icon__search

Heaven and Earth Will Pass Away | Til Kingdom Come | Pastor Steve Andres

February 12, 2023 • Pastor Steve Andres • Matthew 5:17–18

Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word will remain! This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our series, TIL KINGDOM COME, with a message about how God changes our hearts.


Matthew 5:17-18

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.


As he taught, Jesus was describing the new way of life in the Kingdom of God. What can we learn about this new way?


1)  It’s not about moderation, it’s about transformation.


Jesus raised the bar that the Law had set from having right behavior to having a right heart. 


We can’t be trained to live like this. We have to be transformed to live like this. 


When we receive God’s grace, it comes with the capacity to live a whole new life. [Baptism] is a powerful symbol of that death-to-life transformation!


2) It’s not about the symptoms, it’s about the sickness.


The Gospel takes the pride and self-righteousness out of our anger, and it moves us to love and treat everyone as someone made in the image of God, even - perhaps especially - those who are wrong.


3)  It’s not about proving a wrong, it’s about making things right.


Jesus is saying that his followers will have a strange capacity to humbly speak the truth in love. 


Whether you’ve wronged someone, or they’ve wronged you, it’s always your move!


Jesus did not come to erase the law, but to change hearts so that the law could be fulfilled in us - all because of His grace!