Jesus, the Law, and the Prophets R1264

Matthew chapter 5. Okay, maybe you can't remember exactly what's going on but will discover together today with Dr. Wilson so good to welcome you. This time of studying God's word together with Dr. Don Wilton well-known author, evangelist, pastor, and so much more. Today you be taking us to Matthew chapter 5 for this message of Jesus the law and the prophets of this New Testament message is connected back to the Old Testament in wonderful ways. You'll see that you'll hear that just a moment, but speaking of connecting. Dr. Wilson has created this wonderful network for us to stay connected 24 hours a day.

We can pray together on the phone right now at 866899 word that's 866-899-9673 or meet us online The Encouraging Word.org we stand ready to encourage you now. Today's message with Dr. Don Wilton going to need your Bible going to be in Matthew chapter 5 and I want you to turn to Matthew chapter 5 I met a hold up my Bible yeah this is pretty obvious what I'm doing. This is the Bible is God's word. This is the story to a beautiful book. I want to make a statement to you today. I as a Christian man I believe that every word in the Bible is absolutely true. It's without mixture of error. Now watch that some want you all to get a hold of this. What I mainly say to you is everything in the Bible is valid, it is relevant. It's for you and for me now when I say that I'm talking about.

From Genesis to Revelation.

You lost the question, is the Old Testament really valid today.

I'm sure you've lost that question Boston. I mean, Jesus came and he died on the cross and he's the new covenant. So where does that leave the Old Testament.

What about overlords. What about the prophets.

Should we just read the Old Testament and then when Jesus comes in the New Testament. Nothing that we've read all that we understand has any kind of direct relevancy to us that you can imagine in Jesus time when you look at Jesus in the boat you think about Jesus healing people making the blind man to see. Taking care of business, making people whole and around Jesus were these people who still lived according to the law and the prophets, the Jewish people and they were very religious people and for them. The most important thing was what they learned about the Lord and so the big challenge for them was trying to figure out number one whether or not Jesus was the Messiah which he was they wouldn't believe it. That's why they crucified. Remember John tells us he came to his own design received him not.

But to his manias didn't receive them, to them gave me the power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in his name, those who believed in these nine believe that Jesus is the son of God that he came that he was born in Bethlehem lived, was crucified on the third day he was raised by the power of God sainted to be seated in the right hand of the father and that Jesus literally in Berkeley is coming back again coming to receive us unto himself. So here when you get into. For example, the sermon on the Mount, which we find mostly in the beginning chapters of the book of Matthew right plunking in the middle of that. All of a sudden Jesus addresses these questions and we going to find him saying this and I'm going to read it to you in a moment, but I just want to unpack this because I want you to rate Jesus said watch out don't make assumptions about me folks in our world today. We make a lot of assumptions about Jesus.

I don't have time to get into that we make an assumption that he really doesn't mind when we sin, we just assume we make an assumption that he overlooks things make an assumption that he's not concerned about how we live, we make an assumption that he actually accepts what we say over what God said and has an assumption that he addressed. We make an assumption that the law all of Moses.

For example, the 10 Commandments. Let's pick on one of the 10 Commandments thou shalt not commit adultery is one of the team come on that's in the low we make an assumption that actually God save that to the children of Israel in the desert but that it doesn't really apply to us anymore. We make an assumption that in the Old Testament God spoke about a man and a woman leaving and cleaving, marrying and becoming a husband and wife and we make an assumption that Jesus actually keeps up with the Martin trains and that he actually says well it's okay for a man to marry a man we make that assumption because he's God, you know, so we just assume God's justice big loving benevolent God and we just assume we just make an assumption we say well you know God obviously keeps up with us and that stuff happened back there but it's not relevant, not right you will with what's happening here.

Now what we're about to unpack. I'm going to speak to you about Jesus the law and the prophets because in the New Testament when Jesus arrived on the scene and he began to minister and he began to feed the 5000, and show people how to live and what forgiveness was all about and he healed them. When Jesus spoke about himself repeatedly and said if you've seen me, you seen the father which is in heaven because I'm the father. One all these things. There was great confusion. So, look what happened. I'm going to pick up in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 17 that frames I'm going to stop while I read because this is action-packed. In fact, my big challenges just to get through this reading.

This is this is you gotta really think frames I'm about to teach you something that's gold here. Listen carefully also going to speak to you this is what your Christian faith is all about. Okay, Matthew chapter 5 right off to the Beatitudes in verse 17 just suddenly, Jesus says do not think that I that word do not think literally in the Greek text is the word done Mike a wrong assumption about me. That's what that means don't find yourself saying will often roll in America. Jesus is an American or common African Jesus is in Africa or I'm Chinese.

Jesus is Chinese. Jesus doesn't think like an American or like an African or like a Tiedeman. He is God. Don't make an assumption. Jesus said that I have come to abolish the law, all the prophets.

