Matthew 5, 17-20.
We're going through a series
!
Where you know a part of the Bible
so well that you think that there's
little more that it can teach you.
And then suddenly
your eyes are opened
and you are shocked.
That's what I found with these verses.
Let me read to you verses 17-20.
Jesus said,
Do not think that I have come to abolish
the law of the prophets.
I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfil them.
Truly I say to you,
it is on heaven and earth,
they pass away, not an iota or dot,
they pass from the Lord
until all is accomplished.
Therefore whoever relaxes
one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do the same
will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever does them
and teaches them
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I tell you,
unless your righteousness exceeds
that of the scribes and the Pharisees,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Two subjects.
First subject,
Christ and the Old Testament.
The second subject,
Christ in you,
or Christ in me.
The Sermon on the Mount,
it is the longest sermon
that we have
of the Lord Jesus
that he gave during his earthly ministry.
And it's really important
that you understand
what's the purpose
of the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount
is not telling you
how to become a Christian.
The Sermon on the Mount
does not tell you
how to be saved.
If you look at the starting
Sermon on the Mount,
it is he sat down
and his disciples
came to him.
The Sermon on the Mount
is to men and women
and boys and girls
who are already
Christ's disciples.
The Sermon on the Mount
is teaching
how do you live
as disciples
of the Lord Jesus.
As a Christian,
how you are
to behave.
It's much like
Exodus 20, isn't it?
I am the Lord your God
and brought you
out of the land of Egypt.
I have redeemed you
out of slavery.
Therefore,
you shall have no other gods
before me.
The thrust of the Sermon is
because you live,
you are this,
do this.
The Sermon is not
do this and live.
And what we found
at the start of Matthew 5
is that Jesus showed us
the great characteristics
of somebody
who's part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
It's somebody
who's been changed.
Somebody who's been changed
inwardly.
There's something
that has happened to them
inwardly
and now they live
differently
outwardly.
It's clear
in the Beatitudes
because he is
so different,
he lives
loving the law
of God
and the Son of God.
And he is persecuted
for righteousness' sake.
He is persecuted
for loving
the law of God
and he is persecuted
for my sake.
The second verse is 11,
verse 10 and 11.
Because he loves
the Son of God.
The Christian does not
fit in with the world
because she is
a disciple of Christ,
a follower of Christ.
And we saw last,
well we saw two weeks ago
that that's where
the love is, isn't it?
that we are
the soldier of the earth,
we are the light
of the world.
And the world
doesn't like that.
Verses 17 to 20,
now what is the connection
between what has gone
before?
The connection is this,
our Lord has already
shown there's a great
difference
between being a true
Christian
and adopting
the religion
of the scribes
and Pharisees.
There's a great
difference between that.
The people to whom
he knew,
the only religion
that they knew
was the religion
of the scribes
and Pharisees.
And our Lord
had already
explained that
true Christianity
was not like that.
No well.
True Christianity
was not like that.
But as our Lord
explains,
he's going to say
some things
which on the face
of it
may appear
as if he's
setting aside
the Old Testament.
He's not doing
anything of the sort.
But on the face
of it,
he appears
as if Jesus
is saying
true religion
is nothing like
what you find
in the Old Testament.
And our Lord
is saying,
he is saying
I'm not going
to set aside
the law
or the prophets.
And therefore
some explanation
is going to be
necessary
because questions
are going to arise
in people's minds.
Look at verse 17.
He says
do not think.
Why does he say
do not think?
He says
do not think
because
the probability
is that we're
going to think this.
Do not think.
As he's speaking
Jesus of Nazareth
is setting aside
the Old Testament
they think
and he attacks
the scribes
and the Pharisees
and he shows
that true religion
is very different.
And they would think
as they listen
he doesn't believe
the same scriptures
as we do.
That was the impression
they would get.
And so before
our Lord
launches in
on this attack
of the Pharisees
and the scribes
he makes a few
explanations.
