Matthew 5:17-18

Good evening, everyone. Thank you for watching. Thank you for joining me. I'm back by myself For a video and I hope we have some folks joining us tonight live so we can interact.

I'd love to hear from you This is truth and love network truth and love ministries. We get that from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15

But speaking the truth and love we are to grow up in all aspects into him who is the head even

Christ So that's what we want to do We want to we want to grow up in all aspects into Christ every single aspect of this life that he's created

We want to grow up in him and we want to share with others We want to multiply we want to be obedient to Matthew chapter 28 and make disciples of all nations

Teaching them to observe all that he's commanded. So we want to speak truth in love and And I'm enjoying doing this.

I hope that you all have had opportunities to watch the Pastors panel podcast where we've had

Pastors and leaders on here as we we tackled It seems like we've had we've had a focus here lately

But I think the focus is important and I may can address that at a different point, but We're answering some tough questions.

We come from different perspectives. So we are We are offering questions we're offering answers

We're offering different perspectives. And so I think it's really good and it's giving you information

As you are yourself a student of God's Word you are Having different Different ways to look at things.

Um, I was speaking to one of the brothers tonight on the phone and he wanted to want to talk about In the video make sure that we we talk about those essential doctrines there are essential doctrines that we all each one of us agree with and We we will not compromise on and the same should be for you

Those essential doctrines or essential teachings of the Bible and Christianity that we will not waver all

That we all have in common that we can unite and fellowship with one another because we hold of those doctrines

But then there's other issues in Scripture that we can have a difference of opinion on how to interpret things and that's where we have

Conversations like we're having on the pastors panel podcast or with other guests that I have

So I hope you're enjoying those videos If you have any questions that you would like the pastors panel podcast to address

I would love to hear from you and get those questions from you So that we can we can help you we can help you in your walk with Christ in your walk with the

Lord and And you can grow up as well in all aspects into him. So if you have any questions feel free to give us a message and And we'll definitely try to address those questions if I can pray for you

Please let me know all you have to do is type me in the comments and I will see that and I will be glad to pray for you

Tonight I shouldn't we shouldn't be too long on the video tonight. I want to continue as As me doing the videos by myself,

I've been walking through Matthew and you've been walking through Matthew with me and Tonight we are going to we're gonna stay on pace

We're gonna stay in in order and we are at Matthew chapter 5

And if you want to look at your with your own Bible look at your own scripture or Matthew chapter 5 we're just gonna look at two verses and We're gonna somewhat look at the meaning of the verse there was something

How would you put it in? an interpretation issue How we interpret the

Bible that that comes into play here. So we may come back to these verses in the next video

But we need to know how to Interpret scripture so that we can get the correct meaning out of the scripture and it's so very important if we we do not know how to interpret correctly then we can apply any meaning that we want to in the scriptures and That's it's called so many problems over so many years that people apply any meaning that they want to two scriptures and start start cults and religions or churches and Based on their interpretation of certain verses and we don't want to do that We won't we won't hear what

God is saying to us We want to hear what God Jesus is saying to us Well, the Holy Spirit inspired these writers to write down what he inspired them to say.

We want to hear that and so that we can Understand and know God rightly and then apply and apply it and live it

According to what he wants us to apply it and live it. That's what it's all about It's not about us and what we want.

It's about It's about the Lord and what he wants in our lives. So Matthew chapter 5 verses 17 and 18.

