WEBVTT 00:00:05.710 --> 00:00:08.109 Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of 00:00:08.109 --> 00:00:10.669 Trinity Sermons. This week we are continuing 00:00:10.669 --> 00:00:13.210 our sermon series, Summer on the Mount, where 00:00:13.210 --> 00:00:16.609 we are diving into Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, 00:00:16.730 --> 00:00:19.609 perhaps the most famous and impactful teaching 00:00:19.609 --> 00:00:23.730 of Jesus. Today we are looking at Jesus' relationship 00:00:23.730 --> 00:00:26.929 to the Old Testament Scriptures, where there's 00:00:26.929 --> 00:00:30.129 all kinds of rules and laws, and Jesus says, 00:00:30.170 --> 00:00:33.869 you have heard it said, blank. one of these rules, 00:00:34.109 --> 00:00:37.649 but I say to you, blank, something else, something 00:00:37.649 --> 00:00:40.810 new, a different way of looking at many of these 00:00:40.810 --> 00:00:45.710 laws. So what does Jesus say? Why do these laws 00:00:45.710 --> 00:00:49.429 matter? And what is the better way forward? These 00:00:49.429 --> 00:00:51.310 are just some of the questions that we'll unpack 00:00:51.310 --> 00:00:58.530 in today's teaching. Today's reading is from 00:00:58.530 --> 00:01:04.519 the Gospel of Matthew 5. 21 to 22, 27 to 41, 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:09.700 and 43 to 45. You have heard that it was said 00:01:09.700 --> 00:01:12.739 to the people long ago, you shall not murder, 00:01:12.900 --> 00:01:15.920 and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:19.859 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:22.840 a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. 00:01:23.620 --> 00:01:27.120 Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:31.700 raka, is answerable to the court. And anyone 00:01:31.700 --> 00:01:35.060 who says, you fool, will be in danger of the 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:38.219 fire of hell. You have heard that it was said, 00:01:38.379 --> 00:01:42.140 you shall not commit adultery. But I tell you, 00:01:42.180 --> 00:01:46.000 anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:50.060 committed adultery with her in his heart. If 00:01:50.060 --> 00:01:53.120 your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:56.640 out and throw it away. It is better for you to 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:59.349 lose one part of your body than for your whole 00:01:59.349 --> 00:02:02.709 body to be thrown into hell. And if your right 00:02:02.709 --> 00:02:06.189 hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw 00:02:06.189 --> 00:02:09.409 it away, it is better for you to lose one part 00:02:09.409 --> 00:02:12.469 of your body than for your whole body to go into 00:02:12.469 --> 00:02:17.129 hell. It has been said, anyone who divorces his 00:02:17.129 --> 00:02:19.949 wife must give her a certificate of divorce. 00:02:20.530 --> 00:02:24.370 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, 00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:28.370 except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim 00:02:28.370 --> 00:02:31.629 of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced 00:02:31.629 --> 00:02:36.229 woman commits adultery. Again, you have heard 00:02:36.229 --> 00:02:39.449 that it was said to the people long ago, Do not 00:02:39.449 --> 00:02:42.610 break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the 00:02:42.610 --> 00:02:46.370 vows you have made. But I tell you, do not swear 00:02:46.370 --> 00:02:50.150 an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is God's 00:02:50.150 --> 00:02:53.629 throne, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, 00:02:53.669 --> 00:02:57.360 or by Jerusalem. for it is the city of the great 00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:01.139 king. And do not swear by your head, for you 00:03:01.139 --> 00:03:05.439 cannot make even one hair white or black. All 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:09.259 you need to say is simply yes or no. Anything 00:03:09.259 --> 00:03:13.039 beyond this comes from the evil one. You have 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:16.460 heard that it was said, eye for eye and tooth 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:20.479 for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:23.960 person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, 00:03:24.180 --> 00:03:28.490 turn to them. the other cheek also. And if anyone 00:03:28.490 --> 00:03:31.849 wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over 00:03:31.849 --> 00:03:35.590 your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go 00:03:35.590 --> 00:03:40.050 one mile, go with them two miles. You have heard 00:03:40.050 --> 00:03:42.909 that it was said, love your neighbor and hate 00:03:42.909 --> 00:03:46.389 your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies 00:03:46.389 --> 00:03:49.669 and pray for those who persecute you, that you 00:03:49.669 --> 00:03:53.060 may be children of your Father in heaven. He 00:03:53.060 --> 00:03:56.379 causes his son to rise on the evil and the good, 00:03:56.419 --> 00:04:00.219 and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:05.699 The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. So life, 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:09.770 of course, is... full of questions. We always 00:04:09.770 --> 00:04:12.229 have these questions, messy questions, thorny 00:04:12.229 --> 00:04:15.969 questions, complicated questions, you know, personal 00:04:15.969 --> 00:04:19.069 questions. I sometimes wonder, wouldn't it be 00:04:19.069 --> 00:04:21.569 great if there was some