Law and Righteousness

Hey at the end of our service we’re going to do something we haven’t done in nearly 6 years, and that is vote to affirm a new elder of Gateway Chapel, and I’m just going to keep you on pins and needles as to who that is...

Doug Eash.

We’re going to have a vote to affirm Doug, we’ll go through the whole thing as to why we’re doing this, who Doug is, our process, all of that, but it’s a really cool thing just so you know the trajectory of our time together.

A sure fire way to get people excited is to say that someone or something is out to take away their freedom.

If a candidate, a policy, a group, a law, or even a new stop sign in your neighborhood threatens to take away our freedom, we will do just about anything to fight back!

Why?

Freedom is the bedrock of who we are as Americans!

Freedom is what we fought for, it’s who we are, we paint our faces for the Olympics because of it. America! Freedom!

In Jesus’ day, Freedom was not the bedrock, it was the Law.

The Law - the Word of God - the Holy Scriptures, the Torah, the Prophets, given by God to the Jewish people, it’s what made them who they were.

Anyone opposing the law was in danger.

In our text today, we see Jesus getting people excited.

Something he’s said has made people think that he has come to undercut the very foundations of Jewish society - the Law and Prophets.

In our text this morning, Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus is addressing people who think he’s coming to destroy the foundations of Jewish society.

In Jesus’ day, a good Jew obeyed the teachings of the Law, plain and simple. But Jesus came teaching a different message.

Jesus reinterprets the Law & Prophets and redefines what it means to be good.

What did Jesus mean the came to fulfill the Law and Prophets, and how are we to have righteousness that exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees?

Prayer

We’re traveling through the gospel of Matthew together in 2023.

I’m being converted from a fan of the gospel of John to Matthew slowly but surely.

Matthew’s main point is that Jesus is the King of the World and he’s come to bring his Kingdom to all people.

Matthew argues Jesus fulfills the promises of Scripture which from all the way back to Genesis 3 promised that God would send someone to crush death and bring life.

Matthew overview

Matthew does that in three parts…Jesus is the Promised King, He is the Good King, He’s the Crucified King.

And right now we’re in the SOTM.

It’s a crucial part of Jesus’ life. Jesus did die for our sins and he rose again, AND he taught us about life as it really is. And as followers of Jesus we come sit at his feet and listen.

And two weeks ago we read the Beatitudes.

Blessed are the poor in spirit…the spiritual zeroes.

Jesus upends the social hierarchy of the day and opens wide the way to God to prostitutes, criminals, thieves, and other outcasts of society.

And Jesus says these kinds of people, who have nothing and yet experience the blessing of God, are the salt and light of the world, being faithful to Jesus for the good of others and the glory of God.

And that seems to freak people out.

The Law

Matthew 5:17–19 NASB95

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.

It’s Jesus’ way of saying, “Now, I know what you’re thinking...”

Maybe that’s because of his divinity OR maybe he’s just good at reading the room.

What are the Law and the Prophets?

It’s a Jewish way of saying, “The entire Old Testament.” There was no Old Testament then it was just the Testament.

Matthew 7:12 NASB95

12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 22:36–40 NASB95

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

It was a source of great pride for the Jewish people.

Deuteronomy 4:8 NASB95

8 “Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

Extreme pride. They paint their faces like we would.

So why would the Beatitudes make Jesus’ audience think he was ready to throw out the entire Old Testament?

Luke 16:14–17 NASB95

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. 16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.

Matthew has a disdain for the Pharisees - which was a group of people focused on extreme piety - and I think we see this fleshed out in Luke. The Pharisees practiced extreme religious piety but seemed to miss the very nature of God in his compassion and grace towards others. Luke points out they loved money more than God.

Jesus is accused of throwing down Scripture, but actually he has the highest regard for it.

He says the very hill on which he’s preaching and the air he’s breathing will be abolished before the words of God ever will.

What does Jesus mean he will fulfill the Law & Prophets?

Fulfill also means complete.

We have this story in Luke where after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Jesus meets with some disciples who are out on a walk and he says this to them.

Luke 24:17–27 NASB95

17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22 “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” 25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Luke 24:44–47 NASB95

44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Last year we did our year of Biblical Literacy and we said:

The Bible is a library of texts - both divine and human - with a unified story that leads to knowing Jesus and growing in Jesus.

The point of the Old Testament - Jesus’ Bible - was not merely outward obedience, but it’s that a Jewish Savior would come to open up life with God to all nations. Including people like those whom could hear Jesus’ message on the hill - the crippled, the immoral, the non-Jewish, the sinners, people like you and me.

So if outward obedience isn’t the point of the Law, does it matter how we live?