And the first
is about himself
and the Old Testament.
So that's the first
point.
Verses 17 and 18
we see Christ
and the Old Testament.
There's three things
to see here.
First of all
in verse 17
Christ did not
come
to dissolve
the law.
In verse 17
do not think
that I come
to abolish
dissolve
the law
or the prophets.
I have not
come
to abolish
them.
The word
there means
to take
something
to pieces.
You've got
an old clock
that starts
working
and you think
I'll have a go
at fixing it.
So you take
the back off
you take
the word
with that
and you don't
know what
you're doing
and you don't
know how
to put it
back together
again.
That's not
what our Lord
came to do
with the Old
Testament.
The Lord
has not come
to destroy it
or to disintegrate
it.
The Lord
Jesus did not
come
to render
the Old
Testament
useless.
Our Lord
has not
come to do
that.
Look at
the first
17.
He says
do not
think that
I come
to abolish
the law
or the
prophets.
When he
speaks of
the law
and the
prophets
that's
the whole
of the
Old
Testament.
It's
an umbrella
phrase
for the
whole
of the
Bible.
I have
not come
into the
world
to set
aside
the
Old
Testament.
To
take it
to pieces.
To
dissolve it.
To
abrogate it.
That is not
by purpose
all.
No matter
how you
may hear
me preach.
It's not
the case.
So if our
Lord has
not come
to set
aside
the Old
Testament,
what has
he come
to do?
Has he
come to
explain it?
Has he
come to
expand it?
Has he
come to
interpret it?
Has he
come to
reinterpret it?
What's our
Lord's
attitude to
the Old
Testament?
We're
going to
get to
the
17.
I
want
us to
stick as
close to
the text
as we
can this
morning.
The
second
thing
he's
come
to
do
is
to
fulfill
it.
Don't
think I've
come to
abolish the
royal
prophets.
I've
not
come to
abolish
them,
but to
fulfill
them.
What does
fulfill
mean?
It
means to
complete.
It
means to
bring to
full
fruition,
to
consummate.
I've
not
come to
set the
Lord
aside.
I've
not
come to
do
away
with
them.
I've
come to
consummate
them,
to
fulfill
them.
And so
you see,
the whole
of the
Old
Testament
is a
whole
process
of
revelation
which is
building up.
And so
as you read
through the
Old
Testament,
you get a
more and
more complete
picture of
what God
is like,
and what
his ways
are,
and who
he is.
is
partial
isn't it?
It is
incomplete.
It's
perfect,
but it's
incomplete.
And you
need someone
to
fulfill it,
to complete
it,
to bring
it to
its
climax,
to its
conclusion.
And our
Lord Jesus
is that
fulfillment
of the
Old
Testament.
Think of
an arch,
and you're
building up
the arch
of both
sides.
But it's
not complete,
is it,
until you
put the
keystone
in the
middle of
the top.
That holds
the whole
of the
arch together,
and all
the other
bricks only
have meaning
such as they
lean up
towards that
keystone.
It's the
keystone
which makes
the whole
structure.
And our
Lord is
saying,
I've not
come to
break the
arch down,
I've come
to fulfill
it.
I've
come to
be the
keystone
in the
arch,
I've
come to
consummate it.
That is
his attitude
in the
Old
Testament.
And of
course,
as you
read through
the New
Testament,
more and
more that
becomes
clear.
So in
the Old
Testament,
there is
the
ceremonial
Lord,
there's
the
sacrifices
and the
offerings.
And our
Lord has
come to
discontinue
that.
But he's
not come to
set aside and
say you don't
need to
bother that at
all.
It's a
really
important
distinction
to say
the
old
sacrifices.
Well,
we don't
have to
sacrifice a
bull or
a ram or
a duck
today.
The
old
priesthood of
the Old
Testament is
no longer
necessary.
The
old
tabernacle,
the old
tabernacle and
temple, we
finished with
that.
