Jesus our Law Keeper | Matthew 5:17-20

Thank you everyone for your prayers, concerns, texts, cuddles, kisses, hugs and all of that

concerning Hayley.

We really, really appreciate it.

You might see me putting some kilos on because the people who are cooking for us are cooking

really good meals.

So yeah, if they give us a tray, I'll get into that.

So thank you very much for the church's love and concern for us.

But yes, and Hayley, we've got some more stuff to do with the doctors this week and we'll

see what the path will be forward.

But please keep praying for us.

And in saying that, let us pray to our God this morning who has given us these wonderful,

precious words.

Would you join me in prayer?

Father God, these are indeed words given by inspiration of your Holy Spirit, not written

by men, but given by you to us.

We ask this morning as we peer into these words of eternal life, that Lord, they won't

stay in our minds, but by your Spirit would be plunged into our hearts.

Father, we ask that we wouldn't be like the crowds listening to the words of Jesus and

walking away unaffected, but indeed like the disciples sitting at the feet of you, Lord

Jesus, listening to you and taking these words to be what they are.

We know that this can only happen by your Spirit working among us this morning.

We ask that this would happen in Jesus' name.

Amen.

There's been a great gift given to Australian parents in the past few years, and that is

a little TV show on the ABC called Bluey.

Now for those of you who may not have heard of this, Bluey, where have you been?

But it is simply a show about a family of cartoon dogs called the Healers.

Now I say that this show is a gift to parents because in each episode there are fantastic

little lessons about life that the parents teach their children by way of games.

And some of the games are hilarious, really helping parents like me communicate little

life lessons in a really fun way.

However, one of my daughter's favourite episodes is when Bluey's dad, Striker, tries to teach

her chess, which in turn got my little girl Bethany interested in the whole thing as well,

which led her to wanting me to teach her chess.

So thanks to Bluey, me and Bethany have come to loving playing chess most weekends.

And I've got to say she's picked up the game pretty quickly, it's great.

However, as I've been teaching her the rules and as we've been playing, I've noticed how

she wants to get rid of the rules altogether or make up new ones to make chess more interesting.

And that is the thing about human nature, right?

We don't like rules and we want to get rid of them, looking for any excuse to make life

more interesting.

It's like the heart says, rules are there and they're meant to be broken.

And I mention this because this seems to be the thing that Jesus is addressing with his

disciples here on the Sermon of the Mount.

He's teaching them about the kingdom of heaven and we read here in verse 17, do not think

that I have come to abolish the law or prophets.

We might ask here, why would he even have to address this?

Why did he need to say clearly to his audience that he had no intention of abolishing God's

rules that have been given to them?

Well, this question might be answered within the context of where we have been in the book

of Matthew so far.

See, up until this point, we've seen that there was an internal cultural paradox that

was alive and well in the nation of Israel.

On the one hand, they were a people who were under the crushing foot of the Roman Empire,

but on the other hand, they were also a people that knew that they were in covenant with

the living God, the creator of the universe.

And he had promised that through the family of David, he was going to raise up a king

and this king was going to come to them and set them free from all their enemies.

So they were a defeated people in a way, but at the same time, they were also an expecting

people, looking forward in hope to what God had promised to do for them.

And there must have been great hope for those who believe God's promises through the prophets,

as throughout their Bible, our Old Testament, they were given wonderful pictures of what

God's king would be like and what he would do for his people.

However, in this great expectation, they also knew that before their king would come on

the scene, God would make it really obvious to them.

We read in one of the prophets, particularly Malachi chapter four, verses one to six, these

are the words of God, surely the day is coming, it will burn like a furnace.

All the arrogant and evildoers will be stubble and the day that is coming will set them on

fire says the Lord Almighty.

Not a root or branch will be left to them, but for you who revere my name, the son of

righteousness will rise with healing in its rays and you will go out and frolic like well

fed calves.

Then you will trample on the wicked, there will be ashes under the soles of your feet

on the day that I access the Lord.

Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees laws and I gave him a hareb for all

Israel.

See, I will send the prophet Elijah before you, before that great and dreadful day of

the Lord comes.

He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of the children

to their parents or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.

I want us to notice something said in that prophecy by Malachi.

