I love that song. I love singing
these songs of praises and glory to our Lord. Turn with me back
to Matthew 23, if you would. As I've mentioned to you many
times, the chapters that we are looking at, where we are in Matthew
at the moment, this is the week leading up to our Lord's crucifixion. Our Lord rode into Jerusalem.
went into the temple, he purged it, scourged it, he rebuked the
Pharisees, which he's obviously continuing to do, but then he
would end that day by going to Bethany, spending the night,
and then he'd come back the next morning and he'd start preaching
again. And our Lord is preaching each day this week leading up to is crucifixion. And before we start into this
particular message that he preached, I want us to understand that
this is the last message that he preached to the multitude. That's important to understand
because he says some things in this. Before He goes to the cross,
this is the last message He preached to the multitude of people. Everything
that He said after this was directly to His disciples. So this was
His final word to the world, and it's a very sharp word. So let's enter into this, realizing
the importance of it, realizing the emphasis of it. This was
our Lord's last word to people. Verse 1, Matthew 23, verse 1,
it says, then spake Jesus to the multitude
and to his disciples. He was not only speaking to the
multitude, he was speaking to his disciples too. They were
sinful flesh just like the rest of the world. He was saying this
to all flesh, all men and women everywhere. All of the woe, as
we read down eventually into this chapter, he says, woe unto
you, woe unto you, woe unto you. I believe eight times he says,
woe. All of the woe and the condemnation
that is owed to the world, that's owed to God's people. In our flesh, we are the world.
They got it right in that song. We are the world. We are of the world. So verse
one, then spake Jesus to the multitude and to his disciples. saying the scribes and the Pharisees
sit in Moses' seat. The scribes were the ones who
transcribed the law of commandments so that the copies would not
deteriorate and go away. They constantly made new copies
of the scriptures. They're the ones who kept the
law around. And the Pharisees were the ones who enforced the
law of commandments. the religious leaders of the
people. And what our Lord is about to expose is they were
false religious leaders of the people. Verse one, then spake
Jesus to the multitude and to his disciples saying, the scribes
and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat as the enforcers of the
law. Verse three, All therefore whatsoever
they bid you observe, that observe and do. The Lord said, they are
the ones who are keeping copies of the law around and keeping
them in force. So whatever they tell you to
do, do it. This is the law of God, the commandment
of God. Whatever they tell you to do,
do it. Verse three. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe
that observe and do, but do not ye after their works for they
say and do not. He said, whatever they say to
do, do it, but don't follow their example because they command
you to do it, but they won't do it themselves. Verse four,
for they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born and lay them
on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them
with one of their fingers. They command these heavy burdens
of the law. They lay these heavy burdens
on men and women, and they tell them, if you don't uphold this
weighty matter, You can't be saved. You won't
show any evidence of being saved. He said they lay that burden
on other people, but they wouldn't use one finger to try to lift
that burden themselves. So our Lord said, don't follow
their example. Don't make this just a thing
of lip service in word only. Whatever they command you to
do, do it. Whatever they command you to
do, do it. Now, is salvation by works or grace? That kind of makes it sound like
salvation is by works, doesn't it? Does this sound familiar? I asked you this question last
week. is by works. Everybody who knows
something of grace, you know, hold the press, slam on the brakes
when you say that. Salvation is by works, just not
our works. This is, I'm hoping, this was
the same subject of last week and I'm hoping that as we hear
it again, I pray the Lord will let us enter into this, salvation
is by works, salvation is by works. Why do we read, why would
he say, why would Jesus Christ say, whatever the law says, do
it? We're just saying free from the
law, oh happy condition. Are we free from the law? Yes. Then why did he say that? How
do you make sense of this? Salvation is by works. Salvation is by works. Obedient
works, just not our obedient works. If we truly get a hold of this,
we'll have an infinitely greater understanding The grace of God
to us will understand grace, grace, God's grace. I fear that when we say salvation
is by grace, sometimes we lose sight of the great work that
it took to accomplish our salvation. The great work that Christ had
to bear the weight of The command of the law never
let up on us. The weight of the burden of God's
law of commandments, it never let up on us. Never. It was never
let up on us. The law said, it's going to take
these works to save you. That never changed. That never
changed. It took a great work to save
God's people. Salvation is by works. Just not
our works. Just not our works. That's where
the grace comes in. That's where the grace comes
in. When we say salvation is of the Lord, what we're saying
is salvation is by the works of the Lord Jesus Christ. When
we say that salvation is by the grace of God, what we're saying
is salvation is by God freely giving to us all of the works
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm telling you, if we ever get
a hold of that, if I ever really get a hold of that, I will be
the happiest man that's ever walked this earth. You think about that. The grace
of God is God giving us all of the works of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is by God freely giving
this to us. It is God which worketh in us. That's what our brother just
read, both to will and do of his good pleasure. Turn with
me, if you would, to Matthew 5. Matthew 5 verse 13 says, You are the salt of the earth,
but if the salt have lost his savor, He said you're the salt
of the earth, but if you become ruined. You are the salt of the earth,
but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be
salted? If you're not salty anymore,
how are you going to get your salt back? It is thenceforth
good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot
of men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set
on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth
light unto all that are in the house. Verse 16 says, let your
light so shine before men that they may see your good works.
