Not One Word Will Fail

Christ Fulfills the Law and the Prophets

As we return once again to Matthew's Gospel, the fifth chapter, we will continue where we picked up where we left off last week in Matthew chapter 5 verse 17. We heard the truth regarding this warning that Christ gives around this misunderstanding that can take place when the teaching of Christ is exposed to the people.

And so he reminds us that he did not come to abolish the law of the prophets, but in fact to fulfill them, ensuring that we recognize that he did not come as this rival to the Old Testament, that he didn't do away with the Word of God, that he doesn't change anything about what is taught, but rather that he comes as the promised king, the one to whom the law and the prophets point.

And so he enters in as this king that Matthew reveals to us, this king destined to rule and reign, this one who would ultimately provide redemption for his people as he bears the curse of the law, as he obeys the law fully in his life, and he reveals to us in the coming passages that we read the true spiritual depth of the law that we find in God's Word.

As we discussed the law, we talked a little bit about the threefold actions of the law, or the threefold law that we see revealed to us in the Old Testament in the moral, the ceremonial, and the judicial law, and we see that Christ tells us and he fulfills these things in different ways, and so as a reminder the ceremonial law is fulfilled because it is a shadow and a type of Christ to come, and so he fulfills those shadows.

The judicial law we know is the law that presided over the nation of Israel and gave them the ways in which that they should live with each other, and as the nation of Israel expired in the covenantal order, the judicial law still exists to provide general equity among people, and then of course we have his fulfillment of the moral law in which he perfectly obeys every bit, and though we as believers, because we are bought by the blood of Christ, we have received his righteousness, we are now under grace, the way in which we live according to the law is different.

However, we still are called to be obedient to it. However, what we see is that our obedience is a result of the righteousness that has been imputed to us. It is a result of what has been done in our lives, not in order to obtain salvation ourselves.

The Permanence and Authority of God's Word

Now as we move into verse 18, and like I told you last week, these verses are very intricately linked together. What we will be looking at is the reason why the law could not be abolished. We will expand our conversation a little more and be reminded that God's word cannot be dismantled because God's word cannot fail.

It must come to fulfillment. Verse 17 again told us Christ's relationship to scripture in that he was the fulfillment of that relationship. Verse 18 teaches us more about scripture's relationship with history and what it looks like and how God's word endures for all time.

And so that verse stands as a ground regarding the unchanging truthfulness and the absolute faithfulness of God's word. And as such is an extremely important verse. You recall last week when we talked about this, we began this particular session, we talked about how important these few verses are and how often unfortunately they are missed.

In this one sentence that we have for verse 18, Christ gives us a doctrine of scripture. He gives us teaching around God. He gives us a teaching around himself. And he even gives us teaching around all of history.

We know that the word of God is authoritative. We know that the word of God is sufficient. We know that the word of God is complete and that it is certain. And we know that because God himself has spoken it.

This particular verse shows us that it is precise because God does not speak carelessly. We know that it is permanent because God does not change. And it is certain because all things are brought to fulfillment and completion.

And so as we prepare to study together this morning, let's stand together in reverence for the reading of God's word as we read from Matthew's gospel, the fifth chapter, beginning in the 17th verse and down through the 20th.

Again, our text for this morning will focus on verse 18. As Christ continues the sermon on the mount in chapter 5 of Matthew's gospel, we come to the 17th verse and we read these words. Do not think that I come to abolish the law or the prophets.

I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

But whoever does them and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of even the scribes and the pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Almighty God, we are beyond thankful for your word. Father, we rest on its objective truth. Father, we know that you have spoken and that not one word of what you have spoken can fail. Well, we pray that your spirit would just open our hearts and our minds to understand your truth, that we would be humbled under the authority of this word, that we would not approach this word as those who may judge it and select what we would like and reject what we dislike, but that we would listen as servants before our Master and as children at the feet of our Father.

Lord, we pray that through this time this morning we behold the glory of Christ, that we see the seriousness of our sin, the perfection of your righteousness, and Father, the sufficiency of Christ, the only one who could supply our every need.

Father, we pray that we are sanctified by your truth because we know that your word is truth. And we ask these things in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. You may be seated. Well, as we open up this morning, Christ begins what we identify as verse 18 with a statement that although may not catch your attention, certainly should catch your attention.

As you study the word of God and you go back and you study the Old Testament, one of the things that you will see repeated from the prophets is a statement that basically says, thus says the Lord. What we have here is Christ saying, for truly I say unto you.

