Matthew chapter 5, and I'm going
to look at verse 21 down through verse 37 this morning, and then
we'll pick up again, Lord willing, next week with verse 38. I'm
taking the title for the message from the summary of these verses
we have read this morning. And here's the title of the message,
What the Law of God Demands. What the Law of God Demands. Be ye therefore perfect, even
as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." That's the demand
of the law of God. Because our God is holy, because
our God is absolutely holy in all of His character, which includes
all of His attributes, His love, His holy love, His mercy, His
holy mercy, His grace, His holy grace, All the decrees of God
are holy as God. Only that which is well-pleasing
to our God is that which is absolute holiness. Now, if anyone would
ask you what is the main character and the attribute of God, what
would you say? It's not love. Holy. God is holy. How holy, then, does a sinner
need to be to be accepted of God? Well, we read in Leviticus
22, 21, it must be perfect to be accepted. And if we read just
a moment ago in verse 48, be ye therefore perfect even as
your Father in heaven is perfect. We studied last week from Matthew
5, verse 20, we must have an exceeding righteousness before
God. That is why we need the Lord
Jesus Christ to present us to the Father, holy, without blame,
spotless, unreprovable, faultless in his sight. He must present
us that way in himself, in Christ. We have that perfect righteousness
before God only as we are one with Christ. You understand that?
We are accepted in the Beloved. Only that which God provided
will God accept. You remember one of those seven
names of Jehovah? Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will
provide. Only that which He provides will
He accept. He won't accept the righteousness
of our hands. The only righteousness He will
accept is that righteousness that is well-pleasing unto Him,
and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him dwells all the fullness
of a Godhead bodily, and in Christ we stand complete. Now, our Lord
says before us in these verses the extent of how far-reaching
the law of God goes in its demands. It requires inward, constant,
spiritual perfection in the heart at all times, in all seasons,
in all places, when you're awake and when you're sleeping. Our
thoughts, our motives, as well as perfect and complete performance
at all times, inwardly in the heart and outwardly in the hand. The law of God demands perfection
And if it falls short of perfection, you know what the results are?
Death. Death. So strict is that law
of God. Here's how strict that law was.
If you had a son who was out on the Sabbath day, you remember
he said, keep the Sabbath day, keep it holy? If you had a son
on the Sabbath day who went out to pick up some sticks to make
a fire, you want the judgment of that was? Death. Now, do you
want to live under the law? No. No, I don't. Tell me, Paul
writes to the Galatians, tell me, you that desire to be under
the law, do you hear what it says? Do you hear what it says? It says, cursed is everyone that
continues not in all things which are written in the book of the
law to do them. Do them. You can't just say,
well, I'm going to do this one and not do that one. You can't
pick and choose. It's either all or none. We must
have a perfect righteousness that fully answers the demand
of God's holy law and no man ever kept and honored the law
of God except one. Who would you say that would
be? My grandfather. He was a good guy. He's a sinner. The only man who
kept the law of God is the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember
we read in Matthew 5 verse 17, Think not that I am come to destroy
the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy but to
fulfill. He came to fulfill all things.
Thank God we have one who fulfilled the law of God for us. The Lord
is well pleased for His righteousness sake because He will magnify
the law of God and make it honorable. I didn't make that up. Isaiah
42, 21. Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the law. Thank God, the good news of the
gospel. Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the law, being made a curse for us. God made him
to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. Christ suffered for our sins,
the just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God. That's
the good news of the gospel. The law of God has been honored,
precept and penalty, by the Lord Jesus Christ and we enter in
in Him. Now there is a statement our
Lord makes in this chapter at least five times referring to
the giving of the law. In verse 21, verse 27, verse
33, verse 38 and 43. You've heard it was said by them
of old time, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, thou shalt not,
thou shalt, Then the Lord follows that by saying, but I say unto
you, but I say unto you. Now, we'll look at three of these
this morning and see how far reaching the demands of the law
of God go. And I repeat what it says in
verse 48. Be ye therefore perfect, even
as your Father in heaven is perfect. Preacher, are you putting us
back under the law and telling us to be To seek a law of perfection
by the deeds of the flesh? Absolutely not. I'm telling you
just the opposite. Just the opposite. We cannot
be perfect in this flesh. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity. Paul said, I know that in me,
I know that in me, that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. There is none righteous, no,
not one. Not one. Thank God our salvation is of
the Lord. Now, let's look at the first one here in verse 21
down through verse 26. I'm going to go through three
of these quickly and then give you five concluding statements.
Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not kill. We shouldn't,
right? Thou shalt not kill. You shouldn't
take another man's life. That's horrible. That's evil.
Thou shalt not kill. Many vainly presume that they're
not guilty of murder, right? That might be true in the courts
of men. The law of the state of Kentucky
cannot charge me with murder, murder someone, because I haven't
done that. In the courts of men, we can
say and we can plead not guilty, right? Not guilty. But in the
courts of God's holy law, guilty as charged. Do you ever notice
when someone's arraigned over here at the courthouse or wherever
it is, in the federal courthouse or wherever, that plea is always
what? Not guilty. There is a presumed
innocence, they say. I don't know if that's true or
not. There's a presumed innocence
until you're proven guilty. But I don't know if that really
works like they think it does. But in the courts of God's law,
you're presumed guilty. until you're cleared by the justifying
righteousness of Christ. Now here's what he's saying here.
You've heard it said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill,
and whosoever shall kill is in danger of a judgment. But I say
to you, now this is the same one who gave the law, but I say
to you that whosoever you is angry with his brother without
a cause shall be in danger of judgment, and whosoever shall
say to his brother, you're a vain fellow, shall be in danger of
the council, and whosoever shall say thou fool, well, you're going
to hell. That's what the law of God demands. It demands absolute perfection. To have an ill or angry thought
against another person is to murder that person in your heart.
That's how far reaching the law of God is, to call someone a
vain person or to say someone you're a fool. You're a fool. guilty of murder. You see how far-reaching it is?
The scope of God's holy law reaches much deeper and much wider than
the mere outward deeds. We are to be reconciled, we are
to agree with our adversary in a way. How do you plead? What's your plea before the court
of God's law? Paul said, now we know what things the law sayeth,
it sayeth to them that are under the law that every mouth may
be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. How do you plead, sinner? In
the court of God's justice. Guilty as charged. Yes. Guilty. The second thing he mentions
here is adultery. Verse 27. He already said by
them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say
unto you, Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart." That's pretty
far-reaching. Condemning, is it not? This is
what the law of God demands. Again, most people vainly presume
that they've never committed such a horrible sin. Adultery? But when the Lord exposes the
inward thoughts of all people, This is the inward thoughts of
all people, male or female. He says we're all guilty before
God, guilty of committing sexual sins against God. How do you
plead? Guilty. Guilty. Now hold your
place there and turn to Matthew chapter 15. Let me show you something
here. Matthew chapter 15. Matthew chapter 15. The Pharisees
complained that the disciples were eating food without washing
their hands, and that was totally contrary to the law of God. And
they got all upset about it. In Matthew 15, 15, then answered
Peter and said unto him, declare unto us this parable, He said,
are you yet without understanding? Do you not understand that whatsoever
entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out
into the sewer? You see, the problem is not what
goes in the mouth. The problem is what comes out
of the heart. Look what it said, but those things which proceed
out of the mouth, they come from the heart and they defile the
man. For out of the heart proceeds,
now watch it, verse 19, evil thoughts. murders, there's that adultery,
there's that fornication, thievery, thefts, false witness, there's
lying, blasphemy, thou shalt have no other god before me.
These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashing
hands, that's not the problem. It's not the germs you put in
your mouth, it's what's in the well of the heart that comes
out through the bucket of the mouth. That's our problem. The heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately, desperately wicked. Now, when the Lord exposes
the inward thoughts of all people, all people who are honest before
God say, guilty, guilty, guilty. How do you plead before the court
of the holy God who knows our heart, who knows our thoughts?
