15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

Matthew 5:17–20 ESV

17 “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 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

SERMON NOTES

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Series: HOLDING OUT HOPE

Message: The Law Mediator

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:15–20, Matthew 5:17–20 ESV

Pastor Philip Miller

The Law Mediator

Moses is famous because God chose him to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, and he did so with many miraculous signs that God provided through Moses. But he’s most famous for his role in bringing the stone tablets down from Mt. Sinai inscribed with the 10 Commandments. Of all the prophets in all the Old Testament, Moses held the particular distinction of being the Mediator of the Law. Moses alone held this role of law-mediator, that is, until Jesus came. In this sermon, we discover that all along Moses was pointing to Jesus, the coming Messiah. In the Old Testament, Moses stood as mediator of the law, the go-between from God to man. Moses brought the Israelites God's law, and they were to follow it because they were His people. God's law brought five unique contributions:

Moses: the Mediator of the Law

• The Law discloses God’s character.

• The Law clarifies the standard.

• The Law reveals our sinfulness.

• The Law provides for atonement.

• The Law guides in righteousness.

There was a lot of goodness and grace in the law that God mediated through Moses. So throughout Israel’s history, the people looked to Moses as the greatest Prophet they’d ever known. But, Moses himself had prophesied: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.” (Deuteronomy 18:15). And so the people waited for the prophesied mediator to arrive. Hundreds of years later, that prophesy was fulfilled in Jesus, who became the New Mediator of the Law. So let’s consider those 5 contributions of the law and how Jesus fulfills them each in turn:

Jesus: the New Mediator of the Law

• Jesus fully discloses God’s character.

• Jesus fully clarifies the standard.

• Jesus fully reveals our sinfulness.

• Jesus fully provides atonement.

• Jesus fully guides in righteousness.

Jesus is making us into a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come. In other words, the New Covenant promises are coming true in Jesus.

Takeaway:

• “The command ‘Be ye perfect’ is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the

impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity