Why Did God Give So Many Rules? | Sermon On The Mount | Pastor Adam Bishop

Jun 21, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Thermostat Rules and the Heat of Holiness

God’s laws are not arbitrary like a dad’s quirky thermostat rules. They reveal His perfect, unapproachable holiness—a standard we could never grasp on our own. The law acts like a mirror, showing God’s radiant purity and our inability to meet it. Without these boundaries, we’d mistake God for a manageable deity shaped by our preferences. His holiness demands more than compliance; it invites awe. When we wrestle with His commands, we confront the blazing fire of His otherness. [30:32]

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3, NIV)

Reflection: What habit or attitude in your life feels most at odds with God’s holiness? How might His laws be inviting you to worship, not just obey?

Day 2: Failing Forward: When Laws Expose Our Limits

The law was never a ladder to climb toward God—it’s a spotlight on our stumbling. Every “thou shalt not” underlines our need for grace, not grit. Like a child straining to reach a parent’s unreachable high shelf, our efforts to earn righteousness only highlight our smallness. God designed the law to make us collapse into dependence, not self-congratulation. Our failure isn’t final; it’s the doorway to surrender. [31:32]

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” (Romans 3:20, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been trying to “measure up” spiritually? How might admitting your limits free you to receive grace today?

Day 3: Jonah’s Three Days and Our Eternal Rescue

Jesus didn’t just explain the Old Testament—He is its punchline. Every story whispers His name: Jonah’s three days in fish guts point to Christ’s resurrection, Moses’ deliverance foreshadows our greater Exodus. The law’s bloodstained altars find their “Amen” in Calvary. Scripture isn’t a moral manual but a treasure map leading to Jesus. Crack it open hunting for Him, not just rules. [36:21]

“He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’” (Luke 24:44, NIV)

Reflection: When you read the Bible, what practical step could help you shift from seeking advice to seeking Jesus?

Day 4: Friction in the Workshop of Sanctification

God’s Word isn’t a comfort blanket—it’s sandpaper. When Scripture grates against your preferences, that’s discipleship in motion. Sanctification means letting the Bible argue with your politics, your parenting, your secret indulgences. The friction isn’t failure; it’s the Spirit planing rough edges. Growth happens when we stop explaining away the verses that make us squirm. [39:36]

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)

Reflection: What recent Bible reading or sermon felt uncomfortably pointed? How will you lean into that discomfort this week?

Day 5: Punched Walls and Unpaid Pennies

Unresolved conflict compounds like debt. Jesus’ warning about prison isn’t metaphor—bitterness incarcerates. That silent treatment with your dad, the cold shoulder at work—it’s costing you sleep, joy, even years. Reconciliation isn’t weakness; it’s storming the prison cell of pride. Today’s awkward conversation is cheaper than tomorrow’s regret. Drop the offering plate. Send the text. [01:00:30]

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14, NIV)

Reflection: What relationship feels “too far gone” to fix? What’s one small step toward peace you can take before sundown?

Sermon Summary

The Law stands first as God’s way of revealing His holiness, then as the mirror that exposes human sinfulness, then as the tutor that shows the need for a Savior, and finally as the signpost that points straight to Jesus. In Matthew 5, Jesus says He has not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, down to the smallest letter and the least stroke of the pen. That claim lands like an earthquake for the first hearers and becomes a compass for readers today. Scripture, read honestly in context, is meant to be followed to Jesus. Every passage invites the question, Where is Jesus in this text, and how does He bring it to completion?

Because Jesus fulfills the Scriptures, God’s word is not a museum piece but a tool that shapes the disciple. Sanctification feels like friction. When Scripture confronts long-held assumptions, the choice sits plainly on the table: submit to God’s word or twist it to avoid change. The New Testament only offers the first path.

Righteousness, Jesus says, must surpass the Pharisees. That shifts the focus from what people can see to what God already sees. Image management plays well in public, but God weighs the heart. The real question is whether obedience rises from love for God or from maintaining a reputation. A simple prayer belongs here: God, give a heart that wants to obey.

Jesus then presses the commandment against murder down into the heart. Contempt, expressed in cutting words that cross the line, carries murder’s DNA because it devalues a person made in God’s image. Anger itself is not automatically sin, but anger fed and stored will corrode the soul and relationships. Wise, quick steps matter: acknowledge anger, refuse instant reaction, give it to God in prayer, explain the pattern to a trusted believer, and resolve relationships when harm has been done.

