JESUS AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

SCRIPTURE - Colossians 2:11-14  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹²  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. ¹³  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

INTRODUCTION

A.    The ten commandments were a condensation of the whole Law of Moses.

B.    Leviticus and Deuteronomy particularly are expansions and explanations of the ten commandments.

C.    When “The Law” is referred to it is talking about the ten commandments and/or the whole of the Law of Moses.

I.  JESUS CAME TO FINALIZE THE LAW (TEN COMMANDMENTS)

A.    Jeremiah 31:31-34  "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- ³²  not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. ³³  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴  No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

B.    Luke 16:16  The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.

C.    Matthew 5:17-48  "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹  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. ²⁰  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

D.    Luke 24:44-47  Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." ⁴⁵  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. ⁴⁶  Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷  and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

E.    John 1:17  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

F.     Romans 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

G.   Galatians 3:16-25  Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. ¹⁷  And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. ¹⁸  For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. ¹⁹  What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. ²⁰  Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. ²¹  Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. ²²  But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. ²³  But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. ²⁴  Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵  But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

II.  JESUS CAME TO INTERNALIZE THE ESSENCE OF THE LAW

A.    ²¹  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' ²²  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. ²³  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴  leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

B.    ²⁷  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' ²⁸  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. ³⁰  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

C.   ³¹  "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' ³²  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

D.   ³³  "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' ³⁴  But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; ³⁵  nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

E.    ³⁸  "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' ³⁹  But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴²  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

F.    ⁴³  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? ⁴⁸  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

III.  JESUS CAME TO SUMMARIZE THE LAW (TEN COMMANDMENTS)

A.    Matthew 7:11-12  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ¹²  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

B.    Matthew 22:34-40  But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ³⁶  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" ³⁷  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' ³⁸  This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

C.    Galatians 6:2  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

D.    John 13:34-35   A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

E.    John 15:12-14  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. ¹⁴  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  

F.     1 Corinthians 9:21  to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;

G.    James 2:8  If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;

H.    1 John 2:8-11  Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. ⁹  He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. ¹⁰  He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹  But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I.      1 John 4:20-21  If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹  And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

CONCLUSION

A.    JESUS BROUGHT JUSTIFICATION WHICH THE LAW COULDN’T PROVIDE

1.     Acts 13:38-39  Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; ³⁹  and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

2.     Romans 8:3  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

3.     JUSTIFICATION - Galatians 2:16  knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

4.     Galatians 3:10-12  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." ¹¹  But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." ¹²  Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."

B.    ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOREVER - Hebrews 10:11-14  And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹²  But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³  from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. ¹⁴  For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

LLarry Pasley  

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