WEBVTT 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:05.639 Thanks Fiona, good evening everyone. Some of you will know that I used to quite often do talks on pensions 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:09.960 and I want you to imagine to begin with that you've had the great privilege of coming along to hear me 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:14.400 and as I start up you strangely find your mind wandering 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:19.839 and on to all sorts of other things and within a few seconds you're having a really nice snooze. 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:23.379 Halfway through my talk you wake up and you just share one sentence 00:00:23.379 --> 00:00:29.440 and what I say is I'm definitely not telling you that government pension policy has failed. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:32.399 And then you doze off again and hear nothing more. 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.920 With just that one sentence you could deduce two things. 00:00:37.780 --> 00:00:43.200 One was that I sound to people as I thought the government really messed up on pensions 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:47.420 and the other is that that wasn't really what I meant you to take away from it. 00:00:47.900 --> 00:00:52.180 It's a little story but it might help us to understand and put into context 00:00:52.180 --> 00:00:58.760 what I think is on first sight quite an obscure and difficult passage within the Sermon on the Mount. 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:02.419 Jesus is essentially saying two things. 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:10.459 He's saying you might think it might look as if I've said that I've come to abolish the law and the Old Testament. 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:14.739 He's also saying that is definitely not what I'm doing. 00:01:14.819 --> 00:01:16.400 In fact he's very emphatic about it. 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:20.420 Start at verse 17 he says do not think that I have come. 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:25.840 And then verse 18 truly I tell you truly I tell you is a kind of favorite phrase of Jesus 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:31.340 when there's something he particularly wanted to emphasize and the authorized version would be verily I say unto you. 00:01:31.740 --> 00:01:33.980 It's something that comes up again and again in the Gospels 00:01:33.980 --> 00:01:40.079 and it's when the Lord particularly wants to emphasize something and say this is important. 00:01:41.060 --> 00:01:45.219 So the Lord in this passage is trying to correct a possible misapprehension 00:01:45.219 --> 00:01:49.359 that he is trying to do away with the Old Testament and say it's irrelevant 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:56.260 and he's brought something new and different and is saying that is definitely not the case. 00:01:56.859 --> 00:01:59.200 Why would he be saying that? 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:03.200 Well when the Lord Jesus came and indeed before him through John the Baptist 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:05.780 the message was of the kingdom of heaven. 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:08.280 John said repent the kingdom of heaven is near. 00:02:08.640 --> 00:02:12.460 Jesus took that up and he taught about the kingdom. 00:02:13.140 --> 00:02:17.819 And it was very different teaching from what the people would have got from the teachers of the law, 00:02:17.920 --> 00:02:19.659 the scribes and so on. 00:02:20.300 --> 00:02:25.020 They would be looking at the Old Testament and trying to explain that and how they interpreted it. 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:30.420 But this teaching about a kingdom and a kingdom which had very different values and priorities 00:02:30.420 --> 00:02:35.860 from those the people had been taught, that seemed something new and different. 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:40.280 And Jesus is saying right up front here, it's not new. 00:02:40.700 --> 00:02:45.680 It is actually the proper fulfillment and interpretation of the Old Testament. 00:02:45.820 --> 00:02:49.020 That will become particularly important as we go through the following verses 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:52.760 when Jesus is saying you've heard this, the teachers of law have told you this, 00:02:53.040 --> 00:02:54.939 but here's what I say to you. 00:02:55.380 --> 00:02:59.120 It wasn't that in what he said he was trying to replace anything that had gone before, 00:02:59.620 --> 00:03:04.820 rather he was explaining, expanding on it and bringing out its full meaning. 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:08.580 So although this seems a slightly obscure passage, 00:03:08.580 --> 00:03:12.740 it actually is a very important one both in the Constance of the Sermon and the Mount 00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:16.020 and in Matthew's Gospel as a whole. 00:03:16.020 --> 00:03:20.900 And actually quite important to us as well, because it does two things for us. 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:26.080 One is it helps us to understand what the relevance of the Old Testament is to us today 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.879 and what our attitude should be towards the Old Testament. 00:03:29.620 --> 00:03:33.980 And the other is it helps us to understand what it is that God wants from us 00:03:33.980 --> 00:03:37.439 if we are to be considered righteous in the way we live. 00:03:37.500 --> 00:03:39.180 Now obviously we have no righteousness of our own. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:42.980 Our righteousness comes through the Lord Jesus and through his sacrifice for us. 00:03:42.979 --> 00:03:46.840 But we are called to live holy and righteous lives having accepted the Lord. 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:49.699 What does that mean in practice? 00:03:50.399 --> 00:03:52.739 So the passage divides quite neatly into two sections. 00:03:52.919 --> 00:03:55.879 Verses 17 and 18 are about Jesus and the law. 00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:00.739 And verses 19 and 20 are about the Christian and the law. 00:04:00.799 --> 00:04:04.560 Hence the title that was given to it, Jesus, the law and the Christian. 00:04:04.959 --> 00:04:11.079 So let's just go through the four verses and briefly see what they have to tell us. 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:17.480 So verse 17 is about Jesus fulfilling the law. 