ENCOUNTERING CHRIST

Good Morning Loving Church,

Today is Friday, June 24th, 2016. Today is the 176^th Day of 2016.

There are only 190 days left in this year; and, there ONLY 23 DAYS left until VBS BEGINS; and, only 184 days left until CHRISTMAS…

Today is Patrick Curry’s Birthday

Today is Katie Kilber’s Birthday

ENCOUNTERING CHRIST IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus and the Law of God

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.
¹⁸ For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
¹⁹ Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

If the only thing Jesus did was die for our sins, that would not get us into heaven. Jesus had to also live a sinless life – the life that Adam failed to live – in order to establish a perfect righteousness (which is also “accounted” to us when we repent and believe in HIM) because without righteousness, or, “holiness” no one can see God. (Hebrews 12:14)

If we were sinless, but not holy, we would be where Adam and Eve were before they sinned in the Garden.

Jesus did not come to abolish the Law of God; HE came to fulfill it. HE came to keep it; and, HE did.

We cannot be sinless so Jesus died for our sins. We cannot be holy so Jesus lived for our righteousness.

An “iota” is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet and the “dot” (‘yod) is the smallest part of a letter. The point is that nothing will be lost from the Law of God until all that God decrees will come to pass.

Now we come to “antinomianism”. This means to be “against the Law of God”

It means to teach others that since we are saved that we can basically live any way in which we like.

Jesus clearly points out that this is a serious error.

We do not keep God’s moral Law (specifically, the Ten Commandments) to “get” saved; we keep God’s Law because we “are” saved.

Christians do not keep the “Ceremonial” Laws from the Old Testament which were pictures of how to worship God and were used to teach about Christ. Once Jesus came, there is no further need of them.

Christians do not have to keep the “Civil” Laws from the Old Testament because we are not an earthly Kingdom as was Israel.

But, we do keep the moral Law, the Ten Commandments, because this is how we demonstrate the holiness which God has planted in our spirit to show our love and devotion to HIM.

Jesus said that those who keep the Moral Law of God and teach others to keep them will, “be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

The Midweek Bible Study Lesson for next Wednesday, 6/29, is “The Judgment Seat of Christ”.

Each Wednesday will feature a stand-alone lesson, so even if you can’t make them all; be sure you catch as many of these lessons as you can.

Carpe Diem!