Good morning, all. Can you guys hear me okay? Great. Grateful to the Lord and to you for this opportunity to share God's word this morning.
! We're going to continue on in the Sermon of the Mount, Matthew 5. Today's verses are in 17 to 20.
Matthew 5, 17 to 20. As Sean said, these four verses are really important and dense.
And they play a critical role in this Sermon of the Mount. And many Christians have poured out much ink over its interpretation, debating its interpretation.
So we're going to ask for God to help us to understand his word. If you need a Bible and would like a paper copy, please raise your hand.
One of our members would be happy to get you one.
Amen.
Please pray with me. Bow your heads as we ask for God's strength this morning.
Heavenly Father,
Father,
we are your people, called by your name.
We ask that you would address us by your word today.
You'd give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you have said, Lord Jesus, in your sermon.
That it would not be my words, but it would be your words that shine through and pierce our hearts and make our hearts burn within us.
Not to me, not to us be the glory, but to you as we look to your Son, who is the fulfillment of the scriptures, of the law, of all righteousness.
The Son is all that we need.
And so we pray for eyes and ears to, again, remember afresh the gospel.
Speak to us, address us.
And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
If you are able, please stand with me for the reading of God's word.
Matthew 5, 17 to 20.
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.
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.
Therefore, whoever relaxes 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 does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
In college, I had the blessing of spending one of my summers on missions
on the westernmost island of Indonesia, Sumatra.
And as you guys likely know, it is predominantly a Muslim country.
And part of our daily work was simply just to build relationships
with local college students who wanted to learn English.
And in doing so, there was one conversation that a teammate of mine had
with a Muslim student that I still remember today.
The Muslim student admitted to my teammates that there are times at night
when she experiences panic attacks or she cries herself to sleep,
all because she gets to thinking about the afterlife,
about heaven and hell,
about what her afterlife is going to look like,
because she didn't know.
She didn't know what it's going to be,
how it's all going to turn out.
While she did her best to follow the five pillars of Islam,
like the daily prayers or fasting for Ramadan,
she did not know whether Allah would have mercy upon her
on that judgment day.
You see, in Islam, there is no assurance of salvation
because they believe that Allah alone knows
how the scales of justice will tip.
Muslims don't even know if Muhammad,
the true prophet of Allah,
the founder of the religion,
made it to heaven.
So all the student was wondering
was,
is my devotion to Allah enough?
Is my faith enough?
Am I good enough?
After reading our passage today,
are you asking the same thing?
Is Jesus requiring that we need to be
incredibly scrupulous,
no, actually even more scrupulous
in our obedience to the law
than the scribes and Pharisees
in order to make it into the kingdom of heaven?
Look at how Jesus closes the first chapter
of the Sermon on the Mount
with a daunting command.
He says,
you therefore must be perfect
as your heavenly father is perfect.
That sounds a lot like
what our Muslim friend was feeling
and thinking,
keeping her up at night.
This is an important passage
for us to properly understand.
And the interpretive key,
the crucial legend on the map
is this idea of Jesus' fulfillment,
fulfillment,
which is why our three points
of the sermon today
is all about this.
It's about how Jesus fulfilled
the scriptures,
how he fulfilled the law,
and how he fulfilled all righteousness
for those who believe.
To the praise of God's glory and grace,
to enter the kingdom of heaven,
we can find our righteousness
in Christ Jesus.
Find your righteousness
in Christ Jesus,
the fulfillment of the law and prophets.
That's the main point of my sermon today.
So before we get into the passage,
this is a good point
to remember the setting of the sermon.
Jesus has gone up the mountain,
just like Moses,
to declare God's laws
to his fellow Jews.
And the fact that they're Jews
is a really important part.
At this point in Jesus' ministry,
he's already gotten into some hot water
with the Pharisees and the scribes,
who were the conservative,
law-abiding, rule-following Jews.
And he's healed paralytics.
He's plucked grain on the Sabbath,
all big no-nos,
according to the Pharisees.
Later, Jesus is accused
of being a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners,
something that the clean
and pure Pharisees would never do.
But mind you,
Jesus has not broken
a single one of God's laws,
but he has broken
the man-made pharisaical ones.
So rumors about Jesus
are likely swirling around,
spreading like gangrene,
and the Jews,
they're wondering,
Jesus, you disregard the teachings
and the practices
of our religious leaders.
Is it true that you have no respect
for our laws?
You have no respect
for the teachings
of our holy prophets.
That's what the Pharisees
are saying about you.
To quell all these fears,
Jesus makes it abundantly clear
that he has not come
to abolish,
dismantle,
disregard
the law or the prophets,
which is just another phrase
to mean the entirety
of the Old Testament,
all 39 books
in our Bibles.