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:18.740 Jesus says, 00:04:18.840 --> 00:04:21.340 Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:25.580 I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 00:04:26.259 --> 00:04:31.300 First thing we have to understand in this verse is what does Jesus mean by the law and the prophets. 00:04:31.420 --> 00:04:33.460 And quite simply, he means the Old Testament. 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:38.980 The Old Testament includes the law and the prophets, also historical books and wisdom books. 00:04:38.980 --> 00:04:43.319 But the law and the prophets is a shorthand for the whole of the Old Testament. 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.160 So Jesus is saying, I have not come to do away with the Old Testament. 00:04:47.259 --> 00:04:51.580 I have not come to do away with the Bible that the Jews of that time had. 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:56.140 Rather, I have come to fulfill the Old Testament. 00:04:56.139 --> 00:05:04.060 So the next question then is what does Jesus mean when he says, I have come to fulfill the law and the prophets. 00:05:04.699 --> 00:05:06.439 And there are a number of nuances in that. 00:05:06.579 --> 00:05:11.800 I don't think I will bring out everything here, but just to give you an idea of what Jesus is thinking about. 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:19.180 So the first way in which Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets was in his obedience to the law. 00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:21.120 The law was given to Moses. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:25.139 It was an extremely high standard that God was setting for his people. 00:05:25.840 --> 00:05:31.360 And no one from Moses to the day of the Lord Jesus had been able to meet that standard. 00:05:32.019 --> 00:05:33.280 Some had tried very hard. 00:05:33.379 --> 00:05:34.920 Some hadn't tried very hard at all. 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:39.800 But no one had been able to match the standards that were set down in the law. 00:05:39.800 --> 00:05:50.319 But when Jesus came as the sinless son of God, he was able in his fullness to obey every aspect of the law. 00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:51.819 There was no sin in him. 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:56.259 There was nothing in him that went against God's law. 00:05:56.939 --> 00:06:00.400 And so Jesus fulfilled the law by obeying it. 00:06:00.420 --> 00:06:05.519 And in doing so, he gives the example to us of how we should live, of how we should obey the law. 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:14.740 And of course, in his teaching, he helps us to understand what the law is, what it means, and how we should seek to obey it. 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:20.199 So Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets first by obeying the law. 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:26.579 He then fulfilled them because as we look at the life of Jesus, again and again, 00:06:26.799 --> 00:06:32.000 we see the prophecies of the Old Testament being realized in practice. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:40.100 Matthew is particularly good at identifying situations where the Lord takes an action or something happens to him or he says something. 00:06:40.579 --> 00:06:45.160 And Matthew would say this fulfills what was written in the prophets. 00:06:46.220 --> 00:06:53.759 The Lord Jesus is many, many times looked forward to explicitly in the Old Testament. 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:59.680 And the New Testament writer can look back and they can say, when this happened in the life of the Lord Jesus, 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:06.659 when he did this or when he said this, that was a fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. 00:07:07.300 --> 00:07:12.500 So if we filled the prophecies in part by these very explicit things which are prophesied, 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:17.039 they came about when the Lord Jesus was on the earth. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:25.860 But there's a third and I think a fuller meaning to when it says that the Lord Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets. 00:07:26.660 --> 00:07:34.820 A lot of the Old Testament in context is quite difficult to understand how it fits into the big picture. 00:07:35.840 --> 00:07:39.879 The prophets, for instance, what we said was relevant in their time and in their culture, 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:48.959 and they had very strong messages to give to the people as the enforcers of the law and to help them to understand what it was that God was saying to them. 00:07:50.040 --> 00:07:54.879 But there were obscure bits in the prophets that the prophets themselves didn't really understand what they were saying. 00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:56.540 The people certainly didn't. 00:07:56.860 --> 00:08:02.839 They had been given by God's Spirit as a message which would look forward to the Lord Jesus. 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:11.859 It was not an explicit prophecy, but something that would be fulfilled and brought out to a complete understanding when the Lord Jesus came. 00:08:12.719 --> 00:08:21.259 And as we read the Old Testament today, we could read it as the Jews did and see it as their book of laws and of history and of the prophets, 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:22.719 and there's value in that. 00:08:22.859 --> 00:08:31.500 But how much more value there is that we can read the Old Testament and we can see how it points forward to the Lord Jesus 00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:38.980 and how it has given its full meaning by who the Lord Jesus is and what he came to do. 00:08:39.820 --> 00:08:45.759 The whole Bible points towards the Lord Jesus, and although it's not explicit often, in the Old Testament. 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:53.500 We, looking through the lens of the New Testament and understanding what the Lord has done and who he is, 00:08:53.500 --> 00:09:00.480 we can see that passages in the Old Testament, the full meaning is brought out as we see the Lord Jesus. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:10.240 He fulfills the law and the prophets by giving full meaning to something that only had partial meaning before he came. 00:09:10.759 --> 00:09:14.340 There was meaning there that people who read it could understand and could benefit from it, 00:09:14.620 --> 00:09:18.279 but the full meaning comes out through the Lord Jesus. 