The Gospels

Matthew 5:17-19

We are in a series called Strength for the Journey because God never meant for His people to run this Christian life on fumes.

We get worn down.

We face decisions, disappointments, temptations, distractions, and seasons that feel heavier than we expected.

And the Lord’s promise is that strength is renewed as we wait on Him, trust Him, and walk with Him.

In this series, we’re not only preaching individual texts.

We’re also taking a simple “big picture” journey through the Bible by looking at the major sections God gave us.

We started in the Pentateuch, the first five books, where we learned who God is, who we are, and what it means to belong to Him.

Those are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

We moved into the Historical Books, where we watched the cycle of drifting, discipline, and deliverance, and we learned that the human heart doesn’t coast into holiness.

Those are: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

Then we opened the Wisdom Books, where God teaches us how to live, how to pray, how to suffer, and how to make decisions that please Him.

The Wisdom Books are found in: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

Then last week we listened to the Prophets, where God confronts sin and calls His people to repentance, because God is patient, but He is not passive.

Those books are: Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel)

Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).

And today we come to the Gospels, in the New Testament.

The Gospel Books are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and we are going to include Acts, since it is a lone historical book in the New Testament.

This is the heart of the Bible’s story where we meet Jesus Christ in His earthly life and ministry.

We are not just reading about good ideas.

We are looking at the Savior Himself.

And it makes perfect sense that when we come to the Gospels, we hear Jesus speak directly about the Word of God.

Because if we are going to have strength for the journey, we have to know who Christ is, what He came to do, and why His Word is worth building our lives on.

So this morning we are in Matthew 5:17–19, and we are listening to Jesus tell us how to view Scripture and how to follow Him with steady trust and obedience.

Many people say, “I’m following Jesus,” but they often mean, “I like Jesus.”

They like the kindness of Jesus.

They like the compassion of Jesus.

They like the idea of forgiveness and heaven.

But Jesus never invited anyone to merely admire Him.

He calls us to follow Him.

And following Jesus always includes how we treat Scripture, because Jesus treats Scripture as the voice of God.

That’s why these three verses matter so much.

They sit right near the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus is laying out what life in His kingdom looks like.

And before He starts pressing into anger, lust, truthfulness, and love, He anchors everything in the authority of God’s Word.

Because if we loosen our dependance upon Scripture as our authority, everything else becomes personal opinion.

If we honor Scripture, our lives have a steady foundation.

So today we’re highlighting the Gospels by listening to Jesus explain the Bible.

We are going to see this morning that Jesus strengthens His people by showing us that God’s Word stands, God’s plan is fulfilled in Him, and God’s people must obey from the heart.

I. Receive Christ’s View Of Scripture

A tired church does not need more tricks.

A tired church needs a steadier grip on the Word of God.

A. Listen To What Jesus Refused To Do

Jesus says, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets.”

That phrase “law and prophets” was a common way of talking about the Old Testament Scriptures as a whole.

Jesus is saying, “Do not assume I’m here to throw away what God has already spoken.”

In other words, if someone tells you they love Jesus but they dismiss the Bible, they have misunderstood Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t separate Himself from Scripture.

Jesus stands on Scripture.

Jesus fulfills Scripture.

And Jesus teaches Scripture.

If Jesus honored the Bible, you and I cannot treat it as optional, outdated, or negotiable.

A Jesus who “corrects” the Bible is a Jesus someone invented, not the Jesus who spoke these words.

Have you ever had someone say, “I love you,” but then refuse to listen to anything you say.

That’s not love.

That’s convenience.

In the same way, people may say, “I love Jesus,” but if they ignore His Word, it’s not devotion, it’s preference.

Once Jesus tells us what He did not come to do, He tells us what He actually came to do, and this is where the whole Bible starts coming into focus.

B. Believe What Jesus Came To Do

Jesus says, “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

That word fulfil is rich.

It means to complete, to fill full, to bring to its intended purpose.

Jesus fulfilled the Law by obeying it perfectly.

Jesus fulfilled the sacrifices by becoming the Lamb of God who takes away sin.

Jesus fulfilled the priesthood by being our Great High Priest.