To this,
we can just hear
an audible,
whew,
from the Jews.
I can imagine all the Jesus fans
elbowing their Jesus-hating buddies,
right,
saying,
see, see,
he's not so bad.
He's one of us.
And indeed,
Jesus did share
much of the Jews' reverence
for the Old Testament scriptures.
He quotes from it frequently
throughout his ministry,
and he speaks about it
like it's authoritative
and reliable.
Even more so,
Jesus highlights
both the permanence
and the infallibility,
the inerrancy
of the Old Testament scriptures
in verse 18,
when he says,
for truly I say to you,
until heaven and earth
pass away,
not an iota,
not a dot,
will pass from the law
until all is accomplished.
The law is so important
and without error
that even the smallest
of its letters,
these iotas,
these dots,
which likely refer
to the smallest of letters
in the Hebrew alphabet,
they will never pass away.
Like the dot above our English I's
or how we cross our T's,
the least stroke of a pen
of the law
will never pass away.
They will never lose
their relevance,
their truthfulness,
and their authority over us.
Until heaven and earth
pass away.
Or in other words,
when Jesus returns
for the second time.
Part of why I liked
engineering and math
as a student
was, you know,
before you get to the
higher levels,
is that there's only
one right answer
to the questions.
You either get it
completely right
or you get it
completely wrong.
It's binary.
It's two plus two
can only equal four.
But when it comes
to the arts,
when it comes
to writing,
I get frustrated
by this,
that there's no
perfect piece
of writing.
An essay
can always be adapted,
can always be edited
to be improved,
change this sentence
structure,
swap out this adjective
for a synonym.
There is no
right piece
of writing
that is
but Scripture.
Scripture.
Jesus is saying
that every word,
every letter,
every jot
and tittle
of the law
of the Bible
is just right.
Nothing needs
to be tweaked
or edited
because not even
the smallest
of its letters
will pass away.
This is the highest
endorsement
that Jesus could give
about a text.
When you publish
a book these days,
it's really important
for publishers
to get endorsements
from really important
voices in the field.
And they're plastered
on the back
of these books
saying,
this is the best book
ever,
you should read it.
This is Jesus'
highest endorsement
of the Old Testament
Scriptures.
This is how important
this book is to him.
There is no other book,
no other writing
that will stand,
that will persevere
the test of time
like these
holy scriptures.
The American Constitution
will pass away.
The Quran
will pass away.
The Book of Mormon
will pass away.
Charles Darwin's
The Origin of Species
will pass away.
Karl Marx's
Communist Manifesto
will pass away.
Surely all of our
Facebook posts
and Instagram posts
and X posts
will pass away.
Even,
as I dare say,
all sermons
and books
by a John Piper
or a Tim Keller
or Charles Spurgeon,
as helpful as they are,
they too will pass away
because they are
the words,
mere words of men.
But this book,
Holy Scripture,
without error
and full of truth,
are the very words
of God.
Isaiah 48 says,
The grass withers,
the flowers fade,
but the word
of our God
will stand forever.
There is no book
like this
in all of human history.
So if the Old Testament
is vastly important
to Jesus,
it also should be
vastly important
to us.
But,
instead,
like the Jews,
Christians,
we have historically
struggled
to appreciate
the value
of the Old Testament.
Jesus,
we like.
New Testament,
we like.
but all these
weird,
antiquated food
impurity laws,
the instructions
for building
the tabernacle,
the rules
for the sacrificial system,
we don't get.
It feels irrelevant,
feels unrelatable.
Who of us,
when we read through
the Bible in a year
and we get to the book
of Leviticus,
we honestly just groan
a little bit.
So how do we
appreciate
the Old Testament
and why
is it so important
to Jesus?
To that,
we have to look
to the end
of verse 17.
In 17,
after Jesus says
that he's not here
to abolish
the law
or the prophets,
he continues,
I have not come
to abolish them
but to fulfill them.
That audible
sigh of relief,
whew,
then turns
into a shocked gasp,
a palpable silence.
That verse
takes a turn
that you don't expect.
You would expect
Jesus to say
that if he's not
come to abolish
the law,
then he's come
to uphold it,
to honor it,
to preserve it,
something like that.
But no,
Jesus takes
a different route
altogether
when he claims
that these cosmically
waiting scripts
scriptures
that are more solid
than the very earth
we stand upon,
he fulfills.
He is fulfilling.
What exactly does
Jesus mean by this?
We find clues
throughout the book
of Matthew
because he uses
this word up to
16 times in his gospel,
the most out of all
the gospel writers.