He says, you're not only a murderer, you're an adulterer. That offends
you. Guilty as charged. You know,
salvation here, I hope it doesn't offend you because here's the
reason why. Salvation is for guilty sinners. If you say, well,
I'm not guilty of that. Watch out. That's self-righteousness. That's self-righteousness. We're
going to see an example of that in just a minute. Now here's
the third thing he says here in verse 33. Verse 33, again
you heard that it had been said by them of old times, thou shalt
not forswear thyself. Or that word there means to falsely
swear. What's he talking about? Lying.
Thou shalt not lie. Shirley, preacher, you've never
told a lie. I like what one of my preacher friends said, the
only time I'm not telling a lie when I say thus saith the Lord. Everything else is under subjection
to be examined. But thou shalt forswear thyself,
but thou shalt not forswear thyself, but thou shalt perform the oath
unto the Lord our God. So, to speak falsely, that means
to lie, and thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God
in vain. Again, all vain and useless talk,
thoughts must be pure and holy at all times before God. When
you're awake and when you're sleeping, can you control your
dreams? I can't. Can you control your
thoughts? I wish I could. All thoughts
about God must be at all times pure and holy as God. All our
thoughts about the gospel of Christ, his word, his salvation,
that does not give God all the glory, all the time, is committing
sin against God. You don't ever have any times
of unbelief, do you? Lord, I believe, help thou my
unbelief. Have you plead before God? You
know what the Scriptures teach? Let God be true in every man. What's the rest of that? A liar.
A liar. A liar. How do you plead before
the court of God? Guilty. Let every mouth be stopped
in all the world. Guilty before God. I'm looking
at a bunch of guilty folks. You're all guilty. I am too. We have not kept one law of God
one time. Not one law, not one time. We
cannot not sin against God. James said, to offend in one
point of the law of God, one jot or one tootle is to be guilty
of all the law of God. Whosoever therefore shall keep
the whole law, yet offend in one point, guilty. Comes back to guilt, doesn't
it? Guilt. Now, here's five important lessons. Five important lessons. Number
one, the holy law of God was never given to save us. It was
given to condemn us and drive us to the Lord Jesus Christ who
fulfilled the law of God for us. Paul states this question
in Romans 3, 31. Do we then make void the law
of God through faith? God forbid. We establish the
law. We honor the law in Christ through
faith. Now, let's turn with me to Romans
7. Here's what we see. Romans 7. Why was the law of
God then given? To convince us that we're sinners.
Look what it says here in Romans 7. Look at verse 4. Now read
this with me. This will help you. Romans 7
verse 4. You also 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. For when we're in the flesh,
the motions of sin which were by the law did work on our members
to bring forth fruit unto death. Not life, death. But now we're
delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held,
that we should serve in the newness of the spirit, not in the oldness
of the letter, law. What shall we say then, is the
law sin? God forbid! Nay, I had not known
sin, but by the law. For I had not known lust, except
the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion
by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence,
which means lust, for without the law, sin was dead. For I
was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came,
sin revived, and that killed me. The commandment which was
to life, ordained to life, I found to me, Death, for sin taking
occasion by the commandment deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore,
the law is holy, commandment holy, just, and good. Within
that which is good may death enter me, God forbid. But sin,
that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is
good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. We know the law is carnal. We
know the law is spiritual, but I am carnal. Now look at Romans
8, verse 1. There is therefore no condemnation
to those who 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,
it is weak through the flesh. That's the problem, not the law
of the flesh. God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and for sin condemns sin in the flesh, that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the spirit. Turn to one other scripture.
