Being the Church - Following & Practising the Way of Jesus.

Becoming like Jesus - By obeying the Word of God

The New Testament defines a disciple as someone who is with Jesus learning how to be more like him.

This is what we are learning to become. How to be with Jesus; become like Jesus and do what Jesus did!

Today we are once again thinking about what it means to become like Jesus. Last week we talked about becoming like Jesus in our attitudes and responses to provocation in the world. Today we are thinking about becoming like Jesus by obeying the word of God

I. In becoming like Jesus we prevent evil and inject goodness into the World

As we live life in the Kingdom of God, exhibiting the characteristics of the beatitudes, we are also simultaneously salt and light in the world.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”(vs 13-16).

Salt is a preservative, killing bacteria but it also flavour the food, giving it taste. Salt as a metaphor is not used very often in the NT. - Col. 4:5–6.

Jesus highlighted the danger of salt losing its saltiness. “Disciples, if they are true to their calling, make the earth a purer and a more palatable place. But they can do so only as long as they preserve their distinctive character: unsalty salt has no more value. Strictly, pure salt cannot lose its salinity; but the impure ‘salt’ dug from the shores of the Dead Sea could gradually become unsalty as the actual sodium chloride dissolved.”(R.T France).

Those who serve in the kingdom need to bring life and flavour into the world but they can, if they are not careful become capable of living like a dead person.

Christians should be living in such a way that others will pause and consider what is different about them (1 Pet. 3:15). Believers are different and should appear so, because the Father is different (holy; 1 Pet. 1:15–16).

Light as a metaphor is more commonly used in the NT - Matt. 4:16; John 1:4–5, 9; 12:46; Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15; 1 Thess. 5:5).

God’s servant in the Kingdom of Heaven is to be light in the world. The function of light is to make reality or truth visible, thereby giving direction and guidance by what is seen.

Any believer who fails to function as light is going against going against intention for us as a new creation.

Jesus is “the light of the world” and we Christians are to reflect that light in the world. Believers are to make certain that nothing comes between them and their source of light (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 2:13–16).

We are to be both a “city on a hill” (5:14) and “the lamp … on its stand” (5:15) .

We are to fulfill our function by being elevated, so that our light can be seen by many people over a broad area

Jesus applies this quite literally in 5:16. The light represents our good works, which must be done with such integrity that all who see have no choice but to credit our Father in heaven.

Our life and influence is to be visible and obvious, not secret or hidden. We must not hide our devotion to Christ, but humbly do all we can to allow its truest colors to be seen where we live.

Question 1 - How can we let our light shine before men without boasting in ourselves?

II. We become like Jesus as we listen to and obey the Word of God.

When it comes to being like Jesus we demonstrate this in our attitude to the word of God.

When Jesus refers to “the Law or the Prophets”(v17) He is referring to the whole of the OT scriptures - Luk 24:27.

Jesus loved the law of God and was clear that He did not come to “abolish” the law, but to “fulfill it.”

Why? Because the law of God is an expression of the will of God and it is His mandate for living in the Kingdom of God.

If we want to live well in the Kingdom of God we seek to do His will by living according to His word. If we live according to the word of God then we live in a way which pleases God.

The law of God is the directive for living under the rule of God in His Kingdom.

This is why Jesus expounded it and brought it to our attention. The word of God is the power and the means to bring the Kingdom of God to life within you.

Indeed Jesus says: “If you love me you will obey what I command”(John 14:15), and in another place He asks, ​‘how can you call me Lord, Lord, but not do the things that I say?’(Luke 6:46).

Now we need to be clear that this is not obeying it to be saved but loving it because we are saved and respecting this timeless values as our Maker’s instructions for living well in the world.

There is an important distinction to make because the NT often speaks negatively of the law of God when used as a system of merit to get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Any attempt to climb up to Heaven by self-merit is condemned to failure - “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin”(Rom 3:20).

For Paul there is nothing wrong with the law - “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.”(Rom 7:11), the law is not sin, it acts as a mirror to show us sin - Rom 7:7-25.

The law was introduced to keep us “in custody” until the promise of salvation in Jesus came to set us free. It acted as our “tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”(Gal 3:24).

Paul says the same thing very clearly in 1 Tim 1:8-11 “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.”

So what place does the law have in the Christian life?

Some suggest that it obsolete because we are “not under law but under grace”(Rom 6:14).

But that is to misread Paul and to ignore much of the teaching of the NT. For the same Paul says: 1 Cor 7:19 “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.”