Now there is an assumption don't you sit there for one minute. Jesus said, and sigh that's in the Old Testament.

I have not come to abolish in the word that means to destroy. I have not come to destroy either the law that thou shalt not's. All what the prophets had to say.

But Rhonda, I have come to fulfillment okay everybody watch me watch this got this this is fantastic. Now what Jesus assigned as he sign right a minute I didn't come to replace or to destroy what the Lord sees all what the prophet said I've come to fulfill them and then he goes on a minute read it to you in a minute but just listen to me for second was about. He goes on any since I want to tell you if I'm not going to destroy it. I want you to know. Furthermore, that not one letter of the law and not one dropped of what the prophets have to say will be removed from absolute truth relevancy and to the new heaven and the new about the way he uses the word until the new heaven and the new earth. That is an eschatological statement and you'll find it in Revelation chapter 21 way off to the great white throne judgment.

Often the thousand year reign. The new heaven and the new earth begin. In other words, the old old apostles away God's original creation stops and everything becomes new. In other words, it's the beginning of all time and all eternity. So what Jesus is saying here.

I'm going to tell you something, not one I to about a way that would dropped over to her. I owe TA is a Hebrew word okay watch this. It's the word yuck why a HDY a HD all of you raise your hand if you've ever use an apostrophe.

When you write right what everybody doing' I want you to all say this off to me are not inherent not one to three. That's an iota in the Hebrew text. It is the smallest letter of the Hebrew writing, not Hebrew goes back so you feel very backwards. When you read Hebrew okay so you start paying you finish then you start paying you finish this and the absolute smallest written letter in the Hebrew text is the it's called a dock or a God.

It's like an apostrophe and what Jesus was saying here is that not one little of what the law said what the prophet said is going to be irrelevant until the new heaven and the new done like an assumption about the law and the prophets, and then he goes on and he really lowers the boom he says so what I'm telling you zip the law and the prophets are totally relevant to you as a believer. If you do not measure up to the law and to what the prophets say you cannot go to heaven. So Jesus now he says he says not not one little is gonna parcel whites not going to be rated.

Everything is relevant to the new heaven and the all he says. In fact, if you keep the law and the prophets you will inherit the kingdom of heaven. And then in the final verse before he goes on with these teaching.

He says so you got a problem. Don't you, that is why you need to give your life to me because I am the only one who can fulfill the thickness of the law and the prophets.

When you put your faith in me you receive my righteousness.

That's called the imputed righteousness of Christ. You become covered in my righteousness, so now we when you give your life to me in Jesus. I am the full movement of the law.

I don't punish it. I make it possible for you and I lets read about verse 17 I'm going back to the beginning. Do not think that I've come to abolish the Law or the Prophets not come to abolish them but to from full them for truly I say to you, until heaven and earth parcel away not and I not I got the parts from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but to ever team does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus looked at these people who regarded the Lord in such a high way and he said they try to followed by the letter, but they cannot do it and unless your righteousness is great to even than the scribes and the Pharisees and the teachers and the rabbis of the law, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, trust me because he knew me.

I am the perfect fulfillment of the law and when you give your life to me.

I am the one who makes it possible for you to be able to meet the standards of God's righteousness is Jesus saying three things Jesus said this about the law and the prophets because first of the Lord tells us how to live why did Jesus say I haven't come to abolish the law. Why would Jesus save for one simple reason because the law was given to teach us and tell according to God's plan, not just as an aside, in the Jewish mind back there in the Old Testament, they were three kinds of low. It's very important for us to understand Festival. There was the moral moral morality that involves moral behavior. Thou shalt not commit adultery… Steve Marshall, was the model Jesus fulfill the moral because he was the only one who could keep moral when you give your life to Christ, he is imputed righteousness, not because of yourself, but because of him. If so, second kind of law, ceremonial, back in those days the ceremonial write down what they could do, how they work, they could how they went about things they washing and purification. If you take for example Shabbat on Saturday when we were in Israel on Saturday this evening. Some places like to shop elevator and a Shabbat elevator is designed for people who hold to a strict adherence to ceremonial law because you cannot push a button on the Sabbath. You can't beat. You can't walk can't do this.

They all kinds of ceremonial Jesus said, I haven't come to destroy the law, I've come to think little Jesus fulfill the ceremonial law people because Jesus David the ceremonial law perfectly.

He was the embodiment of ceremonial kindliness.

