The King's Law, Part 1
Notes
Transcript
Call to Worship: Numbers 23:19 // Prayer
Call to Worship: Numbers 23:19 // Prayer
Adoration: Lord, your majesty is beyond telling. All the nations, arrayed in military might, industrial power, intellectual accomplishment, are nothing before you. The beauty of your glory is beyond all telling, worthy of so much more praise and love and delight than everything our hearts could ever give.
Confession: And yet, we turn aside from you. We so often chose what is ugly. Instead of worship, we chose pride. Instead of patience, we chose anger. Instead of the beauty of purity, we choose the ugliness of lust. In these and many more ways, we have turned from you. Father, forgive us, for we have sinned against you.
Thanksgiving: But we rejoice, because all of your promises to forgive and redeem your people have been fulfilled in Christ. By his blood, you have cleansed us, removed our shame, ended our condemnation, and made us yours forever.
Supplication: So we pray, form our hearts for your glory. Give us hearts ready to give preference to one another, to serve one another in love, and to keep our unity in the bonds of peace that we have in Christ // and for Cross Creek Bible Church, we pray this same thing: that they would be so caught up in the beauty of the gospel, that they would live together in holiness and unity as a witness of Jesus to those around them, for your glory // Father, we remember Jeff, as he recovers from heart surgery; we remember others among us with health struggles, sorrows, hardships—some, inexpressibly difficult—Lord, please make yourself known to us in these hard places. Show us your glory. Comfort us with your love. Show us your faithfulness in the suffering, the blood, the death of your Son, who has caused us to inherit the promise of life everlasting // and now, as we hear Your Word… please show us your glory in the perfect law of Christ...
Family Matters
Family Matters
Kim + Ken
Benediction
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Sermon
Sermon
Read: Matthew 5:17-26
Intro
Intro
What does Jesus think about your sin?
Consider something you did this week. Big, or small. Some way in which you were selfish, or prideful, or whatever.
What does Jesus think about what you did? And what does his opinion mean for you?
There’s a tendency—a very popular tendency—to think that Jesus was a total revolutionary. You know, there was a way things were done in the OT, but Jesus changed all that. You know, in the OT, God was always condemning sin, but now, in the NT era, he doesn’t anymore, but only washes people’s feet, and speaks to them in kindness. So, King Jesus overthrew the OT Law like a true revolutionary, and now—there’s only grace.
Is that true? Is that what Jesus did with the law? Since the time that Jesus came, does God no longer condemn sin?
Well, you can probably tell that something isn’t quite right with that idea. It’s taking God’s grace and mercy—critical truths—and twisting them to make it sound like God has accepted our sin, rather than offer us redemption from it. And if you buy into that idea, you’ll find yourself with a God who is corrupt and gospel which is powerless to save or make holy.
OK, so if that view’s not right, then, what did Jesus do with the OT law? How does Jesus view my sin?
Well, in our passage this morning, we will see that Jesus made a change to the Law, by fulfilling it. But, we’ll also see that this did not sideline the law at all. Instead this made the law, fulfilled in Jesus, necessary both for entering the Kingdom, and for living as Kingdom citizens. Or to put it another way: The Law, fulfilled in Christ, brings both true repentance and real righteousness.
And to see just how Jesus taught this in our passage, we’ll walk through three steps:
First, we’ll see what the law looks like, fulfilled in Christ
Second, we’ll see how this Law is crucial for true repentance
Third, we’ll see how this law teaches us real righteousness
What is the King’s Law?
What is the King’s Law?
So first, what does the Law looks like, when it’s fulfilled in Christ?
You know, it seems that Jesus was as misunderstood in his own day as he is today. Apparently, some folks back then also thought he was trying to abolish every thing that came before him. So he began this section of his sermon with:
“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.
So what did Jesus do with the OT Law? He didn’t abolish it. But, he did fulfill it. What does that mean?
Well, first of all, it means that everything about the OT law code was crafted by God to point to Jesus—that’s why he could say that he fulfilled it. It existed to point to him. However, not every component of the OT law pointed to Jesus in the same way:
On the one hand, in Sunday School today we talked about how Jesus fulfilled the laws about sacrifice since he was the perfect sacrifice that those laws had always pointed to. They were symbols. He is the reality, the true sacrifice that removes sin. And there are many symbolic laws like that in the OT, which pointed to Christ.
