Righteousness of the Kingdom as preached at Peebles Evangelical Church

READ: Matthew 5:17-32 (NKJV)    17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,  24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.  27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  31 "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.    In this sermon we shall explore how Jesus came to fulfil the law. He calls us to live in His likeness and to work on Godly character. He is not calling us to add to the law or do the bare minimum of obedience. He is calling us to follow The Way.    Background    As this is a sermon series you will probably have heard some of the background and structure of the gospel of Matthew already and indeed our chapter. One constant theme I wish to highlight is the attempt to prove Jesus is the foretold Messiah of the Old Testament. Matthew is proving this to both Hebrew and Gentiles. The author quotes from almost every book of the Old Testament in this quest.      Today's Passage    In sections previous to this passage Jesus has been speaking about the citizens of the kingdom, their character, blessings and influence on the world. Now He turns to the righteousness of the kingdom.     The Main Points of This Message Will Be  1. Jesus Came to Fulfil the Law  2. Jesus Calls Us to Righteousness  3. Jesus Calls us Away from Hate and Toward Reconciliation  4. Jesus Calls Us to Seek A Good Home Life    There Will also Be Some Short Applications throughout      READ: Verses 17-19    17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.    1. Jesus Came to Fulfil the Law    Fulfilment     Some may have thought, and some perhaps still do, that Jesus came to destroy utterly or overthrow the law. Nothing could be further from the truth.    He came to fulfil the law and the prophets (17). The prophets told of His coming and He fulfilled each of the prophecies to the letter. In regards to the law, if one were asked to do an assignment where they were expected to present ten brief lines about the character of Christ, the Ten Commandments would suffice! These commands in Exodus 20 flow from the great and holy character of God Himself. Jesus is the sinless embodiment of these commands. Elsewhere He says "If you love me keep my commandments." St Paul also says "What should we sin the more that grace may abound? God forbid!" These are not merely archaic laws of an ancient nation they are a ten-sided description of the character of Christ and the expectations for His disciples to follow on from. We are called to be His likeness and work on godly character.    We need to turn to Him for help. For our righteousness is as filthy rags. We need clothed in His righteousness not Pharisee standards.     As the end of verse 19 indicates He rewards good efforts led by His grace.    Authority of Scripture    Jesus uses the Hebrew scriptures as His authority. As is seen from this verse 17 to verse 47 and indeed elsewhere in Scripture Jesus accepted the scriptures authority. He did not undermine it, but rather opposed legalism and the tendency of some to just do the minimum in obedience. Jesus pushed and still pushes people further into a higher law of love.  Indeed elsewhere He speaks of Loving God and Loving others as being the new and high command of heaven for His followers. Notably the first few commands are about relationships with God and the last few are about good relationships with others.        READ: Verse 20    20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.    2. Jesus Calls Us to Righteousness    Verse 20 lines up neatly with two other verses in Matthew 5 that speak to the Christian ethic of righteousness. Verse 6 says that those who hunger and thirst for it are blessed and will be filled. Then verse 10 says those who are persecuted for it, the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Now here in verse 20 we see the call to a better righteousness than the Pharisees and people of the law. The way they offer is not the way into the kingdom. We need the Lords grace and strength, to feed on His presence and guidance, to grow mature, seeking His will. He is The Way and His way is counter cultural. "He is not looking for religious nuts, but spiritual fruits." (a friend at Lee Abbey).  It will cost all of us to follow His way on some level, some more than others. But, the benefits are eternal. All our own righteousness is as filthy rags, but His grace is sufficient for us.    Don't be a Pharisee, be a disciple:      We are called to be doers (If our Christianity isn't practical is it really Christianity?) The Pharisees loved to teach the law, but weren't so good at being doers of it.  Jesus spoke of the scribes and the Pharisees that sit in Moses’ and indicated that whatever they tell us to observe, we ought to observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.    Jesus calls His disciples to be doers of the word. He explains elsewhere that not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.      This is not a show!  