Kingdom Standard

Matthew 5:17-20

Good morning, Church. Grab your Bibles and meet me in Matthew 5.

We’re in week three of our Sermon on the Mount series.

And last week we dove into Jesus’ words about how we are to be the salt and light of the earth- that we are to reflect Jesus to a lost and dying world that is how we push back against the darkness.

Today, in our time together- we are going to dive into what Jesus means when He said He came to fulfill the Law.

He didn’t abolish the law, he didn’t undo the law, he didn’t fight the the law.

Because everyone knows the song “I fought the law and the law one”

He fulfilled the law.

I don’t know if you realize this or not but we live in a pretty crazy state.

The florida man headline is a thing for a reason.

But did you also know Florida has some of the weirdest laws on the books—stuff that makes you shake your head and wonder, “Who came up with this?”

Did you know it’s illegal to fart in public after 6 PM on Thursdays? My son would already be serving a life sentence.

Or this one: you can’t take a nap in a hair salon. So if the stylist’s hands put you to sleep—better wake up fast.

How about this? No selling hotdogs on the beach. There goes my backup plan if this doesn’t work out.

And here’s a personal favorite: it’s technically illegal to sing in a swimsuit. Sorry beach karaoke fans, you’re criminals now.

And then this gem: apparently, you can’t tie your elephant to a parking meter without paying the parking fee. Now listen—I don’t know where you even find an elephant in Florida, but if you do, please don’t tie it up next to my truck.

We laugh because these laws sound absurd. They feel outdated, irrelevant, or flat-out made up.

But here’s the truth—we don’t just struggle with goofy laws; we struggle with real ones. In fact, we make jokes and even songs about breaking the law—

“Mama Tried.”

“Folsom Prison Blues.”

“Jailhouse Rock.”

“I Shot the Sheriff.”

Why does that connect with us? Because deep down, we know it’s true. And it’s not just in music—it’s in the movies and shows we watch. We cheer for the lawbreakers. Think about it—The Sopranos. Sons of Anarchy. Breaking Bad. Movies like The Godfather. Ocean’s Eleven. Even everybody’s favorite actor Tom Cruise—he played a contract killer in Collateral.

or think about this. Jeffrey Dahmer is remembered as one of the most disturbing criminals in modern history. Over the course of more than a decade, he murdered 17 young men. His crimes weren’t just about killing—he lured his victims in, often under the promise of friendship or money, and then carried out acts of sexual assault, dismemberment, and even cannibalism.

They made a show about him on Netflix. The season of thow was a number-one for weeks and became Netflix's second most-viewed English Netflix season of all time.

Man, here’s the thing—when Hollywood takes someone as wicked and twisted as Jeffrey Dahmer and makes a show out of his crimes, it’s not entertainment. It’s evil dressed up with good lighting and a soundtrack.

This was a man who destroyed lives, ripped families apart, and left behind wounds that still haven’t healed. To turn that into binge-worthy content is not only vile—it’s a slap in the face to the victims and their families.

What they’re doing is glorifying darkness. Instead of exposing sin for what it is, they package it up and sell it for ratings. And that reveals something broken in us, too.

Because if we’re honest, the only reason those shows succeed is that people watch them. Our culture gets obsessed with the grotesque, with the shocking, with the evil.

But Scripture is clear—we’re supposed to think on what is pure, lovely, and praiseworthy, not consume death and destruction like it’s popcorn on a Friday night.

So yeah—it’s wrong. It’s not just poor taste, it’s an indictment of how twisted our culture has become.

But here’s the reality—we’re not just spectators of evil, we’re participants in it.

Not just breaking man’s law, but God’s Law. And if we’re left on our own, the Law doesn’t just expose us—it condemns us. That’s why Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17–20 are not just important, they’re life-saving.

So lets read those words together and dive into what the Lord has in store for us this morning.

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.

Let’s pray

This is so critical to understand for us in our time as Christians living in this sinful world. God did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. That’s the Old Testament—the Law and the Prophets. Thats another title for it.

Later on in His ministry, Jesus will go up on the Mount of Transfiguration and reveal His glory to Peter, James, and John. And I love the way the gospel writers try to describe it because honestly—I don’t think there’s a way to truly capture what they witnessed.

Matthew says, “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.” Any of y’all ever try to stare at the sun? You just squintin’, seeing spots, can’t see nothing. That’s how Matthew puts it—Jesus was brighter than the sun.