Righteousness

Matthew 5:20 NASB95

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.

Here we see a shift in thought, and all the way through chapter 5 Jesus is going to talk about what righteousness truly looks like in the kingdom.

When’s the last time you used the word righteous in a sentence?

You sound like Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo.

Righteousness is goodness. A righteous person is a good neighbor, a faithful mother, the best of friends. A good person.

Jesus says in order to enter the good life with God now (he’s not just talking about going to heaven when you die), you must be a better person than even the best people.

The Scribes were employed for their ability to read and write. They held a variety of positions. But in terms of Jewish law, they would copy manuscripts of the OT. They were told to not alter even a syllable and were willing to die for the Law if necessary.

The Pharisees were a group bent on Jewish people setting themselves apart from non-Jewish people so they could faithfully obey the Law in order that by their obedience God would send his Messiah to save them from their oppressors, namely Rome.

They were viewed positively in society, they were more likely to be upper class, have money, and be honored in their community.

“They are intensely self-conscious about doing the right thing and about being thought to have done the right thing.” - Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy 143.

How can someone be better than the good people?

What does Jesus mean by righteousness?

Matthew 6:1 NASB95

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

Jesus seems to hint that outward righteousness isn’t the full picture.

Later in Matthew, Jesus confronts the Scribes and Pharisees and he tells a story about washing dishes.

Matthew 23:25–26 NASB95

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.

If you’re cleaning dishes and focusing only on cleaning the outside, you actually miss a lot of the gunk.

But if you focus on cleaning the inside, you actually inadvertently clean the inside.

I think what Jesus knew is that righteousness came before the Law. Abraham was a righteous person, and he didn’t have the Ten Commandments. How?

Genesis 15:1–6 NASB95

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” 2 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Abraham's righteousness was his reliance upon God, even when it made no sense.

But it didn’t stop there.

Genesis 18:17–19 NASB95

17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 “For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”

Abraham's righteousness involved living as God intended and teaching others to do the same.

Abraham’s goodness was an inward reality that flowed into how he lived and taught others to follow God.

Jesus reinterprets the Law.

The point of Scripture is not avoiding sin, but the need for a Jewish Savior to redeem mankind and open up life with God to all people.

Jesus redefines goodness.

It’s not an outward show, but an inner trust like Abraham who trusted God even when it made no sense and lived a Godly life and taught others to do the same.

Jesus’ audience misunderstood him, thinking he came to get rid of things when he didn’t come to destroy, but to reinterpret and redefine.

Similarly, I think we can misunderstand Jesus and his intentions. Two thoughts:

Jesus wants us to open our Bibles before John 3:16.

Any of you familiar with Andy Stanley?

I don’t know him personally and if you took my sermons I’m sure we could find something to get up in arms about.

Andy Stanley argues that Christians should unhitch from the Old Testament.

Jesus’ new covenant, His covenant with the nations, His covenant with you, His covenant with us, can stand on its own two nail-scarred resurrection feet. It does not need propping up by the Jewish scriptures.

The Bible did not create Christianity. The resurrection of Jesus created and launched Christianity. Your whole house of Old Testament cards can come tumbling down. The question is, did Jesus rise from the dead? And the eyewitnesses said he did.

I imagine Andy is shepherding people who - like all of us - are confused by our Old Testaments.

It’s got weird stuff. Polygamy, war, incest…how do we sort this out?

But I think if we listen to Jesus, who he is is inseparable from the Old Testament.

And frankly, John 3:16 doesn’t make that much sense without the rest of the story.

I think this matters for us because it’s popular to say: Jesus is love.

Absolutely. What do we mean by that?

It’s like if someone asked you, “Tell me about your wife.” And you said, “She’s a woman.” Is that all you know about her?

If we truly want to follow Jesus, and get to know him, the Old Testament puts Jesus in 3-D and by the time we get to Matthew we are so excited to see him walking around Galilee it’s just the best.

The cross completes the story. And you and I are the fulfillment of Scripture, that the good news of Jesus would be preached to the whole world - even to Sumner, WA.

Jesus cares where you go when you die but also cares how you live right now.

Entering the kingdom of heaven is an invitation to life with God now. And it’s invitation to a better kind of life.

Ephesians 2:8–10 NASB95

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Jesus doesn’t abolish good works, he gives us the ability to be good people.

It’s not that Jesus doesn’t care how we live, but he cares about a deeper level of transformation.

An apple tree does not grit its teeth to produce apples. Apples come because that’s just what an apple tree does.

