“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

Many people today — and sadly, more and more within the church — have re-defined biblical concepts to fit their own human perspectives. Like the scribes and the Pharisees, they know they can’t match God’s righteousness, so they simply change the definition of holiness. A prime example from Old Testament times is how the Jews re-interpreted God’s command, “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). They turned this from a call for inner holiness into a requirement to perform certain rituals.
The godly person will never rely on self-centered, re-defined righteousness. Instead, he will focus on the kind of holiness Jesus taught. He will be broken about sin and mourn over the evil bent of his heart. Such people long only for the righteousness God can give through His Spirit. They will never rely on their own strength or wisdom for what they can do spiritually.
God has always been focused on inner righteousness. When Samuel was ready to anoint David’s oldest brother, Eliab, to succeed King Saul, God told him, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him, for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). And that inner righteousness must be perfect: “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). To be truly qualified for entrance into Christ’s kingdom, we must be as holy as God Himself through His righteousness!

Ask Yourself:
Being broken over sin is certainly a crucial part of dealing with its appeal and presence in our lives. But be sure you’re not choosing to remain in perpetual inactivity and introspection. How well is your grieving over sin being translated into renewed obedience?

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

The righteousness practiced by the religious leaders in Jesus’ day further displeased God because it was partial, falling way short of His perfect standard. Again, in Matthew 23, Jesus illustrates this phony righteousness: “You tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness, but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others” (vs. 23).
The Jewish leaders were conscientious about making non-essential tithes of the smallest plants and seeds, yet they totally neglected showing justice and mercy to others or having heartfelt faithfulness to God.
To a large degree, the sin of partial righteousness flows directly from externalism. Unregenerate people disregard justice, mercy, and faithfulness because those traits basically reflect a divinely transformed heart. Without a new heart, no one can accomplish “the weightier provisions of the law.”
In a separate encounter, the Lord quoted Isaiah and further warned the Pharisees of their empty and misdirected religion: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Mark 7:6-7). Like the religious leaders and many of the people of Jesus’ day, professing believers today can be constantly exposed to Scripture but only superficially responsive to it. Their watered-down, partial obedience to God’s commands, demonstrates their failure to grasp the profound spiritual intent of God’s law and their probable unsaved condition.

Ask Yourself:
Realize afresh today that the only obedience which interests God is total obedience — the kind that can only be accomplished through Christ’s righteousness, given to His redeemed children. What instances of partial obedience need to be converted to full obedience in your life? (BEF)

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December 9, 2015

Warnings Against External Righteousness

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”-Matthew 5:20-

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were entirely concerned with a mere external observance of God’s law, giving almost no consideration to motives or attitude. In Matthew 23:25, Jesus gives a descriptive view of such useless religion: “You are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” Because of that terrible condition, our Lord labeled the scribes and Pharisees as “hypocrites.” They thought God would judge them only for what they did, not for what they thought.
But Jesus considers this sort of righteousness to be the worst kind. Anybody who practices such “religion” is guilty of a large array of vile sins (Matthew 23:25-31). At another time, Jesus warned the Pharisees, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15).
Christ’s next teachings in this sermon would declare that God’s first concern is with people’s hearts. He condemns attitudes of anger, hatred, and lust, not merely their outward manifestations in murder and adultery (Matthew 5:22, 27-28). Similarly, anyone’s deeds of righteousness, such as prayer, giving, or fasting — if not done with a humble, loving attitude — are worthless (Matthew 6:5-18). Hypocrisy and externalism cannot substitute for genuine righteousness.

Ask Yourself:
Where has hypocrisy slipped into your life? Confess every example of it today — not the temptation itself, but rather every time you have gone on to mask pride and impurity with self-righteous appearances. Deal directly with these and repent, experiencing again the freedom of living whole, genuine lives of faith.

"Whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

-Matthew 5:19b-

The New Testament presents a paradox concerning God’s law. On one hand, it is abolished; on the other, responsibilities to it remain. Regarding Jews and Gentiles, Paul writes that Christ "is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace" (Ephesians 2:14-15). With the church’s emergence, the "dividing wall" of civil ordinances disappeared.

The ceremonial law also has terminated. While Christ was on the cross, "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom" (Mark 15:38). With Jesus’ death the Old Testament sacrifices became invalid and unnecessary.

In a certain sense, God’s moral law seems no longer binding on His children (Romans 10:4; 6:12-15; Galatians 5:17-18). Paul harmonizes this notion when he speaks of being "without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:21). In Christ, believers are anything but without the law. Whereas His law is totally different from the Old Testament moral law with its penalties for disobedience, it is not different at all from the righteous standards which that law taught.

