Matthew 5:17-48

Notes for BSF

JESUS CAME TO FULFILL THE LAW (Matthew 5:17-20)

Matthew 5:17, NKJV
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

Jesus did not come to contradict the Old Testament. He came, instead, to fulfill it -- To what extent?

Matthew 5:18, NKJV
... till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Consult the WHOLE counsel of God
Jesus made the bold statement that He has come to fulfill the Old Testament down to the crossing of the t and dotting of the i, literally down to the details! This gives us a very good reason to pay close attention to the Old Testament. The WHOLE book of the Bible is God's Word. It's tempting to stay in our comfort zone and study only what we understand. However, Jesus didn't just come to fulfill the promises -- He came also to fulfill judgment. This is why Paul didn't just teach selected passages of the Scripture; he taught the WHOLE counsel of God (Acts 20:27)!

If we ever come to passages we don't understand, there are a couple of things we should keep in mind:

1. The Bible always explains itself.
The same concept is always explained at least twice in the Bible. If we don’t understand a certain concept, we can continue our studying of the Bible. One day, we will read about it in another passage, which would shed light on the concept, giving us understanding.

2. The Holy Spirit will guide us.
God has promised us that He will reveal ALL things to us through the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26, NKJV
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 16:13, NKJV
... He will guide you into all truth...

Thus, when we come across confounding passages, we can always pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our understanding. When we don’t understand something, we can write it down in a prayer journal. Ask God to help us understand what we do not understand. God may not reveal the answer to us right away, but one day, we may hear something or see something or run into certain people, and suddenly, those experiences will give us the revelation we need to understand. God is faithful. If He has promised us that He will reveal ALL things to us, then He will. We just have to ask.

Reference:
http://blogs.blueletterbible.org/blb/2013/08/01/hoekstra-the-lord-promised-his-spirit-to-teach-us/

Examples of Jesus' fulfillment
Jesus fulfilled the moral law by being the perfect man (Revelation 5)

Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law of sacrifices by dying on the cross for our sins (1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5; Revelation 12:11; Hebrews 9:11-28; Hebrews 10:1-18; Hebrews 13:12)

Jesus has already fulfilled HUNDREDS of prophecies listed in the Bible. And He will fulfill ALL prophecies upon His Second Coming. Some of the prophecies that Jesus has fulfilled in the Old Testament include...

- Jesus was born according to the Scripture (Isaiah 7:14)
- Jesus was presented to His people according to the Scripture (Zechariah 9:9)
- Jesus died according to the Scripture (Isaiah 53; Zechariah 12:10)
- Jesus rose from the dead according to the Scripture (Matthew 12:40; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Matthew 5:21-26)


SIN BEGINS IN THE HEART (Matthew 5:21-32)

The Law specified that we should not murder or commit adultery. However, in the application of it, Jesus detailed that murder and adultery begins in our heart. When we are unkind toward each other, when we are revengeful and full of contempt, that is murder in our heart. When we start looking at another man or woman lustfully who is not our husband or wife, we have already committed adultery.

The Law limits us physically so that we do not commit murder or adultery. However, Jesus drives home the point that sin is not just in our actions but in our thoughts as well. The first step is to not commit physical sin (murder, lust, etc.) of people. The next step is to not commit sin in the spirit.

Be filled with the love of God

1 John 3:14-15, NKJV
He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 3:17, NKJV
But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

1 John 3:18, NKJV
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Allow the love of God to guide us in our interactions with people! God's emphasis on us showing love toward one another is so great that He tells us to fix any broken relationship between ourselves BEFORE we offer Him any praises (Matthew 5:23-24)!

Divorce is no light matter
Because marriage is such a sacred promise between a man and a woman in the presence of God, divorce is not a light matter. In the Bible, divorce is not at all encouraged. In fact, when he preached on the subject, Paul largely advocated against marriage -- If you don't have to get married, then don't get married (1 Corinthians 7). I'm not bringing this up to say marriage is bad or to dissuade people from marrying. I'm bringing this up to illustrate just how serious marital vows are -- They represent the godly covenant between God and the couple. Hence, the idea here is to really think hard before marrying; and once married, work really hard to maintain the relationship -- because this decision ought to be an eternal commitment.

But of course, who are we but imperfect human beings? In the Old Testament, God made only one exception to allow for divorce: adultery (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). If one person commits adultery, then the other can break the marital covenant without sin. He/she can also marry again without sin or causing sin. However, anyone who marries the adulterous person is considered adulterous. Tough law. It doesn't say what happens when one is stuck in an abusive relationship. It also doesn't elaborate on unsatisfying relationship. But that's the Law.

