Revenge and retaliation!

Matthew 5:38-42: "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!"

I The Law of Moses
Throughout our study of the Sermon on the Mount we have looked at the law of Moses, what the Rabbis said about that law, and then what Jesus said about that law. Since the Old Testament speaks in a number of places about "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21) many people think that the words of our text break this pattern; they think Jesus refers to the law itself rather than the explanation given by the Rabbis. This is not the case. Jesus again is setting his view against that of the Pharisees.

"Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." In this law of Moses the Lord speaks to us of revenge. Unfortunately, we are all guilty of it. If any harm is done to us, the immediate natural instinct is to hit back. Not only that, but the immediate natural instinct is to hit back harder than we were hit in the first place. When natural man is injured he wants vengeance; he even wants to kill. We see this tendency to wrath and anger, to retribution and retaliation, everywhere. We see it among children and adults. We see it among families. We see it among nations and races. We see it among different religions.
People don't seem to realize how damaging the desire for revenge really is.

"Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." The main intent of the law of Moses here was to control excess. The main intent of the law of Moses here was to control anger and violence and the desire for revenge. God wants equity and justice to rule. So, if a man knocks out another man's eye, he must not be killed for it. Rather, it is "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." The punishment must fit the crime.

II The Teaching of the Rabbi’s
"Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." The Rabbis made this law a matter of personal revenge. They said that any person who had been injured could seek "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." They basically said that a man had the right to take the law into his own hands and seek revenge. Yet, this law of Moses does not apply to individuals. This is clear when we look at Leviticus 19:
(Lev 19:18) Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
This law applies to judges and courts. Individuals do not have the right to punish people who have injured them. Only the authorities have this right. And, in exercising this right judges and courts have to apply the rule of "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." The punishment has to fit the crime. Judges and courts are restrained by this law from horrible excess.
The Rabbis were wrong in making the rule of "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" a matter of personal revenge. Instead, it was something to be carried out by judges and courts.

Not only that, but in their legalism the Rabbis said the law of "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" was a duty; it was something that was automatic; revenge was something the law required. But God’s law required nothing like that. The Rabbis took the law and turned and twisted it. The law said this: "Do not punish more than an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." The Rabbis twisted this law into a statement which said: "You are to seek an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."

III The Teaching of Jesus
Jesus, however, speaks about Kingdom living. About Christian life sanctified. And Christians do not take the law into their own hands; they know they are not civil judges. Christians do not automatically seek revenge. Jesus makes this point with three examples.

The first example mentioned by our Lord concerns a case of slapping. Jesus says,
(Mt 5:39) ... Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Slapping is normally done with the right hand. A man would use his right hand and with his palm slap someone’s left cheek. However, to slap the right cheek you had to use the backside of the right hand The Jews believed that slapping the face with the backside of the hand was far more offensive than slapping the face with the palm. What Jesus is saying is this: Even if you are utterly humiliated, you must not hit back.
I think we all realise that retaliation has no end. Each blow becomes more severe than the one before. Then it becomes a big fight. This can only be prevented if someone stops hitting back and is willing to suffer a blow without retaliation.

The best example of this is the Lord Jesus. He was before the Sanhedrin. One of the officials struck him in the face. Jesus' only response was to ask, "Why did you strike me?" (Jn 18:23). When we succeed in turning the other cheek, our lives become a living testimony to the Lord Jesus.

The second example mentioned by Jesus concerns tunics and cloaks. Jesus says,
(Mt 5:40) And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. When Israel's poor took out a loan they sometimes were obliged to give their cloak as a pledge. Yet, according to Deuteronomy 24:10-13, the creditor was not allowed to keep the cloak throughout the night. Because of the cold of the night he had to return the cloak before the sun went down. That way the poor debtor could sleep covered by his cloak and keep warm. However, some creditors were harsh. When they returned the cloak before sunset they immediately demanded another pledge in its place and said, "Give us your tunic."
Jesus said, "Do not protest if you are treated this way. Do not retaliate. Give him both your tunic and your cloak. Give him all your clothes, even though you may need them." In this way a court case. Christians should act in this way and embarrass the person who asks too much.

The third example mentioned by our Lord has to do with travel. Jesus says,
(Mt 5:41) If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
It was an unwritten law in Israel that a traveler had the right to ask a village to provide one or more protecting companions as he continued his journey. The parable of the Good Samaritan shows us what could happen when someone travels alone – robbers and thieves will steal and beat and destroy. Now Jesus speaks of a traveler who demanded more than was customary. Maybe he was scared or lonely or was on the run. Whatever the reason he forced his protecting companions to go with him a mile further than was necessary. Instead of arguing in such a case, says Jesus, it is better to go the extra mile.
It is not Jesus' intention to tell us to give in to the demands of bullies. But we should extend Christian kindness to people who beg for more help than we are obliged to give.
Jesus is here not speaking to the nations of the world, to police officers, judges or magistrates. Because the government is called to resist evil. And countries should defend the safety of their citizens. Jesus is also not speaking to unbelievers. To anyone who doesn't believe in Jesus, these teachings are ridiculous.

Jesus is speaking to people who are made new in Christ; people who are born again; people who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Such people, by the power of God, can find it within themselves not to seek revenge or bear a grudge, but to be humble and forgiving.
Blessed are the peace makers!

Predestination

Romans 8:28-30: We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

In Christianity there is a school of thought that is known as Armenianism. People who hold this view typically believe that man cooperates with God by initiating their own salvation. They say we choose to believe in Christ when we are ready. They also believe that we can stop believing at any time and, thus, we become lost again. Basically, according to them, salvation is based upon the choice and will of man.

Then, there is a school of thought that is known as Calvinism that believes that we can only be saved by grace – through faith. Within Calvinism there are more than one interpretation of this truth. In extreme Calvinism it is believed that God elected some people for salvation and others for hell and that those elected have no say in the matter whatsoever. In extreme Calvinism, the free will of man is forfeited to the sovereignty of God. This is not the main stream view within the Reformed faith, although opponents of Presbyterianism often are mistaken about this and create the perception that all Presbyterians believe this.

