SERMON ON THE MOUNT (PART 4)
(VERSES 17-18)

Introduction:
KJV Matthew 5:17-18
17.  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

In this portion of the Sermon on the Mount we will be looking at the Old Law, and Christ fulfilling it.
 

I. The Law was not destroyed but rather “abolished”

Destroy - Vine's Greek Dictionary
Text:  a strengthened form of ollumi, signifies "to destroy utterly"; in middle voice, "to perish."

Abolish - Vine's Greek Dictionary
"to reduce to inactivity" (kata, "down," argos, "inactive")

The Old Law was abolished not destroyed
KJV Ephesians 2:13-16
 13.  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
 14.  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
 15.  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Blotted out, Nailed to the cross – (in effect – the law was left on the cross)
KJV Colossians 2:14
14.  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Had to be put aside, so that we could be married to another
KJV Romans 7:1-6
 1.  Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
 2.  For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
 3.  So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
 4.  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
 5.  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
6. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

If it was destroyed, we could not use it as an example source
KJV Romans 15:4
4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
 

II. He fulfilled the Old Law

The promise to Abraham
KJV Genesis 12:3
3.  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

The promise fulfilled
KJV Matthew 1:1
1.  The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

The promise of a New Covenent
KJV Jeremiah 31:31-34
31.  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
 32.  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
 33.  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
 34.  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
 
 

Fulfillment of that promise
KJV Matthew 26:28
28. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Prophesy of the death of Christ
KJV Isaiah 53:1-12
 1.  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
 2.  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
 3.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
 4.  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
 5.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
 6.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
 7.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
 8.  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
 9.  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
 10.  Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
 11.  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The prophesy was fulfilled in Christ
KJV Romans 5:6-8
 6.  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
 7.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
7. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

III. V. 18 The Old Law would not pass until all had been fulfilled

Notice some things: 
First we are talking about the fulfillment of the Old Law (v.17).  Second we know that the law was done away (point II.).  Thus, the fulfillment of prophesy had to occur before it was abolished (done away, put aside).

What is a “jot” - 

Vine's Greek Dictionary
Text:  from the Heb. yod, the smallest Hebrew letter, is mentioned by the Lord in 5:18 

What is a “tittle”
Vine's Greek Dictionary
Text:  "a little horn" (keras, "a horn"), was used to denote the small stroke distinguishing one Hebrew letter from another. 

Thus, we identify that even the smallest things will be fulfilled.  When did the Old end and new begin.  When the Kingdom came into effect (Acts 2:1-4) **note: Matthew 3:2, Mark 9:1, & Acts 1:8**.  When baptism occurred in the name of (by the authority) Christ (Acts 2:38).

Christ was the fulfillment of bringing the new
KJV Romans 5:12-21
 12.  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
 13.  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
 14.  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
 15.  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
 16.  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
 17.  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
 18.  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
 19.  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
 20.  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
 21.  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
 

If you are not a member of the Kingdom (Church) do so today, as that is where salvation is (Ephesians 5:23).

Hear
Believe
Repent 
Confess 
Be Baptized
 

Copyright 2001 by Brian Yeager may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others. www.christianlibrary.org


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