Sermon 9
Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon 9: Matthew 5:17-20
Jesus Fulfills the Law and Prophets
January 7, 2024

Hi, my name is Philip, a servant of God from Beggars Breaking Bread, and I will be reading, teaching and preaching from Matthew 5:17-20.

Scripture (Matthew 5:17-20, CSB)
[Jesus said] Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

 
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.
 

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
 

For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

This is the word of the Lord.

Let me ask you a question.

How many of you have played any sort of team sports in your life?

It could be basketball, football, soccer, baseball, etc.
 

Which one did you play?
 

If you remember, you would practice with your team and coach. Your coach would outline the play for your team to execute. The coach’s job was to show you the way to win and then empower you with what you needed to go win.
 

The difference was that the coach was not going to play the game for you. 
 

He (or she) already did the job by instructing you on the playbook to run and all the strategies to do in real-time, given different scenarios that the opposing team may play against you in the game.
 

At some point, the coach had to feel confident that you – and the team – was ready to play.
 

Even to the point, if you were really confident during game time, you might have enough boldness to go up to the coach and say “Put me in Coach!”
 

If you were prepared for your moment and the coach was confident in you, you went in the game.
If not, you went back to the bench and watched others play instead of you.
 

Here’s my question to you.
 

Given the real-world game we are essentially playing in between God and His adversary…
 

Do you feel prepared, properly equipped and confident to tell your coach: “Put me in Jesus”?
 

Your answer to that question will speak volumes of where you are in your walk with God.

As we have been reviewing over the past couple of sermons in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is preaching on His Sermon on the Mount. Last time, we explored how Jesus called us, as believers, to be Salt and Light to the world.

Now, Jesus is sharing God’s playbook, including why He was sent on Earth and the role we have to play in God’s plan.
 

The question that comes afterwards is: what role will you play in this game called life?
 

Some people may live their lives completely about themselves, their own self-preservation, and their own happiness.
 

Others see a bigger mission involved with their lives, for they are playing for something greater than themselves.
 

Many of those people are playing for God and for His Kingdom to rule on Earth as it has in Heaven. 
 

Jesus is looking for such people to partner up with Him to fulfill God’s plan to redeem the Earth from sin and His adversary: Satan. 

The main idea of this passage is that: As God had a plan for Jesus to fulfill, He also has a plan for us to fulfill with God’s help.
 

As we explore this passage together, Jesus takes on three things towards helping us understand God’s playbook for us:
 

1.    Jesus is part of the fulfillment of God’s plan for us (Matthew 5:17-18)
2.    Jesus wants us to follow His example as part of God’s plan (Matthew 5:19)
3.    Jesus expects us, as His disciples, to be greater than those before us (Matthew 5:20)
 

Let’s start with the first point: Jesus is part of the fulfillment of God’s plan for us. In verses 17-18, Jesus says “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.”

When Jesus mentions “the Law or the Prophets”, He is referring to the Old Testament that the Jewish people was familiar with. While the Jewish people were looking for their Messiah that was prophesized in the Old Testament, Jesus was sharing the Good News that He did not come into the world to do away with the Old Testament but to fulfill all that was written as its long-awaited Messiah.

Once again, this serves as another example where Matthew was pointing out to his Jewish readers of his Gospel that, indeed, Jesus is the Messiah that they have been waiting for.

For context, during these biblical times, the Old Testament gave God’s laws to his people to help them love God with all their hearts and minds. There were three types of laws given by Moses and others in the Old Testament.

The first type of law was ceremonial law, which relates to Israel’s worship of God and can be found in the Book of Leviticus. While the Pharisees often accused Jesus of violating ceremonial law, the law ultimately pointed to Jesus Christ and was no longer necessary after Jesus’ death and resurrection, which brought those who believed in Him back into reconciled relationship with God. While we may no longer be bound by ceremonial law, we are still called to love and worship God with all of our hearts and minds.

The second type of law was civil law. This relates to how the Jewish people lived each day in Israel, which can be seen in Deuteronomy 24. Though we live in much different times, customs, and settings from this time period, not all of such guidelines are followed specifically today by believers. However, we follow the principles of such law when we follow the living example set by Jesus Christ.

Finally, we have the moral law, which is often clearly associated by the Ten Commandments delivered by Moses in Exodus 20:13 as a direct command of God to His people. This law reflects the true nature and will of God and still requires obedience from us today, as Jesus obeyed it completely and without fail during His time on Earth.

When Jesus came to Earth, He understood that all three types of law were not followed by the Jewish people throughout Israel’s history. In fact, many of these laws were misquoted and misapplied, which made it confusing to follow correctly. 

Jesus came to fulfill the Law and Prophets, while bringing the Jewish people back to the original purpose of such laws, which was to honor, love and worship God above all else. Instead of speaking against the law, Jesus spoke against the abuses and excesses that people added on to the laws that made it burdensome for followers to follow.

 

As verse 18 shared with us, what God has planned – and what Jesus came to fulfill – will keep God’s law in place until all things are accomplished, including when Jesus Christ comes back again to rule and God provides the new heaven and earth for His people one day soon.

