WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.379 We're continuing in our series on the Sermon on the Mount. 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:09.660 So we'll read from Matthew 5 and from verses 17 to 20. 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:11.519 Verse 17. 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:16.280 Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:20.000 I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill them. 00:00:20.740 --> 00:00:24.440 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:27.980 not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law 00:00:27.980 --> 00:00:29.719 until all is accomplished. 00:00:30.539 --> 00:00:33.880 Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:36.079 and teaches others to do the same 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:37.960 will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. 00:00:38.579 --> 00:00:40.859 But whoever does them and teaches them 00:00:40.859 --> 00:00:42.780 will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 00:00:43.460 --> 00:00:46.140 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds 00:00:46.140 --> 00:00:47.980 that of the scribes and Pharisees, 00:00:48.379 --> 00:00:51.299 you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:53.100 And this is God's Word. 00:00:55.100 --> 00:00:57.820 All right, before we look at this passage, let's pray. 00:00:58.659 --> 00:00:59.700 Our God, we ask now, 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:01.200 that you would help us. 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:02.200 Lord, we need your help. 00:01:02.380 --> 00:01:03.159 Lord, we need you. 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:04.060 Oh, we need you. 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:05.780 In this hour, we need you 00:01:05.780 --> 00:01:07.859 to come and help us understand 00:01:07.859 --> 00:01:09.980 what you have to say to us, Jesus, 00:01:10.239 --> 00:01:12.700 through this part of the Sermon on the Mount, 00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:14.200 this really important part. 00:01:14.299 --> 00:01:15.519 So we ask for help. 00:01:15.659 --> 00:01:18.460 We ask, Lord, for the help of the Holy Spirit right now. 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:20.199 And we pray that in Jesus' name. 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:20.839 Amen. 00:01:23.619 --> 00:01:25.399 So we're, on Sunday nights, 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:27.379 working our way through the Sermon on the Mount. 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:29.459 And in this passage, 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:31.699 these few verses we read, 00:01:32.739 --> 00:01:35.159 we're really moving our way toward the thesis, 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:36.119 the big idea, 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:38.519 the central idea of the entire Sermon on the Mount. 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:41.519 And Jesus is talking to everybody tonight. 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:43.539 If you, tonight, 00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:44.659 are a Christian 00:01:44.659 --> 00:01:46.699 who has been a Christian for some time 00:01:46.699 --> 00:01:48.379 and you have never been more sure 00:01:48.379 --> 00:01:49.759 of God's work in your life 00:01:49.759 --> 00:01:50.599 and you're in a state 00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:52.319 where you feel like you're really growing right now, 00:01:52.819 --> 00:01:54.439 Jesus is certainly talking to you. 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:56.599 And if you are a Christian 00:01:56.599 --> 00:01:58.419 who is struggling tonight, 00:01:58.679 --> 00:02:00.179 you know yourself, 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:01.719 we've been looking at this in the mornings, 00:02:01.819 --> 00:02:02.840 a justified sinner, 00:02:02.979 --> 00:02:04.640 but there's a big emphasis right now on sinner. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.219 You feel like you're walking through it a bit, 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:10.020 Jesus is talking directly to you. 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:11.800 And if you come tonight 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:13.439 not really knowing yet 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:14.939 what you think about Christianity 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:17.740 and you think maybe, at best, 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.300 the idea of God is a probability, 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:22.020 but you don't know much more than that, 00:02:23.259 --> 00:02:25.020 Jesus right here in these verses 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:26.180 is talking directly to you. 00:02:26.379 --> 00:02:29.460 And what is it that connects all of us tonight, 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:30.979 no matter where you are spiritually? 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:32.919 No matter where you are spiritually tonight, 00:02:32.939 --> 00:02:34.139 what is it that connects all of us? 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:36.300 And it's that Jesus, in this passage, 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:39.860 tells you what he thinks about the Bible. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:42.660 So this passage is telling you 00:02:42.660 --> 00:02:44.300 exactly what Jesus thinks 00:02:44.300 --> 00:02:45.820 about the Old Testament 00:02:45.820 --> 00:02:47.000 and then also, of course, 00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:47.860 the New Testament as well. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:49.719 So if you're a Christian tonight, 00:02:49.880 --> 00:02:53.340 you have to conform your view of the Bible 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:56.420 to whatever Jesus thinks about the Bible, right? 00:02:57.120 --> 00:02:59.100 So you've got to read the Bible 00:02:59.100 --> 00:03:00.680 in the same way that Jesus does. 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:03.000 And if you're not a Christian 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:04.540 and you've come to the Bible before 00:03:04.539 --> 00:03:06.259 and you've struggled with it 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:07.299 or you've rejected it 00:03:07.299 --> 00:03:07.819 or you've said, 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:09.159 I'm not sure that this is really 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:11.879 God's authoritative word in this world, 00:03:12.299 --> 00:03:13.879 at least you've got to come 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:15.840 and be willing to see 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:17.659 how Jesus reads the Bible. 00:03:18.780 --> 00:03:20.400 Because if you're reading it 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:21.959 merely through your own lens, 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:23.620 through your own subjectivity, 00:03:24.239 --> 00:03:25.219 and rejecting it, 00:03:25.539 --> 00:03:27.500 then you've not yet come to deal 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:29.659 with the Christian claims about the Bible. 00:03:29.659 --> 00:03:32.599 Because what Christians think about the Bible 00:03:32.599 --> 00:03:34.740 is what Jesus says about the Bible, 00:03:35.340 --> 00:03:36.400 what He thinks about the Bible. 00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:37.719 And so in that way, 00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:39.939 we all, no matter where we're coming from tonight, 00:03:40.019 --> 00:03:43.479 we need to hear what Jesus thinks about the Bible. 00:03:44.359 --> 00:03:45.520 And so that's what He gives us right here. 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:47.419 He tells us, first, 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:48.639 what He thinks about the Old Testament, 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:50.879 secondly, that He makes sense of it, 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:54.500 and finally, He doesn't dismiss a single word 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:55.099 in the Old Testament. 00:03:55.099 --> 00:03:57.579 He actually raises it to a higher meaning, 00:03:57.780 --> 00:03:59.879 a higher plane of power. 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:00.799 So let's look at that. 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:03.439 First, a bit of context first. 00:04:04.799 --> 00:04:07.579 When Jesus came here in the Sermon on the Mount, 00:04:07.659 --> 00:04:08.740 He's coming as a teacher. 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:10.539 And in His early ministry, 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:12.139 when He started teaching, 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:14.219 people called Him Rabbi. 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:16.579 And so they're picking up on the language 00:04:16.579 --> 00:04:20.000 of Second Temple Judaism in the first century. 00:04:20.779 --> 00:04:22.199 And there were many people 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:23.500 that were teachers in that culture, 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:25.500 particularly the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:27.620 And so when Jesus came teaching, 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:30.480 people were very suspicious of Him 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:32.319 because what they did was 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:35.100 they compared Him to the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:36.500 And every time Jesus would teach, 00:04:36.839 --> 00:04:37.879 it would sound different 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:39.439 than the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:41.079 And so immediately, 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:43.000 what did He say already in the Sermon on the Mount? 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:43.459 He said, 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:46.139 blessed are you who are persecuted. 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:48.100 And the scribes and the Pharisees 00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:49.180 were in a position of power, 00:04:49.259 --> 00:04:49.879 not persecution. 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:51.759 And so immediately, 00:04:51.939 --> 00:04:52.399 suspicion. 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:53.800 Blessed are the persecuted, 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:54.560 the reviled. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:57.079 Blessed are those who show mercy. 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:58.540 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 00:04:59.180 --> 00:05:00.579 And this is flipping on its head 00:05:00.579 --> 00:05:02.879 exactly the thing that they thought of 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:04.579 in the lives of the scribes and Pharisees. 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:05.779 And so immediately, 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:06.379 suspicion. 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:07.540 You know, 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:08.600 this is a usurper. 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:10.839 They wanted to kill Him all the time for it. 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:11.879 And especially, 00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:13.180 especially, 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:14.139 there was a lot of suspicion 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:16.560 around what Jesus thought and said 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:17.879 and did about the law. 