2024-04-14 Rules & Righteousness

Well, I’m excited for this week as we are starting a new series within our conversation around the Sermon on the Mount. We’re going through Matthew 5-7 looking at what Jesus says it means to live in the Kingdom of God.

I was thinking about it this week and I love what we’ve experienced the last couple weeks and where we are at within the Christian Calendar. Two weeks ago we celebrated / / Easter, the resurrection of Jesus, the proof that He is not just the Messiah, He is not just the Christ, the anointed one of God, But that He is God. This is probably shown no clearer than in John 20:24-29 when Jesus appears to his disciples for the second time after he has resurrected from the dead. The first time Jesus had revealed himself one of the disciples, Thomas, wasn’t there. And John 20:25 says that after the disciples told Thomas they had seen Jesus, he said, / / “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I grew up hearing Thomas being called “Doubting Thomas”. It was like a bad nickname. Who wants to be called Doubting Thomas for going on two thousand years now? And then used as ammunition by way of saying to someone else, “Don’t be a doubting Thomas, now…”

What I find fascinating about this passage of Scripture is the next few verses. Listen to this.

John 20:26-29, / / Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Now, I’ve read this a lot of times, and I’ve never seen in here where Jesus is putting Thomas down, or where he even chastises him for wanting to see proof of his resurrection. I mean, this is the very reason we have the Christian faith, because there were those who DID see the resurrected Jesus. Thomas being one of those who put his finger into his hand, put his hand into his side. What an awesome testimony that is for the church. Thomas, one of the twelve, saw the resurrected Lord with his own eyes and even put his hand into his side where the Roman soldier pierced him with a spear!

And another thing we don’t see, is anyone else in the room giving Thomas a hard time. And you know what did happen earlier, when Jesus showed up to the rest of them when Thomas wasn’t there? Guess how Jesus proved it? John 20:20, / / As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!

Can we just say that, of course they needed proof! When Jesus says “Blessed are those who believe WITHOUT seeing me.” He’s not talking about the other disciples that “got it right” and Thomas didn’t. He’s talking about everyone who is NOT in that room that is going to rely on the witness of Thomas and the other disciples. The rest of history moving forward that won’t get this amazing opportunity. You. Me. We are 2000 years removed from that situation, yet we believe.

And now this is the part I’m talking about, in how no greater expression about who Jesus really is, Thomas exclaims, / / “My Lord and my God!”

My Lord, or the greek word kyrios, which means supreme in authority. this word is used almost 750 times in the New Testament. Every time you see the word Lord, it’s this word. And this was a common word used for Jesus. When people would come to him asking for healing and say, “Lord, would you come heal my child.” that’s the word. You, with supreme authority, would you use that authority to work on my behalf?

But the next word is the important one. Thomas says, “My Lord AND my God!” theos. Even when Jesus asks Peter in Luke 9, “…who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” or the Messiah, the Anointed one of God. But Thomas, Thomas flat out calls Jesus who He is… God.

This is why I love this season that we are in and that John was with us last week. We are seeing the revelation of the trinity of God. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Through his life, death and resurrection Jesus proved, as declared by Thomas, that He is not just the Messiah, the anointed one, a good person to save Israel, but that He Is God.

And we call this / / The Doctrine of the Trinity - the Christian belief that Scripture shows us that God is One God, in three persons, Father, Son & Holy Spirit. And it is one of the more complicated Christian doctrines to understand. In fact St. Augustine, who arguably spent more time than anyone in the history of the church studying the mystery of the trinity, said at one point, / / “If you can comprehend something, it’s not God.” That’s not to say we don’t try, or don’t study, but to say that if Scripture tells us that God’s ways are higher than our ways, his thoughts higher than our thoughts, that is most likely not ever going to change. His thoughts and ways will always be higher than ours.

But that is our confessed belief, that we believe in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, three in one. And that that is who God has been for all of eternity past, present and future. He didn’t become Jesus, the Son, when he was born to Mary. He existed as Jesus, the Son since before time began. Same with the Father, same with the Holy Spirit. They are a self sufficient community of love within themselves, uncreated.

And so here we are, at this point of the year in the Christian calendar - we celebrated the risen Savior, God the Son, Jesus Christ, two weeks ago.

Then last week John brought us a beautiful introduction, really, of God the Father.

And in not so many weeks, on May 19th, we’ll be celebrating Pentecost Sunday, the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send God the Holy Spirit to the disciples. This is a great season to be in!

So we declare, with Thomas, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is God! And because of the love of God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and his death and resurrection, and the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us, we are invited into a relationship with this beautiful community of love that is the Trinity, SO THAT we can expand that community in this earth, of those who experience and receive that love and then give it to those around them.

And that’s the goal we are seeing in the Sermon on the Mount, isn’t it? We are invited by Jesus to live in a particular way, like him, as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God, ministers of reconciliation, just as he was.