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:24.700 So Jesus says, this is not something different, something new that I'm bringing to you. 00:09:24.700 --> 00:09:29.540 This is actually the fulfillment of what the Old Testament was all about. 00:09:30.540 --> 00:09:37.120 What you've learned from the scribes and the teachers of the law, that may have some value for you, 00:09:37.379 --> 00:09:43.220 but actually it is only in me that the Old Testament is fully fulfilled, 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:48.300 that you can fully understand God's plan of salvation for mankind. 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:55.459 Jesus says, I've not come to abolish the law or the prophets, I've come to fulfill them. 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:01.579 So we move on to verse 18, and I've called this Jesus and the law permanent. 00:10:01.719 --> 00:10:05.319 So Jesus says, truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, 00:10:05.459 --> 00:10:10.659 not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the law 00:10:10.659 --> 00:10:13.639 until everything is accomplished. 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:18.259 So let's start with the same question as we asked before, what is the law? 00:10:18.340 --> 00:10:21.539 It's not the law and the prophets now, Jesus just says the law. 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:24.860 Now I might be using that as shorthand rather than say the law and prophets again, 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:26.519 but I think probably not. 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:29.460 So what did he mean by the law? 00:10:30.460 --> 00:10:36.100 So the people who he was speaking to would have some understanding of what they thought he meant by the law. 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:41.080 They had the teachers of the law who would explain to them in great detail 00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:44.980 what the law was and how they should obey it. 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:51.900 And for all the commands in the Old Testament, there were lots of extra commands that would have said, 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:55.120 this is how you have to obey the commands God has given you. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:57.320 So commands on the Sabbath day, for instance. 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:01.400 The principle is stated in the Old Testament, the commandments, 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.320 that you're not to work on the Sabbath day. 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:09.680 And then there were all sorts of detailed rules and regulations built up over centuries, 00:11:09.680 --> 00:11:14.440 which said, well, here's what it means to work and not to work on the Sabbath day. 00:11:15.220 --> 00:11:19.340 And for the people who are listening to Jesus, when he talked about the law, 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:25.540 they might instinctively think he meant the law as explained to them by the teachers of the law. 00:11:25.539 --> 00:11:30.139 And that very definitely isn't what Jesus is saying, 00:11:30.219 --> 00:11:35.240 because you're going to make that very clear in the following verses that we'll be looking at next week. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:40.959 He would say, you've heard this, and that was the interpretation of the commandment you thought you had, 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:47.779 but here is what it really means, and here is how you have to go beyond what the command was. 00:11:48.179 --> 00:11:52.120 So it's not the law as set out in Jesus' day by the teachers of the law. 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:55.820 Two things I think it could be, and you could argue for both. 00:11:56.200 --> 00:12:01.299 One is that the law is the books of Moses, the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, 00:12:01.940 --> 00:12:04.860 which contain the law that God gave to Israel, 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:09.299 the law that was given to Moses on Mount Sinai on the tablets of stone, 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:15.320 and then the very detailed regulations that were laid out for the people of Israel to obey. 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:19.759 Regulations about sacrifices, regulations about the tabernacle, 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:24.700 regulations about clothing even, all sorts of things that God passed on to this, 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:28.600 saying, if you are treating me as your God, if you are my holy people, 00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:33.139 these are the things that I expect you to do and to obey. 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:38.319 Or the Lord might be thinking very specifically of what we call the Ten Commandments, 00:12:38.419 --> 00:12:41.439 the kind of heart of the law in the Old Testament. 00:12:41.439 --> 00:12:45.360 It might be thinking particularly of these moral precepts that God has given, 00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:49.240 some to our relationship with God, some to our relationship with each other, 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:53.060 and thinking about how important they are. 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:56.500 It probably doesn't matter too much which of the two it is. 00:12:56.919 --> 00:12:59.759 What does matter is that Jesus says, 00:13:00.539 --> 00:13:03.940 they still stand and they're not going away. 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:06.080 Until heaven and earth disappear, 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.919 not the smallest letter, not any stroke of a pen, 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:12.019 will by any means disappear from the law. 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:15.139 There's the smallest letter. 00:13:15.139 --> 00:13:17.279 In Hebrew it's called, I believe, Yod. 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:18.360 I'm not a Hebrew scholar. 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:19.279 I believe it's called Yod. 00:13:19.319 --> 00:13:20.240 It's just a wee squiggle. 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:23.299 And the stroke of the pen, the stroke of the pen, 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:24.699 is the wee bit I've circled there. 00:13:24.980 --> 00:13:26.860 It's what we might call a serif in English. 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:29.360 You know, you get serif texts like Time of New Romans 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:32.179 that have wee twiddles at the end of letters. 