He says, see, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the great and dreadful day that

the Lord comes.

Now for the people who believe their Bibles and who were expecting and looking for God's

coming messenger, John was the obvious guy that Malachi was speaking about.

We know that they didn't believe in reincarnation.

I mean not only did he preach like Elijah telling the rebellious people of Israel to

turn back to their God, he even dressed and we can assume probably even smelt like him

as well.

And how did John get the people of Israel ready to meet their coming Messiah?

Well we looked at this a few weeks ago when we were looking into chapter 3.

John baptised them but more than that he came with a burning message in his heart saying

I baptise you with water for repentance but after me comes one who is more powerful than

I, whose sandals I'm not worthy to carry.

He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat

into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

All this to say for those who believed the preaching of John and who were expecting God

to keep his promises and send them a king.

John was the obvious application to Malachi's announcement and Jesus was the obvious king

that John's ministry was getting people ready to meet.

So once Jesus was publicly coronated by John he got straight to work preaching all over

the place about God's wonderful kingdom or the kingdom of heaven as Matthew puts it.

And it was as he was doing this that news not only spread about his message on the kingdom

but also about the amazing miracles he was performing.

In fact Matthew tells us that he was becoming so famous in Israel that people from all over

the place were coming to see him.

He was a huge deal and someone worth the time and effort to go out and see.

For the past couple of weeks we've been exploring one of Jesus' most famous sermons that he

gave in the region of Galilee.

It's come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount.

It's a brilliant amazing sermon that we're going to be working our way through over the

coming weeks.

Not only because you have Jesus who is the greatest theologian of all time clearly expanding

great themes of the Bible but he really goes into some great practical detail about what

it is to be his disciple in this world.

On how to not be part of this world but how to be as we saw last week salt and light.

How to be an element of preservation and truth in a decaying and rotting world that rejects

God.

So when Jesus turns his attention to the law saying I haven't come to abolish it.

I think he's saying that because our context shows us that his disciples came from a world

where they would have had so much confusion about the role of the law and the prophets

in Israel.

So we have to remember in the face of all these wonderful promises and hopes that their

Bibles held out about a coming king.

We know that not everyone was on board with John's message.

Not everyone was on board with John's ministry and application.

In fact the theologians and teachers of the law in Israel were not happy with John's ministry

at all.

They went out to challenge him regularly on what he was preaching.

And it was in these challenges that we see that John warned Israel's teachers that they

were nothing more than a brood of vipers without proper understanding or true followers of

the law themselves.

In fact he said that they were in great need of repentance before God destroyed them.

Matthew 3, 7 through to 10.

So you can imagine that when Jesus came along and went about preaching in the synagogues

his message on the kingdom of heaven and its application would have been revolutionary

and nothing like that of the teachers of the day who thought that they were the great keepers

and experts of God's moral rules and its application.

I mean we can imagine it right.

He would have challenged much of his disciples theological understanding about what they

had been taught about the law as Jesus would have dismantled the theological norms of the

day and applied the law in what they would have thought as such a different way.

Which it seems in turn must have got his disciples wondering if he was opposed to these rules

that were given by God.

So Jesus makes it crystal clear in this text that we have before us this morning.

Jesus says I've not come to abolish the law and prophets.

What's interesting about this is that Jesus is saying that he is all for obedience to

God's law.

He's saying don't misunderstand what I've come to do.

I've not come to say that God's rules and standards don't matter anymore or that he's

just happened to change his mind on what's good and bad.

No by Jesus saying that he has not come to abolish the law he's saying that God's moral

standard for life continues to be the measuring stick the measuring rod of righteousness for

his creatures.

In other words it continues to reveal God's perfect character which means on the flip

side it continues to show humanity's depravity whenever we're measured by it.

This is why the law was given in the first place right?

It was given to show the nature of salvation.

It was given to show that we're broken and we can't keep the law in and of ourselves

no matter how hard we try to do it.

So either we'll ignore and suppress that truth pretending either there's no God or that he

doesn't care about the way we act in this world either towards him or others or we will

try and self justify our actions making up our own rules and laws our own many religions

that define good and bad all to try and twist God's arm into finally accepting us.

