Mat 5:17-20, Boy, the Lord Is Taking Forever.Sunday June 9, 2024Communion:
King and kingdom were to come - Israel knew. Psa 89:3-4; Psa 2:7-9; 110:1-3.
Simon boldly states it, Mat 16:16-18.
But when He died, the disciples lost hope, Luk 24:19f.
The forty days of our Lord’s post-resurrection ministry were designed to meet this particular need in the disciples in several ways.
Before they knew what it meant, the Lord shared with them a commemorative meal that was based upon the Passover. He told them to keep on doing it in remembrance of Him.
Its significance they would come to know later on. It would become the foundation of their gatherings, of the church.
They would pass on this commemoration to all generations who would continue to gather and celebrate, solemnly remember, and worship our great Lord who made all things possible and all things new.
He offered His body which would tear the veil and open the way to the Holy of Holies in heaven (Mat 26:26).
He offered His blood as the judgment of our sins in which we would have complete forgiveness, making us priests who could enter the Holy of Holies. By the cup He sealed the New Covenant for us (Mat 26:27).
We are privileged to live in an age where we know the reason for His death and resurrection. We see the place of His death in the redemption of Israel and mankind.
We deserve judgment and death and He took our place, the holy one of Israel became sin for us. 2 Cor 5:21.
Without His judgment and death, no man or woman could be in His eternal kingdom. With it, we enter by grace alone, through faith.
Message:
Idea: The commissions that Christ desired for His Church He gave after His resurrection.
Mat 5:17-20
Jesus came to fulfill the Hebrew Bible – not just one prophecy or part but the whole thing. What a statement!
He would be the human King, Son of Man and Son of David. He would develop every characteristic foretold and every ability needed. He would become the great Prophet, Priest, and King.
However, there were some things He would do, i.e. fulfill, that was not in the Hebrew Bible.
Without His first advent and subsequent rejection by Israel, the OT does not see two advents. The Jews rightly saw only 2 ages: before Messiah and after.
The church is a group that the OT saints, not even the prophets, see.
When Christ says that He came to fulfill the OT, He does not have the church in mind. Gasp!
The confusion of the disciples after His death becomes ours as well – many forms of amillennialism and postmillennialism, all of which in my opinion are distorted, untrue, and do not take the Scripture literally.
Jesus taught them for 40 days after His resurrection speaking of the kingdom of God and giving them commissions for the church.
Luke says that during the forty days Christ was “speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God,” (Act 1:3).
Do we just sit around, hands folded while we wait for the predicted kingdom?
During the forty days Jesus gave the disciples several commissions (Mat 28:18-20; Mar 16:15-18; Luk 24:46-49; Joh 21:15-17; Act 1:7-8).
Having informed them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and also as to His own place in relation to that kingdom, He now outlines a definite program of action followed by His disciples during the interregnum until He returns to establish His kingdom.
There is no record of Jesus talking about the church at this time, which may give even more weight to our commissions.
We are not building the church. He is taking care of that.
Summary of the commissions - the work of the church until He and His kingdom come.
Bear witness of the Messianic King, including His death, burial, and resurrection (Luk 24:46; Act 1:8).
Preach the gospel, repentance and the remission of sins to all nations (Mar 16:15; Luk 24:47).
Disciple all nations (Mat 28:19).
Believers were to be fed, baptized, and taught to observe all that Christ commanded His disciples (Mat 28:19-20; Joh 21:15-17).
Unbelievers were to be warned of divine judgment (Mar 16:16; cf. Joh 3:18, 36).
The church, her members, have a lot to do. The whole of it is centered on people, not buildings.
It demands your life. You cannot do it with any appreciable fruit unless you have given yourself to the King completely.
You will in no wise be an effective witness of the gospel, nor a discipler, nor a teacher of all He commanded unless you follow it.
Know how blessed you are. You are saved, righteous, in union with and married to the King, a member of the kingdom so confirmed that the Bible states it as a reality now, elected, adopted, predestined. Rejoice, none of the things in this world, nor the sin of the flesh have a hold on you. You have overcome them all, now live like it and, I say again, rejoice. |