But what does the Bible say? Romans 8: 28 - 30 deal with some of the Biblical teaching on election. It teaches that salvation is shaped by God and enjoyed by man; that salvation is one of those things that we, by ourselves, can not make a reality in our lives by ourselves. These verses also give us the strongest possible assurance of the unconditional, eternal security of whosoever believes in Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

As we dig into these verses we are walking in deep waters! Yet, for the assurance of salvation, these thoughts are of utmost importance to make our own.

In all things God works for the good of those who love him.
Life is filled with trials and troubles. It is comforting to know that everything is being worked out for our good according to the plan of a great God. God’s reputation depends on this verse being true, and it is! The Word does not say that all things are good, but that they will work for good. It is a promise that is as good as the God who made it!
When we experience troubles, we need to know that God is in control.

Yet this promise is not for everyone. According to verse 28 it is only for those who love God. If all things work together for the good of those who love God, the opposite is true for those who do not love him! For them everything that happens in their lives work towards their judgment and towards being lost for ever.

This often quoted and much loved verse must never be divorced from the verses that immediately follow it - 29-30: For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.

God's purpose in turning everything to our good is to make us more like Jesus! God’s work in you was not completed at salvation. He will continue to shape you until you reflect his image perfectly. The whole purpose of Romans 8:28 is to teach us that God has an eternal plan and that nothing will ever be able to change that plan! God is busy preparing his people to become more and more like Christ and he will perfect this work in heaven.
God is working out an awesome eternal plan for the life of every child of God.

God's will can never be a prisoner of man's will. That can never happen! God will never be held captive to the whims of men. It takes away from the glory of God’s sovereign grace and of man’s complete inability to do good by himself, without the intervention of the Spirit.

So what does the Bible tell us about getting saved?
1. Man does not initiate salvation – Man’s ability to do this died as a result of sin. Therefore, he is incapable of coming to God on his own. As a result, salvation is dependent upon the sinner being called to come to God by the Spirit of God. Salvation always begins with God. He takes the initiative.
2. But, on the other hand, the Bible is clear that the death of Christ on the cross was for the sins of all men and women - When Jesus died, he was dying for the sins of the world, 1 John 2:2; 2 Cor. 5:21.
3. And only those who receive the atoning death of Christ through faith are saved by his blood - Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9-10; John 5:24; John 3:16.
4. There is also no escaping the fact that believers were chosen by God to be his own, before the world began - Eph. 1:4-6.
5. But, wait, the Bible says "whosoever will" may come, Rev. 22:17; Rom. 10:13!
Doesn't this mean that anyone can be saved?
Yes, anyone! If I have been called by the Spirit of God and responded to this call in faith, I will know that anyone can be saved, even me.

Verse 28 tells us that God is working out his purpose in us. What is that purpose? He is remaking us in the image of Jesus.
Verse 29 tells us that God has already decided that we will be like Jesus some day. It is a done deal!
Verse 30 uses several words to speak of our journey of salvation. In the past tense.
A. We were predestined for salvation. - Past tense.
B. We were called - Past tense
C. We were justified – meaning declared innocent on the grounds of Christ’s atoning work. - Past tense.
D. We were glorified - Past tense.

It means that if you are saved, you are saved forever. Nothing can or will derail the purpose of God concerning you. If you are in Jesus, you will be in Jesus forever.

But it does not say that anyone was predestined to go to hell!
Therefore, if you are not saved, know this, anyone who has the desire to be saved, can be. That desire is the voice of the Spirit of God calling you to come to him. If you feel that pull towards him today, then come to Jesus and you will be saved, forever.

Now bless the Lord by rejoicing in the words of Romans 8: 31 – 39:
31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The truth, and nothing but the truth - so help me God!

Within the church we have to make sure we never develop a credibility gap. We, of all people, should mean what we say and say what we mean. If truth cannot be expected from us, then it can be expected from no one.

Everything that a Christian does and says is important, because we are representatives of the Lord, Jesus Christ and we are being watched by and have an impact on others. It is especially important because all of life is lived in the presence of God and under his watchful eye.

In Matt 5: 34 - 37 Jesus tells us that our "tes" should be yes and our "no" should be no. Words should not come too easily out of our mouths or too quickly from our lips. We should always speak the truth.

I The Law of Moses
The law of Moses speaks a number of times about the words of our mouth:
(Ex 20:7) "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
(Ex 20:16) "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
(Lev 19:12) "'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD."
(Deut 6:13) Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.
What is the purpose of these statements?

The main intent of these verses, is to restrain lying and broken promises. One of the greatest problems Moses had to deal with was the tendency of people to lie to one another and to deliberately say things that were not true. Life was becoming chaotic because people could not believe one another's words or statements.

Experts agree we lie – and are lied to – much more than we think. One recent survey showed 91% people lie routinely.
A two-year study of nearly 9,000 people, more than two-thirds of whom were in high school or college, found significant numbers of the students engaged in or willing to engage in lying, cheating and stealing.
* More than a third of the students claimed they would lie on an application or resume if necessary to get a job; 16 percent of the high-school group and 18 percent of the college crowd admitted that they had done so. And 21 percent of the students approved of falsifying a report if needed to keep a job. Of the older group of students, more than a third also said they have lied to bosses and customers during the past year.
The law of Moses attempts to control and check such lies. When we cannot depend on each other's words then we cannot trust each other. And when we cannot trust each other then community becomes almost impossible.

Another purpose of the law of Moses was to restrict oath-taking to serious and important matters. Oath-making is a serious matter; it should only be done in unusual situations and for serious matters. After all, when all of life is lived under the eye of God, all our words – and not just those under oath – must be faithful and true.