And almost every time
that Matthew uses
this word,
fulfill,
he is pointing to the fact
that Jesus is
fulfilling a prophecy
from the Old Testament.
So in other words,
what Jesus is saying
is that all
of the Old Testament,
from the law
of Moses
to the exiled
minor prophets,
from Genesis
to Malachi,
it's all
pointing to Christ.
In the Old Testament,
God reveals himself
as the Lord,
a God merciful
and gracious,
slow to anger
and abounding
in steadfast love
and faithfulness.
We love those verses.
I love those verses.
And as you read
the Old Testament,
you read of how God
graciously promises
great blessings
to key figures
like Adam
or Abraham
or David.
To Adam,
he promises
that the seed
of the woman,
Eve,
will come
to crush
the head
of the serpent,
Satan.
To Abraham,
he promises
that through his offspring,
all the nations
of the world
will be blessed.
To David,
he promises
that a son
from his lineage
will sit
on his throne
forever.
The Jews rightly
understood
that these promises
are not predicting
a slew
of different people,
but it all pointed
to one Messiah figure,
one Savior to come,
Israel's prophet,
priest,
and king
who will conquer Satan,
who will be a conduit
of blessing
for all the world,
and who will sit
on his throne
forever.
But there's
one big problem,
one question.
By the end
of the Old Testament,
these promises
have not been
fully fulfilled.
Many partially,
yes,
but none of them
fully.
So all of the Old Testament
is about waiting.
It's about waiting
for God
to fully deliver
on his promises,
to wait for this
Messiah figure
to come.
The Jews wonder,
is it Abraham?
No,
he doesn't bless
the nations
in his lifetime.
What about Moses?
He's great,
but he isn't
even allowed
to enter
into the promised land.
Surely,
it's David.
He's a man
after God's heart,
but he falls
into grievous
sexual sin.
Time and time again,
we go through
this cycle of,
is this the one
he's showing
some promise
to the deep
disappointment
of his abject
failure
and his human
weakness?
Is God
going to bless
us
like he said
he would?
Is he really
abounding
in steadfast
love and mercy
as he declares
himself to be?
Part of reading
through the Old Testament
is for yourself
to experience
that anticipation,
that waiting.
Before becoming
parents,
I'm sad to admit
that there have
been way too many
times where my
wife,
Christine,
she'll be
relaxing,
and she'll be
watching a movie
or a TV show
on her own,
and I'll want
to join halfway
in because I want
a break from
seminary work
or whatever I'm
doing.
So,
as I do,
I annoyingly ask
her to pause
the movie
and to explain
everything that's
gone on,
to explain the
plot,
who's this,
what did he do
to that character,
and nine times
out of ten,
she will graciously
give me a patient,
detailed answer,
here.
I'll leave you
guessing what
happens at one
other time,
but as I watch
along,
I notice something
interesting as the
movie progresses
to its emotional
climax.
I notice I'm not
really feeling
anything.
I'm not really
into it.
I'm not longing
for the hero
to return.
I'm not heartbroken
when he's betrayed
or relieved
when good prevails.
And it's not that I
don't know what's
going on.
Christine lovingly,
patiently told me,
but it's that I
haven't spent the
time with these
characters to learn
their story.
Just mere
information,
just mere
knowledge transfer
doesn't suffice to
feel the full weight
of the story.
And likewise,
we need to read
our Old
Testaments to
feel the full
weight of the
biblical story,
of the entire
biblical timeline.
But if we know
the long waiting
of the Old
Testament,
you know what
happens?
Joy springs up
when we read
passages like
2 Corinthians 1
that all the
promises of God
find their yes
in Christ.
Christ,
our Messiah,
has finally come
to fulfill every
single one of
these open
promises.
All our waiting
is over.
That's exactly
why theologian
B.B.
Warfield has
said that the
Old Testament
is like a
chamber richly
furnished,
but dimly
lighted.
The Old
Testament has
all the ornate
furniture,
it has all the
original expensive
paintings,
but without the
light of Christ,
we are blind to
see and appreciate
the beauty of the
Old Testament.
And what is the
result then of
seeing that
beauty?
Seeing how the
law and the
prophets point
to Jesus.
In Luke 24,
we read of how
the resurrected
Jesus on the
road to Emmaus,
he opened up the
scriptures to two
of his disciples
and he showed
them their true
meaning,
their true beauty
as they all
pointed to
himself.
And what did
the disciples say
to them,
to one another?
They said,
did not our
hearts burn
within us
while he opened
to us the
scriptures?
Did not our
hearts burn
God?
May our hearts
burn within
us when we
do read Hosea
or Ecclesiastes
or the Psalms
because they all
point to Christ,
our Savior,
the lover of our
souls.