00:13:32.179 --> 00:13:33.979 Jesus is saying, 00:13:35.099 --> 00:13:39.979 the smallest of these will not disappear from the law. 00:13:41.159 --> 00:13:42.559 Now that might create a problem for us. 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:45.439 We were looking last few weeks, a few weeks ago in Romans, 00:13:45.939 --> 00:13:47.819 and in Romans Paul tells us, 00:13:48.199 --> 00:13:49.299 you've died to the law. 00:13:49.979 --> 00:13:53.779 So the law no longer has a hold over us. 00:13:54.500 --> 00:13:55.839 But here's Jesus saying, 00:13:56.199 --> 00:13:57.579 the law is permanent. 00:13:57.580 --> 00:14:02.139 It's going to be there until heaven and earth disappear. 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:06.480 And how can we then reconcile the two? 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:10.240 Well, I don't think there's any contradiction at all 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:12.600 between Jesus and Paul. 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:15.460 So Jesus is not saying here 00:14:15.460 --> 00:14:17.700 that for every generation to come, 00:14:17.920 --> 00:14:19.620 we will have to make the sacrifices 00:14:19.620 --> 00:14:21.180 that were prescribed for Moses, 00:14:21.620 --> 00:14:25.400 and we will have to obey the Old Testament law to the letter 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:30.279 and effectively continue to live as if we were Jews. 00:14:30.860 --> 00:14:33.939 I don't believe that that is what he's saying. 00:14:34.579 --> 00:14:37.899 But he is saying the law will still have relevance to us. 00:14:38.699 --> 00:14:40.139 It is still there. 00:14:40.220 --> 00:14:41.980 The moral precepts haven't gone away. 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:44.379 The Ten Commandments are almost all repeated 00:14:44.379 --> 00:14:46.959 in the New Testament as being principles 00:14:46.959 --> 00:14:49.419 that Christians should obey. 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:53.319 And it also will continue to be helpful to us 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:55.600 in understanding the holiness of our God 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:59.120 and understanding to the greatness of the Lord Jesus 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:02.100 as we see things fulfilled in him. 00:15:03.820 --> 00:15:05.800 So three things I think we can take from it. 00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:08.840 One is that every letter matters. 00:15:09.640 --> 00:15:13.260 Now Jesus here, I think, is very clearly presenting to us 00:15:13.260 --> 00:15:17.940 that the Old Testament scripture, as it was given, 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:20.800 was very literally God's word. 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:24.039 And every word was inspired by God. 00:15:24.099 --> 00:15:25.939 It's not just that there's truth in it. 00:15:26.319 --> 00:15:28.439 It's not just even that the whole thing is true. 00:15:28.779 --> 00:15:30.599 It's actually every word. 00:15:30.979 --> 00:15:34.299 Indeed, Jesus says every letter is the word of God, 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:36.359 and it is there forever. 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:40.459 We must hold as Christians to the truth 00:15:40.459 --> 00:15:42.219 that the Bible is God's word. 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:45.240 It's inherent, and it has all that we need 00:15:45.240 --> 00:15:47.299 for living for God. 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:49.719 It is then still relevant. 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:51.459 It's relevant in some ways 00:15:51.459 --> 00:15:54.479 because some of the moral precepts that are there 00:15:54.479 --> 00:15:56.240 still apply to us today. 00:15:56.539 --> 00:15:58.079 It's relevant also, as I said, 00:15:58.319 --> 00:16:00.319 because it teaches us about our God, 00:16:00.459 --> 00:16:03.979 and it teaches us about our salvation through Jesus. 00:16:04.759 --> 00:16:06.459 But it does need to be viewed 00:16:06.459 --> 00:16:09.000 in the light of what Jesus has done. 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:11.359 We're not looking through the law, 00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:13.059 through the books of Moses, for instance, 00:16:13.059 --> 00:16:15.479 and looking for things that we should do 00:16:15.479 --> 00:16:17.299 in terms of winning favor with God 00:16:17.299 --> 00:16:19.739 and making sacrifices and so on. 00:16:20.259 --> 00:16:22.539 One sacrifice has now been made forever 00:16:22.539 --> 00:16:24.139 in the Lord Jesus, 00:16:24.539 --> 00:16:26.239 and that is all that is needed. 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:29.519 The Old Testament sacrifices have been superseded. 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:31.199 So that's what the Lord Jesus means 00:16:31.199 --> 00:16:32.899 when he says at the end of the verse, 00:16:33.219 --> 00:16:35.479 until everything is accomplished. 00:16:35.699 --> 00:16:36.919 The Lord Jesus has accomplished 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:39.319 the requirements of the law. 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:40.899 So in the sense that Paul says, 00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:43.240 we are dead to the law, we're not bound to it, 00:16:43.620 --> 00:16:45.559 we're not restricted by it, 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:47.039 but it is still there, 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:49.959 and it is still important for us. 00:16:50.899 --> 00:16:51.919 The question then arises, 00:16:52.019 --> 00:16:52.959 and we're going to look at it in our groups 00:16:52.959 --> 00:16:53.740 in a few minutes, 00:16:53.980 --> 00:16:56.699 how should we look at the Old Testament? 00:16:57.559 --> 00:16:59.059 Should we look at this as something 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:00.799 that is of historic interest, 00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:03.639 but actually we don't pay that much attention to it? 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:05.200 Or do we treat it as something 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:06.319 that's really important, 00:17:06.660 --> 00:17:08.039 and the Word of God, 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:09.899 and almost give it the same priority 00:17:09.899 --> 00:17:11.980 in our teaching and our study 00:17:11.980 --> 00:17:13.259 as the New Testament? 00:17:13.339 --> 00:17:15.720 I'll explain the question in a few minutes. 