Not
strictly
speaking,
Christ has
abrogated those
things or set
them aside.
he discontinued
those things
because they
are all
fulfilled and
summed up
in him.
All those
things are
patterns that
were fulfilled
in Christ.
All those
offerings, all
those sacrifices,
they were
meant to
actually lead
us to
Christ.
They predict
Christ, they
teach us about
Christ.
And so
now Christ
has come, we
don't want to
go back to
shallow
land.
Those things
are no longer
necessary, they
are discontinued.
It doesn't
mean that the
Old Testament
laws have been
set aside in
the strict
sense.
In fact, as
we read through
Leviticus,
after Christ,
we see that the
whole of Leviticus
has got a
deeper meaning
for us than
it didn't
have before.
That each
passage and
each sacrifice
and each
offering,
has a
significance
that we
didn't see
until Christ
came and
fulfilled it.
And so
therefore, our
Old Testament
as we read
it, is
pregnant with
meaning.
Until Christ
came, they
were faint
pictures of
what would
come.
And people
messed up
when they
were on
earth, they
were all
about.
It's very
important to
understand this.
Christ did
not come to
set aside the
Old Testament,
but to
fulfill it.
It's the same
with the
judicial law,
you know the
civil laws.
In your
Old Testament,
they were
laws, weren't
they, for
Israel as a
nation.
Israel was a
nation that
lived within
certain geographical
boundaries.
And so there
were laws about
what would
happen if your
bull walked
into the
road.
There were
laws about
landmarks to
remove them.
There were laws
about footpaths.
There were laws
about who could
pick corn in
your field and
who couldn't.
there were laws
about which
relative would
have their
name first on
the will.
There was a
whole host of
judicial laws.
And what
Jesus is
announcing here
in Matthew's
gospel is that
he has fulfilled
all that.
Because he's
taken away,
hasn't he,
all the
Jewish
privileges that
belong to
them as a
nation, and
he's given
them to the
people of
God, a
nation that
he's called
from every
tribe and
time and
nation.
So the
Jewish laws
have been
rendered
inoperative.
And yet, as
you read them,
the great
principles
continue in
the Christian
church.
We can see
that.
And it's
Christ who's
done that.
So as you
read through
the Old
Testament as
a Gentile
Christian, all
those judicial
laws of the
Old Testament,
because you
are united to
Christ, they
have immense
significance.
And they
have great
teaching value
for you,
because Christ
has not come
to set aside
the Old
Testament, but
to fulfill it.
And of
course, when
you come to
the moral
law of
God, the
Ten
Commandments,
our Lord
certainly
hasn't come
to set
our side,
just like
some of
the things
that are
said today.
What do
you see in
the Gospels?
You see the
Lord Jesus
fulfill that
law in
his own
perfect life.
He
fulfilled that
law to
the utmost.
he kept
the moral
law of
God
perfectly,
and he
lays down
that law
as the
pattern of
life for
believers.
Not to
save them,
but the
moral law
was never
intended to
save them.
But it is a
pattern of
life which
you are to
live.
And in a
wonderful sense
he has
lived, and
the moral
law takes
on a new
glory for
Christians.
because you
know, don't
you, that you
cannot keep
God's law.
But you
also know
one who
has kept
it.
And so the
moral law
of God,
they drive
us to
flee from
our sin,
and to
flee to
Christ, and
Christ has
fulfilled the
moral law.
And it's as
if we take
the Ten
Commandments
from the
hands of
Christ
Sunday by
Sunday.
And it
fills the
Christian with
wonder and
worship.
So Christ
is teaching
in verse 17
three really
simple points.
That he's
not coming
to set aside
the Old
Testament.
Number two,
he's come
to fulfil
the Old
Testament.
And the
Old Testament
has a
significance
which it
didn't have
before the
coming of
Christ.
B.B.
