Christ’s Kingdom-Law
The Gospel of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection:
Have you ever heard any of the following three sayings?:
You also might’ve heard a well-meaning Christian tell you that *Jesus preached love, not law*. In so doing they’ve shown you that they don’t understand how the law is all about love!
I’m sure you’ve had someone say to you: *But the OT isn’t for us, we’re NT Christians!* In saying this these people have despised Christ who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
A famous evangelical pastor once said that we need to *Unhitch from the OT*. In so doing he unhitched himself from the teaching of Jesus Christ, and our text for this morning.
In contrast to these sayings: true and healthy Christianity is in love with the OT—because Jesus both fulfills it and enforces it for his church and kingdom in the NT. There is no radical divide between the OT & NT in the eyes of Jesus Christ. There is one Moral Law of God, one Gospel of Jesus Christ, and one Holy Spirit of Power. In contrast to being only NT Christians—we are going to learn today what I quoted at the beginning of our study in the Sermon on the Mount, namely that:
Murray: The criterion of our standing in the kingdom of God and of reward in the age to come, is nothing else than meticulous observance of the [OT] commandments of God.
No one is saved by keeping the law of God—we are saved by trusting in the Gospel of Jesus Christ—but we are also born of the Spirit to live according to the law. Therefore, may God open our eyes to behold wonderful things out of his law!
Theme:
Christ’s Kingdom-Law
Need:
We need to get a clear idea in our minds regarding our NT relationship to the OT Scriptures. Jesus says on this point that there is folly and honour at stake here. We ought not to mess with the Royal Law of our King—and the Word of God which endures forever.
Purpose:
To instruct us in what it means that Jesus fulfills the Law & the Prophets; to comfort us that all of God’s precepts and promises will be Accomplished; to rebuke those who relax the moral law in the name of Christianity; to exhort us to know, do, and teach true obedience to the Law as we serve the King of Grace; and to warn against false righteousness which bars us from glory.
Recap:
Jesus has been preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, true repentance and faith, conversion and salvation—and then has declared those who are blessed as his covenant people in the Beatitudes—which are heart-piercing in true spirituality—as opposed to the phony formality of the Scribes and Pharisees—and he has just called his people to be salt and light in the earth, as the City of God set upon a hill—and here he defines true righteousness in his Kingdom in relation to the OT Scriptures (which Jesus fulfills & enforces), and which must be obeyed with moral authority and sincerity, which goes deeper than mere outward ritual. Only those who are truly righteous from the heart (by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit) will enter the Kingdom of Glory on the last day.
Read Text:
Matt. 5:17-20 ESV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
(1) Christ our Messiah came not to Abolish but to Fulfill the OT Scriptures - v. 17.
(1) Christ our Messiah came not to Abolish but to Fulfill the OT Scriptures - v. 17.
“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.
(1) Christ our Messiah came not to Abolish but to Fulfill the OT Scriptures - v. 17.
(1) Christ our Messiah came not to Abolish but to Fulfill the OT Scriptures - v. 17.
Q - What are the Law and the Prophets that Jesus refers to?
This is Jewish short-hand for the Old Testament Scriptures. The NT uses this saying to refer to the living Word of God in the OT (Lk. 24:44). Sometimes the OT is referred to as just the Law, as the Law and the Prophets, or as the Law, Psalms, and Prophets—the point being that it’s referring to the whole of the Hebrew OT from Genesis to Malachi! So:
Q - What does it mean that Jesus came not to abolish the OT?
Well, quite simply it means that Jesus did not come to destroy, thrown down, demolish, invalidate, annul, or abrogate the OT. By no means! He didn’t come to remove the authority of God’s Word! He didn’t come to revoke the power of God’s Word! And he didn’t come to overturn the truth of God’s Word! How could he? Jesus Himself is the Word of God, who is God! Jesus can’t contradict himself—He is the way, the truth, and the life.
You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.
Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)
man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
So whenever someone tries to tell you that Jesus came to bring freedom from the Old Testament, you can point them to this text, and you can ask them—how could Jesus bring us freedom from that which is already perfect?
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
So then, if Jesus didn’t come to abolish the OT:
Q - What does it mean that Jesus came to fulfill the OT?
