"Dark Religion, Bright Relationship"

Matthew 5: 17-24 "Think not (NOMISETE [Aor Act Subj] = to presume, think something that is not true and therefore misunderstand) that I am come to destroy (KATALUSAI = depose, abrogate, nullify) the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. [18] For verily I say (LEGO, Pres Linear = keep on saying) unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot (IOTA = smallest of all characters in Hebrew alphabet) or one tittle (KERAIA = a stroke in Hebrew alphabet called a WAW. Very small stroke) shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. [19] Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. [21] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:  [22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. [23] Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; [24] Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

Our Lord Jesus Christ, at the beginning of His ministry, went up into a mountain, sat down, and began to teach them His heart. It is good for a people to know the heart of their leader, and especially good when that Leader is our Lord and God Jesus Christ. Jesus knew that His teaching was going to be controversial - that there would be many who would try to undermine what He taught by claiming He was a "heretic", or a "false prophet". So Jesus sat down and began to speak what we call "His Beatitudes", the Kingdom Truths of Christ.

Jesus knew that His detractors would come and say He was "unorthodox". Yes, Jesus was "unorthodox", for He was without sin - and refused to play the games that the Pharisees and Scribes of His era played. Jesus also knew that these Pharisees would come and say that Jesus was canceling the Law of God by His teachings. In fact, not only would the Pharisees and Scribes teach this lie, many who came after, even in the Church, would teach that Jesus minimized God's Law. Every generation of people have had some that believed Jesus emphasized love and de-emphasized Law - that is, Jesus' thrust is love and forgiveness, and the afterthought is law and justice. Because of this twisted view (often perpetuated by pastors who should know better) many have felt that we, as Christians, are free to live a looser life and do as we wish. If the Law has fallen under Christ then, the assumption is made, we are free to ignore the Law for Jesus "freed us from the Law".

To all those who feel that we're no longer under God's Law to "be holy as He is holy", then Jesus' clear statement rings out:

Matthew 5: 17 "Think not (NOMISETE [Aor Act Subj] = to presume, think something that is not true and therefore misunderstand) that I am come to destroy (KATALUSAI = depose, abrogate, nullify) the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."

No, no, a thousand times NO! Jesus did not erase or destroy the Law of God, but He "fulfilled it". That was His mission, not to erase God's perfect Law. Today we're going to see three things, all taught in this text:

Let's look at each of these points, in turn:

If we are going to understand Jesus' statement, then we must look at the Law of God as it was given to us. The condensation or pure Law of God, the heart of the Law, is found in the Ten Commandments of God. Turn with me in your Bible to Exodus Chapter Twenty. The first four commandments, verses 3-10, are rules governing a person's relationship to God Himself. I want you to notice how God wrote that first commandment:

Exodus 20:3  "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

What a short, harsh commandment. When reading this I am reminded of the an order barked in the military with the tone of "Just do it because I said do it". Instead of "Thou shalt have no other gods before me", why didn't God say "I love you so much that I will give you Myself. I am true reality, the only God you will ever need. In Me alone will you find wholeness."

Or the Third Commandment. Why did God say:

Exodus 20:7  "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

and not "I love you so much that I have given you My name. You will be known as 'God's People' on the earth. Value the privilege, don't misuse it by profaning your new name or by not living up to it."
 

Question: Why were the commandments so harsh?

Why indeed? The answer is simple, yet complex. God wanted, dearly wanted to establish a relationship with man, but a barrier stood between man and God, a barrier of sin. Israel had come out of Egypt following a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud, had heard the rumblings of God in the mountain as He spoke to Moses, but God was unable to come down to each Israelite as He wanted to. When the Temple was erected God had a thick curtain hung between the Holy of Holies (where God was) and the Holy Place (where the people were). Before God could come down and establish a real relationship with His people He would have to be born of a Virgin, grow up as a Carpenter's Son, walk the earth in ministry for three years, be rejected of all, even His Father, and be nailed to a Tree. Yet this time would not come for several thousand years - so God gave the harsh Commandments to an eighty year old Moses.
 

Question: Could God establish a relationship with us in Moses’ time? Why or why not?

