WHAT DID JESUS DO?

Please turn in your Bible to Romans 3 as we look at WHAT DID JESUS DO?

Over the past several months we have been studying the Ten Words or Ten Commandments. I have mentioned on occasion that the reason why I have encouraged you to memorize them is so that you can use them in your personal witness for Christ. Let’s review the commandments for a moment.

No other gods before Me

No graven images

Do not take God’s name in vain

Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy

Honor Your Parents

Do not Murder

Do not Commit Adultery

Do not Steal

Do not Bear False Witness

Do not Covet

Do you remember a fad from a few years back that used the acronym: WWJD? This stood for “What Would Jesus Do?” I don’t know if you know the origin of that question or not, but I do. In 1896 a Christian author by the name of Charles Sheldon wrote a book titled IN HIS STEPS. This fictional book focused on what happened with a small-town church that set that community aflame for Christ. And the driving question for the people of this church was “What Would Jesus Do?”

I first ran across this book in 1982 around the time of my high school graduation. I purchased several copies of the book to give out to my friends as graduation presents. Then I purchased a copy of it for myself to read as well. (Yes, I actually gifted books which I had not yet read — what can I say? I was a high school kid after all!).

Several years later there was a revival of this book — I’d like to think maybe I started it? (Dream on!). All of a sudden people started wearing these bracelets with the acronym WWJD on them.

When I was younger I thought this was great. Now that I am an officially mature person (only three years shy of the age my mother was when she passed onto glory) I have my concerns with this question. Asking what would Jesus do in any given situation leads to a lot of speculation. “Would Jesus buy a Chevy or a Ford?” “Would Jesus buy a house in the ghetto or the Suburbs?” “Would Jesus eat lunch at McDonald’s or Applebees?” Of course all of these questions are about self and not others. But this mindset can also lead to a worship of a Jesus of our own creating. Jesus was and is a real person, and there is a great deal of historical accounts regarding what He said and did. And so, instead of asking “what would Jesus do?” we should be asking “what did Jesus do?”

This morning, as we seek to understand how we can effectively use the Ten Commandments in our personal witness for Christ, we are going to look at how He used them in His earthly ministry. We will look at His relationship with the Law, and His use of the Law in His personal witness. But first let’s consider

The Purpose of the Law

As we consider the purpose of the Law we will look at what the Law cannot do, and what it can do. Let’s begin with

What the Law Cannot Do

Note that,

The Moral Law of God Cannot Make a Person Righteous

About twenty years ago I came across a story about Harry Ironside. Harry Ironside was not a police detective confined to a wheel chair, played by Raymond Burr, rather he was a pastor and theologian. Along with being an itinerant preacher, Ironside served as the Pastor at the Moody Memorial Church from 1929 to 1948.

Anyway, the story which I once read, and now can’t find, was about Ironside visiting a church adult Sunday School class. The teacher of this class asked his students, “How did people get saved during the OT times?” Some one answered that people were saved by keeping the moral Law of God — the Ten Commandments. But Ironside piped in and said something like this, “My Bible tells me that by the works of the flesh no man will be justified in God’s sight.” As the story went, the teacher eventually asked Ironside to take over the remainder of the class.

In Romans 1:18-3:20 Paul established the truth that neither Gentiles nor Jews can save themselves. There is no one who is righteous. There is no one who understands. There are none who even seek for God on their own doing. Paul closed this section with this, from verses 19-20.

Romans 3:19–20 NASB 95

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

The moral Law of God was never intended to save a person, that is because it is impossible for a person to fully keep the moral Law, unless, of course that person is Jesus Christ.

Let’s turn now to

What the Law Can Do

Note that,

The Moral Law Testifies to the Righteousness of Faith

Look at

Romans 3:21–24 NASB 95

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

What does Paul mean by apart from the Law? It means entirely apart from obedience to the Law one can be made righteous before God. Ironside wrote, “Now upon the proven unrighteousness of all mankind ‘the righteousness of God is manifested.’ Of old He had declared, ‘I will bring near My righteousness.’ This is in no sense a wrought-out, legal righteousness, such as man was unable to produce for God. It is a righteousness ‘without the law,’ that is, altogether apart from any principle of human obedience to a divinely-ordained code of morals. It is a righteousness of God for unrighteous men, and is in no wise dependent upon human merit or attainment.” (Ironside Commentary on Romans, pg. 47-48).