II The Teachings of the Pharisees
What did the Pharisees say? Jesus sums up their teaching in verse 33:
(Mt 5:33) Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'
The Pharisees, as we have seen before, are more concerned with the letter of the law than with the spirit. As long as they could persuade themselves – and others – that they were keeping the letter of the law they were perfectly happy. They fooled themselves into thinking that as long as they kept certain kinds of oaths they were righteous, even though their lips were full of lies and their mouths were used to twist the truth.

The trouble with the Pharisees and the scribes was that they were legalists. And, in their legalism they reduced the law's meaning. They reduced the law's entire meaning to perjury. To say a lie in a Court of Law was to them a very serious and solemn matter; it was a terrible sin and they condemned it. Any other time, however, you could twist words, lie about the facts, and distort the truth and you were not guilty before the law as long as you did not commit perjury.

One final point about the Pharisees. They drew a distinction between oaths. You could swear by heaven, by the earth, by Jerusalem, or by your head. All these oaths, according to them, are not equal. Some are much more serious than others. They said, for instance, that swearing by the temple did not mean a thing, but swearing by the gold of the temple was very serious; in that case you were bound by your oath. If you took an oath by the altar you need not keep it; but if you took an oath by the gift on the altar then it was absolutely binding. Such distinctions make a mockery of oaths and oath-taking.

III The Teachings of Jesus
Let us turn now to the teachings of Jesus. What does he say about the words of one's mouth? Listen again to the words of our text:
(Mt 5:34-37) But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; (35) or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. (36) And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. (37) Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

What Jesus is saying is that oath-taking must be restricted. It must be used in unusual circumstances and on solemn occasions. Jesus forbids all oaths in ordinary conversation. There is no need to take an oath during an argument and you must not do so. In fact, oaths should never be necessary among believers. "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'"
Jesus' point is that if all of life is lived under God, then all our words are binding and to them all of us must be faithful and true. God's children, you see, know that they are always in the presence of God. They confess that they live in fellowship with him. Therefore, when they deal with each other an oath is not necessary. It's understood that their simple "yes" and "no" are spoken with God as their witness. They realize that before God their "yes" and "no" has the value of an oath.

If all our words are said in the presence of God, if all of life comes under him, why then are oaths sometimes required? Jesus answers this when he says, "anything beyond this comes from the evil one." We live in a corrupt world, a world of sin. Swearing by the Name of God is sometimes necessary because of the fact of sin. Fallen people cannot be trusted or believed so sometimes we have to ask them to swear in God's name that they are telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

We must not lie. We must mean what we say and say what we mean. Our "yes" must be "yes" and our "no" must be "no." Our talk should not be cheap. Words should not come too easily out of our mouths or too quickly from our lips. We must never forget that all of life is lived in the presence of God and under his watchful eye.

The Spirit groans too.

We saw that the creation groans, waiting on God’s children to be revealed in order to be set free from the curse of our sin. Christians also groan, longing to be changed from weak sinners, into the likeness of Christ.

The amazing truth is that the Comforter, God’s Holy Spirit also groans.
Rom 8: 26 – 27: The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

We are taught that the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to help us to be Christians in this harsh anti-Christian world. Believers need this basic help and support every day. The Spirit knows our tendency to be evil and he helps us not to be! He knows that we often wander, and he helps us not to get lost. He knows that we grow tired of doing God’s will, and he helps us to remain faithful!

We are weak and we are sinners, but the Holy Spirit strengthens us so that we are able to live for God’s glory.

Yes, the Spirit prays for us. As a result of being sinful and weak, we are not able to pray in a manner that is according to the will of God. But the Holy Spirit knows the will of God, and he knows what we need. He takes our prayers, which are imperfect and self centred, and he tells the Father what we really need.

What a blessing! Who really knows how to pray about everything we need and the needs of others we hear about?
Who knows the mind of God well enough to know how to pray according to his will?
The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God, because he is God. He is able to translate our prayers into the perfect will of God. This is genuine, biblical praying in the Spirit!

There will be times when it is hard for us to worship, pray and do the work of God, but we have a Helper! We have One within us who is available to help us to meet the challenge of serving God according to his will and his purpose with our lives. He enables to live victoriously.

Whoever thought that it is easy to live the Christian life, is mistaken! Yet, it is never impossible!
Will we suffer? Yes!
Will we groan while we are here? Yes!
Will there be times when we feel like quitting being a child of God? Yes!
Will we feel that we do not have to go to church or bring the kids to Children’s Church? Yes!
When these things happen, remember that we have the Spirit of God within us and he remains diligent to keep us committed as we journey in this world toward God’s destination!

Take courage! The Spirit prays for you!

El-Shaddai

In Gen. 17: 1, God appears to Abram and says, "I am God Almighty." In the Hebrew language this name is "El-Shaddai." This divine name appears forty-eight times in the Old Testament, and this name reveals to us that God is more than able to keep all his promises to Abram - and to us, because he is El-Shaddai - he is God Almighty.

How great is our God, El-Shaddai? How mighty is he? In Gen. 18 God promises a natural-born child to an elderly Abraham and Sarah. Sarah laughed when she heard this. El-Shaddai responded with these words:
(Gen 18:14) "Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

"Is anything too hard for the LORD?" The correct answer, the only answer, the answer that everyone knows, is this: No, nothing is too hard for the Lord. Because he is God Almighty.

How great is our God, El-Shaddai? Israel was in the wilderness where God provided them manna and water. They began to crave other food: meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, garlic. So they cried to the Lord and complained to the Lord. God promises the people would eat meat for a month. (Num 11:20). This time it was Moses who doubted the word of the Lord. Listen to the response of El-Shaddai:
(Num 11:23) "Is the Lord's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."

"Is the Lord's arm too short?" Do the Lord's arms not reach far enough is be able to help us when we are in need?
The only answer, the answer that everyone knows, is this: No, the Lord's arm is not too short. Because he is El-Shaddai.

