This morning we continue looking at the greatest sermon ever preached, by the greatest preacher Who ever lived. A great sermon has 3 elements:
1. Explanation—you explain the principles you want to get across. We all need to have the right principles in place in our lives. People who go wrong in practice usually had the wrong principles behind it all. What you believe always affects how you behave. How you live your life shows what you believe about God.
2. Illustration—you paint a word picture to help open the eyes of the listeners. It’s like a window that shines the light of truth into people’s hearts.
3. Application—you make it relevant to the people listening. Jesus did this, because He knew our human nature, that we will listen to explanation and illustration, but we resist making personal application to ourselves. We may apply it to others, but we need someone else to help apply it to us! It’s during application that many people go I sure do hope so in so hears this. People don’t mind me explaining Biblical principles or illustrating them, but when it comes to applying them, well we don’t like our toes step on.
I’m thankful for a group that doesn’t mind having their toes stepped on, realizing it’s God and His Word applying pressure, not His me.
Ill.—I heard about a preacher, who had a very vocal congregation. He preached to them, and they preached back to him. He used all 3 elements above to teach the principle of getting the church to grow. He illustrated church growth by the growth of a child:
“If the church is gonna grow, she’ll have to learn to crawl.”
And all the people responded: “let her crawl, preacher, let her crawl.”
“If the church is gonna grow, she’ll have to learn to walk.”
“let her walk, preacher, let her walk.”
“If the church is gonna grow, she’ll have to learn to run.”
“let her run, preacher, let her run.”
“If the church is gonna grow, she’ll have to learn to fly.”
“let her fly, preacher, let her fly.”
All was at a fevered pitch, so it was time to make his application. He said,
“If the church is ever gonna walk, run, and fly, it’s gonna take lots of money!”
And they all said together, “she’ll be alright crawling preacher, let her crawl, preacher, let her crawl!”
If you haven’t noticed were are going through the Sermon on the mount. We’ve already covered the beatitudes and Jesus calling us to be the salt and the light of the world.
Now let’s look at the next part of Jesus’ sermon.
I. Fulfillment of the OT
The OT is divided into the 2 parts Jesus mentioned in v. 17: The Law & The Prophets. Jesus is saying, what I say will be in harmonious agreement with the teachings of your OT. I won’t contradict it, diminish the importance of it, or destroy it. But then He goes a step further, and says, not only will I not destroy it, I’ve actually come to fulfill it! Jesus is saying, I am the very fulfillment of your scripture.
How was Jesus the fulfillment of the OT? Well, the OT law can be divided into 3 parts: The moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil law.
The moral law is God’s holy demands for His people, such as the 10 commandments, the “thou shalt not’s”, which, by the way, are still in effect today.
The ceremonial law is the OT system of sacrifices, offerings and feasts.
The civil law was their actual government as a nation.
Jesus fulfilled all 3 elements of the law.
Galatians 4:4
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.
He was the God-Man. And though he was wrapped in human flesh and subject to the same temptations as we are, He never sinned, and so He fulfilled the moral law…He kept the law to perfection in a way we cannot! Why so that he could also fulfill the ceremonial law.
Even in His trial and death, no fault could be found in Him, and the Roman soldier said, Truly this man was the Son of God. Even His enemies had to admit that He had done what none other had ever done…fulfilled the moral law of God!
2 Cor. 5:21
Hebrews 4:14; 7:26
1 Peter 2:22
About the ceremonial law: what is the meaning of all these slain animals, blood, feasts and offerings? Simply this: they are all types and pictures of the death of Christ. Everything in the OT points to Christ. And just as Jesus fulfilled God’s moral law in His perfect life, He fulfilled God’s ceremonial law in His sacrificial death!
The symbolism and typology in the OT is so extraordinary…a very exciting study. When you look at the Tabernacle you see Jesus in every article. I’m not going to go into great detail yet someday I hope to.
The fence around it has but 1 gate. If you were gonna get to God’s presence inside the Holy of Holies, you had to enter thru that 1 gate. So much for the “all roads lead to God doctrine.” Jesus said in the NT, I am the door, I am the way, the truth and the life…
Then you came to a brass altar, a picture of judgment, and you had to have a perfect, male lamb to sacrifice in order to go any further. This is a picture of Christ. And the OT progression is phenomenal. Back in Genesis, Abel offered a lamb for himself. It was a lamb for a man. In Exodus, Moses said every family had to offer a lamb. 1 lamb for one fam. In Leviticus on the Day of Atonement, 1 lamb was slain for the entire nation. See the progression? A lamb for a man, then a lamb for a fam., then a lamb for their whole clan…but then OT became NT as John the Baptist said, Behold the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world!
After the altar is the laver, where we see Jesus, the water of life. The priest had to wash their hands and feet before going any further. This represents your service and walk in Christ.
Then you enter the holy place, look to your right, and see the table of showbread, and you see Jesus the bread of life. Look to your left and there’s a golden lampstand, indicating Jesus, the light of the world. Straight ahead is an altar of incense…Jesus ever living and making intercession for us as our great High Priest.
Then you go through the veil that separates the holy place from the holy of Holies, and approach the throne of grace, and you find the Ark of the Covenant, inside of which are the tablets of stone w/ God’s moral law, the commandments written upon them.
Also in there is Aaron’s rod that budded, just a dead stick that brought forth life, and wow, there’s Jesus, the Resurrection! Also a jar of manna for Jesus is our nourishment. The Manna came from heaven and provided life. Jesus came from heaven and He also provides life.