It means that Jesus came to complete, confirm, satisfy, establish, validate, enforce, obey, and carry out the OT Scriptures through his life, teachings, ministry, and people. Here’s some other Scriptures that make a similar point:
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Jesus has not come to Abolish the OT, but to Fulfill it! Hear how other scholars define what Jesus means here:
Spurgeon: Our King has not come to abrogate the law, but to confirm and reassert it.
Ridderbos: There is no contradiction between the principles of the Law of Moses and the Sermon on the Mount. The latter does not abolish the former, but confirms it!
Reisinger: To fulfill the law is to obey the precepts of the moral law, to endure the curse of the Lord’s people, to verify the various shadows of the Gospel in the ceremonies, to introduce the spiritual kingdom of the NT, to accomplish all the various prophecies of the OT, and to carry it out, to give full obedience to it, literally carrying out everything that has been said and stated in the Law and the Prophets.
In light of all of this, and the glorious fulfillment of the Scriptures in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour:
Q - How does this change the way that we read the OT?
This means that the entire Bible is about Jesus! He is the goal, the destination, the purpose, and the completion of the OT. All of God’s redemptive work in the Bible is pointing to Christ Jesus—so when you’re reading the Bible you need to ask yourself: what does the text teach me about the sufferings and glory of Christ and the salvation and new life that is in Him alone!
And we’ve already been seeing this in the Gospel of Matthew! This theme of fulfillment is everywhere! From the opening genealogy, to the birth of Christ, to the wisemen, to the exodus of Jesus from Egypt, to his baptism in the Jordan River, to his wilderness victory over Satan, to his proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven, to his conquest of grace and redemption in the world, to his preaching on the Law for his people to walk in newness of life … Jesus is the fulfillment of all the OT! In Him it is yes and amen: Notice how Paul puts it:
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
So brothers and sisters! Pick up and read! Live by every Word that comes from the mouth of God! Feast on the Scriptures! They are your story, because Christ is your Redeemer! Don’t let anyone rip the OT out of your hands, for you are the children of Abraham by faith in Jesus, the promised Seed (Gal. 3):
JC Ryle: Let us beware of despising the Old Testament, for whatever reason. Let us never listen to those who tell us to throw it aside as an obsolete, antiquated, useless book. The religion of the Old Testament is the germ of Christianity. The Old Testament is the Gospel in the bud; the New Testament is the Gospel in full flower. The saints in the Old Testament saw many things through a glass darkly; but they all looked by faith to the same Saviour, and were led by the same Spirit as ourselves. These are no light matters. Much unfaithfulness begins with an ignorant contempt of the Old Testament.
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.
(1) Christ our Messiah came not to Abolish but to Fulfill the OT Scriptures - v. 17.
And Jesus continues making his point to bring assurance to his disciples about the fulfillment of all the promises of God:
(2) Christ our Lord assures us of the Total Accomplishment of Redemption - v. 18.
(2) Christ our Lord assures us of the Total Accomplishment of Redemption - v. 18.
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.
(2) Christ our Lord assures us of the Total Accomplishment of Redemption - v. 18.
(2) Christ our Lord assures us of the Total Accomplishment of Redemption - v. 18.
Q - What is Jesus referring to when he mentions an iota and a dot?
Here is how one scholar puts it. Jesus is referring to “The smallest letter in the Gk. Alphabet (iota), and a tiny extension that [marks] certain letters in the Hb. Alphabet (dot).”
An iota and a dot are Greek and Hebrew tiny little points in the writings of the Scriptures. The OT was originally written and inspired by God in Hebrew. So Jesus is saying the tiniest little grammatical point can’t fail—but will stand firm. And by the time of Jesus the OT had been translated into Greek, known as the Septuagint—so Jesus is saying that even a faithful translation of Scripture (like our English Bibles), cannot fail to be true! Wherever the Word of God exists, there is truth indeed that cannot be revoked or destroyed!
This means that words matter. Grammar matters. God speaks to us through grammar. God speaks to us through the Scriptures, which have an authentic meaning that cannot be broken, altered, or changed. Therefore—if we want to understand God’s Word—we need to study it in prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, not by emptying our minds, but by filling them with Scripture and wrestling with God to understand what he has for us. We need to read it by ourselves, in our families, and in our churches—for these are the Words of Eternal Life spoken by our Lord:
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
Revelation 1:3 (ESV)
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it.
