Law Breakers — Don McClure

Jesus Fulfills the Law and the Prophets

But tonight turn with me now if you would to Matthew chapter 5 as we continue on In the Sermon on the Mount beginning tonight in verse 17 of Matthew chapter 5 Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets.

I am NOT come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you till heaven and earth passed one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever there shall therefore shall break one of the least of these 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 should 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 the Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Let's pray and we'll look at this together Father first, we want to just come before you and just thank you that you love to speak to us Lord as we have just been singing Lord open my heart. I want to see you As we've asked you Lord.

We we want to have you open your word to give us words of wisdom that we may hear them and Lord I thank you that you love us so much. Your word is so powerful. There are things right here before us tonight so powerful.

So liberating Lord that we could be free From the law and we ask Lord that you would give us great Understanding of your word Jesus as you said some of these most wonderful things as we read tonight. We ask that you would make them real to us that we'd understand in our lives would be strengthened by your love strengthened by your wisdom Lord we also do just want to pray for Chuck and Kay is there tonight Lord at dr Van Cleve's memorial service, and I know how much He meant to Chuck and decay in their lives and and Lord we ask that you would just bless that service Minister Lord to many people through it.

We know you will and also Lord is there closing out the conference? That Murrieta tonight Lord that you would just wonderfully bless Brian and John as they would share Lord that you would just anoint this time Lord so many wonderful missionaries Lord that have come out of this body.

They're all over the world Lord people that are supported by the people right here that give. That are encouraged by their prayers Lord. We just pray for them now that you'd refresh them bless them and Lord this tremendous work going on throughout the world.

That you would just continue it bless them father. Give them a wonderful evening and day tomorrow. Before they head back to these countries Lord, but bless them and minister to them in Jesus name. Amen.

Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount

Well here tonight. We look at Jesus and the law an extremely important topic as we'll see as we get into this. Particularly when you look at what Jesus has been saying so far for after he has given us to be attitudes.

And I trust you are not being frustrated or impatient with me that I kind of repeat these things each time but if there's one thing that I would love to have people learn and be able to Memorize are the processes in them and the message is essentially that we have here in each one of these beatitudes.

Each one a nugget of truth. Building upon the other when there Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are they who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness they should be filled.

Blessed are the merciful blessed are the pure at heart blessed are the peacemakers and here is a yes Jesus has just been sharing a transformed life and I trust that you have been with us through these and realize the power when you put one of these Blessings one of these great keys to happiness.

That's what the word blessed means. Remember. Oh, how happy. Insatiably wonderfully happy is the person who knows these things the person that has been through the processes. They've been there. They're poor in spirit.

They're their own in internal life. Of themselves their own strength their own hope it's been devastated. They're utterly spiritually poverty stricken and they mourn over it and in that morning before God it turns into a wonderful meekness.

We're God. I don't deserve anything. I have the rights to nothing. In fact, if you were to give me what I do deserve, I'd be annihilated. I'd be dust. I'd be powder. I'd be history. But rather than that Lord, the wonderful thing is is that Jesus said blessed are they who hunger and thirst God?

I'm so hungry for you. If you would find in your heart to love me to forgive me to help me and even to fill me with yourself. Here Jesus the transformed life is what he is talking about here a person now becoming merciful.

Becoming a peacemaker becoming somebody that blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake and There when somebody that is they they're the life now they head out and they're so filled with Christ.

So the world didn't love Jesus and it doesn't you know, love those of his servants Jesus said. And now we'll be reviled and we'll be persecuted. Say all men are evil against us falsely and Jesus that rejoiced and be exceedingly glad for it for so re you know God Rejoice me exceeding that what's the rest of it?

I can't you memorized it. But anyway, I Get your job. I'm in the wrong book here. The winds blowing the mine away. But anyway, but the but. But here then he goes on. He says you're the salt of the earth.

And now he looks at you says you are the salt of the earth. Salt has lost its savor henceforth goods for nothing cast out and trodden under the foot of men. You're the light of the world and here is he looking at somebody now.

