This is the third sermon in a series of messages dealing with the Sermon on the Mount. This message is based on Matthew 5:17-20 in which Jesus states that He did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but came to fulfill them.
Written Excerpts:
Introduction:
Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock…. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand…. (Matt. 7:24ff)
We’re continuing our study of “these sayings” of Jesus in order to build our “house” on a foundation that is solid rock. The first sermon was a quick overview of all the beatitudes in verses 1-12. These are a list of attitudes or viewpoints on life that God blesses. These qualities represent “curses” in the thinking of the world, but they represent “blessings” in the eyes of God. Why? Because God views things from a completely different perspective than we do or the world does. These are attitudes that are necessary in order to have a life that can stand up in the midst of the storm, because they emphasize character qualities that are important in life.
The second message was concerning the privilege that God has given to each one of us to be salt and light in the world. We talked about the analogies that Jesus used to express our God-given mission in the world: to prevent spiritual/moral decay; to season our world with His character qualities; and to shine the light and dispel the darkness around us.
Today, we are resuming the study of this sermon to grasp more of the truth about what it means to lay a firm foundation for a life filled with storms. I want to read the verses that we will be discussing today…
Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
There are at least three principles that Jesus seems to be teaching in this paragraph.
I. His life and ministry do not annul God’s previous revelation.
At the beginning of this chapter we noted that when Jesus went up on the mountain, His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them by giving this discourse. We mentioned that disciple means follower, learner, etc. It is kin to the word discipline which is required of anyone who desires to have his life molded and modeled after the Master Teacher. In this group of disciples, there undoubtedly were people who would identify with the popular religious groups of that day – Pharisees and Sadducees. No doubt some of these people were critically watching His life and listening to His words in order to see if He was promoting anything that was contrary to the writings of Moses and the prophets. They were skeptical about some of His motives and intentions about the OT Law by the way He was teaching and “bucking” the religious system of the day.
I think Jesus was addressing their concerns to affirm His respect and allegiance to the Law, but it wasn’t necessarily on their terms; it was on God’s terms. It was in a way to show them that their understanding wasn’t exactly the way God intended.On the other hand, there were plenty of common folk who were perhaps not so familiar with Moses and the prophets. We get the impression from the Gospels that common folk were drawn to His ministry. It seems that they enjoyed the fact that Jesus irritated the religious rulers so much. There is a good possibility that they were on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Pharisees. They were feeling: “Yippee, here is a teacher that is breaking free from all the old traditions and the norms of the past. Now, we are free to be whatever we want to be and do whatever we want to do. And, I think Jesus is addressing their misconceptions as well.
“Don’t be celebrating and thinking that I’m advocating a ‘do-your-own-thing’ kind of philosophy.
“Law / Prophets” – euphemism that referred to OT Writings.
“I didn’t come to destroy” – demolish, invalidate.
“fulfill” – make full; make complete; bring to realization.
(Life Application Bible Commentary) The meaning for “fulfill” has been taken three ways: (1) to accomplish or obey the Old Testament laws; [e.g. Matt. 3:15 regarding his baptism.] (2) to bring out the full meaning of the law and prophecy, showing how Christ is the fulfillment of all to which they pointed; (3) to bring the Old Testament law and promises to their destined end or intended completion. [I personally believe it can include all three.] Jesus fills to fullness; he completes and transcends the law. The Old Testament law is not rescinded but now must be reinterpreted and reapplied in light of Jesus. God does not change his mind. He did not send his Son to repeal, abolish, or annul what he had told his people previously.
And so we emphasize that Jesus’ life and ministry do not, cannot, and will not annul God’s earlier revelation in the Old Testament. Granted, He did contradict many of their own laws and interpretations of the Law of Moses. He definitely went against their traditions, and that upset most of the religious ruling authorities. However, we must never forget that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word of God. He is God-speaking-in-the-flesh. Jesus can no more deny, destroy or contradict the OT Word than He can deny being Himself.