Yes,
even Leviticus
because Jesus
fulfills the law
of Moses,
which brings me to
my second point.
Reading on in our
passage,
Jesus says in
verse 19,
therefore,
whoever relaxes
one of the least
of these commands
and teaches others
to do the same
will be called
least in the
kingdom of heaven.
Whoever does
them and teaches
them will be
called great
in the kingdom
of heaven.
Again,
remember that
Jesus is speaking
to this accusation
that he is a
false teacher
who just spits
upon the law.
And to that
charge,
Jesus is
clarifying that
he is not an
antinomian,
he is not
anti-law.
In fact,
he teaches
that whoever
relaxes one
of the least
of these commands
in the Mosaic
law will be
least in the
kingdom of heaven.
There is a
strong similarity
in the original
Greek between
this word relax
in verse 19
and the word
abolish in verse 17,
hinting that
there is a
connection there.
So if Jesus
did not abolish
the law,
not even the
least of these
commands,
then neither
can we.
He also makes
a connection
to verse 18.
He's saying
that if the
smallest of
these letters
are that
weighty,
aren't as
permanent as
the very
earth we
stand upon,
then we
also ought
to obey
the smallest
of these
commands.
The small
letters and
the small
commands are
all important
to Jesus.
What are
these small
commands?
I think
Matthew 23
is a good
hint.
Sean read
this passage
recently for
one of his
sermons for
the Beatitudes
where Jesus
is rebuking
the scribes
and the
Pharisees for
their obsession
to obey the
smaller ceremonial
purity laws
while neglecting
the weightier
moral ones.
He says,
according to
Jewish tradition,
there are
613 commands
in the law
of Moses.
613.
So if Jesus
is saying
that we
need to
do and
teach
the smaller
ceremonial
laws,
do we now
need to
obey all
613 commands?
Do we need
to go home
and rummage
through our
fridges and
throw out all
our bacon
and pork
belly?
Do we have
to get
ourselves and
our male
sons circumcised?
Do we have
to start
slaughtering
some animals?
See,
the key to
understanding
this verse
is still
the idea
of Jesus'
fulfillment
of the law.
Romans 10.4
says that
for Christ
is the end,
which means
that he's both
the goal
and the purpose
and the terminus.
I'll explain
what this means
later.
Christ is the
end of the law
for righteousness
to everyone
who believes.
in other
words,
the law
is like
a big
old arrow
sign
that was
pointing
to Christ
all along
and it
did so
in many
ways.
When the
law demands
holiness
and purity
in the
ceremonial
laws,
justice
and integrity
in the
judicial
laws,
love of
God and
worship of
him in
the moral
laws,
it exposes
our sin.
It exposes
that we need
external help
for a savior.
It's been
pointing to
our savior,
Jesus Christ.
The Mosaic
Law's
insufficient
animal
sacrificial
system,
it's been
pointing all
along to
the final
once for
all sacrifice
of our
Passover lamb,
Jesus Christ.
The Levitical
priesthood
pointing to
our need
for an
intercessor
between God
and man,
pointing to
the great
high priest,
Jesus Christ.
the righteous
law of
God points
to what
kind of
life the
perfect,
sinless
Christ would
live.
It predicted
how he
would act
and think.
In that sense,
the law
was like
this traced,
dotted
outline of
a man that
Christ came
to step
into and
it fit him
perfectly.
In this sense,
Christ was
always the
end goal,
the purpose
of the
law.
So once
Christ came
and fulfilled
the law,
while the
law was,
is,
and will
be the
inerrant,
reliable,
truthful,
normative
word of
God until
heaven and
earth pass
away,
we just
talked about
that,
the role
of the
law nonetheless
has changed.
It's similar
to how Paul
says later
in Galatians
3 that as
kids we
sometimes had
babysitters,
maybe we
sometimes still
have
babysitters,
but if
we're good,
we listen
to our
babysitters.
We did
what she
told us
to do
it when
she told
us to
do it.
But then
when our
parents come
home,
there's a
dynamic
shift in
roles.
We listen
to our
parents over
our
babysitters.
To listen
to your
temporary
guardians
over your
parents who
have full
authority over
you is
then an
act of
defiance.
When
Jesus came,
he brought
the law's
role as
our
guardian,
our
temporary
guardians to
completion,
to its
terminus.
And the
entirety of
the Mosaic
law and
the Old
Covenant,
it passed
on, all
613
commands.
But again,
this by no
means signifies
that Jesus
is anti-law.
In fact,
the New
Testament has
even more
commands than
the Old
Testament.
Did you
know that?
So instead
of the law
of Moses,
we are now
under the
law of
Christ.