On top of the Ark of the Covenant is a slab of gold, a mercy seat, upon which blood was sprinkled by the High Priest, and now when God looks down upon the moral law in that box, He has to look at it thru the blood.
That means a lot to me, because I cannot keep the moral law, so praise God Jesus kept it for me, and His blood covers my sin and takes them away.
Hebrews 9:12
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Jesus fulfilled the moral and ceremonial law. So what about the civil law?
At the end of Jesus’ ministry he turned to the Jews and said,
Matthew 21:43
”Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing the fruit of it.”
I Peter 2 makes it clear that new nation is the church, and so Christ fulfilled the civil law, in the establishment of His church, and now we are His nation under His leadership.
Jesus came to be the fulfillment of the law and he has done it. IT is finished.
So, what about the prophets? How did Jesus fulfill both the law AND the prophets? Over 330 fulfilled prophecies, that’s how!
Jesus was born in Bethlehem [Micah 5:2]
Born of a virgin—Isaiah 7:14
Of the tribe of Judah—Moses [Gen. 49:10]
Riding the colt of the donkey—Zechariah
Betrayed for 30 pcs. of silver--[Zech. 9:9]
Stood silent before accusers—Isaiah 53
Lots cast for his robe, pierced hands and feet, laughed at, thirsty, crying My God, why hast thou forsaken me?—Psalm 22
…and if Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies about His first coming, don’t you know He’ll fulfill the prophecies of His 2nd coming!
In Bethlehem He came TO His own, He’s coming back FOR His own.
Jesus is the Fulfillment of the OT.
II. Jesus’ Appreciation for the scripture
v. 18 Jesus is verifying the value and authority of the OT scriptures.
Jot and tittle = heb. markings. Jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and tittle is the smallest mark on a letter…so, dot every i, and cross every T the Word of God is perfect!
It’s not just a good book, it’s God’s book…
Not just a good way to go, but the only way to go,
It’s not just helpful suggestions, but holy commandments…
Not for us to consider, but for us to keep...
It’s not a cafeteria spread to pick and choose what you like and leave behind what doesn’t ‘agree’ with you, but it’s spiritual bread, it’s milk, it’s meat…worthy of meditation…chew on it day and night!
That’s Jesus’ appreciation He’s showing…and if that’s His opinion of the OT, then that’s my opinion too!
I appreciate having my own Bible. In the history of Christianity, that’s a great thing to be able to say…that you have your own complete copy of the Bible.
Even today in many lands, young believers clutch a Gospel of John they were lucky enough to receive when they got saved, or a small NT, but the whole Bible. all those wonderful OT stories and teachings, wow…what a privilege! In the days of Jesus, the people didn’t have their own copies of the OT…they depended on the scribes and priests to read it to them in the synagogue. That’s why Jesus said, “you have HEARD that it has been said…but I say unto you.”
Do you appreciate having your own Bible? I heard of a preacher who visited an underground church in a communist country, and all they had were photocopies of select passages stapled together, and those, they had to share and take turns with, and when they saw his Bible he was carrying, and asked to hold it…there a group gathered around that Bible, wept.
We are a spoiled people with 3 and 4 copies each, mostly collecting dust on shelves, and preachers having to beg people to read it. That is like someone begging you to take your medicine that keeps you alive.
It’s easy to say, I believe it from cover to cover, from Genesis to Concordance…and I believe the maps! But it doesn’t matter that you believe it, if you don’t read it, and it doesn’t matter if you read it, if you don’t do what it says.
Ill.—preacher’s son was heading off to a liberal college / Pastor was afraid his son’s faith would be shaken / said, they’re gonna question the Bible, and tell you it’s all fairy tales…don’t let ‘em take Jonah out of your Bible [figured they’d attack that account] / gone for 2 yrs., came home / dad said, they didn’t ruin you did they? / I hope not, dad / they didn’t take Jonah out did they? / aw, dad, Jonah’s not even in your Bible / dad looked to show him…it wasn’t there / son had cut it out 2 years before and his dad never even noticed. / Son asked, what’s the difference between a liberal professor denying it’s true and a Christian failing to read it?
v. 19 Jesus places a tremendous responsibility on those of us who teach and preach the Word of God…Anyone who breaks of of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least…
We’ve seen Jesus as the fulfillment of the scripture, and His appreciation for it…
III. Application of the scripture
Vs 20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
As Jesus said this people who heard Him probably thought there is no way I might as well not even try. But one thing that we know is that man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.
What was wrong with the scribes and Pharisees’ application of the scripture, in a nutshell?
4 statements:
• Concerned with details, rather than principles.
• Concerned with actions, rather than motives.
• Concerned with doing, rather than being.
• Concerned with the letter of the law, forgetting about the spirit of the law.
They were hypocrites, making Christianity outward rather than inward. To them reputation was more important than character. One is what people think you are, the other is what God knows you are!
Ill.—a Pharisee is ready for bed / walks over to a wall on which hang the 10 commandments / reads them, checks them off 1 by 1, saying, I didn’t do this today, or that / all is well between me and God.
Jesus says no, here’s your checklist pray: “Dear Lord, have you been supreme in my life today? Have I brought glory and honor to you? Do I know you better today? Have I deepened my relationship with you? Are their wicked thoughts in me?”
Ill.—C.H. Spurgeon, “I want to live my life in such a way that when I lay my head on my pillow at night I can say ‘Jesus, I love you,’ and for the Lord to be able to say, I know you do, Charles, I know you do.