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:17.700 Let's move on though, 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:20.639 and think about the Christian and the law. 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:23.680 Very briefly on verse 19, 00:17:23.799 --> 00:17:25.200 the Lord Jesus talking about 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:27.079 greatness in the kingdom. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:29.299 And what he says quite simply, 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:31.299 he's talking to people who are his followers, 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:33.359 so nowadays he's talking to Christians, 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:36.719 and he's saying one of the tests 00:17:36.719 --> 00:17:38.879 of greatness for you 00:17:38.879 --> 00:17:41.479 is how you treat God's Word, 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:42.879 and in particular how you treat 00:17:42.879 --> 00:17:44.539 the Old Testament. 00:17:45.539 --> 00:17:47.699 If you say, no, this is old hat, 00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:48.759 it's irrelevant stuff, 00:17:48.819 --> 00:17:49.779 all we need is Jesus, 00:17:49.939 --> 00:17:51.879 let's just focus on the New Testament 00:17:51.879 --> 00:17:52.939 and Paul's epistles, 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:55.139 Jesus said, well then, 00:17:55.199 --> 00:17:57.279 you're the least in the kingdom of heaven. 00:17:57.379 --> 00:17:58.979 You're not really grasping 00:17:58.979 --> 00:18:00.779 what God has for you, 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:02.359 and if you teach that, 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:05.200 then you're misleading others as well. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:07.019 Rather, he says, 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:09.160 we should treat the Old Testament 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:10.480 with the same reverence 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:11.940 that we treat the New Testament 00:18:11.940 --> 00:18:15.700 and the same desire to learn from it. 00:18:17.059 --> 00:18:19.779 And then verse 20 talks about righteousness. 00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:22.299 Unless your righteousness surpasses 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:23.259 that of the Pharisees 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:24.460 and teachers of the law, 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:27.000 you will certainly not enter 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:28.940 the kingdom of heaven. 00:18:28.940 --> 00:18:29.740 Now notice there's a difference 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:31.240 between verse 19 and verse 20. 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:33.519 Verse 19, the Lord Jesus 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:34.279 is talking to people 00:18:34.279 --> 00:18:35.380 who are in the kingdom. 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:36.759 He's talking, if you like, 00:18:37.080 --> 00:18:37.759 to Christians. 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:40.759 Verse 20, he's talking about 00:18:40.759 --> 00:18:41.660 potentially people 00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:43.299 not being in the kingdom. 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:44.420 He's referring particularly 00:18:44.420 --> 00:18:45.259 to the Pharisees 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:46.240 and teachers of the law 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:47.460 and saying, actually, 00:18:47.600 --> 00:18:48.559 these aren't part 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:49.720 of the kingdom of God 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:51.259 because of their actions 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:53.559 and because of their attitudes. 00:18:53.559 --> 00:18:56.759 So how can it be 00:18:56.759 --> 00:18:58.200 that our righteousness 00:18:58.200 --> 00:18:59.799 can surpass the righteousness 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:00.740 of Pharisees 00:19:00.740 --> 00:19:02.539 and teachers of the law? 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:04.019 Well, at one level, 00:19:04.099 --> 00:19:05.759 we can say that is the case 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:07.259 because we have Jesus. 00:19:07.919 --> 00:19:09.220 Because we have the righteousness 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:11.399 of Jesus given to us 00:19:11.399 --> 00:19:13.159 when we put our trust in him, 00:19:13.460 --> 00:19:15.960 when we gain salvation through him, 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:17.240 God looks at us 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:18.940 and sees the righteousness of Jesus, 00:19:18.940 --> 00:19:21.019 and clearly that is greater 00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:21.860 than the righteousness 00:19:21.860 --> 00:19:23.720 of the Pharisees 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:25.799 and teachers of the law. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:27.840 But actually, I think the Lord 00:19:27.840 --> 00:19:29.039 means a lot more than that. 00:19:29.120 --> 00:19:30.160 He's not just talking about 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:31.940 the positional righteousness 00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:32.799 that we have 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:33.980 through the Lord Jesus. 00:19:34.420 --> 00:19:35.360 He's talking about 00:19:35.360 --> 00:19:36.940 what does it mean for us 00:19:36.940 --> 00:19:39.620 to live righteous lives? 00:19:40.120 --> 00:19:40.820 And he's saying, 00:19:41.140 --> 00:19:41.840 your righteousness, 00:19:42.080 --> 00:19:43.120 the way you live, 00:19:43.620 --> 00:19:45.340 must be better than the way 00:19:45.340 --> 00:19:46.700 the Pharisees and teachers 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:47.340 of the law live. 00:19:47.339 --> 00:19:49.079 Now, that was amazing, 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:50.899 remarkable for those who heard it 00:19:50.899 --> 00:19:51.539 because the Pharisees 00:19:51.539 --> 00:19:52.379 and teachers of the law, 00:19:52.699 --> 00:19:53.299 they were the people 00:19:53.299 --> 00:19:54.819 who put themselves on a pedestal 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:55.659 and they said, 00:19:55.799 --> 00:19:58.019 we're the ones who obey the law. 00:19:58.539 --> 00:19:59.240 They had all these 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:00.519 nitpicking regulations. 