What is the Righteousness of God? It is the righteousness which is intrinsically a part of the character of God. It is absolute sinless perfection. It is a character trait by which every act or thought of God is completely just. And without this righteousness no one can approach God. This means that only a righteous person can stand before God as one who in uncondemned. And since no one is righteous, no one can stand before God, unless God provides the righteousness Himself. Because the believer has been declared righteous by God based on the applied righteousness of Christ, he or she has a standing before God, as well as access to the throne of grace!

How has the righteousness of God been testified about by the Law and Prophets? First, understand that the phrase Law and Prophets refers to the totality of the OT writings. Second, the Moral Law is a testament about itself. It is black and white — about as obvious as you can get. Third the Prophets continually rebuked Israel for failing to live up to the Mosaic Covenant. Much of what they wrote was an exposition of the Law. “God said if you obey then blessings will follow. But God said if you turn your back on the Law and follow after other gods you will be cursed.”

How does one obtain this righteousness which is apart from the Law? It is obtained by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Again, Ironside wrote, “The righteousness of God is a ‘by faith’ righteousness. It is not ‘by works.’ Faith is taking God at His word. So He has sent a message to man to be believed. It is the offer of an unimpeachable righteousness to all, but is only upon all them who believe.” (pg. 49)

So, we have considered that the Law testifies to the righteousness of faith.

Note next that,

The Moral Law of God Can Bring an Awareness of Our Own Sinfulness

To the struggling Galatian church Paul wrote,

Galatians 3:23–24 NASB 95

But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

The Law is our tutor in that it makes us aware of our sin. We recognize that we are idolaters, at least on occasions, because we have other gods whom we make out to be more important than the one and only True God. And the most common god is ourselves! We recognize that we serve an image of God in our own making rather than the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture. Because the Law is our tutor we recognize that we are guilty of breaking one commandment after another!

The thing is, unless a person recognizes that he or she is a sinner they don’t recognize their need of a Savior. That is why it was the sinners and tax collectors who flocked to Jesus. They recognized their own sin against God, and realized that Jesus was teaching them how to deal with their sins.

But the self-serving religious elite in first century Israel did not recognize that they too were sinners. And therefore, they did not see the need to repent and believe the gospel.

Note that,

The Law was Given to Protect Israel

My former OT professor, Bruce Benware, wrote, “the law given at Mount Sinai was designed to be temporary. It would exist as a rule of life for Israel until the Messiah came (Gal. 3:23–4:5). The law was never designed to save anyone but was given to protect Israel from the terrible sins of the Gentiles and to teach them about their God. It was a rule of life for Israel and was not given to govern the nations of the earth.” (Bruce Benware, UNDERSTANDING END TIMES PROPHECY: A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH, pg. 167)

We have been looking at the purpose of the Law. Now let’s consider

Christ’s Relationship With the Law

We turn now to the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5, to look at Christ’s relationship to the Law. Look at

Matthew 5:17–19 NASB 95

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

Note that,

Jesus Emphasized the Preeminence of the Word of God

Sometimes I hear people say something like “I only read the NT because it is about grace and love, whereas the OT is about Law and legalism.” It is probably not said in those exact words, but that is the basic sentiment. But Jesus, at the very beginning of His earthly ministry affirmed the importance of the OT. He did not come to abolish it, but to fulfill it.

Jesus then went on to state that everything which was written in the OT will be accomplished. Many of the things written have been accomplished already, but much of what is written in the OT awaits the day in which it will be accomplished. It will be accomplished in what is sometimes referred to as the prophetic Day of the Lord.

Jesus then warns us about what will happen if we lead people astray in our teaching. We will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is not here addressing false teachers who are outside the faith, but true believers who are in the faith. Both have been present throughout the church age. The parable of the tares among the wheat demonstrates that. But here Jesus is referring to believers who seem to have a very low view of God’s Word.

MacArthur wrote, “We continually hear the idea that because times have changed the Bible does not fit our day. The truth, of course, is the opposite. The Bible always fits, because the Bible is God’s perfect, eternal, and infallible Word. It is the standard by which true ‘fit’ is measured. It is the world that does not fit the Bible, and not because the world has changed but because the Bible has not changed. Outwardly the world has changed a great deal since biblical days, but in its basic nature and orientation it has always been opposed to God and has never conformed to His Word. The world has never fit Scripture.” (MacArthur, NTC pg. 250-251).