kind of a book you could 00:04:21.569 --> 00:04:24.889 just flip to that had the answer to all the questions 00:04:24.889 --> 00:04:27.850 that we have? Like, oh, should I forgive somebody 00:04:27.850 --> 00:04:31.629 who hurt me? Oh, just turn to page 136. There's 00:04:31.629 --> 00:04:34.329 the answer. Or, you know, should I ever tell 00:04:34.329 --> 00:04:38.019 a lie to spare someone? feelings? Oh, well, just 00:04:38.019 --> 00:04:43.339 turn to page 242, and there's your answer. Should 00:04:43.339 --> 00:04:46.519 I ghost someone who's annoying me? Oh, turn to 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:48.959 page 42. There's your answer. Should I respond 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:51.480 to emails while I'm in the bathroom? Oh, just 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:53.939 turn to page 500. You'll see the answer's no, 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:56.199 but we all do it anyways. I know we all do it 00:04:56.199 --> 00:04:58.579 anyways. What is the right thing to do in this 00:04:58.579 --> 00:05:00.439 situation? Oh, turn to this page. What's the 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:01.959 right thing to do in this situation? Turn to 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:04.300 this page. What's right? What's wrong? What is 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:07.490 good? What is bad? Let's be honest, most of us 00:05:07.490 --> 00:05:09.449 would love to have this kind of a cheat sheet, 00:05:09.649 --> 00:05:13.670 some kind of a spiritual little rule book that 00:05:13.670 --> 00:05:16.829 would tell us the page number, give us a box 00:05:16.829 --> 00:05:19.329 to tick, tell us the right thing to do. I'm good, 00:05:19.490 --> 00:05:21.790 I've done it, I've figured it out, right? There 00:05:21.790 --> 00:05:25.209 is this guy by the name of Hank Hanegraaff, and 00:05:25.209 --> 00:05:28.689 he has this radio show. He goes by the name of 00:05:28.689 --> 00:05:31.459 the Bible Answer Man. And people phone in to 00:05:31.459 --> 00:05:33.040 Hank's show. It's actually kind of a cool show. 00:05:33.180 --> 00:05:35.060 They phone in. They ask him all these questions 00:05:35.060 --> 00:05:37.259 about the Bible, about life, about things that 00:05:37.259 --> 00:05:41.139 they're facing. And Hank always gives them an 00:05:41.139 --> 00:05:43.680 answer. In fact, Hank Hanegraaff wrote this book 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:48.120 called The Complete Bible Answer Book. And man, 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:50.819 everything you want to know is in there. There's 00:05:50.819 --> 00:05:53.519 chapters on everything. Capital punishment, euthanasia, 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:56.240 homosexuality, heaven, hell, money, everything. 00:05:56.459 --> 00:05:59.959 It's all neatly tied up in one little book. all 00:05:59.959 --> 00:06:02.860 of life's dilemmas, don't we want something like 00:06:02.860 --> 00:06:05.639 this? A nice, you know, spiritual little search 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:07.779 bar where we type in the question we have and 00:06:07.779 --> 00:06:12.519 Google spits out the correct moral answer. Well, 00:06:12.540 --> 00:06:16.420 this summer, we are reading through the Sermon 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:18.240 on the Mount. It is the most famous teaching 00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:21.699 ever by the most famous teacher ever, and that, 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:26.660 of course, is Jesus. So, is this it? Is this 00:06:26.660 --> 00:06:28.879 the handbook that we have been looking for? Is 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:31.759 this the kind of easy, new, improved, heavenly 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:34.699 handbook for life, the divine cheat sheet that 00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:36.740 tells us all the right things and all the wrong 00:06:36.740 --> 00:06:38.680 things, all we gotta do is turn here and we get 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:41.240 our answer? You know, lots of people, even people 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:43.139 who don't believe in Jesus particularly, they 00:06:43.139 --> 00:06:44.579 don't believe he's the son of God, they don't 00:06:44.579 --> 00:06:46.680 believe he rose from the dead, would still say, 00:06:46.779 --> 00:06:49.699 I love the Sermon on the Mount. And the reason 00:06:49.699 --> 00:06:51.180 they would say that is they would say, because 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:55.120 I see it as a code of ethics. They say it's the 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:59.120 set of rules for living your life. And you can't 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:01.639 blame people. You can't blame human beings. We 00:07:01.639 --> 00:07:04.500 want something black and white. We want something 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:07.800 cut and dried. In fact, I would say that the 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:10.120 largest religions in the world are the ones with 00:07:10.120 --> 00:07:13.129 the largest list of rules. The largest churches 00:07:13.129 --> 00:07:15.829 even in the world are usually the ones that give 00:07:15.829 --> 00:07:19.149 you the longest code of ethics to sign, the biggest 00:07:19.149 --> 00:07:22.389 sheet of answers to all your questions. Why? 00:07:22.529 --> 00:07:25.790 Because if we can just check off the boxes, say 00:07:25.790 --> 00:07:28.589 done, done, believe it, done, done, done, then 00:07:28.589 --> 00:07:33.310 you know where you stand and all is well. I have 00:07:33.310 --> 00:07:36.009 to say that as a minister for now over 20 years, 00:07:36.110 --> 00:07:39.610 sometimes people come to me and they have a question. 