well so good to have you with me once
again as we continue our chronological
study through the entire New Testament
and once again we're back in the Sermon
on the Mount Matthew chapter 5 and
previously we covered the very pivotal
versus Matthew 5 17 through 21 which I
just want to read those briefly as we
begin this segment setting the stage for
what follows okay so take a look if you
got your Bible you can read with me
Matthew chapter 5 and verse number 17
the Lord says to his followers who
gathered do not think i came to abolish
the law or the prophets I didn't come to
abolish but to fulfill and so that's
what we ought to expect Jesus is going
to do in this sermon he's not going to
say to people okay now here's what you
have heard previously but I'm abolishing
that now and I'm replacing it with
something new and now the reason I'm
telling you that is because that's how
many people interpret the Sermon on the
Mount many times we find Jesus saying
you know you have heard it said and then
he quotes something from the Old
Testament and then he says but I say to
you he's not abolishing what was in the
Old Testament he's going to fill it to
the fool now he's going to build upon
the understanding or in many cases I
think the misunderstanding that existed
among his followers because they've been
sitting under the false teaching of the
scribes and Pharisees for all their
lives okay first number 18 for truly I
say to you until heaven and earth pass
away not the smallest letter or stroke
shall pass away from the law until all
is accomplished that's why Christian
Bibles have Old and New Testaments in
them verse 19 whoever then annul one of
the least of these Commandments and so
teaches others shall be called least in
the kingdom of heaven but whoever keeps
and teaches them he shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven and so
that's what we ought to be focused on
keeping and teaching the commandments
and we know of course that under the New
Covenant we are obligated to follow the
law of Christ Paul makes that very clear
even though he was a Jew
writing to the Corinthians he said you
know I'm not under the law and speaking
of the law of Moses but I am under a law
I'm under the law of christ jesus said
go make disciples teach them to obey
everything that I've commanded you so
we're supposed to be obeying them and
teaching them and of course we've got no
right to teach others unless we're
obeying them ourselves and on top of
that on one of the primary ways we teach
is by our example that's how you make
disciples they watch and they learn from
looking at how you live your life and
then finally verse number 20 here's
where Jesus dropped the bomb for I say
to you that unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the scribes and
Pharisees you shall not enter the
kingdom of heaven and so there is
definitely a relationship between
obeying the commandments holiness
righteousness and entering the kingdom
of heaven and although maybe the
pendulum swung way too far in one
direction hundreds of years ago to to
what we would call today legalism where
people think that they're able to like
earn their salvation and merit it by
their good works and we understand of
course we're saved by God's grace
because we're sinners and were saved
through faith but let's not let the
pendulum swing too far in that direction
because faith without works is dead a
living faith produces a righteous life
style now that of course was probably a
shock to many of the people in Jesus's
audience that day simply because they
would have looked up to the scribes and
Pharisees those are the dudes who are
teaching in the synagogues as they
attend them on a weekly basis listening
to them read from the scrolls the law
and the prophets and then giving their
interpretation in their little sermons
and you know the scribes and Pharisees
Jesus had very little to say to them
that was any kind of a term of
endearment most of the time his words
were very critical and harsh of the
scribes and Pharisees these were the
religious leaders and one of Jesus's
sharpest criticisms against them were
that they were you know crossing land
and sea to make one proselyte and after
they won
buddy they make him twice the son of
Hell as themselves oh my goodness okay
so yeah you win them but then what you
teach them is so perverted it's so far
from what God intended them to
understand you know from the law and the
prophets what was his will that you know
they might as well have not made any
proselytes and so they were literally
false teachers wolves in sheep's
clothing those blind leaders who are
leading the blind Christ spoke of them
one time and so he's got his work cut
out for him he's just told his audience
that unless your righteousness exceeds
the righteousness of the spiritual
leaders that you've been following all
your lives you won't enter the kingdom
of heaven that's you know that had to be
a shock them and now he's going to
elaborate on that theme and tell them
specifically here's where the scribes
and Pharisees and your religious leaders
are falling short here's where they've
led you astray you've heard them tell
you this but here's what I say you've
heard them quote from the Old Testament
law on profits and then they gave you
their twisting of that well I'm going to
set the score straight I'm not going to
abolish that no sir I'm going to fill it
to the fool to complete your
understanding to fill up what is lacking
in your comprehension of what has been
written in the law and the prophets
which describes and Pharisees have done
such a great job at twisting okay and so
then repeatedly through this chapter in
the next chapter will read the recurring
statement jesus said you have heard it
was said and then he quotes something
and then he says but I say to you here
is a correction almost every time I
think of what scribes and Pharisees had
been telling these people all their
lives so the first one then is found in
Matthew 5 and verse number 21 you have
heard that the ancients were told you
shall not commit murder and whoever
commits murder shall be liable to the
court but I say to you now let's stop
right here we're almost out of time
anyways obviously you don't expect you
to say but I say to you murder is okay
see he's not abolishing the sixth
commandment right no he's gonna fulfill
it and help people to begin to look at
not just the outward act of murder but
the the murderous thoughts that come out
of people's hearts though the murderous
intentions that come out of their hearts
he's going to go to the heart of the
matter and go to what is pure holiness
because blessed are the pure in heart
but they shall see God ok all right ok
I'll see you next time
Oh