Now, that Jesus shared how He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets as part of God’s plan of redemption for His people, He did not stop with Himself. Jesus called on others to take part in God’s plan by living by His earthly example.

This brings us to point two: Jesus wants us to follow His example as part of God’s plan. In verse 19, Jesus continues, “Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Have you ever told someone to “do as you say, not as you do”?

Whether that was directed to your child, your friend or your co-worker, the inherent risk is that the person sees a loss of integrity and wholeness in what you are saying.

What you are saying is not matching what you are doing, which not only can be confusing but also misleading.

Jesus calls us not only to teach others what is good for us to do, but also to model that within ourselves and do it too.

Nobody like a hypocrite. Someone who tells you to do something but does the exact opposite. We must be careful not to be hypocrites of teaching about God and then doing the exact opposite, which can confuse those you teach.

Now, I understand that we are all imperfect and sinful, so this is less about being perfect every time and more about having the right heart posture towards your desire to do what is right to please God, in spite of our imperfections.

And we have the perfect role model and example to follow in Jesus Christ.

We are called to learn the Word of God, practice what God says in His Word, and then share His Word with others to repeat the process. 

To be clear, it is a privilege that God would want us to be part of His plan to redeem His people before Jesus comes back again.

 

We serve an all-powerful God, who instead of doing everything Himself and judging the world and making it anew, He gives us free will to choose to be a part of His team to accomplish His mission of bringing more of His people back to God and more of His Heavenly Kingdom here on Earth.

Will you follow Jesus’ example as part of God’s plan for His people here on Earth?

For us to follow His example, Jesus calls us to become better than what we had experienced before as the third point: Jesus expects us, as His disciples, to be greater than those before us.
In verse 20, Jesus concludes, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.”

As Jesus’ disciples, He is calling us to have righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees in order to get into the kingdom of heaven. But what does that mean – having our righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees?

 

Aren’t the scribes and Pharisees the holy people amongst us sinners?
 

While the Pharisees, for example, were exacting in their attempts to follow the laws perfectly, they had righteousness that showed more on the outside externally, rather than in their hearts internally. They obeyed the laws outwardly, without allowing God to change their attitudes and heart postures inside. 

What Jesus then is saying that, unless your hearts on the inside reflect what you do on the outside in loving service of God, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. We are called to be consistent inside and outside in what we think, feel and do towards God. This involves our souls, which consists of our thoughts, feelings, and will to take actions. 

God is after our souls, because our souls govern how we think, feel, and do both internally and externally. Because God is all-knowing, we cannot fool or trick God into thinking that we are doing things for the right reasons, even though it looks good on the outside.

God judges our hearts and intentions, as well as our words and deeds. Jesus wants us to obey God in a manner that is God-centered based on our love and reverence for Him, who He is, and what He has done for us in a heartfelt response to His love and goodness. 

This type of righteousness that we pursue is what makes us a true disciple of Jesus Christ, taking part in God’s ultimate plan to redeem the world by following Jesus’ example on Earth.

So, let’s revisit our question from earlier.

Are you at a point in your life where you feel prepared, equipped and confident to say “Put me in Jesus”?

Are you pursuing Jesus as your living example to follow Him as His disciple to fulfill God’s plan for us?
 

God has a plan for your life, and He wants you to live like Jesus as the salt and light of the world, on His team to defeat Satan and to help recruit others to our team and to help bring His kingdom from heaven to earth.
 

He is ready to give you His holy assignment within the Kingdom. 
 

He just needs to hear from you if you’re ready to go all in.
 

How will you respond today?
 

Do you trust Jesus today to follow Him and to be His disciple?
 

Jesus loves you. 
 

If you’re not yet a believer, I believe that Jesus is calling you to Him right now. And He wants you to come as you are, flaws and all, and put your trust not in yourself but in Him. He will forgive all of your sins and help you live your life following after Him on His team.

Of all the things I have done in my life, following Him is the best decision I ever made. And I want you to make the best decision in your life too.

All we have to do is ask Jesus into our hearts and make Him the Lord and Savior of our lives.

If you’re ready to take that step, would you pray this prayer with me: Dear Jesus, I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe that you came from Heaven to Earth to live, die and rise again just for me, so that my sins may be forgiven. I trust you with my life. By faith, I make you my Lord and Savior. Thank you for your love and sacrifice. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, let me be the first to congratulate you on the best decision you could make in your life. Let me also welcome you to the family, as the angels in Heaven are rejoicing on you coming back home.

 

I encourage you to find a local, Bible-based church to connect with and to join its community as you walk out the blessed life and Jesus’ ministry together with other believers.

If you already are a believer, and you want to do your part to fulfill God’s plan as one of Jesus’ disciples in the game against Satan to redeem God’s people, please share this message with someone who does not yet know Jesus. God has a great plan for you, and it involves bringing the spiritually lost back to God through Jesus Christ. 

Let us continue the good work ahead of us to globally spread the Good News about Jesus Christ and to welcome more into His family.

 

God bless you for watching, listening to or reading this sermon. Thank you and take care.