Sixth Sunday after Trinity (2024)

Matthew 5:17-26

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ what a blessed day that we get to gather together around the Word of God in a country that does not force us to adhere to a particular religion or denomination for when the governments of the past have attempted to do this in ends inevitably in wickedness. But we have been guaranteed certain rights in this country and we shall make use of it. For many men and women have risked their lives to secure these rights for all citizens of our nation. In our gospel lesson for today we have Jesus teaching about the reason that He came to earth, and his message is one that is rather shocking. Because it flies in the face of how the world understands what makes a person good.

The Law of God

Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law.

Many mistake the work of Christ and the role of the Old Testament as being one in which he overthrows the demands of the Law. They reason that since we no longer have to obey the Ceremonials laws of cleanliness, or the Civil laws in regards to their government that we are free of the Old Testament entirely. Jesus is speaking here of what is known as the Moral Law, which is summed up nicely in the 10 commandments. of which he says

The smallest part will not pass away.

We read in our text, iota, which is the smallest of greek letters, but the word there for dot, is actually the greek word for horn, which sounds weird to us. When we write the letter a, you make the circle and then go down and there is a bit that hangs off. The smallest parts of the letters are important. The Moral law remains absolutely.

If you set aside the Law, you will be called least.

That’s what it means to relax the law, to say you don’t really need to listen to God’s WOrd, and Jesus says that if you teach others to do that you will be called least in the kingdom of God.

What must one do to keep the Law?

What follows is Jesus explaining exactly what God meant by the Law, and what it requires. For Jesus himself says unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the Kingdom of God. Which means the Pharisees and Scribes weren’t doing enough.

The Righteousness of Man

The world says, one word isn’t enough.

But the Scriptures tell Matthew 12:36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,” WHen we talk about the 2nd commandment, we shall not misuse the name of the lord our God, but what does that mean, it means no vulgarity at all. We are required to avoid all coarse and foul language and instead speak honorably. Yet how often do we let language slip by our lisp that we are told are not to be.

The world says, it was just in my mind.

(Quote 1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” When God judges, he won’t just judge the things that you did, but also the purposes of your heart, that is your thoughts, that is why when Jesus talks about adultery, it isn’t just what you do with your body, it is what it happening in your mind as well. Lust is a damnable sin and sexual immorality is forbidden.

The world says, it’s ok to slip once.

(Quote James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” For when you break one commandment you have broken them all. We treat the commandments on a sliding scale of bad to worse, but the Law condemns all who slip up even just once. Why is the Law so strict?

God Demands you to be Holy.

For if God let sin go unpunished and people enter into paradise, then He would no longer be good, he would no longer be holy, He would no longer be just. Heaven is his dwelling and holinessis who He is, and He tells that He requires that we be Holy as He is Holy. So the Law requires perfection.

Thou Shall not Murder

The world thinks only of our hands.

If you talk to anyone and ask well have you committed murder and they will say, no, never have I committed murder for the world thinks only of ones hands, and murdering another persons body.

But murder starts in the heart.

It goes back to Cain and Abel, if we are to forbid murder, we must recognize that it begins with hatred for our fellow man. That is why the Scriptures say whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. That’s the Law.

We say this is too harsh.

Who can avoid that? The commandments seem manageable when we get to limit what they apply to. If murder is what my hands do, then I can keep them relatively clean, but if God is going to judge my words, my thoughts, and my heart. So we deny it by saying that God is too harsh, because we don’t want to admit that the Law is right.

What matters is how God sees it.

If God sees the Law in this way, as Jesus the Son of God explains, then amongst us can say that we are righteous, or holy according to the Law of God. But the Law leaves us wondering

Can Any Be Saved?

By the Law? No.

There is no salvation to be found in the Law of God, the Law promises it, but it always says if you can do it. But who amongst us can? This is where people get confused by the Law, and they think that Churches are hypocritical because they think that the Law is there to make us good people, But the Law was given that we might see sin for what it truly is, that we are Poor miserable sinners, and sin is not something we cannot conquer and overcome. The shows us the righteousness required to enter heaven, but it never promises that I can keep it. That’s why all who rely on the law are under a curse. We cannot be saved by the Law

However, Jesus fulfilled the Law for me.

Only Jesus could do this, for Jesus is both God according to his father from eternity, and true man born of the virgin Mary. Jesus came to fulfill the law in its entirety for sinners, and then gave up His perfect life that He might condemned as a sinner, but you are clothed in His perfect righteousness. The debt had to be settled for sin, and you had to be righteous to enter into heaven, and so

Whoever believes in Christ is righteous in God’s sight.

Christ gives to us the gift of His Holiness, His righteousness, and His perfect life so that when we stand before God on the day of judgment, God doesn’t see our sins, for they went to rest upon Jesus’ head, and were buried in His tomb. The Father sees the perfect life, works, and obedience of His Son, not because we deserved or earned it. Jesus gave it to you as a gift. Faith merely receives this great treasure.

Many doubt and this is why God gave us the sacraments.

When the Law accuses and shows you all your sins, and the horrible things that you have done in thought word and deed, you think, but surely Jesus didn’t mean one like me? That is why the Sacraments are a place of comfort and hope for they give the forgiveness of sin to you. When God baptized you and gave you the Holy Spirit, you can’t say that you weren’t baptized. If you were baptized you are connected with Christ. In the Lord’s Supper, it is given and shed for you. Christ comes to you to give you the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. He gives to you that righteousness that exceeds the pharisees that you may not doubt, but take comfort in His work for your sake.

What Happens to the Law?

The Law remains until the end.

It must for God cannot set aside His holiness, and any who make little of the law or mock the law undermine the way in which God saves us through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

It shows that we are sinners.

That no matter how hard we might work, we will not make it to heaven by our works. You cannot lead a good enough life, you can’t give enough money, you can’t help enough people, you are a sinner, it continues to remind us not to rely on ourselves.

It teaches us to rely only on Jesus.

He alone is the one who can save us, and that is why it is so important that we share the Gospel with the World. For there is no salvation outside of Cross of Jesus. Without the gift of Jesus’ righteousness there is no entrance into the Kingdom of heaven. Thankfully Jesus gave it to us for free.

So my brothers and sisters, we do not cast the Law aside, but we teach it in its full sternest that everyone may learn to despair of themselves, and confess that I am sinner with nothing to offer to God. For those who offer up their own works and good deeds before the throne of God will be cast down to hell, but those who rely on Christ’s righteousness that He gave to you, will be saved. For only the righteousness of Christ will bring us through to the kingdom of heaven. So may we gather together again, and again to receive this precious gift that Jesus won for us on Calvary. In jesus name. Amen.