Take a good look at the picture. Many believers keep harping on the fact that Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law. Take another look at the picture, you may argue oh but that’s the food law as well as the ceremonial law”. My friend, do you even know what is the Law?
“Don’t think I have come to destroy the Law” is often quoted without understanding the context and culture of the day.
You must read this verse in context. It was said just after the beatitudes. Blessed are you … and etc. In the beatitudes you are blessed without having to do anything. Accordance to the law in Deut. 28 you can only be blessed if you obey the law. If not you are cursed. So the people presumed that Jesus AT THAT TIME says that the Law was abolished. The Law was not abolished at that time. THIS IS BECAUSE THE LAW HAD NOT ACHIEVED ITS PURPOSE YET.
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is ACHIEVED.
Notice this there is a deadline for the LAW. When the Law’s purpose is ACHIEVED the law will disappear. Jesus came to ACHIEVE that purpose. And that purpose was achieved when He died and rose again and send the Holy Spirit.
There are 2 laws: one the Mosaic Law, the other the Law of Christ. You can clearly see this in Romans 8: 2 “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” While I agree with you to say there is 2 laws. However, the 10 commandments is part of the Mosaic law.
You must understand that when Jesus was talking about his commandments he is NOT referring to the 10 commandments. He was referring to the fact that if you love me you WILL obey MY commandments. His commandments were not given yet. He is not referring to what was ALREADY given but what WAS ABOUT to be given.
In other words it is something like this. Your wife has a handbag she wants. So she comes and tell you, ”dear if you love me … you will…buy me a handbag.” The commandment he referred was in 1 John 3:23 that is to believe in him and to love one another as He loved us.
What Jesus was saying was in anticipation of what he was ABOUT to command and not what HE HAD commanded. What He wanted was to establish a NEW COMMANDMENT which is this “LOVE one another as I HAVE LOVED you.”
Notice in 2 John 1:5 (New International Version)
5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.
Note that John says the commandment that he refers IS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING! If I am John I would have referred to the 10 commandments but HE DID NOT. Instead the commandment he referred to was the NEW commandment that Jesus gave.
AS SUCH when Jesus was talking about obeying His commandments HE was referring how you must love another as JESUS loved you. Note: You are not supposed to love me the way you love me. You are supposed to love THE WAY JESUS LOVED ME. You cannot do this without the Spirit. John says it this way “We love BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVE US.”
My dear friends this commandment can only be fulfilled when you know how much Jesus loves you. If you think that Jesus loves us because you obey the 10 commandments and your performance, you have NO idea how terrible we are as sinners and we will never appreciate how much he loves us. You cannot fulfill this commandment. You see loving one another is a FRUIT produced by the Spirit and NOT a WORK produce by you or your flesh.
Please reread your bible. Read this and you will see that the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the 10 commandments are totally in opposites: 2 Corinthians 3: 7-8 The Government of Death, its constitution chiseled on stone (ONLY THE 10 COMMANDMENTS WAS ON STONE TABLETS) tablets, had a dazzling inaugural. Moses’ face as he delivered the tablets was so bright that day (even though it would fade soon enough) that the people of Israel could no more look right at him than stare into the sun. How much more dazzling, then, the Government of Living Spirit?
9-11 If the Government of Condemnation was impressive, how about this Government of Affirmation? Bright as that old government was, it would look downright dull alongside this new one. If that makeshift arrangement impressed us, how much more this brightly shining government installed for eternity?
12-15 With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back. Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn’t notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice it then and they don’t notice it now, don’t notice that there’s nothing left behind that veil. Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can’t see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there’s nothing there.
16-18 Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
Notice here when the 10 commandments is preached a veil covers you and your hearts became dull but when the commandments are taken away you see God face to face and you become transformed from glory to glory. We do not change by effort or work towards the Law. We are transformed when we see Jesus face to face!
“But heaven and earth is still here!”
Now you may say then “but wait a minute heaven and earth is still here.” I am here to tell you its’ gone.
Let’s go to chapter 9 of Matthew.
9 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
When the scribes challenged Jesus about his ability to forgive sins by saying only God can forgive sins, they were actually saying they had the monopoly to do so. This is because forgiveness of sins was only available to the Jews from the temple. Since they are scribes, they knew the Law and how the whole process of bringing a lamb or bull was to be carried out.
As such to the teachers of the Law, forgiveness for only attainable in the temple. That is what the Jews meant by “heaven”. The temple was “heaven” on earth where God dwelt.
When Jesus said “the Son of Man has power to forgive sins, ON EARTH”, he meant that God does not live in that temple any more and He was in Jesus. Jesus said “destroy this temple and I will build it in 3 days”.
When Jesus said “he had power to forgive sins on earth” he meant he has power to forgive sins in Israel. That is what he meant by “on earth”. When the temple was destroyed in AD 70, Israel also seized to be a nation. As such “heaven and earth passed away”.
When that happened, righteousness through the law was replaced by righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5: 18
“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
Jesus said these words thereafter: Matthew 24: 34
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
The things he said regarding what will happen in the generation then was:
15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no [j]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the [k]elect those days will be cut short.
The abomination of the desolation came in the form a man by the name of Nero, who offered a pig in the temple and persecuted the Jews. Josephus writes about Christians escaping and fleeing to the mountains. It was the end of the Law and the practice thereof.
Thus, Ephesians 2:14-15 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the [a]barrier of the dividing wall, 15 [b]by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might [c]make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace.
Dear friends, that is how Jesus became the end of the Law. Now we live in a new heaven and new earth. The heaven is us, the new temple of God, the earth is the Kingdom of God on this earth, while we await his glorious return to transform us and bring us back to his Father’s house.
“Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven”
But preacher, what about this?
“19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
It is important therefore to understand the context of this statement. What are these commands? Let me share with you it is not the Law, but rather verse 20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
How do have a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees?
The answer lies at the end of the Sermon. It is not offering your right cheek, not just stop looking at women lustfully or not even by not calling a brother “Raca” but this in verses 33 “Seeking the righteousness of God”.
Paul speaks about this in Romans 3:20-22.
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now APART FROM THE LAW the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness IS GIVEN through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
Notice Paul says 3 things here:
God has a righteousness.
It is apart from the Law. Nothing to do with the Law.
It is a gift.
Now look at Matthew 5 again. The righteousness of the Pharisees here is the righteousness that come from the Law. The righteousness Jesus ask you to look for is the righteousness that comes from the Father.
Now look at the next statement Jesus makes after verse 33 of Matthew 6, he says these words as he concluded the Sermon on the Mount,
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Notice the righteousness of his Father is a gift?
So has Jesus abolish the Law? You bet!
Ephesians 2:14-15
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has DESTROYED THE BARRIER, THE DIVIDING WALL OF HOSTILITY, BY SETTING ASIDE IN HIS FLESH THE LAW WITH ITS COMMANDS AND REGULATIONS.
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