Heart of the Law

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¹⁷ “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. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20 NIV)

God has never wanted people to merely ; he wants them to and it to the world.

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. (Matthew 5:21-22 NIV)

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28 NIV)

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32 NIV)

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King … ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-35, 37 NIV)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. (Matthew 5:38-41 NIV)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:43-45 NIV)

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10 NIV)

The upside-down life of Jesus is .

Jesus shows us the clearest picture of .

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)

Additional Notes

What’s Happening at Crossroads

NEW HERE?

We’re so glad you’ve chosen to come to Crossroads today! We want to thank you for visiting and would love to get to know you. Stop by and say hello at one of our Welcome Centers, our First Step area, or check out ecrossroads.info for more. We can’t wait to meet you!

PRAY FOR ELEMENTARY CAMP

Please lift up our outgoing third through fifth graders and volunteers who are heading to The Ark in Converse today for five days at Elementary Camp. Five local churches are coming together with approximately 142 campers and 60 faculty/volunteers. This year campers will learn who God is through His different names. Pray for the Spirit to move, for our campers to meet Christ in a new way, and for lives to be changed.

SERVING OPPORTUNITIES

Are you looking for a way to give back through serving? We have many opportunities for you to reach out to our community, such as putting together a Journey Bag for a foster child, helping a family with a box of food at our food pantry, and fixing a car with our car ministry. To see the ways you can be the hands and feet of Jesus, go to our Community Outreach page.

PRAYER ROOMS OPEN

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6 NIV). God calls us to pray about everything, but sometimes it’s difficult to find the words on our own. Our prayer teams are ready to help you bring anything to the Lord. Come to the prayer room at the back of the auditorium anytime during worship, and we will pray with you and for you.

CROSSROADS COMMUNION

Today we will celebrate communion together as a congregation after the message. Next week, self-led communion will again be available at stations inside the auditorium during our worship time.