Whenever we look at the moral law with humility and a sincere desire to obey, the law will invariably point us to Jesus Christ — as was always its ultimate intention.

Ask Yourself:

What benefits do the teachings of the law continue to deposit in the life of the believer? If not for its guidance and its setting of boundaries, where would our human nature choose to live and operate?

"Whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

-Matthew5:19b-

Those saints who uphold every part of God’s Word in their lives and in what they teach exhibit a very positive response to His law and receive from Him the commendation "great." They see Paul as their pattern, when he told the Thessalonians, "You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:10-12; 1 Timothy 4:11-12; 6:11-12).

The apostle kept and taught the entire purpose of God (Acts 20:27) and therefore ranks among the greatest in God’s kingdom. If we do the same, we too will be among the greatest in heaven.

One key to our positive response to God’s moral law is knowing that it’s changeless and eternal. In heaven, the traits it requires will not need to be commanded, for they will simply be manifested as part of God’s own character. But we do not naturally reflect those characteristics while still on earth. Thus, His moral standards must continue to be taught and heeded so that we might bear Spirit-produced fruit while we wait for its ultimate fulfillment (Romans 8:2-4).

Greatness does not come by gifts, success, or popularity but by our reverence for, respect of, and obedience to the Word in daily life and how we encourage those attitudes in others.

Ask Yourself:

What specific, noticeable things are "great" about a person who deliberately pursues obedience to the Word? How do they distinguish themselves from others in expression, attitude, and outlook?

“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

   Matthew 5:18

    Repeatedly during His earthly ministry, Jesus referred to the Old Testament as authoritative truth (Matthew 19:4; 24:38-39; Mark 12:26; Luke 11:51; John 3:14; 8:56), always confirming its accuracy and authenticity. On one occasion, in defending His messiahship before the unbelieving Jewish leaders, He declared, “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).

    For Jesus, it was clear that God gave His Word to lead people to salvation. In His parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Abraham tells the rich man that if his brothers, whom he did not want to follow him to hell, “do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31). Scripture is more than sufficient to bring sinners to salvation.

    More than once, Christ used Scripture’s authority to establish His own. At a Sabbath service in the Nazareth synagogue, He appealed to the book of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’ …And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’ ” (Luke 4:18-19, 21; Isaiah 61:1; Matthew11:3-5; Mark 11:17).

    Scripture’s authority is Jesus’ authority, and to obey Him is to obey His Word (John 6:68; 8:47).

Ask Yourself:

    What argues against our confidence in the convicting, converting power of the Word of God? What could we do to ensure that our hearts aren’t blinded to this truth, to put ourselves in positions where we can see God at work through the Scriptures?

“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

   Matthew 5:18

    Jesus’ teachings are not only absolutely authoritative (“truly I say to you”), they are permanent. He implicitly equated His words of instruction with God’s eternal Word: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). As such, Jesus’ words are on a par with the Old Testament and are timeless.

    In view of that reality, how foolish of us ever to wonder about the relevancy of God’s Word for us. The Bible is God’s eternal Word, and even though completed nearly 2000 years ago, it has much to say to us today. Scripture is and always has been “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

    Jesus reveals that the permanence of God’s Word extends to the smallest letters and the smallest parts of printed letters — neither will be erased or modified.

    No other statement by the Lord more clearly states His absolute confidence in the enduring nature and inerrant quality of the Bible. It is God’s own Spirit-inspired Word, down to every single word, letter, and part of letter.

Ask Yourself:

    Not necessarily by time percentages, to what extent does the Word factor into your usual day? When and why do you turn to its wisdom and instruction? What have you found to be the best ways to keep the Scriptures alive and active within you?

“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

   Matthew 5:18

    To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to accept what He says about Scripture and to wholeheartedly echo Peter’s sentiment: “You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68). The privilege of knowing Christ and His Word also carries with it certain essential obligations.

    First, we must receive God’s Word exactly for what it is, “the word implanted, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). We should be completely receptive because the Word is the highest standard of truth, joy, and blessing, and it tells us of the way to salvation.

    Second, we are obliged to honor the Scripture. The psalmist wrote, “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalms 119:103; Jeremiah 15:16). The great Reformer, Martin Luther, did not fear his human opponents. However, when he stood in the pulpit to expound Scripture, his knees often knocked under a sense of awe and duty and responsibility to honor the Word.

    Third, we must obey God’s Word. The apostle Paul commanded Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). A key to genuine obedience in the Christian walk is to “let the word of Christ richly dwell within” (Colossians 3:16).

Ask Yourself:

    In what ways is the Scripture honored in your home? If this is an area in your family life that has been allowed to slip, what could you begin doing right away to restore the Bible to a place of regular reflection, instruction, and prominence?