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:19.699 So Jesus mentions that here. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:21.300 I didn't come to abolish the law. 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:22.819 But there was a lot of suspicion 00:05:22.819 --> 00:05:25.519 around Jesus' use of the law. 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:26.879 So we think of the law, 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:27.600 the Old Testament, 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:28.600 the Ten Commandments, 00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:31.740 the laws in the books of Moses, 00:05:31.939 --> 00:05:32.939 Genesis to Deuteronomy. 00:05:33.019 --> 00:05:34.779 There's 613 of them listed 00:05:34.779 --> 00:05:36.939 from Genesis to Deuteronomy, 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:37.980 613 laws. 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:39.959 And what did they say about Him? 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:41.639 The scribes and the Pharisees 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:44.199 accused Jesus over and over again 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:45.800 of libertarianism. 00:05:46.620 --> 00:05:46.819 You know, 00:05:47.139 --> 00:05:48.620 of taking the law, 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:49.699 the Old Testament laws, 00:05:50.100 --> 00:05:51.460 and playing fast and loose 00:05:51.460 --> 00:05:53.520 and rereading them. 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:55.220 And they were worried about 00:05:55.220 --> 00:05:57.420 how He treated the Sabbath. 00:05:57.600 --> 00:05:58.199 They were worried about 00:05:58.199 --> 00:05:59.699 the fact that He was going out 00:05:59.699 --> 00:06:00.600 and He was eating 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:02.560 with tax collectors and sinners, 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:05.220 which by their interpretation of the law 00:06:05.220 --> 00:06:06.040 was not acceptable. 00:06:07.280 --> 00:06:08.480 And so people were always saying, 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:09.759 Jesus plays fast and loose 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:11.000 with the law. 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:12.580 They were suspicious. 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:13.740 And Jesus responded. 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:15.399 At one point He said, 00:06:15.919 --> 00:06:17.919 the Son of Man came eating and drinking. 00:06:18.159 --> 00:06:20.060 He came sitting down 00:06:20.060 --> 00:06:21.379 with tax collectors and sinners 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:22.300 and everybody's saying, 00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:22.939 look at Him, 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:23.680 a drunkard, 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:24.439 a glutton. 00:06:25.039 --> 00:06:25.740 And then what does He say? 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:25.959 He says, 00:06:26.060 --> 00:06:28.560 yet wisdom is justified by her deeds. 00:06:29.139 --> 00:06:29.779 Now when He said that, 00:06:29.799 --> 00:06:30.599 He was talking about Himself. 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:31.379 And He's saying, 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:32.439 look at me 00:06:32.439 --> 00:06:34.180 and the things I do 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:35.500 and you will see 00:06:35.500 --> 00:06:37.299 not the abolishment of the law, 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:38.299 but the fulfillment. 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:39.939 He says, 00:06:40.300 --> 00:06:41.740 wisdom will be justified by her deeds. 00:06:41.900 --> 00:06:43.000 Watch the deeds of wisdom, 00:06:43.139 --> 00:06:43.740 my deeds, 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:45.220 and you will see one 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:46.699 who has received the law 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:48.920 in exactly the way it was meant 00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:50.240 and has lived it out 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:51.180 in exactly the way 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:51.920 it was meant to be lived. 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:54.439 And that created a deep suspicion, 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:55.439 libertarianism, 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:56.340 everybody said. 00:06:57.540 --> 00:06:58.360 Jesus says, 00:06:58.580 --> 00:07:00.120 with great wisdom and skill here, 00:07:00.600 --> 00:07:03.139 I have not come to abolish the law. 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:04.680 I have come to fulfill it. 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:05.240 What does He mean? 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:06.040 First thing He means, 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:07.580 Jesus first tells you 00:07:07.580 --> 00:07:09.140 what He thinks about the Old Testament. 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:09.800 Here, 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:10.860 now in verse 17, 00:07:10.939 --> 00:07:11.680 when He says that, 00:07:12.840 --> 00:07:14.200 do not think I've come to abolish 00:07:14.200 --> 00:07:15.580 the law or the prophets. 00:07:15.780 --> 00:07:16.439 That's what He says. 00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:17.720 Notice that. 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:19.220 I've not come to abolish the law 00:07:19.220 --> 00:07:20.040 or the prophets 00:07:20.040 --> 00:07:20.660 and the prophets. 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:22.340 I've not come to abolish them. 00:07:22.379 --> 00:07:23.340 I've come to fulfill them. 00:07:24.780 --> 00:07:25.920 That little phrase, 00:07:26.040 --> 00:07:27.060 the law and prophets, 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:28.680 is something you've got to pay attention to 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:31.080 because the research 00:07:31.080 --> 00:07:31.939 we've been able to do 00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:32.800 on this phrase 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:33.640 in the first century 00:07:33.639 --> 00:07:36.019 in this realm of what was called 00:07:36.019 --> 00:07:37.060 Second Temple Judaism, 00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:39.000 the religious culture of the first century 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:39.919 where Jesus lived, 00:07:40.539 --> 00:07:41.560 the law and the prophets 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:42.959 was a shorthand 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:45.199 to mean the entire Old Testament. 00:07:46.099 --> 00:07:47.599 So sometimes people come to this passage 00:07:47.599 --> 00:07:48.560 and think Jesus is saying, 00:07:48.740 --> 00:07:51.459 I didn't come to abolish the Ten Commandments. 00:07:51.459 --> 00:07:52.319 I came to fulfill them. 00:07:52.519 --> 00:07:52.759 Yes. 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:54.680 But here, 00:07:54.779 --> 00:07:55.939 when He says the law and the prophets, 00:07:56.060 --> 00:07:57.379 He's actually talking about 00:07:57.379 --> 00:07:58.259 the whole Old Testament, 00:07:58.759 --> 00:07:59.599 not just the law, 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:01.879 not just the 613 laws 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:03.220 in Genesis to Deuteronomy. 00:08:04.400 --> 00:08:04.420 And, 00:08:04.860 --> 00:08:05.860 you know, 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:06.160 whoa. 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:07.740 Chapter 7, 00:08:07.760 --> 00:08:08.260 verse 28, 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:09.420 at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, 00:08:09.760 --> 00:08:10.520 everybody looks out 00:08:10.520 --> 00:08:11.480 when He says stuff like this 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:11.939 and says, 00:08:12.060 --> 00:08:12.379 it says, 00:08:12.520 --> 00:08:14.240 they were astonished 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:16.160 because He spoke 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:17.340 like one who had authority, 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:18.660 not like the scribes did. 00:08:19.280 --> 00:08:19.900 So the scribes 00:08:19.900 --> 00:08:21.120 were receiving the law 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:22.000 and interpreting it 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:22.520 for the people. 00:08:22.860 --> 00:08:23.720 He comes and says, 00:08:24.220 --> 00:08:25.220 I came to fulfill 00:08:25.220 --> 00:08:26.879 the entire law and prophets. 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:28.319 They would have known 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:28.959 in the first century 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:29.879 what He means by that. 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:30.639 He means, 00:08:30.779 --> 00:08:31.600 I came to fulfill 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:32.939 the entire Old Testament, 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:34.419 the law and the prophets. 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:36.500 So in the Old Testament, 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:37.860 the Hebrew Bible, 00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:39.600 the Hebrew Bible 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:40.639 originally composed 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:42.379 has three sections to it. 00:08:42.439 --> 00:08:43.139 The first section 00:08:43.139 --> 00:08:44.840 is Genesis to Deuteronomy, 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:45.899 the law. 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:47.320 That's the short word for it, 00:08:47.419 --> 00:08:48.159 the books of Moses. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:50.039 And in the second section 00:08:50.039 --> 00:08:51.159 of the Hebrew Bible, 00:08:51.259 --> 00:08:51.779 the Old Testament, 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:53.039 it's called the prophets. 00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:56.059 And in our English Old Testaments, 00:08:56.059 --> 00:08:57.500 we think of Joshua 00:08:57.500 --> 00:08:58.599 as the beginning 00:08:58.599 --> 00:08:59.959 of the historical books. 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:01.459 But Jesus would have 00:09:01.459 --> 00:09:01.939 thought differently. 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:02.519 The first century, 00:09:02.599 --> 00:09:03.099 they thought differently. 00:09:03.579 --> 00:09:05.179 Joshua was the first prophet. 00:09:06.099 --> 00:09:07.179 And there's three sections. 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:07.759 There's the law, 00:09:07.859 --> 00:09:08.359 there's the prophets, 00:09:08.459 --> 00:09:08.959 and then finally, 00:09:09.299 --> 00:09:10.619 the Psalms or the writings. 00:09:11.339 --> 00:09:12.139 And that's because 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:14.259 the Psalms are the first book 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:15.359 of the wisdom literature, 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:16.159 the very end 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:17.179 of the Hebrew Bible. 