
Jesus
Not replacing the Torah
Not a jot or a tittle
Fulfilled it
Last week
Instead of doing the law to be
We have Christ’s righteousness
These blessings flow as we live
One thing you’ll see - in no way is Jesus lowering the standard of righteousness
Jesus isn’t here to smooth the rough edges
Love isn’t a synonym for nice
God’s design is good, why would he settle on less good?
Our last verse
Our route to perfection can only go through the
Jesus did it - he was perfect
Gave that righteousness to us
We have been saved for the Kingdom life Jesus describes here
6 aspects of the law
Same structure
You’ve heard it said
But I say to you
Then the teaching
Then sometimes he adds more color to it
Adding teaching to the Law was not new
Pharisees
Added laws around the law
The idea was to provide enough rules that it would be hard to break the real one
Problem - weight was too heavy
Only way to really do it - was to be a Pharisee
Jesus
Let’s look
Moves the __law __internally
Moves us toward those blessings
Anger
Angry, You fool!
Worship - make it right before you go to the altar
Lust
Just lusting after someone is sin
Bodies - cut parts of if they lead you to sin
Bodies aligned with God’s design good
Bodies serve the Kingdom, we don’t serve them
Leave them behind
Divorce
Divorce was very easy
No more
Oaths
Levels of honesty
No more
Retaliation
Eye for an eye
Old law was Just
He doesn’t say - you don’t have the right
He says serve them anyway
Love your enemies
Love your neighbor is in Scripture
Rest isn’t - but it is in other writings
How do we do this?
Law - guilt and shame
Paul said last week - just shows us we are dead
We have Jesus! Let’s follow him!
Just as the disciples lay down their nets, let’s follow
3 ways…
1). Transformation from the i_nside_
Ezekiel
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
—Ezekiel 36:26-28
2). Jesus came in grace
Grace - we are forgiven
Truth - goodness of God’s design
3).
He was tempted
He was perfect
Not to throw that in our face
But he’s our source
Come to the table