Completing God's Law

Intro:

AG: There is a new battle ground in the conflict about the 10 commandments. Many want to see them displayed in public and others are fighting to have them removed. However, the debate has a new voice in Christians who now say the 10 commandments have all ended and no longer apply. They say Jesus gave only 1, “love one another”.

TS: It is timely that we are studying this text today. Jesus is preaching to His disciples. He has just finished sharing the attitude He expects in what we call the beatitudes. Now He clarifies the relationship of His disciples to the law of the OT.

John MacArthur explained it this way: “Jesus was neither giving a new law nor modifying the old, but rather explaining the true significance of the moral content of Moses’ law and the rest of the OT. “The Law and the Prophets” speaks of the entirety of the OT Scriptures, not the rabbinical interpretations of them.”

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Mt 5:17). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

RS: We need to understand this idea today. In the midst of the debate, we need to hear and follow the words of Jesus.

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.

Christ came to Fulfill the Law

MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary

Christ was indicating that He is the fulfillment of the law in all its aspects. He fulfilled the moral law by keeping it perfectly. He fulfilled the ceremonial law by being the embodiment of everything the law’s types and symbols pointed to. And He fulfilled the judicial law by personifying God’s perfect justice (cf. 12:18, 20).

Christ came to fulfill all aspects of the law:

Moral Law by keeping it perfectly

Walked in righteousness all of His life

He did the things God told us to do

He didn’t do the things God prohibited

Tempted, but did not sin

He faced temptation.

Hebrews 4:14–15 ESV

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

He felt the draw of sin

Satan specifically targeted Him after baptism

Offered Him shortcuts:

Bread to stone- using His power selfishly

Jump off temple- tempting God

Bow down- shortcut to ruling world but would cost Him all through idolatry

10 commandments and all others which define what God wants us to do and prohibits were included in this.

Ceremonial Law by being the embodiment of all the types and symbols to which it pointed.

Every sacrifice pointed to Him

He is the Passover Lamb

He is the atoning sacrifice

He paid for our sins with His own blood

Hebrews 9:25–28 ESV

Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

4. He was the first fruits

His resurrection was the firstfruits of the coming resurrection.

Judicial Law by personifying God’s perfect justice.

He lived in a way which treated others correctly

He lived to serve others

He made lives better by His precense

He judged perfectly.

He properly discerned right and wrong.

He saw through the masks we all wear.

He saw the genuine faith of the downtrodden.

He saw the true corruption of the religious elites.

The Endurance of the the Word

Matthew 5:18 ESV

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.

Christ declares the inerrancy and authority of the Bible

Even the smallest stroke and letter are sure and will not pass away.

God wrote His word for us.

2 Peter 1:21 ESV

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The NT in no way contradicts nor abolishes the OT.

Ceremonial law was complete in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

He entered into heaven as priest to present the blood at the very throne of God rather than the mercy seat on earth.

There is no longer any need for the pictures of the OT to be repeated.

They give more understanding to what Christ has done.

It doesn’t end.

The Moral code is the same.

Right and wrong are still clearly defined.

The Seriousness of the Word

Matthew 5:19 ESV

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.

He spells it out clearly

Don’t relax the standard

Don’t teach others to relax it

Many today are missing this crucial point.

They think because culture has changed, right and wrong has changed.

They reason, that we know better than Biblical authors.

The problem is, man didn’t write these words

God did!

This isn’t a philosophy book, it is the owner’s manual written by our creator.

In fact, Jesus doubled down on the standards

Not only is the act wrong, the thought leading to it is included!

Jesus Jesus illustrated that in the following passages:

Let us notice the first 2 to set the standard before we come back and dig in to the specifics in the coming weeks.

Jesus takes the old standard, which focused on actions, and penetrated deeper to apply it to the heart.

Instead of relaxing the standards for righteous living, He made it more strict!

Anger and Murder

Matthew 5:21–22 ESV

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 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.

Lust and Adultery

Matthew 5:27–28 ESV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The new standard of righteousness is one of the heart.

HE gives us new hearts and then righteous living grows from it.

Conclusion:

Does God care how we live?

YES!

His word spells out right and wrong and His standard is timeless.

Jesus completed the Law and kept the Law

He was the final sacrifice and the high priest of the new covenant.

HE obeyed the law and teaches us to do the same.

He even challenges us to guard our thoughts.

Don’t entertain the thought of sin.