00:09:17.719 --> 00:09:18.919 And when the King James Bible 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:19.579 was translated 00:09:19.579 --> 00:09:21.779 after a guy named Jerome 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:22.639 translated the Bible 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:23.219 into Latin, 00:09:23.619 --> 00:09:24.219 some of the things 00:09:24.219 --> 00:09:25.119 were rearranged, 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:25.560 right? 00:09:25.659 --> 00:09:26.639 But the way Jesus 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:27.820 received the Bible, 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:29.360 it was in three sections. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:30.779 Law, prophets, 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:32.120 Psalms, or writings. 00:09:32.620 --> 00:09:33.000 And here, 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:34.200 he's just giving you shorthand. 00:09:35.019 --> 00:09:35.480 He's saying, 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:36.220 I came to fulfill 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:37.460 the whole law and prophets, 00:09:37.560 --> 00:09:38.779 meaning the entire Bible. 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:39.179 That's the way 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:39.759 they would have said it. 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:40.399 Like we would say 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:40.919 the scriptures 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:41.799 or something like that. 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:42.980 And that means, 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:44.879 well, what does he say? 00:09:45.379 --> 00:09:46.019 Verse 18, 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:47.279 for truly I say to you, 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:48.779 until heaven and earth 00:09:48.779 --> 00:09:49.360 pass away, 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:50.919 not an iota, 00:09:51.060 --> 00:09:51.899 not a dot, 00:09:51.980 --> 00:09:52.779 will pass from the law 00:09:52.779 --> 00:09:53.919 until all is fulfilled, 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:55.000 all is accomplished. 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:57.059 Iota is a little, 00:09:57.199 --> 00:09:58.299 is the smallest Greek letter. 00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:00.159 And so it's just 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:00.740 a little squiggly. 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:02.259 And dot, 00:10:02.439 --> 00:10:03.439 he's referencing there 00:10:03.439 --> 00:10:04.959 the smallest Hebrew letter. 00:10:05.199 --> 00:10:06.039 It's called a yod, 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:07.179 and it's just a little 00:10:07.179 --> 00:10:07.959 squiggly as well. 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:10.319 And you see what he's saying? 00:10:10.379 --> 00:10:10.659 He's saying, 00:10:11.099 --> 00:10:12.039 I'm so serious 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:12.579 about the Bible 00:10:12.579 --> 00:10:13.839 that all the letters, 00:10:14.439 --> 00:10:15.439 the letters matter to me. 00:10:15.959 --> 00:10:17.099 The yods and the iotas 00:10:17.099 --> 00:10:17.919 matter to me too. 00:10:18.539 --> 00:10:20.159 And all of it 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:20.759 will be fulfilled. 00:10:20.959 --> 00:10:21.439 All of it 00:10:21.439 --> 00:10:22.099 will be accomplished. 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:23.600 When he came 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:24.060 at the beginning 00:10:24.060 --> 00:10:24.700 of his ministry 00:10:24.700 --> 00:10:25.320 to the synagogue, 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:27.180 he opened the Isaiah scroll. 00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:29.259 And he read from it. 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:30.779 This is the beginning of Mark. 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:31.460 And what does he say? 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:32.080 He says, 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:32.620 today, 00:10:33.460 --> 00:10:35.040 this reading is fulfilled 00:10:35.040 --> 00:10:35.639 in your hearing. 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:37.120 I came to fulfill it. 00:10:37.259 --> 00:10:37.659 Isaiah, 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:38.480 Genesis, 00:10:38.920 --> 00:10:39.220 Malachi, 00:10:39.740 --> 00:10:40.399 all of it. 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:42.159 That's what he's saying here. 00:10:42.259 --> 00:10:42.379 Now, 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:45.159 let me bring this to us, 00:10:45.560 --> 00:10:46.540 apply it for a moment. 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:48.840 That means that 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:49.759 whether you're a Christian 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:51.299 tonight or not, 00:10:52.379 --> 00:10:54.220 I think all of us, 00:10:54.460 --> 00:10:55.100 even as Christians 00:10:55.100 --> 00:10:55.919 in the modern world, 00:10:55.980 --> 00:10:56.960 we have difficulty 00:10:56.960 --> 00:10:58.419 day in and day out 00:10:58.419 --> 00:10:59.779 coming to the Bible 00:10:59.779 --> 00:11:01.620 and receiving it 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:02.919 and re-receiving it 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:04.899 as truly God's 00:11:04.899 --> 00:11:05.779 authoritative speech 00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:06.220 to us. 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:07.740 We have trouble 00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:08.220 with that, 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:09.240 receiving it that way 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:10.539 over and over again. 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:12.299 Let me just say, 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:13.460 why do we believe 00:11:13.460 --> 00:11:13.860 the Bible 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:14.980 is God's authority to us, 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:16.080 God's word to us? 00:11:16.680 --> 00:11:17.500 It's not merely 00:11:17.500 --> 00:11:18.379 because there are 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:19.840 101 and more 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:20.860 really good 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:22.259 inductive and deductive, 00:11:22.420 --> 00:11:23.500 empirical and rational 00:11:23.500 --> 00:11:24.080 arguments 00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:25.400 for why the Bible 00:11:25.400 --> 00:11:26.040 is God's word, 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:27.660 like the manuscript 00:11:27.660 --> 00:11:28.900 tradition that we have, 00:11:29.400 --> 00:11:30.060 like the fact that 00:11:30.060 --> 00:11:31.280 we know very well 00:11:31.280 --> 00:11:32.379 that the scrolls 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:33.720 we received historically 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:35.100 is the very Bible 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:35.700 that you're reading 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:36.259 in front of you 00:11:36.259 --> 00:11:36.720 right now. 00:11:37.259 --> 00:11:38.160 The arguments 00:11:38.160 --> 00:11:38.860 for the resurrection, 00:11:39.020 --> 00:11:39.900 the argument that 00:11:39.900 --> 00:11:41.759 as soon as this Bible 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:42.540 was being written, 00:11:42.920 --> 00:11:44.020 Christianity transformed 00:11:44.020 --> 00:11:44.720 the Roman Empire 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:46.160 in a matter of 150 years 00:11:46.160 --> 00:11:47.740 and the martyrs, 00:11:47.820 --> 00:11:49.019 the apostles who saw him 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:49.720 and were willing 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:50.560 to give their lives away, 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:51.980 all sorts of reasons 00:11:51.980 --> 00:11:52.899 that testify 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:54.200 to the authority 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:54.899 of God's word. 00:11:56.160 --> 00:11:57.820 But more important 00:11:57.820 --> 00:11:58.560 than any of that, 00:11:58.840 --> 00:11:59.160 the real, 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:00.019 why do you believe 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:00.860 the Bible is God's word? 00:12:02.660 --> 00:12:04.120 And here we learn, 00:12:04.620 --> 00:12:05.399 here we learn 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:06.120 that one of the reasons 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:06.639 you should 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:08.500 is because Jesus Christ 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:09.139 himself 00:12:09.139 --> 00:12:11.500 looked at the Old Testament 00:12:11.500 --> 00:12:12.519 and said, 00:12:12.680 --> 00:12:13.480 that's the word of God. 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:15.139 And I've come 00:12:15.139 --> 00:12:15.639 to fulfill 00:12:15.639 --> 00:12:16.379 every bit of it. 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:17.840 And look, 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:19.139 if Jesus Christ 00:12:19.139 --> 00:12:20.200 rose from the dead 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:21.740 in the middle of history 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:22.600 and he did, 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:24.379 then you've got to believe 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:25.600 everything he believed 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:26.200 about the Bible. 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:26.779 Yeah? 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:28.000 If Jesus Christ 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:28.740 rose from the dead 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:29.180 in the middle 00:12:29.180 --> 00:12:29.820 of human history 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:30.879 and he did, 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:32.080 you've got to believe 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:33.200 whatever he believed 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:34.840 about the Old Testament. 00:12:35.700 --> 00:12:36.340 Now that's very important 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:36.659 because, 00:12:37.740 --> 00:12:38.420 second application, 00:12:38.580 --> 00:12:38.860 because, 00:12:39.420 --> 00:12:39.620 look, 00:12:39.680 --> 00:12:40.379 every single one of us 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:40.879 needs authority 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:41.480 in our lives. 00:12:42.939 --> 00:12:45.019 And if you dismiss 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:45.960 the idea 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:47.259 that God has spoken 00:12:47.259 --> 00:12:48.120 into the world 00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:49.720 in an authoritative way 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:50.279 through Scripture, 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:51.460 if you say, 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:52.299 I'm not so sure 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:53.059 that that's real, 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:54.000 that that can happen, 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:55.860 then all you've done 00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:56.659 is transferred 00:12:56.659 --> 00:12:58.019 the possibility 00:12:58.019 --> 00:12:59.179 of final authority 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:00.059 to yourself, 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:02.100 to your own subjectivity 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:02.860 and your own feelings 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:03.580 and your own emotions. 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:03.840 Now, 00:13:04.439 --> 00:13:05.379 we need to hear 00:13:05.379 --> 00:13:06.340 some wisdom on this. 00:13:06.340 --> 00:13:09.580 and some years back, 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:10.980 Taylor Swift spoke 00:13:10.980 --> 00:13:14.660 at NYU's commencement 00:13:14.660 --> 00:13:16.180 at their graduation 00:13:16.180 --> 00:13:18.540 and this is what she said. 00:13:19.280 --> 00:13:19.680 She said, 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:20.100 I know, 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:20.860 she said, 00:13:20.899 --> 00:13:22.280 I know it can be overwhelming 00:13:22.280 --> 00:13:23.220 to figure out 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:24.180 who you're going to be 00:13:24.180 --> 00:13:24.860 after today, 00:13:25.580 --> 00:13:26.680 who you have to go and be 00:13:26.680 --> 00:13:28.040 after you graduate 00:13:28.040 --> 00:13:28.480 from uni. 00:13:29.180 --> 00:13:30.000 And she said this, 00:13:30.060 --> 00:13:31.139 I have some good news for you. 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:33.060 It's totally up to you. 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:35.460 Everything is totally up to you. 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:36.580 And she said, 00:13:36.660 --> 00:13:38.040 and I have some terrible news for you. 00:13:38.280 --> 00:13:39.600 It is totally up to you. 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:41.800 Now, 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:44.019 for just a little moment, 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:46.019 she captured 00:13:46.019 --> 00:13:47.440 exactly the problem 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:48.080 with modernity, 00:13:48.840 --> 00:13:49.720 the paralysis 00:13:49.720 --> 00:13:51.080 that's involved 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:52.019 in the modern age 00:13:52.019 --> 00:13:53.080 that says, 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:54.680 you are your own authority 00:13:54.680 --> 00:13:56.620 and that is good news 00:13:56.620 --> 00:13:58.100 and you are your own authority 00:13:58.100 --> 00:13:59.700 and that is terrible news. 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:01.400 That is truly terrifying. 00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:02.720 Utter paralysis. 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:04.060 Look, 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:06.820 God spoke into the world 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:08.540 and that means 00:14:08.540 --> 00:14:09.399 no matter how you feel 00:14:09.399 --> 00:14:10.160 about it every day, 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:11.320 there is an authority 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:12.180 that stands above you. 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:13.759 And the man who changed 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:15.060 the world 2,000 years ago 00:14:15.060 --> 00:14:17.220 is the very same man 00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:18.259 who looks at this book 00:14:18.259 --> 00:14:18.840 right here, 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:19.580 the Old Testament 00:14:19.580 --> 00:14:20.279 he's talking about 00:14:20.279 --> 00:14:20.820 in his time 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:21.960 and says, 00:14:22.300 --> 00:14:23.080 that is the word of God. 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:25.100 And Jesus himself saying, 00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:26.080 I receive that 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:27.519 as the very word of God. 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:29.680 If Jesus died and rose again 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:30.899 and he did, 00:14:31.419 --> 00:14:32.479 you've got to believe 00:14:32.479 --> 00:14:33.679 what he believed 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:34.579 about the Old Testament. 00:14:35.699 --> 00:14:36.079 Secondly, 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:38.120 he also tells us here 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:39.519 that he makes sense 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:40.179 of the Old Testament. 00:14:40.419 --> 00:14:40.519 So, 00:14:41.359 --> 00:14:42.099 now, 00:14:42.279 --> 00:14:43.159 the second major point 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:44.059 is to say this, 00:14:44.099 --> 00:14:44.500 is to highlight 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:45.339 what he says at the end. 00:14:45.739 --> 00:14:46.819 I didn't come to abolish 00:14:46.819 --> 00:14:47.259 the law 00:14:47.259 --> 00:14:48.339 and the prophets, 00:14:48.459 --> 00:14:49.699 the whole Hebrew Bible, 00:14:49.859 --> 00:14:51.120 I came to fulfill it. 00:14:52.179 --> 00:14:52.819 And this word, 00:14:52.959 --> 00:14:53.479 fulfill, 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:55.579 I saw one commentator, 00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:56.459 one translator, 00:14:57.159 --> 00:14:57.639 said, 00:14:57.639 --> 00:14:59.059 you could translate it 00:14:59.059 --> 00:15:00.559 literally by him saying, 00:15:00.860 --> 00:15:02.240 I came to fill it full. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:03.879 I came, 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:04.779 I came to take 00:15:04.779 --> 00:15:05.519 the whole Old Testament 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:07.240 and fill it full. 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:08.939 Fill it full of what? 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:10.500 Fill it full of meaning. 00:15:12.199 --> 00:15:12.819 Another way 00:15:12.819 --> 00:15:13.519 to translate this word 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:13.960 for fill 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:14.620 is to say, 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:15.799 I came to show you 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:16.460 the purpose 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:17.679 for which the Old Testament 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:18.519 exists. 00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:20.580 To fill it full of meaning. 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:21.939 To really show you 00:15:21.939 --> 00:15:22.340 ultimately 00:15:22.340 --> 00:15:23.480 what it's all about. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:24.879 What he's saying there 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.120 is that the Old Testament 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:28.679 is not in any way 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:29.700 just a bunch of laws, 00:15:29.820 --> 00:15:30.600 613 laws. 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:31.919 It's not just a bunch 00:15:31.919 --> 00:15:33.899 of historical chronicles 00:15:33.899 --> 00:15:35.379 of an obscure people group 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:36.500 in the ancient Near East. 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:38.179 It's not an endless account 00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:39.100 of genealogies 00:15:39.100 --> 00:15:41.039 that don't point you 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:41.700 to anything. 00:15:42.100 --> 00:15:43.200 He's coming to say 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:44.539 that throughout 00:15:44.539 --> 00:15:45.779 the entirety of the way 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:46.460 of that history, 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:48.200 it was always moving 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:49.460 and pointing directly 00:15:49.460 --> 00:15:50.039 to him. 00:15:50.860 --> 00:15:52.259 That he came 00:15:52.259 --> 00:15:52.860 to fulfill, 00:15:53.159 --> 00:15:53.919 to fill it full, 00:15:54.399 --> 00:15:55.100 to make sense 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:55.740 of the whole of it. 00:15:55.740 --> 00:15:57.200 Let me give you 00:15:57.200 --> 00:15:57.620 one example. 00:15:57.759 --> 00:15:58.700 Genesis 3.15. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:15:59.440 In the beginning, 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:02.440 we did not follow. 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:04.080 We did not obey the Lord. 00:16:04.779 --> 00:16:05.960 We were made in God's image. 00:16:06.060 --> 00:16:06.820 We rejected that. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:09.180 And when that happened, 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:10.779 when our sin broke the world, 00:16:11.680 --> 00:16:12.139 the serpent, 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:14.120 the personal conscious evil, 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:14.620 the serpent, 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:15.019 Satan, 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:15.680 he was there. 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:18.419 And God spoke to the serpent. 00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:19.000 What did he say? 00:16:19.060 --> 00:16:19.460 He said, 00:16:19.460 --> 00:16:21.600 I will put enmity, 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:22.680 I will put war 00:16:22.680 --> 00:16:24.600 between you and the woman, 00:16:24.800 --> 00:16:25.180 Eve, 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:26.879 between your offspring 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:28.019 and her offspring. 00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:31.480 He will crush your head 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:34.280 and you will crush his heel. 00:16:34.780 --> 00:16:35.920 That's actually the word crush. 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:39.040 And boy, 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:41.080 I will put enmity 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:42.540 between you and her, 00:16:42.780 --> 00:16:44.580 singular masculine noun, 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:45.200 offspring. 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:46.920 That's important. 00:16:47.020 --> 00:16:47.879 The singular masculine, 00:16:48.800 --> 00:16:49.560 the offspring, 00:16:49.940 --> 00:16:50.900 that is referred to 00:16:50.900 --> 00:16:52.240 in Genesis 3.15 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:53.840 is a singular noun, 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:54.720 one person 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:55.600 and a boy, 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:56.680 a masculine verb, 00:16:56.840 --> 00:16:57.500 a masculine noun. 00:16:58.460 --> 00:16:59.040 And you see that 00:16:59.040 --> 00:16:59.580 all the way back 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:00.580 in Genesis 3.15 00:17:00.580 --> 00:17:02.500 when God said, 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:04.180 I will make war 00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:05.319 between you, 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:05.640 Satan, 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:06.880 and the offspring of Eve. 