Worship and reconciliation are not separate lanes for the disciple. Jesus instructs the worshiper to leave a costly sacrifice and pursue a costly conversation. Right relationships cannot be detached from discipleship. Finally, Jesus urges quick settlement with adversaries. Unresolved conflict grows interest over time and eventually costs pride, peace, and sometimes far more. On a day that spotlights fathers and children, the call lands close to home: reconcile while there is time.

Key Takeaways

1. Follow Scripture to the person of Jesus Every text is a path that leads somewhere, and Jesus says it leads to Him. Reading well means tracing that path until His fulfillment comes into view. This keeps Bible reading from moralism or trivia and turns it into worship. Let the Law and the Prophets do what they were given to do, which is to point to Christ. [35:44]
2. Submit to Scripture’s ongoing shaping Conversion is the start, not the finish, of Scripture’s work. When the Bible rubs hard against assumptions, the rub is grace, not an obstacle. Spiritual maturity is the willingness to be corrected rather than to edit God. Sanctification feels like friction because holiness has edges. [38:18]
3. Seek the righteousness God alone sees Public righteousness is easy to stage, but God is not an audience. The heart’s motives matter more than polished outcomes, and hidden love for God outlives visible polish. Ask God for desire, not just discipline, because affection fuels obedience. [41:35]
4. Confront anger before it corrodes Anger can serve justice, but it easily slides into contempt and soul-rot. Name it quickly, refuse instant reaction, and turn it into prayerful conversation with God. Bring a trusted believer into the pattern and clean up the relational damage where needed. Hidden anger always sends a bill later. [48:44]
5. Prioritize reconciliation as discipleship Jesus ties right worship to right relationships, not as competitors but as companions. A disciple cannot claim closeness to God while leaving a wake of broken friendships. Move first, move humbly, and move quickly, because delay compounds the cost. Sometimes the most spiritual act is to send a text to start the hard talk. [57:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:19] - Why did God give so many rules?
[30:32] - The Law reveals God’s holiness
[31:32] - The Law exposes sin and need for a Savior
[34:21] - Jesus fulfills, not abolishes, the Law
[35:44] - Follow Scripture to Jesus
[38:18] - Let Scripture shape your life
[40:51] - Righteousness must surpass the Pharisees
[41:35] - God sees the heart, not image
[46:44] - Murder, anger, and forbidden contempt
[48:44] - Deal with anger before it becomes sin
[56:43] - Leave the gift, pursue reconciliation
[59:56] - Resolve conflict before it costs you
[61:17] - Father’s Day call to reconcile
[63:02] - Closing prayer for obedience and healing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 5:17-26 (NIV)
“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... settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.”

Observation questions

According to Matthew 5:20, what standard does Jesus set for righteousness compared to the Pharisees?
How does Jesus expand the meaning of the commandment against murder in Matthew 5:21-22?
What practical instruction does Jesus give about worship and reconciliation in Matthew 5:23-24?
In the sermon, what analogy was used to describe anger’s progression into destructive behavior? [48:05]

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus emphasize fulfilling the Law rather than abolishing it, and how does this redefine the purpose of Scripture for believers?
How does the comparison between outward righteousness (like the Pharisees) and heart-centered obedience challenge common cultural views of “good behavior”?
Why might Jesus connect unresolved anger with the severity of murder, and what does this reveal about God’s view of human relationships?
What does prioritizing reconciliation before worship (Matthew 5:23-24) imply about the relationship between vertical (Godward) and horizontal (human) holiness?

Application questions

When reading Scripture this week, how could you intentionally ask, “Where is Jesus in this passage?” What difference might this make in your understanding of God’s Word?
Anger often masks deeper emotions like insecurity or hurt [51:08]. What practical step could you take this week to “acknowledge and give anger to God” instead of reacting instantly?
Is there a relationship in your life where unresolved conflict is costing you emotionally or spiritually? What one action could you take to move toward reconciliation, even if it feels costly?
How do you distinguish between obedience motivated by love for God and obedience driven by a desire to “manage your image”? What heart-check could you practice daily?
On Father’s Day, the call to reconcile with family was emphasized [01:01:17]. If applicable, what would it look like to humbly initiate a healing conversation with a parent or child this week?

