The Sermon on the Mount Matt. 5:21-32
Getting the Law Right—The Destruction of Self Righteousness
Reuniting Heart and Head—the restoration of right relationship! Recall that in our study of I John 1:1-4 that John (and the Apostles) purpose in writing his epistle is that we might have fellowship with them in their fellowship with The Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. This isn’t just a nice thought to make us feel good, THIS IS THE ENTIRE GOAL OF REDEMPTION!!!
I. The Father’s purpose in creation: To glorify (to show forth His Love for) the Son, that the Son might Glorify the Father. John 17:4-5, 24-26, Heb. 1:1-3 (Through Whom He made the worlds.)
A. He created man to enjoy that Divine Fellowship through a loving, dependant, sustaining relationship with the Creator God, giving him every opportunity to behold this God’s Goodness and provision. That fellowship is what was to be life in humanity. Self will and lust for independence severed man from that relationship with the Almighty and death came upon all men. Gen. 1-3
1. God’s estimation of man after the fall: Gen. 6:5 “Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
2. And after the “restart” with Noah? Gen. 8: 21 “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination (intent) of man’s heart is evil from is youth”.
II. The radical “recreation” necessary to restore this fellowship purpose of the God of Glory! We have seen the only people who can dwell in the Glory of the Almighty (the Beatitude people Mt. 5:1-12), their purpose on the fallen earth (to be salt and light (5:13-16), and the necessary fulfillment of “all righteousness” by the Glorious Son in human flesh, Christ Jesus.(Mt. 5:17-20) Our Lord now makes it plain why we need the Holy One in our stead.
Remember: Christ Jesus’ goal is the restoration of fellowship of His creation with His Father and that is the Love Relationship of Eternity and that alone is LIFE!!!
III. Matthew 5:21-26 Jesus deals with the first sin that occurred after the original sin!
A. Gen. 4:1-15 Man was separated from God by his self will, and now man is separated from each other by the ultimate act of murder.
B. Man and the Pharisees underestimate the act of murder. It’s not murder until there is a dead body at their feet. Jesus is bringing us back to Gen. 6:5 & 8:21—“Every intent of the thoughts of his heart are evil continually. 1. Vs 21-22 Jesus knows the nature of flesh to make excuses, so He gets to the “HEART” of the matter. We justify our actions and reactions by “they deserve that”, or “they dis-respected me”. Jesus says our actions as well as our justifications show that our hearts are bent on murder from the fall. Genesis 2:17 (Lit. as in the margin) “for in the day you shall eat of it, in dying you shall die.”
2. Vs 23-26 Jesus removes self justification. Jesus’ instructions do not allow us any self righteous attitude in our disputes. The conviction of the Holy Spirit does not allow us to behave as the “righteous” party, but rather requires us to live as “sheep before His shearers is dumb”. It takes two to tango! 3. Blood on the highway—my illustration. I was dangerously cut off in traffic the other day after giving ample warning of my intention to change lanes, came sooo close to an accident. My road rage was in my heart, that driver was obliterated in my mind and heart. It's at times like that that I am aware that I don’t know what “righteous anger” is nor am I smart enough to find the dividing line, but I know where there is a throne of grace where there is an abundance of Mercy and lots of Grace, and I need every drop of both every day!!!
IV. Matthew 5:27-30 Jesus deals with the second sin manifested after the original sin!
A. Marriage was given to man as the primary picture of the Eternal Triune Relationship. As the Father and Son were bound together in the Love that is the Spirit, so too man in the image of God was male and female bound together in love.
GOD ISN’T HAPPY WHEN THE FAMILY PICTURE IS DESTROYED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
B. Gen. 2:23-25 contrasted with 3:6-7. Notice their shock at each other’s nakedness! Until their sin, their “one flesh” eyesight covered their nakedness. The had no SELF consciousness! But that was the first thing to go when SELF started calling the shots of their existence. And what once was that beautiful picture, of One Flesh, has deteriorated into just another contact sport!