The beginning of that particular word or statement here, the word truly, is the word we also translate as the word amen. A word that gives us this affirmation of what has been said. However, Christ placing it where he does is affirming what will be said.

Speaking with an authority that is higher. In fact, as we study through the Sermon on the Mount, you arrive at the end of that particular passage of scripture, you will see that the people marveled at the authority with which Christ taught.

And so these statements that he makes, this authority that he brings is different than the authority that the prophets brought. They brought an authority that was borrowed, that was derived from God. Christ speaks with his own authority.

He speaks the Father's word. He does the Father's will. Yet this speech comes as the eternal Son who possesses authority in himself. And because he has that authority, he can say, thus I say, or for truly I say to you.

This is something that we need to consider. Because you see, your confidence and my confidence in scripture is inseparable from the way in which we view Christ. If your Christology, your belief, or your understanding of Christ is off kilter, then it affects the way in which you read scripture.

It affects the way in which you interact with scripture. And so it's necessary that we understand that Christ cannot be honored while the Old Testament and scripture is dishonored. We cannot walk away from the word.

Christ received the Old Testament as the word of God. He proclaims the Old Testament as the word of God. He proclaims the truth from his own mouth. He appeals to the word of God as we walk through temptation of Christ.

He teaches from the word of God, using it to expose error. Here telling us what cannot be broken, what cannot pass away. If you go to John chapter 10 verse 35, there's a little insert there in that particular passage where Jesus teaching makes the statement, scripture cannot be broken.

We see in Matthew chapter 24 verse 35 where he says, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not. The word of the Lord endures forever. John MacArthur in one of his messages makes this point very directly.

He said, every type will be fulfilled. Every prophecy will be realized. Every law will be verified. You see, the authority of scripture is not some artificial doctrine that we place on scripture by a group of individuals later.

It is not because we gathered around a circle and we held hands and we wrote a passage or a document that said the scripture has authority. The scriptures have authority because they themselves declare that authority because they are the words of the living God.

It is not just an idea. And the impact of that is that when scripture confronts us, it is not God asking us how we feel about a situation. He's not asking us to vote on the acceptability of the words that are contained within.

He's not asking us to revise his standards according to our preferences. He is not asking us whether it agrees with us. The question is, will we submit to it regardless of our thoughts, our feelings, our emotions, what we think?

You see, if we were to ask the word of God to change for us, it would be just as asking Christ to stand beneath the judgment of modern culture versus modern culture and the world standing under the judgment of Christ.

Heaven and Earth Will Pass Away

And so as he continues, for truly I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass away. The second clause here defines for us the length of time regarding which the law will continue. All things will pass away.

For you and I, heaven and earth are one of the realities that we see and we understand and we see them as things that last beyond us. In fact, if you go back in time, there's an older song that even says that, you know, that those things will never pass away.

That you and I are dust in the wind, but the earth and the sky will last and stay. But that's not true. The only thing that truly endures is the Lord and his word. Generations rise and fall under the same sky.

They live on the same mountain. They walk the same paths in life. Kingdoms come, kingdoms go. Mountains outlive people. Civilizations. The word of the Lord stands forever. Christ says that created order is less enduring than the truth that God has spoken.

Psalms 102 contrasts creation with the creator. The heavens are the work of his hands. He is the one who made all things. Isaiah 51 verse 6 says that the heavens will vanish like smoke and the earth will wear out like a garment, but God's salvation will be forever and his righteousness will not be broken.

2 Peter chapter 3 helps us look forward to a day when the present heavens and earth are dissolved, replaced by new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Creation around us is stable, but it's only stable because God's word, because the word of the Lord holds all things together.

Scripture is certain because it expresses the will of almighty God. You and I are not self-existent. You and I are not able to live for our own self for all times. The world around us is not self-existent.

The universe is not self-existent. God and God alone is self-existence. Numbers 23 verse 19 asks, has he said and he will not do it or has he spoken and he will not establish it? Isaiah 40 verse 8 says the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

John Calvin explains that Christ teaches here that the truth of the law and every part of it is secure. You see, it may seem like a very insignificant little clause that's thrown in here, but the truth is that it defines this for us greatly and gives the church stability.

Scripture as the Church's Stability

Think about this for just a minute. We live in an age filled with uncertainty. As life has progressed, things have changed at a more rapid pace than ever before in history, and they continue changing daily.

And because things change so rapidly, because things around us are constantly in motion, it becomes very difficult to have and understand true stability. What one generation praises, another generation condemns.

What one generation desires, another one despises. What one generation sees as the norm and the standard, another sees as old-fashioned and inept. The problem is, the church has begun to chase this world of uncertainty.