00:07:39.709 --> 00:07:42.870 And they say, Rob, is it okay to do this? Rob, 00:07:43.050 --> 00:07:45.889 is it okay that they are doing that? Is this 00:07:45.889 --> 00:07:48.610 allowed? Is that allowed? What does this mean? 00:07:48.769 --> 00:07:52.290 And they seem to want, I think this is normal, 00:07:52.470 --> 00:07:55.069 they seem to want their pastor to chime in with 00:07:55.069 --> 00:07:58.129 a particular pronouncement on a particular question 00:07:58.129 --> 00:08:00.930 that they have. And maybe... Over the years, 00:08:00.930 --> 00:08:03.389 there's been times when I've been able to kind 00:08:03.389 --> 00:08:06.310 of say something that helped or gave them some 00:08:06.310 --> 00:08:08.790 wisdom or maybe even had an answer for the question. 00:08:08.949 --> 00:08:12.410 Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible answer man. But many 00:08:12.410 --> 00:08:17.110 times I struggle, actually, because I don't think 00:08:17.110 --> 00:08:21.470 that Jesus gave us this divinely authorized FAQ 00:08:21.470 --> 00:08:24.290 manual. And all you got to do is just turn to 00:08:24.290 --> 00:08:27.089 the right page and then read the correct ruling. 00:08:28.589 --> 00:08:31.649 Well, today we learn that the Sermon on the Mount 00:08:31.649 --> 00:08:36.490 is not that kind of list either. It doesn't give 00:08:36.490 --> 00:08:39.370 us those kind of rules. At first, it might look 00:08:39.370 --> 00:08:41.309 like it's giving us a bunch of rules. You shall 00:08:41.309 --> 00:08:44.690 not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You 00:08:44.690 --> 00:08:46.509 shouldn't divorce your wife unless you've got 00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:50.009 the paperwork, right? You shouldn't swear falsely. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:54.320 Checkbox religion, right? Done it, done it, done 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:56.919 it. This is what the scribes and the Pharisees 00:08:56.919 --> 00:08:58.820 taught. Oh, I haven't killed anyone, correct? 00:08:58.980 --> 00:09:01.580 Oh, have I committed adultery? Nope, good there. 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:04.259 I got divorced, but I did the paperwork. Good, 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:06.779 I'm all good there. That's the way we want it, 00:09:06.899 --> 00:09:11.899 right? Easy answers, clear rules, religious regulations. 00:09:13.460 --> 00:09:16.519 But the Sermon on the Mount isn't about regulation. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:22.649 It's about transformation. The gospel isn't a 00:09:22.649 --> 00:09:27.590 rule book. The kingdom of God isn't a checklist. 00:09:29.450 --> 00:09:34.289 It's not handing you a new kind of answer book. 00:09:34.809 --> 00:09:38.850 It's calling you to be a new kind of person. 00:09:40.690 --> 00:09:44.669 Put another way, the Sermon on the Mount. isn't 00:09:44.669 --> 00:09:47.470 about a checklist. It's about a changed heart. 00:09:47.710 --> 00:09:50.029 It isn't a new set of laws for you to memorize. 00:09:50.490 --> 00:09:52.990 Instead, it's this new outlook that you're called 00:09:52.990 --> 00:09:55.190 to live by. And you have to apply that outlook 00:09:55.190 --> 00:09:57.570 to everything in your life. You've got to figure 00:09:57.570 --> 00:10:00.190 out what it means for your life. And yes, that 00:10:00.190 --> 00:10:03.490 is the harder way. It is way easier to tick a 00:10:03.490 --> 00:10:05.990 bunch of boxes than it is to change your heart. 00:10:06.409 --> 00:10:09.769 It is easier to memorize a list of answers than 00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:13.799 to be transformed in how you think. and how you 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:18.659 act, and how you treat others. But Jesus doesn't 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:21.980 give us an easy way out. He doesn't give us easy 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:26.259 answers. Here's what I mean. Six times in the 00:10:26.259 --> 00:10:28.159 Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeats this cute 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:31.980 little formula. He says, you have heard it said, 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:35.039 dot, dot, dot, that I say to you. And each time, 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:38.100 he's referring to some kind of black and white 00:10:38.100 --> 00:10:43.440 rule book rule that people had been taught. and 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:46.799 the scribes, in order to make things easier for 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:49.340 people, had kind of boiled the law down or actually 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:52.120 expanded the law out into a whole bunch of lists 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:55.820 and a whole bunch of check boxes. In those days, 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:57.620 it's important to know people really couldn't 00:10:57.620 --> 00:11:00.039 even really read the Bible for themselves. When 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:02.440 God's people came back from exile, they didn't 00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:05.759 speak Hebrew anymore. They spoke Aramaic. The 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:07.600 