He has just taken a life it's been a transformed life a redeemed life a restored life a regenerated life a resurrected life a Christian life and the Finest sense of the word. He says I'm just simply telling you what a Christian is from the inside out from the top To the bottom.

What is he what he is before God what he is before himself what he is before others and now it's Jesus looking this season you're the salt of the earth and you're the light of the world and Then it is somebody listening to this you'd almost think where did this message come from?

Never heard a thing like this. This is this a new religion. Where in the world is he coming from and here Jesus now at this point? He's not really deviating from the subject. But he is answering a lot of people that have to be sitting around listening saying what are you talking about?

And here he turns because now they would you know, it's a there. I mean here. I thought you were a Hebrew. I thought you were from Judaism. I thought you were out of our Hebrew roots. This is not what we have been hearing.

This is not what we understand to be the faith of our fathers. This sounds very new. This sounds very very different in those so Jesus stops. He said by the way, he says don't think or think not that I've come to destroy the law of the prophets.

I've come to destroy but to fulfill and he says barely barely. He says tell heaven and earth shall pass away. There'll not be one jot or one tittle of this law. He says that'll all be fulfilled and he's looking there and he says what I am talking about here is Is the law and the prophets as he wants to make this very very clear.

Anybody that might be listening to this may be may be wondering. This is a new religion. This is a new thing the Scribes and the Pharisees that have been following Jesus and you know, he's been talking about love.

He's been talking about grace. He's been talking about the goodness of God and Jesus had been attacked and attacked and attacked again and again. Because the Pharisees came to him says this is not Judaism that all the people that were coming to Christ and following him and the common people in the sinners and the wine-bibbers and all these Masses numbers of people coming out listening to him preaching were loving him and he was telling them.

You know that this was God and the Jews were over there or the Scribes and the Pharisees were beginning to attack him and saying Wait a minute. This is not the law. This is not God's Word. This is what this is out of nowhere.

This is so different from everything that we're rooted in and folks. You better realize this guy is a cult leader. He's you look out for him and they had been accusing Jesus for a long time. And now Jesus turned to me says by the way, he says what I'm talking about right here.

Right now he says this is not something there that I have not come to destroy the law or the prophets. And he says I've not only not come to destroy I have come to fulfill it as a matter of fact. There won't be one jot or one tittle now that is the equivalent to us almost like the littlest teeny little you know period or comma a Jot or tittle in Hebrew writing was something there that when the the scribes would be writing it down.

This was just that this the slightest little mark there the slightest little, you know touch. You know the pen there that would just give he says not only I'm gonna get all the law and all the prophets.

He says there won't be the slightest Aspect of all of the law and all of the prophets that will not be fulfilled and is not fulfilled in what I'm telling you about. This is an absolute Fulfillment of the law and of the prophets.

And the word there when Jesus said not only I've not come there to destroy but to fulfill the word there fulfilled in the Greek. It means abundantly supply. Jesus said what this is is this is the perfect abundant total supply of all of the law and the prophets all of it and Here, you know when you look at this here Jesus and I am here to abundantly supply everything that the law Was ever about ever trying to say and when you and I by the way when we're talking about the law when they're talking about The law you got to realize this is quite a quite an extensive piece of information.

The Old Testament Law: Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil Standards

To the Jews the law. I mean it had a very broad sense of it. First of all, there was just the Ten Commandments, you know. As as we know them and there within the Ten Commandments there is given, you know out there.

And of course in the book of Exodus that of course is a portion of the law it's the basis so much of the law, but then there's also the Levitical law in there which shows all the Ceremonial law the of the law of how man came before God and approached God there the tabernacle was laid out in the structure and the principles and the standards for the priesthood and the Sacrifices and all the processes of what sacrifice would be required under the law depending on the sin or the problem or whether what it was that you were doing or dedication or Consecration or a burnt offering and all of these were part of the law.

They were the Levitical law. They were the ways of approaching God when you had failed somewhere in the Ten Commandments. When there had been one portion of the law there of the legal law or the Ten Commandment law that had not been fulfilled.

