The Warning of the Kingdom 3

Matthew 5:17–20 KJV 1900

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

When it comes to greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus says it has to do with the law.

The Significance of the Law

Listen, the Gospel does not overthrow the law, but rather exalts the law, because you never forget that for Christ to save you, He had to fulfill the whole penalty of the law for every man who ever lived.

If you will, please turn in your Bibles to Romans 7. I want to try to explain this thought because I think it is important based on what we been studying.

When you put your faith in Jesus Christ and are united with Him in His death, then you die to the law in terms of its power and penalty. You have risen in a new life. You have been delivered from the law.

Notice what the Apostle Paul says,

Romans 7:6 (KJV 1900)

6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Great, I don’t have to Keep the laws or rules and I don’t have to confess my sins. That is old stuff.

But before you get to excited, you are bound by the law in another sense.

1 Corinthians 9:21 (KJV 1900)

21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

You are not lawless, you are not under the law of God but under the law of Christ.

So,

The Law REVEALS Sin.

Romans 7:7 (KJV 1900)

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Don’t blame the law for your sin. The law is not your problem. You are the problem.

But also,

The Law ROUSES Sin.

Romans 7:8 (KJV 1900)

8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Concupiscence = craving, lust, desire

Once there was a law, once God set a standard, it just made our sin obvious. It stimulated or aroused my sin.

The law provokes sin and condemns sin.

The Law REPROVES Sin.

Romans 7:9 (KJV 1900)

9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

When I found out about the law, it condemned me.

Romans 7:12 (KJV 1900)

12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

The law is not the problem.

So, Should I Keep the Law? Most definitely.

Paul goes on in Rom 7:22

Romans 7:22 (KJV 1900)

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

Romans 7:23 (KJV 1900)

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

God’s law is good. I delight in God’s law, the problem is me to which he replys.

Romans 7:24 (KJV 1900)

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

It’s not God’s law, it’s me.

Romans 7:25 (KJV 1900)

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Here is the solution.

It starts with Christ.

Romans 8:4 (KJV 1900)

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Next week we will study the righteousness of the law in verse 20.

The Standard of the Law.

Matthew 5:20 (KJV 1900)

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Who are the scribes and Pharisees?

Scribes, grammateon, from which we get the word ‘grammar, grammatical,’ were simply those who dealt with the letter of the law, the interpretation of the law, the recording of the law. They wrote down the law, studied the law, were authorities on the law, scholars of the law. They were those who struggled with the fine points of the law.

By the way, there were scribes among the Sadducees (who were theological liberals), and there were scribes among the Pharisees (who were theological conservatives).

There were civil scribes, and then there were ceremonial scribes.

Civil Scribes - wrote the affairs of government. Like notaries.

Ceremonial Scribes - involved in studying the Scripture and expounding it, and determining what it said, and meant, and so forth. They were the interpreters of the law of Moses and originally came from the tribe of Levi. They literally gave their entire lives to studying the Old Testament and amazingly enough, they came up with the wrong conclusions.

‘Pharisee’ comes from a root word which means ‘to separate.’ They were the separatists, the super-duper fundamental legalists of their day. They separated themselves from everything.

The Pharisees differed from the scribes inasmuch as they didn’t particularly study the law as a scholar would; they simply developed out of the law a system of ritual, they developed a sect.

What was their Righteousness?

Outward -

An outward observance of the law.

They problem was not with adultery, murder, stealing, idolatry, but rather their issue was internal.

They were impure in their thoughts, they coveted like crazy, they hated with a fury, and they were cold in their hearts toward God.

The were able to look good on the outside while their insides were disgusting.

Matthew 23:25 (KJV 1900)

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

That’s why Jesus continues in this sermon,

Matthew 5:21 (KJV 1900)

21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

Matthew 5:27 (KJV 1900)

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Matthew 5:33 (KJV 1900)

33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

and so forth and so forth.

Basically, he is saying you look good on the outside but you have failed miserably on the inside.