Bible was written in Hebrew. And so the scribes 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:09.320 and the Pharisees, they had to interpret the 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:12.909 Bible to the people. But interpretation, turned 00:11:12.909 --> 00:11:15.990 into elaboration. And pretty soon there was more 00:11:15.990 --> 00:11:18.309 boxes and more lists and more regulations and 00:11:18.309 --> 00:11:21.509 more rules. So then Jesus steps in and he says, 00:11:21.549 --> 00:11:23.570 yeah, I know you've heard it said by those guys 00:11:23.570 --> 00:11:26.250 over the years. I know for hundreds of years 00:11:26.250 --> 00:11:29.590 you've heard it said, but I say to you, dot, 00:11:29.590 --> 00:11:33.309 dot, dot. What a bold claim. In some ways, what 00:11:33.309 --> 00:11:35.789 Jesus is saying is all those other interpreters, 00:11:35.789 --> 00:11:38.000 they're wrong. I'm going to give you the right 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:40.419 interpretation. In fact, some people would even 00:11:40.419 --> 00:11:43.460 say that Jesus is almost saying, I was there 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:46.200 when this law was written in the first place. 00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:50.519 I, God, was the one who gave this to you, so 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:55.779 only I can properly interpret it for you. Martin 00:11:55.779 --> 00:11:57.580 Lloyd -Jones, I think he said it perfectly. He 00:11:57.580 --> 00:12:00.340 said, Jesus was not a mere teacher. He was not 00:12:00.340 --> 00:12:02.259 a mere man. He was not a mere expounder of the 00:12:02.259 --> 00:12:04.240 law, just like the scribes and Pharisees. He 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:08.279 was infinitely more than that. He was God, the 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:13.360 Son in the flesh, presenting the truth of God. 00:12:13.620 --> 00:12:17.539 Isn't this amazing that 2 ,000 years ago, God 00:12:17.539 --> 00:12:21.480 himself walked among us and interpreted his own 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:26.840 law for us. But when he did, he didn't give us 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:31.559 a new law book or a new moral code. Rather than 00:12:31.559 --> 00:12:34.980 new rules, Jesus gives us a new outlook. It's 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:37.100 like he doesn't want to treat us like children. 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:39.559 He doesn't want to endlessly give us instructions. 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:42.440 Don't do this. Don't do that. Go here. Turn left. 00:12:42.500 --> 00:12:45.480 Turn right. Stop right there. Instead, he says, 00:12:45.539 --> 00:12:50.059 grow up. Grow up into people who think and live 00:12:50.059 --> 00:12:55.240 and love differently because your hearts have 00:12:55.240 --> 00:12:59.419 been changed. The Sermon on the Mount isn't about 00:12:59.419 --> 00:13:02.279 ticking boxes. It's about becoming a new kind 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:04.399 of person. It's not a list of regulations. It's 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:07.299 about transformation. So today, rather than give 00:13:07.299 --> 00:13:12.399 you 40 ,000 rules, Jesus, I think, lays out four, 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:15.919 I'm going to say four, kingdom principles that 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:19.500 we can apply to all the thorny, complicated issues 00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:23.519 that we face day in and day out. And I've given 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:25.759 you some notes. Unfortunately, it's a checklist. 00:13:26.590 --> 00:13:30.750 Darn it. But you can follow along and take some 00:13:30.750 --> 00:13:33.769 notes as we go. Let's get started. The first 00:13:33.769 --> 00:13:36.750 principle that Jesus teaches us in the Sermon 00:13:36.750 --> 00:13:38.909 on the Mount is that it's not about the letter 00:13:38.909 --> 00:13:43.289 of the law, but the spirit of the law. You see, 00:13:43.350 --> 00:13:46.750 the Pharisees, they obsessed over the surface. 00:13:46.850 --> 00:13:50.350 They obsessed over the exact wording, the precise 00:13:50.350 --> 00:13:52.269 rules. You know, they were the type of people 00:13:52.269 --> 00:13:54.129 who, when they downloaded an app, and you know 00:13:54.129 --> 00:13:56.049 you gotta check off all the terms and conditions, 00:13:56.250 --> 00:13:59.690 they loved reading that stuff, right? But Jesus 00:13:59.690 --> 00:14:03.950 is concerned with something deeper, the spirit 00:14:03.950 --> 00:14:07.889 of the law, not the letter of it. He wants us 00:14:07.889 --> 00:14:10.990 to get at the heart behind these words. That's 00:14:10.990 --> 00:14:12.970 why Jesus says things like, don't just avoid 00:14:12.970 --> 00:14:16.850 murder. Avoid anger. That's the spirit of the 00:14:16.850 --> 00:14:20.309 law. Don't just avoid adultery. Avoid objectifying 00:14:20.309 --> 00:14:24.509 people in your mind. That is the spirit of the 00:14:24.509 --> 00:14:27.370 law. John Stott puts it beautifully. He says, 00:14:27.450 --> 00:14:29.830 Jesus' emphasis was not on the law's letter, 00:14:30.070 --> 00:14:33.230 which could be obeyed in a legalistic and mechanical 00:14:33.230 --> 00:14:38.190 way, but on the spirit. It's deeper intention. 