Luke, the doctor, says, “The appearance of His face was altered, and His clothing became dazzling white.” You can almost hear him going into doctor mode: “There was an unexplainable, luminous alteration of the facial region.” Thanks, Doc.

John—John doesn’t even try to tell the story directly. Instead he starts his gospel saying, “We have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” It’s like John’s saying, “Listen, I can’t explain it—you just had to be there.”

Then Mark comes in and says, “His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.” You gotta love Mark—he’s basically saying, Bleach. He looked like a set of towels that have been bleached really really well. “Ain’t a bottle of Clorox on the planet that can get that white.”

and after He reveals His glory- Moses and Elijah appear.

Moses- the one who received the 613 laws from God up on Mount Sinai was there in the flesh. And Elijah who came was taking by God in a whirlwind and never tasted death.

And there they are- its been about 1200 years since Moses was on the earth and its been about 850 since Elijah but both of those men were there for a very specific reason. To Show that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He is everything the Old testament was pointing to- every prophecy pertaining to the Messiah to come in the Old testament found its yes in Christ Jesus.

So, of course Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law. The law is important.

1. The Law Was Set Up to Show God’s Standard

Now let’s rewind for a second and get the backstory.

When Moses went up Mount Sinai and received the Law, it wasn’t random.

This is the same location where, months earlier, God had showed up to him in a burning bush. Its the same place God called Moses to be the one to tell Pharoah to let my people go. This is the same Mount Sinai where God is going to tell Jesus His name. I Am that I Am.

That’s where God said, “I’ve heard the cries of My people in Egypt. I’m sending you to bring them out.”

Now, they are back in the same spot, just like God said they would be.

And God’s presence came down

The Israelites camped there for about a year. And during that time, God began to do something remarkable: He organized them into a nation. Not just a crowd of ex-slaves wandering the desert—but a nation of twelve tribes, built around His presence, governed by His Word. And He did it through a new set of laws—hundreds of them.

But before God gave Moses all those laws that would fill the pages of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, He started with the foundation: ten commandments. Ten simple, clear, powerful words to shape His people.

Don’t worship any god but the Lord. Don’t make idols or bow down to them. Don’t take God’s name in vain. Rest and worship every seventh day. Honor your parents. Don’t murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t covet what belongs to your neighbor.

The Law wasn’t set up as some kind of cosmic killjoy, like God just wanted to make life harder for us. No—the Law was given to show us God’s character. It’s God saying, “Here’s who I am. Here’s what holiness looks like.”

There aren’t just 10 laws- there are 613 laws of Moses and its broken down into 3 sections.

Think about it: when God gave Moses the Law, it was right after He had rescued Israel from slavery. He didn’t say, “Do all these things and then I’ll save you.” No—He saved them first, then gave them the Law so they could know how to walk with Him. The Law was His way of saying, “Here’s how sinful people can live in covenant with a holy God.”

RC Sproul put it like this: “The law is holy, because it comes from the holy character of God. It reveals to us what righteousness is.” In other words, the Law is like a mirror. You look into it, and you don’t just see rules—you see God’s holiness, and you see your own heart exposed.

So the Law shows us two things at the same time: the beauty of God’s holiness and the depth of our sin. And it sets up the tension we feel all through Scripture—how can sinful man ever come before a holy God?

He’d already rescued them from slavery! No—He gave the Law so a holy God could dwell with sinful people. The Law was God’s way of saying, “Here’s how you live in covenant with Me. Here’s how My rescued people walk in My presence.”

So the people now know the standard for how to be in relationship with Holy God and with each other.

But one helpful way to think about it—though not every evangelical commentary agrees with breaking it down this way—is in three categories: moral, ceremonial, and civil. Let me walk you through them.

1. The Moral Law

Think Ten Commandments here. This is God’s standard of holiness written into stone. These aren’t suggestions—this is God saying, “This is what righteousness looks like.” And in the New Testament, we see every one of these commands reaffirmed, except for the Sabbath command. Not because rest isn’t important, but because in Christ, the true Sabbath rest has been fulfilled (Hebrews 4).

The moral law shows us God’s character and reminds us just how far we fall short.

2. The Ceremonial Law

This is where you get all the sacrifices, priestly rituals, and the festivals. Think of the Tabernacle, the Day of Atonement, Passover, and all those feasts Israel was called to celebrate. These were shadows pointing forward to Jesus. The lambs, the blood on the altar, the bread, the wine—it was all preparing the world to recognize the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

That’s why when Christ came, He didn’t abolish them—He fulfilled them. We don’t keep those feasts or sacrifices anymore because the reality has come.

