Guardrails - Introduction to The Ten Commandments
The first of the year has come and gone. New Year's resolutions have been made. Maybe this is the year you have resolved to lose weight, eat better, exercise more, or take better care of yourself. Did you make a New Year's Resolution?
Today, we transition into our new Sermon Series, Guardrails, based on the 10 Commandments. As we transition from our year-long sermon series called “Meeting Jesus” to the Old Testament, I think it is essential that we examine what Jesus said about the Old Testament. As followers of Jesus, should we obey the commands found in the Old Testament? If the Old Testament contains commands for those who do wrong to be killed, how do we balance that with the teachings of Jesus?
Our main passage of scripture is found in Matthew 5:17-20.
Matthew 5:17-20 (NLT2)
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!
In this passage, Jesus seems to reinforce the idea that all his followers should obey everything in the Old Testament.
Now, as we launch into our series on the 10 Commandments, look carefully at what Jesus said about the Old Testament:
I’m not here to do away with the law…
Not the smallest part of the Old Testament will pass away until it is accomplished…
Those who relax these laws are the least…
Those who teach and do them are great…
Jesus’ teaching should lead us to ask the question…
Are followers of Jesus to obey the Old Testament and the New Testament?
Be careful if your answer is yes. There are more commands in the Old Testament than what we know as the 10 Commandments. The Old Testament has 613 commands…
If we are to not to relax them, but to do them, it raises some questions about how to Apply God’s Word to our lives.
For instance:
Exodus 21:7 (NLT2)
7 “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.
Exodus 35:2 (NLT2)
2 Anyone who works on (the Sabbath) must be put to death.
Deuteronomy 21:20-21 (NLT2)
20 The parents must say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of his town must stone him to death. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.
Leviticus 11:7-8 (ESV)
7 And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat any
Do followers of Jesus pick and choose what parts of the Bible to obey?
In this passage, Jesus taught EVERYTHING about the Old Testament was true and should be followed thoroughly.
In light of Jesus ’ words about “those who relax these laws and teach others to do the same…” we must understand the Old Testament better.
COMMANDMENTS ARE CATEGORIZED AS CIVIL, CEREMONIAL, & MORAL.
Civil:
These laws determined how the Israelite Nation should be run. These were National laws. Citizens of Israel were expected to follow them, and if they broke the law, they were punished.
Does Jesus expect those of us who live outside the nation of Israel to obey these laws? The answer is no.
You are not Jewish. You are not an Israelite. You are expected to obey the Laws of the good old USA.
Ceremonial:
These are the laws about washing your hands, purifying your body, and getting right with God through sacrifices. These laws were given to the Nation of Israel, the people of Israel, to present themselves as “holy” to God. They showed the world that they belonged to God and had been set apart from the rest of the world as his chosen people.
Does God expect you and me to follow these laws? No.
Why? Again, I am not an Israelite….and the WAY to get right with God is through JESUS. I can’t scrub my hands enough to remove the stain of my sin…If we fell back into ceremonial law, we would be saying the sacrifice of Jesus was insufficient. “He got us clean…but can’t keep us clean…”
Moral:
These are the laws that are rooted in God’s holiness. These are commands God established to protect us and to bless us. These laws speak to justice, respect, and sexual conduct. Does Jesus expect us to follow these moral commands?
The answer is yes.
It is still wrong to murder.
It is still wrong to lie.
It is still wrong to commit adultery.
The moral commands were about relationships. If kept, we have perfection between ourselves, God, and others. But our relationships with others are not perfect. We lie. We betray. We try to hurt others. And, left up to ourselves, our relationship with God stinks too.
So, can we keep all the commands perfectly? No. I am grateful for Jesus because…
JESUS FINISHED KEEPING ALL THE COMMANDS BECAUSE WE COULD NOT.
He obeyed all the commands not to prove it could be done but so that you and I could be set free from the law.
When Jesus cried out “It is finished.”
As he was dying on the cross, he was referring to the fact that Old Testament LAW, which only highlighted our sinfulness, had been erased.
Colossians 2:14 (NLT2)
14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
Ephesians 2:14a-15a (NLT2)
14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. .. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations.
IT IS FINISHED means that you and I are not obligated to fulfill the law at all. Jesus ENDED that old system. HE ended the old covenant. If you are trying to earn God’s forgiveness by keeping obedience to the old promises…you are guilty of believing the death of Jesus was insufficient.
If you are a legalist…
If you are a rule follower…
If you live in fear that you must seek to be perfect in all you do…
If you harp on others and tell them the Bible says you can’t get a tattoo or eat and drink certain foods…
I want you to hear this very simply…you are guilty of obeying the law that Jesus ended…so…repent and
STOP OBEYING THE LAW!
In light of what Jesus said about the LAW (That anybody who relaxes the LAW in any way would be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven…), it sounds like I am teaching the exact opposite of what Jesus said! It is like I have a death wish. Am I really about to teach the opposite of what Jesus taught?
Well, Paul said,
Galatians 3:25 (NLT2)
25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.
The LAW was necessary to point out that it was impossible for you and I to achieve HOLINESS on our own. Now that faith in Jesus has come, the law is no longer needed for those who have placed their faith in Jesus and become Christ's followers.
Now, as followers of Jesus, we no longer need the law. In fact, Paul writes that we have been released from it.
Romans 7:6 (NLT2)
6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now, we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.
So, as followers of Jesus, we no longer have to obey the letter of the law because something better has come along. If you have become a follower of Jesus, you are not supposed to obey the Old Testament law; we are to live IN the spirit.
What does it mean to live in the Spirit?
How do we know we are living in the spirit?
We need to…
START OBEYING JESUS!
John 14:21 (NLT2)
21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
If you have given your life to Jesus, you have been freed from the OT LAW, but you are not set free to live life as you please.
If you have committed your life to him, you have committed to his teachings, commands, and ways. Jesus said those who obey his commands are the ones who really love him…and God will love them because they love Jesus. That is what we mean when we say “Follower of Jesus.”
The New Testament has 1050 commands. There is one command in the New Testament that sums up all 613 OT commands and all 1050 commands in the New Testament.
Romans 13:10 (NLT2)
10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
That’s why Jesus said:
Matthew 22:37-39 (NLT2)
“‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
So instead of judging people for working on the Sabbath, drinking too much, getting tattoos, or trimming their hair off their temples, Jesus wants you to love them. At Beach Church, our mission is to lead people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus, and we invite others to follow Jesus through loving them as we love ourselves.
So,
Offer to help with dishes.
Invite neighbors over for dinner or coffee to build community and friendship.
Organize a meal train for those who have lost a loved one or had a baby.
Resist the urge to cut off the driver that cut you off.
For crying out loud, let other drivers merge. 😊
Return your shopping cart (even the one with the bad wheels) to the cart return.
Occasionally pay for the person behind you in line, especially if they seem to be struggling.
Thank grocery store employees for their hard work.
Regularly pray for others.
In 2024, let’s obey the teachings of Jesus. Love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as ourselves.