The key point of Matthew 5:17-20 is: Our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. Jesus said that he came to fulfill the Law, meaning Jesus came to demonstrate the true meaning of the Law. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law added traditions to the Law. The Law + Traditions is the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, as a result, God’s Law lost its intended meaning.
Jesus gave five examples to explain the point. We covered the first two in our previous sermon: (1.) about murder v.21-26 (2.) about adultery and divorce v.27-32. Today, we would like to study the other three examples: (3.) about taking oaths in verses 33-37; (4.) about an eye for an eye in verses 38-42, and (5.) about loving one’s enemies in verses 43-47.
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Non-believers, Heaven’s banquet is waiting for you. If you do not want to enter just yet, I am afraid you may truly miss out on heaven’s banquet and it would be too great a loss. Simply acknowledge that you are poor, crippled, blind or lame and you are qualified, because no one is qualified, it is all by grace.
Believers, Jesus tells us: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor , blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”
O Church! Do not be deceived by external looks, we must continue to seek spiritual blessings, admit our lack that we may continue to enjoy heaven’s banquet!
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Let us learn how David defeated the giant Goliath. This was David’s first victorious battle and a brilliant feat that stunned the whole world. No one could believe it for David used only one stone to kill Goliath that day. A young man in his teens defeated a 9-foot, 300 pound giant? Aside from the Lord’s help, what were the reasons for David’s victory?
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These thirty-one verses in Matthew 5:17-48 tell us a very important truth, that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. The passage’s main point can be found in verses 17 to 20 and Jesus gave us 5 examples to illustrate this point in verses 21-48. We cover the first two examples in this sermon.
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