00:20:00.699 --> 00:20:01.000 They said, 00:20:01.099 --> 00:20:02.639 this is what you need to do 00:20:02.639 --> 00:20:04.359 if you want to be obedient 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:04.959 to the law, 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:07.159 if you want to be righteous. 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:09.000 And Jesus said, 00:20:09.419 --> 00:20:09.899 actually, 00:20:10.179 --> 00:20:13.179 they have no righteousness at all. 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:14.539 So what does Jesus mean? 00:20:14.539 --> 00:20:16.859 Let me draw a little picture. 00:20:16.859 --> 00:20:17.559 So we're going to have 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:18.879 a circle or oval, 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:20.299 actually four ovals, 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:21.619 and to think about 00:20:21.619 --> 00:20:23.859 what might our righteousness mean. 00:20:24.759 --> 00:20:25.779 So at one level, 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:26.759 righteousness, 00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:27.959 apparent righteousness, 00:20:28.359 --> 00:20:30.199 can come through appearances. 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:31.879 We're going to be looking 00:20:31.879 --> 00:20:32.659 at chapter six 00:20:32.659 --> 00:20:33.779 in a couple of weeks' time. 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:35.139 And in chapter six, 00:20:35.399 --> 00:20:36.779 the Lord Jesus talks about 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:38.199 people he calls hypocrites 00:20:38.199 --> 00:20:39.599 and how they love 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:41.000 to win the praise of others. 00:20:41.439 --> 00:20:42.279 So when they pray, 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:43.439 they shout it from the rooftop 00:20:43.439 --> 00:20:44.619 for everyone to hear. 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:46.039 When they fast, 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:46.779 they make themselves 00:20:46.779 --> 00:20:48.039 look really miserable 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:48.579 and ugly 00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:49.519 so people can see 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:50.779 that they're not eating properly. 00:20:51.379 --> 00:20:52.500 When they give money, 00:20:52.719 --> 00:20:54.979 they do it in a very showy way. 00:20:55.539 --> 00:20:56.239 Their concern 00:20:56.239 --> 00:20:58.639 is mainly for appearances. 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:00.439 And if we have any doubt 00:21:00.439 --> 00:21:01.579 who those hypocrites are, 00:21:01.679 --> 00:21:02.799 the Lord Jesus explains it 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:03.979 later in Matthew's Gospel, 00:21:04.399 --> 00:21:05.539 because in chapter 23, 00:21:05.679 --> 00:21:06.459 again and again, 00:21:06.659 --> 00:21:08.439 he talks about the Pharisees 00:21:08.439 --> 00:21:09.500 and teachers of the law, 00:21:09.939 --> 00:21:10.619 you hypocrites. 00:21:10.619 --> 00:21:12.359 So he's thinking very much 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:14.039 about particularly the Pharisees 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:15.679 and saying their righteousness 00:21:15.679 --> 00:21:18.079 is largely show. 00:21:18.639 --> 00:21:20.079 It is what people can see 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:23.879 and often goes no further than that. 00:21:24.379 --> 00:21:25.079 And our righteousness, 00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:26.379 sadly at times, 00:21:26.659 --> 00:21:29.299 might not go much beyond appearances. 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:33.199 But for some of the Pharisees 00:21:33.199 --> 00:21:33.799 and teachers of the law, 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:35.219 I'm sure they weren't all hypocrites 00:21:35.219 --> 00:21:36.119 in that sense. 00:21:36.479 --> 00:21:37.339 For some of them, 00:21:37.419 --> 00:21:40.039 it was their actions that counted. 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:42.059 It's all these rules and regulations 00:21:42.059 --> 00:21:44.019 that they took great care 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:45.279 to try and obey 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:46.440 and to make sure 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:47.579 that they, in their eyes, 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:49.599 were totally blameless. 00:21:50.259 --> 00:21:50.879 And that's what the Lord 00:21:50.879 --> 00:21:51.599 is talking about 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:53.700 in the rest of chapter 5 of Matthew 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:55.599 when he talks about the commandments, 00:21:55.819 --> 00:21:56.579 not do not murder, 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:57.539 do not commit a doubt. 00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:00.019 And the Pharisees would look at these 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:00.879 and the teachers of law 00:22:00.879 --> 00:22:01.200 and would say, 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:03.799 yes, we obey these commands. 00:22:04.220 --> 00:22:04.940 We are righteous 00:22:04.940 --> 00:22:07.299 because the things we do 00:22:07.299 --> 00:22:09.680 are things that we believe 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:12.119 are in accordance with the law. 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:14.059 So we have the right appearance. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:15.759 Some of them probably say 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:18.859 also our actions are right. 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:20.519 And Jesus says, 00:22:21.059 --> 00:22:22.419 if that's your righteousness, 00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:24.399 then it's not good enough. 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:26.759 That's the righteousness of the Pharisees, 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:27.619 the teachers of the law, 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:28.359 the hypocrites. 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:32.119 You need to be more righteous than that. 00:22:33.219 --> 00:22:34.279 And so the third layer 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:36.339 in our picture up there 00:22:36.339 --> 00:22:38.059 is our thoughts. 