The Kingdom Manifesto - 8

Kingdom Manifesto – 8

God’s Law is Eternal, Matthew 5:17-20

Ian Stamps, 03/22/2020

Welcome and Personal Message

· (Note: this was Ian’s first online message after Governor Pritzger’s “stay-at-home” order was issued*)

· I hate this (having to meet online and not at the church building*)

· It’s not a substitute for meeting together

· But it is right, it is good, and it is necessary under the circumstances

(Video – compilation of people falling)

· What is it about watching people fall that entertains us?

o We move from cringing, to laughing, to judging

· We all fall, don’t we?

o Physically, emotionally, spiritually

Romans 3:23 – all have sinned and fall short

1 John 1:8 – if we say we’re without sin, we’re liars

· You’ve fallen, right? We’re not all a model of grace and balance

o You slip on the ice and fall; you pulled on a door you’re supposed to push which can be very awkward; you’re taking the last drink from a glass and the ice is stuck at the bottom and then drops in your face and you wind up wet.

o You automatically look around to see who saw what happened to you. Why? Pride? Shame?

The Pharisees were a group who only cared who saw

· They lived quite carefully because they wanted to impress

Matthew 5:20 - “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

· “better than” means to exceed, to far surpass

· How can you reasonably expect that? These people were professional law keepers. They could tell others how they failed. They don’t trip.

· In the Beatitudes, Jesus invites and blesses the spiritually poor

o Now he shuts the door on us?

o Think about a trip to Disney World. You do all the work for the expenses of the trip. You wait in line at the first ride, you finally get there . . . and then they change the height requirement and you can’t ride!

TS – Read Matthew 5:17-20 to see this verse in its context:

Matthew 5:17-20 - “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

1: Jesus’ view of God’s rules

2: Our response to God’s rules

1: Jesus’ view of God’s Rules

Matthew 5:17 - “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

· Not going to abolish the law. He’s not undoing all God has done.

· He’s going to accomplish its purpose. What is that (what was the purpose of the law)?

Galatians 3: 23-25 - Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

· The law is a guardian; a tutor (NASB), a babysitter

· The law points to righteousness (being right with God) that only Jesus provides.

Romans 3:19-24 - Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

· This side of the cross, we see the Old Testament differently

· Not a list of rules, but an arrow pointing to Jesus

o Jesus fulfills the prophecies

o Ethical requirements – sacrificial system

o Moral code – a perfect life

a) God’s word is unchanging

o Matthew 5:18 – The smallest detail – jot nor tittle

o This is the same as dot over the “i” or cross on the “t”

b) God’s word is relevant

o Matthew 5:19 – To ignore equals being the least; to teach equals being the greatest. Why? We’re valuing what God values; we’re loving him well.

The Pharisees didn’t get it. They used the law to promote themselves and exclude others. This was never the point of Scripture. It was to invite people in.

2: Our response to God’s rules

God desires a righteousness of the heart, born of faith in Christ and not just external devotion to a set of rules.

The Pharisees had a list of 613 rules from the Old Testament (248 positives (do this) and 365 prohibitions (don’t do this)) There was also a second set of rules on how to follow the first set called the Talmud which was 72 volumes of books when translated into English. These rules were made just as binding as the rules from the Old Testament.

Jesus still raises the bar:

· Issues of being, not just doing

· Issues of motivations, not just actions

The Pharisees had brought every part of the body into control except the heart – the one part that God says matters most.

The rest of Matthew 5 shows this:

· You’ve heard that this was said, but I tell you . . . and Jesus raises the bar significantly on those rules

o They would never murder, but wouldn’t hesitate to angrily ruin someone’s reputation. Jesus says don’t even be angry but to be reconciled to someone whom you have an issue with.

o They wouldn’t commit adultery, but invented a myriad of excuses for divorce (even such as burning the food) to leave their wife and then pursue another love interest. Jesus says don’t even lust.

· They knew the rules, but not the God who gave them

· Examples today where we’re guilty of the same things

o Catholic confession – it turns into a “free pass” for sins. That’s not the intention but people have turned into that.

o Lent – we give up something in the name of honoring God but . . . first we fill up on that something on Fat Tuesday. We find a way around and lose the meaning and intention.

o People who go to church regularly but have no daily worship of the Lord.

o People who tithe to the penny but not joyfully.

o People who misuse one verse in the Bible to justify hating a group of people and ignore verses elsewhere in the Bible it says that God loves that group of people.

o The men who sadly thump the Bible to demand their wife to submit to them in everything. They quote Ephesians 5:22 but ignore the verse before and the verse after.

· All these things are attitudes and action of law-keeping but are not attitudes and actions of love.

o This has been called a Loophole faith – looking for a way around it. How can I fulfill that but really I want to do something else.

o Religious people follow commands, but do not follow the commander.

o Christians seek out what shows love the most. It’s not about checking boxes but is about loving God.

When Jesus says in Matthew 5:20 “exceed their righteousness”

· It’s not to do what the Pharisees were doing only better

· But it’s an entirely different brand

· It’s affection for the Lord, and not checking boxes

Here is how to do that:

1: Receive it from God. This kind of righteous comes from God.

· Romans 3:21-22

· Philippians 3:8-9

· Start at the source

2: Step out of the spotlight

· Matthew 6:1 – don’t do righteous deeds to be seen

· Matthew 5:16 – let your deeds point to the Heavenly Father

3: Love the Lord, not a list

· Don’t focus on being a keeper of the rules

· Aren’t you glad God didn’t look for loopholes in loving you?

· Aren’t you glad he isn’t focused on a list and keeping score?

· He Loves us and invites into a relationship with him.

Conclusion:

There are two groups of people who can hear this wrong:

1) Long-time Christians

· I’m good, I know Jesus

· I can decide who is good or not good

2) Those who say: This all sounds good but you don’t know what I’ve done.

· Jesus welcomes exactly them – those who are poor in spirit (spiritually poor)

The Pharisee and the tax collector. This story covers the above two groups.

Luke 18:9-14 - Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus says that it was the tax collector who left there right with God and not the Pharisee. It’s the sinner who relies on the mercy of God who gets right with God.