Okay, so the Sermon on the Mount isn't Christ just coming off with a very long sermon, or a bunch of sermons, but it's him recanting the law to his hearers. And he says, Christ speaking, he says, do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law until it is all fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Again, the law remains because Christ said it's never going to come to pass away. But again, we have to understand what he means by I've come to fulfill the law not to abolish the law. He came to fulfill it because the law and the prophets all pointed to him. He came to fulfill certain aspects of the the feasts and the festivals and perhaps that's a another thing we might look at some time and how some of them, like Passover, would point to Christ coming, the Messiah coming, how the law was there to push people through the door, which is Christ. The law and the prophets all pointed to Christ. He said, I've come to fulfill the law, that by dying on the cross, paying your debt, I can fulfill the righteous law. So I haven't come to abolish it, I've come to fulfill it. But also think about what it doesn't say. It doesn't say I've come to remove the law either. He doesn't say once I've resurrected then you no longer need the law. He didn't say that either. Why? Because we're said, be holy for I am holy. How are we to be holy? The moral law. This part of the law, this part of what reflects God. Remember we've seen last week, it's not just about sexual immorality, but it's about gossip and anger and hatred and a lot of other stuff. All of these things that we keep hidden are we justify. If it's breaking the moral code, then it's going against what God wants. If it's bringing division in the church, it's going against what God wants. God's called each of us to draw our identity from Him. Remember what the psalmist says, that the law makes wise the simple. It brings light to the eyes. It brings warning. It rejoices the heart. They are to be desired. They are to be desired. Why are they to be desired? Because the law, the moral code that is incumbent on us all is the best way for human flourishing. That's a good phrase that you hear battered about in governments and other debates. They always talk about human flourishing. All they mean is, I want what I want. Let me do what I want to do. God says, you wanna flourish effectively, you really wanna grow and flourish and have a life that is full and meaningful, live by my law and you'll have human flourishing. It's very, very simple and yet we've removed God's law and yet here it says, it makes wisdom simple, it brings joy to the heart, they are to be desired. In fact, we went on and we looked at in Psalm 12, it talks about how they are pure. It's like... It's like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. These laws that we talk about, this holiness code that's incumbent upon us, these ways that we enter God's presence, it's incumbent upon us to know that these are pure. They're not man-made. They may have been abused by man, but they're not man-made. They're God-made, and they're pure, and they're perfect. And remember, Psalmist says in Psalm 1, that there's something to be meditated on day and night. The law of God is something to be meditated on day and night. Do you know, the more I've looked into this, the more I have seen the wonder of Christ. Yes, I did say what I just said. The more I've looked into the law, the more I've looked into the fulfillment of the law, the more I've looked into how it points to Christ, the more I've looked at how these laws apply to us and to the church, the more I have seen Christ and the need of Christ. Because the law will always point to Christ. So God's law and me, how does this work out? Because this is why we're looking at today. How does this work out for us? Well, Paul says in Colossians, Colossians 2, verses 12 to 17, It says this, we're breaking into a sentence and he says, buried with him in baptism in which you also were raised with him through faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead. And you being dead in your trespasses and uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. having wiped out the handwriting, that is the certificate of debt against us, the handwriting of requirements that were against us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken it out of the way, having nay, having nailed it to the cross, having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in him. So let no one judge you in food or drink or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ. Hear what Paul is saying. In the time we have left, Paul is saying this. All these things that the law talked about, all the guilt of our transgressions and our trespasses that each and every one of us have caused, all that was nailed in Christ on the cross, and he fulfilled the law as our righteous sacrifice. and he rose again victorious. And so Paul could say that he fulfilled the law, is all nailed to the cross. Christ humiliated, Christ disarmed the powers of sin