On the other hand, Jesus fulfilled the righteousness of the law by his perfect life. That’s a little different: the Law’s requirement to live righteously is not a symbol in the same way that sacrifice is a symbol. Instead, it’s a revelation of God’s own perfect righteousness, and of the moral order of God’s creation. So, the righteous requirement of the OT law code was pointing forward to the one who would come and live out the perfect righteousness that we all should have lived.
So then, Jesus fulfilled the law in multiple ways. But then, what happened to the Law? Did it stop because Jesus fulfilled it?
Well, that depends on which law.
Think about it this way: laws like the sacrifice laws pointed forward to the one great sacrifice of Christ. So they’ve been fulfilled by Christ in such a way that the practice of animal sacrifices is ended. Those laws were a shadow—the reality is now here in Christ.
But laws about righteousness are different. Jesus also fulfilled those perfectly. But since Jesus is the King of the Kingdom, his righteous life—his perfect law keeping—actually defines the shape of kingdom life for us—the shape of life for anyone who belongs to him.
So we can sum that up by saying: the law as as fulfilled in King Jesus is the law of the kingdom.
An Example: Anger
An Example: Anger
But what does that look like? Well, soon after Jesus says explains that he has come to fulfill the law, just a few verses later, he gives six examples. And we’re going to look at the first example this morning: the example of murder and anger
Look at vs. 21:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
Notice how it is phrased: “You have heard that it was said”—in other words, Jesus is saying, “Here’s what you’ve been taught about the Law” or “Here’s what you guys think the law means”
And what did they think? “Don’t murder. And if you do, you’ll be judged as a murderer.” Period.
And in a sense, they weren’t wrong here. The OT does teach that.
But notice how Jesus confronted them (vs. 22):
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
That’s heavy! What is Jesus doing there?
First, notice how he introduces it: “But I say to you”—in other words, here’s an interpretation of the law from the law-giver himself.
And what is the interpretation? That the sin of anger brings you into the same judgement as the crime of murder—that the sin of anger is heart-murder, and worthy of hell.
Let that sink in for a moment.
I mean, why is murder wrong? Because it is an assault on someone who bears God’s image.
But by the same token, have you ever been unjustly angry with a fellow image bearer? Have you ever allowed bitterness to take root in your heart toward someone? Have you ever harbored resentment? Refused to forgive? Assumed the worst? Ignored? Despised? Shown favoritism? Given the cold treatment?
A mother, resenting her children because they’re troublesome
A husband, harboring a quite coldness toward his wife
An outburst of anger over politics or culture or something...
All of these—common circumstances in our lives—how does Jesus see them? As far worse than we can imagine. As despicable sin, worthy of hell. Friends, that’s heavy! It’s heavy on my heart, and it should be heavy on yours also.
And we might be tempted to ask, “Why is Jesus so strict?” But really, we should turn that question around. Because if Jesus is God incarnate, then his standard of righteousness just represents reality. So really, we should ask: “Why do we find our sin so much less serious than Jesus finds it?” And the ultimate answer is this: we have lost sight of the perfection of God.
If God is the one who made all things, sustains all things, and is the judge of all things—then the true standard of righteousness for the world must flow from the perfection of his being. Brothers and sisters, there is not even a shadow of corruption in God. And so, there is also not a shadow of corruption in his standard of righteousness. God’s standard—the true standard—is perfect righteousness, all the way down to the dark crevices of our hearts—the places where anger and bitterness and pride lurk.
And so Jesus’ standard is not odd after all—it’s just what we would expect, if God is truly good. He will judge all sinful anger, and condemn it to it to where it belongs: hell.
And so, the Law fulfilled in Christ is a law that demands perfect righteous, all the way down to the core of our hearts.
True Repentance in Light of the King’s Law
True Repentance in Light of the King’s Law
**Now, that truth is heavy. But listen: Jesus did not preach that truth to leave you hopeless. Rather, he preached it to lead you to life.***
How so? Remember: this is not an isolated passage. It’s part of the sermon on the mount. And how did that sermon begin?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
So who does the kingdom of heaven belong to? Not those who are innocent of anger—because then there would be no citizens.
But those who allow the King’s Law about anger to sink in and crush their hearts, until they are poor in spirit; those who mourn over their sin—what do they receive? Comfort from God!
So then, salvation belongs to those who see their own sin in the light of the King’s Law, and repent.
And this is why Jesus says what he says in verse 20:
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
What’s he saying? There is a kind of righteousness which follows “all the rules”—but is merely external. It never murders. But it will harbor anger. It covers up a rotten heart with external acts of righteousness, and then it judges itself to be good, based on this external righteousness. This was the kind of false righteousness practiced by the scribes and Pharisees.