Find the book of Galatians. And the book of Galatians deals
a lot with this thing of law works versus grace. The law of
God was given to show the exceeding sinfulness of our sin. And the
second reason it was given in Galatians chapter 3, turn over
there, look at verse 23. Galatians 3, 23. Before faith came, we were kept
under the law, shut up to the faith which should afterward
be revealed. Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster
to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
Now, if you look up that word schoolmaster, it refers to a
nanny or someone who takes a little child by the hand and leads him
to school that he might learn. The law was our schoolmaster
to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith has come, watch it, we're no longer under
the schoolmaster, no longer under the law. We're all children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you has been baptized
into Christ and put on Christ, there's neither Jew nor Greek,
bond nor free, male nor female, you're all one in Christ. And
if you be Christ, then you're Abraham's seed and heirs according
to the promise. Why was a law given? To show
the exceeding sinfulness of our guilt before God. Why was a law
given? To drive us to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Secondly, most people, religious
or otherwise, never consider themselves as guilty sinners
before God. Do they? Oh no. Turn back here to Luke chapter
18. You remember the Pharisee? And here's something interesting.
The Pharisee, Luke 18, Luke verse 9. Luke 18 verse 9. We have the
story of the Pharisee and the publican. And it says in Luke
18 verse 9, the Lord spake this parable unto certain which trusted
in themselves that they were righteous. How were they righteous? They thought they kept the law
and despised others. Two men went to the temple to
pray, one a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee stood
and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank you. I'm not his
other man. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not
unjust. I'm not an adulterer. I'm not
a murderer. I'm not a liar. I'm not even
like that publican. I fast twice in a week. I give
tithes of everything I have. Wow. If anybody's saved, that
man is, right? And the publican, notorious sinner,
standing afar off, would not even lift up so much his eyes
unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful
to me, the sinner." Definite article. Now, here's a conclusion. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified, rather than the other, for everyone
that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted. So here's the thing. The Pharisee,
what did he do? Exalted himself. justified himself,
and the Lord said he was condemned. The other man condemned himself,
and God said he was justified. I'm going to condemn myself as
a sinner. So, many people make the same
fatal mistake, thinking their outward morality is equal to
righteousness before God. The best this flesh can produce
is nothing but evil and sinful before God. We need to learn
that. At our best state, altogether,
vanity. Vanity. Isaiah writes this. We're all as an unclean thing.
We are all, we, Isaiah, all we like sheep, all as an unclean
thing, all of our righteousnesses, plural, are as filthy rags. We do fade as a leaf. Our iniquities,
like the wind, have taken us away. What did we read last week
in Romans 3? We have before proved both Jew
and Gentile, they're all under sin. There's none righteous,
no, not one. You've met the four nones, right?
The four nones? None righteous, no, not one.
There's none that seeketh. There's none that understandeth.
None, none, none, no, not one. That's the four nones. So, where
does that leave us? Thirdly, we learn the most valuable
lesson of the necessity of the Lord Jesus Christ to be our great
high priest, to be our one and only mediator, advocate, intercessor,
surety, savior, righteousness before God. We need no other
than Christ. Is he enough? If he's all you
have, you got enough. God supplies all our need according
to His riches in glory through the Lord Jesus Christ. You see,
He is our Advocate. 1 John 2, John says, My little
children, these things I write unto you that you sin not, but when you do, we have an Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. He is our Advocate. He is our intercessor. God, who
spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
not he with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also maketh intercession for us. Moses is not an intercessor
for us, is he? I don't want him to be my mediator
and bring the blood of bulls and goats when I have a perfect
sacrifice in Jesus Christ. He is our only advocate, our
only intercessor. He is our mediator. There's one
God and one mediator between God and Men, and that's the God-man,
the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only Savior of sinners,
neither is there salvation in any other. No other name under
heaven is given among men whereby we must be saved. We read in
Matthew 1.21, call His name Jesus. Why? He shall save His people
from their sin. He's the only surety of the covenant.
The law made nothing perfect, but bringing of a better hope
did, by which we draw nigh unto God. He's the surety of the everlasting
covenant. We have to have a surety as a
guarantee. What is a guarantee of a sinner's
salvation? Well, I've done the best I can
do. I ain't gonna get it. What is
the surety of a sinner's salvation? Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
His blood and His righteousness alone. Christ is our only righteousness
before God. That's why Paul said, I count
everything else dung, ruined, and lost, and I may win Christ
and be found in Him. Fourthly is this. Now here's
salvation for sinners, right? Turn to Matthew chapter 9. Salvation
is for sinners. Christ died for the ungodly,
Romans 5, 6. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into this world
to save sinners, Paul said, of whom I am chief. Luke 19, our
Lord said, Christ, He said, I came to seek and to save the
lost. Matthew 9, verse 9, read that. Matthew 9, 9. Jesus passed
from thence, and he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the
seat of customs, and he said unto him, Follow me. And he rose
and followed him. Matthew was a tax collector.
