Posts Tagged ‘ Law ’
For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.
Hebrews 7:12, ESV
We could never save ourselves from God’s wrath and the sin revealed by His Law. When Jesus was established as our High Priest at His death and resurrection, we who put our faith in Him are no longer under the Law, but we obey out of love for our Lord.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11, ESV
God’s Law is based on His character, who He is. When we truly take in His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit, it will change our character, our inner-selves, to be more like our holy and righteous God.
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:25, ESV
God’s Law is not a set of arbitrary rules but based on His character, so He came as one of us to perfectly obey.
Now He helps us by His Holy Spirit to love in Christ’s obedience when we believe in His death and resurrection.
I preached again!
As usual, these are my rough notes, so not necessarily everything I said while preaching.
“Do as I say.”
What do we think of when we hear these words?
Do you hear your angry mom or dad or boss? Do you hear your own voice talking to your kids or employees or co-workers?
Do you hear reprimand?
Do you hear rebuke?
Or do you hear a command? “DO AS I SAY!” Or maybe a gentle reminder? “Please, just do as I say.”
The words that go through my head tend to be, “Do as I say, not as I do.” That hypocritical reminder that we fail, but we hope others do better. That our children will live a better life than we did growing up.
I also think about those times my parents would ask me to do something that I didn’t understand, and – sometimes with a hint of annoyance, sometimes with that gentleness of patience – they would simply say, “Do as I say,” with that implication it will make sense soon.
Jesus spent the past chapter and a half talking to the religious leaders. This is the week of His Passion, the week He is crucified, and it is generally believed that it is now Tuesday. He had His triumphal entry on Sunday, He cursed a fig tree and cleansed the Temple on Monday, and He is now in the Temple having discussed His authority, the unfaithfulness of sons and tenants who even killed servants and the Son of the Master, the apparent worthiness of those invited to a wedding feast who likewise killed servants, paying taxes, and the final resurrection. The last two things discussed were the Greatest Commandment with Jesus explaining the source of His authority.
After all of this set up with the back and forth with the Pharisees, scribes (Greek: grammateis), Sadducees, and lawyers, Jesus addresses the leadership, specifically the scribes and Pharisees. A lawyer was simply one who knew the Law of Moses forward and backward. He doesn’t bother with the Sadducees. They deny the power of the Law while teaching it. Jesus focuses His attention on Pharisees, the conservative leaders, and scribes – literally the grammarians, the theologian priests who copy the Law and write the commentaries.
vv. 1-3a [Read]
In verse one we notice that Jesus directs this introduction to the crowd and His disciples. I imagine He starts out looking at them, but as He finishes verse three He shifts His gaze towards the religious leaders. He says that they sit on Moses’ seat. They are the stewards of God’s Word, delivering the message first given to Moses (and the Prophets) to the people of Israel, and they sit as judge over the people, as seen in Deuteronomy 17:9-11. This means that they are still spreading God’s truth. I can even imagine them beginning to look a little [more] smug, hearing Jesus say to listen to them. I can hear them repeating, “Yes. Do as I say.”
Then Jesus shifts, and I imagine He is fully looking at the Pharisees now.
vv. 3-7
Read v. 3: Jesus puts words in their mouths at this point: “Do as I say, not as I do.” In the next couple of weeks, we will see how He gives examples, such as keeping others from heaven while promising good things, making people worse, justifying wicked actions while hypocritically condemning others for those actions. He summarizes them here …
Read vv. 4-7: Remember the message from two weeks ago, when Jesus dealt with His authority and the Greatest Commandment.
He stressed loving God by loving others. What is Jesus saying immediately after that? The religious elite try to love God, but they do it by not loving others. It looks like they love God, because they explain His Law so well and add so many protections to keep God holy. It is loving to help people obey God’s commands, but it is not loving to give rules but not help obey them. It is loving to point people toward God, however, Jesus shows us that it is not out of love for others that the Pharisees do things.
“They do these to be seen by others.”
It is selfishness, pride, and prestige. The make themselves look good so that people think they are good and righteous. It’s not about honoring God, it’s about looking like they’re honoring God.
It is helping out in every ministry in church, but not taking time to actually help others or actively study God’s Word and thus grow in relationship with Him.
It is posting to Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok posts of your daily Bible readings, not so much because you remember what you read but to show people that you’re doing what you’re supposed to.
“They make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.”
It has been pointed out by many that there different words that could have been used by Jesus other than “phylacteries” that would have been more accurate to describe what was commanded by Moses in Exodus 13:9,16 and Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:19. The Hebrew words “totapot” (to-faw-faw or to-ta-fof) and “tefillin”, which mean “bindings of reminder/remembrance,” or the Greek “asaleutos”, which means “immovable/unshakable” are meant to serve as reminders of God’s saving Israel from Egypt and to love the Lord their God with all of their heart, soul, and mind.