But why does Jesus mention these iotas and dots—or your translation might say: jot or title, letter or stroke… he mentions them to make a point about the fulfillment of redemption, the accomplishment of God’s promises—and he hammers it home with a word picture about heaven and earth passing away:
Q - So why does Jesus mention cosmic destruction in this text?
The word-picture Jesus uses is that of the heavens and the earth passing away!
Calvin: Let it suffice for us to hold, that sooner shall heaven fall to pieces, and the whole frame of the world become a mass of confusion, than the stability of the law shall give way.
Jesus is saying—it’s easier for all of creation to come passing down, than for one grammatical point of the Word of God to fail! Isn’t that amazing! What a high view of Scripture Jesus gives us! Not a single Hebrew or Greek dot is to be doubted! Every promise is yes and amen in Christ and will come to pass in God’s perfect and wise timing. Praise be to God for the Sword of the Spirit—this Sword is no dull blade! It’s the fully confirmed Word of Prophecy, the Light shining in the darkness, the Honey for our lips, and the Shield to stand against lies! OT & NT:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
But why does Jesus make this point about the stability of God’s Word? Because he wants to comfort us that all of God’s promises will be fully accomplished!
Q - What is yet to be fully accomplished in God’s plan?
What has Jesus been preaching on? The Gospel of the Kingdom of God. What hasn’t yet been fully accomplished? The Victory of the Kingdom of God. Full, final, and international blessings have not yet come. We are still waiting for God’s promises to be accomplished in history, for every nation, tribe, and tongue:
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
We are still waiting for Christ’s enemies to be put under his feet as the Word is proclaimed through the people of God, as the nations are disciples, as the mission goes onward, as the Spirit is making new creatures in Christ, as the Gospel transforms the peoples—when the Kingdom grows to fill the earth, saving the fullness of the Jews and Gentiles in the one Body of the Church! So don’t pray in unbelief when you pray: your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven! This is sure—because every dot and iota of Scripture will be accomplished!
And we are still waiting for God’s promises to be consummated or completed at the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ when he shall make all things new and bring the eternal Kingdom of Glory!
that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
We are still waiting for King Jesus to return, to grant us our resurrection bodies, to free us from sin, to judge the wicked, banishing them to hell, granting us entrance into the new heavens and new earth, wherein righteousness dwells—as we worship our Triune God and enjoy eternal life in the presence of Him who is altogether lovely! So don’t pray in unbelief when you cry out: Maranatha, come Lord Jesus! This too is sure—because every dot and iota of Scripture will be accomplished!
Q - How does this bring comfort to Christ’s disciples?
Because no warfare in the Middle East can stop the accomplishment of God’s promises. Take heart, beloved—standing on the promises you cannot fall:
Don’t let the news drown you in despair—all must be accomplished.
Don’t let your health drag you to sorrow—all must be accomplished.
Don’t let your family conflicts give way to anxiety—all must be accomplished.
Don’t let your foolish coworkers steal your joy—all must be accomplished.
Don’t let the uncertainty of the days ahead weigh you down—all must be accomplished.
Don’t let the ongoing battle with your sin cause you to give up—all must be accomplished.
Don’t let your depression or loneliness cause you to fear—all must be accomplished.
Don’t let the grave or the enemy of death give you despair—all must be accomplished!
Where o death is your sting! Praise be to God for Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, turn from your sins—rest in His Gospel and Kingdom—rest in the forgiveness of your sins—rest in your peace with God—rest in your sonship as his children—and dwell in living hope, even against all human hope, that God who is true, who cannot lie—has promised such things to me. Keep in step with the Holy Spirit, and be filled with the assurance of faith—because we’re on the winning side! Christ is Lord—the Tomb is Empty—and all must be accomplished!
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
(2) Christ our Lord assures us of the Total Accomplishment of Redemption - v. 18.
But in the meantime, before all things are accomplished—Jesus calls us to Kingdom-Righteousness as we live according to His Royal Law—in the power of the Holy Spirit:
(3) Christ our King enforces the Kingdom-Law of God for True Righteousness - v. 19-20.
(3) Christ our King enforces the Kingdom-Law of God for True Righteousness - v. 19-20.
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.
(3) Christ our King enforces the Kingdom-Law of God for True Righteousness - v. 19-20.
(3) Christ our King enforces the Kingdom-Law of God for True Righteousness - v. 19-20.
Q - What does it mean to relax or obey the commandments of God?
