Okay, if you will, turn with
me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5. We'll pick up here in our study
where we left off last Sunday. Verse 17, our Lord Jesus Christ
says, that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfill. 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. 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, 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." Now, we may not get to the last two verses of this
passage this morning, but I want you to look with me at these
first two verses. First of all, in Matthew 17,
the Lord, 517, he says, think not that I came to destroy the
law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy but
to fulfill. The Pharisees and the scribes
claimed to be zealous for God's law. They claimed to be lovers
of the prophets. But the fact of the matter was
that they were against the law and the prophets. And because
they were deceivers in the heart, They
accused Christ Jesus the Lord of being against the law and
the prophets. And the Lord Jesus Christ says
here, do not think that. Don't think that I came to do
away with the law or the prophets. Christ Jesus the Lord is the
fulfillment of the law. And he is the one of whom all
the prophets gave witness. Now, in verse 18, he says something
that's very, very important. He says, for verily I say unto
you, till heaven and earth pass, as long as this earth is here
and heaven is here, before it can ever pass, not one jot not
the least mark, this is a dot that was put in the writing of
the law, not one jot and not one tittle, not even the least
of the law, shall pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Now, if you have your outline
there, you'll see The first point is the word of the Amen is a
sure promise. Now, he says here, verily I say
unto you, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one in the New Testament
who ever used the word verily. The word means Amen. He's the only one who ever used
it. He's the only one who could rightly
use this word Because the word verily means amen. It means faithful
and true And this is his name If you want to turn with me look
over at revelation 13 revelation chapter 13 Revelation chapter 13 verse 3. I'm sorry, Revelation 3. Revelation
3 and verse 14. Unto the angel of the church
of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen. That's His name. That's Christ's
name. The Amen. The faithful and true witness. That's what He's doing in our
text. He's declaring the truth. And
He's the faithful and true witness. And who's He bearing witness
of? He's saying, I came to fulfill the law. Verily I say unto you. He's the beginning of the creation
of God. The Lord Jesus is saying in Matthew
5.18, He's saying, The Amen of whom the Law and the Prophets
were given to bear witness and whom the Law has its fulfillment,
its end, says unto you. Sometimes you find where the
Lord says, Verily, verily. It's the same as Him saying,
Verily, I say. Or if He was to say, Amen, Amen. I came to fulfill the law." That's
a word of encouragement because it means that, like when he said
in Hebrews, when he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself
when he made this everlasting covenant with Abraham. And here
in this gospel that he's preaching, All through this, I've been looking
at it and I've been thinking everything he's talking about
has to do with what he works in the heart of a believer. What
we saw in the Beatitudes, the light that he gives in the believer. the salt wherein he makes us
a covenant of salt, where he makes us a savor unto God. And
here again when he says, verily I say, it's a word of covenant,
a word of everlasting covenant. And what happens when a believer
is born of the Spirit of God is They behold God makes his
everlasting covenant in the heart and they behold that Christ is
indeed the end of the law for righteousness. He is all my hope. He is all my stay. He is all
my standing before God. God trusted this work to his
son. God has one word to a sinner
and it is hear ye him Believe on my son. He's the one that's
fulfilling this entire work And so the Lord Jesus says think
not that I came to destroy the law If it were for him coming
the law would never be fulfilled. He came to fulfill it The Lord's
well-pleased for his righteousness sake he will magnify the law
and make it honorable now You saw there in Revelation 3 that
it says He is the beginning of God's creation. Now, the Law
and the Prophets is the whole Word of God, is what we have
there. It tells us about creation, how the world was created. It
tells us all about the Law, which is we have the knowledge of sin
through the Law. It tells us about all the ceremonies,
the tabernacle, the temple, the ceremonial worship, all of those
things which showed us how we could, since the law, the moral
law showed us our depravity, the ceremonial law showed us
how it is that we can actually come to God and be accepted in
God, in the blood of a lamb, in a high priest, through the
altar, through Christ our Lord. And then the prophets came along
and they bore witness of these things. They came as God's preachers
of old, speaking the truth and saying, Christ is coming. He's
the one of whom the law is given. He's the end of it and he's coming. And that's very important because
everything given in the law and the prophets in time He gave
it in time, but everything that was given in the law and the
prophets in time was written in the scriptures as we have
them and as they were given to Moses because of the promise
that was made in eternity. Look with me at John chapter
1 and verse 1. And I hope this, I don't lose
you here, but I want you to see this. John chapter 1 verse 1. Christ is the verily. He is the Amen. He is the faithful
and true witness. The beginning of the creation
of God. Now watch this. Not that He was
created. but meaning that the creation
of God began not with the creation of everything that was made.
That's not when creation began, but with the word of the everlasting
covenant, with the amen, with the promises of God, which are
yay and amen in Christ Jesus. That's when creation began. Look
at verse one. In the beginning was the word. Now here's the beginning. And
the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in
the beginning with God. We're not talking about anything
being made yet. We're talking about when there
was nothing made yet. There was a covenant made. There
was an everlasting promise made. What are those promises? You
hear me say them a lot from Ephesians chapter 1. Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.