Just as the world tries to fashion God into their mold, so they also try to do with His Word. But His Word does not change, just as God does not change.

Jesus did not come to give a new law. Nor did He come to modify the old. He came to fulfill the Law and to explain it. In the rest of this chapter Jesus does explain the Law from God’s perspective. In doing so He corrects the wrongful teaching of the rabbinical teachers. But He does not correct God’s Word. Look at verses 21-22.

Matthew 5:21–22 NASB 95

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 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.

This is a reference to the internal obedience demanded by the moral Law of God. Specifically here Jesus is referring to the fifth commandment. He is not correcting the Word of God, but He is correcting the erroneous teaching of many rabbis. Look at verses 27-28.

Matthew 5:27–28 NASB 95

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Again, this is referring to internal obedience and not mere external obedience. The married man who says, “I may be married, but I’m not dead!” is absolutely wrong. When a man marries a woman he becomes dead to all other women — or at least that is what his attitude and actions should be. This statement shows that he is trying to make an excuse for his sin against his wife — the sin of lusting after other women. But the truth is that he is guilty of adultery in God’s eyes.

So far, we have looked at the purpose of the law, and Jesus’ relationship to it.

Let’s turn now to

Christ’s Use of the Law

Here we are going to look at how Jesus used the Ten Commandments in His personal interaction with a certain young man. Turn to

Mark 10:17–22 NASB 95

As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

The summer between high school graduation and my freshman year of college, 1982, I wrote my first ever lyric to a song (I had, by this time written the music to several songs, but my buddy, Rob, always wrote the lyrics). And in this song, titled: WOULD I BE? I referred to this rich young ruler.

Would I be like the rich young man who wanted to serve the Lord,

But was not willing to give up all his things for money to feed the poor?

This young man, who was probably a wealthy synagogue ruler, asked Jesus what he should do in order to inherit eternal life. He was steeped in the legalism of his day. He naturally thought in terms of some religious deed that would guarantee him eternal life. (See MacArthur Study Bible) If indulgences had been available for him to purchase, he would have purchase them lavishly.

I take it that this young man was truly sincere in his desire to inherit eternal life. He wasn’t trying to trap Jesus, as did the Sadducees and Pharisees toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. But sincerity is not enough. A person can sincerely believe in the wrong object, and his sincerity will bring him to the pits of hell! Though sincerity is not enough, it is an important element of faith. In order for a person to inherit eternal life they must sincerely believe that they are sinners in the hands of an angry God. This calls for a humility which is foreign to the human race. Also, they must believe that Jesus is the Eternal God who became man in order to die as a substitute for His people. They must, further, believe that He rose from the dead and now He livers forevermore! Sincerity is required, but their faith must be directed at the right object.

Notice Christ’s reaction to this young man referring to Him as good. Look at verse 18.

Mark 10:18 NASB 95

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

Here Jesus was challenging this ruler to think about what he was saying. Was he just trying to butter Jesus up by calling Him or good? Or was he acknowledging that Jesus was deity? Only God is intrinsically good. And as we have seen concerning man, there is none who are good. Did this man actually recognize Jesus for who He truly was and is? Unfortunately the gospel writers don’t tell us how this man responded to Jesus’ question about being good.

Jesus then took him through the whole second table of the Law. Look at verse 19.

Mark 10:19 NASB 95

You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ”

At this the young ruler seems to have puffed up like a peacock in claiming that he had always kept these commandments. He could have said with Paul, “regarding the righteousness that comes from the law I am faultless.” But, as we know, he may have kept them externally, but he had not perfectly kept the internally. He may not have been guilty of cold-blooded murder, but more than likely he was guilty of anger. He may never have had sexual relations with any woman who was not his wife, but he probably did think about it.

Note that,

Jesus Used the Law to Demonstrate that We Fall Short of the Perfection Required by God

Jesus was using the Law to demonstrate to this young man that he was not perfect. That he needed to humble himself and realize that he was a sinner. He needed to understand that there was nothing he could do which would purchase a spot in heaven for him.

Jesus had compassion for this young, lost, man. But He also saw through him as only God can. He knew that this man’s god was money, and you cannot serve both God and money. There is no room for multiple gods. This young man, as well as you and I, was to have no other god before him. Look at verse 21.