Warfield
talks about
the Old
Testament as
a room
where all
the furniture
is there,
but the
lights are
off.
And so
you're in
the room
but you
can't see
fully what's
in there.
And Christ
comes and
he switches
the lights
off and
suddenly you
see the
beauty and
the glory
of what
is taught
there.
And the
third thing
that this
verse teaches
us is this
applies to the
smallest details
of the Old
Testament.
And this is
really important.
Look at
verse 18.
For truly I
say to you,
until heaven
will pass
away,
not my
goat,
not a
dot,
will pass
from the
law until
all is
accomplished.
the Old
Testament was
written in
Hebrew from
right to
left.
And it
has a
small letter,
like a
kind of
inverted
comma.
not one
of those
will pass
away until
all is
fulfilled.
The Old
Testament was
translated into
Greek.
And Greek
has a little
letter,
I, that
is written
under the
line.
It's so small
you can't
only see it.
But not one
of those is
to be rendered
useless or
set aside.
Not one
of them is
to pass
away until
all be
fulfilled.
Every little
letter,
Jesus says,
every little
mark has
significance.
even the
finest
detail.
And I've
not come
to the
side of
the side.
I come
to the
side.
The
tiniest
detail is
significant.
And our
Lord is
teaching this
thing very
clearly in
verse 18.
Can you
see it?
Our
Lord is
teaching
concern for
detail.
As part of
the mind of
Christ.
God is
to
us.
And there
are many
people today
that think
concern for
detail in
the Bible is
legalism.
Some of
you might
think that
being so
concerned about
details in
the Bible is
called
orthodoxy.
But if
you're like
that, it's
because you've
not entered
into the
mind of
Christ.
Because Jesus
is teaching
that the
smallest detail
of the
Old Testament
has
significance.
And that
says to you
and I that
there is
nothing in
this book
which is
meaningless.
Nothing.
Every little
mark, every
little detail
is significant.
But he's
not come to
set it aside,
he's come to
pull for
that.
Can you see
what Jesus
is doing?
People are
going to
come to
him and
they're
saying, by
your teaching
Jesus you
are setting
aside the
Old Testament.
And Jesus
said before
he said
anything about
the Pharisees
and the
scribes and
their religion
that the
whole of
the Old
Testament
has got
his stamp
of approval
on it.
Every part
of the Old
Testament
is approved
by Christ.
Now we
need to stop
here and
just try and
make some
applications.
The first
thing I think
that it speaks
to us is
about the
inspiration of
the Bible.
The Bible is
a book we
believe that
is breathe
out by
God.
What you
often hear
today is
that there
are people
that teach
that Jesus
Christ, he
inspired the
ideas that
are in the
Bible and
the ideas
of the
Old
Testament.
But the
breath of
God, the
inspiration of
God doesn't
extend to
the words,
the literal
words.
That the
words maybe
are expressed
in ways that
we would
accept today,
but the
ideas behind
them we
accept.
And so
the ideas
were expressed
maybe in
ways that we
wouldn't today,
but actually
we're okay
with the
ideas behind
it.
But here
is what
Jesus is
teaching,
verse 18.
Jesus is
teaching that
the very
way that
the words
were written
down is
exactly the
way that
the ideas
of God
and the
will of
God wanted
them.
And the
inspiration
of the
Bible
extends to
the very
words.
And so
then we
should have
reverence
not just
for the
ideas of
Scripture,
but we
should have
reverence for
the way
that those
ideas are
expressed.
The very
words in
the way
that they
are put,
there is
no word
in the
Bible
that's
there by
accident.
there is
no word
that's
left out
that should
be in
there.
Inspiration
extends to
the words,
to the
letters,
and to
the,
can you
see it,
the dots
and the
iotas.
And so
that means
you and I
need to be
very careful
how we
handle the
Old
Testament.
Another
thing that
we need
to say
is that
the Old
Testament
which
makes up
two-thirds
of your
Bible
is not
an
inferior
Scripture.