00:14:39.649 --> 00:14:43.330 In other words, anyone here can technically obey 00:14:43.330 --> 00:14:47.110 do not murder and still carry bitterness and 00:14:47.110 --> 00:14:49.570 resentment and hatred in their heart. You can 00:14:49.570 --> 00:14:52.970 technically not commit adultery and still nurture 00:14:52.970 --> 00:14:55.610 lust in your heart. Jesus does not contend with 00:14:55.610 --> 00:14:58.309 that, right? He will not settle just for external 00:14:58.309 --> 00:15:01.990 compliance. He's after internal transformation. 00:15:02.850 --> 00:15:07.669 Now the Pharisees. They knew the law inside and 00:15:07.669 --> 00:15:11.470 out, but they forgot the spirit of the law was 00:15:11.470 --> 00:15:14.769 love. And we do the same thing all the time, 00:15:14.789 --> 00:15:17.070 don't we? We want to know, where's the line? 00:15:17.190 --> 00:15:21.330 And what's allowed? And what's forbidden? But 00:15:21.330 --> 00:15:23.450 Jesus seems to say the line isn't the point. 00:15:24.470 --> 00:15:29.110 Love is the point. When you live by the letter 00:15:29.110 --> 00:15:32.029 of the law, you need a rule for every single 00:15:32.029 --> 00:15:35.169 scenario. You're always asking, is this technically 00:15:35.169 --> 00:15:37.629 permitted? Can I do this? But when you live by 00:15:37.629 --> 00:15:39.269 the Spirit, you're asking a different kind of 00:15:39.269 --> 00:15:43.769 question. You're asking, does this reflect the 00:15:43.769 --> 00:15:48.129 Spirit, love, and grace that I see in Jesus Christ? 00:15:49.710 --> 00:15:53.870 Paul wrote, the law kills, the letter of the 00:15:53.870 --> 00:15:57.690 law kills, but the Spirit gives life. So that 00:15:57.690 --> 00:15:59.870 is the first principle Jesus teaches us. You 00:15:59.870 --> 00:16:04.059 gotta go behind the letter of the law, and see 00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:06.039 the spirit of the law. Now, here's the second 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:09.299 principle that he gives us. It's not just about 00:16:09.299 --> 00:16:14.519 what you do. It's about why you do it, right? 00:16:14.580 --> 00:16:17.600 The old mindset said, well, as long as I do the 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:19.480 right thing, check, check, check, it doesn't 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:21.740 really matter where my heart is. Jesus says, 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:26.080 not enough. He says, motives matter. You can't 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:29.980 just bake cookies for your neighbor while secretly 00:16:29.980 --> 00:16:33.700 hoping they choke on them. Right? Right? Motives, 00:16:33.799 --> 00:16:39.019 right? The kingdom people have different motives, 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:41.559 right? They aren't motivated by anger or greed 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:44.559 or hostility or the need to be seen. They're 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:50.340 motivated by love and grace. Rules, they care 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:53.720 only about your behavior. But Jesus cares about 00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:57.600 your motives. And the Sermon on the Mount isn't 00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:00.860 about being a better rule follower. It's about 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:05.599 becoming. someone whose motives are transformed 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:10.039 from the inside out. That's why Dallas Willard 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:12.059 says, the aim of the Sermon on the Mount is not 00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:16.240 to get us to do what Jesus says, but to become 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:20.720 the kind of people who would naturally do what 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:24.609 Jesus says. That's the goal. Not just to check 00:17:24.609 --> 00:17:27.009 boxes, not just to look righteous on the outside 00:17:27.009 --> 00:17:29.509 while there's resentment and lust and pride burning 00:17:29.509 --> 00:17:32.190 on the inside. It is easy to do that, right? 00:17:32.250 --> 00:17:35.230 Anybody can keep their temper in check but seethe 00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:37.750 with bitterness. Anybody can stay faithful in 00:17:37.750 --> 00:17:41.390 their marriage but still objectify others in 00:17:41.390 --> 00:17:45.309 their mind. But Jesus sees deeper. The Sermon 00:17:45.309 --> 00:17:48.470 on the Mount doesn't just ask, what did you do? 00:17:49.450 --> 00:17:54.720 It asks, why did you do it? Jesus is not after 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:59.480 behavior modification. He's after heart transformation. 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:02.720 So those are the first two principles in the 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.759 kingdom of God. It's not about the letter of 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:08.000 the law, but the spirit. And secondly, it's not 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:10.740 just about what you do, but it's about why you 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:16.480 do it. Here's the third principle. Kingdom life 00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:20.779 isn't just about what you avoid, but it's about 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:25.450 what you pursue. You see, the Pharisees, they 00:18:25.450 --> 00:18:28.309 were masters at the don'ts. Don't murder. Don't 00:18:28.309 --> 00:18:30.009 commit adultery. Don't do this. Don't do that. 00:18:30.069 --> 00:18:31.589 Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't. And 00:18:31.589 --> 00:18:33.910 honestly, most of us, we think that's what it 00:18:33.910 --> 00:18:35.690 means to be holy. A whole bunch of different 00:18:35.690 --> 00:18:38.690 don'ts. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't hate. Don't 00:18:38.690 --> 00:18:40.910 run with scissors. Don't leave your dishes in 00:18:40.910 --> 00:18:44.089 the sink. Don't eat carbs after 8 p .m., right? 00:18:44.210 --> 00:18:48.150 And yes, Sermon on the Mount has its share of 00:18:48.150 --> 00:18:51.920 don'ts. But it goes way deeper than that. Jesus 00:18:51.920 --> 00:18:54.740 isn't just interested in what you stay away from. 00:18:55.059 --> 00:19:00.980 He's calling you into a new way of life. Not 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:05.680 a life of don'ts, but a life of do's. Do love. 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:12.740 Do show mercy. Do justice. Do reconcile. Do give 00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:16.700 generously. You can avoid murder, don't. But 00:19:16.700 --> 00:19:20.690 can you love your enemy? Do. You can avoid adultery. 00:19:20.730 --> 00:19:23.910 Don't. But can you honor others with your heart 00:19:23.910 --> 00:19:27.430 and your mind? Do. Jesus is calling us not just 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:31.109 to abstain from evil, but to embody the good. 00:19:31.789 --> 00:19:34.130 John Stott says the Christian life is not merely 00:19:34.130 --> 00:19:37.349 avoiding what is wrong, but actively pursuing 00:19:37.349 --> 00:19:40.309 what is good. Holiness is not a matter of avoiding 00:19:40.309 --> 00:19:46.309 sin, but loving righteousness. This is what makes 00:19:46.309 --> 00:19:49.640 this principle So much better than a rule book. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:51.619 Rule books just say, don't do that. Principles 00:19:51.619 --> 00:19:56.819 say, run toward the good. Be peacemakers, be 00:19:56.819 --> 00:20:00.920 generous, show mercy. The gospel doesn't just 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:05.599 say, don't retaliate. It says, go the second 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:09.980 mile. It doesn't just say, don't hate. It says, 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.920 love your enemies. Jesus isn't just trying to 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:16.380 hold us back from doing evil. He's pushing us 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:20.240 in. to the good life of the kingdom. He's pushing 00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:22.619 us into a life of mercy. He's pushing us into 00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:25.400 a life of compassion, into a life of forgiveness 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:29.299 and generosity and love. That's the invitation 00:20:29.299 --> 00:20:32.380 of the Sermon on the Mount. Not just what to 00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:37.319 run from, but what to run toward. Life in the 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:41.460 kingdom, it's not just about sin management. 00:20:42.220 --> 00:20:46.140 It's active love. And that brings us to the fourth. 00:20:46.730 --> 00:20:49.769 And the final principle, I think we find woven 00:20:49.769 --> 00:20:51.490 throughout the Sermon on the Mount, and that 00:20:51.490 --> 00:20:55.529 is, it's not about rules from God. It's about 00:20:55.529 --> 00:20:59.690 a relationship with God. You know, the scribes, 00:20:59.690 --> 00:21:02.210 they handed down traditions and regulations, 00:21:02.450 --> 00:21:04.789 long lists of do's and don'ts, but with all the 00:21:04.789 --> 00:21:08.329 rules, they kind of lost the relationship. And 00:21:08.329 --> 00:21:10.609 the relationship was what it was all about. It's 00:21:10.609 --> 00:21:13.029 kind of like planning for a wedding, but then 00:21:13.029 --> 00:21:15.190 forgetting to actually show up for the marriage. 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:18.819 It's not about the rules. It's not about the 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:21.039 rituals. It's not about the regulations. It's 00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:23.319 about the relationship. That's what we were celebrating 00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:25.859 this morning with Galen. Not that he's followed 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:28.680 all the rules, but that he's entered into a relationship 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:32.960 with the living God, his Father. Your Father 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:37.960 loves you, right? The life described in the Sermon 00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:40.799 on the Mount is only possible Because of your 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:44.000 relationship with God. The kingdom norms Jesus 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:49.420 gives us are rooted in relationship, not some 00:21:49.420 --> 00:21:54.380 legal duty. You know, as a parent, I want my 00:21:54.380 --> 00:21:57.920 children to listen to me. But not because of 00:21:57.920 --> 00:21:59.779 an arbitrary rule. I want them to listen to me 00:21:59.779 --> 00:22:03.940 because I'm their father. Right? It's because 00:22:03.940 --> 00:22:07.069 of our relationship. And the same is with God. 00:22:07.170 --> 00:22:10.490 Our behavior doesn't flow from rules we got from 00:22:10.490 --> 00:22:13.750 God, but from our relationship we have with God. 00:22:14.410 --> 00:22:17.910 And that relationship we have with God, God's 00:22:17.910 --> 00:22:22.509 love is shaping us on the inside. So let's recap. 