Do you see what our God, what El-Shaddai, what God Almighty can do?
He can do anything, anything at all.

In Christ, we who are sinners are renewed. The old, weak, sinful person is buried and a new person rises through faith. We are declared righteous in God's sight. God can do this, because he is El-Shaddai. He is God Almighty. He can do anything, anything he wants to do.

Marriage is for life!

Marriage is forever!
What does Jesus say about marriage and divorce? (Read Matthew 5:31-32).

Firstly, we notice that marriage is forever. In Matthew 19 we see Jesus going behind the law of Moses to the law that was given by God at the very beginning of time. Jesus says,
(Mat 19:4-6) "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' (5) and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? (6) So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Secondly, Jesus says divorce is not to be condemned if there is "marital unfaithfulness." Marital unfaithfulness means unrepentant unchastely acts.

We may not recognize this at first, but in allowing divorce for marital unfaithfulness our Lord shows him to be gracious and kind. Don't forget, in Old Testament Israel the penalty for adultery and other unchastely acts was death by stoning. Jesus now removes this death sentence and permits divorce instead. Furthermore, the Old Testament law of divorce often left women and children abused, neglected, and suffering in impossible situations because only the husband was permitted to seek a divorce. Jesus' command permits wives to also initiate action.

Thirdly, notice that God does not command anyone to divorce. As in the law of Moses, God permits divorce rather than commands divorce. The reason is simple: marriage is for life.
Even as God forgives us, so we must forgive each other as husbands and wives. Instead of commanding divorce, what God does command is forgiveness.

Fourthly, we have to compare what Jesus says to what is happening in our world today. In South Africa you now get a so called "no-fault" divorce. Like the Pharisees, our society allows divorce for any and every reason. This was never God’s intention and not what Jesus taught

And fifthly, Jesus reminds us of the basis for marriage. If it is marital unfaithfulness that breaks a marriage, then it is marital faithfulness that makes a marriage.

The basis for marriage, the foundation for marriage, is fidelity, faithfulness, commitment. Where there is this faithfulness, the marriage remains together even when love is difficult. Where there is this faithfulness, the two remain one-flesh. And, by the power of Christ, where there is this faithfulness, love can slowly grow and come alive again.

Lastly, the Bible does not know unforgivable sin, except the sin of not believing in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Divorce can be forgiven, and we can start a new life after divorce! And God in his mercy may then grant us a marriage that is for life and that is based on true faithfulness and commitment!

The Christian also groans.

Last week we learned that all of creation groans, awaiting God’s children to reveal a brand new wonderful earth which is free from the curse of the sin of the human race!
Now this week we see that,
The Christian also groans.
Romans 8: 23 – 25: We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Along with creation, the child of God groans. Paul refers to our desire to be free from these weak, mortal bodies. But he also speaks of the indwelling ministry of the Spirit of God in the believer's life. Since we were saved, the Spirit worked in us in such a way that we began the process of seeing sin like God sees sin. The Spirit of God "sensitised" us to sin. We became sensitive to sin around us and in us.

As a result, we are distressed by the sins we commit and that we see others commit. If sin doesn't bother us, we have a serious spiritual problem! If we can witness sin and it does not affect us, something is amiss in our hearts!

This produces a longing within the believer. We want to be delivered from the sinful, weak, mortal bodies. We would do anything to be free from this weakness. Wouldn't it be a blessing if we never again had a wicked thought? Did a wicked deed?

But Paul tells us that we are saved by "hope". Hope in the Bible has a vastly different meaning than it does in the world today. When people use the word "hope" now, they are saying, "I wish", or "I want". But instead of hope only being a wish or desire, biblical hope is a deep settled knowledge based on the firm promises of God. Biblical hope is a conviction that salvation comes through faith in the shed blood and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the sure knowledge that one day our Lord will come for us and will take us to heaven. It is the sure knowledge that we will be changed from weak, sinful creatures into new people made to be like Christ.

We, who are God’s children, groan because we want to be free from sin. We have a longing to be remade into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that day is coming! One day, in God’s perfect time, this sinful flesh will breath its last and I will be remade in the image of my Saviour!
This is the hope of every child of God!

God sees and hears everything!

We know from Scripture that God is everywhere and knows everyone.

Ps 139:7-10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (8) If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. (9) If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, (10) even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

There is nowhere we can go to escape the presence of God. He sees us everywhere and hears us wherever we are.

As a human, I can give full and perfect attention to only one person at a time. But the infinite mind of God is able to grasp the thoughts of millions, billions, at once and yet focus on every one person as if there was no one else but that one person.
Not only that, but God sees and hears everything about you. He does not merely note your actions, your appearance, your words, but even your thoughts. God has a window into every person's heart through which he looks. God knows what you need, even before you ask.

God sees and hears you constantly. There is no situation where he is absent and there is no need he does not consider to be important.

Be blessed as you are led, kept and protected by the God of grace and mercy!

Creation groans

In Romans 8: 18 – 27 we learn about three different groans that are characteristic of the current age in which we live. We read that the creation groans to be delivered, that we, Christians, groan too as a result of living in this imperfect world with its pains and death. But then we will also hear that the Holy Spirit groans for our sake, in compassion with us, before God.

Rom8: 18 – 22 tell about the groaning creation.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

All three groans we read about in Romans 8 remind us that we are not home with God, yet!
While we wait for the glory of the new world to come, we are aware of the suffering of creation as a result of our sin. The planet suffers because we are a greedy, selfish race with little love and respect for the works of the hand of our Creator.

We clearly hear the ecological groans and turmoil of all species – and earth itself. We also see that the economies that placed the biggest burden on God’s creation are the most unwilling to correct the selfish torture of what God has made.

This is not only a serious charge against Adam’s race and unquestionable evidence that we stand guilty before God. It emphasizes that the end, the final Word of Christ, is still to come. It is as if Creation is sighing and crying before its Maker, to be delivered from man’s heavy hand and selfish greed. Creation waits for God’s children to be revealed as caring, respectful and responsible representatives of the Creator, to speak for it and resist its destruction in word and deed.

