Matthew 5:17-20 led to a sermon about Jesus' words from the sermon on the mount about fulfillment of the law.
The Old Testament is a bit like an embarrassing relative; we hope it won't say anything too inappropriate. In practice most Christians see some of the "moral" laws (e.g. ten commandments) as still applicable, some such as animal sacrifice as no longer necessary as Jesus has fulfilled them. What about dietary and other "holiness" laws? Our preacher suggested they were designed to teach about cleanliness v uncleanliness, but are no longer needed since Jesus shifted the emphasis to internal purity.
There was no mention of the Council of Jerusalem when it was decided that gentile converts should continue to observe the prohibitions on eating blood or meat containing blood. I think most Christians (including me!) negotiate this away by saying it was a "temporary compromise" designed to bring harmony between Jewish and gentile believers.
The Rich Young Ruler was asking the wrong question: we don't do anything to deserve eternal life - it's all down to what Jesus did.
The two areas that we most have to watch ourselves are sexual morality and use of wealth. We should follow John Wesley's advice -earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.
Humility. The Christian walk is not just a ticket to heaven but is about living our lives as best we can in the power of the Holy Spirit. God alone has power and authority and we need to put God where he deserves to be. It is not about beating ourselves up or thinking of ourselves as constant failures, it is about thinking of ourselves less - less of me, more of God.
John 11--God sometimes does (and fails to do) things that leave us confused, angry, and frustrated with him, and that's a normal part of the Christian life. But even in the midst of that upset we still have Jesus--and his character is enough for us to trust him, even when we don't understand him.
Comments
What is our calling from God? We are all called to go and share God's love wherever we are and are not alone: Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs.
The Old Testament is a bit like an embarrassing relative; we hope it won't say anything too inappropriate. In practice most Christians see some of the "moral" laws (e.g. ten commandments) as still applicable, some such as animal sacrifice as no longer necessary as Jesus has fulfilled them. What about dietary and other "holiness" laws? Our preacher suggested they were designed to teach about cleanliness v uncleanliness, but are no longer needed since Jesus shifted the emphasis to internal purity.
There was no mention of the Council of Jerusalem when it was decided that gentile converts should continue to observe the prohibitions on eating blood or meat containing blood. I think most Christians (including me!) negotiate this away by saying it was a "temporary compromise" designed to bring harmony between Jewish and gentile believers.
The Rich Young Ruler was asking the wrong question: we don't do anything to deserve eternal life - it's all down to what Jesus did.
The two areas that we most have to watch ourselves are sexual morality and use of wealth. We should follow John Wesley's advice -earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.
Humility. The Christian walk is not just a ticket to heaven but is about living our lives as best we can in the power of the Holy Spirit. God alone has power and authority and we need to put God where he deserves to be. It is not about beating ourselves up or thinking of ourselves as constant failures, it is about thinking of ourselves less - less of me, more of God.