Remember what we’ve covered so far.

/ / John the Baptist shows up on the scene fulfilling prophecy and teaching repentance and declaring that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Then he baptizes Jesus, and / / Jesus begins preaching what? “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

And then we get to this sermon. Matthew 5,6, & 7, where Jesus says, essentially, if the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and you would be of this kingdom, here is how you repent, turn from your old way of living and embrace what I tell you.

I want to challenge you with something this morning. Not because I want to personally / / challenge you, but because I believe that is what scripture is showing us, this is what Jesus is doing, that we are truly meant to give up our own way of life for how he would have us live.

I love the message John brought last week. It was just absolutely dripping with the unconditional love of God, right? Let me just sit in that all day, everyday, right? But let me also say this, Although the love of God is unconditional, meaning, we do not need to do anything to be loved by God, he loves everyone the same, wretched sinner or perfect saint, there is no distinction in God about who deserves his love, because it’s not about who “deserves” it, but because he is love. God, in of himself, in the Trinity, the community of love itself, determined to love humanity to the fullest, no matter what.

Let me say that again, condense it and we can just live in it. / / The Love of God is unconditional - it’s not about who “deserves” it. God is love and in of Himself has determined to love humanity to the fullest!

Let’s sit there. In that truth. In that love.

However, / / to follow Jesus requires something.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, / / “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life.”

Steven Lawson says, / / “Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Step out of the crowd. Come to Him and receive His salvation. It is a free gift. I must tell you, it will cost you everything. However, you will gain everything - everything you need - both now and forever.”

How can this be? That it is both free and cost us everything?

Well, we live in an invitation to both receive the faithfulness of God, that leads us INto faithfulness to God. We live in an invitation to receive the righteousness of Christ, or to be MADE right with God, SO THAT we can live in righteousness unto God, or do what is right for God.

Some people take issue with this. Because by the very virtue of grace, it is free, and we desperately don’t want to fall into a mentality of working FOR our salvation. No amount of good works can get us saved. That’s is truer than true. And by saying discipleship will cost everything, we are not putting conditions on the unconditional love of God…

As I was pondering that this week I felt like God led me to look at my relationship with Kelley, where I would NEVER make this connection. That I can simply just live my life the way that I want never taking into consideration what she needs or wants or desires within our relationship. Some twisted idea where I simply get to bask in her love for me, but I live however I want, going out whenever and wherever I want, spending the money she makes however I want without regard for her, flirting with whoever I want. Let me ask you this morning… That wouldn’t fly, would it?

We’d be in real relational trouble pretty darn fast if I lived like that, wouldn’t we?

And the reality is we would NEVER think that way of our earthly relationships. We are born with a pretty good understanding that relationships take effort, take commitment, take loving in return by honoring the other person, and especially in the context of marriage, we honor that person above all else, forsaking everything and everyone else. Sure, not every relationship or marriage works out that way, but we get the concept, don’t we?

So, why would anyone think it would be ok to respond to the God of the universe who gave everything for us, who loves us unconditionally and without reserve, in that sort of way?

And so we have to ask, what is the appropriate way to respond to a God who loves us that much?

Well, Jesus says in John 14:15, / / “If you love me, obey my commandments.”

John writes in 1 John 5:3, and I’m reading the Amplified version here, / / For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey].

Can you hear John making reference to Jesus saying that His yoke is easy and his burden is light. Jesus isn’t inviting us into a life of unquestioned or indentured servitude. He said very specifically to his disciples in John 15:15, / / “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: love each other.”

That’s a great invitation. / / “I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit.”

And how does that happen? By living the life he’s shown us how to live. Paul says in Colossians 1:9-10, / / So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Man, that’s what I want. To clearly know the will of God, so that we can follow it, so we can live in a life that is producing fruit while we are getting to know God more and more, better and better! That’s living the life right there!

So, with that in mind let’s take another step into the Sermon on the Mount. Over the next few weeks we’re going to be going through the rest of chapter 5, which is vv. 17-48. And that’s going to take us right up to Pentecost Sunday.

The theme for these weeks is / / Law and Righteousness. And I know, that maybe doesn’t sound all that fun. And I spent a bit of time trying to think of some clever, fun way of titling this. But honestly, not everything is cute. So here it is. It might sound heavy, but we just read it, John says that the commands and precepts of Jesus are not difficult to obey, and Jesus himself invited us to come to him and take his yoke and burden, which are easy and light.

So, I’ve said this before, but this is specifically where we will see multiple times where Jesus makes this statement, / / “You have heard that the law says this…. but I tell you…” and then he goes on to explain how they have misunderstood what the scriptures have been trying to tell them.