Creation came under this curse, not by its own doing, but because of the sin of mankind. Creation itself expects to be delivered. The word "expectation" in verse 19 brings to mind the image of "a person standing on their tiptoes in order to see something." So, too, creation yearns for that time when it will in fact be "delivered" from the devastation of the curse of our sin.

While our world and all of creation groan and sigh, there is still great beauty left in this world. Call to mind the many wonders of plant and animal life: the scenic views that take our breath away and the wonderful variety to be found in the plant and animal kingdoms.

Try to imagine the most beautiful natural sight you have ever seen. With that image in mind, remember that what you see is a sight blemished by man’s sin. Now, try to imagine how glorious that same sight will be when the curse and consequence of sin is forever removed! Creation longs to be free and God longs to free it! He will some day, for when Jesus died on the cross for the redemption of sinners, he also redeemed this sin cursed world. One day, the shackles will fall off and all creation will rejoice! One day, we will not only inherit a new heaven, but also a new, delivered and perfect earth!

If we believe this we will, as God’s children, serve, protect and save as many wonders of God’s creation as we can. We will be passionate about God’s great work of art. And as we endeavour to leave the smallest possible footprint of our sinful existence - we will testify that what God will do on the day of the Lord, will exceed our greatest and most imaginative expectations. We, then also delivered from our groans as a result of sin, suffering, illness, sadness and death, will live in wonderful harmony with everything God has made.

What a perfect and complete salvation we receive! What a glorious inheritance!
What a magnificent Saviour we serve!

Covenant of Grace

When Abram was frightened by many dangers and enemies, God said (Gen. 15: 1): "Do not be afraid, Abram." I am your shield, your very great reward". A shield is used by soldiers to protect themselves against the spears, swords and arrows of the enemy. But Abram is shielded by the Lord. The Lord's protecting care is all around Abram. God is his refuge and strength.

The Lord is Abram’s reward: to know him and to be known by him, to love him and to be loved by him, to walk with him, to talk with him and to serve him. Abram's reward is a living, loving relationship with the Creator and King of heaven and earth!

God made a covenant of grace with Abram, vowing to be his God and the God of his descendant. It is called a grace covenant, because God not only agreed to take responsibility to maintain this covenant, but to also be responsible for the penalties if Abram, because of human weakness would lapse in keeping the covenant “to be God’s people”.

This means that from beginning to end the grace covenant that ensures God’s children of salvation, is one of grace. God makes the promises. God gives the guarantees. God puts himself under a curse, so to speak, if the promises are not kept.

The full significance of what God did for Abram is therefore not really seen until the New Testament or New Covenant in the blood of Christ.
There, in Christ, the covenant of grace reaches its highest expression. In Christ God keeps the covenant promises and suffers the covenant penalties. For it is Christ who perfectly kept the covenant to be God’s people in our place, and it is Christ who also bore the curse when we break the covenant, when he died in our place on the cross.

Do not be afraid – for the God of Abram, the Father of Jesus - is your shield and your great reward!

Blessed assurance and awesome inheritance.

Not only have we been adopted into the family of God as his children, but we are given a precious assurance of that fact in our hearts every day.

Rom 8: 16, 17: The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

God’s children have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit spends time with us. He testifies that we are God’s children. He leads us and teaches us all we need to know about how to live for God. God’s Spirit will speak to your heart. He will show you things. He will guide you. He will warn you. He will lead you. He will feed you. He will comfort you. He will teach you the truth. Like a mother who wraps her arms around her child everyday, expressing her love, the Spirit of God does the same for us.

But our adoption as children of God does even more. The Bible says we now are wealthy beyond measure.
We have been made the heirs of God. And will anyone dispute the fact that our heavenly Father is wealthy beyond measure? God is able to meet our needs no matter how great they may appear to be. What he has belongs to us now, and eternally.

Not only are we the heirs of God, but we have been made joint-heirs with Jesus. Yes, we do share in his sufferings while we are here on this earth. But we also are given an equal share with Jesus in the wealth of our Father. Under Jewish Law, the eldest son would be given a double portion of the father's wealth. However, under Roman law, all sons were treated equally. In God’s kingdom, we have been placed on the same footing with Jesus. No, we will never be like him: God’s eternal divine Son, - but we have been made like him in the Father's eyes! How glorious is the gospel!

The fullness of our inheritance will not be seen until we arrive at home in our Father's house. But when we go to heaven, we will see just how rich we are and were. One look around there, will tell the tale forever.

Why not bring your needs to your Father, who owns everything, and has given it all to you! Draw on your inheritance in Christ. We are a blessed people and we do not have to live as depraved slaves of sin, but as grateful and blessed children in the presence of God. Speak to your Father now of your neediness and insecurities. Allow the Spirit to show you the wealth of assurance of being God’s child!

Word and Faith!

God's greatest requirement is that we believe him. When he calls us to be his own and reveals to us his grace, mercy and love, we must believe what he says. When we believe, we want to obey him and live as he wants us to.

Through our faith God makes us righteous and justifies us in Christ. When we hear God’s Word, we receive salvation through believing it and doing it. This is the only way our faith becomes stronger and we see his purpose for us clearer.
Listening to, studying and contemplating God’s Word, is therefore essential to having a faith relationship with our God

Do you have this faith?

Psalm 130 - Remember, me Redeemer.

Ps 130
Oppressed and lost, I’m calling,
in darkest night to God.
Downhearted, hopeless, ailing:
to die remains my lot.
O Lord, now hear my wailing.
I plead, I beg, depraved.
Remember me, Redeemer,
for only you can save.

My sin disgraced me, shamed me.
I cannot, Lord, face you.
Your holiness, LORD, broke me,
defeated, shattered me too!
Lord, will you still forgive me,
as you have always done?
I thirst for rest, for knowing:
a new day has begun.