Jesus fulfilled the prophecies by being the promised Messiah.

Jesus fulfilled the pictures and shadows by being the reality they pointed to.

Luke 24:44 says,

Luke 24:44 KJV

44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

The Bible is not mainly a list of rules you try harder to keep.

The Bible is God’s story that leads you to Christ and then teaches you how to live because you belong to Him.

If you’ve ever watched someone try to finish a puzzle without the picture on the box, you know how frustrating it is.

The pieces are real, but the purpose feels unclear.

Jesus is telling us, “I am the picture on the box.”

He shows what the Law and the Prophets were aiming at all along.

When you read the Old Testament, don’t just ask, “What should I do.”

Ask, “What does this show me about Christ, and how should I respond to Him.”

And because Jesus fulfills Scripture rather than replacing it, He makes a strong statement about how long God’s Word stands.

C. Rest In The Permanence Of God’s Word

Jesus says, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

A jot was the smallest Hebrew letter.

A tittle was a tiny stroke that distinguished letters.

Jesus is saying God’s Word is precise.

God’s Word is dependable down to the smallest detail.

God’s Word is enduring.

It does not fade when culture changes.

It does not break when you have a hard season.

It does not fail when leaders fail.

Psalm 119:89 says,

Psalm 119:89 KJV

89 For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.

Isaiah 40:8 says,

Isaiah 40:8 KJV

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever.

When your feelings are unstable, and your schedule is unstable, and life is unstable, God’s Word is still settled.

When you do not know what to do next, you can still know what is true.

And when you feel weak, God strengthens you through what He has already spoken.

Jesus moves from the endurance of the Word to the practice of the Word, because strength is not only found in believing the Bible is true.

Strength is found in obeying the Bible because it is true.

II. Respect The Weight Of Obedience

These verses are not only about learning more theology.

They are about discipleship, about obedience.

A. Refuse To Shrink God’s Commands

Jesus says, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.”

He’s warning us against the habit of making God’s commands smaller so they feel easier to ignore.

To “shrink” God’s commands is when we…

Rename sin so it sounds harmless.

“It’s not lying, it’s just leaving out details.”

Rank sin so we feel justified.

“At least I’m not doing what they do.”

Delay obedience and call it wisdom.

“I’ll deal with that later when things calm down.”

Make exceptions for ourselves.

“I know what the Bible says, but my situation is different.”

Obey only what we like.

“I’ll do the parts of Christianity that fit my personality, but not the rest.”

The point is not that every command is equally hard or equally visible.

The point is that every command is God speaking, and the moment we start treating some of His words as “small enough to ignore,” we’re training our hearts to drift.

Jesus warns against treating any command as small enough to ignore.

We live in an age that loves to minimize.

We say, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

We say, “Everybody does it.”

We say, “At least I’m not doing what they’re doing.”

But Jesus says the “least commandments” still matter…Why?

Because your heart is trained by what you excuse.

James 2:10 says,

James 2:10 KJV

10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Small compromises are not small if they train your heart to excuse disobedience.

A ship doesn’t have to turn 90 degrees to miss the harbor.

A few degrees off, over enough distance, will put you miles away.

That is how drift works spiritually.

A few degrees toward bitterness.

A few degrees toward impurity.

A few degrees toward neglecting prayer.

A few degrees toward skipping the Word.

And you end up far from where you meant to be.

If you are far right now, don’t just blame “life.”

Ask what small compromises have been shaping your direction.

Jesus does not only warn us against breaking commands.

He calls us to do something with them.

B. Choose To Practice God’s Word

Jesus says, “But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Notice the first word…Do.

Not talk.

Not post.

Not agree.

Do…And then teach.

In other words, Jesus is not after a people who can win arguments.

He is after a people whose lives have been changed.

John 14:15 KJV

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

James 1:22 KJV

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Obedience is not how we earn God’s love.

Obedience is how we express our love to God.

And obedience is one of God’s main tools for strengthening a believer, because obedience clears the conscience and steadies the heart.

Think about how different you feel after you finally do the hard right thing you’ve been putting off.

The conversation you needed to have.

