An expository sermon on Christ's view of the Old Testament

1. Christ & the Law Part 2– The permanence & authority of Scripture Mathew 5:17 - 20

3. II – The Contextual background The Ancestry of the King – Mathew 1:1-17 The Arrival of the king – Mathew 1:18 to 25 The Adoration of the King – Mathew 2:1-12 The Attestation of the King Mathew 2:13-23 The Announcer of the King – Mathew 3:1-12

4. The Anointing of the King – Mathew 3:13-17 The Advantage of the King over temptation – Mathew 4:1-11 The Ministry Activities of the King – Mathew 4:18-25 The laws of the Kingdom – The Sermon on the Mount – Mathew 5 – 7 - The Characteristics of Kingdom Citizens - Mathew 5: 1 to 12 - The Function of Kingdom Citizens - Mathew 5:13 to 16 - The Basis of the Conduct of Kingdom Citizens (Christ & the law) – Mathew 5:17 to 20 – 4 part series

5. Christ & The law Part 1 – The Supremacy & Importance of Scriptures A.) The Law is important and supreme because it is authored by God B.) The Law is important and supreme because it is affirmed by the prophets C.) The Law is important and Supreme because it is accomplished by Christ

6. III – INTRODUCTION TO PART 2 – THE PERMANNCE & AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURES The Jews of Jesus day knew they could not fulfill God’s standards or even the traditions of the rabbis and Scribes. Many of them had hoped that the Messiah would come and bring God’s standard down to a level that they could manage However Christ has made it clear that God’s real standard is even higher than the traditions of men. He has not come to diminish the law but uphold and fulfill it in every detail. In the first part of verse 18, Jesus confirms what he is saying by introducing it with the words “For Truly I say to you.” “Truly” or “Amen” was a strong intense affirmation. Jesus was saying, I say this to you absolutely, without qualifications and with the fullest authority”

7. Jesus was saying that his teaching not only was absolute, supreme and important but that it is also permanent and authoritative. (Mathew 24:35) “ Until heaven & earth pass away” – Represents the end of time. “ Not the smallest jot or title” – Refers to the smallest letter or stroke in the Greek Hebrew Alphabet “ jot”’ - iota in Greek or yohd in Hebrew. Similair to an apostrophe in English “ title” – “Keria” or “little” horn. This refers to the mark that distinguishes one Hebrew Alphabet from another much more like the stroke that distinguishes and E from an F God’s Words is absolutely permanent and authoritative. It is totally without error not only with regards to every word but down to every letter & smallest part of every letter. Jesus referred to the Old Testament 64 times. He always quoted Scripture even when he was confronted with temptation.

8. IV – EVIDENCE OF SCRIPTURES PERMANCE & AUTHORITY 1.) Internal Evidence A.) Self-proclamation - 2 Timothy 3:16 states, "All scripture is inspired by God." - 2 Peter 1:21 states, "No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." - Jesus himself viewed the Old Testament as authoritative and quoted from it - John 16:13 states, "But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth."

9. B.) Transforming Ability - Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit . C.) Unity - The Bible covers hundreds of topics, yet it does not contradict itself. - Considering that: First - the Bible was written over a span of fifteen hundred years. Second - it was written by more than forty men (Different occupation) Third - it was written in many different places on three different continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. Fourth, it was written under many different circumstances. Fifth, the writers had different purposes for writing. Yet one theme remains : God's redemption of man and all of creation . (Take ten contemporary authors and ask them to write their viewpoints on one controversial subject. Would they all agree? No) Why ? Because the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible - 1 Peter 2:21 states, "No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

10. 2.) External Evidence A.) Indestructibility - Skeptics have tried to destroy the authority of the Bible for the last eighteen hundred years. Voltaire (1694 to 1778) an atheist, French author, humanist, rationalist, held up a copy of the Bible in the air and smugly proclaimed, "In 100 years this book will be forgotten and eliminated...". Shortly after his dead, Voltaire’s private residence became the headquarters of the Geneva Bible Society and became a major distribution hub for the very Bible he assigned to extinction It has been said an entire six-volume set of Voltaire’s work was once sold for ninety cents..) According to statistics from Wycliffe International, the Society of Gideons, and the International Bible Society, the number of new Bibles that are sold, given away, or otherwise distributed in the United States is about 168,000 per day. The world has more than 6000 dialects and languages and the Bible has been translated to about 3,000 of them.

11. B.) Archaeology -Noah’s Ark Joshua. For years skeptics thought the story of the falling walls of Jericho was a myth On March 5, 1990 issue of Time magazine featured an article called, "Score One For the Bible." In it, archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon claimed Jericho's walls had fallen suddenly. C.) Prophecy - The 4 Kingdoms as prophesied by Daniel (Daniel’s dream of a statue) - Jesus - There are over three hundred prophecies made of Jesus in the Old Testament. Prophecies All these prophecies were made hundreds of years before Jesus ever came to earth. Because of the accuracy of the prophecies, many skeptics have believed that they must have been written after 70 A.D.--after the birth and death of Jesus, and the destruction of Jerusalem. However, in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. These scrolls contained the book of Isaiah and other prophetic books. When dated, they were found to be written from 120 to 100 B.C.,(8) well before Jesus was born. - The nation of Israel – The greatest Miracle of all (Deut. 28-31)

13. E.) Famous men and the Bible "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." George Washington (1732-1799), the first U.S. President "That Book accounts for the supremacy of England." Queen Victoria (1819-1901), British monarch for 64 years, the longest reign in British history. "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from The Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book." Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th U.S. President "There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history." Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), English physicist, one of the greatest scientists of all time. "I have known ninety-five of the world's great men in my time, and of these, eighty-seven were followers of the Bible. The Bible is stamped with a Specialty of Origin, and an immeasurable distance separates it from all competitors." William Gladstone (1809-1898), British statesman, served as Prime Minister four times.