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:09.480 That singular masculine 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:10.220 little boy, 00:17:10.300 --> 00:17:11.160 one little boy 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:12.320 will one day come 00:17:12.320 --> 00:17:14.960 and you will bite his heel 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:16.640 but he will step on your head. 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:18.520 In other words, 00:17:18.600 --> 00:17:19.840 what happens when a poisonous snake 00:17:19.840 --> 00:17:20.640 bites your heel? 00:17:21.600 --> 00:17:22.400 You die 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:23.060 because, you know, 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:23.480 veins, 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:24.540 the blood runs everywhere. 00:17:24.980 --> 00:17:25.740 You die 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:27.860 but in the midst of death 00:17:27.860 --> 00:17:28.780 it says at the same time 00:17:28.780 --> 00:17:30.080 the boy will crush your head. 00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:31.320 You see, 00:17:31.380 --> 00:17:32.240 that was all about Jesus. 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:34.080 From the very beginning 00:17:34.080 --> 00:17:34.840 of human history, 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:37.000 God spoke a prophecy 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:37.659 about Jesus 00:17:37.659 --> 00:17:38.679 in Genesis 3.15. 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:40.079 He came 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:41.579 and Jesus fulfilled that 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:43.240 and in Luke 24 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:44.619 Jesus is walking 00:17:44.619 --> 00:17:45.759 on the road to Emmaus 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:47.259 and he turns 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:48.220 to these two disciples 00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:49.319 and he says to them, 00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:51.299 it says that he told them 00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:52.879 for a long time, 00:17:53.179 --> 00:17:53.740 what does he say, 00:17:53.819 --> 00:17:55.119 that the law of Moses, 00:17:55.859 --> 00:17:56.639 the prophets, 00:17:56.879 --> 00:17:57.720 and the Psalms 00:17:57.720 --> 00:17:58.919 were all about him. 00:17:59.379 --> 00:18:00.439 That's what Luke 24 says. 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:01.159 What is that? 00:18:01.220 --> 00:18:02.480 That's the threefold division 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:03.279 of the Hebrew Bible. 00:18:03.779 --> 00:18:04.179 In other words, 00:18:04.180 --> 00:18:05.299 he explained to them 00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:06.120 before he ascended 00:18:06.120 --> 00:18:07.779 that the whole Old Testament 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:09.140 was about him, 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:10.240 always about him. 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:11.360 So here's a way 00:18:11.360 --> 00:18:11.900 to think about it. 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:13.519 The Bible is not a book 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:14.860 written to you. 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:17.620 The Bible is not written to you. 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:18.360 The Bible is written 00:18:18.360 --> 00:18:20.200 to people in the ancient Near East. 00:18:20.299 --> 00:18:20.900 The Bible is written, 00:18:21.560 --> 00:18:22.240 Matthew's Gospel 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:24.759 is written to Jewish people 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:25.400 in the first century. 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:27.440 But because God 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:28.240 is the divine author 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:28.700 of Scripture, 00:18:28.900 --> 00:18:30.160 because it is God's Word, 00:18:30.299 --> 00:18:31.720 the Bible is written for you. 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:33.240 The Bible, 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:34.200 in other words, 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:35.240 the Bible is written to you, 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:35.839 not originally, 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:37.240 but because God is author, 00:18:37.620 --> 00:18:38.640 it's written for you, 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:39.539 it's written to you. 00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:40.779 Ultimately, 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:41.960 ultimately, 00:18:42.120 --> 00:18:42.480 the Bible, 00:18:42.600 --> 00:18:43.380 let me give you a second one, 00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:45.360 the Bible is not about you. 00:18:46.860 --> 00:18:48.259 The Bible is about Jesus. 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:50.360 But the Bible is about 00:18:50.360 --> 00:18:52.100 how much Jesus is for you, 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:53.240 for you. 00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:54.600 The Bible's about you 00:18:54.600 --> 00:18:55.900 only because it's about Jesus 00:18:55.900 --> 00:18:56.759 who is for you, 00:18:56.860 --> 00:18:57.759 who is God with us 00:18:57.759 --> 00:18:58.600 and for you 00:18:58.600 --> 00:18:59.259 and for us. 00:18:59.259 --> 00:18:59.700 Right? 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:00.599 And so, 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:02.240 I'm going to do something dangerous, 00:19:02.379 --> 00:19:03.379 very dangerous here. 00:19:04.460 --> 00:19:04.960 And that's, 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:06.400 I'm going to give you 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:07.900 Charles Spurgeon's key 00:19:07.900 --> 00:19:09.279 to evaluating sermons. 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:13.319 And the first key 00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:14.519 is don't evaluate sermons. 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:15.619 That's the first key. 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:16.680 Boy, 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:17.980 ministers are the worst 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:18.539 about that, 00:19:18.900 --> 00:19:19.960 going to other churches 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:20.819 and evaluating sermons. 00:19:20.900 --> 00:19:21.640 Don't evaluate a sermon, 00:19:21.759 --> 00:19:22.319 receive it, 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:22.640 you know, 00:19:22.740 --> 00:19:23.900 even as much as you can, 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:24.440 receive it. 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:25.039 But, 00:19:25.840 --> 00:19:27.200 but, 00:19:28.600 --> 00:19:29.299 Charles Spurgeon, 00:19:29.380 --> 00:19:29.779 what he says 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:30.640 about evaluating a sermon. 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:32.820 This is from 1859, 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:35.740 sermon number 242 00:19:35.740 --> 00:19:36.600 of volume 5 00:19:36.600 --> 00:19:37.640 of Charles Spurgeon's 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:38.340 collected sermons. 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:39.820 And this is what he says, 00:19:39.860 --> 00:19:40.640 a Welsh minister 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:42.220 who was preaching 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:43.160 last Sunday 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:44.480 at the chapel 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:45.620 of my dear brother, 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:46.600 Jonathan George, 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:47.940 told this story. 00:19:48.380 --> 00:19:49.160 A young man 00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:49.860 had been preaching 00:19:49.860 --> 00:19:50.580 in the presence 00:19:50.580 --> 00:19:51.340 of a seasoned, 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:52.259 mature minister. 00:19:52.259 --> 00:19:54.299 And after the young man 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:55.099 had finished preaching, 00:19:55.220 --> 00:19:56.299 he went up to the old minister 00:19:56.299 --> 00:19:56.980 and he said, 00:19:57.339 --> 00:19:57.940 what did you think 00:19:57.940 --> 00:19:58.680 about my sermon? 00:19:58.960 --> 00:19:59.579 Now that's mistake 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:00.119 number one there. 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:02.720 And the minister said, 00:20:02.819 --> 00:20:04.559 a very poor sermon indeed. 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:06.779 A poor sermon, 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:07.579 said the young man. 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:09.460 It took me so long 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:10.460 to study it. 00:20:11.619 --> 00:20:11.980 Aye, 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:13.099 no doubt about that. 00:20:14.460 --> 00:20:14.859 Why, 00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:15.539 did you not think 00:20:15.539 --> 00:20:16.759 my explanation of the text 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:17.740 a very good explanation? 00:20:18.579 --> 00:20:19.099 Oh yes, 00:20:19.140 --> 00:20:19.680 said the preacher, 00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:20.859 it was a very good explanation. 00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:22.679 Well then, 00:20:22.779 --> 00:20:23.319 why do you say 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:24.019 it's a poor sermon? 00:20:24.199 --> 00:20:24.740 Didn't you think 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:25.919 the metaphors were appropriate 00:20:25.919 --> 00:20:27.459 and the argument conclusive? 00:20:28.379 --> 00:20:28.679 Yes, 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:29.839 they were very good 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:31.079 as far as that goes, 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:32.199 but nevertheless, 00:20:32.439 --> 00:20:33.459 it was a very poor sermon. 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:35.139 Will you tell me 00:20:35.139 --> 00:20:35.839 why you think 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:36.839 it was such a poor sermon? 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:38.439 Because, 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:38.899 he said, 00:20:39.619 --> 00:20:41.159 there was no Christ in it. 00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:42.899 Well, 00:20:42.959 --> 00:20:43.519 said the young man, 00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:44.799 Christ was not in the text. 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:45.559 He wasn't mentioned. 00:20:46.439 --> 00:20:47.079 We are not to be 00:20:47.079 --> 00:20:48.179 preaching Christ always, 00:20:48.379 --> 00:20:49.179 said the young man. 00:20:49.180 --> 00:20:50.680 Christ was not present 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:51.600 in the text I read. 