The Pharisees loved to put on a good show. They did their works to be seen by men. They loved the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’     Jesus tells disciples to do things without a big show.  To take heed that we do not do charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise we have no reward from our Father in heaven.      Do not neglect His laws of love or pick and choose!    The Pharisees neglected parts of the law.  They paid tithes of herbs but neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. Jesus called them out as blind guides.    Jesus tells disciples not to neglect any of His commands.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.      Be Men (and Women, Children) of God, not slaves to Money!    The Pharisees loved money and tried miserably to serve two masters.    Jesus explained that a servant cannot serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. "You cannot serve God and mammon."    Jesus tells disciples not to serve money.    Don't be a Pharisee, be a disciple!    (Notably there were a few from among the Pharisees who seem to have been exceptions to the rule, such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who seem to have been secret disciples).      READ: Verse 21 -22    21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.    3. Jesus Calls us Away from Hate and Toward Reconciliation    Jesus calls out for goodness and humanity in our relationships. One thing most will agree on is that anger is a poison. It is corrosive and eats away inside people.     Many years ago there was a mass shooting in an Amish village. The main target was little children at a school. In order to obey the Lord the elders and families in this community befriended the shocked mother of the mass murderer. They refused to let hate or anger fester inside them. Instead they saw humanity in another grieving parent. Of course things may not be this extreme for all of us. Something we are no doubt grateful for. But, let us root out any bitterness in our hearts, allowing the Lord to examine us and convict us as needed. It is a Sunday service and not a soapbox, so I will spare you a rant about the wars in this world just now. Nonetheless, what I will say is regardless if you are pacifist or a just war theorist it isn't hard to see where war comes from. If the heart of man's problems is the problem of man's heart. The problem of man's heart is anger, which leads to hate, which leads to conflict, which leads to war.    Anger destroys compassion, anger threatens life. We must hold onto the sanctity of life!    In verse 22 Jesus even reveals that calling someone a name, such as fool, is a dangerous game. The word hell here is literally 'The Gehenna of fire.' This was the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem where rubbish was burned. It has been suggested that this included bodies of unclaimed or convicted criminals who had been executed. It has also been interestingly suggested that professional mourners would linger to weep and gnash teeth there.This place was never a nice place. On the same spot Manasseh and others sacrificed children to Baal or Molech in the Old Testament. It was a place of continued burning. Where things went to perish.    Matthew 10:28 speaks of it as an image of a place where both body and soul may be destroyed. Such is God's view on hatred! In our hate filled state we have no way to escape perishing on the proverbial rubbish heap of our own injustice, but in Christ we can be made new and have eternal life.    John 3:16,17 (KJV):   "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."    READ: Verse 23 - 26    23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,  24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.    In these next verses we read about stewardship. Giving here is seen in such high regard that it may be seen as sacred and worshipful if done right. It should not be thwarted by an unresolved and wrong relationship with others. We see here the high standard of seeking out peace and reconciliation. Elsewhere scripture says it is better to obey than to sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22)  So here in this scenario it is better to leave the gift and sort things out with our fellow humans. Then when it is time to make the gift, it has deeper meaning and pleases God all the more. In verse 25 it speaks of people being so enraged they take each other to court and the advice here is as much about haste as it is about love. We need to sort out our reconciliations as soon as possible.     READ: Verse 27 - 30    27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.    4. Jesus Calls Us to Seek A Good Home Life    Now the passage turns to home life. Adultery is terrible. It is a betrayal. But, here Jesus goes further and makes clear that the thought, desire or plan is the seed that needs to be rooted out. In verse 29 Jesus uses what still to this day sounds very extreme. It seems to be widely accepted that Jesus was using hyperbole to make a point. Once again he mentions Gehenna. Powerfully His imagery shows that it would even be better to partially perish than lose it all on a fling. Please do note here that neither Jesus, the Church nor I advocate mutilation. But, we do advocate purity.      