On Tuesday's I hope to post some thoughts from the lesson that was previously taught at Merge the Sunday before...
Series: You Say You Want A Revolution
Lesson: Jesus, The Law and You
Text: Matthew 5:17-20
Some Thoughts:
---In verses 3-16 Jesus has spoken of a Christian's character, and of the influence he will have in the world if he exhibits this character. He is now going to further define His love in the development of our lives in terms of a righteousness that only He can provide.
v.17
---Jesus has just addressed His relationship in regards to the Law of God. He tells them that He has no desire to defeat the Law, rather He is going to fulfill all of them.
Truths about The Law:
1. The Law is the STANDARD that must be kept to earn ETERNAL LIFE with the Heavenly Father.
---One of our major issues when it comes to the Law and a right standing with God is that we somehow started to think that good should be good enough.
2. It is impossible for any human to COMPLETELY KEEP The Law.
---Romans 5:12
---So Jesus says don't think that I have come to destroy the Law because that wouldn't save you. Rather, He says that He has come to fulfill it and in so doing brings us hope.
v.18
---Jesus wanted to reveal the full depth of the meaning the law was intended to hold in our lives.
---"The Old Testament is the Gospel in the bud, the New Testament is the Gospel in full flower." ---Bishop Ryle
v.19
Jesus wanted people to understand their COMPLETE INABILITY to keep the law. (this idea is so important I wanted us to engage it twice.)
---Because we can't do this life in perfection we need a worthy sacrifice. In the system God gives us to deal with sin, from the very beginning we see a process of Law and Sacrifice. When the law was given, the lamb was also given. When Moses was chosen as a lawgiver, God also set apart Aaron as a high priest.
---Old Testament sacrifices were signpost that pointed to Jesus.
v.20
---The condition the Pharisees developed was that they were concerned greatly about having clean hands but their hearts were filthy. The issue with this is that clean hands is more behavioral modification and less authentic living.
---What we need most from Jesus isn't a new robe, it's a new heart.
2 Observations about the religious leaders of the first century:
1. The religious leaders of the first century REDEFINED and ADJUSTED the Law to JUDGE others and JUSTIFY themselves.
---The were prided on their ability to keep the law but in a closer look they would make some law's demands less demanding and some law's permissions more permissive resulting in a very dangerous spirituality.
2. The religious leaders of the first century valued their own INTERPRETATIONS of the law more than God HIMSELF.
---Matt. 15:1-9
--- The spirituality that was created is a very dangerous on we call Human Righteousness
4 issues created from Human Righteousness:
1. Human Righteousness is more concerned with the clean hands and ignores the heart.
---While we tend to evaluate on the externals, it is God's nature to look at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7)
2. Human Righteousness will water down the STANDARDS of the Law.
---Tell me if you have never tried this one. You know where the line is in regards to sin (sexually, professionally, relationally) and instead of fleeing from it you creep closer and closer to the line claiming that you have done nothing wrong...yet.
---The essence of the Law is not to see how close you can get to it without breaking it. Jesus wants to show us how far from the standard we fall while realizing that He has fulfilled the obligation the law held over us.
3. Human righteousness is always SELF-GRATIFYING instead of GOD-GLORIFYING.
---If you want people to be impressed by you then by all means live as a Pharisee. If you want to see people who are far from God find the life that is available in Christ then you must concerned yourself with both clean hands and a pure heart.
4. Human righteousness is not the kind of righteousness God REQUIRES.
---You can pile human goodness upon human goodness; you can refine and perfect it, and polish it, but no matter how hard you try you fall short of God's standard because human righteousness is qualitatively different from the righteousness of God.
---Romans 3:21-26
Heart and Soul,
BAG
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