Well, there was then the ceremonial law the Levitical law that now how you you fulfilled this these laws in a sense. To because you had failed in one of these this one atoned or forgave or put you right with The law that you had failed in so these were laws.

Then there's also the civil law and there's quite a bit of that in the first five books of Moses as we called them the Pentateuch the books of history, but in There are part of the books of the law, but in the books of the law.

There the first five books there's also the the civil law and there there's quite a bit written on many many chapters on just Civil law of just simply there and buying selling trading doing business. What happened if somebody had done something wrong to a person an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth or whatever the Standard on the judges the judicial law and you see when the children of Israel, you know When they looked at their law.

It was all a spiritual world in a sense because God set up their laws the children of Israel are a nation under God. Set aside and he set all their laws moral law civil law, you know spiritual law, but it all encompassed to them the law.

The things of God and here Jesus is telling them he says when I have come here He says I am here to fulfill the law and that's the broadest sense in the concept of the word I am the fulfillment of all of it.

Every bit of it every jot every tittle of it every comma every period of it. And as he looks at this and he and he says and not only there is in the sense of the law. But also as he says they're of the prophets.

There's something here as Jesus, you know looks at this and not only I've not come to destroy all the dirt to fulfill. To destroy the law and the prophets. I am here to fulfill it all. And here, of course, you've got the law there that was set out the standards of life the spiritual life the ethical moral Ceremonial civil life and laws there and then throughout so much of the Old Testament.

You've got the prophets usually broken down in the major prophets or the minor and the minor prophets. But essentially the prophets were all of these people that came in at different times through Israel's history and exhorted the people in Some aspect of the law that they were not fulfilling.

Constantly telling them you've got to get back to God. You've got to get back to the ceremonial all the spiritual law the Levitical law the moral law the ethical the ethical or the civil law or Some aspect to where they were living lawlessly and the prophets came and said get back to your roots get back to where you belong you're failing and Trying to bring them back into a right relationship with God and here the the Pharisees were telling Jesus.

You do not out here you deal with the law and the prophets the whole root and the foundation of Judaism and of what we are all about and what began with Abraham was carried on through history. They're looking at him.

So I don't know what you're talking about. But this is foreign to us. And Jesus came lines and not only this is what I am is not for and he says I will fulfill all of it. Everything in the law that isn't right and all of the messages and desires and fulfillment of the prophets I Am the fulfillment of it all and of course which he was.

Hebrews and Christ’s Supremacy Over the Old Covenant

Essentially we haven't of course got time to do it tonight. But the book of Hebrews is about that's that is one of the things that the book of Hebrews was was all written for was all about in the early church.

The these people that were coming to Christ in these massive numbers the Judaizers there were now running out and saying wait a minute. What are you doing? You're leaving Judaism next, you know, they weren't at the temple.

They weren't offering sacrifices. They were worshiping on the first day of the week celebrating the resurrection of Christ. They were doing all of these things and their freedom that they were finding in Christ and the Judaizers were going out and they were Telling all these Hebrew converts to Christianity.

What are you doing? What are you leaving the law and the prophets for? What are you leaving Judaism for and their great argument was is did not God? Jehovah who you purport to now know better than ever.

Did he not actually give us the law? Didn't he give us Moses? Yeah, he did. Didn't he did did not God give Moses the law there on the you know, Mount Sinai. Yeah, he did and Didn't he give us Moses there Joshua there that brought us into the land after jump.

Moses took them out. Yeah God did do that. Well, didn't God also give us the ceremonial law? Didn't he give us all these sacrifices? Yeah, he did. Well, then how can you leave this? All right, if you want to believe in Jesus.

We're we'll discuss that later, but get back to the temple at least. Get back into fellowship with Judaism. You can't leave this and that was one of the great aspects and the reasons fundamentally that the book of Hebrews was written.

That's why the book of Hebrews and it's a wonderful book. But essentially there it is it begins God who at sundry times in diverse manners spaken unto us by his prophets. It says now hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.

There who being in the brightness of his glory in the express image of his purpose of his person. In Hebrews chapter 1 it says upholding all things by the word of his power. He says when he had by himself purged by our sins and he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high and then He says and being so much better than angels the writer of Hebrews.