That's what John's talking about. Before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love. And He predestinated us unto the adoption of sons
by Jesus Christ to Himself. And He did it to the praise and
glory of His grace, wherein He made us accepted in God. There
was a Savior before there was a sinner. There was a promise
of salvation before there was even a creation made in which
salvation would need to come about. This is the beginning. In the beginning was the Word,
the Amen, the verily, the verily I say was in the beginning before
anything else was. Now, the Spirit of God says in
John 1.3, and all things were made by Him. without him was
not anything made that was made in him was life and the life
was the light of men everything that was made everything that
was framed on the promises was framed on the promises which
were made in and by the amen by the word by the They were
made in the Son of God, the Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. And all
things are upheld. This world and the heavens and
the earth are upheld by that same Word of Power. That same covenant Word of Power. Look at Hebrews 1 with me. Hebrews
1. I'm developing something here
that I want you to see. Go with me to Hebrews 1 verse
1. God who at sundry times and in
various manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets. When He had created this world
and all things therein, He began to speak by the prophets. And
He gave the law through Moses so that we have the law and the
prophets. He begins to communicate the word of the truth to sinners. And He spoke in various ways
in times past, but He hath in these last days spoken to us
by His Son, the very Word. He not only made this promise
in Christ, He not only said Christ is going to be the one that's
going to redeem my people, save my people, satisfy justice, declare
me just and the justifier, but He's going to be the one who's
going to come and declare this word in the earth by his person,
by the gospel he preached, and by his work at Calvary. He came
and declared he is the one in whom all the word of God has
its fulfillment, has its glory, has its completion, because God
trusted his son with this work. And His Son is going to be glorified
for this work. And as His Son is glorified by
this work, God the Father is glorified by this work. And nobody
else is going to come to God but by the Son. Now watch this
in Hebrews 2. It says, And this is Him whom
He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made
the worlds. who being the brightness of His
glory and the express image of His person." Now look at that
next phrase, "...and upholding all things by the word of His
power, by verily I say." That's how everything's held in place.
You ever see a picture of the earth and the planets sitting
in space? You wonder how they're held there
in place? They're upheld by the Word of
His power. Because He said, verily I say. Because the Amen says. Because the Word in whom all
the promises of God are yes and Amen, He says, I say. I'm going to fulfill this law.
I'm going to fulfill everything the prophets have written. And
it says here, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Now, be turning
to Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3. Now, all the Scriptures, the
Word of God is the Law of God. All the Scriptures. is the law
of God. We like to divide things up.
You heard Pastor Stoddicker say when he was here how we like
to divide things up and separate them and mince them apart, all
these things. The law of God is what God says. It's His law. What you say in your house is
your law. What God says in His house is
His law. Everything Everything and he
sends forth his prophets to preach his law and they preach his word
They preach his gospel and Christ is The word of God he is the
fulfillment of it every bit of it So when the scriptures began
to be written down by men, they began to be written According
as God God through the Spirit gave men utterance to write things
down to be able to record as God Communicated to them and
everything they wrote down about the creation of God. They wrote
down How God created and everything God did in creating this world
he patterned after the after His Son. I don't mean that His
Son looks like a globe and His Son is shaped like the things
we see in creation, but everything about creation was made and patterned
after what Christ would accomplish for His people and for the glory
of God. I'll give you an example. Christ
came to, He said, He was going to the cross and He said, they
were saddened that He was saying He was going to die and He took
a corn of wheat as an example, like a kernel of corn or a kernel
of wheat, a seed, and He said, except this seed fall into the
ground and be broken. That's what Christ did. He came
to this earth, and He was broken at Calvary's cross. Except that
seed fall into the ground and be broken, it can't bear any
fruit. But if it fall into the ground,
and it's broken in that ground, up from it comes a plant, a vine,
and it bears much fruit. Christ didn't just look at a
corn of wheat and say, now, that glorifies what I'm gonna do.
No, that corn of wheat was made according to that word of covenant
that was made before anything was made. That corn of wheat
was patterned after what Christ covenanted to accomplish at Calvary. He would come into the earth,
He would be broken, He would rise up, rise again, and He would
bring forth all His children to God. And God made a corn of
wheat to declare that. And everything about creation
declares it. So then men wrote that down. And then God gave
a law at Sinai. And everything in that law was
given. Remember how the Lord told Moses, make sure you make
everything according to the pattern that was given to you in the
mount. the pattern that was given to Moses and the mount were some
specific dimensions of how to build everything. But that all
was patterned after Christ, who is the Word, the One in whom
all that law was given to shut sinners' mouths, to declare them
guilty, and to point them to Christ, that they might see that
He's the Lamb, that He's the High Priest, that He is the fulfillment
of everything God demands and requires of His people. And then
the prophets came along. And God gave them utterance to
come along and to preach these things and to say, they said
just what I'm saying to you right now. I've tried to show you that
in Isaiah as we've gone through Isaiah that he just preaches
the same message over and over and over. Stop trying to come
to God by your work. Stop trying to make alliances
with this world. Stop trying to save yourselves
and cast yourselves on Christ. He's the one that's coming to
save His people. And so when the Lord came, He
said, now don't think. Don't think for a moment because
these blasphemers who claim to be worshiping me call you against,
say you're against the law, and say I'm against the law, call
you an antinomian, call you illegally, whatever they call you, don't
think I came to destroy the law and the prophets. I came to fulfill
it. Everything began in His verily
and amen. And everything came from that.
every bit of it. And when He came in time, He
came to fulfill everything that was verily, I say, from before
the first grain of sand was created, or the first planet hung into
orbit, or anything that was made. It all came from that. That's
the pattern for which everything came. And then in time, He came
to fulfill everything that was written in the Law and the Prophets.
