Opening Prayer Pg.1
Father God we ask your blessing on this study tonight, that you would open our minds and our hearts to your word. Bring us to the realization of those matters that you would have us learn from this study. Make us aware that in this world you do not always work independently. Help us to realize that we too are vessels that you use to further your Kingdom on this earth. Jesus says that we are the Salt of the earth, and the light of the world, and it is through us that you seek to spread the word of Your Kingdom. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of us who are sick or disabled and cannot be here tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study the teachings of Jesus, The word of God..
In Jesus Name we pray Amen
This is our second study, a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount,. Tonight we look at the words Jesus Spoke which reveal his agenda as one who is supporting and adding to the law of Moses and glorifying the laws of God. While he is approaching these matters differently than the Scribes and the teachers of the law, he also is adding Righteousness and morality and love for our fellow man into the equation.
Luke 18:9-14 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Unless our righteousness abound more - unless it take in, not only the letter, but the spirit and design of the moral and ritual precept; the one directing you how to walk so as to please God; the other pointing out Christ, the great Atonement, through and by which a sinner is enabled to do so - more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, who only attend to the letter of the law, and had indeed made even that of no effect by their traditions – one shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Mat 5:18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Our Savior was just entering on his work. It was important for him to state what he came to do. By his setting up to be a teacher in opposition to the scribes and Pharisees, some might charge him with an intention to destroy their law; To deny their divine authority; To set people free from the obligation to obey them. “The law.” The five books of Moses called the law. And to abolish the customs of the nation. Throughout His ministry, Jesus violated many of The Pharisees oral laws. He broke their Sabbath laws by healing people, and gleaning corn to eat (Luke 13:14, Matthew 12:1-2). He forgave peoples' sins, which to the Pharisees was blasphemy (Luke 5:21). He also freely criticized the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and self righteousness (Luke 11:37-52).
Christ commands nothing now which was forbidden either by the law of nature or the moral law, nor forbids any thing which those laws had enjoined; it is a great mistake to think he does, and he takes this opportunity to rectify the possibility of a misunderstanding. “I am not come to destroy”
The Savior of our souls is the destroyer of nothing but the works of the devil, of nothing that comes from God, much less of those excellent dictates which we have from Moses and the prophets. The word of the Lord endures for ever, both that of the law, and that of the gospel. What is it that God is doing in all the operations both of providence and grace, but fulfilling the scripture? Heaven and earth shall come together, and all shall be ruin and confusion, rather than any word of God be in vain. The word of the Lord endures for ever, both that of the law, and that of the gospel. Observe, The care of God concerning his law extends itself even to those things that seem to be of least account in it, the iotas and the tittles; for whatever belongs to God, and bears his stamp, be it ever so little, shall be preserved.
Q.1 What restrictive laws had Jesus already opposed by this time?
Q.2 What were the acts that Jesus did that caused his enemies to criticize him?
Q.3 What was Jesus’ response to the Pharisees criticizing him? See Matt. 23:13-29
Q.4 Not everyone who was a Pharisee was a hypocrite, who comes to mind?(John 3: 1-21).
Q.5 Do we have problems today that involve conflict between the church and the state?
Q.6 What did Jesus mean by saying “not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished”.
Q.7 What is Jesus emphasizing by saying “, until heaven and earth disappear,”
In Mark 7 that is where Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and Scribes. He tells them they are worshiping in vain. He says they honor him with their lips but their heart is far from HIM. They follow traditional teaching of doctrines, the way man perceives it. But Jesus makes it clear, what defiles man comes out of the heart. Notice the things he mentions: evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness, Jesus shows the things that will defile man always comes from the heart. The good news is all sins are forgiven if we repent, and we have faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, walking in righteousness.
Pg.3
Mat 5:19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
These commands, which are to be understood as the precepts of the law, in that day and time, Jewish law, The law of Moses, of which some were comparatively lesser than others; and might be said to be broke, loosed, or dissolved, as the word here used signifies, when men acted contrary to them. Many of those of that day, Pharisees and teachers of the law, as well as the Jewish citizen, who might be ready to imagine, that by the light of the Gospel, Jesus was giving his disciples instructions to spread in the world, that which he was going to set aside, as useless, certain of the laws of Moses, or the prophets, the interpreters of it, and commentators upon it. Christ knew the thoughts of their hearts, that they had such prejudices in their minds against him; wherefore he says, they should “think not that he had come to abolish the law”.
The Pharisees were remarkable for making a distinction between weightier and lighter matters in the law, and between what has been called, in a corrupt part of the Christian Church, mortal and venial sins. See on Mat_22: 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Whosoever shall break. What an awful consideration is this! He who, by his mode of acting, speaking, or explaining the words of God, sets the holy precept aside, or explains away its force and meaning, shall be called least - shall have no place in the kingdom of Christ here, nor in the kingdom of glory above. That this is the meaning of these words is evident enough from the following verse.
