3D Worship Part 18 – Worship is a Celebration
Matthew 5:3-10 May 24, 2026
Introduction
Memorial Day – remembering those who died for our freedom
o We are free to worship because of the sacrifice of so many fighting for that
freedom
o While we are thankful for the men and women who have sacrificed their
lives for our country, memorial day is a wonderful time to also remember
Jesus and His sacrifice for our freedom
Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm
therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
This year, our Memorial Day weekend also lines up with the celebration of
Shavuot
o Shavuot
Heb = “weeks”, 7 weeks = from 1 st day of Passover is 50 days
Known as Feast of Weeks, (Leviticus 23:15-22, Numbers
28:26-31, Deuteronomy 16:9-12) sometimes the Day of First
Fruits (different from Feast of First Fruits) or the Feast of the
Harvest (Exodus 23:16)
Shavuot marks the end of the wheat harvest and beginning of
the fruit harvest and it commemorates the giving of the law at
Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-20)
o Covenantally speaking, Shavuot marks the birthday of
Israel becoming a nation of priests for the Lord
Exodus 19:5-6 (speaking to Moses preparing the
people for the receiving of the law) “5 Now
therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep
my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession
among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and
you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to
the people of Israel.”
Exodus 19:16-19 “6 On the morning of the third day
there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud
on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so
that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then
Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet
God, and they took their stand at the foot of the
mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in
smoke because the Lord had descended on it in
fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a
kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19
And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and
louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in
thunder.”
Exodus 20:18-21 “18 Now when all the people saw
the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the
sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the
people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far
off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we
will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we
die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for
God has come to test you, that the fear of him may
be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people
stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick
darkness where God was.”’
People were afraid and did not want to
hear/be in the presence of the voice of God
On the weekend when celebrating those who have sacrificed for our freedom and
the giving of the law, we are going to see how worship is a celebration of all God
has done and all He will do because He is totally and completely faithful.
o We have seen how the 10 commandments (decalogue), the heart of the
law, is a law of worship – and that there is true freedom in worshipping the
One True God the way He has defined.
o Our definition of Worship: exaltation and prioritization of the object of your
highest love in any given moment
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is
one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I
command you today shall be on your heart.”
John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is
seeking such people to worship him.”
Devotion + Desire = Delight in the Lord, worship in Truth and
Spirit
We just studied some NT parallels to the 10 commandments. Specifically, we just
studied how the Beatitudes, Jesus’s parallel law to the decalogue, is meant to
give us blessing when we walk in the freedom of worshipping our God through
the proper attitudes of the heart that it describes as we seek to love God and love
others.
Right after the Beatitudes, and the call to bring glory to God by living out this
heart of worship, Jesus states that He fulfills the law. A statement that we turn to
now to understand how all proper worship must flow through Jesus to the Father
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Fulfillment of the Law
Matthew 5: 17-20 “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 say to
you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the
Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in
the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness
exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven.”
o What Jesus didn’t do – abolish or do away with the law.
Why? Because the law of worship is always applicable and it will
always show us not only how to properly worship Yahweh, but also
how we fall short of worshipping Yahweh in our own strength and
power.
How Jesus fulfilled the law (at least 4 ways)
o Authoritative Fulfillment – Matthew 2:10-12 “10 When they saw the star,
they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they
saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense
and myrrh.”
gold = gift of a king (fulfillment of civil law)
Revelation 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name
written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
o No longer under the civil rule of the law, we are under the
Kingship of Jesus who simply commands us to love
(worship God)
frankincense = gift of a priest (fulfillment of ceremonial law)
Hebrews 4:14-16 “14 Since then we have a great high priest
who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high
priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but
one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet
without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the
throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to
help in time of need.”
o Sacrifice made, veil torn (see Matthew 27:51, Luke
23:45)
myrrh = gift of a prophet (fulfillment of moral law)
John 6:14 “When the people saw the sign that he had done,
they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the
world!””
o Though Jesus fulfilled the moral law (10 commandments)
He still command us to continue to uphold it through His
command to love (worship God) (see Mark 12:29-31,
John 13:34-35)
o Prophetic Fulfillment – 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God find
their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God
for his glory.”
Every messianic prophecy is fulfilled (or will be completed at His
second coming) in Christ, every promise of God to His people is
ultimately fulfilled through Christ, every prayer we bring to the throne
of the Father is heard through the power and authority of Christ.
o Legal Fulfillment – Romans 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes.”
The law shows our lack of righteousness – Christ perfectly fulfilled the
law, died in our place, and by faith covers us with His righteousness
Matthew 5:20 “…unless your righteousness exceeds that of the
scribes and pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven.”
Matthew 5:48 “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly
Father is perfect”
o This impossible standard can only be accomplished by
having someone who is perfect lend you their perfection –
this is what Jesus did for us in His fulfillment of the law.
Colossians 2:13-14 “13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with
him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record
of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set
aside, nailing it to the cross.”
Galatians 2:16 “yet we know that a person is not justified [counted
righteous] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we
also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in
Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no
one will be justified.”
o Liberating Fulfillment – Luke 4:17-21 “17 And the scroll of the prophet
Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it
was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s
favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and
sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And
he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your
hearing.”
Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25)
1 Corinthians 15:20-21 “20 But in fact Christ has been raised from
the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by
a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the
dead.”
Conclusion
Jesus was crucified on Passover, on the very same day the Passover lamb was
sacrificed. Then He rose from the dead on the day the Feast of First Fruits was
celebrated. Following that, He spent 40 days with His disciples before His
ascension into Heaven. Just before He ascended, He told His disciples to wait in
Jerusalem until they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:1-5). This
was fulfilled ten days later on Shavuot when the disciples were filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
About 3,000 people came to faith in Yeshua that day (Acts 2:40-41) and the
Church was born.
o Jeremiah 31:31-33 “31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of
Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day
when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my
covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write
it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
o Acts 2:1-4 “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in
one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty
rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And
divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of
them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
o The initiation of this fulfillment was at Pentecost and the culmination of this
fulfillment will be with the return of Christ.
Pentecost = Shavout
Pentecost = jubilee and freedom
Pentecost = birthday of the Church and the launch of the message of
the one who died for the freedom of the world from sin (greatest
memorial day message of remembrance)
Unlike the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai, we must not shrink back
in fear, but rejoice in worshipful celebration that God is with us
through the Holy Spirit, speaking to us, empowering us, and
leading us to worship our God in joyful celebration for who is
He, what He has done, and what He will do.
Amen. Amen.