Sermon on the Mount (VI) The Righteousness of the Kingdom Mt

A Surpassing Righteousness Mt 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Must Surpass that of the Scribes and Pharisees:

A Surpassing Righteousness Must Surpass that of the Scribes and Pharisees –Not in degree, but in kind

The Righteousness of the Pharisees In Word Only Mt 23:1-4 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.’”

The Righteousness of the Pharisees Self-righteous and Self-glorifying Mt 23:5-7 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.”

The Righteousness of the Pharisees Self-righteous and Self-glorifying Mt 6:1-6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor…when you pray….”

The Righteousness of the Pharisees Compartmentalized Mt 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For 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.”

The Righteousness of the Pharisees Compartmentalized –E.g. Ceremonial more important than moral –E.g. The “lighter” more important than the “weightier” matters

The Righteousness of the Pharisees External Only Mt 23:25-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

The Righteousness of the Pharisees External Only Mt 15:1-8 “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.’ And He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God," he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.’”

The Righteousness of the Pharisees In Word Only Self-righteous and Self-glorifying Compartmentalized External Only

A Greater Righteousness A Greater Righteousness In Deed and Truth (Jas 1.22; 1 Jn 3.18) By Grace and to Christ’s Glory Lived Out In All Areas Of Our Lives Of the Heart, Mind And Soul Keeps the Spirit and Not Merely the Letter of the Law – vs.21-45

A Greater Righteousness A Greater Righteousness Keeps the Spirit and Not Merely the Letter of the Law – vs – “You have heard the ancients were told…” Their view of the Law of Moses

A Greater Righteousness A Greater Righteousness Keeps the Spirit and Not Merely the Letter of the Law – vs –Looks for the principles instead of a neat list

A Greater Righteousness A Greater Righteousness Keeps the Spirit and Not Merely the Letter of the Law – vs –Goes beyond the mere negative Mt 5:21-26 “You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

A Greater Righteousness A Greater Righteousness Keeps the Spirit and Not Merely the Letter of the Law – vs –Legalism avoids sin only because it is illegal: “and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court’” –No mention of judgment of God

A Greater Righteousness A Greater Righteousness Keeps the Spirit and Not Merely the Letter of the Law – vs –Legalism ignores the attitude that leads to the act Jesus went beyond the mere outward act to the attitude that prompts it. –Anger leads to murder –Lust leads to adultery and divorce

A Greater Righteousness A Greater Righteousness Keeps the Spirit and Not Merely the Letter of the Law – vs –Legalism looks for loopholes E.g. By emphasizing certain words: “…keep your vows to the Lord” (vs.33) E.g. By quoting only part of a passage (vs.38) E.g. By adding an unnecessary implication (vs.43)

The Righteousness of the Kingdom Not In Word Only but In Deed and Truth Not Self-righteous and Self-glorifying but By Grace to Christ’s Glory Not Compartmentalized but Lived Out In All Areas Of Our Lives Not External Only but of the Heart, Mind And Soul Keeps the Spirit and Not Merely the Letter of the Law