People
describe
them,
sometimes
we
describe
ourselves,
but we
are
New
Testament
Christians.
It's a
bizarre
phrase.
Because
the Old
Testament
says
Jesus
is of
divine
authority.
That's
Jesus'
view of
the
Old
Testament.
So
anybody
who
benittles
the
Old
Testament
also
belittles
Jesus.
Because
Jesus
said
in the
Old
Testament
verse 18
truly
I
say
to
you
until
heaven
and
earth
pass
away
now
I
will
pass
from
the
Lord
to
all
as
accomplished.
And so
you cannot
belittle
the Old
Testament
without
belittling
the Lord
Jesus.
And that's
so important
isn't it?
The moment
that you
belittle
Adam
or Eve
or
creation
or
Noah
or
Joseph's
coat
of
many
colours
or
Jonah
or
the
floating
axe
you
belittle
Christ.
And the
moment that you
belittle the
smallest details
the finest
points in the
Old Testament
you've
belittled the
Son of
God.
And you've
attacked
his
integrity.
And that
means that as
Christian people
we should be
taking as
much care as
we can
to get to
know the
Old
Testament.
Because the
New Testament
says that all
scripture is
given by the
inspiration of
God.
The Lord
Jesus says
man shall
not live by
bread alone
but by
every word
that comes
from the
mouth of
God.
And so the
Old Testament
and New
Testament
they are
equally
inspired.
And they
don't carry
equal revelation
but they
are equally
inspired.
And your
Christian life
will be
defective if
you cannot
and will not
study the
Old Testament
on which
Christ has
put his
seed and
approval.
Another thing
the Lord is
teaching us
is he's
teaching us
how to
understand the
Old Testament.
Can you see
that?
But he
foretold it.
So that when
you look at
the Old Testament
you look for
Christ.
And if you
don't look for
Christ you'll
never understand
it.
If you
open any
book of
the Old
Testament and
ask what
does this
book teach
me about
Christ?
In what
way does
this book
point me to
fulfilment in
the Lord
Jesus?
In what
way is
Christ the
completion and
fulfilment of
this?
The whole
of the Old
Testament
will leap
to life just
as it did
when Jesus
was on the
Emmaus road
beginning with
Moses and
all the
scriptures.
He went
through the
scriptures and
He expounded
to them the
scriptures concerning
Himself.
So that is
Christ in the
Old Testament.
Certainly even
more shocking than
the Old
Testament than
you.
Look at
grace of
19 and
20.
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.
For I tell you
unless your
righteousness exceeds
that of the
scribes and
Pharisees you will
never enter the
kingdom of
heaven.
Well Lord it's
very simple
teaching but it's
quite difficult to
get or to
accept.
He's talking
about the
relationship of
the disciples to
the kingdom of
heaven and he
expresses it in
terms of their
relationship to
the law.
He's now
showing you and
I that your
relationship to
the law and
the Old
Testament is your
relationship to
the kingdom of
heaven.
He says to
you your
attitude to
God's word is
your attitude to
God.
Because if the
scripture really
is the word of
God down to
its finest
detail like it
says in verse
18 and God
has breathed
it and here we
have a perfect
revelation of who
God is which is
fulfilled in
Christ it follows
doesn't it that
the attitude you
have towards God's
word is your
attitude to God.
You can know
that God is
great you can
know that God
is all powerful
but you can know
nothing else of
God except by
his word.