Um Let me let's see. What do we want to do first? Let me read the text and then we'll jump in to in the direction that we want to go

Verse 17 says do not think that I came and this is Jesus speaking. He's continuing in his sermon and He's we went through the what's famously known as the

Beatitudes we went through that And Jesus Has just told him you are the you're the salt of the earth

You you are the the light of the world City said only he'll may not be hidden or cannot be hidden So we just finished those verses and now we're in verses 17 and 18 and listen carefully to these verses and see if as I'm reading them, you know, you recognize how you

Understand them or how you've understood them for so long how you've heard them called And see if you can

Nail that down as well as we read it So verse 17 says do not think that I came 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 away from the law until all is accomplished

There are so many directions and there's so many so many things that we could talk about in this passage and of course

Because it's so fresh on my mind because it's the topic that we're on in this season and Just like I was telling the brother on the phone today

The reason I want to stay on this subject is because and the subject is eschatology or in times

The reason that I want to stay on this topic right now And of course, there's many other topics and if you ask questions, we will we would

Go on that topic and help you help you in your walk. But one reason why I want to stay on the topic of the end times and eschatology is because Like many of you like many of my brothers that on the pastors panel growing up.

We only knew of one viewpoint of End -times or eschatology

We only knew the one viewpoint Existed that this was the scriptural view and that's the only one that existed didn't know of any others until many years down the road and so number one as we want to we want to make everyone aware that that we come in contact with that that's not the only viewpoint and And And so when you come in contact with someone if you hear it from us and you hear us explain it then then you can

As you studying study God's Word you can you know, look at the different viewpoints.

You can look at the scripture yourself and you can Determine which direction to go based on what you've been hearing but if you were if you were, you know blind to other viewpoints like like we were and Then all of a sudden you hear someone talk about a different view of end times what's up happy up you're doing pretty good

If you if you hear someone give a different viewpoint and You think and you've heard all these years that you've been living that there's only one viewpoint of end times then

You won't you won't consider them a heretic You won't want to fight them because they're offering a different viewpoint if you hear it from us and we're saying there's legit other

Viewpoints and so if you hear somebody Coming at you with a different viewpoint.

It doesn't mean that they're a heretic Now like I said before there are doctrines that we will not budge on that we unite on And so that's why we can have fellowship one with another because we hold on to those those viewpoints

But We want to we want to be examples of looking at the different viewpoints of end times and not call each other heretics and Be able to still have fellowship and we want to we want you to be able to do that Introduce you to the these different viewpoints so that you can study scripture for yourself and see which one is true

And if somebody introduces you to another one you you don't You're not a taken back and you don't want to call somebody a heretic

You can you can love them and and fellowship with them as you grow in the Lord together, and you know on that subject so With that being said this takes that we're going to look at tonight

And the direction that I want to go Has a taste of that subject in these verses and of course

Matthew's Matthew's gonna continue to have Things about eschatology that we're going to have to talk about you can't avoid it.

So This is just you know, one of those passages Matthew 5 17 through 18

And we can talk about the law and the and the prophets and what Jesus means when he says

He did not come to abolish but to fulfill, you know, we will probably Jump into that some other time.

What does he mean by that? What does he mean by the smallest letter or stroke shall not pass away until all is said and done?

All is accomplished. What does he mean by all is accomplished? We can look into that and and see what he means by that But what

I want to focus on tonight so that So that we're not here on here too long Just focus on one thing the heaven and earth pass away and you may think to yourself

How is that controversial because that's just a plain reading of Scripture How can that mean anything other than?

The heavens and the earth passing away Well, let me share with you

What I think what I think that means Jesus says In verse 18 virtually

I say to you until heaven and earth pass away Not the smallest letter stroke will pass away from the wall until it is accomplished

Okay, so you get you got a timeline here and you're looking for an event to happen. You're looking for the heavens and the earth

To pass away and there's two other places Where we see this subject happening

Matthew 24, which we're looking looking at in the pastors panel Excuse me

Matthew chapter 24 Right after the famous verse verse 34 you have verse 35 and it says heaven and earth

Will pass away, but my words shall not pass away so in Matthew chapter 5

Until heaven and earth pass away not a smallest letter or stroke will pass away here in in Matthew chapter 24 verse 35

And on earth will pass away. So we're we're looking for this event to happen.

And how could it be? Anything other than a plain reading of the text here heaven and earth.

We're looking for heaven and earth to pass away and Then you have one more passage that speaks speaks of that subject 2nd

Peter chapter 3 starting in verse 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away

With a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth its works will be burned up Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way

What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God?