1. Gen. 6:1-7 The first “adultery/fornication” in scripture. The Sons of God SAW the daughters of men. Forget angels, they aren’t found here. The families of Seth and Cain are listed in 4:16-5:1-32. Seth was the replacement son through which the SEED would come.
REMEMBER: SIN ALWAYS PRODUCES MONSTERS!!!
a. Notice Gen 6:3 “My Spirit will not always strive (margin=abide) with man, for he is indeed flesh”. Every imagination is according to his own fleshly desires.
C. Matt. 5:27-28 Jesus gets us back to the heart of the matter. Just as in murder, humanities definitions don’t come close to God’s, and He Wrote the Dictionary!!!
1. Gentlemen, we all stand condemned by this one.
a. My billboard experience. In driving to work every day, I pass two billboards, strategically placed to grab your attention. Last January, up popped two new ones. One was for a motorcycle and RV show. It featured 4 or 5 lovely young ladies in bikinis--I guess there was a motorcycle under there somewhere, I''m not sure. The next was for a boat show. It featured a larger than life bikini clad lady, and they didn't even bother with a boat! I suppose I could have found a new way to work, but it would add 10 to 20 minutes to my drive time, and 4:30 is early enough to get up as it is. I don’t know where the dividing line is where an innocent look turns to lust, but I know where there is a throne of grace filled with an abundance of mercy and grace for my every need, and I cling to it continually for dear LIFE!
D. Matt. 5:29-30 Jesus gives us the only recourse flesh has—self mutilation. And as one man has said, “the adulterous look is never one eyed!
Christ Jesus is not Mohammed! He is using irony here to remind us that He is the “serpent on the pole” as in Moses day, and only by looking to Him and His fulfilled Righteousness can we find the cure for the plague of our soul. Until we come to Christ, in faith believing, we are only flesh, and flesh is as grass. We must come to Him and be washed by His blood and receive His Spirit. “Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh!!! Romans 8:1
Getting the Law Right—The Destruction of Self Righteousness
Reuniting Heart and Head—the restoration of right relationship! Recall that in our study of I John 1:1-4 that John (and the Apostles) purpose in writing his epistle is that we might have fellowship with them in their fellowship with The Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. This isn’t just a nice thought to make us feel good, THIS IS THE ENTIRE GOAL OF REDEMPTION!!!
I. The Father’s purpose in creation: To glorify (to show forth His Love for) the Son, that the Son might Glorify the Father. John 17:4-5, 24-26, Heb. 1:1-3 (Through Whom He made the worlds.)
A. He created man to enjoy that Divine Fellowship through a loving, dependant, sustaining relationship with the Creator God, giving him every opportunity to behold this God’s Goodness and provision. That fellowship is what was to be life in humanity. Self will and lust for independence severed man from that relationship with the Almighty and death came upon all men. Gen. 1-3
1. God’s estimation of man after the fall: Gen. 6:5 “Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
2. And after the “restart” with Noah? Gen. 8: 21 “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination (intent) of man’s heart is evil from is youth”.
II. The radical “recreation” necessary to restore this fellowship purpose of the God of Glory! We have seen the only people who can dwell in the Glory of the Almighty (the Beatitude people Mt. 5:1-12), their purpose on the fallen earth (to be salt and light (5:13-16), and the necessary fulfillment of “all righteousness” by the Glorious Son in human flesh, Christ Jesus.(Mt. 5:17-20) Our Lord now makes it plain why we need the Holy One in our stead.
Remember: Christ Jesus’ goal is the restoration of fellowship of His creation with His Father and that is the Love Relationship of Eternity and that alone is LIFE!!!
III. Matthew 5:21-26 Jesus deals with the first sin that occurred after the original sin!
A. Gen. 4:1-15 Man was separated from God by his self will, and now man is separated from each other by the ultimate act of murder.