As soldiers guarding a fortress,
wait for the sun to rise,
for countless, endless hours,
through nights with darkest skies.
So I wait on the Lord God,
I’m waiting long, its hard!
But God in grace and mercy,
will not my plea discard.

Have hope, have faith, God’s people,
and trust in God who saves.
With sunrise comes his mercy!
God rescues from the grave.
His love, his grace, his pity
bring light, create the day.
Absolve my sins, forgive me,
LORD, while I wait, and pray.

(Andries Combrink - copy right)

Through the Holy Spirit, we call God our Father

Imagine being born into a very poor family that is also dysfunctional. A family with no hope, no future and that does not care for you. Now imagine that a kind and wealthy man comes to you and offers to take you into his home and family as his own child. He offers you everything you desperately need, free of charge. All you have to do is believe that his offer is real and agree to it. It does sound like a fairy tale, but this is what happens when we trust God’s promises and we place our faith in Jesus Christ as our living Lord.

As Paul continues with Romans 8, he moves deeper into the wonder, the miracle and the joy of the freedom we have in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. He assures us that every saved person becomes part of God’s family and enjoys all the privileges of his own natural Son, Jesus our Lord.

We read these comforting words in Romans 8: 14 – 15: Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons (or children) of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

According to Paul we became the children of God. We know this because we are led by the Holy Spirit. We have a new family. God is our Father, Jesus is our friend, king and Lord and the Spirit provides us with a sense of “sonship” by gracefully working in our inner consciousness.

Paul tells us that when we are part of God’s family, through faith, the Sprit helps us to act like God’s family. If a person in faith accepts the offer to be a child of God, he soon develops traits that are common to the Father's family. Every child of God has the Holy Spirit living within him, and the Spirit makes God’s presence known in us as we walk with God every day.

We have a new Father. We are not slaves of sin who fear punishment, but we now call God by the intimate, personal name which is Father, or even the less formal word, “Abba” that translates to “Daddy”.

When we came to Jesus, we were taken out of Adam’s family which is cursed and damned, and adopted into the family of Jesus which is free to serve a loving heavenly Father.
Praise the Lord! We have a new family and a new Father!

Which means that we have a new freedom. No more forced labour for Satan or the tyranny of our own weakness. Our minds have been changed by the Spirit to love and serve God above all. As a result of our relationship with God, we are able to call him Father. Abba!

This message is one of intimacy and dependence on God, and one of a complete lack of fear. Yes, there must be respect and reverence, because our heavenly Father who cares for us and leads us by his Spirit, is the almighty, most holy God.
The wonder is so much greater when we remember this, when we come to him as a child comes to a loving Father.

Noah

We learn from Noah’s story how much security we have when God, in his grace and mercy, shuts us into his security – just as he shut Noah and his family into the ark and kept them safe. We also know what happened to those who were shut out of the ark!

Gen 7: 16: "Then the Lord shut him in."
Do you see what God's mercy does, time and again? God's mercy provides a “security gate and door” in times of judgment and calamity.

Those inside the door – whether it be Noah, or old Israel, or the Church, or us, do not need to fear judgment, for our security is from God and in God’s promise of grace. Noah did not shut the door of the ark. God did. And Noah and his children and his grandkids, were safe!

Jesus says, "I am the door" (Jn 10:7). Jesus is our Door of Safety in the time of judgment. It is Jesus alone who saves us and is able to keep and protect us.
I urge you to come to Jesus. It is he who delivers you and me from judgment and from calamity! He weathered the storm and was victorious on our behalf! On Golgotha!

His covenant of grace, meaning his firm promise to be our God and the God of our children, will keep us safe. We walked through the “door” Jesus Christ, and now we are shut in to be safe within his Body.
Do not fear! Have courage!
Because the Lord is with you!

"Surpassing the Pharisees"

The law of God is important to Christians. Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, has disappeared. Every jot and tittle must be fulfilled. The law is as relevant today as it was on the day God engraved it into the tablets of stone. Therefore, says Jesus,
(Mt 5:1) Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

By grace we are forgiven when we break the law. But grace brings more than the forgiveness and redemption. It also saves from the tyranny of sin. It brings obedience and holiness.

What is grace? It is that amazing free gift of God which delivers a man from the curse of the law and enables him to keep the law. Grace is that which brings me to love God and keep his commandments. "If you love me," says Christ, "you will obey what I command" (John 14:15).

I The Righteousness of the Pharisees
In many ways the scribes and Pharisees were outstanding people. The scribes, for instance, were men who spent their time teaching and explaining the law; they were authorities on the law of God. They gave their whole life to the study and explanation of it. They were the men who made copies of it, exercising great care as they did so.

The Pharisees were the men who were famous for their law-obedience. They were people who set themselves apart by their careful observation of rules and regulations that they themselves had set up. By their rules and regulations they tried to "build a fence around the law." Their intent was to protect the law and to prevent them from breaking the law.
The Pharisees, for example, said that on the Sabbath there is to be no cooking of food, no tying of knots, no loosening of knots, no separating of threads, no baking, no washing, no writing; you are to neither light a fire nor put out a fire. Of course, the Bible doesn't teach any of this. But, to keep the Sabbath holy, the Pharisees built a wall around the fourth commandment to make sure they don't break it!.

In this contaxt, it is even shocking to hear the words of Jesus in our text:
(Mt 5:20) For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus says that the righteousness of the Christian must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees.

But, their righteousness was not righteous at all. They thought of themselves as being righteous. Others saw them as being righteous. They deluded themselves and fooled others. Jesus simply called them hypocrites.

II The False Righteousness of the Pharisees
The righteousness of the Pharisees was external and formal, rather than internal and of the heart. The Pharisees made a big show, a big drama, out of their righteousness. They prayed on the street corners and then they prayed out loud. They wanted everyone to see them and hear them when they prayed. When they gave money to the poor, they had someone blow a trumpet. Everyone would stop what they were doing and look to see who was giving and how much they were giving.