He says, you know, God is sundry times in diverse manners. He was speaking into us always speaking into us. Different times different ways through the law and through the prophets and through all of these different things now hath in these last days spoken Us by his Son.

There is and he says whom he hath appointed heir of all things. By whom also he made the world's who being in the brightness of his glory the express image of his person when he purged himself. Sat down at the right hand the majesty on high and he says and he is better than angels and then.

Systematically the writer of Hebrews spends the entire book Saying that Jesus Christ is better Than anybody and anything that we ever had in Judaism. Simply because he is the fulfillment of all of them.

He starts off better than angels in chapter 1 there simply because to the Jews angels Were highly thought of hundreds of times are mentioned in the Bible. They dispensed the law and they watched over men and they had a huge spiritual ministry.

They're still do of course, but they're the Jews thought very highly of angels but then he goes on and he says but you would do you that Jesus is not far more of By the father than an angel for God looks there at him.

He says thou art my son this day have I begotten thee to which angel? Did he ever say that Jesus is better than angels and then he goes on and he says and he is better than Moses. He says he that builded the house, you know.

He you know. There is is the one that was actually behind. The one who said I am that I am to Moses. Moses came out and did things but the one who spoke to Moses was Christ. He is the I am he was the one there in the burning bush.

He was the one there that did all of the work. He brought the plagues. Moses did. Oh, you did some pretty fancy stuff. No question. But actually he did nothing but what he was told and when he did what he was told Jesus was the one doing it and Then he goes on and he says Joshua.

He was a wonderful guy, but he didn't bring him in there a real rest. Christ will do that. He goes and then he talks about Aaron and the high priesthood of Aaron. He says Aaron was a wonderful guy. He did a lot of great stuff and he took the children of Israel through the veil and in there at the you know at the Passover and presented them to God but when Christ came and died on the cross the veil was rent and Was opened up and now all of us Jesus Christ our high priest.

He's better than Moses. He's better than Joshua. He's better than Aaron and all the Sacrifices that there ever were if the blood of bulls and goats could ever make anybody clean wonderful, but it didn't.

It wasn't until finally Christ's blood his offering was sufficient for everything and everyone. He is better than all of these things because he is the fulfillment of them. And when you have the real one In your presence, you don't need the shadow.

You don't need the allegory. You don't need this story that was there to prepare the way for when he would come for Christ is the fulfillment of all of these things and There is the sacrifice. He's the high priest.

He's the one that leads us out of bondage like Moses and the one that leads us into rest like Joshua he's the fulfillment of all of These things and here Jesus when he turns and he tells us there He says I haven't come to destroy the law the prophets.

I'm the one that gave them to you. I Anointed the law. I gave the law. I know I did the prophets. I sent him to say what they had to say. But I am the fulfillment of it and the wonderful thing here when somebody begins to realize There that that the law, you know that you may see either when it had a great place make no mistake about it.

But as Paul says in Galatians 3 verse 20 Paul says wherefore the law is our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we may be justified by faith. For after that faith has come we no longer are under a schoolmaster.

Here Paul said the law was something that was very wonderful. But it wasn't but but it didn't do the job. It was merely a schoolmaster to bring us to a place where I realized I need somebody. I I need you know somebody to help me to love me to strengthen me to forgive me to atone for me to leave me.

I need somebody in my life that just as the children of Israel needed a sacrifice I do just as they needed to deliver out of bondage. I needed to deliver just as they needed somebody to bring them into rest into the promised land.

I need somebody that'll bring me into rest just as they needed a high priest. I need a high priest and all of these things there of the law. They were a schoolmaster. There were things there that somebody who sat under these things.

They came to the realization. I Need all of these things in my life. To be working in my life. So the law on one hand it sets a standard that shows us the that we have sinned it shows us we have failed.

The Law Reveals Sin and the Need for Christ

When you look there at the law and you look at the Ten Commandments. All you have to do is read him, you know. And and and here when the Lord says you'll have no other gods before me. You'll have no graven image.