00:22:23.549 --> 00:22:26.410 Living in the kingdom of God is not about the 00:22:26.410 --> 00:22:27.869 letter of the law, but it's about the spirit 00:22:27.869 --> 00:22:29.829 of the law, first principle. Secondly, it's not 00:22:29.829 --> 00:22:31.390 just about what you do, but it's about why you 00:22:31.390 --> 00:22:33.559 do it. That's the second principle. It's not 00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:35.839 just about what you avoid, but it's about what 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:37.680 you pursue. That's the third principle. And then 00:22:37.680 --> 00:22:40.059 fourthly, it's not just about rules from God. 00:22:40.119 --> 00:22:42.619 It's about a relationship with God. Now, just 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:46.460 quickly as I end, let me just show you how Jesus 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:49.880 uses these principles to answer the difficult 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:53.039 questions of his day. So when Jesus says, oh, 00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:55.160 you have heard that it was said to those of old, 00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:57.440 you shall not murder. Whoever murders is going 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:59.359 to be liable to judgment. Ah, that seems pretty 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:01.819 straightforward. Don't take someone's life and 00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:04.000 you're righteous. Box ticked, move on. That's 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.900 the letter of the law. But Jesus says, no, no, 00:23:06.900 --> 00:23:09.180 no, no, no. You've missed the point entirely. 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:12.250 Principle one. right? It says, what's the spirit 00:23:12.250 --> 00:23:14.069 of the law? The spirit of the law is not about 00:23:14.069 --> 00:23:16.630 what you do with your hands. It's about the anger 00:23:16.630 --> 00:23:18.809 that you harbor in your heart. And actually, 00:23:18.910 --> 00:23:22.029 principle three, sorry, principle three says 00:23:22.029 --> 00:23:24.549 that it isn't just about what you don't do, don't 00:23:24.549 --> 00:23:26.410 murder. You heard in the Sermon on the Mount, 00:23:26.529 --> 00:23:29.430 Jesus actually says, you know, go and make peace 00:23:29.430 --> 00:23:31.369 with people. In fact, if you realize that you 00:23:31.369 --> 00:23:33.390 have a problem with someone before you even come 00:23:33.390 --> 00:23:35.329 to the altar and receive communion or give your 00:23:35.329 --> 00:23:37.750 gift, you go and you make it right. It's not 00:23:37.750 --> 00:23:40.490 about don't, it's about do. You reconcile, with 00:23:40.490 --> 00:23:43.230 that person first, right? It's about becoming 00:23:43.230 --> 00:23:46.170 a person who loves peace and reconciliation. 00:23:46.650 --> 00:23:49.549 Same with adultery, right? With adultery, Jesus 00:23:49.549 --> 00:23:51.970 says, you have heard that it was said, you shall 00:23:51.970 --> 00:23:54.049 not commit adultery. That's the letter of the 00:23:54.049 --> 00:23:56.430 law. Once again, the Pharisees say, easy, check 00:23:56.430 --> 00:23:58.890 the box, move on. But Jesus says, that's not 00:23:58.890 --> 00:24:02.160 enough. In the kingdom, it isn't just about what 00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:04.220 you do, it's about why you do it. What's the 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:06.400 motives? What's going on in your heart? What 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:08.500 are your desires saying? Why are you objectifying 00:24:08.500 --> 00:24:10.619 that person? Why are you lusting after that person? 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:13.279 And you live in a relationship with this loving 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:16.079 God, and he knows every thought in your heart, 00:24:16.119 --> 00:24:18.980 even the secret ones. All of these things come 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:21.420 into play when Jesus is saying, this is how you 00:24:21.420 --> 00:24:24.519 decide what is right. Next, he says, you know, 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:27.700 whoever divorces his wife, let him give a certificate 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:32.690 of divorce. The Pharisees treated this one as 00:24:32.690 --> 00:24:34.809 legal paperwork. Oh, you want out of your marriage? 00:24:34.890 --> 00:24:37.309 Then just get the paperwork right, letter of 00:24:37.309 --> 00:24:40.789 the law, tick the box, move on. Jesus says, it's 00:24:40.789 --> 00:24:45.049 not what this is about at all. The spirit of 00:24:45.049 --> 00:24:47.990 this is marriage is not a contract. It's a covenant 00:24:47.990 --> 00:24:51.890 to honor. And kingdom life is not just about 00:24:51.890 --> 00:24:55.170 trying to find loopholes. It's about God's own 00:24:55.170 --> 00:24:59.059 faithful love shown to you. Principle four. It 00:24:59.059 --> 00:25:01.700 all flows from your relationship with God. All 00:25:01.700 --> 00:25:03.920 your relationships with your family, even your 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:06.680 spouse, flow from your relationship with God, 00:25:06.779 --> 00:25:10.440 principle four. The rule book says, keep your 00:25:10.440 --> 00:25:14.119 oaths. As long as you swear properly and follow 00:25:14.119 --> 00:25:15.980 through, you should keep your oaths. But Jesus 00:25:15.980 --> 00:25:17.700 says, no, no, no, no, no. You shouldn't need 00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:19.799 to make an oath at all. You should be becoming 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.680 a person who basically says yes, and they mean 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:25.140 yes, and they say no, and they mean no, because 00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:28.009 you're just a trustworthy person. Right? Right. 