We are not
slaves to
sin, but we
are slaves to
righteousness.
Christians
must obey
Christ and
his commands
because obedience
really matters
to Jesus.
We are
saved by
faith alone
and not by
our works,
yes, but
there is not
a single
line, not
a single
command in
Scripture that
we should have
a dismissive
cavalier attitude
towards.
It's a simple
point, but one
to really
consider.
Friends, is
the posture
of your heart
to take
every single
one of God's
commands
seriously?
Do you
orient your
life around
what Jesus
tells you
to do?
Or are
there things
that you know
that Jesus
is calling
you to do
that you
are ignoring,
you're taking
lightly?
If so,
this is a
sober wake
of call.
you are
playing with
fire and
you will,
if you
haven't
already,
you will
get burned.
But if we
do take
seriously the
commands of
this book,
of God's
laws, as I
know that many
of you
faithful do
in this
church,
we also
fulfill the
least of
these commands
in the
old covenant.
For the law
of Christ
compared to
the law of
Moses,
does not
lower, but
it raises
the standard
of righteousness,
of obedience.
And this is
really, really
key to
understanding
this particular
verse.
So let's
look at some
examples to
explain what I
mean.
In the very
next passages,
in the rest of
chapter 5,
we're going to
preach on soon,
Jesus reinterprets
the law and
pronounces his
higher standard
of obedience.
For example,
in the very
next passage,
after today's,
Jesus says that
you have heard
that it was
said, you
shall not
murder, but
I say to
you, you
shall not be
angry with
a brother.
That's a
quick paraphrase.
Jesus declares
that it's not
simply enough
just not to
murder, but
we can't even
be angry with
one another.
Do you see
how if we
fulfill the
true meaning
of the law,
Jesus'
interpretation
of the law
that we
will automatically
then fulfill
the least
commands in
the Mosaic
law?
If we can't
even be angry
with one
another, how
would we
even ever
get to the
point of
murdering
one another?
Let's keep
going.
We already
read in
Matthew 23,
23, where
Jesus rebukes
the Pharisees
for carefully
tithing their
herbs and
spices.
They would
carefully weigh
out these
tiny seeds
and tiny
leaves,
saying,
nine for
me, one
for God.
Nine for
me, one
for God.
But Jesus
expands this
command, not
by continuing
this practice
of tithing for
new covenant
believers.
Not saying
that we give
to God 10%,
but we have
to give to
God 100%.
Everything that
we own belongs
to him.
We are not
to store a
single treasure
here on
earth.
We are not
to be motivated
by storing up
money here
on earth.
We can't
serve both
God and
money.
What about
the food
laws?
The Mosaic
law prohibits
the consumption
of foods like
pork or
shellfish.
To that,
Jesus says
that we
don't have
to follow
these food
laws anymore
because it's
not what
goes into
the mouth
that defiles
a person.
So you
bacon lovers,
you oyster
connoisseurs,
you are free
to eat.
But right
after he
allows the
consumption
of these
unclean
foods,
he again
raises the
bar for
obedience.
He says
that it's
not what
goes into
the mouth,
but what
comes out
of the
mouth,
out of
our hearts
that defiles
us.
And in
terms of
what an
easier law
is,
the Mosaic
food law
is way,
way easier.
It is so
much easier
to cut out
bacon or
oysters from
our diet
than it
is to
prevent
evil
thoughts,
anger,
lust,
greed,
and envy
from bubbling
up in our
hearts and
coming out
through our
mouths.
You see,
Jesus is
expounding
upon the
true meaning
of the
law.
And the
law was
always
pointing to
the need
for more
than external
conformity
to a set
of rules.
It's always
pointing to
more than
external
obedience.
He's been
wanting
internal
transformation
and purity.
That's
precisely
why Jesus
says in
verse 20,
for I
tell you,
unless your
righteousness
exceeds that
of the
scribes
and Pharisees,
you will
never
enter the
kingdom
of heaven.
Jesus
drops this
second bomb
on them
now.
There was
a Jewish
saying back
then that
if two
people went
to heaven,
one would
be a
scribe
and the
other a
Pharisee.
To this
statement,
the listening
Jews must
have been
flabbergasted,
thinking the
scribes and
Pharisees
aren't making
it.
They're the
best of us.
What hope
do I have?
But actually,
as we'll see
later on in
Matthew,
many, many
times,
Jesus rebukes
the scribes
and Pharisees
because they
only put on
a mere
facade
of righteousness.
righteousness.
And even
for us
today,
it is so
easy to
get caught
up in
the external
show,
is it not?
It's in
our nature
to be easily
impressed,
to be made
insecure by
what other
people are
doing,
by what
they can
do in
their own
strength.
