Understanding Jesus attitude towards both the Law and grace is essential when we are considering His moral teaching.

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Maurice Cummings
6 years ago
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1 Week 5 Session 1 - Jesus Teaching (Part 1) Understanding Jesus attitude towards both the Law and grace is essential when we are considering His moral teaching. Jesus Attitude to the Law JESUS DEMONSTRATED CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITY IN HIS ATTITUDE TO THE LAW Continuity in regards to the Law - Jesus regarded the Old Testament as the inspired word of God and the Law as the divinely given rule of life. He Himself obeyed the law (Matthew 17:27 - Temple tax; 23:23 - tithing) and viewed the Old Testament as having permanent validity with His mission accomplishing the true intent of the law (Matthew 5:17). Discontinuity over the scribal interpretations - On the authority of His own Word, Jesus rejected practices which included the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28; 3:1-6; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1); fasting (Mark 2:18-22); ceremonial purity and washings (Matthew 15:1-30)l ceremonial observance about food (Mark 7:1-12); distinctions between righteous and sinners (Mark 2:15-17). JESUS CLAIMED THE AUTHORITY TO REINTERPRET THE LAW There is a new relationship between humanity and God which is no longer mediated through the Law but through the person of Jesus Himself. Jesus assumed an authority equal to that of the Old Testament, He did not quote previous rabbis no did he say This is what the Lord says, as former prophets did but taught on His own authority, I say to you (Matthew 5:21-22) JESUS CALLED FOR AN INNER RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT CANNOT BE CONTROLLED BY THE LAW Jesus put a new emphasis on the righteousness of the heart - Jesus pushed the Law further than even the strictest of the Pharisees who had divided the Law into 613 rules (248 commandments and 365 prohibitions with 1,521 emendations). Jesus not only condemned sexual immorality but also lust; killing but also anger (Matthew 5). He raised the bar from an external obedience to the Law to an inner righteousness that cannot be controlled by the Law (Matthew 7:17). People will render account for every careless word (Matthew 12:36) out of their hearts. Jesus called for a decision to deny self for the sake of the kingdom - This involves His disciples turning their backs on all other relationships and even forsaking one s home (Luke 9:58). It comes before normal human obligations (Luke 9:60); even breaking relationships at time (Luke 9:61); setting father against daughter, etc. (Matthew 10:34-39). His disciples are to hate those they love compared to their love for the kingdom (Luke 14:26). they must break any tie or affection that stands in the way of this decision (i.e. rich young ruler and money - Luke 14:33) and even renounce their own life (Luke 14:26; Matthew 16:24) so that the Kingdom of God comes first. The Way School of Ministry, Not for Distribution - 1 of 6 -

2 Jesus summarized the Law by a call to love - He looked for a commitment to love God with all our being and to love our neighbors and even our enemies. The law of love summarized all the Old Testament ethical teaching (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus lived up to the standard that He set - Jesus not only taught but also demonstrated for His disciples a level of righteousness that came from an inner purity and commitment to God s will and to loving others. Jesus ethical teaching shows us what God is like. We love our enemies because God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good. We aim at perfections because God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). We watch Jesus and do what He does. Jesus Teaching on Grace JESUS DEMONSTRATED FORGIVENESS He forgave an adulteress (John 8:1-8), a thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43), a disciple who had denied Him and even those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). JESUS DEMONSTRATED ACCEPTANCE He was a friend of sinners and spend time with children, sinners, Samaritans and allowed Himself to be touched by the unclean, lepers, etc. God s love is demonstrated in Jesus parables of a shepherd leaving the flock to look for the stray and the father longing for his rebellious son. Example: The parable of the Pharisee and the sinner (Luke 18:9-14) teaches that, although our behavior matters, it is not how we get accepted by God. Jesus listeners would have assumed that the Pharisee was a righteous man and the tax collector was a sinner. Probably the two men went to pray at the time of morning or evening atoning sacrifice and so the tax collector prayed, Let this sacrifice result in mercy for me. The major point of this parable is God s willingness to forgive. The Pharisee did not ask for forgiveness and the tax collector did. JESUS SHOWED THAT FULFILLING THE LAW COMES AS A RESPONSE TO GRACE Healthy guild admits our faults and drives us back to God who loves us without excuses. We trust Him, knowing we are sinners and knowing our need, i.e. Zacchaeus who responded with joyful generosity once he as been forgiven (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus taught the ideal of a person in whose life the reign of God is absolutely realized. Only by God s grace can we attempt to live up to these standards of living. We are called to live up to this standard, but with the call, God gives us the means to do so. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to respond to Christ s call to follow Him. We are called to become what we already are. Summary The Law sends us to Christ to be justified, and Christ sends us back to the law to be sanctified. - John Stott Jesus both fulfilled and reinterpreted the Law in a way that required a higher standard of inner righteousness. However, He also taught and exemplified grace. Fulfilling the law can only ever come as a response to grace, not in order to earn it. The Way School of Ministry, Not for Distribution - 2 of 6 -