00:25:28.150 --> 00:25:31.170 The rule book says, you know, eye for eye and 00:25:31.170 --> 00:25:33.809 tooth for tooth. If someone hits you, you are 00:25:33.809 --> 00:25:36.230 entitled to hit them back, but only to hit them 00:25:36.230 --> 00:25:38.170 back as hard as they hit you. Jesus says you're 00:25:38.170 --> 00:25:40.849 missing the spirit of it. The spirit isn't just 00:25:40.849 --> 00:25:43.549 about restraining your fist and keeping it down 00:25:43.549 --> 00:25:47.609 to one punch. It's about actually restraining 00:25:47.609 --> 00:25:51.329 your right to retaliate altogether. And pursuing 00:25:51.329 --> 00:25:53.650 peace instead. It's about turning the other cheek. 00:25:53.809 --> 00:25:55.349 It's about going the second mile. It's about 00:25:55.349 --> 00:25:59.269 being generous. It's about the spirit of the 00:25:59.269 --> 00:26:03.069 law, not the letter. Finally, like the rule book 00:26:03.069 --> 00:26:04.829 says, the rule book says, love your neighbor, 00:26:04.930 --> 00:26:07.990 you hate your enemy. Jesus says, no. Kingdom 00:26:07.990 --> 00:26:09.849 life goes deeper. Principle one, it's about the 00:26:09.849 --> 00:26:11.450 spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. 00:26:11.529 --> 00:26:15.980 It's about... how, it's not just about why or 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:18.339 what you do, it's about why you do it. It's about 00:26:18.339 --> 00:26:20.180 what you pursue, not just what you're avoiding 00:26:20.180 --> 00:26:21.819 in principle four. It's all about this relationship 00:26:21.819 --> 00:26:23.799 with God. If you apply all those four principles 00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:26.279 to this ancient law, Jesus says, you're actually 00:26:26.279 --> 00:26:28.859 gonna love your enemies. You're gonna pray for 00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:32.220 those who persecute you, right? Not out of duty, 00:26:32.339 --> 00:26:36.480 because you know what the Father's love looks 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:40.660 like in your own life, right? So here's the thing. 00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:43.930 The kingdom is not about checking boxes. It's 00:26:43.930 --> 00:26:47.009 about becoming a new kind of person, one who 00:26:47.009 --> 00:26:50.369 reflects the heart of God. Now, those were the 00:26:50.369 --> 00:26:52.809 questions. Those were the burning questions people 00:26:52.809 --> 00:26:55.990 were asking in Jesus's day, right? But maybe 00:26:55.990 --> 00:26:57.910 your questions you're asking today, it's not 00:26:57.910 --> 00:27:01.789 about adultery or divorce or oaths. It could 00:27:01.789 --> 00:27:03.369 be you've got a different decision to make. You've 00:27:03.369 --> 00:27:04.970 got a different relationship you're trying to 00:27:04.970 --> 00:27:07.150 manage. You've got a different question in your 00:27:07.150 --> 00:27:08.890 mind. You're like, I don't know what the right 00:27:08.890 --> 00:27:13.200 thing is. Of course, you've got a Bible. Read 00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:16.759 it. And of course, there are good books and commentaries 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:19.480 and teachers and personalities out there, and 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:21.759 they can probably help you figure out the right 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:23.880 thing to do in every situation, the right solution 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:25.980 to any problem. And you know what? Sometimes 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:27.740 we need that. I'm not going to poo -poo that. 00:27:27.819 --> 00:27:30.160 Sometimes we need wisdom from other people that 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:33.559 can be very, very helpful as we navigate life's 00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:39.160 complexities. But beware easy answers. Beware. 00:27:40.259 --> 00:27:43.380 simplistic solutions. Even beware the church 00:27:43.380 --> 00:27:46.900 that hands you a long list of rules and says, 00:27:47.019 --> 00:27:49.799 this is how you live. This is how you think. 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:52.420 Because when I read the Sermon on the Mount, 00:27:52.579 --> 00:27:55.259 it seems to me that Jesus invites us into something 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:58.940 deeper and better, not a rule book to follow, 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:03.480 but a relationship to live. Not just external 00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:08.529 compliance, but inner transformation. not just 00:28:08.529 --> 00:28:13.490 avoiding sin, but actively pursuing goodness 00:28:13.490 --> 00:28:18.609 and mercy and love and justice. And when we live 00:28:18.609 --> 00:28:22.950 by his principles and when we walk closely with 00:28:22.950 --> 00:28:28.750 him in his kingdom, we won't just be given the 00:28:28.750 --> 00:28:32.869 right kind of answers. We'll become the right 00:28:32.869 --> 00:28:39.220 kind of people. So thanks be to God. Amen.