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:52.779 We must preach 00:20:52.779 --> 00:20:54.400 only what is in the text. 00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:56.100 And the old man said this, 00:20:56.980 --> 00:20:57.580 don't you know, 00:20:57.700 --> 00:20:58.080 young man, 00:20:58.279 --> 00:20:59.720 that from every town 00:20:59.720 --> 00:21:00.759 and every village 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:02.140 and every little hamlet 00:21:02.140 --> 00:21:02.759 in England, 00:21:03.120 --> 00:21:04.320 there is a road 00:21:04.320 --> 00:21:04.900 to London? 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:07.740 Yeah, 00:21:07.860 --> 00:21:08.580 said the young man. 00:21:09.060 --> 00:21:09.320 Ah, 00:21:09.360 --> 00:21:10.200 said the old minister. 00:21:10.860 --> 00:21:11.220 And so, 00:21:11.360 --> 00:21:12.120 from every text 00:21:12.120 --> 00:21:12.620 in Scripture, 00:21:13.320 --> 00:21:14.960 there is a road 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:15.779 to the metropolis 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:16.560 of the Scriptures, 00:21:16.559 --> 00:21:17.779 Jesus Christ. 00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:19.619 And my dear brother, 00:21:19.899 --> 00:21:20.519 your business 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:21.220 is when you go 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:21.759 to the text 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:22.720 and you get in the pulpit, 00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:23.980 you say, 00:21:24.200 --> 00:21:24.480 now, 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:25.460 what is the road 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:26.259 to Jesus Christ? 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:28.059 And then you preach 00:21:28.059 --> 00:21:28.899 a sermon running 00:21:28.899 --> 00:21:29.599 along the road 00:21:29.599 --> 00:21:30.879 towards that great metropolis. 00:21:32.059 --> 00:21:32.859 And he said, 00:21:33.059 --> 00:21:34.279 I have never yet 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:35.179 found a text 00:21:35.179 --> 00:21:36.879 that had not got 00:21:36.879 --> 00:21:38.019 a road to Jesus Christ 00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:38.399 in it. 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:40.300 And if I ever do find one 00:21:40.300 --> 00:21:41.500 that has not a road 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:42.120 to Christ, 00:21:42.620 --> 00:21:45.500 if I ever do find one 00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:46.120 that has not a road 00:21:46.120 --> 00:21:46.580 to Christ, 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:47.580 I will make it. 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:49.280 I will go over 00:21:49.280 --> 00:21:50.180 every hedge, 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:51.280 I will cross 00:21:51.280 --> 00:21:52.320 every ditch, 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:53.380 but I will get 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:54.140 to my master, 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:55.420 for the sermon 00:21:55.420 --> 00:21:56.780 cannot do anybody 00:21:56.780 --> 00:21:57.600 any good 00:21:57.600 --> 00:21:58.640 unless there is 00:21:58.640 --> 00:21:59.220 a savor 00:21:59.220 --> 00:22:00.160 of Jesus Christ 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:00.519 in it. 00:22:02.080 --> 00:22:04.019 Jesus came 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:04.480 to fulfill 00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:05.200 the law and prophets. 00:22:05.340 --> 00:22:06.100 He is the point 00:22:06.100 --> 00:22:06.620 of the Bible. 00:22:06.619 --> 00:22:08.779 Lastly, 00:22:09.739 --> 00:22:10.659 he elevates, 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:11.539 he doesn't stop there. 00:22:11.659 --> 00:22:12.659 Jesus thinks 00:22:12.659 --> 00:22:13.779 the Bible is God's word. 00:22:13.899 --> 00:22:14.899 He says that he 00:22:14.899 --> 00:22:15.439 is the one 00:22:15.439 --> 00:22:16.119 that makes sense 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:16.939 of all of it. 00:22:17.399 --> 00:22:17.979 And then lastly, 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:19.179 he raises 00:22:19.179 --> 00:22:20.339 the teaching 00:22:20.339 --> 00:22:21.000 of the Old Testament 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:22.319 to an even higher level, 00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:23.519 far from what 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:24.399 the scribes and Pharisees 00:22:24.399 --> 00:22:25.319 thought he was up to. 00:22:25.819 --> 00:22:26.519 They thought he was 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:27.539 being fast and loose 00:22:27.539 --> 00:22:28.659 with everything 00:22:28.659 --> 00:22:29.319 in the Old Testament, 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:30.199 with the laws, 00:22:30.779 --> 00:22:31.239 and boy, 00:22:31.339 --> 00:22:31.699 he doesn't. 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:32.679 He raises it 00:22:32.679 --> 00:22:33.419 to a different plan. 00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:34.219 So he says here, 00:22:34.639 --> 00:22:34.839 therefore, 00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:35.319 whoever, 00:22:35.739 --> 00:22:36.279 Jesus says, 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:37.119 if you relax 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:39.440 the least jot, 00:22:39.619 --> 00:22:40.399 the least iota, 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:41.279 the least dot, 00:22:41.399 --> 00:22:43.119 yod of the Hebrew Bible, 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:44.839 any of the commandments, 00:22:45.639 --> 00:22:46.960 and you teach others 00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:47.660 to do the same, 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:48.639 to relax any of it, 00:22:48.660 --> 00:22:49.139 you'll be called 00:22:49.139 --> 00:22:49.980 least in the kingdom 00:22:49.980 --> 00:22:50.539 of heaven. 00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:51.799 But if you teach 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:52.539 everything, 00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:53.980 you'll be called 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:54.819 great in the kingdom 00:22:54.819 --> 00:22:55.220 of heaven. 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:55.879 For I tell you, 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:56.879 unless your righteousness 00:22:56.879 --> 00:22:57.639 is greater, 00:22:57.799 --> 00:22:58.740 exceeds that 00:22:58.740 --> 00:22:59.599 of the scribes 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:00.180 and Pharisees, 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:01.059 you will not even 00:23:01.059 --> 00:23:01.839 enter the kingdom 00:23:01.839 --> 00:23:02.599 of heaven. 00:23:03.619 --> 00:23:03.960 Boy, 00:23:04.840 --> 00:23:05.420 what is he saying? 00:23:05.460 --> 00:23:06.480 He's saying far, 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:07.940 far from being licentious, 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:09.100 far from being libertarian 00:23:09.100 --> 00:23:10.279 about the Old Testament 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:10.840 and the laws 00:23:10.840 --> 00:23:11.400 that were given. 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:13.160 He says, 00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:14.240 I've come to fulfill it 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:15.440 and I've come to raise it 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:16.200 to a level 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:16.759 that the scribes 00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:17.240 and the Pharisees 00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:17.700 never did. 00:23:19.120 --> 00:23:20.000 And what does he mean 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:20.440 by that? 00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:21.460 You know, 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:22.400 he's saying the law 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:22.860 to me, 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:23.759 the prophets to me, 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:24.640 the writings to me 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:25.700 are so important 00:23:25.700 --> 00:23:28.079 that I'm telling you 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:29.279 your righteousness 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:30.420 must be greater 00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:31.440 than even the scribes 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:32.360 and Pharisees. 00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:32.600 Now, 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:33.519 he's saying something 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:34.240 very radical 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:35.240 in his context 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:36.740 that would create 00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:37.940 a lot of anger, 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:39.120 a lot of frustration 00:23:39.120 --> 00:23:39.600 with him. 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:40.779 He's saying 00:23:40.779 --> 00:23:41.860 that Judaism, 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:43.220 Second Temple Judaism, 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:44.440 as it was being practiced 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:45.180 by the scribes 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:45.880 and the Pharisees, 00:23:46.360 --> 00:23:48.299 is not righteous enough. 00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:50.160 He's saying 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:51.740 all the external conformity 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:52.720 to the Ten Commandments, 00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:53.880 all the practicing 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:54.779 and the memorizing, 00:23:55.320 --> 00:23:56.820 all the laws being obeyed 00:23:56.820 --> 00:23:58.080 visibly before your eyes, 00:23:58.279 --> 00:23:58.640 he's saying 00:23:58.640 --> 00:24:00.160 that is not enough 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:00.880 to enter the kingdom 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:01.260 of heaven. 00:24:02.260 --> 00:24:02.560 He's saying 00:24:02.560 --> 00:24:03.360 I've come to say 00:24:03.360 --> 00:24:04.240 something that radical, 00:24:05.600 --> 00:24:06.720 that extreme. 00:24:07.300 --> 00:24:07.480 Now, 00:24:07.520 --> 00:24:08.260 what does he mean by that? 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:09.860 The rest of the Sermon 00:24:09.860 --> 00:24:10.240 on the Mount 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:11.200 is what he means by that. 00:24:11.920 --> 00:24:12.260 So, 00:24:12.320 --> 00:24:13.040 you have to come back 00:24:13.040 --> 00:24:15.320 to really see 00:24:15.320 --> 00:24:15.840 what he means by that. 00:24:15.860 --> 00:24:16.300 But let me give you 00:24:16.300 --> 00:24:16.740 an example. 00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:17.960 The very next passage, 00:24:18.060 --> 00:24:18.400 he says, 00:24:18.520 --> 00:24:19.520 you've heard 00:24:19.520 --> 00:24:20.200 the Ten Commandments, 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:20.880 you've heard it taught 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:21.400 by the scribes 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:21.860 and Pharisees, 00:24:22.260 --> 00:24:22.960 do not murder, 00:24:23.520 --> 00:24:24.540 but I say to you, 00:24:25.300 --> 00:24:27.180 if you are even angry, 00:24:27.340 --> 00:24:28.160 unrighteously angry 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:28.740 with your friend, 00:24:28.800 --> 00:24:29.140 your brother, 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:29.680 your sister, 00:24:29.820 --> 00:24:30.700 then you've murdered 00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:32.279 he said, 00:24:32.360 --> 00:24:33.019 you've heard that it was said, 00:24:33.080 --> 00:24:33.799 don't commit adultery. 