On account of which the heavens will be destroyed or yet be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat

But according to his promise we are looking for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells

All right. There you go. There's three passages Matthew 5 Matthew 24 and 2nd Peter chapter 3

Speak about this event heaven and earth being destroyed heaven earth passing away and it we're looking for according to Matthew Jesus and Matthew And in 2nd

Peter at least to them, right? It's a future event. Now. The question is

Is it a future event For us Or was the past event you'll say wait a second.

How can it be? how can you even say it it might be a past event if But plain reading of the text says heaven and earth

Will pass away Will be burned up with intense heat. It actually says the elements will will melt with intense heat

So, how can you even think that it may be a past event there's no possible way that you could you could get that Here's where we get into Knowing how to interpret the text.

Let me share this with you Let's say Let's say 2 ,000 3 ,000 4 ,000 years from now

Somebody is reading a Journal that someone wrote from You know 19 for you know this century from the from the 1900s the the mid to late 1900s

And they read in their journal. They're reading about vacations that they took and One of the places that that this this person with their family visited one place that they visited was called the

White House now If I was to ask you do you understand what they're talking about?

Do you know where the White House is you would say? Yeah You know, that's that's a no -brainer.

We it's in Washington DC. I could point to it on the map I know who lives there.

I know what's going on I know what you're talking about when you say the White House and then They continue to read in their journal and they also visited they were able to visit that day the the

Pentagon If I ask you, do you know what the Pentagon is? Yeah, I know what the

Pentagon is. You know, it's it's a building there in Washington DC and You know a lot of military leaders work there.

So yeah, I know where it is, but you've got this individual Two thousand three thousand four thousand years later

They're reading a journal from from our time period and they read about a

White House they read about a Pentagon and They're like what you know, what's so important about someone visiting a

White House? There there must have been millions or billions of White Houses what so what's so important about a

White House How are we supposed to know which White House they visited or they visited a

Pentagon they they visited a shape for People who are going to be living two thousand three thousand four thousand years later

For them to understand the context of that journal they've got to know the context in which we were living and Understand what to us the

White House means what to us what the Pentagon means Isn't that right? So we have to do the same when it same thing when it comes to Scripture we have to Look back learn the geography learn the history learn the language and understand the context of who they were and What they knew the language that they used

What was familiar to them? So that we can understand their language and how they talk how they spoke with one another

What they meant when they said certain things so that we don't apply our What how we understand certain phrases how we understand certain things.

We can't just apply our under our 21st century understanding of words

English words, especially when the original was written in a different language We can't just apply any understanding that we have to the text

It's got to start from the other direction We've got to understand the text from their point of view from the author's point of view with geography with history with language and all that stuff and Here's another thing that we need to add to that It's to help us to understand how to interpret these passages

Matthew 5 17 and 18 and then Matthew Chapter 24 verses 35 and then and then in 2nd

Peter chapter 3 how do we interpret those things based on looking at the context going back to the day in time of the the original authors

There's a way of interpretation that that many Especially pastors or or leaders or teachers.

They they love to emphasize and it's called Reading and interpreting the Bible literally, how do we understand that?

Well, if you take it if you take the word literally literally Then isn't that simple don't we all understand what that means?

whatever the text says that's what it means and and If you grow up in my context, then we all believe that we take the

Bible literally We whatever it says that's what it means and Here's the problem though even your most staunch literalist

You you come at them with certain passages in Scripture and And you ask them so you take this literally they're like well, you know, obviously that's a that's a symbol

That you know, that's a sign that's a symbol it's supposed to point to something else so, you know,

I don't I don't literally believe that there's going to be you know, something with ten heads and and ten horns and you know a literal beast that comes out of the sea or You know examples like that But I thought you took the

Bible literally, I thought you read it interpret it literally And they say I do well

You don't take it word for word literally like you like you profess So we need to be consistent

We need to be consistent when we say that we

Read the Bible interpret it literally And I do agree that we should

Understand that we should interpret that we should read the Bible literally, but we should have a good work understanding of what literally means

And here is a good definition a good understanding of what literally means so that we can take the word literal now as a interpretation tool

And get the correct meaning out of the text so what how should we truly understand the word literal or literally a

Good definition and to give credit where credit's due. I heard this definition from Gary DeMar.