3. The Civil Law

These were the rules that governed Israel as a nation-state under God’s direct rule. Things like how justice was handled in the land—cities of refuge for someone who accidentally killed another person, penalties like stoning for certain crimes, and specific rules about property and restitution. These laws were good, but they were for Israel as a theocracy—a nation uniquely ruled by God. Since the church isn’t a nation-state, we’re not under those same civil codes. But the principles behind them—justice, fairness, protecting life—still reveal God’s heart.

And here’s what we can’t miss—God doesn’t hand out justice the way we do. We’ve got categories: first-degree, second-degree, crime of passion, premeditated—action and intent. But God doesn’t judge like that. He doesn’t have to investigate. He already knows exactly what you did and exactly why you did it. No loopholes. No uncertainty.

And here’s the weight of it—God’s justice isn’t just about the act itself, it’s about who the act is committed against. RC Sproul said that sin is cosmic treason.

Every sin we commit is against an infinitely holy God. Which means every single act of rebellion is an infinite offense on an infinite scale.

But this is where we’ve got to be careful: when we treat the Law like it’s just a checklist for good behavior, we cheapen it.

And one of the most dangerous problems in the church today is cheap law. Cheap law says forgiveness comes without repentance.

Cheap law says, “Just try to be a good person,” instead of facing the truth that the Law exposes our sin and shows us we’ve broken the heart of a holy God.

Here’s what we need to understand-

2. We Cannot Follow the Law

Every single one of us fails the test. The Law sets the standard, but none of us can meet it. It’s not like we just mess up here and there—no, the Law goes deeper than our behavior. It exposes our hearts. It pulls back the curtain and shows us what’s really going on inside. And what it proves is that we’re guilty.

Paul says it plain in Romans 3:20: “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” That’s the purpose of the Law—it’s a mirror. It shows us our dirt, but it doesn’t wash us clean.

That’s why trying harder won’t work. That’s why cleaning yourself up won’t work. The Law doesn’t grade on a curve—it condemns. James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” You can’t ace nine commandments and flunk one—you break one, you’ve broken them all.

Think about this- You can have the biggest, baddest truck out there, engine roaring, ready to climb a mountain road—but if one tiny piece of dirt gets in the carburetor, it’s not going anywhere. Just a small impurity, but it makes all the difference when you’re trying to make the climb.

and thats the essence of man-made religion, isn’t it?

Think about it. Islam teaches that if you follow the Five Pillars—confess the creed, pray five times a day, give to the poor, fast during Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to Mecca—then maybe your good deeds will outweigh your bad on the scales of judgment. It’s man reaching up to God, hoping the scale tips in his favor.

Buddhism says life is suffering and the way out is to follow the Eightfold Path—right thinking, right living, right discipline—basically, if you work hard enough and detach yourself from enough of this world, you can climb your way to enlightenment. Again—man reaching up.

Mormonism teaches that yes, Jesus died for your sins, but now you’ve got to keep climbing—baptism into the church, obeying church leaders, temple rituals, missions work, even marriage in the temple. If you do all that, then you can work your way to becoming like God. Man reaching up.

But here’s the difference. God’s Law doesn’t pat us on the back and say, “Keep climbing.” God’s Law says, “You’ll never make it.” Romans 3:23—“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The Law doesn’t give us a ladder; it shows us the wall is too high, the climb is impossible.

And that’s where Christianity flips the script. The gospel isn’t us climbing up to God—it’s God coming down to us in Christ.

Jesus says in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” The Law reveals we can’t get there, but grace reveals that Jesus came here.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “The law is meant to lead the sinner to faith in Christ by showing him his need of a Savior. The law is the surgeon’s knife, which cuts deep and lays open the disease, in order that the soul may be healed by the gospel.”

That’s the weight of it. The Law holds up the standard of God’s holiness, and then it shows us our inability to measure up. It’s devastating news if left on its own. But it’s also necessary news, because until you see the bad news, you won’t long for the good news.

and maybe you’re just sitting there thinking- you can just be a good person- you don’t need God. maybe you don’t think there is a god.

Here’s the thing about atheism: if there is no God, then there is no ultimate standard for morality. You can’t appeal to “right” and “wrong” if there’s no higher authority than human opinion. If we’re all just the product of time, chance, and matter—if we’re nothing more than highly evolved animals—then the only law that makes sense is survival of the fittest. The strong eat the weak. That’s it.