II. God’s Word (truth) is fixed and permanent.
The next principle Jesus is emphasizing here is the fact that God’s Word is eternally fixed and permanent.
Jesus’ words may have some relation to this OT passage:
Ps. 102:25-27 “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: 27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
God’s Word is permanent, because God is permanent.
Jesus affirms: “Not only did I not come to destroy or annul the Word of God, but it cannot be destroyed or annulled by anyone.”
People have tried ever since the beginning of time to override and overrule the commands of God. They have violated them with impunity. Yet, God’s commandments and God’s Word is still standing today. People have boasted about breaking God’s commandments, but in the end, they are the ones who end up broken and ruined and destroyed; not God or His Word.
III. Respect for and obedience to God’s Word is indispensable.
Rabbis often debated the differences between greater and lesser commandments. In their religious and theological debates, they would allow for the least commands to be ignored or disobeyed, but the greater commands must be precisely and diligently followed.
Jesus apparently uses their own technique against them in order to emphasize that all are important.
The Apostle James writes, “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)
v. 19 “Therefore” – in light of the previous statements, we must understand that:
A. Anyone who promotes by example or instruction the idea that any of God’s laws can be reduced to a place of dishonor and thus ignored, will also be viewed in the same way in the perception of God’s kingdom.
B. Anyone who promotes by example or instruction the idea that all of God’s laws are sacred and must be obeyed will be viewed in the same way according the perceptions in God’s kingdom.
It seems to go completely against the whole message that Jesus is trying to give to assume that He is saying you can promote disobedience to God’s law and still be a part of the kingdom of God
I believe that He is emphasizing the fact that “being called least in the kingdom of God
C. Everyone who wants to live up to the standard of God’s law must rise above the letter and embrace the spirit of it.
Jesus teaches all of us, even religious zealots, that there is a lot more to the Word of God than mere outward conformity to its requirements.
“exceed… scribes and Pharisees” – our observance or obedience must rise above the mere performance of duties and obligations. We must have a genuine love for God that seeks the intent and spirit of the Word.
I think Jesus is really emphasizing here what we often call the distinction between religion and relationship. It is not mere performance of rules and obligations that God is seeking. It is a love relationship between us and Him that draws us to seek and follow everything that we know pleases Him.
Conclusion:
Now, I haven’t mentioned this point since the beginning of the message today, but we are still talking about laying a solid spiritual foundation in our lives so we can withstand the storms that come our way in life.
What does all this emphasis on the Law and the Prophets have to do with laying a firm foundation?
It is essentially this…
In every life that is stable and solid there is a sense of a higher authority than myself; a higher authority that governs my life and to which I am accountable. My life is not my own, to simply run as I wish, according to all my impulses and desires. If I am merely living my life from day to day to satisfy whatever happens to be appealing to me today, then I will never develop a stability and a discipline that will guide me and hold me steady in the storms of life and physical, emotional, or spiritual attacks from Satan.
From the beginning of creation, God has steadily and progressively revealed His nature, His purposes and His redemptive actions to men of all ages. Every stage of revelation had its divine design and accomplished its intended purpose. Jesus did not negate any of the previous revelation; He brings it to fulfillment.
If we are to be a disciple of Jesus, we too must demonstrate a respect and dedication to the Word of God and be committed to let it and let Him change us. I believe that God wants us to first of all discover anew and afresh how Jesus Christ fulfills all the requirements of the law to provide our redemption and establish our relationship with the Father. I also believe that God wants us to submit to His divine authority over our lives and seek to live in a way that is pleasing to Him because we seek to honor His Word by obeying it. If we do this as a way of life, I know it will develop a solid foundation of faith in us that no storm can shake or destroy.
Our closing song today is a new hymn to me, but it has a very familiar tune, which we sing mostly as a Christmas Carol.
This hymn emphasizes God’s Word being spoken through Creation, through His people, through His Son, through the written word, and through His Spirit.
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