We bear fruit in our life through connection with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 NASB95

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Are we the kind of people who, like Abraham, count on God’s word even when it’s confusing? Do we aim to live for him, not under threat, but because we like Jesus, even more than we like money?

The Christian life is more than going to heaven when you die, it’s an invitation to a better kind of life right now in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus fulfills the Scriptures. He’s the one who came to live a righteous life - fully trusting God as a Spirit filled human. Dying on your behalf and raising to new life and sending his Spirit so we - the farthest from Jews as they come - could be salt and light in the earth. So we could not just do good things but be good people who show the world how truly good God is.

Elder Process

Today is a fun day. We’re going to end our service with a congregational vote to affirm a new elder at Gateway Chapel. This is an exciting day for our church.

The elder board, myself and Gene Poppino have unanimously voted to confirm Doug Eash as an elder of Gateway Chapel, and place him before the congregation today to be affirmed by you through a vote.

But before we vote, let’s talk about why we’re doing this, and how we came to this point with Doug.

Gateway is a church full of men and women who lead at various levels. We believe the Bible says the role of elder is for biblically qualified men willing to serve and love the church. An elder is more than someone who is old, but someone who truly loves the church like Jesus.

There are 3 passages in the NT which speak to elder qualification:

1 Timothy 3:1–7 NASB95

1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Titus 1:5–9 NASB95

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. 7 For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.

1 Peter 5:1–6 NASB95

1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

Being an elder is a role, it’s not THE role. Jesus has THE role. The rest of us find our place.

And I want to say, too, that being a male-elder led church is not the hill we die on. We will give our lives for the truth that Jesus came in the flesh to die and be rose again for our sins, that God is Father, Son, Spirit three in one, and the Bible is the Word of God.

And we believe that being a male elder led church is faithful to Scripture and is in your best interest to be the people of God.

How did we get here with Doug?

This didn’t happen in a week.

Doug didn’t just complete a class, he didn’t jump through hoops or simply apply online.

We followed a written process for Doug and there are six parts to it.

To be an elder, a candidate must be an active and faithful participant in the life of the church.

Doug can you stand?

This is Doug!

Doug is married to Dorraine which is probably 80% of his qualification to be an elder of the church.

Doug and Dorraine have two children, Michael who is a member of the church and Sarah who’s married and attends GCC.

Doug and Dorraine started attending Gateway during online church.

Doug currently serves as our Missions Coordinator, faithfully reaching out to missionaries we support and making them more a part of our church family. He’s been a faithful member of a Community Group for nearly 3 years, as well.

Many of you have known Doug for a long time he went to Grace Community Church and was the head of the Missions Board.

But being an elder is not just what you do, it’s about the kind of person you are.

Doug I see your faithfulness and your humility.

Doug’s an introvert. As are many of you! We live in an extroverts world but Doug is an example of the quiet, steady, faithfulness that comes from being somebody content with being an example but not needing the limelight. Doug I see humility in you and that’s from the HS.

Participation and Observation

Invitation

Last year, Gene and Mike and I agreed that Doug was someone we want to invite into this process because of his character and service in the church.

Nurture, Growth, Evaluation

We met with Doug several times, Doug completed an elder questionairre about his faith, how he sees himself on the board, and we held a final meeting at our last elder meeting.

Confirmation

Gene and myself unanimously and enthusiastically voted to confirm Doug as an elder at our last meeting. Which then leads to step 5...

Affirmation

Pass out ballots

“Elders candidates are selected by an unanimous vote of the existing Elders and then presented to the congregation at any regular or special church business meeting for a vote of affirmation. A quorum of one-fourth of the active, voting membership is required and a simple majority vote of members present shall be necessary to make such action valid. Any non-affirming votes (“nay” or “no”) will be required to be accompanied in writing with reasons and concerns based on 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-6. Any Elder candidate who fails to be affirmed by a majority of the members present will be tabled for a period of 3 months while the Elder board considers the reasons for a failed vote. The elders determine whether or not to re-present the candidate after the 3 month period.”

Installation

This final stage involves a man being officially appointed to the role of elder by the existing elders and then publicly installed as an elder before the church. From this point the new appointee will assume the responsibilities and authority of an elder.

The initial term of a first-time elder will be 12 months, during which the elder board will continue to work together to equip and train the new elder, and to evaluate the man’s character, competency, chemistry, calling, and capacity.

So the elder board puts Doug before you as someone who we believe is biblically qualified to serve as an elder, and not only qualified, but willing to serve and love and support you the beautiful bride of Christ.

So what we’d like you to do is cast your vote. Take a few minutes if you need. Please place them in the back and then feel free to continue worshiping. We will tally the votes and let you know the results next Sunday the 19th.