CLINGING TO GOD'S LAW IN A LAWLESS WORLD (2 OF 20)
by Tim Melton
Scripture: Matthew 5:17-20
This content is part of a series.
Clinging to God's Law in a Lawless World (2 of 20)
Series: Sermon on the Mount
Tim Melton
Matthew 5:17-20
''Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, 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. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever 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
For Jesus to say that He had not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, there must have been some who believed that He had. But why would they think this? Jesus was the Son of God. Why would anyone think that Jesus was getting rid of the Law of God? Let me explain.
In Jesus' day there were two well respected groups of people who greatly affected the religious world of the Jews. One group was known as the ''scribes.'' The scribes are those who took the general laws of God that we find in the Old Testament and added specific smaller laws so that the people would know how to obey them. They were so detailed that these scribal small laws numbered in the thousands. To the Jews of Jesus' day, if one was really near to God then they would obey as many of these laws as possible. But honestly, these scribal laws had become too legalistic. For example:
In the Ten Commandments we are told to ''honor the Sabbath day and to keep it holy.'' It is a general principle that calls us to worship and rest on the Sabbath day each week. We are then free to discern how to live that out in light of God's priorities, and our life situations. But instead of ...
Series: Sermon on the Mount
Tim Melton
Matthew 5:17-20
''Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, 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. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever 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
For Jesus to say that He had not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, there must have been some who believed that He had. But why would they think this? Jesus was the Son of God. Why would anyone think that Jesus was getting rid of the Law of God? Let me explain.
In Jesus' day there were two well respected groups of people who greatly affected the religious world of the Jews. One group was known as the ''scribes.'' The scribes are those who took the general laws of God that we find in the Old Testament and added specific smaller laws so that the people would know how to obey them. They were so detailed that these scribal small laws numbered in the thousands. To the Jews of Jesus' day, if one was really near to God then they would obey as many of these laws as possible. But honestly, these scribal laws had become too legalistic. For example:
In the Ten Commandments we are told to ''honor the Sabbath day and to keep it holy.'' It is a general principle that calls us to worship and rest on the Sabbath day each week. We are then free to discern how to live that out in light of God's priorities, and our life situations. But instead of ...
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