A phylactery denotes a charm or protective ward, a superstitious or magical protection. Jesus is saying the Pharisees are using God’s Word as some sort of protective spell to keep away demons or curses rather than to actually keep God’s Word at the forefront of their minds, hearts, and actions as an act of worship and love.
Their fringes were a reminder of God’s holiness laws, as found in Numbers 15 and Deuteronomy 22. The Pharisees are showing they know all of God’s laws and keep them well. Between the two articles of jewelry/clothing, they are showing how many passages of Scripture they have memorized, how smart and biblical they are. “See how holy I am! Look! LOOK! I’m better than you!” Just like the proud pharisee in Jesus’ parable with the humble and contrite tax collector who both pray in Luke 18:9-14.
It is looking down on other Christians who don’t believe quite the same way or do things differently.
It is letting everyone know what they have done wrong without showing grace (“tie up heavy burdens, not willing to lift a finger to help.”)
It is reminding everyone of God’s standard while disobeying somewhere yourself.
“They love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues.”
They thought of themselves as better than others, so they expected good seats at events. They wanted to be the closest to whoever was teaching so that they could be seen as intense and passionate learners, lovers of the Law and good debaters.
It is having your seat at church and getting upset when someone else sits there.
It is wondering why the church isn’t doing more to serve you and meet your needs, rather than serving the brethren before your own needs.
It is arguing and debating the meaning of biblical passages and words without a willingness to learn or be proven wrong.
It is the discernment teachers who call out every sin of other teachers while neglecting to notice their own failings (maybe even saying they never sin.)
“They love greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi.”
The Pharisees loved being recognized and seen as smart. Some rabbis even demanded people give them public honor, such as bowing or kissing their hands.
It is the YouTuber who expects recognition for their great teachings.
It is the so-called “apostles” and “prophets” today who brag about their spiritual giftings and drag others into their lies and false teachings.
It is expecting non-Christians to behave like Christians, or all Christians to act exactly the same way.
Yet, these are the people Jesus says to listen to!
vv. 8-12
Read vv. 8-10: Is Jesus saying never be a teacher or pastor? Is he saying we can’t call our male parent our father?
No.
Jesus is saying stop seeking titles. Stop seeking to be better than others. Stop seeking to always correct everyone.
Seek first God and His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33), and He might make you one of the teachers and pastors. Remember James’ warning in chapter 3 of his letter: “Not many of you should become teachers, because teachers are judged more strictly. Look at the reaction the Pharisees and grammar nazis … I mean scribes are getting. Next week we get into the woes against them from Jesus Himself! But we also know teachers are held to a higher standard. Seek the standard first. What standard?
We are to love God and love others first.
How?
Jesus basically said in John 14, “Do as I say (v. 23 – “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word”) and as I do (v. 12 – “whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater”).” Or, here in Matthew …
Read vv. 11-12: Love God by loving others by serving them. [Read Philippians 2:1-4] Yes, we still have interests and needs that can be taken care of, but we are to think of others first. The next several verses in Philippians remind us that Jesus did this for us, the Creator and Sustainer of everything became a servant for us, dying on a cross.
Likewise, we serve God when try to make it easier on each other to follow Him. We don’t compromise truth, but neither do we bash people over the head with it. If anyone ever had reason to be judgmental and ruthless, it was Jesus. Instead of demanding a title or going out of His way to get recognition or correcting every little issue or killing people who didn’t follow God perfectly, He showed love, grace, and mercy.
Yes, He told people to go and sin no more, but first He saw them, He heard them, and He loved them.
Maybe you have fallen short of perfection. (Romans 3:23 – We all have!) It’s not rules we follow that get us into heaven and away from God’s wrath, as the Pharisees clearly believed. It is trusting in the name of Jesus, the work He accomplished when He died on a cross to wash away our sins and restore us to relationship with God. It is believing that He raised again from the dead, overcoming death and sin, giving us hope for eternity with Him, not merely sitting on clouds and playing harps but on a restored Earth with glorified bodies free of pain, suffering, and fear.
Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t show grace to others. I have been. Then it was others showing grace to me and realizing more fully God’s grace for all of us that I began to grow in grace. I have been the legalist who had to correct every little error in someone’s theology, or told others how wrong their actions were, even while making the same (or very similar) errors. Such as when I fell into a crowd of hyper-charismatics, and I knew I understood God better than others. Or when, after that, I actually read and studied my Bible, and seeing all of the connections and God’s teachings, I had to call out everything my pastors and professors said or did wrong.
