Scripture Reference: Matthew 5:17-20
Sermon in a Sentence
The radical righteousness that God demands exceeds the superficial and outward conformity to the letter of the Law and instead requires an even deeper level of obedience to God’s righteous standards, giving evidence of the new birth.
Sermon Outline
Question: What was Christ’s relationship to the Law?
Answer: Since the Law is a permanent fixture that reveals God’s righteous standards, rather than doing away with the Law, Christ came to fulfill it by bringing it to its intended goal, and by exposing the true depth of its meaning.
Question: What is the Christian’s relationship to the Law?
Answer: Because Christ fulfills rather than abolishes the Law, a true Christ-follower will not attempt to relax its hold on our conscious or loosen its authority in our lives, but will seek to teach and obey the inward righteousness of mind and motive that the law intends.