These Commandments were harsh, abrupt for a specific reason. God could not create a relationship with man because we were not ready for that relationship. This was amply illustrated on the day that God gave the Law to Israel. On that very day, while Moses was on the mountain, Israel was in the Valley creating a golden calf. While God wrote on stone with His finger, man used his fingers to create a demon god to worship. No, we weren't ready for the relationship. We weren't ready because Christ had yet to come and pay for our sins. We weren't ready because Christ had yet to be resurrected, ascend, and send back the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer. We just weren't ready.
 

Question: How can I relate the Law to the human body?

The Law introduced religion, but could not introduce a relationship with God our Father. We can illustrate the Law by looking at the human body. The baby, conceived in love in its mother, begins to grow and grow. One of the first things formed in the child is his bone structure. The bones, freshly formed, have rigidity and flexibility, give substance to the child's body so the child can continue to grow. This is the Law. God gave the Law, a structure of justice, to His people. This was the foundation of a one day relationship with God, but by itself it was unable to lead us into that relationship. By itself the Law limited, established religious barriers, gave us a list of do's and don'ts -- but could not bring us to a relationship in God until Christ came and fulfilled the Law, brought it to its completion or birth.

Matthew 5: 18  "For verily I say (LEGO, Pres Linear = keep on saying) unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot (IOTA = smallest of all characters in Hebrew alphabet) or one tittle (KERAIA = a stroke in Hebrew alphabet called a WAW. Very small stroke) shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
 

Explain YODH and WAW

No, Jesus made it very plain that the Law was not revoked - only fleshed out or completed by His ministry. Jesus made it plain that not one portion of the Law would be revoked, not one Iota or Keraia (jot or tittle) until it was fulfilled by His ministry. Let me explain how precise Jesus was with His statement. The "jot" is the smallest of all Hebrew letters, a yodh. If this yodh is in the wrong place, then the whole meaning of a word can be changed. For instance "Tough" means strong. But if I drop the "g" and replace it with a "c", then I have "Touch", which is an entirely different word. A "tittle" or a Hebrew WAW was just a stroke that changed the meaning of a word. For instance, I can change the word "Fun" by adding a stroke in front of the "F", to change the word to "Pun". A small stroke, but it changes all things.

Jesus wanted us to know that He was not here to destroy the Law, but to "Fulfill" or "Flesh It Out". The Law could not bring us to a relationship, but to a religion. That religion showed us, day after day, how far we were from a relationship with God. Each day I would wake up and walk out, using the bony structure of the Law, seeking my God. Each day, sometime during the day, I would break one of those bones and crawl back home no closer to God than I was in the morning. The Law let me down because I was unable to walk in it. I saw the holiness of God and was shamed, not lifted up. The Law brought religion, and religion could not bring relationship.

Matthew 5: 19-20  "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The Scribes and the Pharisees were the undisputed Masters of Religion. They had taken the Law of God and, outwardly showing how holy they were, focused on the Law rather than on the relationship they should have been building with its Author. Oh, they focused on the outward, they focused on the ritual - but in so doing they focused on the most important parts.

As I said before, the Law was the bones, the skeletal structure of what God wanted for us, but Jesus brought the flesh. One day while Jesus was teaching a Scribe came to Him and asked Jesus "What is the first commandment?". Without hesitation Jesus replied:

Mark 12:29-34  "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: [30]  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. [31]  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. [32]  And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: [33]  And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. [34]  And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."
 

Question: How did the Law in its infancy differ from the Law expanded through Christ?

Under religion the Law stated "Thou shalt have no other gods before me". This was the Law, the bones of the conceived child growing in its Mother, yet not borne into the light. Under Christ the Law is fleshed out to "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength". Under religion the Law stated:

Exodus 20:13-16  "Thou shalt not kill. [14]  Thou shalt not commit adultery. [15] Thou shalt not steal. [16]  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

Again, religion is harsh, abrupt, without choice or explanation. Yet Jesus fleshed out the Law. He told the Scribe that the heart of the Law, the Law delivered, fulfilled by Christ is not a series of harsh "no's" but "you shall love your neighbor as yourself".  Jesus delivered and fulfilled the harsh foundation by fleshing it out with Love:
 

Thou shalt not kill.	Human life is sacred. In love I knelt over you in the Garden, and breathed life into your carbon forms. Cling to life, respect it as you are formed in My image, the image of God.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.	The deepest human relationship possible is marriage. I gave you marriage because I love you. To spread what was meant for marriage alone among a group of people is to devalue it, to destroy the relationship.
Thou shalt not steal.	I am entrusting you with property because I love you. Ownership is a great privilege. For it to work, you must respect every one else's right to ownership.