He was the embodiment of everything that was right in the eyes of a holy and a righteous God, moral ceremonial law. What was the third type of rule back in this day and age judicial judicial law, judicial law has to do with justice. The law of the land right, and boy were they lords about how to do right and how to do wrong crime and punishment, and all the things that went together with the judicial law of the land from the time the children of Israel were brought out of bondage and Jesus fulfilled every tenant of judicial because he personified God's perfect justice so no wonder Jesus said I didn't come to replace the law came to fulfillment. I came to make it work for you because you cannot make it work for yourself, you will measure up to God's moral law, you will never measure up to God ceremonial law, you will measure up to God's just law you will. He's judicial is absolutely way beyond anything any human being. You will never be just in your own eyes, but Jesus Christ is because he is God. Put your trust in him. So what did Jesus say Jesus said this one reason number one because the Lord tells us how to live. Don't discount the Lord showed worship the Lord thy God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind is as 100% relevant today as it was then thou shalt not commit adultery has not changed.

Jesus said this to these people right in the middle of holy sermonizing and all he's healing and he's teaching in his ministry. He told them I can assumption about me number one because the Lord tells us how to live. Number two because the prophets tell us what we should be aware of. Did you notice he included the prophets when you get into Genesis and Exodus and you start unpacking in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and see. Will these lows. I'm being very simplistic right now but rarely in reality the prophets come using the law the moral law of the ceremonial law and the judicial role as the foundation for what they are saying to present to those who belong to God. All that is necessary that they need to be aware of.

So what did the prophets make us aware everything about the coming Messiah.

Everything in the Old Testament points to Jesus and all the events. In fact, Jesus even quotes the prophets later on down the road when you get to chapter 12 verse 18 to 20 of the book of Matthew. For example, Jesus quotes Isaiah 42 verse one through four.

Talking about judicial law and about how he is the fulfillment because he is the embodiment of the justice of God and the prophets tell us what we should be aware. They tell us about the signs of the times they help us to be able to understand our world will hear Gog and Magog you really think that this little annexing of Crimea is all that this is about using the Russian bear is flexing his muscles for no reason.

The prophets tell us what we should be aware of what about mass communication. What about a cashless society. Do you know well over half of our church.

Don't use checkbooks anymore. That's why we can give online I can tell you.

10 years ago when we first suggested that some of our people give online. Some people nearly had a heart attack you member the days when we used to come to church and someone would sit next to us and get out of electronic gadget and we thought that the devil himself was taking a seat in church.

What about a cashless society. What about the European union. What about the United States of Europe. What about the rise of antichrist. What about the so-called religious profit.

What about the unholy Trinity devil, Antichrist and the false prophet. What about earthquakes, what about strange disappearances. Where is all this does is from the start of the prophets. Tell us what we should be aware. They tell us to look out to watch out to be aware of Jesus say God come to abolish them.

I came to fulfill what they say. That's why the Jewish people missed. He came to his own his own received him not. But to his manias that receiving, to them gave me the power to become the sons of God, even to those who would believe in his name. Why would Jesus do this slap bang in the middle of use sermon on the Mount, why did he just why did he just suddenly stopping just talking about you need to be salt and light in any just suddenly stop the nieces don't you ever make an assumption that I've come to do a way to destroy to abolish the law and the prophets, the very opposite is true. I've come to fulfill said in fact, you need to pay attention if you don't, you got a problem if you do, you going to be highly honored in my kingdom.

Therefore, I want you to know.

It's so relevant that unless you think these people who hold to the lien of these things.

Like the Pharisees and the Sadducees. You think I got it going as religious people. He said your righteousness better, exceed them.

Which means you cannot do that which brings us to the third reason why Jesus said this now.

This is fantastic folks, all right, let's just summarize because I want to lay this third one on you.

You go to really get this this is this is wonderful.

What's this okay why did Jesus save us about the law and the prophets number one because the Lord tells us how to live.

Number two because the prophets tell us what we should be aware of, but number three because the Messiah tells us who we should trust Jesus said come to me. I am the door. Jesus turned to a group of his closest people and he said by the way who do people say that I am I saved him.

Well, seeing that you ask some people say that your Elijah.

Some people say you're a great prophet. Some people say you this and some people say you that I'm sure they would abandon some people say you're nothing like boom all know some people go on television, not just say you're nothing but say man you gargle like you're a waste of time and people bother.

Millions in America will just love boom all and follow them all over the place and just flocked to listen to him because he sees a man whose God and he will blaspheme the name of God, and probably the prophets had they been tomorrow they die in their arrogance and the lostness just spewing out venom against a holy and a righteous God.

They probably said you got understand something Jesus family people ought you know this is a free society mean these people think you this and these people think that some people think.

You then need to wait a minute you say that I and Peter looked at him and said you you want to know what I think. I believe it some which Jesus said you are nobody's give you a summary, your righteousness has just exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and the second place trust. You see, Peter, Jesus, and I can do for you. Nobody else can the law cannot do it for you prophets cannot church cannot do it for you and watch this you cannot do so by grace are you saved through faith, not of yourself the gift of God.

Let's talk about it.

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