00:24:33.960 --> 00:24:35.059 And the scribes and Pharisees 00:24:35.059 --> 00:24:35.880 running around saying, 00:24:36.080 --> 00:24:37.120 I've never committed adultery. 00:24:37.340 --> 00:24:37.880 I've been faithful 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:38.460 to my spouse. 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:39.340 And he's saying, 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:39.960 but if you've looked 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:40.779 at another person 00:24:40.779 --> 00:24:41.900 with sexual lust 00:24:41.900 --> 00:24:42.440 in your heart, 00:24:42.580 --> 00:24:43.600 you've committed adultery. 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:45.179 And Jesus is saying, 00:24:45.179 --> 00:24:45.359 look, 00:24:45.419 --> 00:24:46.399 I've come to raise 00:24:46.399 --> 00:24:47.199 the law 00:24:47.199 --> 00:24:48.480 to its true level, 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:49.719 the level, 00:24:49.919 --> 00:24:50.059 what, 00:24:50.099 --> 00:24:50.579 of the heart. 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:52.679 I've come to show you 00:24:52.679 --> 00:24:55.000 that external conformity 00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:55.679 to the law 00:24:55.679 --> 00:24:57.699 is not the full intention 00:24:57.699 --> 00:24:58.859 of what the Old Testament 00:24:58.859 --> 00:24:59.379 was teaching. 00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:00.399 Now, 00:25:00.439 --> 00:25:00.799 instead, 00:25:00.939 --> 00:25:01.899 that if you really want 00:25:01.899 --> 00:25:02.240 to obey, 00:25:02.379 --> 00:25:03.000 if you really want 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:03.559 to have righteousness 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:04.159 in your life, 00:25:04.399 --> 00:25:06.219 you've got to internalize 00:25:06.219 --> 00:25:07.039 the law. 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:08.639 You've got to begin 00:25:08.639 --> 00:25:09.299 from the heart 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:09.919 and move outward. 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:11.820 your righteousness 00:25:11.820 --> 00:25:13.200 has got to exceed 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:14.160 that of the scribes 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:14.800 and Pharisees. 00:25:15.100 --> 00:25:15.460 Now, 00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:16.240 when he said something 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:16.800 that extreme, 00:25:16.840 --> 00:25:17.440 what was he saying? 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:18.840 He's not trying 00:25:18.840 --> 00:25:19.620 to get you to say, 00:25:20.300 --> 00:25:20.560 okay, 00:25:20.740 --> 00:25:20.960 well, 00:25:21.060 --> 00:25:22.080 if I can get my heart right 00:25:22.080 --> 00:25:22.880 and I can go out 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:23.580 and I can exceed 00:25:23.580 --> 00:25:24.060 the righteousness 00:25:24.060 --> 00:25:25.039 of the scribes 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:25.420 and Pharisees. 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:25.580 No, 00:25:25.620 --> 00:25:25.960 he was saying, 00:25:26.019 --> 00:25:26.120 look, 00:25:26.340 --> 00:25:27.560 these guys are doing it 00:25:27.560 --> 00:25:29.580 as best as any human can. 00:25:31.640 --> 00:25:32.000 And, 00:25:32.300 --> 00:25:32.700 look, 00:25:32.779 --> 00:25:33.759 he was saying 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:35.200 every single person 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:35.720 in this world 00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:36.820 is condemned by this. 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:38.480 If you really want 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:39.200 to follow the law, 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:40.000 try, 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:40.900 you can't. 00:25:41.640 --> 00:25:42.140 That's the point, 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:42.860 that's the first point 00:25:42.860 --> 00:25:43.380 of the Sermon on the Mount. 00:25:43.460 --> 00:25:44.100 You can't 00:25:44.100 --> 00:25:46.380 because it begins 00:25:46.380 --> 00:25:46.840 from the heart 00:25:46.840 --> 00:25:47.420 and moves outward. 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:49.200 And when he said, 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:50.319 your righteousness 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:51.240 has got to exceed 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:52.140 the scribes and Pharisees, 00:25:52.180 --> 00:25:52.519 he was saying, 00:25:52.940 --> 00:25:54.019 you need a righteousness 00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:55.580 that you will never 00:25:55.580 --> 00:25:56.420 be able to achieve. 00:25:56.519 --> 00:25:57.240 You need a righteousness 00:25:57.240 --> 00:25:58.080 that is not your own. 00:25:58.340 --> 00:25:59.759 You need an alien righteousness, 00:25:59.940 --> 00:26:00.779 an outside source, 00:26:01.059 --> 00:26:01.720 and that takes you 00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:02.819 right back to verse 17 00:26:02.819 --> 00:26:03.279 where he said, 00:26:03.580 --> 00:26:04.799 I came to fulfill 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:05.660 all of it. 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:07.279 So, 00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:09.039 we'll close with this. 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:09.740 His comment, 00:26:09.899 --> 00:26:10.920 I came to fulfill 00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:11.480 the law, 00:26:12.220 --> 00:26:13.579 exists in two senses. 00:26:13.740 --> 00:26:14.159 Two senses. 00:26:14.299 --> 00:26:15.079 Here's the first sense. 00:26:15.899 --> 00:26:17.480 He came to be 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:18.740 from the inside out 00:26:18.740 --> 00:26:20.299 every bit of righteousness 00:26:20.299 --> 00:26:21.279 that we never were. 00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:23.200 That's the first sense 00:26:23.200 --> 00:26:23.680 of fulfillment. 00:26:24.299 --> 00:26:24.940 He came to be 00:26:24.940 --> 00:26:25.559 from the inside out 00:26:25.559 --> 00:26:26.420 every bit of righteousness 00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:28.159 Israel never was. 00:26:28.399 --> 00:26:29.200 The scribes never were. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:30.220 The Pharisees never were. 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:31.119 We never were. 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:31.740 You never were. 00:26:31.879 --> 00:26:32.480 I am not. 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:33.920 He came to be that. 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:34.779 That's the first sense. 00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:36.079 Let me give you 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:36.859 a quote 00:26:36.859 --> 00:26:38.619 to flesh this out. 00:26:38.779 --> 00:26:39.439 I got two quotes 00:26:39.439 --> 00:26:39.979 as we finish 00:26:39.979 --> 00:26:40.639 from John Calvin. 00:26:42.819 --> 00:26:43.479 Both of these 00:26:43.479 --> 00:26:44.779 are from 1534 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:46.679 from John Calvin's 00:26:46.679 --> 00:26:47.299 preface 00:26:47.299 --> 00:26:48.839 to the translation 00:26:48.839 --> 00:26:50.079 of the Bible 00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:50.819 into French 00:26:50.819 --> 00:26:52.059 by a friend of his. 00:26:53.219 --> 00:26:53.500 So, 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:54.179 he wrote a preface 00:26:54.179 --> 00:26:54.759 to the Bible. 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:56.179 Not the best idea, 00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:56.419 maybe, 00:26:56.479 --> 00:26:57.599 to write a preface 00:26:57.599 --> 00:26:58.059 to the Bible, 00:26:58.519 --> 00:26:59.919 but they did it. 00:26:59.919 --> 00:27:00.859 And there are 00:27:00.859 --> 00:27:01.740 some great quotes 00:27:01.740 --> 00:27:02.000 in it. 00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:04.179 This is what he says. 00:27:04.180 --> 00:27:05.500 Because Jesus Christ 00:27:05.500 --> 00:27:06.220 has fulfilled 00:27:06.220 --> 00:27:07.340 all righteousness, 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:09.940 he desired 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:11.380 in all the right ways 00:27:11.380 --> 00:27:12.180 that you never will, 00:27:13.180 --> 00:27:13.740 then this is true. 00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:14.500 Every good thing 00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:15.920 is to be found 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:16.980 in Jesus Christ alone, 00:27:17.039 --> 00:27:17.420 he says. 00:27:18.860 --> 00:27:20.460 For he was sold 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:22.340 to buy us back. 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:24.279 He was sold 00:27:24.279 --> 00:27:24.720 to buy us back. 00:27:25.080 --> 00:27:26.340 He became the captive 00:27:26.340 --> 00:27:27.500 to deliver us. 00:27:28.060 --> 00:27:29.100 He was condemned 00:27:29.100 --> 00:27:30.000 in our place 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:31.120 to absolve us. 00:27:31.880 --> 00:27:33.220 He was made a curse 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:34.380 for our blessing. 00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:35.279 He was made 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:36.579 the sin offering 00:27:36.579 --> 00:27:38.400 for our righteousness. 00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:41.100 He was marred 00:27:41.100 --> 00:27:42.779 that we might become fair. 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:45.880 He died for our life 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:46.860 so that by him 00:27:46.860 --> 00:27:49.000 fury is made gentle. 00:27:50.360 --> 00:27:51.920 Wrath appeased. 00:27:53.140 --> 00:27:54.440 Because of his righteousness, 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:55.259 darkness 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:56.940 turned into light 00:27:56.940 --> 00:27:57.460 for us. 00:27:59.160 --> 00:28:00.860 Fear reassured. 00:28:00.859 --> 00:28:03.199 Despisal despised. 00:28:03.479 --> 00:28:04.839 Debt cancelled. 00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:07.099 Labor lightened. 00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:09.639 Sadness made merry. 00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:11.879 Misfortune made fortunate. 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:13.819 Difficulty easy. 00:28:14.659 --> 00:28:16.819 Disordered now ordered. 00:28:17.619 --> 00:28:18.939 Divisions united. 00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:20.839 Rebellion subjected. 00:28:22.899 --> 00:28:24.039 Intimidation intimidated. 00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:25.240 Ambush uncovered. 00:28:25.459 --> 00:28:26.359 Assaults assailed. 00:28:26.819 --> 00:28:27.799 Combat combated. 00:28:28.019 --> 00:28:28.399 War, 00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:30.060 our war with God 00:28:30.060 --> 00:28:31.019 warred against 00:28:31.019 --> 00:28:31.920 by him. 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:35.220 Vengeance avenged. 