What commandments of God? All of them! All 613 of them! But they have different categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial. The moral law is summarized in the ten commandments (Matt. 22), the civil laws are the case laws for public justice (1 Tim. 1), and the ceremonial laws were rituals to teach about the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, about the Gospel of God’s grace (Col. 2).
Jesus requires us to keep all the commandments of God—in their proper way under the New Covenant. The moral laws never change, nor do the principle of justice in the civil laws, but the shadows of the ceremonial laws do. We keep the moral law by holy obedience, we keep the civil law by walking in justice, and we keep the ceremonial law by faith, trusting in Jesus, the true Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (we don’t continue to offer animal sacrifices, but we do continue to trust in the one and only sacrifice for sins).
I can’t unpack all of this now—we have the rest of the Sermon on the Mount to do that—but just recognize this basic principle: If God hasn’t altered it, then we assume our need to obey it. If God hasn’t relaxed it, then we assume our obligation to keep it.
That obedience might look slightly different in the new covenant—but we are never given liberty to abolish any of God’s Laws. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge—we aren’t called to judge God’s Law, but to be a hearer and doer of it (Rom. 7; Lk. 16:17; Jam. 1-2; Rev. 14). And Jesus warns against relaxing even the least of God’s commands. What does this mean?
Well, God already told us not to add to or take away from His Word, so, to relax one of His commandments is to loosen its authority over us by taking away from it, adding burdens to it, or failing to see its spiritual principles:
This would be like taking the 7th commandment, you shall not commit adultery, and saying—true, but sometimes it’s okay to commit adultery. What have you done? You’ve taken away from the commandment. You’ve relaxed it. This is exactly what Jesus warns against.
Or you can also add to it. This would be like saying you can never get married, so that you’ll never be able to commit adultery. You’ve also relaxed the commandment by making it basically irrelevant. By adding additional burdens in a legalistic fashion.
But you can also do what the Pharisees did, failing to see its deep principles for the heart. They thought if you never committed the literal act of adultery, that you were righteous—but they failed to see that the 7th commandment also condemns lust, adultery of the heart—and so they relaxed the commandment by making it only apply to the external of the body, and not to the internal of the heart (Rom. 7).
But Jesus doesn’t only warn against relaxing the commandments, he also praises true obedience to them! To obey one of His commandments is to understand what God requires of us, and to offer true heart-felt-obedience to the Word of God, in a spirit of love for God and love for neighbour—nothing more, nothing less. This is the obedience of faith! Not obeying for salvation, but obeying from salvation! We are saved by faith alone, but never by a faith that is alone! Saving faith works by love, fulfilling the law in heartfelt obedience, for the glory of God alone!
And Jesus says faithfulness to the law brings honor and greatness in the kingdom of heaven. But relaxing the law brings dishonour and lesser standing in the kingdom of heaven. This applies to all men. Men, women, boys, girls, young, old, married, single, boss, worker, poor, rich, citizen, government—all people are under the authority of the Law of God. No one is allowed to relax any one of God’s commandments, and Jesus calls us to obey all of them, and teach others to do the same—in the context of the NT Kingdom of God.
So then, Jesus really did mean it when he said man must live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This is a high calling! Oh Lord help us to live worthy of your Gospel, by the power of your Holy Spirit! And Jesus closes here by telling us that our righteousness needs to be far beyond the religious leaders of the day. Wow. That’s a remarkable statement. So:
Q - Why must our righteousness exceed that of the Scribes & Pharisees?
This is really important. Ready? Because the scribes and pharisees weren’t actually righteous—they were self-righteous. They didn’t actually keep God’s law—they were deluded and deceived. God’s law requires heart-level obedience—they only offered external-obedience (Deut. 6-8).
Thus—our righteousness must exceed the Pharisees—because if it doesn’t, it means we are still dead in our sins, we haven’t been born again, and we haven’t received the salvation and new life of the Kingdom. Isn’t this what Jesus said to Nicodemus? That which is flesh is flesh—that which is spirit is spirit. You must be born again by the Spirit to enter and live in the Kingdom of God!
Obedience in the flesh is not true righteousness—you must be born again. You must be given the power of the Spirit if you are going to truly keep God’s commandments! And this is the promise of the Covenant & Kingdom of Christ:
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Only if we have been saved by grace alone, been born again by the sovereign work of the Spirit—only if we have trusted in Jesus for eternal life, and repented of our sins—will we ever be able to actually keep God’s commandments. Because the Gospel gives the strength, the Spirit causes us to obey the rules, as we follow the Ruler.