But atheists don’t want to live in that world. So they’ll say, “Well, you don’t need religion to have morals.” But here’s the irony—they’re borrowing those morals from the very Christian worldview they’re rejecting. They’re standing on ground that isn’t theirs.

Western society itself—the concepts of human rights, dignity, compassion, equality—all of that was built on a Christian foundation.

The idea that every person has worth? That doesn’t come from Darwin; that comes from Genesis, where God says He made man in His image. The idea that the weak should be protected instead of eliminated? That comes from Jesus, not from natural selection.

So when atheists preach that “you can be good without God,” what they’re really doing is taking the fruit while cutting down the tree. They’re borrowing Christian values—like love, justice, dignity, compassion—while rejecting the Christ who gave them. They want the benefits of the kingdom without bowing to the King.

But here’s the reality: none of us are truly “good.” Not them, not me, not you. The Law makes that crystal clear. Romans 3:10 says, “None is righteous, no, not one.”

The standard isn’t “better than the guy next to me.” The standard is the holiness of God Himself.

And that’s where every single one of us falls short. Isaiah 64:6 says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” Even our best attempts at goodness—our “cleanest” moments—are still stained in the presence of a holy God.

The Law sets the bar at perfection, and we can’t reach it.

God’s Law isn’t something you can bend—it’s something you break yourself against. And when the Law is broken, justice demands punishment.

Why? Because God is a just Judge. If He were to simply overlook sin, He would no longer be holy, righteous, or just. His very character would not allow Him to shrug His shoulders and say, “Don’t worry about it.”

And remember—it’s not just what we do, but who we sin against. Every single sin is against an infinitely holy God. That’s why the punishment is eternal.

Think about it: you get mad and kick your car—probably not the best idea, but your car isn’t going to press charges. You go home and kick the dog—that’s worse, you might even get arrested for that. You kick a cat- not even a sin.

You strike your spouse—you’re going to jail. You assault the president—you’re probably not going to make it to trial. Why? Because the seriousness of the punishment is always tied to the worth of the one offended. And when we sin, we’re sinning against the Almighty, eternal God. Which means the offense is infinite, and the punishment is eternal.

and we cannot follow God’s law perfectly.

And that’s the bad news we’ve got to wrestle with before the good news of Christ ever makes sense. If you don’t feel the weight of the Law, you’ll never feel the wonder of the gospel.

And that good news—it’s not just good, it’s the best news. Because I can’t fulfill the Law. You can’t fulfill the Law. Nobody can. Every other religion says, “Climb higher, try harder, do better, maybe you’ll make it to God.” But the gospel says, “You can’t get to God, so God came to you.”

3. Christ Came to Fulfill the Law for Us

Our sin is a massive deal. My sin. Your sin. So big that it killed Jesus. He lived the life we couldn’t live. He died the death we deserved. And on the cross, the justice of God and the love of God collided. As Paul says in Romans 3:26, He is both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 5:18, “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.” The Law is unbending. It’s not going anywhere until it’s fulfilled. And on the cross, when Jesus pushed up on nail-pierced feet and cried out, “It is finished,” He was declaring, “It’s accomplished.” Not just the prophecies about His life, death, and resurrection—but the fulfillment of every demand of a holy God against unholy people. The debt has been paid in full.

And so Jesus warns: “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 other words, don’t cheapen the Law. Don’t treat grace like a license to sin.

Because here’s the wonder of wonders. Here’s the scandal of grace. God Himself came down. Jesus stepped into our mess, lived the perfect life we couldn’t live, and fulfilled the Law we could never keep. And then, instead of condemning us, He took the punishment we deserved.

Paul puts it like this in Galatians 4:4–5: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Let’s break that down.

“But when the fullness of time had come…” God isn’t late, and He isn’t early. History isn’t random. Every empire, every language, every road built, every prophecy—all of it was leading to this exact moment. God’s redemptive plan was on a divine clock, and when the time was perfect, He acted.

“…God sent forth his Son…” Jesus didn’t just show up—He was sent. Which means He already existed. The eternal Son of God stepped down from heaven, fully divine, co-eternal with the Father, willingly sent on mission. That’s the incarnation—God came down.

“…born of woman…” That phrase highlights His true humanity. Jesus wasn’t an angel in disguise. He was born of Mary, fully human, flesh and blood like us. He had to be human to stand in our place.

“…born under the law…” This is huge. Jesus wasn’t above the Law—He was born under it. He placed Himself under the same commandments, the same requirements, the same standard we could never keep. And He didn’t just scrape by—He kept it perfectly.

