Saturday, October 20, 2012

Sermon on the Mount Lesson 6 - What about the Old Testament?


LESSON SIX  October 18 – October 24
What do we do with the Old Testament?
 
 
 
 
 
 

Jesus came bringing not a new law but a new covenant through which        God was at work forgiving sins. . . and offering reconciliation to and among his own. The conduct, therefore, demanded       in the Sermon becomes a picture of one's relationship with the Father, the presence of God's  sovereign rule in one's life. Like fruit from a "good tree,"  this  conduct was not optional but inherent to true  discipleship  because  of what God was doing for his own through Jesus Messiah.'

 
Several times Jesus said, "You have heard ...but I say unto you." In our world, we hear so much from its religions, its denominations, but what does He, the Lord Jesus Christ, say?
 
 


 
DAY ONE

Having studied the character of those who belong to  and, thereby, possess the kingdom of God, having seen the conflict that such a life of righteousness brings, we now tum in our study to see how that character will be increasingly manifested to the world through its conduct. As we look at how we are to be perfect even as our Father is perfect, we  must continuously remind ourselves that this is only possible through abiding in the Vine Q"ohn 15:1-5). His life flowing through us brings an abundant harvest of fruit, the righteou sness of Jesus Christ. "The conduct demanded represents the 'good fruit' of discipleship, not the basis for or the means to achieving discipleship. [Here] Jesus does not pronounce as blessed those who obey His words or do the will of the Father but those who stand as empty-handed, desperate, those hungering and thirsting for a right relationship with the Father and others. Accompanying that blessing comes God's response with the enablement to  live   accordingly ."2



 
 
 
! )
'Robert A. Guelich,  The Sermon on the Mount: A Foundation for  Understanding (Waco, Texas: Word Books,  1982),
p. 28.
2 Ibid., p. 31.


 
Before we go any further, be sure you understand that the life set before us in the Sermon on the Mount is the outcome of true Christianity. It is not an achievement that brings us into His kingdom, but the outcome of belonging to the kingdom, indwelt by the King. Granted, we shall increase more and more in godliness; yet if we are truly saved, godliness, to one degree or another, will be there.
 
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1.                   Read Matthew 5,   review what you observed from the text, especially verses 17 through 48.
 
2.     In Matthew 5:17, Jesus began talking about His relationship to the Law. How much of chapter 5 does Jesus devote to the Law?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.      List everything you learn about the Law in Matthew 5.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.     Let's do a little cross-referencing work in the Scriptures and see what we can learn about the Law. Look up each reference.  Next  to  each,  note  what  you learn about the Law from the Scriptures.
 
a.    Exodus 20 (God gives the Ten Commandments. Moses then speaks to the people telling them why God has given them the Law. Especially note Exodus 20:20 for God's news!)


 

b.   Exodus 24:3-8 (The Law was referred to as the Old Covenant.)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
c.      Deuteronomy  6:24-25
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
d.      Psalm 19:7
 
 
 
 
e.      Romans 7:12
 
 
 
 
 
f.    1John 3:4
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
g.  James 2:10; Galatians 3:10
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
h.       Romans 7:7


1.     Galatians 3:24
 
 
 
 
 
 


DAY

TWO

AND DAY THREE


1.  Review  what  you  learned  about  the  Law  yesterday  by  writing  out  a  brief
summary or by listing all of the facts you discerned about the Law.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  Why  was  the  Law  given?  What  did  the  Law  reveal  to  a man  or  to  Israel?
Galatians 3:16-19 tell us that the Law was added after the Abrahamic Covenant (in which God promised Abraham a seed, Jesus the Christ) . The Law was added "because of transgressions . .. until the seed Jesus Christ] would come."
 
Now follow carefully. If the Law was given for defining transgressions so that if I broke a law then I would know what sin was (for sin, according to 1John 3:4, is transgression of the Law), then the Law must show me God 's holiness. The Law is holy (Romans 7:12), and God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). Therefore, the Law reveals God's holiness and the demands that a  holy  God makes upon His people. His people are to be holy even as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).
 
Now, in the light of this truth, what would Jesus, who is God, do with the Law? Could He have abolished it? Set up a new Law? A different Law? Answer this from Matthew 5.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.    _ ,


3.  We have established from Scripture that the Law is holy, righteous, and good.
The Law defines sin because transgression of the Law is sin. Have you ever thought that sin is sin because it is unlike the holiness of God? Jesus did not come to abolish the Law. Not a jot or tittle will pass away until all is accomplished. Then our next question is, "Since the Law is holy, can the Law make a person holy?" Or to put it another way,  "Can keeping  the Law justify a sinner and make him righteous?" Look up  the  following Scriptures  noting what each says in regard to this question:
 
a.      Romans 3:19-20
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
b.      Romans 8:3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
c.      Galatians 2:16; 3:11
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
d.      Now what's the answer? Can the Law make a man holy? Why or why not?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  A few more questions on the Law, then we will be ready to move on.
 
a.      The Law is holy, but if it cannot make a man holy because of man's flesh, why not abolish it. . . get rid of it? Can you abolish holiness? Of course not! You cannot remove or alter the Law simply because man fails to keep it.


 
b.       Now, if the Law cannot be abolished, and man in and of himself cannot keep it, what will he do with it? Look up the following Scriptures for the answer. (It would be good for the sake of reference and review to write out the Scripture verse under each point.)
 