And verse 19
is even more
shocking than
that he says
and as far as
grading in the
kingdom of
heaven is
concerned and
it really is
shocking isn't
it verse 19
and you might
not like it
but in the
kingdom of
heaven can you
see this verse
there is
great and
there is
less
and I
think that's a
real surprise
there's such a
thing as great
Christians
and there's such a
thing as those
are the least
and so here's a
man who's
confronted with a
commandment in the
Bible it's only a
small commandment
it's just a little
point of detail and
he says to himself
but it's just a
little thing
it's no big deal
it's of no great
significance
I don't need to
take it seriously
at all
I keep hearing
we just thought
about keeping the
main thing the
main thing
and the main
things are the
plain things
and the plain
things are the
main things
I can never
work out with me
really to be honest
but that person
is here in those
they say well it's
only a small
issue it doesn't
really matter
I don't need to
take it very
seriously it's only
a small issue
there's no reason
really why I
can't ignore it
it's not a big
thing
it's not that
important I can
disobey it it's
no great significance
it's got no
bearing on my
spirituality I
need to bother
too much about it
I don't want to
be legalistic I
don't want to
get hang out on
this I need to
concentrate on the
main things
you can ignore it
if you want so
he himself he
doesn't keep that
commandment but he
breaks it
and he says to
others you don't
want to be legalistic
about this you
know don't worry
about it
verse 19
whoever relaxes
one of the least
of these commandments
and teaches others
to do the same
will be called the
least in the kingdom
of heaven he is
the very lowest
form of christian
there is that's
what jesus says
it's not because
he's broken the
commandment we all
break the commandments
but it's because of
his attitude to the
breaking of the
commandments it's not
worth bothering about
it's no big deal
and he tells people
the same thing
it's a shocking
thing
but here's a
woman here's a
woman she's
confronted with a
detail of the word
of god and you
say it's only a
detail
but this passage
teaches us doesn't
it that even the
details in the word
of god are of
eternal significance
and she says i know
i can't ignore this
because it's been
given by god and i
can't set it aside
and i must try and
comply with it
and she encourages
others to conform
their lives to the
word of god not
just with the big
principles but
actually the little
details of life
and jesus says she
is great in the
kingdom of heaven
she is the greatest
form of christian
and this cuts across
doesn't it lots of
what you hear
involving
evangelicalism
it's a total
contradiction of the
emphasis of many
churches today the
emphasis goes like
this concern for
detail that's
legalism that's
pharisaism don't
get hung up on the
small things in the
word of god these
things are secondary
they're no big deal
we can have christian
liberty on this but
that is foreign to the
teaching of our lord
jesus christ and it's
foreign to the teaching
of this verse jesus has
no respect whatsoever
of all for human
taboos he's got no
time for human
traditions human
do's and human
don'ts that have got
no authority in the
bible he couldn't
stand them and he
rounds on the scribe
of the pharisees
because they make the
word of god no effect
through their tradition
but when it comes to
the word of god jesus
says there is no
detail there's not a
pinprick there's not a
point of punctuation
that is without
significance and those
who treat it of no
significance because
they think it's of no
significance are the
least in the kingdom
of god and jesus
teaches you that the
greatest christian is
the one who has
meticulous concern for
the finer details of
the word of god
and he seeks to
encourage others he
wants others to have
meticulous concern for
the finer details of
the word of god
because he knows that
god's commandments
whether they're great
or whether they're
small they bind him
and they don't only
bind him they bind
all and so he
doesn't just bring
whatever his life in
conformity to the
word of god he
wants to encourage
others in line two
and the lowest form
of christian is
somebody who's not
bothered whether his
life is in conformity
to the word of god
or not
and the highest form
of christian is
one who's concerned
and so jesus
teaches doesn't he
there is gradation
in the kingdom of
heaven
there is rank in
the kingdom of
heaven as hard as
we find that to
believe
between the greatest
and the least
and they are
measured by their
obedience to the
word of god and
what they encourage
in others and i
want to say to you
that is the
consistent teaching
of the bible
we've just stopped
talking about it
because we don't
like it
there'll be some
who will be saved
by the
they'll go through
the fire but
their lives will
just be woodhead
and stubble
there'll be some
that are given