Now to be clear here - By Jewish tradition, there are 613 laws in the Pentateuch (as opposed to hundreds of thousands of laws in England in common law, not codified by having civil and criminal elements going back for over a thousand years and civil law.- They all matter, because they all teach us something about love for God and neighbor.

But the 613 can be summarized by the Ten Commandments, which can in turn be summarized by two: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (see Matt. 22:37–40). Jesus said that as did Paul who observed that ‘the goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

And again on Romans 13 he says: “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Rom. 13:8–9)

In the Gospel’s, Jesus certainly transforms the Ten Commandments, but he never meant to abolish them but to fulfil them (Matt. 5:17-20).

“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. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. “ - Jesus was not taking away from the law, nor was he adding to it. He was clarifying its original meaning.

The “smallest letter or the least stroke (5:18) of the Hebrew alphabet is the yod. It is no bigger than our apostrophe. The smallest stroke of a pen is a very tiny mark that is only one part of a single Hebrew letter, like the dot over our “i.”

Jesus would never trifle with even the smallest part of Scripture, He came to fulfil it. It reaches its intended culmination in the ministry and teaching of Jesus.

Remember what we said last week about v20 “Your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.”

This is quite a shocking statement for the hearers of this sermon, because the scribes and Pharisees were considered the ultimate example of righteousness but their problem was that they did all of it for performance sake, to “be seen by men”.

Jesus makes it clear that obeying the law was not just about not doing outward actions; its also about the motivations, the heart - not just not murdering or committing adultery but not despising another or lusting after another or wishing violence on another.

The problem was with the heart which needed to be transformed by new birth and when it was so transformed by the Holy Spirit, the law is written on the heart.

There are 2 pivotal passages in the OT on this in Jer. 31:31–34 and Ezek. 36:26–27. These are generated in us through new birth in “the new covenant” The values become an intrinsic part of us as the Holy Spirit grows His fruit in us - Gal 5:23,24.

We see this in Jesus dialogue with the Rich Young Ruler who believed outward conformity was all that mattered but discovered that covetousness and idolatry is a matter of the heart and exists wherever a man puts mammon ahead of God! He was not therefore saved, regardless of his morality because his morality was external not internal; it was created by Himself not by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus shows us what is intended by the law and just how deeply sin is ingrained in our nature which is why we need grace!

The law renders us unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin, but “thanks be to God” there is a Saviour, Jesus Christ who rescues me “from the body of sin and death”(Rom 7:25).

However he is equally clear that the law matters and will not be set aside and indeed if anyone is to set it aside they “will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”

“The good disciple will do and teach the commandments: he will go beyond lip-service, to be guided by them in his life and teaching” (R.T. France).

The law of God matters in the Kingdom of God and we as citizens of the Kingdom of God are to see that it still matters to God that we seek to obey it! - “the law is good if one uses it properly.” So let’s use it properly and see how Jesus uses it in Matthew 5:17-43:

III. We become like Jesus as we live by the core principles that motivate obedience to the law of God:

Before we look at each of these verses separately, note the formula:

Jesus gave 6 examples that contrasted Pharisaical “righteousness” with true, “surpassing” righteousness.

The 6 examples support His thesis but He could easily have provided more. However His intention was to provide a way of thinking would prepare believers for every possible situation they would face.

He uses the formula, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago.” or “You have heard that it was said” and “It has been said.” The implication of this is staggering, Jesus has authority to properly interpret the true intention of God’s Word. He is the authoritative guide and interpreter of God’s holy word which is why He stood out and it is why the sermon on the mount ends with the words: “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”(Matthew 7:28-29).

Jesus insisted his words bore all the authority of God himself which, of course, he was. Jesus claimed deity for himself. Jesus contrasted his own authority, as the original author and ultimate interpreter of the law, with the false authority of the rabbinic oral tradition.

(i). Let the Law of Murder remind you about the danger of anger and the importance of reconciliation:

If we are to become like Jesus we need to appreciate the danger of uncontrolled anger.

Jesus did get angry so anger is not sin per-se, - Eph 4:26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” There is such a thing as righteous anger

“The Lord’s anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down. The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. (Isaiah 5:25)

The Bible does not say that God never gets angry it says that God is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”(Psa 103:8).

Indeed it would be highly immoral for God to not get angry at the things he hates` - Prov 6:16 “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”

So Jesus says about murder (Exod 20:13) - Matt 5:21-26: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. “

Jesus goes behind the act of murder itself to declare that the anger and hatred which give rise to it, though not capable of being examined in a human court, are no less culpable in the sight of God.

Jesus broadened their understanding of murder to include wrongful anger that might, in some cases, lead to literal murder. He included cutting, harmful words that can kill a person’s spirit.