Some of the Pharisees were surprised that Jesus' disciples once sat down at the table and began to eat without first washing their hands. Jesus replied that the Pharisees are so concerned about the outside, but so negligent about the inside.
(Mat 15:19-20) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. (20) These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'
In another place Jesus compares the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean (Mt 23:27).

The second charge which our Lord brought against the scribes and Pharisees was that they were more concerned with the ceremonial than with the moral. Their religion was all ceremony and no morality. As long as he had washed his hands, fasted, offered prayers, and went to the Temple, the Pharisee thought all was well with his soul. All that counts, he thought, was that he had been to temple worship. He did his religious duty. That was sufficient.

It is so easy to have the same kind of attitude today. There is a type of religion which does not hesitate to teach that as long as you go through certain ceremonies – like Sunday morning worship, or baptism, or confirmation – it does not matter very much what you do with the rest of the week. They think that all is well with their soul, because they have done their ceremonial religious duty.

The third charge that Jesus brings against the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is that it was full of excuses. For instance, the Pharisees said that if you devoted your money to God you were thereby excused from giving help to your aged parents. They covered up their greed and their disobedience under a camouflage of religion (Mt 15:4,5). We can all rationalize our own sins and explain them away. It is so easy to find excuses. "Everyone does it," we may say. Or, "The government is so wasteful it is dumb of me to declare all my income to SARS." This is what the Pharisees did. They twisted things around to make what is wrong, look right.

The fourth charge the Lord brings against the Pharisees is that their righteousness was self-centred rather than God-centred. Jesus said,
(Luke 20:46) "Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets."

The fifth charge the Lord lays against the Pharisees is a complete absence of love and concern. They neglected mercy, justice, and faithfulness (Mt 23:23). They devoured widows' houses and dealt harshly with the poor (Lk 20:47).

The sixth and final charge is that the Pharisees thought their righteousness not only earned them a reward, but even gained them eternal life. They forgot that no one is righteous, not even one (Ps 14 & 53). They forgot that the good we do is not good enough. They forgot that no one deserves and earns anything; all rewards and salvation itself are only a gift of grace. In effect they were denying the power of sin and the grace of salvation.

We have to surpass the righteousness of the Teachers of the law. We have to be sincere. We have to change inwardly and not ceremomially, outwardly. We have to love and care. We have to seek God's purpose and desire to serve God wholehaetedly.
We have to be unselfish, God-fearing, Christ-loving followers who from the heart seek the Kingdom of God.
We cannot be hypocrites. We need to be righteous, because we love and because we love to serve - God and others! We need to surpass the scribes and the Pharisees, because we are from the depth of our souls excited about the grace and the mercy of God!

The Holy Spirit desires true life for us.

The Spirit challenges us to choose true life.
Last Wednesday we learned about the contrast between the natural sinful mind of man and a mind that has been changed by the Spirit of God. (Rom 8: 5 – 7).
This brings us to a challenge in verses 8 – 12.

Rom 8: 12 – 13 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

This challenge is also a contrast. It is a contrast between two choices. The first is is to pay to the sinful nature what we think we owe it. The second is to live by the Spirit.
Today we are bombarded by the untrue saying, that we need to pay ourselves first, before anything else and that we owe it to ourselves and deserve it. We buy the lie that implies that if we are completely sold out to God's Spirit, we are not going to experience the same degree of happiness, as when we live selfishly.
The result may be that we are trying to live for Jesus, yet we are at the same time trying to live most of all, for ourselves.

But if we are living by the Spirit, we are challenged to make two commitments. Firstly we need to put to death the misdeeds of the sinful human nature. Then secondly we need to aspire to wholeheartedly giving ourselves in thought, in energy, and in ambition to live by the Spirit.

The first commitment we have to make is to put to death the deeds of the old unsaved person. It means a radical (“put to death”) rejection of all practices which we know to be wrong. It results in a daily repentance, a daily turning away from all known sins. Jesus said, “If your eye offends you, pluck it out! If your hand offends you, cut it off!” This is a tough word from Jesus, and then he says: “It is better for you to go into heaven with one eye than into everlasting damnation.”

You do not owe your sinful nature anything! The Devil has tricked us into believing that we cannot live without self indulgence. But God has said, “I have set you free. You can and you will live an abundant life by walking in my Spirit.

We do not owe the old lost person we used to be, anything, but we owe the Lord a debt of love and gratefulness we cannot pay even if we continue to worship and serve him for all eternity.

Someone said that the opposite of love is not hate, but apathy. An attitude of, “I really do not care”, a complete disinterest in what the Spirit desires for as to aspire to.

The Spirit desires that we sincerely say, “Lord, I am yours. My time is yours. My talent is yours. My budget is yours. My family is yours. Everything I am is yours. I want to serve and love you, because I want to be 100% yours.”
May God give us such love because he has set us free from the bondage of the old mind and changed our minds to love and serve him more than anything!

Be blessed as you use the freedom Christ afforded you by his death and resurrection to be sold out to God, as his grace, mercy and fellowship remains with you, today and always.

My purpose in the Body of Christ.

1 Cor 12: 25 – 27 But God has combined the members of the body (of Christ) and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

If we all have different functions and responsibilities, then what is our purpose in the body of Christ?

1 Cor 12: 25a “There should be no division in the body “ - Our first purpose is to promote unity - When every member does his/her part and submits to God in willingly working according to the gift of the Holy Spirit that God gave them, then the body of Christ will function in peace and unity. There are too many feet who want to be hands and too many ears who want to be eyes. When this happens, the Body is fractured and chaos results!

Verse 25b-26 “but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” The second purpose is to practice mutual care - We are a unit and as such we each have responsibilities, according to our gifting, to the other parts. When another believer is hurting, we need to respond to that need. We are not to seek a position that glorifies self, but we are to seek the good of the body of Christ and thereby glorify God. .

