The Bible is our key to living in God’s kingdom.  You can live righteously in God’s kingdom only through Jesus.

 1) Jesus fulfilled God’s law. (vs. 17)   What is the law?  In a broad stroke, Jesus is talking about the Old Testament.  If we were to narrow it down a little more, the Law can be defined as the commandments God gave His people through the ministry of Moses.  Jesus fulfilled the intention of the Old Testament.  Jesus brought the Old Testament to its “intended completion”. 

The Old Testament Law had three major parts:

1. Ceremonial Law - This was the rituals and sacrifices. The sacrificial system was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross for us.  Jesus was the final sacrifice
2. Judicial Law - This was the governing laws of the nation from God. Christ came to establish a new Kingdom, which fulfilled the judicial law of nation of Israel.
3. Moral Law - This was God’s foundational code for mankind – like the 10 Commandments. The moral law is how we live.  The moral law of the Old Testament was fulfilled, but it still remains.   

Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish the law.  In this one verse, Jesus essentially changed the standard of living from the law to His righteousness. We are living in both God’s Kingdom and this physical world.  We citizens in God’s kingdom living in a foreign land.  We are now longer under the Old Testament law, we now live under God’s grace and the fulfilled law.  All of the Bible matters.

2) We have direction for kingdom living. (vs. 18)  This world is unpredictable, painful, exciting, and full of ups and downs.   God knows this so He gave us two things that provide direction through all of it:  The Bible and The Holy Spirit.  And these two will never go away.  God’s truth will always remain.

We are made to influence the world.  But sometimes we don’t know how to navigate the world.  That’s why God’s truth always remains.  That’s why we have the Bible.  That’s why we have the Holy Spirit.  Look for God’s promises in Scripture.  Look for God’s character in His Word.  You can trust His promises because who He is.  Ask the Holy Spirit to impart wisdom in ways you know that it isn’t you.  The Holy Spirit inside of us is better than Jesus beside us.  The Holy Spirit will guide you.  The Holy Spirit will never leave you. 

3) Our desire for kingdom living reveals our hearts. (vs. 19)  The question that arises out of the understanding that Christ has fulfilled the law and now we receive salvation by grace is: “Do I still have to obey what the Bible says?”  In other words, God is gracious to forgive all my sins all the time, so what does it matter what I do?  Paul clearly stated that it does matter what you do in Romans 6:12-15.  Jesus addresses that very issue in this Romans verse by addressing our attitude towards the law – towards God’s Word.  Our reaction to God’s Word reveals our attitude toward Him.  Jesus fulfilled the law, so we are no longer under the penalty of the law.  But the law still serves an indicator of our hearts. 

4) Kingdom living only comes through Jesus. (vs. 20-30)  Jesus says that if you want to enter into heaven – enter into God’s Kingdom – then you have to be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees.  In summation, these two groups lived, breathed, and ate the Jewish law.  They even set up additional rules so that they would not break the law.  When Jesus said this verse, the hearers had to be astonished.  Because it was impossible! 

Don’t miss what Jesus is saying. He is saying that the righteousness needed to enter into heaven is beyond what the most righteous men of the world can offer.  Jesus is saying that we need a righteous that is unattainable by our own efforts.  This is why Jesus came!  He not only fulfilled the law, but through His work on the cross, He has made accessible the righteousness we need.  The only way to enter into heaven is with the righteousness of Christ.  Kingdom living requires complete dependency on Jesus.  Jesus changed the standard of what it means to be righteous.

Have you completely surrendered to Jesus?

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