READ: Verse 31 - 32    31 "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.    God's best for us is that our marriage commitments are kept. This is part of His divine purpose. In Jesus' day Jewish teachers debated Deuteronomy 24:11 which seems to give grounds for divorce. Followers of Rabbi Hillel allowed superficial and flimsy reasons for a man to divorce his wife. It was also made very easy to do so. Followers of Rabbi Shammal on the other hand suggested it was only allowed on grounds of adultery.     We find Jesus condemning the practice of ruining a women's reputation and taking another wife. He calls this adultery. As the previous verses show Jesus is not a fan of adultery!    Just because culture has changed does not mean Jesus’ teaching on adultery has changed. It is good to see the logic behind the teaching: Jesus warned against adultery as he loved women equally to men alongside protecting the sanctity of marriage he was safe guarding women.    I know some divorce through little choice. It is more or less thrown upon them. The Westminster Confession and Baptist Confession using various scriptures seems to suggest in the case of abandonment divorce is inevitable. Could this be considered a form of adultery? I would further add that given the logic behind Jesus teaching seeming to be about protecting spouses that in cases of abuse a marital breakdown is often inevitable. Could this also be considered a form of adultery?       Application Summary    Jesus’ relationship to the law of Moses is that He came to fulfil it and not destroy it (17-18) He is The culmination of the law, so there may be righteousness for every believer. (See Ro 10:4)    Jesus expects this of citizens of His kingdom: That the righteousness they have goes beyond that of the scribes and pharisees (20)    In verse 20-48 Jesus contrasts His expectations of the following five subjects: Murder, Adultery, Oaths, Retaliation and Love. Today we have covered some of these in our passage.    Jesus often uses the phrases “You have heard it was said…” and “But I say to you…”    In  this way the oral interpretation of the Law are proved to fall short compared to the teachings of Jesus.    Now perhaps you have struggled in one or two of the areas covered today. Perhaps you still do. I would encourage you that Jesus still has His arms open for you to receive His Grace. Or perhaps you have been hurt, be comforted that He has you in His loving arms of Grace.    If today you wish to return from a sin or period there of I would encourage you to pray "Lord have mercy on me a sinner!" He hears you and wants to set you free.    If today you have not yet surrendered to Christ I encourage you this day to believe in Him and also throw yourself at His beautiful mercy. He will deliver you!        In this sermon we explored how Jesus came to fulfil the law. He calls us to live in His likeness and to work on Godly character. He is not calling us to add to the law or do the bare minimum of obedience. He is calling us to follow The Way.    As John Wesley said:   Leave no unguarded place,  No weakness of the soul, Take every virtue, every grace, And fortify the whole.      Jesus gives a higher law of love and a greater kingdom of righteousness than this world ever could! Let us all be part of such a kingdom! Amen    Closing Prayer adapted from Take Our Moments and Our Days (An Anabaptist Prayer Book)    Ask, and it will be given you;    Search, and you will find;    Knock, and the door will be opened for you.    The heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit    To those who ask.    Righteous God, we bring our prayers to you with confidence, in the name of our Lord Jesus.    In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.    You place in us the hunger and thirst for all that is right and good. We pray for ourselves and those dear to us.    You offer the refuge of your wings to the children of the earth. We pray for our community and for our neighbors.    You call us to love kindness and to walk humbly before you. We pray for the church in all places, that we may bear witness to your reign of justice, peace, and joy.    You come to rule the world with justice and truth. We pray for the world, for all who are ensnared in greed, violence, and oppression.    We offer you all other concerns we carry in our hearts.    You bless those who hunger and thirst    For righteousness;    They will be filled.      God of compassion and joy,    You satisfy all who hunger    For your righteousness.    Give us grace to endure testing    And be true to your kingdom,    That we may enjoy the life you bless...    Now,    May God, who supplies seed to the sower    And bread for food,    Supply and multiply our seed for sowing    And increase the harvest of our righteousness.    Amen.