Mark 10:21 NASB 95

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

At a superficial glance we might be tempted to say that Jesus was offering this young man the opportunity to purchase salvation by becoming a philanthropist. But Jesus did no such thing. Rather, he exposed this man’s greed for what it was. MacArthur noted that, this man “was not blameless, as he maintained, since he loved his possessions more than his neighbors. More importantly, he refused to obey Christ’s direct command, choosing to serve riches instead of God … he would not acknowledge his sin and repent, neither would he submit to the Sovereign Savior.” (MacArthur Study Bible)

Ray Comfort asked, “What did Jesus do when He confronted sinners? As we see from Scripture, He made the issue one of righteousness rather than happiness. He used the Ten Commandments to show sinners the righteous standard of God.” (The Way of the Master, pg. 47).

He actually set the bar very high. Look at

Matthew 5:20 NASB 95

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

In the eyes of the average Joe, the scribes and Pharisees’ righteousness was unsurpassed. Even more so in the eyes of the scribes and Pharisees. But throughout the gospels Jesus demonstrated that these people were not truly righteous. No one is truly righteous with the exception of Jesus.

Many years ago, when I worked at the factory in Rochester, MI, we had a family who were friends with our family. The wife was very close to Gail, and the husband and I and worked together at the same factory and we banked together at the same Credit Union. They were having financial difficulties, and one afternoon he called me up and asked if I would transfer some money from my bank account into his. They had to have funds in there account by 5 pm or else they would end up bouncing a check. I had been working overtime to save up money to re-side our house with vinyl siding. So, I did have a bit of leeway. At that time I actually knew how to do online banking, and so I got online and transferred x amount of dollars from my account to his. Though it was my hard earned money, it was credited to his account.

And that is the way it is with righteousness. You and I were facing spiritual bankruptcy. We were not only about to bounce a spiritual check, but we were about to stand before a judge who would declare us bankrupt. But then, we who are believers, came to our senses. We did so because the Holy Spirit opened the eyes of our hearts so that we could perceive the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We recognized our spiritual condition. We believed in the work of Christ, that He who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. We believed in Christ’s substitutionary death on our behalf. We believed in His resurrection from the dead. And God, the eternal judge pronounced in the heavenly court that we are justified — we were declared to be righteous before God. Not a righteousness of our own that is derived from keeping the Law, but the righteousness that is through faith in Christ. We were declared righteous because Jesus transferred His righteousness to our account. And He transferred our sins to His account.

This is the only way in which a person can be declared righteous before God.

As I was writing this I was reminded of an event in our home when I was very young, probably about five. My mom wanted for my brother and I to learn to enjoy stewed tomatoes, so she called them tomato pudding. And my parents were eating their serving and talking about how good it was. But, as only a five year old can do, I stated, “you must have gotten all of the good stuff, because we got all of the yuck!”

When it comes to substitution, you and I who are believers got all of the good stuff. And Jesus got all of the yuck! He had to endure the wrath of God that was our due. But He did so because He loved us with an everlasting love. Though He despised the shame of the cross, He endured it for the joy that was set before. That same joy which is found in heaven over just one sinner who repents.

Next week, Lord willing, we will continue to look at how we can use the Ten Commandments in our personal witness. Hopefully it will be presented in a practical way which we can easily use as we share the message of the gospel with they dying world around us.

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father,

We bow before You thanking You for your stubborn love. You have loved us with an everlasting love — it was this love which caused You to send Your only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. We are overwhelmed by the demonstration of this love in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Lord, I pray for any here who are still sinners; I pray that they would be confronted with their sin and offense against You. I pray that the eyes of their hearts would be opened so that they can perceive the truth of the gospel and be saved. I pray that they would respond by embracing Jesus as their Messiah, Savior, and Lord.

In Jesus Name — Amen.

Closing Song: Jesus Messiah

He became sin, who knew no sin That we might become His righteousness He humbled himself and carried the cross Love so amazing, love so amazing

Jesus Messiah, name above all names Blessed redeemer, Emmanuel The rescue for sinners, the ransom from Heaven Jesus Messiah, Lord of all

His body the bread, his blood the wine Broken and poured out all for love The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn Love so amazing, love so amazing,

All our hope is in You, all our hope is in You All the glory to You, God, the light of the world

Jesus Messiah, Lord of all You're the Lord of all The Lord of all