and hell. Sin has no more victory over you. Why? Because of Christ on the cross and his resurrected life. No, sin and hell has no more power over you. but then he goes on to speak and he's speaking to, remember, he's speaking to the Gentile Christians, to the Church of Colossae, which would have had some messianic believers in there, and he says this at the very end, and this is crucial, he says, let no one judge you in food or in drink or in guarding a festival or new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Here's what he's saying, okay? If you don't want to eat certain foods, you have at it. I like my bacon, okay? But if you don't want to eat pork or bacon, that is up to you as a Christian. It is not a requirement for salvation. Let me put it out there. The only requirement for salvation we need is Christ. Crucified and resurrected. We repent and we turn to him. That's all we need for salvation. But as we follow him, if you think, oh, you know what? I don't think I should. Fine, you have at it. If I go and visit you and you wanna offer me a sandwich, I know it's not gonna be bacon and fine, I will honor that, okay? That's what Paul says, you respect one another, you support one another in their faith. He talks about a weaker brother, but I would say on any aspect of this. So there are aspects of the civil law and ceremonial law which are not incumbent upon us as believers, but if you want, well, have at it. He talks about festivals. Now, I don't know if you've ever done a a Purim or a Passover or a Shavuot festival. I've had the joy of being part of going to Messianic Jews as they've celebrated certain festivals. Do I have to do it to become a Christian? No. Does it help me in my following of Christ? Not particularly, but it does help me understand Christ more. But will I do it annually? No. I don't have to. It's not incumbent upon me. I'm not a Jew. I'm not asked to become a Jew, and you're not asked to become Jews. We're asked to be followers of Christ, and therefore, what Paul is saying is this. We're not saying don't do, but what we are saying, or what Paul is saying, is don't make that part of salvation, because it's not part of salvation. But if you feel you have to do it, then do it. It's interesting, when I've been doing a lot more research into the law and Christ and the fulfillment of the law, and one professor dealt a lot with the Sabbaths and it was fascinating on his take on the Sabbaths and how we are to keep the Sabbath holy. And it was a big challenge to me, because nowhere in the New Testament Does it say that the day, the Sabbath was ever substituted for a Sunday? It does say that the believers worshipped on a Sunday, but as Jewish believers, can you picture it? As a Jew in Jerusalem in the first century, after Christ rose from the dead, as a good Jew, you would keep the Sabbath, and then you'd go to church on a Sunday. If you read scripture, nowhere says that the Sabbath was ever taken away, but we're also told now that Christ is our Sabbath. He is our Jubilee. He is the fulfillment, and therefore, it's incumbent upon us to realize, as followers of Christ, we need to follow Christ. And that's why I believe here, the council at Jerusalem made it clear and emphasized morality, holiness. Not an ethnic aspect of the law, not a ceremonial aspect of the law, because the temple was either soon to be destroyed or, well, it was soon to be destroyed by this point. It wasn't destroyed quite yet. But as a Gentile, they couldn't get to Jerusalem for the temple. So how could they bring their sacrifices? So they just said, those aspects aren't important for the Gentile follower of Christ. Morality always is. So here's the thing. God's people, God's way. God does not call us to change nationality. He calls us, if I dare say, change family. From the family of Satan to the family of God. He calls us to stop living life our way and live life his way. If we want to be a follower of Christ, the cost is this. We repent of our sins and we turn away from everything and we turn to Christ. All our hope for eternal life is in Christ, because he and he alone died on the cross and rose again victoriously. So the law is never abolished in the sense that it's been removed. The law is incumbent upon us. But what the aspects of the law are that's incumbent upon us according to the council at Jerusalem is the moral code fundamentally. the moral code, the holiness code. That's what's incumbent upon us, to live a life that reveals Christ to those who will look in and see us. How morality will govern our tongue, govern our thought life, govern our actions, how morality will impact us in all ways, that when people look in or look at us, they see Christ. That's what it's about. That's really all it's about. It's not about holier than thou, or better life than you. I love the fact that when Amor went to get her hair cut one time, poor girl didn't know what she let herself in for. That's the hairdresser that is, because Amor kept talking to her. And she went, she was explaining, and the