Sermon on the Mount Teaching Series Part 3

Sermon on the Mount

3

The Importance of Obeying God’s Law

Matthew 5:17–20

John Wesley once wrote in his journal, “I am a Bible-bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small.”

Personal Reflection. If the Old Testament did not exist, what would be missing in your knowledge of God?

So far Jesus has spoken of the character of Christians. He has also emphasized the influence we will have in the world if we exhibit this character and if our character bears fruit in “good deeds.” In Matthew 5:17–20 he proceeds to further define this character and these good deeds in terms of righteousness. This passage is of great importance not only for its definition of Christian righteousness but also for the light it throws on the relation between the New Testament and the Old Testament, between the gospel and the law.

READ MATTHEW 5:17-20

Matthew 5:17–20 CSB

“Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

When we hear the word Law, it can refer to many things:

10 Commandments

2. Penteteuch- 5 Books of Moses

3. Traditional Laws Implemented by the Scribes and Pharisees

4. Ceremonial Law

5. Complete Old Testament (Comprehensively the total dinve revelation)

1. This passage naturally divides into two parts, verses 17–18 and verses 19–20. What does each part emphasize?

1. The first part emphasizes the relationship of Christ with the law, it’s authority, it’s promises, its certainty, and that it is ABSOLUTE. Not a word, not a letter of the Old Testament is to be discounted or unfulfilled, the end of time as we know it will not come until every word of the Law is accomplished.

The second part emphasizes the Christians relationship with the law, the law is to be obeyed, from whatever may seem the least, to whatever may be the greatest. The Christian will obey the law, and not just the gnat, and not just the camel, but obey it in all righteousness.

2. Why might some people have thought that Jesus came to abolish the Law and the Prophets (v. 17)?

Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom, and He was the king.

Mark 1:27–28 (CSB)

27They were all amazed, and so they began to ask each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

28At once the news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee.

2. Jesus spoke with an authority unlike anything they’ve ever seen. He spoke over the rulers of that day, he led with “Truly, Truly, I SAY TO YOU.”

3. The Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament) consist of doctrine(teaching/instruction), prophecy and ethical precepts(moral conduct). In what sense has Jesus fulfilled each of these (v. 17)? *CHAD WILL ANSWER*

Acts 26:22–23 (CSB)

22To this very day, I have had help from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place—

23that the Messiah would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”

1. Doctrine- This is revealed instruction. The whole Old Testament pointed to a coming Messiah for Salvation. In the Old Testament, all great biblical doctrine was there, especially concerning salvation, but they only done so in partial revelation. Jesus would fulfill the fullness of these doctrines, make them far less ambiguous, removing the glass darkly. Jesus brought these to completion by his person, his teaching and his work. Think of it in terms of a crop, as the season draws near, the crop becomes more and more revealed. In the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son, the bud would become full flower.

2. Prophecy: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. The shadows of what were to come were fulfilled in the I”I have come.” The ceremonial system of sacrifice, priesthood, and atonement, had come ton completion in the work or Christ. He fulfilled all of these.

Ethical Precepts (Moral Law)-

This can be summarized this way. Christ did what no one else could do! He fulfilled all righteousness by living a life in complete and perfect obedience and submission to the Father.

Galatians 4:4–5 (CSB)

4When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

5to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Jesus was born under the moral law, not above hit. He was born under the same curse of the law. He was obligate to keep all of them in order to fulfill them, not adding to subtracting any of them. When it appeared he was breaking a law, he instructed on the error was in the superficial interpretations, these interpretations were not from God, but added by self righteous men. (namely the Scribes and Pharisees) Jesus provides and supplies the true interpretations. He stresses these truths and the true demands of God in the rest of this chapter. He fulfills this law for us in that He lives it perfectly, teaches it perfectly, clarifies it perfectly, corrects the errors surrounding it, perfectly.

“CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW. IT POINTS TO HIM!”

4. How does Jesus emphasize his high view of Old Testament Scripture (vv. 17–18)?

He speaks on them being a truth that will be fulfilled/complete, he breaks them down to even the very single letter of one word, or even a part of a letter, than the Scriptures are absolute, and not only must be fulfilled, but indeed will.

How can Jesus’ words strengthen our confidence in Scripture?

All scripture is God breathed, therefore it all has equal authority. I think when we see the red letters, we for some reason tend to appreciate them as “straight from the Lord’s mouth.”

5. What portions of the Bible have you tended to skip over or neglect?

Most would probably answer the Old Testament. For me, I tend to overlook the last book of the Bible, simply because I have a hard time interpreting that type of literature (I’m untrained), and I don’t know if there’s any other book of the Bible that has some many varying interpretations on.

How can you make studying these a higher priority?

The first thing to understand is that all Scripture is God breathed, and all serves a profitable purpose for teaching, correcting, reproof, rebuke, and training in righteousness. So when we understand that all scripture can and will be profitable for us, we should approach it that way. The tougher Scriptures certainly become easier to neglect or avoid, kind of like trying to figure out a Rubrics Cube or one of those pictures you stare out trying to find the picture within the picture. I think because they are difficult, they should challenge us to desire to understand them, and I think knowing that the Holy Spirit is our teacher, we can have confidence through prayer, that He will indeed give us what we need, as He searches the mind of God and we have the mind of Christ.

6. How will our response to the Law determine our status in the kingdom of heaven (v. 19)?

7. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were zealous about observing the Law. How can our righteousness possibly surpass theirs (v. 20)?

8. Jesus states that only those who have this surpassing righteousness will enter the kingdom of heaven (v. 20). How can this be harmonized with his statement about the poor in spirit (those who admit their spiritual bankruptcy) entering the kingdom (5:3)?

9. Some people claim that Jesus abolished the law for the Christian and that we are only responsible for obeying the “law of love.” Respond to this view in light of Jesus’ words in this passage.

10. How should you study and apply the Old Testament law today?

Pray that you will receive new spiritual insight as you continue to study the Bible.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS