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Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Sermon on the Mount (Part 10)

(Matthew 5:17-20) "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men, so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." In this generation in which we live in Christendom, there's much confusion in regards to the laws of God. There are some that teach that since we're under the New Covenant, we are no longer under the law and we can live anyway we desire to live. However, that's not accurate. It's true that since Jesus died on Calvary, we're no longer under the dispensation or the curse of the law. However, we need to be cautious before we dismiss the law entirely. Some religious people will brand you as a legalist if a preacher stands up and preaches against such sins as long hair on men, nudity, rock and country music, and the list continues. That's not legalism! Preaching separation isn't legalism. Legalism is adding to the grace of God when it comes to salvation. However, due to widespread Biblical illiteracy in many of our denominations today, many of those on the pew don't have any idea what legalism is. Jesus said in the above verses that he didn't come to abolish the law, but he came to fulfill it. Jesus was the fulfillment of the law. Christ came to this earth for a period of 33 years and he lived a perfect, spotless life. He sinned not. The Pharisees did try to make an issue when Jesus and his disciples plucked corn on the Sabbath day and did eat it. Jesus told them that the Sabbath was made for man and that Jesus was Lord over the Sabbath. Jesus didn't break any of the laws. The Sabbath was a ceremonial law.

One of the major reasons why there's such appalling ignorance in knowing Bible truth is because many church people don't practice II Timothy 2:15 which says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Those Bible students that attend a Bible college to enter the ministry are required to take a course entitled, "Biblical Hermeneutics". Hermeneutics is a study of the Biblical interpretation of scripture. Heremeneutics teaches how to properly divide the Word of God. It's imperative every Christian understand how to interpret the Word of God. The reason why there's so much heresy and false teaching today is due to the misinterpretation and misapplication of the Word of God. The Catholic Church, for example is a combination of paganism, Judaism, and the priesthood of the Old Testament. However, the priesthood, which was under the Mosaic Law, was abolished when Jesus died on Calvary. The Seventh Day Adventists inappropriately apply the Jewish Sabbath to the church today. They meet for services on Saturday in keeping with the Old Testament Sabbath, supposedly. However, if they were to read Exodus, the Sabbath wasn't a day for worship. It was a day for rest. That's all the Sabbath was for. Erroneous doctrines and teachings occur due to not properly dividing the word of truth.

Jesus didn't preach against the law. The Apostle Paul stated that the law is a schoolmaster that brings us to Christ. The law states the truth. It reveals that we're dead in sins and trespasses. Without the law, how can a person expect to know they're lost and undone without God? The law shows us that we're sinful and undone. Consequently, the law had no power to save. Under the law man was condemned. But Jesus paved the way at Calvary by dying on the cross for man to receive forgiveness of sins. The law says, "You're dead in sins and trespasses." But Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh to the Father but by me." Jesus says you can come unto him and he'll save you from your sin. That's how law and grace works. Without the law, grace wouldn't have any effect upon us. Why do we need grace if we aren't sinners. We need grace because we've sinned against God and grace through Jesus is the only way to be saved. Anyone that says that the laws of God are of none effect because of the New Covenant don't know their Bible. There are some Biblical truths to follow once a person becomes saved. The epistles in the New Testament talk about our walk before the Lord and Christian conduct. You'll read where it says to abstain from all appearances of evil. I wonder what those that cry "legalism" have to say about that scripture. There's are some "do's" and "don'ts" for Christians to follow in this life. How could a Christian know which path to follow if there aren't some things the Bible pointed out to us that we should abstain from? It's true there are religious Pharisees, but I'm not promoting Phariseeism. There has to be some Biblical standards of separation for the Christian to follow. How can a Christian know how to be unspotted from this world if they aren't made aware of the differences between the Godly and the ungodly?

One of the rules of Hermeneutics is to interpret scripture in its proper context. One of the principles in Hermeneutics is the dispensation principle. In the Bible, there are various eras called Dispensations which make reference to God dealing with man at a particular time about his sin. There are a total of eight dispensations. Today we're presently under the dispensation of grace or the church age. Back in the Old Testament under the Dispensation of Law, there were basically three types of law. They were moral, civil, and ceremonial. The moral laws are the laws of God which instruct us on our relationship with God and our relationship with our fellow man. The civil laws deal with the laws that were pertaining to Israel during that timeframe. The ceremonial laws pertained to sacrifices that were performed to cover the sins of the children of Israel. The laws revolving around the ceremonial and even much of civil is not applicable to the Christian today in the Dispensation of Grace. However, the moral laws of God haven't been abolished. The Ten Commandments with the exception of the Sabbath Day are still applicable to today's Christian. Even though God gave them to Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus 20, those laws were moral laws. The laws regarding don't worship idols, honor thy mother and father, don't commit adultery, etc. are still applicable today. That hasn't changed. However, all the Jewish ceremonial and civil laws were made for the nation of Israel during the Dispensation of the Law. Since we're under the New Covenant, the ceremonial and civil laws aren't necessary for today's Christians. However, all of God's moral laws still hold true for the Christian today.

Jesus knew the law couldn't save man. He came to fulfill the law. Jesus not only fulfilled the law, but he wrote the laws into the hearts of man so that man would desire to fulfill the laws of God. Whenever somebody testifies about being saved, they frequently mention how God changed their desires and all the old worldly desires they used to engage in they no longer have a desire to engage in. Why is that? That's a result of the new birth. Jesus wrote the law into the hearts of man so man would willingly and voluntarily serve God. II Corinthian 5:17 says that if any man be in Christ he's a new creature. Old things are passed away and all things become new. That's the miracle of the new birth. It's not, "I have to live for God." It's "I desire to live for God. Living for Jesus is such a joy." That's what the new birth does for a Child of God. All the ways of the world will grow strangely dim to him. He desires to walk in the light that God's given him. He desires to follow and live by the precepts of the Bible. Jesus didn't destroy the law. Thank God for the law. For without the law, I would never have known of my need to come to Christ and get saved. The law brings you to Christ. However, the law in itself condemns us. That's where Jesus comes in. He says, "Come to me." He told the Samaritan woman at the well to drink of that living water. Jesus told her that if she drank of that water, she would never thirst again.

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