It was pastors, teachers, and, yes, even people under my care and teaching that corrected me. Yes, defend the truth of God’s Word, of who Jesus is, but also remember that we are all sinners in need of grace, constantly learning and growing. Even you. Even me.
Maybe you spent this past year so focused on what everyone is doing wrong. Two chapters after reminding us to think of others first, Paul told the Philippians in 4:8-9 “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you all.”
It is easy to focus on the negative, to focus on everyone else doing everything right. It’s even easy to focus on what you might be doing wrong, but again, focus more on the positive, seeking God. As Paul said in the four preceding verses (4:4-7), “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Christ died for your failures and your sins. Give them to Him! Don’t just tell people everything their doing wrong, but rejoice with them in the good, encouraging each other to grow in godliness as the Holy Spirit transforms us more and more into the likeness of Christ.
Yes, call out false teachings, but – more importantly – teach God’s truth to each other with grace, mercy, gentleness, and respect, that people may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Others will hear what you say and see what you do, and they just might see Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1).
We are called to obey God’s commands. It is so easy to see our own failures. It is easier to see the failures in others.
We are at that time when many set resolutions: goals for the coming year. I think we see how we condemn ourselves with many of these resolutions, with the average person (64%!) giving up by the end of January!
Sometimes, we forget that the other people in church or at work or at the grocery store or on the road are going through things in their lives, just like we are. We want to be quick to complain about how stupid they’re being, or we want to put them in their place and correct them, or we think that they are uncaring or need to grow in grace. It’s easy to look at Adam and Eve, Israel in most of their history, our own families, co-workers, and friends and see the blatant mistakes and sins they made. Maybe it’s even seeing our own failures and getting upset or losing hope.
So, rather than merely setting annual resolutions or simply getting upset with others, let’s start where God told us to.
God has commanded us to love. Like Paul reminded us in Philippians 2, we look after our own needs as well as others, but like Jesus said in Matthew 6, we work diligently while seeking and trusting God to meet our needs. Loving is not always so easy to do, and it can feel impossible to love others, especially when they are in the wrong, and maybe even more when we are in the wrong.
But Jesus says, “Do as I say,” in the gentle, patient voice of a parent who really does know better. There is sometimes rebuke, when we knowingly disobey, but mostly Jesus is our compassionate teacher and friend, guiding us toward a godly, fulfilling life. When we focus on loving God by loving and serving others, it is no burden. As Jesus says in Matthew 11, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light, because we can rest in the light of knowing He is in control. It’s based on His faithfulness flowing through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not always easy, but Jesus has shown us the way. So, let us draw near to God by drawing together in the unity of His love, doing what our Lord has said and done.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:8, ESV
The Law shows us how much help we need, and it also points to Christ. Following biblical precepts will make life better, but our greatest success is inheriting eternal life in Christ.
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5:14, ESV
We crucify our own desires for the sake of our Lord and to look to the needs of others in love.
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:18-19, ESV
We are not bound to the Law of Moses with strict rules and sacrifices, for the perfect sacrifice was made. In Christ, we now seek to love God who indwells us by His Holy Spirit and helps us.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple
Psalm 19:7, ESV
Let us remember to thank God for His Word, asking that it change us and urge us forward in our walk with Christ, giving us wisdom and truth.
I preached again!
As usual, these are my rough notes, so not necessarily everything I said while preaching.
Pastor Scott has been leading us through the book of Esther.
There is a reminder that this is the only book of the Bible that does not mention God. We know that sometimes the things in this life can make it feel like God is not there, but our sovereign God is always moving the pieces, even if we can’t see.
It is like going to the coffee shop.
I work part-time in a coffee shop. I like making coffee for people.
Isn’t interesting how many people think they can tell their barista how to make their coffee, even to the point of giving not just bad advice but downright wrong advice about what they like?
Some people even complain that they don’t know what is happening on the other side of the counter, because they can’t see what the barista is doing.
Take it from a barista: most of us know what we’re doing, and we are not big fans of being told how to do our job or having to answer the same quality questions over and over.
Coffee obviously is not for everyone, because it is a cup of bitterness. With a good barista, that cup of bitterness can become a delicious treat. (Unless you really can’t stand coffee or have a medical condition, but that is beside the point.)
But, you may be asking, does this have to do with the book of Esther?
We know the Jewish people were handed the bitterest of cups with their people being condemned to slaughter, but we see how God made something good from it.
Esther 8:1–2, ESV
On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
Go back into chapter 7: the day is when Haman was revealed and put on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai.
