Did You Really Just Ask That? | Matthew 22:36-40

[00:00:00] We'll truth, Daily, This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman. And it dignitaries maybe movie stars, athletes maybe politicians, sometimes reporters ask kind of stupid questions right?

[00:00:40] And they kind of look at him. The folks that are being asked the question, look at him like, did you really ask me that?

[00:00:46] Well, we have that in the text before us today. This is Matthew chapter 22 verses 34 35 and 36 and also I think, yep all the way through verse 40. So listen to this. But when the Pharisees heard that he had silence to Sadie season we talked about that yesterday, remember?

[00:01:05] He kind of put them in their place, answered their questions, they gathered together and one of them a lawyer and this really wasn't a lawyer. It was someone who was a Theologian, a very well read, well-learned, well-scolored Theologian.

[00:01:19] A lawyer asked him a question to test him. Now here's the softball question guys, get this.

[00:01:25] What is a great commandment in the law? And he said, Jim, Jesus said, Jim, you should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.

[00:01:35] You talk about a softball question. I mean, could he could have asked how many grains are there on the sea shore of the sand? How many angels dance on the needle of a pin?

[00:01:45] How many light years are the planets? I mean, he could have asked anything but these two basic questions. What's the summary of the law? I mean, talk about a softball question and Jesus nails it with the first one. This is the first great commandment he says.

[00:02:01] And his second is like it. You should love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.

[00:02:11] Okay. So what kind of law was he talking about? Well, you know that when Jesus said, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. That's a summary of the first three commandments of the table, the law. Come on one, two and three, right?

[00:02:25] Just as the love God to worship God regularly does not take God's name and vein. Okay? And then the second table, the law consists of love for neighbor right? And so that great commandment to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind

[00:02:39] And your neighbor as yourself is really a summary of the ten commandments. Now I've talked about before how there were three different laws in the Old Testament. The civil law, the ceremonial law and the moral law. Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law through his life.

[00:02:57] And so we don't have to fulfill that anymore. We don't have to do all those rituals and regulations laid down on the book of the Vedicists because Jesus fulfilled the law for us.

[00:03:07] But the moral law, we're supposed to keep and what's the moral law? The ten commandments. Now here is the thing, my friends. We know the ten commandments are reinforced in the sermon on the Mount and also the latter portion of the epistles, right?

[00:03:22] However we don't keep the moral law. We don't keep the ten commandments perfectly. But here's a marvelous thing. God knew that. And so he said Jesus to this world to keep those commandments for us to obey the moral law. I love it.

[00:03:40] And then as result what Christ has done for us through the Spirit's power and the indwelling Christ, we try to keep the moral law.

[00:03:48] We can't do it perfectly but because Christ lives in us, it's not us keeping the moral law. It's Christ in us keeping the moral law.

[00:03:58] But sometimes we fail and sometimes we fall short. But even when we do, we can go before the Lord if we confess our sins God is faithful and just

[00:04:07] and we'll forgive our sins and cleanse us from all in righteousness. So that's the bottom line of the message today. And you talk about a softball question for Jesus?

[00:04:17] I mean a second grader at that time could have answered it so you're probably thinking well why did they ask it in the first place?

[00:04:25] I think they just wanted to check the legitimacy of Jesus' ministry. Is he the real deal? Does he really know the Old Testament Scriptures?

[00:04:34] Does he even know the Old Testament moral law and boy? Jesus nailed it. He hit it out of the park. Well thanks be to God when we don't keep the moral law and don't get it out of the park.

[00:04:44] Jesus does it for us. He already did thanks be to God. The Bible says when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth the Son,

[00:04:53] born of a woman, born out of a law, born out of a law three, deemed those who are under the law. That's us. He might receive the adoption as sons and daughters of Almighty God. He kept the law for us. Thanks be to God.

[00:05:06] Go by your activities today, loving the Lord God with all your heart, soul in mind, and your neighbor is yourself. You won't do it perfectly but he did thanks be to God. We're safe by Jesus.

[00:05:18] By Jesus' resurrection and by Jesus' life, his life counted and he kept the moral law for us. Have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ and that is today's daily truth. Jesus helps us tremendously. Come back tomorrow for your next daily truth.