He says the word literally means to Wow, it just left me to To literally understand it according to the literature

That's it. My apologies to to take the

Bible literally and understand it according to the literature and And I think I think

I butchered that definition, but that's basically the summation of it according to the literature so if if the literature is symbols and signs

I'm going to read it and understand it literally according to the literature and and I don't have to I Don't have to wrestle and think

I'm contradicting myself when I say I read the Bible literally and then come across a verse that's a symbol or sign and backtrack and try to Find finagle my way out of something so I don't look like I'm a

I'm a hypocrite I'm speaking out of both sides of my mouth you don't have to do that when you have a a good working definition of literally according to the literature and So that's what we want to do here.

We want to read this literally But we want to read it according to the literature and we want to read it in context according to the the original authors

Intention and and what they meant understood their language that they used back then and I think we will we will

See something very important and it may blow your mind and you may push back on what

I'm trying to say but I but I ask that you just Receive it Study it look into it.

See if what I'm saying is true. See if it lines up with scripture And I'm not going against reading interpreting learning the

Bible literally again, we've got to have a good working definition of literally according to the literature and so Keep in mind and I'm gonna repeat this because I think it's so important Where we are going to focus on In verse 18 where Jesus says for truly

I say to you until heaven and earth pass away and those who say what

I read I take I understand the Bible literally so they are looking for a Future event where the actual literal heaven and earth will pass away

Will be destroyed will melt That's what they're looking for because they take the

Bible Literally the best definition of Literally is according to the literature according to the context.

So What does that mean if it doesn't mean? If we are not to be looking for a future event where God is going to destroy the heavens and melt the earth and Then start over afresh

What does it mean what does Jesus mean here what does Peter mean when it says heaven and earth

Here's the context here's what the original readers the original audience

The original hearers of the sermon. This is what they would have heard and understood

When this language was used When they heard the term heaven and earth which is found here

Matthew chapter 5 Matthew chapter 24 and in 2nd Peter chapter 3

When they would have heard this this term What they would have envisioned the picture that they had in their mind

Was of the temple It was of the temple Because that is where from their point of view heaven and earth met

God represented heaven and That was with his dwelling place.

That's what tabernacle means dwelling place He tabernacled he dwelled there in the Holy of Holies and then the people represented the earth and so You have the all the different courts there at the temple and that's where the place that's the place where heaven and earth

Came together. That's the place where it met where God met with his people And so when

Jesus says for truly I say to you until heaven and earth what? the temple pass away

Not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the law until all is accomplished

And let's look at 2nd Peter chapter 3 again But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which heaven will pass away

With a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up since all

These things are to be destroyed in this way. What sort of people are you to be in holy conduct and godliness?

looking for the heavens to be destroyed and the elements to be to melt with intense heat and listen to verse 13

But according to his promise we are looking for new heavens and New -earth in which righteousness dwells and Dan and I in in several of our videos

We cover that the new heavens in the new earth the new Jerusalem What is that? Who is that?

Because Those who are staunch Hardcore literalist who

They hold fast to their definition. I want to I want to term it like this. They hold fast to their definition of literal

Not not the good definition of literal not the consistent definition of literal according to the literature

Because their definition of literal is not consistent You know, and I'm just speaking the truth in love

Because if you if you ask them about verses that are symbols and signs

They would have to say Well, no, that's not literal. That's a similar sign.

