Matthew 5:17-19

Who will be citizens of the kingdom?  The poor in spirit  Those that mourn for sin  The meek  Those hungering and thirsting for righteousness  The merciful  The pure in heart  The peacemakers  Persecuted ones  Theirs is the kingdom  Shall be comforted  Will inherit the earth  They will be filled.  Shall obtain mercy  They shall see God  Be called sons of God  Rich is their reward

The influence of kingdom citizens on the world…  They are the salt of the earth Exercise a leavening, preserving influence in the world by making it more tasteful to God  They are the light of the world Shine with God’s glory in the world by proclaiming the excellencies of Him who called us

 Did Jesus come to “destroy” the Law and the Prophets?  Did His teaching contradict the Law and the Prophets?

 Did Jesus come to “destroy” the Law and the Prophets?  Did His teaching contradict the Law and the Prophets? “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. (Matthew 5:17, ESV) W.E.Vine Dictionary of N.T. Words… abolish/destroy - lit. to destroy utterly, to overthrow completely

Thayer’s Lexicon- fulfill – to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets to receive fulfillment “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. (Matthew 5:17, ESV) W.E.Vine Dictionary of N.T. Words… abolish/destroy - lit. to destroy utterly, to overthrow completely Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, to obey them and fulfill the prophecies concerning the coming of Messiah

The law and the prophets foretold the coming of Messiah “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— (Deuteronomy 18:15, ESV) I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19, ESV)

The law and the prophets foretold the coming of the kingdom of God And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, (Daniel 2:44, ESV) Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15, ESV)

The law and the prophets foretold the establishment of a new covenant “Behold, the days are coming, declares the L ORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the L ORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the L ORD : I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the L ORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the L ORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34, ESV)

The law and the prophets foretold the establishment of a new covenant But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord:

The law and the prophets foretold the establishment of a new covenant I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:6-13, ESV)

Until the law and Prophets were fulfilled… The law would be permanent … 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. (Matthew 5:18, ESV) But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. (Luke 16:17, ESV)

If Jesus did NOT fulfill the law…  He failed in His purpose “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. (Matthew 5:17, ESV)

If Jesus did NOT fulfill the law…  He failed in His purpose  We’d better be keeping the Law 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. 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. (Matthew 5:18-19, ESV)

If Jesus DID fulfill the law…  We should not be surprised to find a new covenant or new law governing God’s people today I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. (John 17:4, ESV)

Jesus MUST have fulfilled the Law  There have been changes in the priesthood

Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. (Hebrews 7:11-14, ESV)

Jesus MUST have fulfilled the Law  There have been changes in the priesthood  There have been changes in the Law itself

For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7:18-19, ESV) This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. (Hebrews 7:22, ESV)

Jesus MUST have fulfilled the Law  There have been changes in the priesthood  There have been changes in the Law itself  There have been changes as the Law and the prophets foretold

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second…. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,… In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:6-13, ESV)

So… Jesus came…  NOT to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it.  Which He did by keeping it completely and fulfilling it’s prophecies  So that completed, it has now been replaced by a New Covenant/Law