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Website Editor • April 22, 2020
Matthew 5:17-20
How do Jesus and the Old Testament work together?
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says He did not come to abolish the Old Testament ("the Law and the Prophets") but to fulfill it.
Jesus fulfills what the Law and Prophets predicted.
From the very beginning of creation, God's story has always been about Jesus. Every story in the Old Testament points to Him and helps set the stage for His arrival. Every hero -- Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David -- is just a shadow helping prepare the way for the great and Ultimate Hero that is Jesus.
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this last week, we shared that scholars believe there are over 300 Old Testament prophesies about Jesus. The chance of any one man fulfilling even EIGHT of these prophesies was estimated to be 1 in 10 to the 17th power! Even that small number is a mathematic impossibility! (Read more here >> great article that goes deep into this topic.)
Jesus accomplished what the Law and Prophets demanded.
In His fulfillment of the Law, Jesus accomplished everything the Law required. For example, the sacrificial system. The very design of this Old Covenant system prepared the way for us to understand who the Lamb of God is, and His ability to take away our sin. Jesus' death accomplished the sacrificial system in such a way that it is no longer necessary. He flipped the script and changed how we view it.
The idea of Jesus fulfilling and accomplishing the Old Covenant leads us to the truth that Jesus redefines what the Law and and Prophets instructed. In verse 18, Jesus makes it very clear that He did not come to abolish the Law or set it aside, but to redefine it. Ultimately, He does this by calling us to a higher obedience to the Law with His help and power.
If we fast forward to the very last verse in Matthew -- after Jesus' death and resurrection, right before He ascends into Heaven -- His marching order to the eleven disciples, AND TO US, is this: "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."
Jesus does not set aside commandments, He gives us commandments. He wants us to know and teach them throughout the nations.
In Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew tells of a conversation Jesus has with Pharisees who were challenging Jesus on the Old Covenant. They ask, "What is the greatest commandment?" and Jesus responds, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Jesus summed up all the Law, all of the Old Testament, with love. Love God and love others. He redefined it.
Under the Old Covenant, God's people were given laws to show their obedience to Him and to demonstrate that they were set apart. As followers of Christ, we too are set apart! We are called to be salt and light in this dark world, following Him, paying attention to His commandments, and delighting in His law. We are called to level up to a radical obedience.
It would be impossible to do this on our own. Thankfully, we don't have to! Through the power and grace of Jesus Christ, we are able to repent from our way, turn, and put our faith and trust in Him.
Only He has the power.
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Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, August 10, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:8-11 Intro: March 25, 1911. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. 146 dead. Young labor activist Francis Perkins witnessed it first-hand. She would go on to be appointed Secretary of Labor by President Roosevelt, making her the first ever female member of a presidential cabinet. She would go on to create and implement sweeping improvements, drafting and implementing legislation to reform workplace safety in New York. Her experience made her effective. 1.) Your experience with God is meant to make you effective. v.8 “For if these qualities are yours and increasing, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Christ.” How is it possible to be ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of God? - Gnosis (General or First Knowledge; 1:5 & 6) Vs. Epignosis (Relational, Intimate, Transformative, Complete Comprehension After First Knowledge; 1:8) - Illustration of pen vs Epipen - “I guess you had to be there.” - Shu’s definition from last week for knowledge: “knowing God’s will and God’s way.” - Experience… “near to the broken-hearted”… 2.) Your character impacts your effectiveness. The qualities have to be yours and they have to be increasing. Do you believe that all of these qualities can be increasing for as long as you live? For some, a decision is made for Christ, but no action is taken… professing Christians who are neither effective or fruitful. That is not God’s plan! What happens if they aren’t? v.9 “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” Consider your faith journey… (Blip on radar VS Lifelong upward trajectory) APPLICATION: 3.) Confirm your election. Election simply means that none of us have the ability to save ourselves. Predestination is explained in Romans 8:29. It refers to those whom God “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” Doesn’t that sound a lot like “effective and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Christ”? ADVANCE v.10 “Be all the more diligent…” HUGE PROMISE: “for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall” 4.) Anticipate eternity. v.11 “For in this way…” what way? EPIGNOSIS!!!… “there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Discipleship Questions: In your life, how has your experience with God made you effective? Discuss the differences between "gnosis" and "epignosis". How does epignosis with God transform us? How is it possible to be ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ? What keeps us from completely falling away from God? What does it mean to confirm your election? How long does it take? What are some ways that we can help our children anticipate eternity?
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, August 3, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:5-7 “A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain...This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines - they are a way of sowing to the Spirit... By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.” ―Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline “The difference is one of motivation: legalism is self-centered; discipline is God-centered. The legalistic heart says, “I will do this thing to gain merit with God.” The disciplined heart says, “I will do this thing because I love God and want to please Him.” ―R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man Faith —trusting God in all of life Virtue —seeking to live a life of moral excellence “Moral excellence means walking in integrity of heart; when we sin (not if), we deal with our sin in humility and repentance, trusting in the grace of God, who brought not only the conviction of sin upon us but also the desire to repent.” —Miguel Nunez, 2 Peter and Jude For You Knowledge —knowing God’s will and God’s ways Self-control —controlling our bodies, thoughts, and emotions “Self-control is not control by oneself through one's own willpower but rather control of oneself through the power of the Holy Spirit.” —Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness Steadfastness —enduring with patience in all circumstances Godliness —becoming more and more like Jesus Brotherly Affection —loving one another because we are family Love —loving sacrificially and unconditionally 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. Love does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Discipleship Questions: How do you find the balance between God giving us everything we need and making every effort? How do you see faith and love as being the foundation and culmination of what Peter is talking about? Read through the list Peter gives and discuss how we rely on God to produce these things in our lives while also making every effort to pursue them. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. What does that teach us about God’s help with self-control? What can help us be more patiently enduring with people and circumstances? How can seeing each other as family help us love one another well? How can we love others with the love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7?
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-4 We have everything we need for a godly life. Sentence has: 68 words 9 prepositional phrases 5 dependent clauses God called us. “By His divine power” The word here is summon Like Lazarus, come forth. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. By revealing Christ to us. “Through the knowledge of Him” Side note, ambiguity: The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We need to note that this comes to us by grace, but also that we have a part to play here. Effort is not a 4 letter word. You have no excuse for: Pornography- You have everything you need. Substance Abuse- You have everything you need. Pride- You have everything you need Laziness- You have everything you need Anger- You have everything you need. Prayer and Scripture Reading- You have everything you need. Evangelism- You have everything you need. He’ll go on to mention supplementing He has given us what we need for godliness now, and He promises us even greater things to come. We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature 2 Pe 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Unusual word… The “divine nature” (Theos) appears only here and in Acts where Paul addresses the Areopagus an odd work choice and would have appealed to his pagan readers. Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Redefining what it means to become like God. Christ shared in our nature that we might share in His. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. In 1:3, it’s through the knowledge of Christ that we are called to Him. Here, we see that a fuller revelation of Christ will conform us even more fully into His likeness. How so? Purity Immortality Restoration to Eden Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, We have everything we need for a godly life. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Purity Immortality Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable.’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Discipleship Questions: 2 Peter 1:3 says we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness… Do you find that verse encouraging, challenging or both? Are there any areas of your walk where you struggle to believe that you already have everything you need for success? Do you ever make excuses to yourself or others for a lack of godliness? If yes, explain. How much work does it take to live as a Christian? What does it mean that we will be “partakers in the divine nature”?