1)    What did Jesus do with the Law? Matthew 5:17
 
 
 
 
 
 
2)     Jesus kept the Law in all points.  How did the Perfect Lamb of God
satisfy the requirement of the Law on our behalf? Read Galatians 3:13.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3)      When you, as a sinner, come to God to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and are saved, where is Jesus Christ? Where is the Holy Spirit? Read 1 Corinthians 6:19; Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 1:13-14, and answer the question .
 
 
 
 
 
 
4)      Now, with Jesus Christ, what will you do with the Law? Read Romans 8:4.
 
 
 
 
 


DAY
FOUR


When the Jews discovered that they could not keep the Law, they found themselves in a  dilemma . They knew that they must be righteous in order  to inherit the kingdom of heaven, yet they just couldn't achieve the righteousness that the Law demanded. So what did they do? Well, for the most part, instead of casting themselves upon God in faith, instead of looking to the coming promise of the Messiah who through the New Covenant would set them free  from sin's power, they came up with their own interpretation of the Law. The Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day , developed their own system of law. They "codified the Scriptures    into    365    negative    commandments    and    250    [248]   positive
 
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conunandments, and taught that if men kept all these, they would be acceptable in the sight of God."3 Pharisaism was a system designed to circumvent the requirements of the holiness of God and, thus, the demands of the Law as God intended it to be kept. This is why Jesus said, '"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven"' (Matthew 5:20). When the Pharisees codified the Law, they dealt with external obedience and literally left out the heart of the matter. It is the heart that we will deal with today.
 
1.      Read Matthew 5:21-48 again. What kind of obedience was Jesus calling for?
Internal or external? How do you know? Would this have anything to do with a man 's heart? Please explain.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.      Why do you think Jesus repeats the phrases,  "You have heard that . .. but I say to you "?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.       How does Matthew 5:48 relate to what Jesus is saying to His listeners?
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.      If keeping the Law is a matter of the heart, what is a man to do? What is a man's heart like? Look up Jeremiah 17:9 and write it out.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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']. Dwight Pentecost,  The Sermon on the Mount:  Contempora1y Insights for  a Christian Lifestyle (Portland, Oregon: Multnomah  Press,  1982), p. 89.


5.      If a man's heart is as Jeremiah 17:9 says, then how could he ever have a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? How can he ever keep the Law and walk in God's statutes?
 
The answer is found in the New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace. Look up the Scriptures that follow. Next to each, note any insights you glean regarding the New Covenant-who brings it in, what its relationship is to the Old Covenant, the Law, and what happens to those under the New Covenant .
 
a.       Read Hebrews 10:1-10. (When you read Hebrews 10:1, note that the Law could not make anyone perfect; yet what did Jesus say in Matthew 5:48?)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
b.       Hebrews 8:6-13
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
c.       Hebrews 9:11-15
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
d.       Matthew 26:26-28 (Also, see 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.)


 
 
 
 
 
 
6.      Now, from what you  have just  read, answer these questions:
 
a.      Who brought in the New Covenant?
 
 
 
b.       Why did He bring in a New Covenant?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
c.       What happens to the Law as a covenant once the New Covenant comes?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
d.       What  does  God  do  with  the  Law  in  the  New  Covenant?  (Look  up Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16 before you answer.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


DAY
FIVE

Today you have only one assignment, but, oh, will it be a blessing! It will give you the key to why and how you can live according to the precepts of the Sermon on the Mount!

 
1.     Read the following Old Testament passages of Scripture. As you read, remember that the church did not exist at this time. Jew and Gentile became one, part of His body, the church, after Jesus' death and resurrection (Ephesians 2:11-22). Therefore, what was promised to Israel and Judah has also been made available to the Gentiles. When you read the Scriptures, list everything that God will do for those under the New Covenant.
 
a.      Jeremiah 31:31-34


 
 
 
 
 
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b.      Jeremiah 32:39-40
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
c.       Ezekiel 36:26-27
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.      Now, taking into account all you've learned regarding the New Covenant, answer these questions: How is it possible for people who have deceitful and desperately  wicked hearts to have a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of scribes and Pharisees? How is it possible for them to be holy, to be perfect like their heavenly Father? How is it possible for them to keep His commandments?
 
 
 
 
 
3.      What part  does the Holy  Spirit play in the New Covenant? (Read Ezekiel 36:26-27 again before you answer.)
 
 
 
 
4.     What is your heart like? What is your relationship  to the New  Covenant?


5.      This question may seem redundant, but please answer it. What will happen in your life if you have entered into the New Covenant?

 

 

 

 

 

6.     Finally, let's ask some hard questions so we don't miss  the sanctification in  our lives that comes through applying truth.  In light of what you have learned about the Law and the New Covenant, how are you living? Do you live like someone who is still under the law?

 

 

 

 

a.        Do you believe you're saved by grace but made holy by keeping a list of dos and don'ts? Do you live by rules and  regulations,  believing  that  you can either earn or lose God's acceptance or favor based on your behavior? (If your answer is yes, read Colossians 2:6-3:4.)

 

 

 

 

 

b.       Or do you take the freedom you have from the Law and abuse the gift of grace in your life by continuing to live however you please ? Do you think, "Oh well, we all sin. God knows it!  He'll  forgive!"  and just  continue  to live as you please? Can a true child of God live this way? Read Romans 6:1-4 and write out what  God says.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c.       Are you walking like someone who now has the Holy Spirit within them, causing you to walk in His ways and be convicted and grieved when you don't? Read Acts 2:38 and Romans 8:1-4 and think about this; then write out the reason for your answer .

 

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