The apology you needed to make.

The sin you needed to confess.

The boundary you needed to set.

Doing right doesn’t remove all consequences, but it lifts a weight.

Some of you are tired because you are carrying the weight of delayed obedience.

And when you begin to practice the Word, Jesus says it will also affect how you influence others.

C. Pass On A Faithful Example

Jesus ties “do and teach” together.

That means our life and our lips should match.

The truth is, you are teaching all the time.

Your children are watching what you love.

Your spouse is watching what you prioritize.

Your friends are watching what you do when you’re pressured.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 says we are to talk of God’s Word in the normal rhythms of life.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7 KJV

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

The strongest discipleship you may ever do is not in a class.

It is the steady obedience people can watch in your home.

D. L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”

If the Bible stays information only, it will never become strength for the journey.

Now, in a sermon on the Gospels, we have to lift our eyes beyond the commands and see the Savior, because Jesus did not only teach the Word.

Jesus is the Word made flesh.

III. Rejoice In The Gospel Jesus Brings

We can rejoice in what we have in Christ because of the gospel…we need to…

A. See Jesus As The Fulfillment You Need

Matthew’s Gospel repeatedly shows Jesus fulfilling prophecy.

He is the promised King.

He is Emmanuel, God with us.

He is the One who does what we could not do.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us…that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Your relationship with God is not built on your performance.

It is built on Christ’s finished work.

So when Jesus says He fulfills the Law, part of what that means is this.

He lived the obedience you have not lived.

He kept the righteousness you have not kept.

And He offers you His righteousness by faith.

That is why Christianity is not “try harder.”

It is “trust Christ.”

Once you see Jesus as the fulfiller, it changes how you handle your failures, because you stop trying to hide from God and you start running to God.

B. Run To Christ When You Fall Short

The Gospels are honest about the failures of the disciples.

Peter denies Christ.

The others scatter.

And yet Jesus restores.

John 21 shows Jesus restoring Peter, not with humiliation, but with love and clarity.

1 John 1:9 says,

1 John 1:9 KJV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Do not let failure turn into distance.

Let failure turn into confession and closeness.

When a child falls while learning to walk, a good father doesn’t say, “That’s it, you’re finished.”

He reaches down.

He helps them up.

He says, “Try again.”

That is the heart of Christ toward a repentant believer.

Some of you have stayed away from the Bible because you feel like a hypocrite.

But the Bible is not just a mirror that shows your sin, It’s also bread that strengthens you and a lamp that guides you.

And when Jesus restores you, He doesn’t restore you to drift.

He restores you to walk, so…

C. Walk With Jesus In Steady Obedience

Matthew ends with a commission.

“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

That is steady obedience.

Not bursts.

Not spiritual adrenaline.

But daily walking.

Luke 9:23 KJV

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Christians should not follow Jesus in bursts.

We need to follow Him steadily.

We follow Him in the small choices.

We follow Him even when it is hard.

We follow Him when it is unseen.

A. W. Tozer said, “The Christian should not be satisfied with anything less than the whole will of God.”

Partial obedience will never produce lasting strength.

Conclusion

Jesus tells us three things in this passage.

God’s Word stands.

God’s Word is fulfilled in Christ.

God’s Word must be obeyed by Christ’s people.

So here is the decision today.

Will you treat Scripture like background noise, or like the voice of God.

Will you keep trimming obedience down to what feels convenient, or will you follow Christ with a whole heart.

Will you keep trying to do Christianity in your strength, or will you come to Jesus, the One who fulfilled what you could never fulfill.

If you are not saved, your first step is to come to Christ.

John 5:39 says,

John 5:39 KJV

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

The Bible points to Jesus, and Jesus receives sinners who come.

If you are saved, your step is just as clear.

Recommit to be a doer of the Word, not a hearer only.

Ask the Lord to put His Word back in the center of your home.

Ask the Lord to strengthen your obedience in the “least commandments.”

Ask the Lord for one specific area where you will stop excusing and start obeying.

Because strength for the journey is not found in bold promises we make.

Strength for the journey is found in steady trust and obedience to the Savior who fulfills God’s Word.