“…to redeem those who were under the law…” That word “redeem” means to buy back. We were slaves under the curse of the Law—condemned, guilty, hopeless. But Jesus came to pay the price. He absorbed the curse, bore the wrath, and set us free from bondage we could never escape on our own.

“…so that we might receive adoption as sons.” And here’s the goal. Not just forgiveness. Not just freedom. Adoption. God doesn’t just unlock the prison and say, “Good luck.” He brings us into His family. He gives us His name. He makes us heirs. We go from slaves to sons, from condemned to co-heirs with Christ.

That’s the heart of it—God came down, fulfilled the Law, and brought us in as His sons and daughters. That’s not just good news. That’s life-changing news.

Then Jesus goes on to say, “Whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” In other words, this is what we’re called to be about. Not just knowing the Word. Not just nodding our heads at the truth. Doing it. Living it. Teaching it. That’s the rhythm of discipleship.

And this is why it’s so important—we’re not here to sit on the sidelines. We’re here to make disciples.

Matthew 28:19–20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Notice that last part—teaching them to obey. Not just teaching them to know, but teaching them to live it out.

This matters because eternity is on the line. The gospel isn’t just good advice—it’s good news.

It’s the only hope for a broken, sinful world. Paul said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” If we believe that’s true, then telling others isn’t optional—it’s essential.

And here’s the beauty of it: God uses ordinary people like you and me to carry an extraordinary message.

When we live out the truth of God’s Word and teach others to do the same, we’re stepping right into the calling Jesus gave us. And in the kingdom of heaven, that’s greatness—not power, not prestige, not popularity, but faithfulness to the mission of making disciples.

And here’s the good news—this is where the weight of the Law collides with the grace of the gospel. Jesus fulfilled the Law. Every “iota,” every “dot,” every demand of a holy God—He kept it perfectly. Where you and I failed, He succeeded. Where we broke the Law, He completed it.

And the Bible says in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s the invitation. When you put your trust in Jesus—when you believe and confess—you’re no longer defined by your sin. God no longer sees your failure to keep the Law. He sees Jesus. He sees the righteousness of His Son credited to you.

Paul says it like this in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” That’s the great exchange. Jesus takes our guilt; we receive His righteousness. Jesus takes our condemnation; we receive His adoption.

So now, when God looks at you, He doesn’t see the lawbreaker. He sees the Law-fulfiller. He sees Jesus. And that changes everything. That’s not just good news—that’s the best news.

And don’t miss this—Jesus didn’t go to the cross to make bad people good. He went to the cross so that dead people might live.

Lets go to the Lord in prayer.

Communion

At this time, I’d like to ask our deacons to come forward and prepare for communion.

Church family, we’re about to take part in one of the two ordinances that Jesus gave His followers—believer’s baptism and communion. Baptism is that outward sign of new life in Christ, and communion is the continual reminder of the cross that purchased it.

Now, let me be clear—if you’ve never placed your trust in Jesus, or if you’re not actively seeking to follow Him in baptism as your public confession of faith, I’d ask that you not take part in this moment. Instead, just watch, reflect, and ask the Lord what He’s calling you to do right now.

But for those who are in Christ—what a gift this is. Communion is not just a ritual. It’s not a religious routine. This is a blood-bought reminder that we belong to the family of God—not because we earned it, but because Jesus paid for it.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, He gathered in the upper room with His disciples. He took bread and broke it, saying, “This is my body, which is for you.” He was pointing to what was about to happen—His body broken, His life given.

Before the bread is passed out, I’m going to ask Brother Charles to pray over the bread.

[pause for prayer and distribution]

Listen to what Jesus says in John 6:58: “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Forever. That’s not empty religion—that’s resurrection life. That’s the gospel. His body, broken for you.

Go ahead and take the bread. His Body.

Now, I’ll ask Brother Larry to pray over the cup.

[pause for prayer]

That same night, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Hebrews 9:22 tells us, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” And 1 John 1:7 reminds us, “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” All of it. Not some. Not most. All.

So with that in mind—His blood, for you. Take the cup. His Blood.

And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:26: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

His Body. His Blood. For us.

and we are going to sing one more song- Because we serve a great God- a Great God that came to fulfill the law and died the death we deserved- We are going to sing How Great is our God and while we are singing- if you want need to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus, don’t hesitate- come. Thats the first step- the second step according God’s Word is to be baptized- the third step is whatever He is calling you to do.

Let’s pray and lets respond.