00:22:38.459 --> 00:22:39.559 And Jesus is going to be focusing 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:40.659 in the rest of the chapter 00:22:40.659 --> 00:22:42.079 on the thoughts, 00:22:42.740 --> 00:22:44.740 on the angry thoughts, 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:45.879 on the lustful thoughts, 00:22:45.919 --> 00:22:46.559 and so on. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:48.099 And Jesus says, 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.359 it's not just what people see. 00:22:51.059 --> 00:22:53.139 It's not even just what you do 00:22:53.139 --> 00:22:54.279 that counts. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:57.319 You have to guard your minds. 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:59.039 I think that's a key message 00:22:59.039 --> 00:22:59.519 as we go through, 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:00.960 particularly the letters of Paul, 00:23:01.299 --> 00:23:02.740 that what we think 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:05.059 is vitally important. 00:23:05.939 --> 00:23:07.740 We may think that we're okay 00:23:07.740 --> 00:23:09.559 because we do certain things 00:23:09.559 --> 00:23:11.819 and people see us doing certain things 00:23:11.819 --> 00:23:13.279 and we appear to be righteous. 00:23:13.919 --> 00:23:15.220 But if in our minds 00:23:15.220 --> 00:23:16.579 we've got things wrong 00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:18.939 and we're sinful in our thoughts, 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:20.480 then we haven't got 00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:23.099 a real righteousness at all. 00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:24.720 And Jesus says, 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:26.779 you need to have your thoughts right. 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:28.500 to be truly righteous. 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:30.960 But it goes beyond that as well. 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:33.099 And it's about attitude. 00:23:33.299 --> 00:23:34.559 It's about our hearts. 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:36.579 And ultimately, 00:23:36.819 --> 00:23:37.319 the righteousness, 00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:39.019 any righteousness that we have, 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:40.500 has to come from within. 00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:42.859 You don't start at the outside 00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:44.200 and try to look good 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:44.920 and be good 00:23:44.920 --> 00:23:46.619 and you suddenly are good. 00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:47.700 Rather, 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:48.879 you have to have your heart 00:23:48.879 --> 00:23:50.119 right before God, 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:51.319 have salvation 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:52.319 through the Lord Jesus, 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:54.500 and in your hearts, 00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:56.000 have a love for God 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:57.960 that transcends everything else 00:23:57.960 --> 00:23:58.639 in your life 00:23:58.639 --> 00:24:00.480 and have a love for your neighbor 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:02.179 as yourself. 00:24:03.139 --> 00:24:04.059 And when you have that, 00:24:04.439 --> 00:24:05.839 then you'll find your thoughts 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:07.480 will be on the right things, 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:09.980 your actions will be good 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:11.659 because you have the right motives, 00:24:11.779 --> 00:24:12.599 the right attitudes, 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:14.359 and actually, 00:24:14.459 --> 00:24:15.819 the appearances won't matter 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:16.799 too much to you 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:18.359 because what you'll be doing 00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:19.159 will be for the good 00:24:19.159 --> 00:24:20.519 of your brothers and sisters 00:24:20.519 --> 00:24:21.599 and those who don't yet know 00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:22.319 the Lord Jesus 00:24:22.319 --> 00:24:25.019 and if they notice well and good, 00:24:25.259 --> 00:24:27.399 but you're not doing it for show. 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:30.639 Our righteousness needs to be inside out 00:24:30.639 --> 00:24:32.899 and not outside in. 00:24:32.959 --> 00:24:33.839 I challenge myself 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:34.779 and challenge you 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:36.000 to what extent 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:37.179 is our righteousness 00:24:37.179 --> 00:24:39.099 actually outside in? 00:24:39.099 --> 00:24:40.539 That we look first 00:24:40.539 --> 00:24:41.399 at how we appear 00:24:41.399 --> 00:24:42.359 to other people, 00:24:42.859 --> 00:24:43.539 perhaps we pay 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:44.359 some attention 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:45.419 to what we do, 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:46.599 a bit less 00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:47.759 to our thoughts, 00:24:48.179 --> 00:24:49.659 and perhaps our attitudes 00:24:49.659 --> 00:24:52.079 can be totally wrong. 00:24:52.219 --> 00:24:52.719 If there's a challenge 00:24:52.719 --> 00:24:53.719 to take away this evening, 00:24:54.099 --> 00:24:55.039 it is to examine 00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:55.659 our attitudes 00:24:55.659 --> 00:24:56.859 and our thoughts 00:24:56.859 --> 00:24:58.279 and to think, 00:24:58.439 --> 00:25:00.099 are these really driving 00:25:00.099 --> 00:25:01.199 my righteousness 00:25:01.199 --> 00:25:03.159 or is it being driven 00:25:03.159 --> 00:25:04.899 by external things 00:25:04.899 --> 00:25:06.439 and by what people 00:25:06.439 --> 00:25:07.859 see me doing? 00:25:09.099 --> 00:25:10.439 My 20 minutes is fully up, 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:11.939 so I'll stop at that point. 00:25:12.459 --> 00:25:12.959 We're going to have 00:25:12.959 --> 00:25:13.759 a break in a minute, 00:25:14.259 --> 00:25:15.539 but a couple of questions 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:16.359 that we'll look at 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:17.259 in our groups afterwards. 