Scripture to Read: Matthew 5:17
Our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world in God the Father’s perfect time and way! God tells us in Galatians 4:4–5, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Jesus was “born under the Law” which means Christ had to fulfill God the Father’s perfect Law and live a perfect, spotless, sinless life to be able to be the perfect sacrificial Lamb to pay the penalty for the entire human race’s sins. So, when Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill,” we have a better understanding of what Christ was saying. Many of the twelve disciples and many of the people on the mountainside listening to Christ that day had been hoping for a powerful earthly king to come and rule and reign on earth. But Jesus did not come to be an earthly king; He came to overcome sin, death, and the grave and satisfy the wrath of God through His perfect, sinless life. As a human race, we have always thought we could work our way to God and if we did more good than bad, God would accept us into His kingdom. But God requires perfection, and only those who are perfect, sinless, and without blemish can be a child of our Perfect God. Only through Christ is this possible.
Challenge & Application
· Why did Christ come to fulfill God’s perfect Law and all that the Prophets had foretold about the Messiah?
· Without Christ fulfilling God’s Law, what would be the outcome for the entire human race, and why?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!