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.
I
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
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
. I
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.
) l
']. 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
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 .