3 Week 5 Session 2 - Jesus Teaching (Part 2) Jesus set out a way of living that was counter cultural to many of the expectations of the day and also to much 21st century thinking. The sermon deals with every aspect of the Christian s life and so needs to be taken seriously as a picture of how we are expected to live as recipients of grace. The Setting of the Sermon on the Mount THE CONTEXT WAS THAT OF JESUS TEACHING ON THE KINGDOM AND REPENTANCE The Sermon on the Mount is found at the start of Jesus public ministry, immediately after His baptism and temptation. It comes in the context of His announcing the good news of the kingdom and is inseparably linked to His teaching on the kingdom, It comes also in the context of a call to repentance because the kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4 17) which requires a change of mind and a new standard of righteousness. Jesus set out a different way of living for those who accepted God s rule - This way of living is quite distinct from that of the world (Matthew 6:8; Leviticus 18:3). Throughout the sermon we see the contrast between kingdom and non-kingdom standards (Matthew 5:44-47; 6:7-13; 6:32-33). We see too how Jesus sets His moral teaching against the theca arguments of the theological scribes (5:21-48) and His standards of devotion over the hypocritical piety of the Pharisees (6:1-18). The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, life-style and network of relationships - all of which are totally at variance with those of the non-christian world. And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the Kingdom of God, a fully human life indeed but lived out under the divine rule. - John Stott The sermon addresses every part of life A Christian s character (Matthew 5:3-12) - character and conduct A Christian s influence (Matthew 5:13-16) - need to maintain their distinctive character. A Christian s righteousness (Matthew 5:17-48) - reaffirmed authority of Old Testament and the full implications of God s moral law. A Christian s piety (Matthew 6:1-18) - sincerity, and reality. Not formality or hypocrisy. A Christian s ambition (Matthew 6:19-34) - different attitude to material wealth and possessions. What do we seek first? A Christian s relationships (Matthew 7:1-20) - when we relate properly to Christ it affects all our other relationships. So don t judge but serve, etc. A Christian s commitment (Matthew 7:21-27) - do we mean what we say and do what we hear? The Way School of Ministry, Not for Distribution - 3 of 6 -

4 Such a reversal of human values is basic to biblical religion. The ways of the God of Scripture appear topsy-turvy to men. For God exalts the humble and abases the proud, calls the first last and the last first, ascribes greatness to the servant, sends the rich away empty-handed and declared the meek to be his heirs. The culture of the world and the counter-culture of Christ are at logger heads with each other. In brief, Jesus congratulates those whom the world most pities, and calls the worlds rejects blessed. - John Stott Implications of the Sermon for the Christian Life HOW WE TREAT OTHERS (MATTHEW 5:21-48) Jesus taught about how to transform negative relational situations, moving behind the external law to its inner intention and showing how to respond.. Obviously we need grace to live this out. Matthew 5: Murder: Jesus pointed out that if we kill them we violate the law (Exodus 20:13) and face its judgement. However, going behind the external command to the inner intention of the law He pointed out that we should not even come close to the act of murder. In fact, vengeful anger can start the vicious cycle that ends in murder. His challenge was that, we should rather be reconciled to the one we have hurt and make friends with our enemy who is taking us to court. Matthew 5: Adultery: Again, Jesus started with the external aspect of the law that forbids adultery (Exodus 20:17) before going behind to the inner intention that had to do with lust. Lust that is not dealt with easily leads to adultery since you have already committed adultery in your heart. His challenge, which uses the extravagant language of amputation to make its point, is that we should rather avoid allowing our minds to take that first temptation further and we should avoid the second look that could trip us up. In this context Jesus statement about divorce on the grounds of adultery relates back to the statements about the dangers of lust. Matthew 5: Swearing Oaths: In the Old Testament oaths were seen in the context of justice (Exodus 20:16 - do not bear false witness) and were common practice under the law with people often swearing by something greater than themselves. Jesus challenged a perversion of oath taking (Matthew 23:16-22) that had developed by New Testament times in that the Pharisees and others were drawing a distinction between oaths that should be carried out and those that need not be. He argued that, if a person could be relied on to speak the truth under normal circumstances then there would be on need for swearing oaths because their word would always be reliable. When we resort to oaths then we reflect a pattern of deceit and lying that goes back to Satan (John 8:44). Matthew 5: An Eye for and Eye: The external law of an eye for an eye was designed to prevent revenge getting out of hand and contrasted with some of the extreme measures allowed for in law codes of other nations at the time (i.e. life for an eye). However, Jesus went behind the external to the inner intention of the law, which was for a new type of justice that did not seek vengeance at all but rather sought to disarm the offender with generous love. Jesus gave 3 examples of how one could transform the situation. The challenge is for each of us to think through our appropriate response. The Way School of Ministry, Not for Distribution - 4 of 6 -