This is all wrapped up in what Jesus is saying here.

He's saying to his disciples this moral standard of God these rules for life that have been

revealed in the law and given to you and continually preached through the prophets well it continues

to show God's character that hasn't changed.

It continues to show that God is perfect and that there is something wrong drastically

wrong with humanity.

It continues to show brokenness and inability so don't misunderstand me here.

Jesus says I have come I have not come to change the law for you.

The law continues to be the perfect rule of righteousness the perfect revelation of God's

character.

This is the thing about the law that we have to come to grips with church.

It does show us that we have broken our creators rules in every which way.

It does show us that we cannot measure up to what he has created us to be.

It does show us that there is something drastically wrong with the human experience and once we

understand that once we come to grips with the fact that we are cosmic rebels and that

we cannot save ourselves by keeping the law.

Once we come to grips with the fact that all we deserve is actually the wrath of the creator

well then you are able to then understand what salvation by grace is all about and why

what Jesus says next is absolutely astounding.

See Jesus doesn't just say I have come to abolish the law and prophets not to come and

to abolish the law and prophets.

He's also said that he's come to fulfill them.

As church as I've been reading through this text this week and its context it seems obvious

to me that all those who would have heard these words would have been blown away by

what Jesus is saying here.

I've not come to abolish the law of prophets.

I've not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Matthew goes on later to even say that the crowds were amazed at his teaching because

he taught as one who had authority not like their teachers of the law.

That's because Jesus is saying here I haven't come to get rid of what God has given to you

previously but have come to show you how to truly understand what's been given because

their plan and their purpose was to point to me.

Astounding so let's slow down here a bit.

Jesus is saying that all that God has given through Moses and the prophets all that God

has given in the Bible all the blessings and promises that he held out to Israel were in

fact pointing in one direction pointing to a time and a place.

He's saying that all that had been revealed was in fact pointing to the man that is standing

before them right there.

Jesus is saying it was all given so he might fulfill it.

What exactly does that mean?

What does fulfill mean?

I find this quote by a pastor in the ancient church very helpful John Chrysostom and I

probably haven't said that right I do apologize.

Simply put fulfill we're meant to think of something like a glass of water.

In other words Christ's ministry was about giving the law and the prophets their full

expression and I think Jesus uses this phrase to express a couple of things for us to fulfill

to fill up.

First he means that if we really want to know how the law is to shape us in this life then

his doctrine and application are the lens which we should understand the law through.

Jesus had come to give God's revelation its full meaning therefore he's saying that it's

through his teaching that he will reveal to us how to love God with all that you are and

others as yourself.

This means that it's his doctrine and application that are the correct way to see the law and

the prophets.

And that's what Israel's teachers had missed.

They didn't get what the law was doing or where it was pointing.

That's what Jesus is saying here.

He's saying it's only in his teaching and application that we can really understand

what the Old Testament truly means.

And second if we're to really understand the law if we really want to know what the promises

of the prophets are pointing to then we must not look just to the doctrine of Jesus but

also to his very life.

Because as we know he fulfilled the law and the prophets not only in all he said but also

in all he did.

This is why Matthew as we've seen through the weeks wrote this account.

He wrote this gospel to testify about the person of Jesus and Jesus fulfilled all that

the law required and all that the prophets promised in his very person.

I want to give an example of this so we're not lost this morning.

The ceremonies of the law testified of Jesus in the shadows and in types says the author

to the Hebrews meaning the temple sacrifices gave Israel vivid and graphic pictures of

what it would take to deal with sin which was the basis of Christ's own atoning sacrifice

on the cross meaning Jesus gave the full expression of what the law was pointing to in his death.

The laws demands for holiness are costly and it's in Jesus's death that we see what we

deserve which he took upon himself.

When Jesus cried from the cross father why have you forsaken me that's the laws penalty

being poured out and Jesus took that on himself on our behalf as our atoning sacrifice.

He is totally and utterly sinless yet as the innocent lamb he took the place of his people.

Martin Luther calls it the great exchange and we see all of this in the law and the

prophets but we understand it in its fullness in the life and death of Jesus.