Sermon Clips

42s

#SubmitToTheWord

“And if it confronts your beliefs, if it confronts some things that you've always been told were true, and now God's word is saying that's not true. There were some things you thought were right and God's word says, it's not right. There were some things you never thought were wrong and God's word is saying, it's wrong. Here's what here's the mark of spiritual maturity, the mark of spiritual growth. Will you decide to submit to God's word or will you just reinterpret it to mean what you want it to mean so you don't have to change? Okay? Now if you choose the second option, you are choosing a form of discipleship quite frankly that the New Testament does not offer you.”

40s

#ResolveConflictQuickly

“Settle matters with your adversary who's taking you to court. Do it while you're still together on the way or your adversary may hand you over to the judge and the judge may hand you over to the officer and you may be thrown into prison. And truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. This is like law and order from Jesus. Right? He's walking him through. Like, this is how this works. And you you better get that resolved quickly or it's only going to get worse. So our last principle for today, really important that we see this, resolve conflict before it costs you. If you don't apply the last point, you're in danger of this one.”

48s

#GrowThroughFriction

“That it's actually supposed to continue to shape us more into the person of Jesus Christ. And can I tell you the word that describes that entire process? Friction. Maybe some tension. Maybe some disagreement. Like when you read God's word and you're like, man, I'm not so sure about that. It's right, you're wrong. Okay. That's about as quick an overview of discipleship as I can give. Alright. Growing in holiness, the theological word for that is sanctification. you're not supposed to stay the same. That God's word is supposed to shape you. That you should wrestle with God's word.”

40s

#PrayForDesireToObey

“And and and if if that's something you need to repent of, you know, that's okay. We've all had that recognition in different seasons of our life. Man, this is surface level. I'm just doing this to impress other people. There's not a deep rooted desire to obey God from a heart perspective. So what am I supposed to do if I recognize that? It it this is pretty freeing. Ask God to give you a desire to obey him. That's actually not something you have to muster up on your own. Did you know you can ask God? God, would you work on my heart to give me a heart that seeks to obey you from a heart motivation?”

44s

#RighteousnessOfTheHeart

“The Pharisees were pursuing the type of righteousness that people could see, but God knew their hearts, which were in fact far from him. And sadly, that still happens today. It's very easy to pursue the type of righteousness that cares more about what other people see than what God sees. And one of the things that we see from the Sermon on the Mount is God is actually interested in what's going on at a heart level. He knows the desires of our heart. He knows the true motivation of our heart. And and we should be challenged by this.”

40s

#GodsWordMattersAfterSalvation

“Many of us understand that it is through the teaching of God's word, it's through reading of God's word, the preaching of God's word, the hearing of God's word that we recognize our need for a savior. Many of you have come to a place in your life where you recognize your need for a savior. You ask Jesus to come into your life as your personal Lord and savior. When when you're baptized, that's when that's not what is making that decision for you. Baptism is just showing everyone that you've made that decision. But sometimes, on the other side of our salvation, we forget that God's word still has an incredible purpose in our lives.”

32s

#LawExposesOurSin

“That the point of the law never was for us to actually measure up to it, to keep it. The point of the law was to point out our inadequacy in trying to do so, our sinfulness. And and we would have never figured this out on our own. Throughout the old testament, people would create their own gods. It was pretty bad, the things they would come up with, that that gods would ask them then to do. So we're learning about who God is, we're recognizing who we really are, and then third, God gave us the law to then reveal our need for a savior.”

35s

#GratefulForGodsRevelation

“Now, just for a moment, that's an incredibly kind and gracious thing for God to do. We would have never figured out how holy and how perfect and how unlike us God really is unless he had told us. So he's telling us how holy he is through the law that he's giving us. The second thing God is doing through giving to the law, he's revealing to us our sinfulness. So when you read the old testament law, you're like, man, I'm supposed to keep up with all these. Good luck. Give it a shot. See how it goes. You're gonna fail. Okay? Now the new testament actually tells us that's the point.”

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Why Did God Give So Many Rules? | Sermon On The Mount | Pastor Adam Bishop

Devotional

Day 1: Thermostat Rules and the Heat of Holiness

Day 2: Failing Forward: When Laws Expose Our Limits

Day 3: Jonah’s Three Days and Our Eternal Rescue

Day 4: Friction in the Workshop of Sanctification

Day 5: Punched Walls and Unpaid Pennies

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Why Did God Give So Many Rules? | Sermon On The Mount | Pastor Adam Bishop

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