And in
one sense,
man can
seemingly
do a lot.
Take the
example of
Rudolph
Bultman,
who was a
famous
theologian.
who had a
major,
major impact
on the
course of
church history.
There are
only a
handful of
men that
fit that
description.
And he
intimately
knew the
scriptures,
so much
so that
if you
asked him
to recite
any
random
verse
in the
New
Testament,
he would
tell it
to you.
In
Greek,
in the
original
Greek.
Ask him
what
Jude 6
is,
and he'd
tell it
to you.
Ask him
what
John 3
tan is,
and he'd
tell it
to you.
Can you
imagine
knowing
God's
precious
word that
intimately?
Imagine
waking up
for your
morning
devotionals,
and you
just sit
there,
and you
remember
the whole
chapter
you're
supposed
to read.
Based
on that,
you might
think that
he was
one of
the most
faithful
of us,
that he
is the
best
of us,
but
barring
last-minute
conversions,
I think
I can
confidently
say that
Rudolf
Bauman
won't
be
dining
with
us
at
the
wedding
supper
in
heaven.
Because
although
he knew
the
scriptures
probably
more than
any
of us,
he didn't
believe
in them.
It's
really
quite
sad.
He had
a major
impact
on the
course
of
church
history
negatively
when he
pioneered
this idea
of
demythologizing
the Bible.
Basically
meant that
anything
supernatural
he just
threw out.
So
creation,
the
incarnation,
the
resurrection,
all
myths.
In the
end,
Jesus is
neutered
to be
just
a nice
guy,
a good
man
to model
our lives
after.
Instead
of
Emmanuel,
God
with us,
God
incarnate
come to
save the
world
from our
sins.
It's
not enough
to merely
know some
Bible
or some
theology
externally
obeyed
some rules
to look
all nice
and pretty
on the
outside.
No one,
no one
will fool
God
with empty
works of
righteousness
if there's
no faith,
there's no
love in
them.
For the
Lord sees
not as
man sees.
Man looks
on the
outward
appearance,
but the
Lord looks
on the
heart.
Christ is
looking for
those who
are righteous,
not just on
the outside,
but on
the inside
too.
But if
the Jews
are feeling
a little
squirmish,
feeling nervous
because the
Pharisees
aren't
making it,
what about
us?
If Jesus
did not
lower the
bar,
but he
raised the
bar and
the standard
of obedience,
if the law
of Christ
is not
less but
more demanding
than the
law of
Moses,
how can
we possibly
make it
into the
kingdom of
heaven?
If we
need to
be perfect
as our
heavenly
father is
perfect,
who by
their own
sheer willpower
could possibly
conjure up
this kind
of righteousness.
Martin Luther,
the reformer,
he tried
this.
As a monk
before his
reforming days,
he woke up
at 3.30
a.m.
every day
to pray.
He fasted
for days
on end.
And he
punished his
body so
severely that
he permanently
damaged his
digestive system.
Celibate by
choice to
devote himself
to scrupulous
rule following,
he obsessively
confessed every
little sin to
his confessor.
Mind you,
he's still Roman
Catholic at
this point.
And he'd do
this for up
to six hours
a day.
Can you
imagine?
It's all
because he
was terrified
that he
might have
overlooked
some little
sin.
He would
confess
everything
that he
remembers,
he would
remember,
and that he
would leave,
and that he
would just
come rushing
back,
running back,
because he
realized he
forgot some
other little
foible,
some other
little sin.
His confessor,
the one who
was hearing,
had to sit
for six hours
hearing all
this,
he once got
so annoyed
that he
told Martin,
look here,
if you're
going to
confess so
much,
why don't
you go
and do
something
worthy of
confessing?
Kill your
mother or
father,
commit adultery,
quit coming
in here with
such flummery
and fake
sins.
I get
worried that
I might
give bad
pastoral
advice,
but I
think this
takes the
cake.
Luther is
a great
case study
for how
far someone
can push
themselves
to achieve
this kind
of righteousness
I'm sure
that any
of us
have honestly
tried to
do on
our own
and yet
still fall
so short
of the
goal.
He later
said,
I kept
the rules
of my
monastic
order so
strictly
that if
ever a
monk went
to heaven
on account
of his
monkery,
I should
get there
too.
But he
knew,
he knew
all this
effort to
produce this
righteousness
on his
own
strength
was never
enough,
never
produced
any
peace
within
him.
The reality
is that
none of
us are
enough.
If it
were up
to us
to conjure
this kind
of righteousness
that exceeds
that of the
scribes and
Pharisees,
that goes
further than
skin-deep
righteousness,
we can't.