Jesus makes it clear he is in no way come to abolish what's come before no he's come

to fulfill it to give it its fullest meaning this is why he goes on to say in verse 18

for truly I tell you 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.

Jesus is saying in as many words that the law is authoritative and you want to know

what I think about the law well it's God's moral standard I haven't come to change that

it stands I've come to reveal to you what it's been given to do to point to me.

It's little wonder Jesus goes on to say in verse 19 of our text this morning therefore

anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly

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.

Simply put Jesus expects his disciples his followers to view the law in the same way

he does to not cast it aside not to cast aside the moral principles of God's revelation

but to want to live by them to want to be obedient to them to want to do them to want

to be shaped by them to want to tell others about them.

You might be here this morning and you might be thinking to yourself hey Michael I didn't

think we were under the law but under grace that's certainly a phrase that I hear said

a lot and at first it's completely reasonable I mean it's a direct quotation from the Apostle

Paul it's indeed the case but in saying that we also know that God never contradicts himself

Jesus didn't say one thing and then Paul another when we read both Jesus and Paul in context

we quickly see that they weren't at loggerheads over this issue of the law in any sense but

actually addressing the very same thing with their audience and that's the problem of legalism.

You might be here this morning and thinking I've never heard of that word legalism what

on earth is that?

That's a great question and yet not a simple question to answer as it comes in so many

different forms but I'll give you three examples that are shown particularly in the book of

Matthew.

First legalism is when someone thinks that they can save themselves by the things that

they do.

That's going to be a major issue in the book of Matthew when it comes to the Pharisees.

They thought and taught the people of Israel there is an air of this you can save yourself

as you work your way into God's kingdom by the things you do so as to put God in a place

where he would have to save you and this is closely tied with Jesus's second issue with

legalism with the teachers of Israel and that was that they were adding man-made rules and

traditions to the law and placing them on people as authoritative as God given law.

In doing this they were actually taking people away from God's rules and making them followers

of their own made-up traditions and the burden was driving people away from following God

and to following men.

Third and we're going to see this a lot more in chapter 6 legalists happily serve God externally

but they're internally not interested in God at all.

They do all their religious deeds to be seen by others to get their approval yet internally

they're in no way with in love with God as their father in a nutshell legalism is an

external religion to please others in front of them.

So let's not misunderstand what's happening here in our text this morning brothers and

sisters Jesus isn't saying to his disciples that the Pharisees were so in love with God

and just a little bit too enthusiastic when it came to serving him.

No he's clear verse 20 Jesus says 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.

In other words Jesus is dead serious about the law and about his disciples obedience

to it.

It isn't something in the eyes of Jesus to be disregarded or thought about here and there

nor is it to be something that we just use so that we can be self justified trusting

in our own law keeping abilities to merit salvation like the error that the Pharisees

had walked straight into.

Now the law was given by God it stands as his eternal moral standard that people must

live up to because if you don't and this is the warning you will never enter the kingdom

of heaven says Jesus.

Seems pretty straightforward right?

Yet there is a tremendous glaring problem staring us right in the face this morning

and it would have been staring Jesus's first disciples in the face as well.

This is the problem when we look at the law when we measure ourselves by its standard

which is clearly laid out in the Ten Commandments if we're honest with ourselves we all all

of us stand utterly guilty and condemned because we've not just broken but smashed the law

in every which way and I have confidence in saying that to you this morning because the

way that we're going to see Jesus apply the law in the rest of his sermon is actually

to the thoughts and the intentions of the heart not just the external actions.

And it's as we apply the law in this way that we quickly see that we are in desperate need

of God's mercy and grace.

But this is the thing right?

This is how Jesus started his whole sermon on the mount.

How he started his whole sermon he said those who are blessed are not those who work externally

to twist God's arm into blessing them or who add little rules and regulations to impress

God and others.

No those who are blessed of God says Jesus are those who are poor in spirit, who mourn,

who are meek, who are humble meaning those who God blesses are not the people who work

hard at religion to build up self-trust but those who see their great need for God and

his mercy.

Church we see that because we see ourselves in the light of God's perfect character.

Brothers and sisters that's why God gave the law and that's why Jesus didn't come to abolish

it because it continues to expose our cosmic rebellion yet it drives us to cry out for

mercy.