Today, we are no longer under the Law but under God's grace through Jesus Christ. This doesn't mean we can marry whoever we want, divorce whenever we want, and remarry again and again and again. In fact, in some sense, Jesus is even more strict: Adultery is not just an act. It starts in the heart, in our thoughts. Hence, the standards are still the same: Marriage is sacred. Adultery is sin. We can fall and make mistakes, because we are covered by God's grace. We no longer need the Law to detail what exactly constitutes reasonable grounds for divorce, because Jesus has made it very clear: It's all in our heart. Reflect, repent, and seek God. He will make it plain to each one of us how best to deal with the situation we are in.

Whatever sin we are dealing with, cut it out of our lives

Matthew 5: 29-30
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Jesus is making a strong point here. If we are faced with temptations, it is best to take drastic measures to remove COMPLETELY separate ourselves from those situations. Why is this important? Because Satan will use whatever he can to lure us into his trap. This is why Paul teaches us to never give Satan a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).

Practical examples include, if I am an alcoholic, I should never eat at a bar or meet up with friends at a bar. I clearly have trouble controlling myself around alcohol, so I should cut myself off completely around alcohol until I can control myself. Drinking is not a sin, but getting drunk often gets us into sin (Noah and Lot are great examples).

The big, big picture here is this: We are either ruled by sin or by God. Someone or something always dictates our lives. We may think we are our own masters, but we're not. We are dependent on something -- be it money, power, social status, whatever. And the point that Jesus is making here is, if we cannot commit ourselves to following God, we run the risk of being ruled by sin, and the result of that is grave. It may be difficult to have to cut off certain aspects of life that may seem so pleasurable, but in reality, addiction is a prison that Satan traps us with. It is thus much better to cut off Satan's ball-and-chain than to lose our soul by remaining attached to our addiction. Be addicted to Jesus. Way, way healthier.

Pray to God for the strength to resist temptation, to cleanse our nature, so that we no longer crave those temptations.

1 Corinthians 10:13, NKJV
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.


DO NOT TAKE THE LORD'S NAME IN VAIN (Matthew 5:33-37)

Matthew 5:34-35
Do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 

Many people think the command, "Do not swear," is simply about vocabulary -- the F-word, the S-word, etc. This command extends way beyond vocabulary. If we haven't gotten the point yet, Jesus makes it clear that everything we do, it's always all about the heart. Here, the big idea is ambassadorship. As Christians, we represent God. To properly represent Him, we have to be careful not just with our choice of words but also our actions... our entire being. All this, yes, begins in the heart.

Take this idea to the next level, do not take the Lord's name in vain. When we swear upon the Lord, we are putting His name at risk. If we cannot fulfill what we have promised, we defame His good name. This is why Jesus made it clear that we should not swear upon anything of God. In fact, don't swear at all -- because we are imperfect and prone to mistakes, whoever we swear upon, be it our father or mother or even ourselves, we risk the goodness of that name.

Matthew 5:36
Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

Jesus tells us to not swear upon anyone -- Not God, not even ourselves -- because we have no real control over our own lives, where is the value in swearing upon ourselves? As Jesus illustrated, we have no power to turn even one hair on our head from black to white – So what's the point of swearing upon ourselves? There is no place for us to be placing oaths likes this. Instead, just remain truthful.

Matthew 5:37
... Let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No."

Proverbs 12:22 
The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Just be a man/woman of our word. Say what we mean, and mean what we say. Be straightforward and truthful, and leave swearing on whoever's name out of it.


LOVE OUR ENEMIES (Matthew 5:38-44)

The love of God, on a certain level, is difficult to comprehend. When we are hurt, when we are angry, when we are offended, how are we to "love our enemies"? I can't say I've completely grasped the concept, but this lesson has taught me that all sin starts from the heart. Murder, adultery, envy, jealousy, lies, etc. – even though these are all physical acts, all of them first take root in the heart. Once I know this, my heart must change if I want to be more like Jesus and be less of a sinner. Jesus loved ALL -- including those who murdered Him. How great a heart is that? My understanding of this all is that our love for people ought to so great that even when others hurt us or wrong us, we can see past that and help them to the path of Christ. Ultimately, salvation is all that matters. If we see past ourselves and focus on the salvation of others, perhaps we can begin to understand the great love of God.

Galatians 5:16
Walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Ephesians 4:22-24
Be made new in the attitude of our minds, to put on the new self, created to be lie God in true righteousness and holiness.