Verse 27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” The third purpose is to participate together in the activities of the Body - When a member hurts, it affects the entire body. When one is exalted, the entire body should be blessed by it. When all functions according the gifts received from the Holy Spirit, the Body operates well and accomplishes much.

Together we are a complete body, and individually each one of us is a small, but vital component of a very important instrument in the workings of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, the Church!

Did Christ abolish the law and the Old Testament?

When Paul says we are not under law, but under grace (Rom 6:14), isn't he also saying there no longer is any place for the law? When John the Baptist said the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus (Jn 1:17), wasn't he also saying the same thing? Someone once said to me, "We are a New Testament not an Old Testament church. It is the New Testament we should spend time with."

All of this leads me to ask: Is the law still applicable today? Or, what about the whole of the Old Testament – should we ever read or preach from it?
In today’s verse from the sermon on the mount, Jesus speaks to this. He says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets ..." Matt 5:17 - 19.

I. Jesus: A Threat to the Law and Prophets?
As a teacher in Israel Jesus was unusual. First, at that time all teachers in Israel were Pharisees; but Jesus was not a Pharisee. He had not been trained as a Pharisee. So the people looked at him and said, "Who is this man without any formal training or education, who teaches and makes all these pronouncements?"

Second, in word and deed Jesus deliberately criticized the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Don't forget, they were the leaders and teachers of Israel; almost everyone obeyed them and believed their every word. Jesus, who did not belong to their schools, dared to denounce what they taught.

Our Lord was not content with making only positive statements. He also criticized other doctrines. Our Lord was not hesitant to condemn wrong doctrine and we shouldn't be hesitant either.

Third, in contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus did not spend all his time explaining the law. He often preached grace and the love of God.

Fourth, again in contrast to the Pharisees, Jesus mixed with tax-collectors and sinners. He sat down with them and even ate with them. He not only broke all the Pharisees' rules and regulations, he actually seemed to be breaking them deliberately.

B All of this caused questions to arise. People wondered, in condemning the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, was Jesus perhaps condemning the law and the prophets, our Old Testament, too?
Is this actually the case? What is it that Jesus is teaching us today?

II. Definitions: Law, Prophets, Fulfill
A To understand clearly what Jesus was saying we have to make sure we understand the terms that he used. First, what did Jesus mean by "the Law"? The law, as given to the children of Israel, consisted of three parts: the moral, the judicial, and the ceremonial. The moral law is the Ten Commandments and the great moral principles that were laid down once and for all. The judicial law is those rules given to Israel for that time and place telling them how to treat others jutsly and fairly in matters of the community and the state. The ceremonial law has to do with worship and offering, the ritual and ceremony used to approach God. By "the Law" Jesus has all of this in mind.

Second, what is meant by "the prophets"? The prophets would be those Scriptures in the Old Testament that do not fit the term "law" in the strict sense of the word. The law and the prophets therefore refers to the whole of the Old Testament. So Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Old Testament."

B Jesus adds to this: "but to fulfill them." "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Fulfill here does not mean to complete, to finish.
What Jesus says to us can be summed up in two principles. We find the first principle in verse 17 and the second principle in verse 18. I want to look at them in reverse order.

III The Demands of God's Law are Permanent
A The second principle stated by Jesus is that God's law is absolute; it can never be changed, not even modified just a wee bit. It is absolute and external. Its demands are permanent and can never be put to the side. Says Jesus,
(Mt 5:18) I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

B The law which the voice of God dramatically announced from Mount Sinai, is as much for you and me as it was for Israel. It wasn't only Israel but also you and me who can have no other gods, who can't take God's name in vain, who must not steal, who must not commit adultery. It wasn't only Israel but also you and me who must worship God alone, who must use God's holy name only with reverence and awe, who must work to share with those in need, who must keep thoughts pure and holy. The law and the prophets, the whole of the Old Testament, says Jesus, is still applicable, relevant, and appropriate to us today.
We too must strive for a just society and we too must worship God in truth and in Spirit.

IV Jesus Came to Fulfill the Law.
A The first principle stated by Jesus is that he has not come to destroy, to abolish, or even to modify, the teaching of the law or the prophets. Rather, he has come to fulfill them, to carry them out, to give them perfect obedience:
(Mt 5:17) "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
We need to ask: in what way exactly does Jesus fulfill the law and the prophets? Everything prophesied about him, also through ceremony, happened when he came to us and was fulfilled.

B Jesus is the fulfillment not just of the prophets but also of the law. First, Jesus is the fulfillment, in and of himself, of the ceremonial laws and rules about worship. All these decrees speak of him and point at him.

Christ is also the fulfillment or the fulfiller of the Law's moral requirements. As the Son of God Jesus is eternally above the law; yet, he came as one under obedience to the law. And his comlete obedience is imputed righteousness, given to us, as if it is our own.

As we read the Gospels we can't help but notice how very careful our Lord was to observe the law; He obeyed it down to the smallest detail. Not only that, but he also taught others to love and obey the law. At the end of his life there was nothing of the law, not a jot or a tittle, that he had broken or disobeyed or violated. So Christ fulfilled the law by his perfect and unwavering obedience to it.

C. It was especially on the cross, however, that Christ fulfilled the law. Because of the Fall in the Garden God had pronounced judgment on all sin. Punishment of sin must be carried out. The law must be fulfilled. And it was, at Golgotha, when Christ suffered the punishment demanded by the law, when he completely and finally fulfilled the law of God.

And this is the Gospel - that Christ fulfilled the law, freed us from its punishment and wrath and kept the law in our place.
Therefore we become children of God only by grace, and only through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Men's Breakfast - 29 May!

What an exciting atmosphere for fellowship was created by the "bulls-stormers-geesvang" theme, followed by e message from Nehemiah 1.
Thanks Mark, Michelle, Babs, Pat and Salomi!