Q.1 Why was Jesus moved to say these words in 5:19?
Q.2 Setting aside commands, are there some that we have set aside in our society today?
Q.3 What does it mean to be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Q.4 What is meant by “Whoever practices and teaches these commands”?
Q.5 What do we think would define “Great in The Kingdom of Heaven”?
Q.6 Matt. 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. and Romans 2:6 God "will repay each person according to what they have done." Can we explain these verses in the context which we are studying?
Q.7 Which of these commandments are set aside (By law, or in our hearts) in our world today?
Deut. 5:7-21 The Ten Commandments: 1)I am the Lord, your God; 2)Thou shall bring no false idols before me; 3)Do not take the name of the Lord in vain; 4)Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy; 5)Honor thy father and thy mother; 6)Thou shall not kill/murder†; 7)Thou shall not commit adultery; 8)Thou shall not steal; 9)Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor; 10)Thou shall not covet‡ your neighbor's wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor)
Pg.4
Mat 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Our Lord Jesus here tells his disciples, that the religion he came to establish, did not only exclude the badness, but surpass the goodness, of the scribes and Pharisees. We must do more than they, and better than they, or we shall come short of heaven. They were partial in the law, and laid most stress upon the ritual part of it; but we must be universal, and not think it enough to give the priest his tithe, but must give God our hearts. They minded only the outside, but we must be ever mindful of inside godliness. They aimed at the praise and applause of men, but we must aim at acceptance with God: they were proud of what they did in religion, and trusted to it as a righteousness; but we, when we have done all, must deny ourselves, and say, We are unprofitable servants, and trust only to the righteousness of Christ; and thus we may go beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
1. Whose brand of righteousness does Jesus insult?
2. What matters of the law did they overlook in their quest for righteousness?
3. What “loophole” did they come up with regarding their parents in Matthew 15?
4. Did Jesus find fault with the fact that they tithed everything strictly according to the Law?
5. What does Jesus mean when he tells his followers to be the salt of the earth?
6. What does it mean to be the light of the world?
7. How were the Pharisees failing in these ways?
•Christians should reflect the light of Christ in the world about them and illuminate sin that it might be eclipsed by repentance and grace. •They must add savor to a world that is oblivious to it’s ultimate fate
8. Did Jesus destroy the Law of Moses on the cross? Why or why not?
9. How can one generally distinguish a person trying to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees?
10. What are the fruits of the Spirit?
11. Were the Pharisees and scribes condemned because they worked hard to keep the law as perfectly as they could?
Meditation Pg.5
The bad news is so overwhelming these days, it's hard to find any good news. But the Gospel provides it in abundance in the life and teachings of Jesus, especially in the Sermon on the Mount, It is the longest uninterrupted teaching that Jesus was ever to make.
Jesus himself fulfilled all righteousness and was beyond criticism, but the Pharisees and teachers of the law would hold against him his violating certain of the multitude of unjust laws which restricted peoples freedoms or which added a burden to their lives. He felt that these numerous laws were prejudicial and beneficial only to the ruling class and simply made life more of a burden for the average person of that day. Life was hard enough.
Jesus immediately brings to the forefront those characteristics which the righteous and morally upright citizen of that day should emulate in his presentation of the beatitudes. This sets the mood for the remainder of his teaching.
He then (knowing the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees, and teachers of the law, that they were already laying plans to make a case against him) explains that he has not come to abolish the law, or even to change one iota of the morality and righteousness of it. He further states that he is come to fulfill these laws and to add God’s own righteousness to them. And expressly states that those who want to set aside any one of them or teach others accordingly, will be held accountable. Jesus further reiterates that unless the people were more righteous than the Pharisees, and teachers of the law, (who practiced their righteousness for show, and acclimation by the public) there would be no place for them in Heaven. (what does that imply?)
Our world is quite difficult enough, with all the violence and immorality, false teachings, and persecution of Christians today. Just as Jesus was teaching those of his day how to be better morally, spiritually, more dutiful, and righteous citizens, Jesus teaches us today with these same words, all the same principles, which still to this day are as applicable as ever they were. He is saying that we need to be better Christians and try and outdo one another with our zeal and good works. Just as in his day, are we to do any less and expect better from God? I think not.
Closing Prayer
God our Father, be with us now as we leave this place, continue in fellowship with us and guide and protect us as we go on our way. Be with those of our group who need your healing touch. Prayer requests. …………And be with those, who are suffering persecution for the sake of their faith in You and your Son Jesus our savior. We ask that you would bring peace into our troubled world and hold harmless those innocent souls being put to death for their belief in a Supreme God and his Son Jesus, our resurrected savior. Bring us to the realization of those matters that cause sadness and grief, and make us to be a positive influence for peace in our daily walk with thee. Help us in our struggle to be useful vessels to further your Kingdom on this earth. We pray that you will teach us to be examples in our daily lives that lead others to You through Jesus.
In Jesus Name we pray Amen
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