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Now skip verse
17 for just one second and go to verse 18. For verily I say
unto you, till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle, one
dot of the I or cross of the T, shall in no wise pass from
the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break
one of these least commandments. Have you ever broken a commandment
of the law of God? Have you ever broken a commandment?
Have you ever encouraged or influenced anybody else to break a commandment?
Verse 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.
For I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven. He said, if you want
to go to heaven, you had better be better than the scribes and
Pharisees because they're not going to heaven. You had better
exceed what they're doing. Now, in deed and in life, we
are not better than the Pharisees. In deed, in walk of life, we
are not better than the Pharisees. They did not smoke, drink, cuss,
chew, or run with women that do. They didn't do that. And the Lord said, they are not
going to enter the kingdom of heaven. They were good, fine Christian
people. They were. And the Lord said,
they're not going to heaven. And it's because of this right
here. In our text, our Lord said, they are not truly fulfilling
the works of the law. They looked good on the outside.
They being sinners looked good to other sinners. But they were still sinners against
the holy law of God. It's because they did not truly,
they could not truly fulfill the commandments. If a person
does not fulfill the commandments, the person is not going in. Good, fine, Christian people
do not go to heaven. They can't fulfill the commandments
of the law. Sinners don't go to heaven. They can't fulfill the commandments
of the law. All right, so how's anybody going to be saved? Who
then can be saved? If that's the case, who then
can be saved? Our Lord said, with man, it's
impossible. With man, it's impossible, but
not with God. All right, look at verse 17,
Matthew 5, verse 17. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, think
not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfill. He said, I did not come to destroy
the law. I came to fulfill it. I came
to fulfill it. Call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sin against God's holy law. Why are
they sinners? Why are we sinners? Transgression
against the law. How is he going to save us from
our sin against the law? By reconciling the law. Redeeming
the law, remedying this broken law, fulfilling the law, satisfying
the law, making it so that the law says, okay, you did it. Turn with me to Isaiah 42. Isaiah
42. Verse one, God the Father said
concerning Jesus Christ the Son, he said, behold my servant, whom
I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I have put
my spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He will bring the verdict that
my people need to receive. They need for their sinful slate
to be wiped clean and they need every jot and tittle of the law
to be fulfilled. God the Father said, behold my
servant. The world is gonna be judged
by him. My people are gonna be judged
in him. He's gonna bring judgment, all
judgment. Look at verse seven. He said,
my servant is gonna open the blind eyes to bring out the prisoners
from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison
house. Why would you open a prison door
and tell the prisoner you're free to go? Why would you do
that? Only one cause for that. The verdict came in. He's not
a breaker of the law. The law has nothing against him. Look up at verse one again. Behold,
my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighted,
I have put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment
to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up,
nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. He's not going
to do anything to be seen of men. Verse three, a bruised reed shall
he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He
shall bring forth judgment unto truth. Verse four says he shall
not fail, nor be discouraged till he have set judgment in
the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law. The father
said, he is not going to stop working until every soul that
I have given to him is justified by the law in my sight. That's
what he will accomplish for my people. And he will accomplish
it. He shall not fail. When our Lord came down on Mount
Sinai to give the law to Moses, he said, you tell the people,
do not step one foot on this mountain. They will die in their
sin. But he said to tell them, after
I finish my work of redemption and my work of righteousness
for them, you tell them they're going to be able to come all
the way up to the top of this mountain to worship me. Then they will no longer be contrary
to the holy law of God. They'll be in agreement with
it. They will be fulfillers of it. They will be worthy to stand
in its holy presence. Christ said, that's what I'm
gonna do for them. The Father said, that's what he's gonna
do for them. The Spirit now says, that's what he did for them.