No, this degree of relationship with God cannot be produced by the Law. You must have Christ in your hearts, heed Christ, for He brings flesh to the Law, and brings a relationship between us and our Father. A relationship with God through Christ does not bring apathy, or religion, or laziness. NO, NO, it brings an intimate understanding of God's love, and produces works of Love inside the Body of Christ.
 

Question: Do I have a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ? If I had to prove this in a court of Law, what would be my evidence?

If you have a relationship with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ then you are freed from following the religious Law, and are released so that you can follow the expanded Law, expanded by Love, that came through Christ. If you have no relationship with Christ then you are still under that old harsh Law of sin and death. Here is the equation:

Matthew 5: 21-24  "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:  [22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. [23] Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; [24] Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."

When the original harsh Law was given, it was strong on doing and weak on relationship. It could only bring religion, not relationship. However, when Christ fleshed out the Law, when He delivered the Law from pure justice to a relational love (love Godward, love manward) then its very delivery demands that there be reconciliation and love in the Body of Christ. I have heard this statement:

Yet God answers through Christ:

"I'm looking at you and your relationships, both with Me and with your brethren. Your capacity to love is being judged. Heed My Son, and follow My Leading".

or,

to which God replies:

"Before you can worship Me, before our Love relationship can be resolved, You, whether you were offended or not, are responsible to do all in your power (short of sinning) to make the peace."

When Jesus fleshed out, delivered, fulfilled the Law by adding the flesh of Love, then He made that love a mandatory part of all that we do. When you are angry with your brother whether you have caused the breech or not, Jesus makes it plain that it is your responsibility to make amends. Love demands this.
 

Question: Who is responsible to make reconciliation in the Body of Christ?

Each day, each human being on earth is faced with two decisions: ignore Christ live under the curse of the Law, or obey Christ and live under the freedom of the expanded Law of God, Love. Sadly, many in our Church Age sit on the fence and refuse to choose between the two. Some have "walked the aisles" yet rejected the fulfilled Law under Christ - which places them in danger of damnation. Others ignore the matter entirely, content to allow God to "sort it all out" in the end. Sadly, those who straddle the fence will never know the fulness of God in their lives:
 

Question: If I do not make reconciliation, in love, what are the consequences of this inaction?

Ephesians 3:17-19  "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, [18]  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  [19]  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."

God grant us the ability, as His Church, to stop riding the fence and seek His fulness through the Love of Christ.
 

Tess was a precocious eight years old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew.  All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money.  They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor bills and our house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no-one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."  Tess went    to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.  Three times, even.  The total had to be exactly    perfect.  No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way    6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.  She waited patiently for the    pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too intently talking to another man to be bothered by an eight year old at this moment.  Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise.  Nothing.  She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster.  No good.  Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter.  That did it! "And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.  "I'm talking to my brother from    Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question. "Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone.  "He's really, really    sick.  And I want to buy a miracle."  "I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.  "His name is Andrew and he has    something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a     miracle can save him now.  So how much does a miracle cost?"  "We don't sell miracles here, little girl.  I'm sorry but I    can't help you."  The pharmacist said, softening a little. "Listen, I have the money to pay for it.  If it isn't enough, I will get the rest.  Just tell me how much it costs."  The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man.  He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does    you brother need?"  "I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up.  "I just know he's really sick and Mommy    says he needs an operation.  But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.         "How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.  "One dollar and eleven  cents," Tess answered barely    audibly.  "And it's all the money I have, but  I can get some more if I need to."  "Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man.  "A dollar and eleven cents --  the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."  He took her money in  one hand and with the other hand he grasped her and said "Take me to where  you live.  I want to see your brother and meet your parents.  Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."  That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery.  The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.  "That surgery," her Mom whispered, "was a real  miracle.  I wonder how much it would have cost?"  Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents.... Plus the faith of a little child. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."  (Hebrews 11:6) {Thomas G. Belton, tgbelton@execpc.com}