Matthew 23:26 (KJV 1900)

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Matthew 23:27 (KJV 1900)

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Matthew 23:28 (KJV 1900)

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Our life can become very superficial. We can take care of the outward things, church attendance, prayer, singing hymns, while changing nothing on the inside.

You remember when they asked Jesus for the greatest external commandment? Which is the greatest commandment.

Jesus didn’t respond with an external commandment as being the greatest. No, Jesus responded with an internal commandment. LOVE, God and Neighbor.

Love in internal but manifested outwardly.

Jesus said

John 14:15 KJV 1900

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Love my = internal

Keep my commandments = outward manifestation as a result of the inward.

If you would like to do some extra study, study Matt 23 with the beatitudes.

Jesus gives 8 beatitudes beginning this sermon and follows up in Matt 23 with 8 woes for each beatitude the Pharisees didn’t accomplish.

But notice

Luke 16:15 (KJV 1900)

15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Galatians 2:16 (KJV 1900)

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Outward accomplishments don’t change the inward.

Not only was their righteousness outward but also

One-sided -

Matthew 23:23 (KJV 1900)

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

mint and anise and cumin,” that’s herbs, some kind of plant, and seeds, little tiny things of the tithe while neglecting the more important.

He goes on to say,

Matthew 23:24 (KJV 1900)

24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

In Biblical days, they would literally strain their water to remove the gnats while they were neglecting camels.

Their obedience was one-sided not multifaceted, internal and external.

They abandoned the law of God that they couldn’t live up to, invented their own, and then convinced themselves that they were spiritual.

Their righteousness was Outward, One-sided, and

Opinionated -

They made up their own rules, and what they wound up doing was redefining everything.

They redefined the internal adherence to an external adherence.

God’s standard was holiness.

Leviticus 11:44 (KJV 1900)

44 For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Peter confirmed this.

1 Peter 1:15–16 (KJV 1900)

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Matthew 5:48 (KJV 1900)

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

God is our standard.

They knew they couldn’t make perfection, holiness, so they redefined the standard by giving their opinion on what they could accomplish.

Their righteousness was Outward, One-sided, Opinionated and

Obsessive -

They gained their own righteousness by themselves; they did it on their own. They were obsessed with their self.

God addressed in the beatitudes quit being obsessed with self righteousness and recognize your poorness of spirit, get in a quite place and mourn over your sin, hunger and thirst for true righteousness.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV 1900)

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The scribes and the pharisees bragged in their external righteousness that they invented, adopted and measured.

So, that brings us to our final question of verse 20.

Matthew 5:20 (KJV 1900)

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

What is our Righteousness?

God requires absolute holiness, absolute perfection, internal and external righteousness.

The Standard of Righteousness that God sets is Absolute Righteousness.

1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV 1900)

7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

“How good must I be to get to Heaven?” You have to be as good as God.

“How perfect do I have to be to enter His Kingdom?” As perfect as He is.

“How holy do I have to be to get into the Kingdom?” Just as holy as God is holy, that’s how holy.

You say, “Wow. No matter how religious I am, I can’t do that on my own. I can’t be as holy, as righteous, as perfect as God.”

How is righteousness obtained?

Matthew 5:20 KJV 1900

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Lets go back to

Galatians 2:16 (KJV 1900)

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

How are we Justified or made righteous? by faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:21–23 (KJV 1900)

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:21 (KJV 1900)

21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

grace= gift

righteousness is not earned, it is gifted.

Why would God just give us righteousness?

Romans 8:4 (KJV 1900)

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

You have been born again, rebirthed.

1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV 1900)

30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

When I couldn’t reach the standard of God, holiness, God gifted me holiness through Jesus Christ.

The scribes and Pharisees works were not good enough. They were impeccable on the outside but disgusting on the inside.

We have to be completely righteous, inside and outside.

Acts 16:30–31 (KJV 1900)

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

We can’t worry about being the least or the greatest until we have been made righteous.

We can’t worry about be salt and light until we have been made righteous.

Have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Are you obeying the Lord Jesus Christ?

Are you influencing others for the Lord Jesus Christ?