REVIEW
FLIP CHART: SOM’S KEY VERSE, GOAL, MOTTO
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ….” (Mt. 6:33a).
The law sends us to Christ for justification; Christ sends us back to the law for sanctification.
FLIP CHART: Show new “Perfect Righteousness” chart explaining steps to coming to Christ (As a worm, mourning, meek, spiritual hunger/thirst with the result of legal righteousness). Explain moral righteousness, immediate moral change at conversion, gradual change through life’s challenges and speeding up moral change via CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection and Confession/Thanksgiving). Repeat the verse, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Heb. 10:14) HAVE SOMEONE COME FORWARD AND EXPLAIN THE CHART.)
FLIP CHART: Go over John Stott’s outline of SOM.
INTRODUCTION:
One commentator, D.A. Carson, writes, “Mt. 5:17-20 is among the most difficult verses in the Bible [to understand and interpret].”
ILL: Marcion, a Second Century heretic, would not translate 5:17. Some of his disciples switched around its verbs to read, “I have not come to fulfill the law but to destroy it.” Others have said that the verse was put in the mouth of Jesus by Matthew in order to pacify the religious Jews of that ear and that Jesus never said this verse. We believe 5:17 is a sort of disclaimer. The enemies of Jesus were always trying to trap him.
“Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.” Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (Mt. 12:9-10).
When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say (Luke 11:53-54).
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. (John 8:3-6).
“After presenting the radical Beatitudes and the two metaphors, Jesus evidently sensed that some of his listeners thought he was advocating an overthrow of the Old Testament Law. So he gave his unforgettable disclaimer, which set down his relationship to the Law” (Hughes, 92).
“The …. meaning of the word ‘fulfill’ is to carry out, to fulfill in the sense of giving full obedience to it, literally carrying out everything that has been said and stated in the law and in the prophets” (MLJ, 186).
But what does “fulfilled” mean in this context? Bible scholars have wrestled with this verse and feel that there are several options. James Boice feels only one option is viable, other believe a combination of options is a possibility. Where do we stand? What do we think it means?
It is important we grasp this because this verse is integral to our approach to Christian living.
OUTLINE FOR TODAY:
1. Jesus confirmed and established the law and the prophets.
2. Jesus provided the full, intended meaning of the law.
3. Jesus deepened the meaning of the law.
4. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies and ceremonial law that point to Him.
5. Jesus kept the law perfectly.
6. Jesus, by suffering on the cross, fulfilled the law’s penalty for sin
“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.” (Mt. 5:17-20).
HOW DID CHRIST “FULFILL” THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS?
I. JESUS CONFIRMED THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS
“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.”
We saw last week that there are three aspects of law in the OT, e.g. Civil or Judicial Law, Ceremonial or Religious Law and the Moral Law.
QUESTION: Give examples again of civil, ceremonial and moral law from the OT.
CIVIL / JUDICIAL LAW – – Laws that deal with inheritance, murder, recompense for a wrong, speed limits, building codes etc.
CEREMONIAL / RELIGIOUS LAW – – How you worship, what you eat, what you wear, how and when you pray. Religious law was quite extensive for the Old Testament Jewish believer, e.g.
“Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.” (Lev. 19:28).
“Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales [shell fish, shrimp, lobster, crab, etc]—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to detest. And since you are to detest them, you must not eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses. Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you.” (Lev. 11:9-12).
THE MORAL LAW – – Ten commandments etc.
We feel in this portion Jesus is talking about all of the OT Law.
“Because Matthew does not qualify his use of law, we are safe to say that is was God’s whole law – – the commandments, statutes, and judgments; the moral, judicial, and ceremonial – – that Jesus is referring to here” (MacArthur, 255).
“Jesus only restored the Law to its integrity by maintaining and purifying it when obscured by the falsehood, and defiled by the leave of the Pharisees” (John Calvin in Hughes, Pg. 92).
In other words, Jesus was seeking to establish the value, importance, continuity and validity of the law forever. He came to reinforce the supremacy of OT Law.
II. JESUS PROVIDED THE FULL, INTENDED MEANING OF THE LAW.
“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.”
