Jesus and the Law- Pt. I

A fulfilling questioning section

We have been looking at being kingdom citizens, qualities of kingdom citizens. We have looked at the influence of kingdom citizens on the world as salt and light. Today we are going to look at, or start to look at Jesus and the Law, and how that impacts kingdom citizens then and now. It may bring up some questions and more questions, hopefully by the time we are done next week, most of the questions are going to be answered.

Our passage, now details the righteousness of the kingdom

The righteous conduct Jesus expected of His disciples as exampled with explanation.

This would be in contrast with the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees who had a zeal for God and the Law

This will start with some correction of some false misconceptions about Jesus relationships with the Law of Moses and the prophets:

Had he comes to destroy the Law of Moses and the Prophets?

Are His teachings in direct contradiction to the writings of the Law and the Prophets?

Let’s read together

Mt5:17-18 “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.”

Mt5:19-20 “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.”

What stands out to you in this passage, anything prevalent?

Who is Jesus addressing in this passage?

Charles Spurgeon “To show that He never meant to abrogate the law, our Lord Jesus has embodied all its commands in his own life. In his own person was a nature which was perfectly conformed to the law of God, and as was his nature such was his life.”

The Jews in Jesus day would have seen, considered the scripture as the law and the Prophets

Mt7:12 “12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Mt11:13 “13 “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.”

That is just to name a few, there are many others (Mt22:40; Lk15:15; Jn1:45, just to name a few others)

Again, look at (v.17) again

Mt5:17 “17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

“I CAME TO FULFILL”

Some versions say “destroy the law” and Vines says on that the word destroy means to “destroy utterly, to overthrow completely.”

Jesus wants to make it vividly clear he adds nothing to the law, he had authority, but did nothing in contradiction to the Law except live in perfect obedience to it, that would be a fulfillment of it.

Jesus did often challenge man’s interpretation of the law, especially of Sabbath regulations (Mt12:11-12), yet he never broke the law of God.

Sometimes I come across some very good quotes and I just can’t pass them up; this is from FF Bruce having to do with fulfilling the Law of Moses and the Prophets.

Jesus fulfilled the doctrinal teaching in that He brought full revelation

Jesus fulfilled the predictive prophecy in that He is the promised One showing the reality behind the shadows seen previously

Jesus fulfilled the moral and legal demands in that He fully obeyed them and he reinterpreted them in their truth.

Jesus fulfilled the penalty by His death on the cross, taking the penalty we deserved

Paul wrote on this theme for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Rom10:4).

BJ Clarke - this one is long, but worth it too: “in a word Christ completed the law: 1st, in itself, it was only the shadow, the typical representation, of good things to come; and he added to it that which was necessary to make it perfect. HIS OWN SACRIFICE, without which it could neither satisfy God, nor sanctify men. 2ndly. He completed it in himself by submitting to its types with an exact obedience, and verifying them by his death upon the cross. 3dly. He completes the law, and the sayings of his prophets, in his members, by giving them grace to love the Lord with all their heart soul, mind and strength, and their neighbour as themselves; for this is all the law and the prophets.”

Again, Jesus did not come to destroy, He came to fulfill:

The law foretold of the coming of the Messiah

There were approximately 330 prophecies concerning the Christ found in the law of Moses and the Prophets such as

Deut18:15 “15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.”

Deut18:18-19 “18 ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 ‘It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.”

Then there is the suffering servant which you may know from Isa53:1-12, and you can look that up yourself when you have time.

They forefold of the coming kingdom of God

Dan2:44 “44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”

They foretold of a new and better covenant

Jer31:31-34 “31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.””

While this speaks to the people of Israel, confirmed in Heb8:6-13 as fulfilled to the Hebrew Christians that came to Christ, as fulfilled through Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah to all who believe. The prophesy spoken in Jeremiah is fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah

Time to move on

Mt5:18 “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.”

The idea of the word is good, but the words themselves are better. The words will not pass away. They are eternal. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word will continue (1Pt1:25).

OK, again the question is, did Jesus fulfill the Law?

If he did not, Look again at (v.17)

Mt5:17 “17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

He did failed His purpose

If He failed His purpose we better be living to every tit and tittle of the law then

If He did accomplish it then

Jn17:4 “4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.”

We have a New Covenant replacing the Old Covenant governing God’s people today

Indeed Jesus did fulfill the Laws demands for we have have a new Priesthood and a new law.

There have been changes

In the priesthood from the Levitical priests to the order of Melchizedek (Heb7:1-14)

And the law itself (Heb7:18-19, 22)

Also the law foretold it would be replaced (Heb8:6-13) you can look those up on your own if you choose.

Jesus fulfilled the Law and the prophets, at the time of the preaching of this sermon, they had not been fulfilled yet. So, He taught His disciples to be faithful and to teach others to be faithful

Mt5:19-20 “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.”

There is the warning not to charge, not to alter, in no way, not even a little.

Jesus had no disrespect for the Jewish law, Jewish teaching at all. Any disrespect for the O.T. would not make a good Christian remember what which was written before is for our learning.

The Christian is done with the Law in the means of gaining righteous standing before God. One passage explains this clearly.

Gal2:21 “21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.””

David Guzik says “The law sends us to Jesus to be justified, because it shows us our inability to please God in ourselves. But after we come to Jesus, He sends us back to the law to learn the heart of God for our conduct and sanctification.”

We, today, do not obey an external law because of fear. No, we believers today obey an internal law and live because of love. The Holy Spirit gives us the Word. The Word is truth and enables us to obey the truth so not to suffer the consequences of sin. In our age today we are more responsible since we have the law fulfilled.

Sum it up. did Jesus fulfill the law? Did Jesus fulfill His purpose? Did the law fulfill it’s purpose. Did the law lead us to Jesus?

YES!

(Prayer)