That's what he did. In John 17, verse four, the Lord
Jesus Christ said, Father, I finished the work. I finished the work,
all the work you gave me to do. I fulfilled the work of the law. for my people." When we hear
that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, sometimes
that can sound like Christ came in and He took that terrible
law and He wadded that thing up and He threw it out the window.
Absolutely not. Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. Up Calvary's mountain,
one dreadful morn, walked Christ our Savior, weary and mourn,
facing for sinners, death on the cross, that he might save
them from endless loss. He redeemed us from the curse,
being made a curse for us. In our place, he delivered us
from the weight by stepping in and bearing the weight for us. So much so, the law said, I'm
well supported. I'm well supported. The law says,
who's doing this? My substitute said, Gabe Stoniker
is doing this. This is on his behalf. The law
said, thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all your heart, all your mind, all your
soul, all your spirit. Jesus Christ did. He did. And the Father and the law and
justice said, well done, check, sign your name right there to
get your credit for this. My substitute Savior signed,
Gabe Stoniker. That's what he did. The law said,
thou shalt keep the Sabbath day holy. Jesus Christ did. The father of the law, justice,
said, check. Sign your name right there to
get your credit. Our Savior signed Gabe Stoniker. The law said, love your neighbor
as you love your own self. Has anybody in here ever loved
their neighbor? Has anybody in here ever loved anybody as they
love their own self? Jesus Christ did. That's an amazing
thought, isn't it? Greater love had no man than
this. He laid down his life for his friends. And the Father said,
well done, thou good and faithful servant. Christ said, Father,
what I've done, they have done. in me, with me, in this union
you have created as I am, so are they in this world. Outside of Christ, every soul
in this room is a lawbreaker. This is what we are, lawbreakers.
We're all lawbreakers. In Christ, every soul in this
room, in Christ, is a fulfiller of that holy law. fulfilled every jot and tittle
of that holy law. We say, no, I haven't. Yes, you
have. No, I really haven't. I really haven't done that. Yes,
you have. If in Christ God says you have,
you have. But no, I don't think I have.
If in Christ God says you have, You have. I don't care what I
have to say on this matter. If that's what God says, that's
what's so. The best thing for me to do is trust God. Trust Christ. Look to Jesus Christ. In closing, go with me to Romans
8. Romans 8 verse 1, it says, there
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus
who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the
law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do
in that it was weak through the flesh, that means I could not,
the law could not justify me because I couldn't fulfill it.
The law couldn't say he's worthy to enter into heaven. The law
couldn't say that. What the law could not do in
that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son
in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, my center margin
says, by a sacrifice for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Verse four says that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh, but after the spirit. That means everything the law
said we had to do in Christ, we did it. If a person does not
keep this law, that person is not going in. Outside of Christ,
no one can ever keep this law. In Christ, every soul keeps the
law of God. Every soul is made worthy to
walk right in. Every soul has fulfilled every
demand of the law of God, all the way down to dying. The law
said the wages of sin is death. And in Christ, we died. Paul
said, I was crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. In the life which I now live
in thee flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved
me and gave himself for me. Thank God the works of the Lord
Jesus Christ, all of them have been wrought for us, wrought
for God's people, given to God's people, applied to the account
of God's people, In Christ, everything that we need to stand before
God, we have it. In Jesus Christ, in the person
and the work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank God. Amen.