00:25:19.099 --> 00:25:20.399 So the first one is, 00:25:20.539 --> 00:25:21.079 what part should 00:25:21.079 --> 00:25:21.839 the Old Testament 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:23.259 and the law in particular 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:25.719 play in our personal devotions 00:25:25.719 --> 00:25:27.359 and our church teaching? 00:25:27.419 --> 00:25:27.819 Let me throw out 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:28.779 a couple of statistics. 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:30.619 About 80%, 00:25:30.619 --> 00:25:32.240 almost 80% of the Bible 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:33.439 is the Old Testament. 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:34.839 It's much, much longer 00:25:34.839 --> 00:25:36.839 than the New Testament. 00:25:36.839 --> 00:25:39.319 In our church teaching, 00:25:39.819 --> 00:25:41.379 approximately 40% 00:25:41.379 --> 00:25:42.939 is on the Old Testament 00:25:42.939 --> 00:25:43.859 or the planned teaching, 00:25:43.939 --> 00:25:44.899 so about half 00:25:44.899 --> 00:25:46.259 of what it would be 00:25:46.259 --> 00:25:48.500 if we were spreading it 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:50.480 evenly across Scripture. 00:25:50.919 --> 00:25:51.720 Now, I think actually, 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:52.959 compared with some churches, 00:25:53.159 --> 00:25:54.459 that's relatively high. 00:25:54.579 --> 00:25:55.240 I wouldn't feel 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:56.299 too bad about it. 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:58.720 Within that 40%, though, 00:25:58.879 --> 00:25:59.919 and this is very common 00:25:59.919 --> 00:26:00.519 in churches, 00:26:01.419 --> 00:26:02.819 a much lower percentage 00:26:02.819 --> 00:26:03.959 proportionally is devoted 00:26:03.959 --> 00:26:05.459 to the books of the law, 00:26:05.460 --> 00:26:06.940 and almost everything 00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:08.220 we study in the books 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:08.740 of the law 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:10.440 actually is the narrative 00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:11.680 sections on Abraham 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:13.259 and Joseph and Moses 00:26:13.259 --> 00:26:14.620 and so on. 00:26:15.340 --> 00:26:16.559 So the question is, 00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:18.519 and it's an open-ended question, 00:26:18.579 --> 00:26:19.100 I'm not going to write 00:26:19.100 --> 00:26:19.920 a wrong answer. 00:26:20.819 --> 00:26:21.579 In the church, 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:23.340 in our personal devotions, 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:25.079 what should the balance be 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:26.779 between Old and New Testament? 00:26:28.039 --> 00:26:29.120 At one extreme, 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:30.019 you could do what you do 00:26:30.019 --> 00:26:30.600 if you read through 00:26:30.600 --> 00:26:31.559 the Bible in a year, 00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:32.640 then by definition, 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:33.840 then you're attributing 00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:35.679 equal weight to every part of it. 00:26:35.919 --> 00:26:37.159 So should we spend 00:26:37.159 --> 00:26:38.119 most of our time 00:26:38.119 --> 00:26:39.319 in the Old Testament? 00:26:40.159 --> 00:26:40.919 At the other extreme, 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:41.199 you could say, 00:26:41.259 --> 00:26:42.459 well, the Old Testament's interesting, 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:43.720 but it's really the New Testament 00:26:43.720 --> 00:26:44.839 that we're interested in 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:46.000 that concerns us most. 00:26:46.179 --> 00:26:46.839 We should spend 00:26:46.839 --> 00:26:48.039 almost all our time 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:49.220 in the New Testament. 00:26:49.379 --> 00:26:50.139 And try not to just think 00:26:50.139 --> 00:26:51.000 about church teaching, 00:26:51.299 --> 00:26:53.039 about your own devotional times 00:26:53.039 --> 00:26:54.099 as well. 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:54.959 Second question, 00:26:55.019 --> 00:26:55.839 much more practical. 00:26:56.519 --> 00:26:58.119 What steps can we take 00:26:58.119 --> 00:26:59.599 to ensure our righteousness 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:01.079 is driven by right attitudes 00:27:01.079 --> 00:27:01.859 and thoughts, 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:04.159 not just by appearances 00:27:04.159 --> 00:27:05.539 and actions? 00:27:06.019 --> 00:27:07.359 How can we avoid 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:08.500 being hypocrites, 00:27:08.919 --> 00:27:09.980 to put it bluntly? 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:11.679 What things can we do 00:27:11.679 --> 00:27:12.719 that will help us 00:27:12.719 --> 00:27:13.659 to have the right attitudes 00:27:13.659 --> 00:27:15.439 and the right thoughts? 00:27:16.819 --> 00:27:17.659 Right, so that's all 00:27:17.659 --> 00:27:18.019 I'm going to say. 00:27:18.279 --> 00:27:19.939 I'll have a word of prayer now 00:27:19.939 --> 00:27:20.399 and then we'll have 00:27:20.399 --> 00:27:21.219 just a few minutes 00:27:21.219 --> 00:27:22.379 break for coffee. 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:23.859 Father, we thank you 00:27:23.859 --> 00:27:24.419 for your word. 00:27:24.500 --> 00:27:25.799 We thank you for this very 00:27:25.799 --> 00:27:27.819 deep and practical teaching 00:27:27.819 --> 00:27:28.559 of the Lord Jesus. 00:27:28.559 --> 00:27:29.720 We pray that you will help us 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:30.759 to value your word, 00:27:30.879 --> 00:27:31.399 all of it, 00:27:31.940 --> 00:27:32.879 and to particularly value 00:27:32.879 --> 00:27:33.659 the Old Testament 00:27:33.659 --> 00:27:34.940 and not to ignore it 00:27:34.940 --> 00:27:36.539 or to think it's irrelevant. 00:27:37.159 --> 00:27:38.359 And help us to be those 00:27:38.359 --> 00:27:39.879 whose attitudes and thoughts 00:27:39.879 --> 00:27:40.940 are righteous 00:27:40.940 --> 00:27:42.759 and who are not just driven 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:44.559 by what other people may see. 00:27:44.980 --> 00:27:45.960 Help us in our discussions 00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:47.440 as we pray together later on, 00:27:47.500 --> 00:27:49.000 we ask in Jesus' name. 00:27:49.539 --> 00:27:49.799 Amen.