Kingdom Mindset: Matthew 5:17-48

CIT: Christ’s imputed righteousness empowers us to follow his law.

Jesus gives us the heart of the law

Jesus gives us the standard of Christianity

Jesus met the standard for us

Jesus gives us the heart of the law (Matthew 5:17-47)

The Mosaic Law revealed God’s righteousness and man’s sinfulness

Before we discover what Jesus is teaching us about the Law in his Kingdom, we need to understand what the Law meant for Jews living under the OT.

The Law was meant to be the source through which Israel would be governed, but its ultimate purpose was not just a constitution and bill of rights, it was meant to show how perfectly righteous God is in his character and judgements, and how poorly humanity lives up to this perfection, thus showing our need for a Savior.

While the purpose of the Law was ultimately meant to point to our need for a Savior, that is Jesus, the Pharisees and the Scribes saw the Law as the end all be all of their lives. Rather than understanding their sinfulness in light of the Law and asking for forgiveness they sought to follow the letter of the law as perfectly as possible in order to achieve righteousness for themselves.

Jesus fulfilled the purpose of the Law (Matthew 5:17)

When Jesus came though he fulfilled the purpose of the law in two ways.

First, Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law in his life

The way in which Jesus did this was confusing to the Pharisees and Scribes though. Because they sought to become righteous through separation from the world. Jesus however had a different approach in his life.

None of what Jesus is saying and doing is abolishing any word, letter, or mark that has been written. He is not relaxing or teaching anyone to relax any of God’s commands. Rather, he is living out and teaching others to live out those very rules. And while he has been or will be dining with sinners, talking with women, healing on the Sabbath, and even overturning the greedy and racist moneychangers’ tables in the temple, none of those things are aberrations of God’s Word, as the scribes and Pharisees think. Instead those actions accord with the Law’s highest principles.

Second, Jesus fulfilled the purpose of the Law and Prophets by coming as the Savior we need.

The Scribes and Pharisees thought that Jesus was against the Law because of how he lived, but Jesus in these verses is telling us that “I am not against the Bible. I am absolutely for it!” But that’s not all he says. He also adds, “And the Bible is for me.”

Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law and thus fulfilled the purpose of the Law by being the Savior that we need

Jesus’s reinterpretation of the law shows Christians how to live in a sinful world (Matthew 5:21-48)

Now that Jesus has given his authority by showing that he has come to fulfill what the Law requires he now gives us a proper interpretation of what the Law requires of Kingdom Citizens.

See, the Scribes and Pharisees sought to follow the letter of the law, but Jesus gives us what the heart of the law is teaching. That is why he says, “You have heard it said…but I say to you.” Jesus is showing us that the proper way to follow the Law is not just taking it at face value.

In the end how is it though that Jesus shows us to live as Christians in a sinful world? In love. Jesus ends this teach with Love and that is how we approach all of the commands that he has given us.

And in the command to love he gives us the standard for what he expects of us as Christians.

Jesus gives us the standard for Christianity (Matthew 5:48)

Christianity is not a cheap grace religion

Many will present Christianity as a cheap grace religion. One in which that as long as you ask for forgiveness it does not matter what you do because you “have a relationship with Jesus because it’s not a religion it’s a relationship.”

But here is my question to that philosophy, “How can you claim to have a relationship with Jesus if you do not obey what he has commanded and consistently take advantage of the forgiveness that he offers?”

Christianity is not a religion in which we treat grace cheaply by exclaiming “forgiveness!” while not living out what God requires of us.

Jesus is requiring perfect love from us (Matthew 5:48)

What is Jesus requiring? Perfection. Perfection shown through perfect love.

Jesus echos Leviticus 19:2 with his statement in Matthew 5:48. Perfect love is what he expects from us. That we not only love those who are kind and close to us, but we love those who hate and attack us. In short, we love how God loves.

We are not able to meet his standard

But here’s the rub, as long as we approach this task like the Pharisees and Scribes, that is through our own effort, we can never meet the standard that Jesus has given us.

Jesus met the standard for us

Jesus fulfilled the law by living perfectly (Matthew 5:17)

That is why we go back to the beginning to remember that Jesus has fulfilled the Law. Jesus has met the standard for us!

Jesus took our imperfection on the cross and gives us his perfection through faith (Romans 5:8 & 2 Corinthians 5:21)

And Jesus, fulfilling what the Law required and the Prophets foretold, showed his perfect love for us in that while we were still sinners, He died for us. (Romans 5:8)

And by dying on the cross for us he became sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Because God sees us as perfect, through Christ, we can now love as he loved.

And by God’s grace through faith we receive Christ’s righteousness and are now therefore empowered to love as a Kingdom Citizen should love. To love as a Christian should love. To love like Jesus loved us. We can follow the heart of the law because Jesus has followed it for us!

Conclusion

What we will often find though is that if you try and live like a Pharisee and earn your righteousness by living as perfect of a life as possible you will inevitably live in fear, fear of not being good enough. And I think some of you are sitting here tonight in fear that you are not good enough.

But here is your hope tonight, it doesn’t matter if you are good enough, Jesus was for you. Now we can have hope that because Jesus was good enough for us we can truly live like he called us to live.