (Slide 6)
  • Obedience from the Heart of the Moral Aspects of the Law as a Mark of Kingdom Citizenship “I say to you…” connection with the rest of the chapter
  • Various divisions of the law, ceremonial, dietary, civil, and moral
  • I believe Jesus has here primarily in mind the moral aspects of the law
  • See the statement “but I say to you…”
  • Look at the similar wording in verses 22 (murder), 28 (adultery), 32 (divorce), 34 (making vows and keeping your word), 39 (getting revenge), 44 (loving your neighbor)
  • Which is why He says, “your righteousness with reference to these laws must be better than the Pharisees” because they has made the business of law keeping a purely external affair
  • Christ here is say, do not diminish any of the moral requirements of God’s law by reducing the law to some external work that you can check off a list
  • Instead, the Word of God must penetrate to the heart of the kingdom citizen, not merely longing for other people to think we are fulfilling the law, but to live out God’s requirements of His law from our hearts
  1. Conclusion: (Header Slide)
  • Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of His Father’s Word. He holds the Word of His Father as precious. Jesus Christ calls on all kingdom citizens to follow the Word of God with the same passion as He has followed and loved His Father’s Word.

 

 

Announcements:

  1. Pre-teen camp this week.
  2. Bible studies tonight.
  3. Clarence Lambert’s viewing at Bean Massey on Monday evening 6-8 and funeral here on Tuesday at 11.

 

 

 

Christ and the Law
 17"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

 19"Whoever then annuls 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.

 20"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

 21"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'  22"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.  23"Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,  24leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.  25"Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  26"Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

Adultery
 27"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY';  28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  29"If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  30"If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. 31"It was said, 'WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE';  32but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths and Lying
 33"Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.'  34"But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,  35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. 36"Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37"But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

Revenge and Justice
 38"You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'  39"But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  40"If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.  41"Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.  42"Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Love Your Neighbor
 43"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'  44"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  46"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  47"If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

Conclusion of the Law
 48"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

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