You see that? Now let me give you a text on
that. Romans 3 verse 20, By the deeds of the law there shall
no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the
knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of
God without the law, apart from my works of the law or your works
in the law, is manifested. And it is witnessed by the law
and the prophets. Do you see that? The Holy Spirit
is saying everything that was written in the law and prophets
bears witness of this righteousness. Now where is it? The righteousness
of God by the faith of Jesus Christ. Unto all and upon all
them that believe for there is no difference. For all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth a propitiation, satisfaction through faith in
His blood. And He did it to declare His
righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of
all who believe. Let me give you one more verse.
Galatians 3 verse 21. If Christ is the fulfillment
of that law, why then didn't God just send Christ in the beginning?
Why did He give the law? Why did He give the law? One
of these days, maybe I'll be able to get a glimpse of it enough
to write it down in one of those fleeting moments when it all
makes sense to me. But every now and then I'll think,
I see that, but I don't have it right now and I can't tell
you. But what the Lord was doing was, it was like your father's
raising you up from a child. and teaching you everything as
you're raised up. Well, that's what His people
were. You ever seen those telescopic cups that can just fold down
and you can lift them up and they telescope out like that?
Everything He was doing through the law was developing and bringing
to pass to where when Christ could come, Christ could point
to all of that and say, now every bit of that What I came to accomplish
and then he accomplished it and then we're no longer under that
law anymore now We follow after Christ now. Let me show you that
first Galatians 321 Is the law then against the promises of
God? God forbid, for if there had been a law given which could
have given life, verily, righteousness should have been by the law.
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise
by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto
the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore, the law
was our schoolmaster. It was to drive us to Christ
that we might be justified by faith. It shut us up to Christ. Because by the laws, the knowledge
of sin. And so that, but after that faith
has come, We're no longer under a schoolmaster, for ye are all
the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. And John said
about that word, he said, this word, this is the most amazing
thing now, this word, this yea and amen, this verily, amen,
I say, which this covenant was made before anything was made,
that word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And that's the
one who's standing there with His disciples on this earth saying,
verily I say. You know what God does when He
writes His law on the inward parts? When He makes an everlasting
covenant of peace in the hearts of His people? He says in the
new heart that He's made, verily I say. And for the first time,
for the first time, a sinner has somebody he can trust, and
somebody he can believe, and somebody that he knows is telling
him the truth. Somebody that's faithful and
true. And he is from then on. I believe you,
Lord. I believe you. You are the faithful
and true witness. Now, I want to show you one last
scripture. I said that a while ago, but
this is the last one. Turn over to Isaiah 65. Isaiah
65. Now, I'm going to show you from
the prophets that God said this through the prophets, through
His law, speaking of Christ long before Christ ever came. This
is the exact thing that the Lord said. This is why He did it this
way. This is why He He sent Christ
into the world to fulfill His law, to fulfill the prophets,
to declare Him just and justifier, and to write this sure word of
promise in the hearts of His people. This is why the Lord
sent Christ to do it. Look at Isaiah 65, verse 16. That He who blesseth Himself
in the earth, that he who blesseth himself in the earth, that is,
the person who glories, if any man glory, he that blesseth himself
in the earth rejoices that he's a new creature, rejoices that
God's providence is for his good, rejoices that God's grace is
free to him through the blood of Christ. He who blesseth himself
in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth. You know
what the word is there, the God of truth? in the amen, in the
verily I say. That's the same word right there.
The amen. Verse 16, and he that sweareth
in the earth shall swear by the God of truth. That is, he who
makes his vow, he who says, here's all my hope. This is where, this
is, I promise to you, this is all my hope. He makes his vow. by the God of truth. We confess
all our works are finished by Christ the Amen. We rest in Him. This word, swear by the God of
truth, is what David said when he said, He hath made with me
an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, and
this is all my salvation and all my desire. Verse 16, because
the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hid from
mine eyes. That's what we discover when
Christ comes to us and He says, Verily I say unto you, think
not that I came to destroy the law and the prophets, I came
to fulfill every jot and every tittle, and I've done it on your
behalf, and in me you are righteous before God." That's what He writes
on our heart. That's the law God writes on
our heart. It's a promise. It's a verily
I say. which was with God, the triune
God, before the world began, which has been spoken of by the
law, by the prophets, which Christ spoke when he came to this earth,
which Christ ratified when he went to the cross, and which
he declares through his gospel now, and which he reveals in
the heart when he writes it on our hearts. And we glory, one
place, in the God of truth. That's it. That's all of it.
All right, we'll take up the rest of that next time. And look
at it again.