Jesus Fulfills the Law and the Prophets
Matthew 5:1-16
Purpose: To live as God's salt and light in Jesus' fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets
- The True Heart of the Law & the Prophets
Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is The Message of the King (chapters 5-7)
In these beatitudes, Jesus emphasizes the kingdom of heaven (vv. 3, 10)
Jesus teaches the way of His Kingdom, how to fulfil the Law & the Prophets
Notice the emphasis on the inner, invisible, spiritual realities of God's Kingdom
- Believers are Witnesses in The Covenant of Salt
Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
Jesus' disciples are the "salt' and "light' of the world
The Covenant of Salt Fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Christ's People
The "covenant witnessed by salt" (2 Chron. 13:5; Lev 2:13, Num 18:19)
Glorify your Father who is in heaven, let your light shine as New Covenant People
By the sheer fact that you are unashamed Christians, you witness to the world
- Jesus Fulfills the Law and Prophets!
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 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. 19 "Whoever then annuls 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. 20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The correct biblical understanding is to view all that Jesus is and does as fulfilment!
All of God's Word stands forever!
And all of God's Word is fulfilled in Jesus Christ (cf. Lk 24:44-47)
Luke 24:44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."
Your righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Mt 5-7)
How can I possibly do that? (tune in next week for Mt 5:21-48)
For us, this is about being "in" or "out" of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ!
The New Covenant written on your hearts (Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 11:19-20; 36:26-29)
See how the passage begins with Jesus' fulfillment and ends with our need?
That is, we also fulfill the Law and the Prophets by believing in Jesus the Fulfiller