So your definition of literal is not consistent This definition is consistent according to the literature and according to the literature according to the context

Heavens and earth represent according to the original audience the temple that's what they would have understood as they read or heard this being preached or spoken and Peter is saying there's what there's a promise and we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth and In the videos in the past where Dan and I were discussing this issue it's not a new heaven as in geographical location and a new earth a geographical location

If the place where heaven and earth meet is the temple there's going to be a new new heaven new earth new

Jerusalem a new temple What does the Bible say about us in relationship to?

the temple We are the temple of God. We Individually and corporately we are we are being built up as living stones.

We are the temple We are the new Jerusalem. We are the new heavens and the new earth That's the promise fulfilled and what

God has Has done I know to our ears who have grown up in Believing and hearing

Only one viewpoint It's very difficult, it's very difficult to to have your interpretation

Your viewpoint challenge not only It probably comes it comes across offensive to us because a part of its pride, right?

Because who are you to say that I'm wrong? Are you saying that I'm wrong? And we don't like to be told that we're wrong and then another issue that we have is

We had to hear it from somewhere, right? And we usually heard it from a pastor that we respect and appreciate

And we listen to a lot. And so if we heard it from him That there's no way that that he would have led me astray or taught me wrong so You can't be right with that interpretation we must wrestle with those thoughts with those issues

And come To the understanding and come to the place in our lives where we where we lay down our pride and we say

I Can be told that I'm wrong And we come to the place where we say even our most well -respected pastor and preacher

Is just a man and he could be wrong and and I know that there's

There's a wrench in our on our wheel and it causes us to stumble because You know, why would we want to listen to someone that it could be wrong and may lead us astray

We can do it all day long If they're if they're good on the essentials as we talked about earlier if they hold to the central doctrines of Christianity You can continue to listen to to your favorite pastors

Because you know what? our hope It is not in ourselves

Our hope is not in our pastors Our hope is in Jesus Christ and our hope is in his word

And our hope is in the Holy Spirit to be growing us in sanctification in his word so that's where our hope is and if we get it wrong if our if our pastor or our favorite preacher if they get it wrong

It's not the end of the world because that's not that's not where our hope is. Our hope is in Jesus So we can continue to listen to them

Even if we disagree with them Sometimes we can continue to listen to them and learn from them as we all grow together at a different pace

Learning from our Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit What he would have us to know so The heavens and the earth passed away

It was destroyed in 70 AD that's

That's how I'm viewing the scripture right now, which I see as the most

Consistent view and so if you have any questions about anything that I said tonight

I'd love to interact with you if you have any questions about The questions for the the pastors panel podcast.

We'd love to try to answer your questions. We we are here for you We want to fellowship with you and and help you

In your walk with Christ we want to bring our communities together as Jesus is growing his kingdom.

We want to be We we want him to be using us in in those efforts

And so we we are for unity. We are for standing on doctrine and we are for Sharpening one another as we discuss our our differences and disagreements in love

And so one last thing that that I wanted to say If you do not know the

Lord Jesus Christ As your Lord and Savior If you do not know him as King, you're not submitting to him as King Please turn to him today.

We've we've all lied. We've all stolen We we've we've broken every single commandment

James chapter 2 verse 10 says if you've kept the whole law and yet stumbled at one point you're guilty of it all

So there's no getting around it We we can't be good enough. We can't make up for the wrong that we've done and we can't

We can't suffer enough to to To pay for the penalty of the the crimes against our

Holy God We're just hopeless and helpless except for the fact that God came down the

Painter became part of the painting The builder became part of the building so that he could save it

He came down to become a man so that he could rescue his children

And what we must do According to the Bible is repent of our sins and put our faith and trust in him

But our faith and trust in the work the life and work of Jesus Christ. He will forgive us of our sins and he will

He will take our sins on Himself which he did on the cross But he'll take them and and take responsibility for them and then he will give us impute into us

His righteousness the the life of holiness that he earned with his life.

He'll give it to us He'll credit it to our account. So there when the father sees us, he will see the

Savior and We can be right with him because of what Jesus did no other way

No other means except through Jesus Christ, so thank you for watching I Really appreciate it