ten cities and
others that are
given seven cities
it is the teaching
of the bible
and your
attitude to god's
word is your
attitude to god
that's true not
only when it
comes to the
gradation in the
kingdom of heaven
but it's also
true when it
comes to being
excluded from the
kingdom of heaven
so if the
greatest and the
least christians
they're distinguished
by their attitude
to the law of
god
you see in
verse
20 there are
those who will
not be in the
kingdom of heaven
because he says
that there are
certain people
who show by
their attitude
to the law
of god
that they're
outside the
kingdom of god
and if the
greatest or
least believers
are decided
by their attitude
to the word of
god can you
can you see
that the
kingdom and
the law
they are
married to
one and
they're
and to be
excluded
well it's
going to be
on the same
basis
and in verse
20 he's
speaking about
being excluded
from the
kingdom of
heaven
verse 19
he says
concern for
detail is the
sign of a
great christian
but then verse
20 he says
unless your
righteousness is
greater than
those who
have this
unrivaled
concern for
detail in the
strides of
Pharisees
you won't
even see
what you
can go
to heaven
you won't
interest
it's really
hot isn't it
but it's
really important
look at
verse 20
our lord is
not speaking
about the
righteousness
that we have
by faith
in christ
he's not
speaking about
that
when you
trust in
christ you
are given
his perfect
cloak of
righteousness
it's put to
your account
it's imputed
to you
and you are
there for
100%
but our
lord is not
talking about
imputation
about christ's
righteousness being
given to you
it isn't
how do i know
that because
first of all
verse 20
speaks about
your righteousness
and the words
your righteousness
in the new
testament are
always put in
contradiction to
god's righteousness
and secondly he's
been talking about
a righteousness
of behaviour
and unless it's
really obvious he's
changed the subject
he must be still
talking about a
righteousness of
behaviour
and actually the
first word of
verse 20 helps us
doesn't it
it says for
it's connecting
and jesus is
saying boldly
and calmly
before the
world
that unless
you have
a righteousness
of behaviour
which exceeds
the righteousness
of the detailed
concerns of the
scribes and
pharisees you
will not
have
shocking
and we
must not
water down
what jesus
is saying
here it's
really dishonest
what some
countries do
to apply
this to the
righteousness
that is ours
by faith
in christ
is not
what it's
talking about
what is
jesus saying
here
jesus is
saying very
simply
that all
people that
are unchanged
are not in
the kingdom
of heaven
that's the
basic teaching
now again
remember this
the whole
focus of
jesus is
assuming it's
not how to
get into the
kingdom of heaven
don't think
that
that doesn't
come into the
sermon on the
mount at all
but he is
telling us
and the
world who
is not
the kingdom
of heaven
the whole
focus of
the sermon
on the
mount is
not how
to get
in
he tells
you that
in
matthew
18 and
john 3
that to
be converted
you must
be born
again
to be
converted
you must
become like
a little
child of
trust in
christ
but our
lord is
telling us
who is
not in
and he
says every
unchanged
person is
not in
and anybody
who does
not have a
righteousness
of living
which exceeds
the righteousness
of scribes
and pharisees
is not in the
kingdom of
heaven
and that's
really bold
isn't it
and that's
why at the
end of
the sermon
on the
mountain
the people
that hear
this sermon
they are
absolutely
astonished
because
Jesus
thought
them as
one with
authority
and not
like the
scribes
and pharisees
let me
finish by
telling you
about these
scribes
and pharisees
that they
were really
concerned
with detail
but they
were really
concerned
with detail
not about
God's
word
but with
details about
man's
traditions
so as you
read the
New Testament
actually
you'll see
that their
religion
was a
religion of
externals
and being
observant
there were
certain
services
they seemed
to be
religious
they were
clothed in
a certain
way
they had
certain
customs
they washed
their hands
in a certain
way
it was all
external
they cleaned
the outside
of the
cap
Jesus
said
but they
didn't have
concern about
what was
going on
inside
they were
concerned
about
themselves
more
concerned
than they
were
about
God
and
others
they
were
satisfied
their
religion
was one
which
said
I've
arrived
I'm
self
righteous
their
religion
was one
which
said
you can
make it
all your
own
and all
they had
was
religion
and they
condemned
others
and they
had a
great
feeling
of
superiority
they
looked
down
upon
the
bog
stranded
people
who
weren't
scribes
and Pharisees
theirs
was a
religion
of no
need
we
could
make
it
of
our
own
they
were
proud
and they
were
unteachable
and they
were
superior
and if you
had a
stroke
to a
Pharisee
about an
issue
in their
life
they
went
to death
they
got
really
angry
when
anything
was
pointed
out
for
them
and they
wanted
back
at
!