And this is the most incredible news of all and if you don't take anything from this listen

to this.

God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus through his perfect obedience and

fulfilment of the law not just in all he did all he said not just externally but internally

well he's made a way for the penalty of our lawless deeds to be washed away completely

so that we might enter the kingdom of heaven through Christ's perfect obedience.

It might be said like this it's by putting your trust in Jesus alone that his perfect

law keeping is given to those who come to him in faith and that's the one who does that

is made a true law keeper in Christ.

This means that there is only one way to enter God's kingdom one way it's by trusting in

Jesus's fulfilling of all that the law demanded of us.

That is the only way that we can be in total and utter peace with our creator for all eternity.

How we can be changed from his enemies into his beloved children it's by trusting in the

king that he promised to send to us.

Incredibly there is more not only did Jesus fulfill and take the curse of the law for

his people so that we can be made completely and totally right with our father in heaven

God has also blessed us with his Holy Spirit who in turn Jeremiah says circumcises our

heart, writes the law on our hearts meaning that Christ's high call for obedience to the

law in our lives becomes our internal delight.

Our desire for our heavenly father's way is our delight.

That's why we might say we're not under law but under grace because the curse has been

taken for us the work has been done on our behalf but the desire for obedience is amplified

because of God's gracious work on our behalf.

It's the Holy Spirit who gives us a willing heart for obedience a want to obey and live

out the law of God in our lives in all we do not with resentment but with a great desire

to please our heavenly father because we love him so much.

Church as we come to the end of our time here in the word this morning might I say that

though we will not obey the law perfectly on this side of eternity we mustn't just

disregard it nor trust that it is our obedience to it which makes us right in the eyes of

God.

We must avoid the legalist trap.

It's not our obedience to the law but our continued trust in the one that God sent on

behalf of his people in the one who kept the whole law and was righteous on our behalf

in all he said and in all he did.

It's by being in union with the risen Jesus through the Holy Spirit that our hearts will

greatly desire to obey our father in heaven and live in accordance with his will for our

lives so we can say a hearty amen with the psalmist oh how I love your law your truths

and your way.

That's the tremendous work of God done on our behalf.

So I might ask you here today are you wishing that there were no rules that God had given

or wanting to get rid of them altogether?

Are you wishing that you could do things your own way suppressing what God has revealed

or you trusting in your own religious works to be right with God?

And friend hear what has been said this morning loud and clear.

There are tragic tragic ramifications eternal ramifications for disregarding our creator.

That doesn't need to be your story.

That's because there is one who has kept the demands of the law perfectly who gives all

that is his to those who trust in him.

The words of Jesus himself is that he turns no one away no one no matter how rebellious

you might have been no matter how rebellious you feel he turns no one away who calls on

him.

The invitation is open to all.

Might I ask this to you church if you are here this morning and you would say yes Michael

I have called on the name of the Lord and you'd say I do look to Jesus who has kept

the law and taken the punishment for my sin.

And I'd ask are you delighting in the law of our God and wanting more than anything

else to be conformed to that wonderful image of our Lord Jesus Christ in this life?

Do you have a great desire for Jesus to be exalted in all that you are and do even when

no one is looking?

Do you have a desire for his righteousness and sanctifying work in your life to bring

God glory alone?

If you were here this morning and you would say yes to these things or if you would say

I want that desire then let's pray together let's pray right now and ask our Father to

do this tremendous work in us.

Father it's been said from this pulpit this morning that we are not just speaking to the

air but speaking to you and this is all because of your work on our behalf.

Because of Jesus we are able to come to the throne of grace not just individually but

as your people as your children as your blood purchased beloved children.

Father we know where we fall short but we would ask by the work of your Holy Spirit

that you would point our eyes heavenward that we would look to Jesus that you would draw

us to Jesus that you would show us more of Jesus.

Father we are a desperate people relying on your mercy and grace alone and we thank you

that you have sent the perfect one to be perfect on our behalf and that is your continued work

that is conforming us to his image.

Father please give us a great desire to walk in your ways not just by ourselves but as

a church we ask for this wonderful work of the Spirit among us we ask for it in Jesus

name.

Amen.