And this is the kind of righteousness someone is expressing when they say they are a good person—the idea is that, as long as you do some good stuff, you’re good enough. You pass muster. But it’s a delusion, because the heart underneath is still rotten.
And you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven while operating with this false standard of righteousness—you must repent not just from obvious sins, like murder—but you must acknowledge and confess and repent of heart sins, like anger
This seems to be the point of the parable in vs. 25-26
Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
In this parable, someone refuses to deal with his crime against another person. Thus he winds up in front of the judge—and then it’s too late.
It’s the same for us. If we refuse to come to terms with the sin in our hearts, we will some day stand before the Judge of all the earth, who knows our hearts. And then, it will be too late.
But if we come to terms with the sin—if anyone humbles himself and turns to Jesus for mercy—he will receive that mercy in abundance: forgiveness for murder, or anger, or bitterness, or anything.
In this way, the law of Christ drives us to repentance, which brings salvation—and by the way, if you’ve been convicted by this discussion of anger, and you’ve never repented from your sin and trusted in Christ for forgiveness—we would urge you: turn from your sin to Christ, and receive his mercy.
True Righteousness in Light of the King’s Law
True Righteousness in Light of the King’s Law
But now, is that the only purpose of the law? To drive us to repentance? No.
The Law of God does first drive us to repentance, by exposing our sin—and when we repent, we receive a forgiveness and grace which we cannot lose.
But then, as we stand in that grace, the law returns, to show us how to live for God’s glory. Again, remember: our King has fulfilled the law by his own righteousness. And it’s his character that defines the character of the kingdom. So if you are a citizen of his Kingdom, you’re meant to imitate his law-keeping righteousness.
Look at how Jesus applies this in vs. 23-24
So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
So here Jesus pictures a sincere old-covenant worshiper, who’s come to offer a sacrifice to God. And as he’s preparing to worship, he remembers that he got angry and offended a fellow Israelite.
What’s Jesus’ counsel? Leave your offering. Go all the way back to your home town, confess your sin, and be reconciled to your brother. Then, once you’ve dealt with your sin, come and worship at the temple.
What does this tell us? When you offend someone with your anger—or with some other heart-sin—it’s a significant problem to God. It runs counter to the character of his kingdom.
So what would this counsel look like in our terms? If you come to worship the Lord on Sunday morning at Scholls, and remember that you’ve sinned against someone, stop. Find the person that you’ve wronged, confess your sin, and make it right. Spouse, child, friend, whoever. Then, after that, join the congregation in worship. That kind of attitude glorifies God.
And it’s probably worth pointing out, here, what this means for a believer who struggles regularly with the sin of anger: your sin is much worse than you’ve thought. It breaks the law of Christ, and drags his name through the mud! So if you’re a true believer, you need to get serious about killing that sin—which probably includes confessing it to fellow believers who can walk with you along the way. And grace of Christ will be enough for you in that battle.
But so, the point is this: The Law of God, fulfilled in Christ, also shows us how to live in true righteousness.
Relaxing the King’s Law?!
Relaxing the King’s Law?!
So, to sum up what we’ve seen in this passage: The Law, fulfilled in Christ, brings both true repentance and real righteousness to the hearts of those who listen.
And I think this is what makes sense of vs. 19:
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.
Did you see that? There’s some way in which however you treat God’s law is how you are measured from a heavenly perspective. And it seems that this applies especially to teachers: if you relax the commands of God, so as to make people comfortable with their sin, you are considered least in the kingdom of heaven. Why?
Because if the law is what brings a person to repentance, and you relax the law in order to avoid offending someone—you are removing that person’s chance to repent and be forgiven by God!
And if you relax the law while teaching God’s people, you will rob them of the conviction and instruction they need in order to grow.
Conclusion
Conclusion
You know, the irony in all this is that when people relax the law, they often think that they are relaxing it to emphasize God’s grace. But the opposite is true: if God’s grace is limited and unreliable, then we’ll need to minimize the law also, so that God doesn’t have too much to forgive (as if we could control such things!). Yet, if we really see the infinite depths, the immeasurable heights, of God’s grace in Christ—if we really believe in the infinite worth of the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins—then the law’s requirement for heart perfection will not discourage us, but only drive us deeper into the mercy of Christ, and from their, into the kind of righteous living that will cause the nations to turn and give glory to God.