5 Turn the other cheek - being struck with the back of the hand on the cheek was an insult and act of contempt. Turning the other cheek diffuses the cycle of violent retaliation and at the same time reflects Jesus response (Isaiah 50:6) Hand over your cloak - This refers to the law court and if you hand over your cloak as well and reduce yourself to nakedness you reveal to your adversary what they are really doing in suing. Go the 2nd mile - This refers to the Roman soldier s right to force civilians to carry their equipment for a mile but they were not allowed to make them carry it any further. Jesus challenged his listeners to astonish the soldier with their generosity in going further Matthew 5: Be like your heavenly Father: Hate your enemy is not an Old Testament quotation but was obviously in common speech at the time and probably reflected in contrasting attitudes to fellow Israelites and to foreigners. Jesus challenged behavior that simply reflected the standards of the time and spoke of undiscriminating love. In doing this He challenged His followers to follow His example and to become like their heavenly Father as they lived submitted to His rule in their lives. In a word, what I m saying is, Grow up. You re kingdom subjects. Now live like ti. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. Matthew 5:48 (MSG) DEVOTIONAL LIFE (MATTHEW 6:1-18) Do not make a show of your devotional life (Matthew 6:1-8, 6-18) - Jesus, in common with all Jews, saw giving, praying and fasting as basic obligations of life. IT was not that He thought that these outward behaviors did not matter but that what matters is the motive. Are we doing these things to impress other people or are we doing them sole to love and please God? Note that there is a reward for doing such things (v. 4, 6, 18) but our focus needs to be on secrecy so that our heavenly Father gives us the reward rather than being rewarded by the praise of people. Follow the pattern taught by Jesus - The Lord s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:1-4). Jesus set out a framework for prayer in response to the disciples request to be taught how to pray. It is not the actual words that are to be prayed rather than the structure, which explains the small differences between the two records of the prayer. Adoration - Our Father in Heaven, hallowed by your name - These words set the tone for our time in prayer; remind us of who God is and His heart; establish a sense of focus (on what s important) for the prayer; are essential as God is worth of our adoration. It also reminds us that our first identity with God is as our Father (abba). Submission - Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. - Before we bring our agenda and requests to God, it is helpful to remember that He is God, that we are alive to fulfill His purpose, not the other way around. This is a prayer for God s kingdom to become fully present. Requests - Give us today our daily bread. - God want to meet our needs, and wants us to ask Him. However, we do not just pray for our own needs but also for the needs of others. Confession - Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. - When we fail by giving into temptation and sinning, we need forgiveness. Rather than hide from God The Way School of Ministry, Not for Distribution - 5 of 6 -

6 when we sin, He wants us to come to Him for cleansing and we need to do this regularly. However, there is a condition which Jesus elaborates on in Matthew 6:14-15 and that is that we need also to forgive others, otherwise our hearts will be closed when forgiveness is offered to us. Help - And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. - Jesus knew that there would be great times of testing and we need to pray to be protected from the worst of it as from its personified form in Satan. We can t become better people and overcome life s challenges on our own. Whether facing internal or external obstacles and difficulties, we can ask God for help. Summary Jesus was very practical in His teaching and application in the Sermon on the Mount and our challenge is to apply that teaching to a 21st century context. The Way School of Ministry, Not for Distribution - 6 of 6 -

Live By Jesus Interpretation of God s Will

Live By Jesus Interpretation of God s Will FOCAL TEXT Matthew 5:17 48 BACKGROUND Matthew 5:17 48 MAIN IDEA Jesus instructs his disciples to live a life of complete goodness springing from a heart grounded in the character of God. QUESTION TO EXPLORE