The church, in many ways, has gone to do the things that it sees as necessary in order to bring the people in, and what it thinks is necessary is looking more like the world. And the problem is, when we do that, it becomes unstable.

But as believers, as the church, when we rest upon the word of God, we rest upon the unchangingness of that word. We have stability in a world that is wrought with change. You and I don't preserve scripture by making it acceptable to the world.

Scripture preserves the church, and it does so as much as we don't want to necessarily admit this, it does so by providing continual correction, rebuke, reproof, cleansing, feeding the people, governing the church, directing its path.

The passage says that grass withers and flowers fade. If you take that and you understand what that means regarding what the world looks like, then the philosophies of thought within the world fade away.

They change. Nations again lose their power. Ultimately, heaven and earth will pass away, but the law will remain. The word will remain. Not one promise, not one command, not one warning, not one prophecy, not one gospel declaration will be removed, and all will prove true, and all will find ultimate fulfillment.

If you're struggling with stuff as a believer, because life's reality, right? I know we're in church, and you know, when you're in church, it's not really polite to talk about struggles, because we're all perfect people here, not?

Right? We struggle, and when we struggle, it's easy to turn to things that are temporary. We look at a problem we have in our life, and we seek a temporary fix to it. Instead of turning to something that is stable, that will never change, the word of God is forever.

That is where we turn. That is the comfort that believer should find in opening up this truth, in reading the promises, and understanding what the future holds. Listen, when the circumstances surrounding you in your life become too severe, when you think that you can't hold on, the reason is because you can't.

Thankfully, He can. He's holding you. You're not holding Him. You're not gaining mercy by this effort that you put into it. The mercy is given because of Him. The strength of His word has nothing to do with you, because you could have a bad day, week, year, maybe even a lifetime, but God's word doesn't depend on your circumstances.

It doesn't depend on your situation. It depends on the Lord. The same God who tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us governs every single word that we find, every bit of detail. And so as we see this, for truly I say unto you, being reminded that Christ Himself is speaking, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke.

The Smallest Letter and Stroke of Scripture

I've always liked the old translation, jot and tittle, for whatever reason. The reality here is that this is an important point. It's not just this idea that it is this all-encompassing truth, although it is.

It's not just the idea that the words are forever, although they are. It is at the smallest of details. So as you look at the Hebrew language, a jot and a tittle in our language is a tiny character that is there for the purpose of distinguishing.

It's a letter that in a stroke refers to this small mark, distinguishing one letter from another letter. It changes the entirety of the message often, based on that very small piece. The truth is, it's not just reliable in broad terms.

We can't just take something like God is love and go, oh well that just means God is love and we should all love and not define what love means. We have to get specific. We have to get to the small details.

He's not just saying that this general religious feeling that scripture gives us is enough. This is not about being vague. This is about being precise. You're like, well what is being precise got to do with anything?

The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy that all scripture is God-breed. That all scripture is profitable for rebuke, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be fully prepared.

The word all there literally means all. Now we've talked here before about how sometimes all means a subset of a specific group. In this case, all literally means all. It means every jot and tittle, every dot and stroke, everything that is contained.

And it's important because we need to understand exactly how it affects us. 2 Samuel chapter 23, David makes the discussion that the spirit of Yahweh spoke by him and God's word was on his tongue. Paul's entire argument in Galatians chapter 3 verse 16 is based on a singular noun.

If you change it, it changes the entire thing. Christ in Matthew chapter 22 deals with being I am the God of Abraham and it depends upon the tense of the verb. Listen, you need to understand that the wording of scripture is not accidental.

The biblical writers didn't treat it as such and neither should you. Charles Spurgeon declared the law of God must be perpetual. There is no abrogation of it nor amendment of it. Christ does not adapt the holiness of God to the fallen condition of man.

What he does is exposes the depth of their condition. He exposes the depth of our condition. He exposes the depth of the holiness of God. He exposes just how worthless and incapable we are and then he fulfills that which we need.

This is an important statement again. I know just a little passage, just a little clause, but all of the great compromises that have come down through the ages have rarely begun with a complete rejection of scripture but rather with a small rejection, a small argument, a small point.

There's some portion that pushes against the sin and in order to become comfortable we make a compromise. Do a search over the last 20 years of all of the ways in which some of the quote-unquote church has changed and it becomes very evident.

The problem is those changes didn't begin 20 years ago. Those changes began the moment we gave in to that age-old question of did God really say? And we didn't like what God really said so we said let's change it.

