I don’t consider myself very religious….but I sure do love Jesus! As we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, today we will begin to consider some of the more SERIOUS implications of what it means to be a follower of Jesus as opposed to simply believing. We have looked at the truths of the Beatitudes and we have discussed how, “if we actively apply and live out these attitudes in our lives”, we will have set the foundation for a fulfilled life.
All of these essential attitudes are rocks upon which we can build our lives, a foundation that will help us survive anything that comes our way. The next thing that Jesus shares with us in the Sermon on the Mount is:
Matthew 5:17-20 17 (TNIV)
“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. 18 Truly I tell you, 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.19 Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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. 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.
If we look closely, it is clear that this is a call to righteous rather than just “RELIGIOUS” living. This is a call to “doing”, not just “believing”. This is a call to strength and truth as opposed to shallowness and “the deception” of living a certain way outwardly but not that way in our heart. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS TOO MUCH RELIGION IN THE WORLD WITHOUT THE REALITY OF JESUS.
SO, let’s look at what Jesus is telling us about the fulfillment of the Law: If the righteousness (or the moral and ethical living) of people who believe in Jesus (Christians), if these attitudes that Jesus shares with us were more evident in our lives, people would be more interested in coming to know Jesus and their lives could be changed for the better. The key is….ethical and moral living in OUR lives…….not judging others.
This is often why we suffer rejection and persecution as Christians. I would say, especially in America. We are rejected because we profess with our lips the love of Jesus, but we live immorally and unethically. It is important to understand that while people are often persecuted for righteousness, not all people that are persecuted are being persecuted for righteous sake.
This is why Jesus came–the promised Messiah–He came as part of the redemption and restoration of this world and to share with us how we also can be apart of that mission of the redemption and restoration of this world.
The lack of commitment and consistency in the lives of some Christians has put a cloud over all of us. The relationships in our homes need to be a model to the world that reflects God’s plan for families. For some there are questionable business practices (honesty, fairness, theft). For others, their social behaviors don’t reflect the attitude of Jesus (unrighteous anger, adultery, lust, theft, lying, unforgiveness, hatred). The key is, in every aspect of our lives, family, work, school, church, relationships…..we must learn to apply the principals of love, justice, and relational living (loving God and loving all those around us) to our lives. Otherwise it’s just useless knowledge. We become STRONG “in the application” of God’s Word.
In verse 17, Jesus tells us, “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.” What Jesus is saying is that He has not come to change God’s wisdom but to LIVE God’s wisdom and to explain its fullness! We’ll look further at this in the coming days.