He was one of those notorious publicans, a scoundrel. The Lord
called him. It came to pass, as Jesus said
it, meet in the house. Behold, many publicans and sinners
came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees
saw it, they said to his disciples, Why? Why eateth your master with
publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he
said unto them, They that behold need not a physician, but they
who are sick. Go ye and learn what that means. I will have mercy not sacrifice,
for I have not come to call the righteous sinners." If I can
find a sinner, sinners to repentance. So salvation is for sinners.
Now the question for you to consider in your own heart is this. Am I a sinner? If we say we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1
John, if we confess our sin, His blood cleanses us from all
our sin. Are you a sinner? If your answer
is no, well, I don't have any good news
for you. But if your answer is yes, then we have good news for you. The gospel is for you. The gospel
is for you. The top lady wrote in that song
that was just sung, not the labor of my hands can fulfill the law
of demand. Christ and Christ alone is all
of our salvation. Yes, I am a sinner. I'm a sinner
saved by the grace of God. And I know this, never graduate. We never graduate from being
a sinner saved by the grace of God. If you know you're a sinner,
you're a blessed person. He's nigh them of a broken heart,
save as such as be of a contrite heart. The last point is this,
and it leads us to this conclusion, doesn't it? Salvation is all
of God's sovereign grace. Salvation is all of God's sovereign
grace, not by any works of any kind. It's God who saved us and
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace, given us in Christ
before the foundation of the world, not by works of righteousness
we have done, according to His mercy, He saved us. I handed, in closing, turn with
me to Acts chapter 13. I handed a bulletin to a man
the other day, he was over here, and he looked at the front page
of the bulletin and he said, he said, Zebulon Grace Church. He said, I've never seen a church
with that name. He said, what does grace mean? It means that God saves sinners
by his sovereign, free, eternal grace, grace, grace. not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy. He saved us. Acts 13, did you turn there?
Did I tell you to turn there? Okay, Acts 13, this is Paul's
first sermon in Antioch. Verse 38, Paul just declared
that God, that David is dead, the Lord Jesus Christ, David
is dead and saw corruption. The Lord Jesus Christ was raised
from the dead and saw no corruption, because He put away our sin.
Acts 13, 38, Be it known therefore unto you, men and brethren, that
through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins,
and by him all that believe are justified from all things, which
you could not be justified by the law of Moses. I'm not justified
by the law of Moses. So Acts 15, turn over there. As many as were ordained to eternal
life believed the gospel, Paul said in Acts 13, 48. But look
at Acts 15, verse 1. Those old Judaizers just could
not let go of that law. They were bound, determined to
claim some kind of justification by the deeds of the law. Certain
men, verse 1, Acts 15, came down from Judea and taught their brethren
and said, Well, except you be circumcised after the manner
of Moses, you cannot be saved. Wait a minute. I thought Christ
fulfilled the law. I thought Christ put away the
law, honored the law of God, and now you want to tell me that
I have to be circumcised to be righteous before God? That I've
got to keep the law to be righteous before God? Why did Christ come?
That was the question. Well, you know the story. They
went to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas and others, to determine and
dispute about this issue. Look down to verse 10, and you
can read the rest of it. Acts 15, verse 10. Now, therefore,
why tempt you God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples
which neither our fathers nor we are able to bear? Well, there's
a confession of guilt, isn't it? We can't bear the law. We
can't keep the law of God. But we believe, verse 11, through
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as God
saved those pagan Gentiles. We believe through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as others. Let me read this to you. This
verse just came to my mind. In 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9,
know you there, know you therefore, you know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes
he became poor, that you through his poverty might be made rich.
God made him to be sin for us. He became the guilty one because
of our sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,
by him, through him.