Maybe we call a command outdated or maybe we say that it is embarrassing or maybe it's just too uncomfortable. The authority of the command doesn't rest upon our estimate of its importance. In our Sunday school discussion this morning on the catechism we talked about objective guilt and as part of that we talked about objective truth and the reality that objective truth is truth that finds its foundation in the object.

For us according to the word of God the truth of this word is found not in us but in God the true author. He is the one who does not change and if God does not change his word does not change and that unchangingness doesn't depend on our estimation of the importance of the word.

Matthew Henry explained that God's care extends even to matters that appear smallest because everything bearing God's stamp must be preserved. If one word of this is changed then the entirety of it may as well be changed.

God does not change therefore God's word does not change. Now we need to take care because this doesn't mean that every single command that we find is applied in the exact same way across all of time in history.

Interpreting the Law in Its Covenant Context

For example we look at the ceremonial laws we don't return to those animal sacrifices because we understand that that Christ has come and those things now as shadows and types of him have passed away.

We don't go back and follow the judicial laws the natural penalties of those laws because Christ has come and things have changed. They still provide equity they still do things they they still teach us things.

In the 1689 confession it teaches us that the ceremonial laws were appointed as types of Christ. The judicial laws expired with the nation except for the general equity and that the moral law alone continues to bind all people and it says these words nor does Christ in any way dissolve this obligation in the gospel instead he greatly strengthens that truth.

So if we're going to be faithful to the word of God if we're going to faithfully interpret this word we we can't flatten it in the sense that it is all like this all the time on all places but we also can't fragment it we can't move everything away we approach it in its proper grammatical situation historical covenantal where it sits in scripture what the context is we we do study the way that God delivers for us to do that study we ask how things function when it was written so in other words as Paul writes what what was happening at the time what was he addressing what was going on.

But we also understand how does this apply forward into all of history how does it continue to apply to the people of God today. But even through necessary distinguish distinctions even through times when it is necessary for us to distinguish between what was and what is we recognize that this is not a mistake it is not wasted it is not uh has not fallen helplessly to the ground it is the enduring word and as the enduring word.

And as Christ finishes this statement it will not pass away. Not one the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the law until all is accomplished. This not only points to events past but events to come.

It reaches forward until the final fulfillment of all things. It demonstrates for us that it is there. A .W. Pink summarized the breadth of this statement by saying that the law's prefigurations and prophecies as well as its precepts and penalties must be fulfilled.

Christ Fulfills the Law's Types, Penalties, and Promises

That fulfillment is in Christ. Again they the laws themselves those precepts were fulfilled in his perfect obedience. But that doesn't take away from our responsibility to seek to live according to his words and be obedient to his commands.

Romans 5 19 says that through the obedient the obedience of one the many will be appointed righteous. Christ was the faithful one. Christ was the one who was obedient. Christ is the one who went to the cross to fulfill the penalty of the law.

Galatians 3 13 declares that Christ redeemed us from the curse by becoming the curse for us God did not save us as if the law never existed or as if we never sinned. He saved us by sending Christ to bear our judgment on Calvary's cross.

Again the law's types were fulfilled in his person and work. We see that he is the true Passover lamb the final sacrifice the great high priest the new and better. Hebrews 10 says that the law possessed a shadow of the good things to come but Christ came to do God's will and perfect his people by one offering.

The prophetic promises are found fulfillment in him. The seed of the woman the son of Abraham the son of David the servant of almighty God he is the ruler. But they are not disconnected. Those statements they all come together in Christ.

And 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20 says that all of the promises find their yes and amen in him. This is not some picture for us to take and run out here and talk about how we're going to have health wealth and prosperity.

This is to remind us of the true authority of Christ of the true work of Christ and the fact that we submit to him. The truth that until all is accomplished not only talked about the fact that Christ came and he lived and he died and he rose and he ascended but it also points us forward to when he will return when he will come again when the kingdom will be fully and finally ushered in revelation ends not with history wandering into uncertainty but if you if the end of revelation you see that it ends with his people coming into his kingdom fully finally completely dwelling with God face to face every tear wiped away no more pain no more sorrow.

God's Word Governs the End of History

The truth of history as we see it is not governed by rulers or markets or wars or elections or technological powers. It is ruled by almighty God according to his word. And regardless of how much men may rage against this word it cannot be changed.

Regardless of how hard we fight against it it cannot be altered. Pharaoh sought to do everything he could to nullify the promise and failed. Babylon destroyed the country but could not erase the covenant.