The world
loves to
tell us that
we can do
anything that
we set our
minds to,
but this
is the
one thing
and unfortunately
for us,
this is the
most important
thing,
the eternally
important thing
that we need
to be able
to do,
but we
can't.
And it's
a misconception
that,
let me correct
for maybe
some of you
guys today,
that as long
as we do
more good
things than
bad things
in life,
then we can
atone for
our own
sins and
God will
just give us
a slip.
He'll just
let us in.
that all we
have to do
is just a
tiny bit
more good
than bad
and then the
scales of
justice will
tip in our
favor.
But that's
a completely
unfounded
biblical idea.
The wages
of sin,
even just
one,
is death.
Our God
is a just
judge that
cannot even
look even
one sin.
when we
think that
our good
works can
atone for
our bad
sins,
it's like
being on
trial for
first-degree
murder and
testifying before
the judge,
yes,
your honor,
I did
murder him
in cold
blood,
but I've
never cheated
on my wife,
I've never
stolen,
and hey,
I obey all
the traffic
laws when I
drive.
Would that
judge acquit?
no,
nor will
God.
So when you
stand before
the Lord on
your judgment
day,
how do you
think the
scales of
justice will
tip for
you?
If you have
yet to put
your faith
in Christ,
I ask you,
how do you
think the
scales of
justice will
tip?
When one
sin,
it weighs
like a
boulder
on the
scales of
justice,
how do
you think
the scales
of justice
will tip?
Will you
be found
to be
enough?
Praise
be to
God that
he has
sent his
one and
only son
who is
enough
for us.
Copying
the words
of Matthew
3.15,
Jesus has
come to
fulfill
all
righteousness
by living
a life
of perfect
obedience.
theologians
sometimes
split
Jesus'
perfect
obedience
into two
categories,
his active
and his
passive
obedience.
The active
obedience of
Christ is
the perfect
obedience to
the entirety
of the law,
every single
one of these
commands,
from least
to greatest.
Christ
obeyed
without a
trace of
sin with
all of the
love and
faith that
he had in
the Father.
Yet the
sinless
man,
the only
one who
never
deserved
to die,
was crucified
on the
cross.
He was
beaten,
betrayed,
and bloodied.
He was
humiliated,
naked,
and abandoned
so that
he might
atone for
our sins.
This is
called
Christ's
passive
obedience.
And
therefore,
what is
called
the great
exchange
of
righteousness,
our
heinous,
our
ugly
sins
are
imputed
to Christ
on the
cross.
While his
perfect
righteousness,
his spotless
righteousness,
one that far
exceeds that of
the scribes
and Pharisees,
is attributed
to us,
it's imputed
onto us.
This is
the foundation,
the only
foundation sturdy
enough for
all our hope
to stand
before God
on that
last day.
This is
exactly why
theologian
J.
Gresham
Machen
declared on
his deathbed,
moments before
his death.
I'm so
thankful for
the active
obedience of
Christ.
There is
no hope
without it.
Here,
Pastor Derek
Bingham
also speak
of this
great
exchange.
I gave
him a
crown of
thorns.
He gave
me a
crown of
righteousness.
I gave
him a
cross to
carry.
He gave
me his
yoke,
which is
easy,
his burden,
which is
light.
I gave
him nails
through his
hands.
He gave
me safely
into his
father's
hands,
from which
no power
can pluck
me.
I gave
him a
mock title.
This is
the king
of the
Jews.
He gave
me a
new name
and made
me a
king and
a priest
to God.
I gave
him no
covering,
stripping
his clothes
from him.
He gave
me the
garment of
salvation.
I gave
him vinegar
to drink.
He gave
me living
water.
I crucified
him.
I crucified
and slew
him on a
tree.
He gave
me eternal
life.
It was my
sinfulness
that put
him there.
It is
his sinlessness
that puts
me here.
We read
for our
assurance
to pardon
the beginning
of one
of the
greatest
chapters
in all
of
scripture.
I'll
read it
again.
There is
therefore
now no
condemnation
for those
who are
in Christ
Jesus.
For the
law of
spirit of
life has
set you
free in
Christ
Jesus
from the
law of
sin and
death.
For God
has done
what the
law weakened
by the
flesh
could not
do.
By
sending
his own
son in
the likeness
of sinful
flesh and
for sin
he condemned
sin in
the flesh
in order
that the
righteous
requirement of
the law
might be
fulfilled
in us
who walk
not according
to the
flesh but
according
to the
spirit.
These are
the perfect
verses for
the counterpart
of our
text today.
We are
set free
from the
bondage of
sin and
death,
the Mosaic
law.