B. Man and the Pharisees underestimate the act of murder. It’s not murder until there is a dead body at their feet. Jesus is bringing us back to Gen. 6:5 & 8:21—“Every intent of the thoughts of his heart are evil continually. 1. Vs 21-22 Jesus knows the nature of flesh to make excuses, so He gets to the “HEART” of the matter. We justify our actions and reactions by “they deserve that”, or “they dis-respected me”. Jesus says our actions as well as our justifications show that our hearts are bent on murder from the fall. Genesis 2:17 (Lit. as in the margin) “for in the day you shall eat of it, in dying you shall die.”
2. Vs 23-26 Jesus removes self justification. Jesus’ instructions do not allow us any self righteous attitude in our disputes. The conviction of the Holy Spirit does not allow us to behave as the “righteous” party, but rather requires us to live as “sheep before His shearers is dumb”. It takes two to tango! 3. Blood on the highway—my illustration. I was dangerously cut off in traffic the other day after giving ample warning of my intention to change lanes, came sooo close to an accident. My road rage was in my heart, that driver was obliterated in my mind and heart. It's at times like that that I am aware that I don’t know what “righteous anger” is nor am I smart enough to find the dividing line, but I know where there is a throne of grace where there is an abundance of Mercy and lots of Grace, and I need every drop of both every day!!!
IV. Matthew 5:27-30 Jesus deals with the second sin manifested after the original sin!
A. Marriage was given to man as the primary picture of the Eternal Triune Relationship. As the Father and Son were bound together in the Love that is the Spirit, so too man in the image of God was male and female bound together in love.
GOD ISN’T HAPPY WHEN THE FAMILY PICTURE IS DESTROYED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
B. Gen. 2:23-25 contrasted with 3:6-7. Notice their shock at each other’s nakedness! Until their sin, their “one flesh” eyesight covered their nakedness. The had no SELF consciousness! But that was the first thing to go when SELF started calling the shots of their existence. And what once was that beautiful picture, of One Flesh, has deteriorated into just another contact sport!
1. Gen. 6:1-7 The first “adultery/fornication” in scripture. The Sons of God SAW the daughters of men. Forget angels, they aren’t found here. The families of Seth and Cain are listed in 4:16-5:1-32. Seth was the replacement son through which the SEED would come.
REMEMBER: SIN ALWAYS PRODUCES MONSTERS!!!
a. Notice Gen 6:3 “My Spirit will not always strive (margin=abide) with man, for he is indeed flesh”. Every imagination is according to his own fleshly desires.
C. Matt. 5:27-28 Jesus gets us back to the heart of the matter. Just as in murder, humanities definitions don’t come close to God’s, and He Wrote the Dictionary!!!
1. Gentlemen, we all stand condemned by this one.
a. My billboard experience. In driving to work every day, I pass two billboards, strategically placed to grab your attention. Last January, up popped two new ones. One was for a motorcycle and RV show. It featured 4 or 5 lovely young ladies in bikinis--I guess there was a motorcycle under there somewhere, I''m not sure. The next was for a boat show. It featured a larger than life bikini clad lady, and they didn't even bother with a boat! I suppose I could have found a new way to work, but it would add 10 to 20 minutes to my drive time, and 4:30 is early enough to get up as it is. I don’t know where the dividing line is where an innocent look turns to lust, but I know where there is a throne of grace filled with an abundance of mercy and grace for my every need, and I cling to it continually for dear LIFE!
D. Matt. 5:29-30 Jesus gives us the only recourse flesh has—self mutilation. And as one man has said, “the adulterous look is never one eyed!
Christ Jesus is not Mohammed! He is using irony here to remind us that He is the “serpent on the pole” as in Moses day, and only by looking to Him and His fulfilled Righteousness can we find the cure for the plague of our soul. Until we come to Christ, in faith believing, we are only flesh, and flesh is as grass. We must come to Him and be washed by His blood and receive His Spirit. “Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh!!! Romans 8:1