To call a brother Raca (“empty-headed”) was to cross the boundary of acceptablesness and to treat another human being with contempt!

So we need to watch ourselves and our attitudes to others.

Jesus urged that all offenses be corrected quickly and person-to-person whenever possible (5:25–26). If God will punish anger, we cannot worship him with grudges unsettled

A grievance unsettled can lead, in human terms, to court and to prison. The longer a person waits to correct an offense, the weightier the consequences can become. We may find that the offended party will be much more gracious in settling matters than the impersonal justice of the courts or the ultimate judgment of God

(ii). Let the Law of Adultery remind you about the danger of lust and the importance of mortification:

Matthew 6:27-30 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Note that, as he did with murder, Jesus acknowledged the higher court of heaven (5:29–30) as the court we should be mindful of, since the thoughts of our hearts are difficult for a human court to judge but God knows the heart! - Prov 21:2; 1 Sam 16:7; Rom 8:27.

Exodus 20:17 had condemned coveting another man’s wife; Jesus here emphasizes that such coveting is stealing (Exod. 20:17) but it is also implicit adultery

We need to ruthlessly deal with the sin of lust in the heart - putting it to death!

The exhortation to gouge out the eye or cut off the hand is hyperbole, intended to communicate the point, “Do whatever it takes to correct your heart attitude.” Lust originates in a person’s mind so mutilating the body will not solve the problem. The alternative is the loss of the whole body in “hell”(Grk: gehenna (Matt 5:22; Matt 10:28).

Paul imakes this clear in Ephesians 4:17-24 says: “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

(iii). Let the law of Divorce remind you about the importance of faithfulness:

Matthew 6:31-32 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”

Jesus quotes the exception clause for divorce found in Deuteronomy 24:1 where a wife “becomes displeasing…because he finds something indecent about her.” is not adultery but something offensive or unclean in her! Here Jesus uses the word porneia, referring to any kind of sexual unchastity whether adultery or fornication.

“The permissible grounds for divorce were debated: while the school of Shammai restricted the ‘some indecency’ of Deuteronomy 24:1 to refer only to a sexual misdemeanour authenticated by witnesses, actual practice was governed by the school of Hillel, who reputedly took it of any cause of complaint, even including burning the dinner. (Mishnah Gittin 9:10. For actual practice, see Josephus, Ant. iv. 253; Vita 426.) No court decision was required, only unilateral action by the husband.” (R.T. France).

So the certificate of divorce was designed not as a means of shaming the woman but protecting her against exposure and vulnerability as “a certificate of divorce"was not commanding divorce it provided protection to the woman when a divorce was chosen.

It was actually Moses’ effort to curtail the rampant practice of “easy divorce” among God’s people. The legal certificate kept the husband from treating his wife capriciously, threatening her with abandonment one day, and taking her back the next. It protected her from abuse.

Jesus later explained that the purpose of Deuteronomy 24 and other such passages was not to allow divorce, but to keep his people within certain boundaries when they chose divorce (19:1–12).

Reconciliation was always the preferred and better option to divorce but it may not always be possible.

(iv). Let the law of Oaths remind you about the importance of straightforward honesty:

Matthew 6:33-36 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

The law of oaths was derived from such passages as Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; and Deuteronomy 5:11; 6:13; 23:21–23.

A biblical vow or oath in the Old Testament was an optional, above-and-beyond promise of an offering to God. Vows were never required, (Deut. 23:22). But once made, a vow was to be kept.

A promise must not be complicated, legalized, or reduced to technicalities. The Pharisees, had expanded oaths to matters of technicalities, that often twisted the normal meaning of words. Oaths “by heaven” were considered more binding than oaths on the earth and freed them of obligations to family members or related companions, citing a higher obligation to God.

A broken vow was subject to God’s punishment. - Eccles 5:1-7.

Jesus was not banning oath taking altogether - Jesus’ own response when the High Priest ‘put him on oath’ (26:63–64), shows He was subject to oaths himself and Paul refers to taking ‘oaths’ in the New Testament (2 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 1:20; cf. 1 Thess. 5:27); even God can use an oath (Heb. 6:13–17).

However what Jesus is saying here is that whilst taking oaths will be rare, in every day life and circumstances, we are to be truth tellers. Don’t play with words and twist their meaning to your own selfish ends, just tell the truth!

(v). Let the law of just punishment remind you about the importance of generous mercy:

Matthew 6:38-42 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

The eye for an eye passages (Exod. 21:24; Lev. 24:19–20; Deut. 19:21) were seen as justification for hurting others at least as badly as they had been hurt.

