Fulfilling the Law

Intro

The Sermon on the Mount is the blueprint for the Kingdom of Heaven

Kingdom of Heaven

What is a kingdom?

A place where the king reigns which means his will is done

In Genesis God blessed Adam and Eve and then gave them a job; be fruitful and multiply, care for the earth

As Jesus is laying out the plans for a new creation He gave us the blessings, beatitudes, then a job, light of the world

Matthew 5:17–20 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Why is this section here?

Often times we measure our goodness against others, “At least I’m better than they are.”

If we were not poor in spirit before then we should be when looking at the holiness of God

The Kingdom of Heaven is something different than what has been offered by the Pharisees. It is not about what is done and what is not done, but about the position of the heart. If our heart is humble toward God then we acknowledge His ways and follow after Him. The Law reveals God to us, what His behavior is like. How can that pass away?

To surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees we must rely upon Jesus’ righteousness. All along God was teaching Israel to rely upon God for their food, water, and life. Not only do we rely on God for our physical life but all the more do we rely upon Him for our eternal life, our soul.

No short cuts to redemption

The Law

What was the purpose of the Law?

The Law tells us about God

It is what we are supposed to be and do because that is who God is, do not lie because God is truth

“The law stands as the perfect expression of God’s ethical character and requirements.” - David Guzik

It also tells us about ourself

I really do want to do what is right, but I also really want to do what is not right

So then, the Law shows sin to be sin

Romans 7:13 “Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.”

Apart from the Law we were playing in the street like happy little idiots. When the Law came we realized what we were doing was wrong. Because we are sinful, sin seized that opportunity to entice into the street. Now we know what we were doing is wrong and also have a greater desire to do it, if for no other reason, because we are not supposed to.

“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.” - David Guzik

The Law was good but imperfect, incomplete

Jesus Fulfilled the Law

The Law pointed to Jesus

He fulfilled it by keeping every bit of it

He also fulfilled it by being the sacrifice we needed

To break the Law is to live apart from God

The consequence to not keeping the Law is death

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We sinned, we had death to pay, Jesus paid it for us in accordance to the Law

Hebrews 9:15 “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

So what? Holiness

The holiness of God is immutable

Don’t shy away from it

Not legalism, not cheap grace, holiness

We are called to be holy

Leviticus 11:45 “For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.””

1 Peter 1:15-16 “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

We need the righteousness of Jesus

Romans 8:1-4 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

How now shall we live?

Let us remember that God is the giver of life. His law is good but we are not good at following it. Only through Jesus can we be saved, it is His righteousness that is imparted to us.

Let us realize the gravity of God’s commands. The Law points to God and instructs us on living the blessed life God intended for us.

Remember that God is the giver of life

Only through Jesus can we be saved

Don’t take lightly the commands of God

The Law is still the character of God