The Jewish leadership had buried the intended meaning of the Law in oral and written traditions, for example:
What was the Scribal Law? The Scribal Law became a vast system of rules and regulations that were intended to define and apply the true law of God to every situation in life. It first began as an oral law, handed down by the Scribes over many generations. This was its state in Jesus day. Around the middle of the third century A.D. a summary of it was written which is known as the Mishnah. This book contains sixty-three tractates on the law, and in English runs about eight hundred pages. Jewish scholarship went on to make commentaries to explain the Mishnah. These were known as the Talmuds. The Jerusalem Talmud consists of twelve volumes. The Babylonian Talmud consists of sixty volumes.
This Scribal Law sought to extrapolate from the principles of God’s law found in Scripture the practical application of them for every situation in life. Take the Sabbath day as an example. The principle God gives us is that we should have a day of rest. We should do no work on that day. But the Scribes were not satisfied with that. After all, what is work?
One thing which was classified as work was to carry a burden. But what is a burden? The Scribal Law says that a burden is:
. . . food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, oil enough to anoint a small member, water enough to moisten an eye-salve, paper enough to write a customs house notice upon, ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet, reed enough to make a pen
On and on these regulations droned. Hours were spent arguing whether someone could move a lamp from one place to another or if someone could lift his or her child.
Their rules became very elaborate. Writing was forbidden as work on the Sabbath. But what is writing?
He who writes two letters of the alphabet with his right or with his left hand, whether of one kind or two kinds, if they are written with different inks or in different languages, is guilty. Even if he should write two letters from forgetfulness, he is guilty, whether he has written them with ink or with paint, red chalk, vitriol, or anything which makes a permanent mark. Also he that writes on two walls that form an angle, or on two tablets of his account book so that they can be read together is guilty . . . But, if anyone writes with dark fluid with fruit juice, or in the dust of the road, or in sand, or in anything which does not make a permanent mark, he is not guilty . . . . If he writes one letter on the ground and they cannot be read together he is not guilty. (Copyright (C) 1995 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.)
QUESTION: How did Jesus nail down the intended meaning of the law?
This view considers that Jesus replaces a host of OT Laws with the two greatest commandments:
“Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
* Someone referred to the First and Second Commandments as the “Organizing Principles of Christianity.”
QUESTION: Can you think of any other verses in the NT that focus on the first and second commandment?
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12).
”Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10).
The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. 5:14).
“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.” (James 2:8).
“The Royal Law …” settles a hundred difficult points … it prevents the necessity of laying down endless little rules for our conduct in specific cases” (Bishop Ryle as quote by John Stott, 191).
III. JESUS CAME TO DEEPEN THE MEANING OF THE LAW
“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.”
TABLE ACTIVITY: Study quickly at your tables Mt. 5:21-48 and show examples of how Jesus deepened the meaning of the Law.
In the following section, 5:21-48, Jesus deepens the understanding of:
Murder by focusing on anger.
Adultery by focusing on lust.
Oath taking by focusing on honesty.
Retaliation by focusing on giving.
Relating to enemies by focusing on generosity.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleans the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.” (Mt. 23:25).
Paul speaks about being free from God’s law but being under the Christ’s Law and fulfilling Christ’s Law (I Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2).
Jesus’ goal is to take us to the heart of the law.
IV. JESUS CAME TO FULFILL THE PROPHECIES AND CEREMONIAL LAW THAT POINTS TO HIM.
“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.”
Jesus Fulfills the Predictive Prophecies of the OT
Matthew 1:21-23 (NKJV)
21“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled [pleroo] which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:”
23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,”which is translated, “God with us.”
Matthew 2:15 (NKJV)”…and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled [pleroo] which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.””
Matthew 2:17 (NKJV) “Then was fulfilled [pleroo] what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:”
Matthew 2:23 (NKJV) “And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled [pleroo] which was spoken by the prophets, ” He shall be called a Nazarene.””.
Matthew 26:56 (NKJV) “”But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled [pleroo].” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.”
Jesus fulfilled the Law by becoming its fulfillment.
Jesus fulfills the OT types, e.g., as seen in the Tabernacle.