Don’t be content with formal obedience like the Pharisees, God doesn’t require that—God requires true heart-felt love, service, and adoration. Isn’t that the whole point of the Beatitudes? True spirituality, true salvation in the soul? And this isn’t new. The Law has always required this—so if you don’t have it—you aren’t keeping the Law—you aren’t righteous—but if you do have it, then by the grace and power of the Gospel—you are a Christian indeed and a true Kingdom-Law-keeper:
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Q - So how can we know that we have Kingdom-Righteousness & Salvation?
Do you love God? Do you love the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Do you serve Him? Do you worship Him from the heart? Do you follow Jesus Christ by faith and repentance? Do you live by the Word of God? Do you strive to be filled with His Spirit? Do you seek to love your neighbour, doing good unto them? Do you love the people of God, your brothers and sisters in Christ?
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Is this true of you, dear Christian—then take heart, you have left the Pharisees in the dust. God has saved you by grace. You are a member of the Kingdom of grace. Death and sin has no power over you. You are a child of the King and an heir of salvation! You have the Spirit at work in you, with the hope of glory:
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.
Beloved, you are covered in the righteousness of Christ—and being made righteous by the Spirit! Press onward in the doctrine that accords with godliness! Keep bearing the fruit of the Spirit! Delight in the Law of the Lord in the inner man. And keep the commandments of God in true love and holiness.
And if this isn’t you, if your righteousness doesn’t exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees—then stop resting content in your formal religion. Cast yourself at the mercy of Jesus, be cleansed and covered with His blood and righteousness! Your obedience is not what saves you! You are just as bad as the Pharisees if you are relying on your obedience for eternal life! But you’re also just as bad as the Pharisees if you have no true righteousness as evidence of your eternal life! Either way—run to Jesus today:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Come to Jesus, be cleaned and redeemed, find new life in the Holy Spirit, and only then will you ever be able to love God and love your neighbour—because you are resting in His love, have received His salvation, and want to glorify His name.
And so, people of God, let us seek his Kingdom and Righteousness! In other words—rest in the Gospel, serve the King, and obey His Law—not relaxing the commands, but obeying and teaching them—and when we fail, let us remember that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One—in whom we stand complete!
(3) Christ our King enforces the Kingdom-Law of God for True Righteousness - v. 19-20.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous—but the way of the wicked will perish. Hear now our conclusion for this morning, people of God:
(C) Trust in Christ’s Fulfillment of Scripture as the Messiah—and Obey Christ’s Kingdom-Law from the Heart.
(C) Trust in Christ’s Fulfillment of Scripture as the Messiah—and Obey Christ’s Kingdom-Law from the Heart.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Bahnsen: When we come to view the law as do the inspired writers of Scripture, we will treasure it and revere it as they do, rather than reacting in aversion like so many individuals do today. When we see that the law of God is wondrous, pure, sweet and golden, that God’s commandments are accompanied with genuine life and divine lovingkindness, that the statures of the Lord are the source of good, blessedness, stability, peace, understanding, comfort, strength, honor, hope, integrity, protection, great delight, and true freedom, then we will appropriately respond to the law with joyous song, meditation, love, praise and dedication. This must be the outlook of the one who has been saved by sovereign grace.
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
(C) Trust in Christ’s Fulfillment of Scripture as the Messiah—and Obey Christ’s Kingdom-Law from the Heart.
(C) Trust in Christ’s Fulfillment of Scripture as the Messiah—and Obey Christ’s Kingdom-Law from the Heart.
Amen? Let’s pray.
Discussion Questions:
(1) How does Jesus view His relationship to the Old Testament? And what does it mean for Him to fulfill it? Give some examples!
(2) What is the meaning of the word-picture Jesus uses in verse 18 to prove His point regarding the Old Testament Scriptures? Does this bring you comfort?
(3) How do Christ’s People relate to the Old Testament Law, in the New Testament Kingdom? And how should this practically change our lives?
(4) What was the main heresy and sin of the Pharisees & Scribes? And how do Christ’s Disciples exceed them in true Righteousness?
(5) What is the relationship between Saving Faith and Good Works? Between the Law and the Gospel? Explain.