The law was not given to exact revenge, but to legislate justice. Breaking the law has consequences, but personal vengeance has no place.

Mercy is always preferable over justice - see John 8:1-12 - For the kingdom servant, legalistically “letting the punishment fit the crime” and insisting upon revenge falls short of God’s ideal.

When Jesus says “do not resist an evil person” he is advocating blessing those who do us harm by hurting us or stealing from us or making demands on us against our will.

A resorting to revenge or the law is not be our first response, mercy is! “The principle here is not primarily the avoidance of lawsuits (as in 1 Cor. 6:1–8, where v. 7 is probably based on this passage), but a radically unselfish attitude to one’s rights and property.’ (R.T France).

(vi). Let the law of natural relations be transformed by the supernatural law of love:

Matthew 6:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The first part of Jesus’ quote in 5:43, Love your neighbor, is one of the central commands of the Bible (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:34–40).

But the mistaken thinking came with the second part “and hate your enemy: which introduced revenge thinking which is far removed from God’s intended meaning in “love your neighbor.” which according to Luke 10:25–37, is every human being in our sphere of influence.

The disciple’s attitude to religious persecution must go beyond non-retaliation to a positive love.

R. C. H. Lenski writes, “[Love] indeed, sees all the hatefulness and the wickedness of the enemy, feels his stabs and his blows, may even have something to do toward warding them off; but all this simply fills the loving heart with the one desire and aim, to free its enemy from his hate, to rescue him from his sin, and thus to save his soul. Mere affection is often blind, but even then it thinks that it sees something attractive in the one toward whom it goes out; the higher love may see nothing attractive in the one so loved, … its inner motive is simply to bestow true blessing on the one loved, to do him the highest good.… I cannot like a low, mean criminal who may have robbed me and threatened my life; I cannot like a false, lying, slanderous fellow who, perhaps, has vilified me again and again; but I can by the grace of Jesus Christ love them all, see what is wrong with them, desire and work to do them only good, most of all to free them from their vicious ways.” (The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1964], p. 247)

2 principles are to be followed here.

First, follow the example of their Father in heaven.

The Father gives gifts such as sun and rain to good and evil alike, and so we, as believers, ought to love and pray for our enemies (Luke 23:34; Rom. 5:8). By this we will show ourselves sons of your Father in heaven. He teaches us to love everyone because God does. The command to imitate the Father in 5:48, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Greek: teleios, meaning “having reached its end, mature, complete, perfect.”). The goal for the kingdom servant is to behave like his Father, and so to reach the mature level of supernatural transformation.

Second, Jesus urges us to show ourselves distinct from the rest of the world in terms of our attitudes.

This is actually the flip side of the first argument, to be like the Father. If we show partiality and if we love only those who love us, we are like unbelievers. If, on the other hand, we show love impartially, guided by grace and mercy, then we show ourselves distinct, and we shine before the world, bringing glory to the Father.

Not for a moment should we think that this will come easy to us - it will require us to die to self and take up our cross to follow Jesus:

George Mueller wrote, “There was a day when I died, utterly died to George Mueller and his opinions, his preferences, and his tastes and his will. I died to the world, to its approval and its censure. I died to the approval or the blame of even my brethren and friends. And since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.”

Question 2 - How does Jesus teaching on the law and our response to it, challenge or inspire us?

APPLICATION:

So pulling this altogether, what kind of person am I to become as I live in the Kingdom of God and seek to be salt and light?

I am a person who would never countenance murdering anyone and will not excuse any violent, disdainful or contemptible reaction to another human being.

I am a person who would never countenance adultery and will not excuse myself even if I restrict lust for another woman just to the chambers of my heart.

I am a person who would prefer not to divorce but if I exercise my right to divorce I will not do so by putting another or myself into a sinful situation.

I am person who does not take oaths lightly and will not foolishly or naively make oaths to men or to God but rather will be a person whose word can be trusted.

I am a person who will not be driven by a desire to get my own back, no matter how justified it might seem, I will rather allow myself to be exploited and taken advantage of than to turn my heart away from people in genuine need.

I am a person who will actively seek to love my enemies and not simply my friends. As a “peacemaker”, I will seek to be like “my Father in Heaven” who indiscriminately blesses those he has made and we are to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Remember though, the insights to be gained here about murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, revenge, and love are valuable. But we miss the entire message of the sermon if we do not take the single underlying principle and learn how to apply it to the infinite number of decisions that we face throughout our lives.

We are not people who simply obey the letter of the law, but the Spirit also - “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”(2 Cor 3:6).

Question 3 - “Christians are not perfect, just forgiven” - What’s right with this statement? What’s wrong with it?