Herod desired to put to death the king and could not. The greatest enemy mankind has ever known could not hold back the king of kings. The very grave could not keep him. And if the grave could not keep him and pharaoh couldn't break the promises and Babylon couldn't destroy the covenant then we should rest assured that the nations will not stop the return.

The word of God will stand until all is accomplished. There is a great certainty that is contained within God's word that as God's people we cannot miss. As we continue through this sermon on the mound in the coming weeks it is imperative that we continue to recall to ourselves the certainty with which all of this teaching is given and on which it rests.

I find it fascinating sometimes that I am asked questions like we've already talked about that a lot why are you talking about it again. And the cool thing is is that as the older I've gotten the more I understand the answer to that question.

Because the older I get the more I can forget the less I remember. Right. But that's true of us. And this reminder of the certainty of the word of God is an imperative thing because we are faced with this barrage of thought in the world.

And sometimes it comes from sources that we would have once trusted. But Christ right here in this one sentence grounds everything that God has said in the truth that it will not fail that there is nothing that in his word that will pass away.

Even these permanent fixtures things that appear to be permanent to us the word will outlast. Not only will the word outlast there will not be one of the smallest letter or the tiniest mark that will be removed.

Matthew Henry expressed it plainly the word of the Lord endures forever both that of the law and that of the gospel. And that statement just like the statement of Christ should bring in our hearts both trembling and confidence.

We should stand confident on that word that as those who have fled to Christ all of the promises are certain. But we should also tremble. We tremble because of the weightiness of that word. We tremble because of the truth of that word.

We tremble because that word cannot be changed by us to meet our desires and wishes. So as we are confronted with the truths within that word as we are confronted with the things in our lives that must be changed whenever we have a problem the problem with with us and not with the word.

Receiving the Word With Reverence and Obedience

For those who are unrepentant there should be even greater trembling because the standard won't be lowered the bar will not be removed the access will not be altered. And so the question becomes how do you as an individual receive the word of God.

Now I would caution you before you give the churchy answer that you take a moment to consider because we all know the churchy answer right. The churchy answer is that oh well God's word is true and right and perfect and I submit to it and its authority in all things.

However as we become more aware and as we truly examine ourselves we we have to ask. Are we really ready as we come to the word for the instruction that it's giving us. Or have we come with our red pen for the purpose of editing and changing so that it's more comfortable to us and more pleasing in our sight and and deals with our desires better.

If there is a sin in our life that it reveals. How do we respond. Oh you're like oh preacher. I respond well. I stop doing xyz immediately. Great great. That's for the easy ones. What about the hard ones.

The ones you're addicted to. The ones you cherish the sins that you love. How do you deal with them. How do you bow in his presence. Or do you see if I can figure out a way around it. Let me find the loophole in the word of God.

Let me see what efforts I can make. But at the end of the day the the the biggest question of all is have you come to Christ the one to whom all of this points forward the one to whom all of this finds fulfillment.

Have you bowed before him outside of Christ. This word condemns you apart from Christ. There is condemnation apart from Christ. There is eternal torment because of your guilt through Christ and Christ alone.

There is now no condemnation because Christ reminds us here that heaven and earth will pass away. But God's word will not fail. That it will not be broken that that it will not change. Will you cease your resistance and bow to the king.

Let us pray our most gracious heavenly father. Lord your enduring word stands forever. Father. It's often easy for us in circles of life where we are surrounded by fellow brothers and sisters to quickly acknowledge that truth.

But father when we are faced in the moments where we are seeing this compromise that seeks to alter your truth. Lord it is in those moments that we either stand by the power of the holy spirit or we fail and fall based on the power of the flesh.

Or we we pray that you would forgive us those times where we have treated your word lightly doubted your promises ignored what you have taught us. Father we give thanks for Christ Jesus for his life of obedience to fulfill every bit in perfect manner.

To provide the righteousness that we are absolutely incapable of providing to accomplish that redemption that is demonstrated for us in scripture. Father as a proud people drive us away from our pride.

Remove confidence in ourselves. That our confidence may be found in you and your word. That we rest entirely on the truth of Christ's full obedience. When we pray that our hearts would tremble at your word.

That we would be awed by the sheer majesty and humbled by the sheer holiness. Or we pray that we would not just be hearers of your word but that as we hear as we are altered as we are transformed that we are doers as well.

Although we ask we ask that your spirit would strengthen us. For we know that according to your word at the times of the desires of men for it to be different will grow. And the strength to stand firm on your truth will only be by your spirit.

Although we ask that you grant us that strength that we are faithful to your word and that we are true to proclaim it in its fullness. And we ask all of these things in the precious name of our lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.