Not that
the Mosaic
law was
bad in
and of
itself,
but when
it was
given,
it's that
our sin,
our ugly
sin,
had
increased.
Therefore
God knew
the only
way for
salvation
was to
send
his
son
to be
born
in the
likeness
of sinful
flesh,
to be
born under
the law
so that
the righteous
requirement
of the law
might be
fulfilled.
But here
Paul says
something I
want you to
notice.
He says that
the righteous
requirement of
the law is
fulfilled in
who?
In us.
We get to
be the
righteousness,
we get to
fulfill the
righteous requirement
of the law.
How?
The law's
demands for
perfect compliance
is met in
believers like
us,
positionally,
by faith,
through our
union with
Christ,
through his
imputed,
accredited
righteousness to
us.
But the law's
requirements is
also fulfilled
in us
experientially as
we, as
believers,
walk according
to the
Spirit.
when we
walk in
the Spirit,
we do and
we teach the
least of these
commands from
the least to
the greatest.
And it's all
summed up in
this greatest
command that
Jesus says,
love the Lord
your God with
all your heart,
soul, mind,
and strength,
and love your
neighbor as
yourself.
On these two
commandments depend
all the law
and prophets.
Obedience to
the law is not
only imputed to
us, but as
Christians who
have the
living Spirit
of God, we
can now go
forth and
we're able to
obey and
carry out his
commands.
We're able to
love God and
love our
neighbor, all
not within our
own strength,
but with God's.
And one of the
greatest ways that
we can obey the
law of Christ and
fulfill Scripture
is through our
evangelism.
The world is
dying.
Billions of
people are still
enslaved to their
sin.
Jesus makes it
very clear in
our passage that
not everyone will
be saved from
hell.
Not everyone will
be saved from
hell, only those
whose righteousness
exceeds that of the
scribes and
Pharisees.
And so to
close, I want to
remind you of the
power of salvation.
It's not within us.
It's not within our
eloquence.
It's not in how we
share the gospel,
but it's in Christ
Jesus to save
anyone at any
time.
William Perkins
was a Puritan
preacher in the
late 16th century,
and he witnessed a
man on death row
climbing the gallows
for his immediate
end.
The look on his
face was absolutely
terrified.
Imagine what you
might feel minutes
before your death.
Perkins approached
them and asked,
what man?
What is the matter
with thee?
Aren't thou afraid
of death?
The prisoner confessed
that he was less
afraid of death,
but more afraid of
what would come
after it.
Divine judgment.
I think our
sleepless,
panic-attacked
Muslim friend can
relate to this
feeling.
Recognizing the
man's spiritual
anguish,
Perkins invited
him to come down
from the gallows,
and after praying
a prayer of
confession,
and sensing that
the prisoner was
spiritually ripe,
ready to hear
the gospel,
he shared the
gospel truth.
He explained
how Christ's
blood could
cleanse the
prisoner's sins
and to heal
the man's
troubled conscience.
Nothing fancy,
nothing totally
unique,
shared the basics
of the gospel.
But then see
what happens.
His eyes were
opened to see
how all the
black lines
of all his sins
were crossed
and canceled
with the red
lines of his
crucified Savior's
precious blood,
so applying it
to his wounded
conscience,
which made him
break out into
new showers of
tears for joy
for the inward
consolation which
he found.
The prisoner
rose from his
knees,
went cheerfully
up to the
gallows,
testified of
salvation in
Christ's blood,
and bore his
death with
patience,
as if he
actually saw
himself delivered
from hell,
which he feared
before,
and heaven
opened up for
the receiving
of his souls
to the great
rejoicing for
his beholders.
Friends,
this is the
power of the
gospel,
to save,
because Jesus
is the great
fulfillment of
the scriptures,
of the law,
and all
righteousness on
behalf of those
who believe in
him.
Please pray
with me.
Heavenly Father,
we thank you
again that once
there was no way
but you made a
way,
that you sent
your Son to
fulfill all
righteousness on
behalf of us
ugly,
wretched
sinners.
May we never
forget the
wonder and the
beauty of your
mercy.
May it
overflow in
us so that
what bubbles up
in our hearts
is not envy
or anger
or ugly
thoughts or
evil thoughts,
but what bubbles
up out of our
hearts and
overflows is
the joy of the
gospel,
and that other
people would get
splashed,
other people would
be affected in
our lives,
in our workplaces,
in our families,
in our friend
groups that
people would
see and
know this
gospel
about Jesus
Christ who
has fulfilled
all this for
us.
We know that
you alone do
the heavy
lifting.
To you
alone be the
glory, Lord
Jesus, we look
to you.
In Jesus' name
we pray.
Amen.