If
you
don't
have
a
righteousness
that
exceeds
that
you
are
outside
the
kingdom
of
heaven
and this
morning
if
all
you've
got
is
evangelical
religion
if
all
you've
got
is
being
reformed
you're
outside
the
kingdom
if
all
you've
got
is
a
system
of
belief
if
all
you've
got
is
I
come
to
church
on
a
Sunday
you're
outside
the
kingdom
if
all
you've
got
is
a
concern
to
be
exactly
as
a
Christian
or
Orthodox
if
all
you've
got
is
a
life
that
passes
as
respectable
you're
outside
the
kingdom
of
heaven
Jesus
says
the
only
man
or
woman's
life
that
will
not
collapse
is
the
one
that
hears
his
word
and
does
it
and
the
great
mark
of
a
Christian
is
not
that
he
or
she
has
an
outward
religion
that
no
one
can
point
the
finger
successfully
at
the
great
mark
of
Christian
is
that
inwardly
they
mourn
over
their
sin
and
they
delight
in
the
Lord
of
God
and
the
great
mark
of
the
Christian
is
that
she
says
I
delight
to
do
your
will
O
Lord
and
he
realises
that
not
everyone
who
says
Lord
will
be
in
the
kingdom
but
he
who
does
the
will
of
Christ
Father
who
is
in
heaven
that
person
is
a
man
who
walks
through
life
aware
that
they're
not
answerable
to
others
that
doesn't
bother
him
she's
a
person
who
realises
that
they're
answerable
to
God
she's
not
a
woman
who
walks
through
life
conscious
that
she
has
no
need
but
the
Christian
is
somebody
who
walks
through
life
conscious
of
their
great
need
which
is
the
mercy
of
God
and
all
of
these
points
our
Lord
has
already
explained
as
the
Beatitudes
outwardly
they might
not appear
to be
superior
the
world
applauds
the
Pharisee
far
higher
than
they
applaud
the
Christians
but
measured
by
God's
standards
accept
your
righteousness
accept
your
righteousness
exceed
the
righteousness
of
the
Pharisees
he
shall
know
the
kingdom
of
heaven
and
our
Lord
has
explained
that
in
the
Beatitudes
and
so
we
know
it's
impossible
for me
to have
that
change
without
the
new
birth
it's
impossible
to have
this
inward
change
without
God
willing
in
my
heart
and
so
where
do you
start
this
morning
you
religious
you
orthodox
you
accepted
by your
peers
who are
outside
the
kingdom
of
heaven
the
king
of
heaven
says
so
but
if
you
seek
to
live
by
the
word
of
God
and
to
love
him
with
your
heart
of
hearts
and
love
his
son
the
one
he
gave
and
if
you
with
the
very
details
in
it
and
you
might
be
thought
of
odd
and
sometimes
you
are
thought
of
a
weirdo
and
you're
often
thought
of
legalistic
and
extreme
and
fanatical
and
unreasonable
but
there's
sincere
desire
in
your
heart
and
a
genuine
effort
to
bring
your
life
into
conformity
with
God
with
the
word
of
God
then
you're
not
only
in
the
kingdom
of
heaven
but
you
are
great
in
the
kingdom
of
heaven
let's
pray