The day Mordy should have been lifted up and killed, Esther tells the king that he is her relative who raised her, and he is instead lifted up in promotion to the old job of Haman.
Imagine the elation of the Jews: one of their own is now one of the most powerful leaders in the empire!
It is very much like elections here: when a leader we dislike is elected, we whine and complain and riot … I mean feel sad; but when a leader we like is elected, we’re happy (even if we don’t always like everything they do.)
Maybe now some good things will come.
Now some real decreeing and declaring can happen!
Let’s see how that plays out.
Esther 8:3–8, ESV
Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”
First, notice how Esther approaches her husband, the king: she still comes humbly, still has to await seeing if she has his favor, which seems obvious after this past chapter, but this was a pagan king who could kill anyone who approaches without being summoned.
Second, notice how she Esther asks the king: at his feet, weeping and pleading. This is a contrite woman who knows her people are still in danger (even if she and Mordy will probably be okay).
Third, we see the dangerous side of the Persian government: a kings decree is un-revocable. Because of this law, the king now has a possible civil war on his hands. (We also see the reminder of how impulsive he is, because he killed a mildly disobedient wife, signed a decree based on “Please, because I hate them,” and little consideration for the future.)
He has a problem he helped create, but he also now has good counselors in Esther and Mordecai. He puts his trust in them to figure out a way around the first decree.
Esther 8:9–14, ESV
The king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king’s service, bred from the royal stud, saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king’s service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.
We recall from chapter 3 that Haman made the decree on the 13th of the first month, Nisan, to kill all the Jews in the twelfth month, Adar.
The 13th of Nisan is the day before Passover. So, the day before the Jews celebrate redemption, a law is passed saying that at the end of their year they will be killed.
It would be similar to either an Easter or Christmas massacre for Christians.
But now, here are Esther and Mordy, two months and ten days after the decree, able to write their own decree: on the 13th of Adar (less than 9 months away), the Jews can not only defend themselves, but they are allowed to kill, destroy, and plunder from anyone who attacks them!
This is good news!
Now, we could ask why God would even allow these things to even happen.
As many of you know, I greatly enjoy coffee. My wife and I became coffee snobs, because there is much, MUCH better than Starbucks and many of the other chains out there. I tell you this so that you can understand where this video is coming from.
[James Hoffman video about coffee tasting]
What does Mr. Hoffman and myself drinking bad coffee have to do with God allowing such horrible things to take place (or almost take place)?
Whenever we as humans have things go well, we eventually get tired of the good things and complain. So God actually promised that He would help break the cycle.
In Deuteronomy 28 and 30, we read:
And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. “And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
Deuteronomy 28:63-64, ESV
“And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. . . . when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 30:1-3,10, ESV
So, God brings the curses, the bad things, to bring us back to Him.
Now – look around at our nation today. See the obvious rebellion and problems that necessarily follow: a culture that says people can be whatever they want, love whom they will, kill their babies (and in some countries and states the elderly and sick), inflation, hatred, etc.
As Paul told us in Romans 1:
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Romans 1:24-32, ESV
Oh, yes. I believe God is cursing a country that was once based on God’s Law and Christian morality.
So, will we be a people that whine and complain about how horrible things have gotten, or will realize we have the ear of the King, humbly approach Him with tears and pleading, and ask Him to save this land?
Will we be a people who realize our King has already sent out His decree (Matthew 28:18-20):
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””
Are we going to do our part and carry this decree to everyone as quickly as we are able?
Because we have the truth, and we have received our promotion and a decree to declare to the whole world.
Esther 8:15–17, ESV
Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
Esther and Mordecai were real people in a real place in history. But we also see what God was pointing us toward.
Jesus of Nazareth, the long-awaited Messiah/Christ, was God come to us, putting on flesh, to give the example of living out God’s holy commands, to then sacrifice Himself in our place for the punishment WE deserved for our breaking His commands, and then to rise back to life and give us hope for the future.
When we believe this truth, like Mordecai, we are raised up with Christ as heirs of the promises of God. We are clothed in bright white robes of the righteousness of Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit (blue), and we are given a crown of glory that comes from Christ.
His authority is lived out in us to take this good news to all parts of the world, that some may declare themselves part of our People – that they may put their faith in Christ, our King who has given us freedom from the fear of death.
Like a good barista, our Maker does His work in us through the bitterness of this world. We know what the best of life is like, so we willingly go into this world full of nastiness and wrongness, and we share that bitter cup of Christ (sacrifice) that others may be able to taste and see the goodness of God.
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7:12, ESV
We love God by loving others, and we love others the same way God loves us: by grace, forgiveness, and sacrificing our own wants and needs for others.
a simple man of God