There when he looks at them, he says, you know there he says thou shalt not kill, you know. Thou shalt not covet. Thou shalt not bear false witness with one thing after another when he said don't do this when he realized.

Uh-oh. As the Bible tells us if a man hates his brother, he's murder. And this is how should I commit adultery. The Bible says there and makes it clear there that an adultery isn't merely a physical act.

If you think it your heart Jesus said if a man lust after a woman admitted adultery. The next thing you know, the law is something there is the as Paul writes about the law. And condemned him the law brought him the more he understood the law.

And Jesus there as he says I'm not here to destroy the law. The law is a great friend in the sense that it shows us we need Christ. It is a schoolmaster as Paul said to bring us to Christ. Now the interesting thing is is that men we live in a world today all of us, you know.

We live in a world of laws, too. We have all these laws around us whether you know. We we know it or not. We set standards all the time anytime a standard is a behavior is set whether I said it or somebody else sets it.

And anytime it's just a standard anytime it's set and then I fail it I'm guilty all the time. It's interesting Paul in 1st Corinthians 15 56 Paul said this that the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law.

Here Paul says this this think of this the sting of death is sin. What did it what brings the death the sting of it is sin? But what gives the sin its strength there is a law. In other words what tells me I have sinned.

What makes me guilty. What pronounces me guilty. But just like the children of Israel, they had all of these different laws whether it was the Ten Commandments the ceremonial law the civil law. The you know all the the you know.

The human laws that they set up all of which were done spiritually and if you fail in any one of these. The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law. And he says what it actually there what what is really happening?

Is it what it is that gives sin its great ability to condemn me is the law. There was no law. That's why a lot of people hate the law. They want to say there's nothing wrong with us. There's nothing wrong with all these stupid laws that people set up.

They're just there to make people feel bad. If we could just get rid of the law everything would be great. We'd all be happy and Yet at the same time wherever we are. We always are setting up laws for ourselves standards.

All these time we set up a few. I wonder how many of us even in our own lives tonight. You've got all sorts of laws whether you know it or not that you set up for yourself standards promises. Commitments to do better to try harder.

How many times is a Christian? I wonder many of us that maybe some of us, you know, we felt bad and Lord I failed you and I've let you down and I've really done terrible. God, please forgive me. I'm just such a terrible sinner, but God if you will forgive me and Lord if you will just find in your heart.

Let me come back home and just to love you and to worship you and walk me. I promise I'll never fail you again. You know, we come as if you know, what do you think? You know sort of a thing we set these Standards we make these promises.

I'll never let you down again Lord. You'll be so happy. And you know with me or I'll never you know, Lord, I I'll never you know, I really blew it with my wife. I got angry. I you know, I kicked the door and Lord if you'll forgive me I'll never ever ever kick the door again, you know, whatever it is, but we make these standards.

That we can't keep. We're like this story, you know, I'm sure you've heard of the little kid. They're a little Catholic boy there. You know, he found himself. You know one day he realized he wanted a bicycle for Christmas.

And he wanted this bicycle so bad and he sits down and he says dear Jesus. He writes him a letter Jesus if I can have a new bicycle, I Promise you I'll never sin again. Well, he looks at that for a moment.

He really well. Now they gonna go for that, you know and Lord Lord I promise if you give me new bicycle I'll make my bed and I'll clean up my room and I'll never talk back to my mother again. Maybe you know he thinks about that and he realizes not the Lord's not gonna believe that.

He looks over and he sees there on the shelf. There's a statue of Mary. He looks at that for a moment and he goes over and he gets the statue of Mary and he goes and he gets one of his shirts. And he wraps up the statue of Mary and he puts it in his drawer.

And he shuts the drawer and he sits down he writes a letter dear Jesus if you ever want to see your mother again. But all the time we're making these promises, you know. Some way that we can get God to bless us some way that we're gonna have him work.

You know for us or something and then we'll make these new promises and but every time we set a promise. You know, we don't. I'd wonder how many of us have rededicated our lives to the Lord at different times.