girl goes, oh, so you're good living. The witch of war went, what do you mean, good living? And that opened up a whole big conversation, and I bet you that girl was sorry. Quick haircut I've ever seen in my life. See, it's not about being good living. It's not about being holier than thou. It's not about one-upmanship or presenting a picture of perfection. It's about hungering after holiness. It's about following Christ. It's about coming and saying to people, listen, I struggle, I still struggle, but this is what I used to be like, and because of Christ, this is who I am now. This is what's changed in my life. Christ has done a work in me. So the holiness code is fundamental for all of us. But please, please hear what I say. If you know a brother or sister who may, not wanna, may wanna have clean and unclean. And by the way, that clean and unclean, I heard a guy going, well, we're not under the law, because when Peter had the vision, it was all, Christ said, rise, kill and eat, even though it was all a lot of unclean animals. Can I put that in context? It was because he was gonna go to a Gentile. And in the Jewish mind, the Gentiles were unclean. It had nothing to do with eating pig. or bacon or pork or anything like that. Although, we're not bound by those laws anymore if we don't want to be. So if you know a brother or a sister who may wanna, you know, have a special day, but they wanna focus on the Lord, now remember, it's all about focus on the Lord, then bless them. But you don't have to. If you know somebody who wants to keep a dietary law, Maybe they have the strength because I couldn't do it. Bless them. But we don't have to. Let no one judge you for keeping these things. But remember, they are no way, they do not get us saved. They're meant to bring us closer to God. And we are commanded as church. We are commanded as followers of Christ that our lives are governed by holiness. Holiness. That's why I believe the council of Jerusalem here said the holiness code is important. So as we conclude, I want us to think about this. Can we do things like Purim? Of course we can. In case you're wondering what Purim is, it's when they remembered Esther. and how God used Esther to save the Jewish people. We can celebrate that and remember if we wanted Passover. I took part in a Passover last year and I learned so much about Christ because it was led by a Messianic believer. But I wouldn't do it every year. I don't have to do it every year. It's not incumbent upon me to do it every year. It is for a Jew, not for me. What is incumbent on both of us though is holiness. And that we so govern our lives that we enter God's presence correctly. That's what's important for us. So God's law Let's not shirk and go, I'm under grace, I'm not under law. That's not what Paul meant. Paul says you can't be saved by the law. We're saved by Christ. But if we're a follower of Christ, the holiness code still bears witness on us. So let us be people of the book. Let us be people of the way. Let us be a people church, a family, a community that by the way we live, everything will draw our attention closer to Christ and everything will reveal Christ to those who will want to take time to see. So God's people, God's way, and that includes the Holiness Code. So the law still applies to us. but not quite the civil ceremonial law. That's a quick journey through the law, as we've done over these past weeks. I hope you've found it informative. Trust me, there is so much more I wish I could have gone into, but it would have taken us all year, and I don't think we wanna be focused on the law all year. In case you're wondering what's happening next week, we're gonna be looking at a stable relationship. Think about it, okay? So we're gonna sing our final hymn as we let those words ponder on us about how we are to live with everything focusing our minds on Christ and what we do will help us focus our minds on Christ, but how we encourage one another to live a holy life. We're gonna sing, Seek Ye First, the kingdom of God. All these things that proceeds from the mouth of God. Ask and it shall be given unto you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened. to you. Let us pray. Lord, we wanna thank you that you have encouraged us to seek first your kingdom. And we know that to be part of your kingdom impacts on how we should live, how we are to have our minds focused on you and help us constantly be a people that rid ourselves of things that detract us from you. Lord, may our lives Be, Lord, a sign to those who do not know you yet. May they see in us, would they see you? Would they see our dependence on you and our desire for you? In all that we say, in all that we do, in how we fashion our lives, may, Lord, may you be the focus. May you be the passion. and may we be drawn people to you. Lord, as always we pray, if things are not from you, take them away. Leave only your truth and take your truth and apply it to our hearts that we will be the church that you want us to be. We pray this in your name, amen. you