“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.” (Heb. 10:1-2).
- The altar of burnt sacrifices was a type of the Cross of Christ ( Exodus 40:29; John 12:32, 33);
- The laver was a type of Christ ( Exodus 30:18-21; 1 John 1:7; 1 Peter 1:22);
- The showbread was a type of Christ ( Exodus 40:4; Leviticus 24:5-9; Matthew 28:20; John 6:48-63);
- The candlestick was a type of Christ and the light of the gospel in the Church ( Exodus 40:7; Leviticus 24:1,2; John 1:4-9; John 3:20,21; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6);
- The altar of incense was a type of our worship ( Exodus 30:1-10; Malachi 1:11; Revelation 8:3);
- The mercy seat was a type of our mercy seat which is in heaven ( Exodus 25:10-22; 1 Timothy 2:5, 6; Hebrews 4:14-16).
DEMONSTRATION: Have someone function as a priest. Make the front of the classroom into the floor plan of the tabernacle and visit each station and do what was done at that station.
“Jesus Christ, by His death and all He has done, is an absolute fulfillment of all these types and shadows. He is the high priest, He is the offering, He is the sacrifice, and He has presented His blood in heaven so that the whole of the ceremonial law has been fulfilled in Him. … By His death and resurrection, and the presentation of Himself in heaven, He has done all of this.” (MLJ, 193)
ILL: Our experience in the Sinai Desert in 2000. A real tabernacle was set up and our tour group was given the option of a Jewish or Christian explanation of the Tabernacle. We chose the Christian interpretation and went through the Tabernacle. At the end we learned the young woman giving the explanation was a Christian woman from New Mexico working with the Southern Baptists. This was one of their ministries in Israel.
V. JESUS CAME TO KEEP THE LAW PERFECTLY
“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.”
QUESTION: What, in the context, would support this position?
Verses 13-15 talk about influence of Salt and Light, e.g. the impact of our character. Verse19 speaks specifically about breaking and keeping the commands. The rest of the Sermon talks about keeping the moral commands of the Law.
Martin Lloyd-Jones says He came to give them a perfect obedience (MLJ, 186).
“The law is fulfilled ethically rather than ceremonially. Jesus confirmed the insistence of the great prophets that punctiliousness in ceremonial observances is worse than useless where people neglect ‘to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with … God’.” (Mic. 6:8). (FF Bruce, 47)
Jesus could say to his challengers, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46).
VI. JESUS, BY SUFFERING ON THE CROSS, FULFILLED THE LAW’S PENALTY FOR SIN
“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.”
“What was happening upon the cross was that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was enduring in His own holy body the penalty prescribed by the holy law of God for the sin of man. … One of the ways in which the law has to be fulfilled is that its punishment of sin must be carried out. This punishment is death, and that was why Christ died. The law must be fulfilled. … In respect of its punishment of sin God’s law has been fulfilled absolutely, because He has punished sin in the holy, spotless, blameless body of His own Son there upon the cross. Christ is fulfilling the law on the cross, and Christ’s death upon it, in strict terms of the fulfilling of the law you have not the Scriptural view of the death upon the cross (MLJ192-3).
“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation” (atonement, same word as used for mercy seat) “by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,” (Romans 3:24-25).
THE MERCY SEAT
The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,
Who from the Father’s bosom came,
Who died for me, e’en me to atone,
Now for my Lord and God I own.
Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,
Which, at the mercy seat of God,
Forever doth for sinners plead,
For me, e’en for my soul, was shed.
GROUP ACTIVITY / FLIP CHART: Give each table time to discuss the six ways of interpreting verse 16. Then have a second vote on which interpretation of the verse is correct.
SO WHAT!!!
- Jesus coming showed us how He wants us to keep the law. He is a role model and an example. He fulfilled the law by keeping it perfectly.
- He also fulfilled the predictive prophecies of the law and the prophets and the shadows and types in the Old Testament.
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He has given us a deeper understanding of the law and the prophets.
- He fulfilled the demands of the law on sin but accepting the penalty and thus making a way for us to be delivered from the curse of the law.