It may be done a few times so you're really rededicated to previous recommitment, you know or something in the Lord. If you'll forgive me this time I know I rededicated my life and I recommitted the previous dedicated commitment new commitment freshly.

But if now I can really rededicate it this time. I'll really be good. But the interesting thing is is it here Paul? He says there's Satan who is the accused of the brethren every time I make a promise every time I tell God how good I'll Be and how hard I'll try and the new standard I'll keep and on and the law that I will have all I actually do is I give sin.

It's strength to condemn me because the strength of sin is a law or the standard or the behavior I promise to live. I will keep this behavior if I can get right. We do that with each other. You know, if you'll forgive me if you'll give me another chance.

I promise you I Will and then we fill in the blanks that we think they'll sell out for you know. Or whatever we can make each other to agree on these things. Here will be the new standard of our relationship.

Here's the new standard of the home. Here's the new standard of my life or my job or of my moral standard or my ethical stand. I'll never lie to you again, if you'll forgive me and we set all these standards that are based on what?

Us. Our ability to keep our law any law that is set up be it civil. Spiritual, you know, whatever it is that is established. We have them we live by them and all that really does is give Satan the opportunity now to come and condemn us later on.

What gives the sin its strength is the law or the standard because now when I blow it he comes back and he says look At you so often, you know. We go and we make a promise and we feel really good when we're making promise everybody, you know.

Make this promise and we're happy. Come from rededicate your life to the Lord and I tell him you're gonna really do good if he gives you another chance. Oh, you know God, forgive me I promise and we do these things and we all sing together and people come forward and we think angels are in heaven flapping their wings and joy over the thing and Jesus is looking at this thing.

Wow. Is this great or what? They're making a new promise the new thing that they're lying about, you know or whatever they because he knows we cannot do it and Here Jesus said listen there is a fulfillment of all law all law all standards.

I Am it. I am here not simply to fulfill it that word there literally is the reward it means to replace it the law. Turn with me if you would to Romans chapter 7. I Want us to look at this because it's so powerful but in Romans 7 Paul writes he says no you not brethren for I speak of them that know the law.

And he says how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth. Romans 7 2 for the woman which has a husband is born is bound by the law to her husband. So long as he liveth, but if the husband be dead, she is looser in the law of her husband.

So then while her husband liveth she'd be married to another man. She should be called an adulterous, but if the husband be dead She is free from the law so that she is no adulterous, although she be married to another man.

Wherefore my brethren be ye also are become dead by the law to the body of Christ. That she should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that Christ. Pardon me that we should bring forth fruit to God.

For when we were in the flesh the motions of sin, which were by the law did work in our members bringing forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law that being dead wherein we are held.

We should serve in newness of spirit and not the oldness of the letter. And down in verse 9 he says I was alive once without the law. But when the commandment came sin revived and I died and the commandment There which was ordained it to life I found to be unto death in verse 12 He says wherefore the law is holy and the commandment is holy just and good.

The Law as a Marriage Illustration

Here on one hand what Paul he gives this wonderful illustration in the middle of this of a marriage as he talks there and he says for the woman which has a husband is bound by the law of her husband so long as he lives and then Paul gives this wonderful illustration.

To me a tremendous Illustration and in here and essentially to me when he does is he ladies and perk your ears up listen to this because Paul Introduces us to every woman here to the man of her dreams in this chapter.

You you can marry him to his name is mr. Law. Essentially in mr. Law as miss Paul defines him here. He is an incredible man. He is an unbelievable husband as he says there in verse 12, he is holy he is just and good.

He's mr. Law and it's mr. Law. He loves God. He loves man. He is perfect. He has depth. He has character. He has wisdom. He has integrity. He has goodness. He is totally moral. He is totally ethical. He is totally faithful.

He is totally honest to the nth degree. He is perfect. He's the most unbelievable husband you could ever dream of he's perfect in all of his ways. He's a flawless gentleman. His behavior was without error and mr. Law.

He's available. You can marry him if you want to and you might say well who wouldn't. And so you do and you marry him. But then after you get married you find he has one little irritating quality about him that kind of drives you nuts.