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:35.980 Torment 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:36.680 that we deserve 00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:37.280 tormented 00:28:37.280 --> 00:28:38.060 in him. 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:40.420 Damnation 00:28:40.420 --> 00:28:41.460 now damned. 00:28:42.460 --> 00:28:43.300 The abyss 00:28:43.300 --> 00:28:44.080 has sunk 00:28:44.080 --> 00:28:45.380 into the abyss. 00:28:46.180 --> 00:28:46.580 Hell 00:28:46.580 --> 00:28:47.800 transfixed. 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:48.480 Death 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:49.180 dead. 00:28:49.580 --> 00:28:50.300 Mortality 00:28:50.300 --> 00:28:51.620 made immortal. 00:28:52.800 --> 00:28:53.900 Now that's why he's Calvin. 00:28:54.740 --> 00:28:55.680 That quote. 00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:56.820 But boy he's pointing 00:28:56.820 --> 00:28:58.460 to Jesus. 00:28:58.720 --> 00:28:59.539 Look what is he saying? 00:28:59.600 --> 00:29:00.200 He's saying that 00:29:00.200 --> 00:29:02.440 the one who fulfilled 00:29:02.440 --> 00:29:03.560 all righteousness 00:29:03.560 --> 00:29:05.160 took on your 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:06.140 unrighteousness 00:29:06.140 --> 00:29:06.960 so that you might 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:07.720 receive his righteousness. 00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:09.440 That's the first meaning 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:10.259 that he fulfilled 00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:10.620 the law. 00:29:11.140 --> 00:29:11.820 He fulfilled all of it 00:29:11.820 --> 00:29:12.120 for you. 00:29:12.620 --> 00:29:13.900 He fulfilled the whole of it. 00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:15.120 Desire outward 00:29:15.120 --> 00:29:16.000 in your place 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.680 so hell could be 00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:18.440 transfixed 00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:18.460 ! 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:19.740 For you. 00:29:20.340 --> 00:29:21.019 The second sense 00:29:21.019 --> 00:29:21.620 the final sense. 00:29:21.700 --> 00:29:22.240 One more quote. 00:29:23.299 --> 00:29:24.039 How did he do it? 00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:25.339 How did he do it? 00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:26.079 The second sense 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:26.960 he's saying 00:29:26.960 --> 00:29:27.819 I came to fulfill 00:29:27.819 --> 00:29:28.619 every bit of it 00:29:28.619 --> 00:29:29.220 from my heart 00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:30.319 outward in your place 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:31.659 and I came to do it 00:29:31.659 --> 00:29:32.180 by fulfilling 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:33.180 everything the Old Testament 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:33.920 was talking about. 00:29:34.399 --> 00:29:35.139 That's the second way. 00:29:35.639 --> 00:29:35.859 He's saying 00:29:35.859 --> 00:29:36.680 I came to do it 00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:37.259 by fulfilling 00:29:37.259 --> 00:29:38.960 everything the Old Testament 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:40.519 had always pointed to. 00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:42.440 And so here's Calvin again 00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:43.639 same preface. 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:45.159 How did he do it? 00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:45.940 Jesus Christ 00:29:45.940 --> 00:29:46.440 he says 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:48.259 is the new Isaac 00:29:48.259 --> 00:29:50.460 the beloved son 00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:51.159 of the father 00:29:51.159 --> 00:29:51.980 who was offered 00:29:51.980 --> 00:29:52.740 as a sacrifice 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:53.400 but nevertheless 00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:54.500 did not succumb 00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:55.140 to the power of death. 00:29:55.460 --> 00:29:55.779 He says 00:29:55.779 --> 00:29:56.819 Jesus is Jacob 00:29:56.819 --> 00:29:57.839 the watchful shepherd 00:29:57.839 --> 00:29:59.380 who has such great care 00:29:59.380 --> 00:29:59.940 for the sheep 00:29:59.940 --> 00:30:00.559 which he guards. 00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:02.120 Jesus is the good 00:30:02.120 --> 00:30:02.779 and compassionate 00:30:02.779 --> 00:30:03.799 brother Joseph 00:30:03.799 --> 00:30:05.240 who in his glory 00:30:05.240 --> 00:30:06.220 was not ashamed 00:30:06.220 --> 00:30:07.160 to acknowledge 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:08.539 and forgive his brothers 00:30:08.539 --> 00:30:09.819 however lowly 00:30:09.819 --> 00:30:10.460 and abject 00:30:10.460 --> 00:30:11.120 their condition. 00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:12.700 Jesus is the great 00:30:12.700 --> 00:30:13.620 sacrificer 00:30:13.620 --> 00:30:15.460 and elder Melchizedek 00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:16.680 who has offered 00:30:16.680 --> 00:30:17.839 an eternal sacrifice 00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:18.519 once for all. 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:20.319 Jesus is the sovereign 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:21.299 lawgiver Moses 00:30:21.299 --> 00:30:22.599 the new and better 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:25.139 writing his law 00:30:25.139 --> 00:30:25.819 on the tablets 00:30:25.819 --> 00:30:26.419 of our hearts 00:30:26.419 --> 00:30:27.019 by the spirit. 00:30:27.519 --> 00:30:28.159 He is the faithful 00:30:28.159 --> 00:30:29.559 captain and guide Joshua 00:30:29.559 --> 00:30:30.519 to lead us 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:31.220 to the promised land. 00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:32.019 He is the victorious 00:30:32.019 --> 00:30:33.119 and noble king David 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:34.339 bringing his hand 00:30:34.339 --> 00:30:34.899 all 00:30:34.899 --> 00:30:35.700 by his hand 00:30:35.700 --> 00:30:37.099 all rebellious powers 00:30:37.099 --> 00:30:38.139 to subjection. 00:30:38.519 --> 00:30:39.599 He is the magnificent 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:40.460 and triumphant 00:30:40.460 --> 00:30:41.220 King Solomon 00:30:41.220 --> 00:30:42.720 governing his kingdom 00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:43.700 in peace and prosperity. 00:30:44.220 --> 00:30:45.139 He is the strong 00:30:45.139 --> 00:30:46.259 and powerful Samson 00:30:46.259 --> 00:30:48.000 who by his death 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:49.019 has overwhelmed 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:49.899 all the enemies. 00:30:49.900 --> 00:30:52.120 This is what we should seek 00:30:52.120 --> 00:30:53.900 in the whole of scripture 00:30:53.900 --> 00:30:56.280 truly to know Jesus Christ 00:30:56.280 --> 00:30:57.820 the infinite riches 00:30:57.820 --> 00:30:59.360 that are comprised in him 00:30:59.360 --> 00:31:00.759 and are offered to us 00:31:00.759 --> 00:31:01.500 by him 00:31:01.500 --> 00:31:02.720 from God the Father. 00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:04.519 If one were to sift 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:05.340 through the law 00:31:05.340 --> 00:31:06.240 and the prophets 00:31:06.240 --> 00:31:07.140 Calvin says 00:31:07.140 --> 00:31:08.700 he would not find 00:31:08.700 --> 00:31:09.680 a single word 00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:11.560 which would not draw 00:31:11.560 --> 00:31:13.500 us back 00:31:13.500 --> 00:31:14.540 to Jesus Christ. 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:15.440 Therefore 00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:16.700 Paul says rightly 00:31:16.700 --> 00:31:18.880 that he knows nothing 00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:19.980 except Jesus Christ 00:31:19.980 --> 00:31:21.059 and him crucified. 00:31:23.860 --> 00:31:24.900 Jesus Christ 00:31:24.900 --> 00:31:25.860 fulfilled 00:31:25.860 --> 00:31:27.900 everything for you. 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:28.600 Everything. 00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:29.840 And so tonight 00:31:29.840 --> 00:31:30.519 you can say 00:31:30.519 --> 00:31:33.120 I am far more sinful 00:31:33.120 --> 00:31:34.960 than I'm willing to admit 00:31:34.960 --> 00:31:36.200 and yet 00:31:36.200 --> 00:31:38.420 I am far more 00:31:38.420 --> 00:31:39.600 loved by Jesus 00:31:39.600 --> 00:31:40.580 than I've ever dared 00:31:40.580 --> 00:31:40.960 imagine. 00:31:42.140 --> 00:31:42.960 Let us pray. 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:43.440 Father 00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:45.360 thank you 00:31:45.360 --> 00:31:46.019 for the revelation 00:31:46.019 --> 00:31:46.779 of Jesus 00:31:46.779 --> 00:31:47.720 the incarnation 00:31:47.720 --> 00:31:48.340 and how 00:31:48.340 --> 00:31:49.380 it shows us 00:31:49.380 --> 00:31:49.819 the truth 00:31:49.819 --> 00:31:50.640 about the Old Testament. 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:52.819 So we want 00:31:52.819 --> 00:31:53.420 Lord tonight 00:31:53.420 --> 00:31:54.500 to think about 00:31:54.500 --> 00:31:55.000 the Bible 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:55.640 in the same way 00:31:55.640 --> 00:31:56.079 you do 00:31:56.079 --> 00:31:57.079 to read it 00:31:57.079 --> 00:31:57.840 through the lens 00:31:57.840 --> 00:31:58.720 of the truth 00:31:58.720 --> 00:31:59.920 of the one 00:31:59.920 --> 00:32:00.740 who came to make 00:32:00.740 --> 00:32:01.620 sense of 00:32:01.620 --> 00:32:02.819 all of human history 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:03.160 Jesus. 00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:05.319 So I ask for some 00:32:05.319 --> 00:32:06.319 that they would be helped 00:32:06.319 --> 00:32:07.319 to see the power 00:32:07.319 --> 00:32:08.299 of scripture 00:32:08.299 --> 00:32:09.720 because of the power 00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:10.180 of the gospel. 00:32:10.180 --> 00:32:11.420 I ask for others 00:32:11.420 --> 00:32:12.620 that they would be able 00:32:12.620 --> 00:32:13.539 to see that Jesus 00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:15.400 fulfills all righteousness 00:32:15.400 --> 00:32:16.440 in their place 00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:17.960 and I ask for all of us 00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:19.039 that we would see 00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:19.920 that as the new 00:32:19.920 --> 00:32:20.580 and better 00:32:20.580 --> 00:32:22.000 Jesus you are 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:22.660 the new and better 00:32:22.660 --> 00:32:23.140 the new and better 00:32:23.140 --> 00:32:23.980 Moses and David 00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:24.460 and Solomon 00:32:24.460 --> 00:32:25.680 Joseph 00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:26.600 Melchizedek 00:32:26.600 --> 00:32:27.799 that we would know 00:32:27.799 --> 00:32:28.539 that you came 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:29.320 to redeem us. 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:31.900 So reinvigorate 00:32:31.900 --> 00:32:32.759 our vision 00:32:32.759 --> 00:32:34.180 of your glory 00:32:34.180 --> 00:32:35.180 through our reading 00:32:35.180 --> 00:32:35.660 of scripture 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:36.320 we pray 00:32:36.320 --> 00:32:37.320 in Jesus name 00:32:37.320 --> 00:32:37.740 Amen.