Don't Even Think It Series

Do Not Even Think It

Matthew 5:17-20

OKAY – let’s do this…

We are in week 18 of our chapter by chapter, verse by verse study of the Gospel of Matthew.

YOU KNOW – I cannot think of a better conversation for us to have, AS WE - gather as a church body, than to talk about Our King and about The Kingdom He established 2000 years ago.

AMEN?!

NOW CURRENTLY – we are unpacking the longest recorded sermon of Jesus… The Sermon on The Mount.

Jesus’ radical, counter-culture manifesto about what life in His Kingdom is all about.

NOW JESUS – begins this sermon by talking about the character of those who live in His Kingdom,

HE - says that they ARE…

The poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful,

AND… those who are persecuted for the life they live and the Lord they love…

AND THEN…

HE - talks about the influence and impact that His followers, will have throughout the centuries because,

THEY ARE… the ‘salt’ of the earth and the ‘light’ of the world.

(just like we in the Welcome to church video earlier)

AND REMEMBER B/S…

Being the ‘salt’ of the earth is about the fruit of the Spirit displaying, noticeably different life that we live…

In our homes, in our workplaces, in our schools, in the marketplace… on social media.

AND…

Being the ‘light’ of the world is about ‘the truth’ that we share and ‘The Savior’ we point.

QUESTION – during the last few weeks have strived to be a ‘saltier’ and ‘Lightier’ Jesus-follower?

If so, awesome! If not, there is still time!

Let’s do this Maple Grove!

OKAY – and this brings us to Matthew 5:17-20 and our conversation for this morning… “Do Not Even Think…”

I will read the text and then I will pray us into our time in His Word.

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 tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:17-20

Prayer

OKAY – let’s do this.

UNDERSTAND MGCC – Matthew 5:17-20 is an important text for us to dive into… why?

BECAUSE - it answers the question, about what the relationship, BETWEEN…

• the Christian and the law.

• the Christian and the Old Testament,

should be.

LIKE…

• Is the Old Testament binding on the Christian?

• If so how much of it is binding on us?

• Do we have to obey all of the OT laws (613… 365 ‘negative’ command, ‘don’t do this’… 249 ‘positive’ commands, ‘do this’)

• Does the Old Testament any value at all for us, who live under the New Covenant?

UNDERSTAND MGCC - these are important questions,

Ones that Jesus-followers and biblical scholars have wrestled with from the ‘Day of Pentecost’ to this very day.

AND – as I shared a few years back (20180) a very prominent pastor, argued in a sermon that the Christian faith must be "unhitched" from the Old Testament. He claimed that "Peter, James, Paul elected to unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures, and my friends, we must as well."

AGAIN – understanding what the relationship should be between a Jesus-follower and the Old Testament (law of Moses) is important.

AND LISTEN – the good news is, that Jesus gives us an answer in Matthew 5:17-20.

AN ANSWER – we can actually understand, as you will see, as dive deeper into the text.

OKAY – here’s the deal…

MANY - Jesus-followers today have a pretty low… have a ‘negative’ opinion of The Old Testament Law, even though they are no longer living under it.

YEAH – many Christians, when they consider ‘the Law’ and ‘the Old Testament’… They feel like and believe that.

• The Law, is bad… and grace is good

• The Law, was a heavy unwanted burden that people had to carry

• The Law, was just a necessary evil until the time of Jesus

“Man, I so glad that those terrible rules and regulations are over and done with forever. Not even sure why God had all those rules to begin with.”