In this series we’ll be talking about anger, marriage, making and keeping promises, revenge and loving our enemies. All super fun topics! Maybe not always, but major major keys in how to live our lives following Jesus. Our lives are meant to look more and more like Jesus and if that is going to happen we must dedicate ourselves to learning what he said and invite the Holy Spirit to work in us as we do our very best to live like He’s said.

Today we’re going to go through Matthew 5:17-20, as an introduction to the next few weeks. So, we are in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus of course speaking from a hillside to most likely a massive group of his followers, / / “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I cam to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose has been achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“But I warn you - unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

Ok, jumping right in here. Jesus makes 4 distinct statements here, starting with these phrases:

/ / Don’t misunderstand why I have come…

I tell you the truth…

So if you ignore…

But I warn you…

We’ll take these one at a time and break them down a bit.

/ / 1. Don’t misunderstand why I have come…

First thing we need to remember is the verses that come right before this. We started this year with those verses, before we went back to the Beatitudes. Jesus says to the people gathered that they are the salt of the earth, they are the light of the world, but they haven’t been acting that way, and he’s calling them to that place. Remember, this is all about what it’s like to live in the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven, as an ambassador, for a kingdom that is YET to come, but is also here right now because of the presence of it’s king.

We all know the world is still pretty messy, we have not seen the fullness of the kingdom of heaven come to earth. Yet, that’s how Jesus teaches us to pray, and that’s how Jesus teaches us to live, under the authority of the kingdom to come, as representatives of that kingdom, introducing people to the way of that kingdom and the way of it’s king.

Now, it is interesting that Jesus starts with this statement, Don’t misunderstand why I have come…

Because everyone had.

They thought the Messiah would be a military leader come to set them free from Roman rule and to reestablish the Kingdom of Israel. Even the twelve disciples had a hard time with this. Right before Jesus ascends to heaven, so, he’s risen from the dead, spent 40 days with disciples, proving he is who he said he is, and right before he leaves, Luke writes in Acts 1:6 that the disciples ask him, / / “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore your kingdom?”

RESTORE?!? Not introduce, not establish, not bring down from heaven, but RESTORE! They are still not getting it. Thinking that Jesus was going to set up a kingdom and free Israel from Roman rule. They think they’ve got the secret weapon, a ruler that can’t be killed! Imagine that, a revolutionary leader that can’t be killed! Even as publically and horribly as Jesus was, you can’t keep him dead, he just comes back! Think of it! How terrified will Rome be if you ride into Jerusalem on a horse this time! Alive!

So, this was constantly a wrestle for Jesus with his followers, that they truly did misunderstand why he had come, even his closest disciples. But the reality is that he came to set them free from that kind of thinking and come into something completely new.

Remember what John said last week when he read 1 Peter 1:18-19, I’ll read it from the Amplified here because it’s so good. / / For you know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold, but [you were actually purchased] with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ.

God wants to set us free from the useless, spiritually unproductive way of life.

So, if Jesus says don’t misunderstand why I have come, what’s he referring to? / / I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

This is the first thing we need to grasp. Up to this point the people were doing everything they could in their own strength to keep the law, and the Pharisees and religious leaders lorded it over them, and essentially kept pushing them down because they knew they couldn’t do it. So you have this division of people, as Jesus said in Luke 5:31-32, / / “Healthy people don’t need a doctor - sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

Notice how Jesus doesn’t say the two groups are those who are healthy and those who are sick. He says that healthy people don’t need a doctor, and then calls the religious leaders and Pharisees “those who THINK they are righteous”. So you have these two groups of people, the religious do-gooders that think they are high and mighty and above everyone else, and those who actually think they’re no good at all and not worth it, so why even bother trying to keep the law.

So, let’s say that removing the law would be what the “sick” people want, but it would also make the religious folks angry because it would remove what they think sets them apart, above the rest of society.

We have the same problem today. Look at society, what do they keep doing? Try to make less and less morally wrong. Everything is ok. Just do what makes you feel good.

And what do we have on the religious side, all too often? More rules, you’re a sinner, you are damned to hell.

And Jesus says they’ve both got it wrong. No no no, I didn’t come to destroy it all, or tear it all down, And I also didn’t come to enforce it… I came to actually fulfill it.

I like the NLT translation because it says, / / I came to accomplish their purpose.

The word fulfill, or accomplish, is a greek word that means ‘to make replete’, replete means abundantly supplied or provided. So, filled to overflowing. You can’t add any more to it. If the law is something to adhere to, Jesus is adhering so completely to it that it’s jam packed with adherence. If there’s boxes to be checked, there’s not a single box unchecked. If there’s i’s that need to be dotted and t’s that need to be crossed, every single one has been taken care of.

He’s come to take the law and the prophets and the reason they were given to it’s fulfillment, it’s completeness, it’s overflowing, abundantly accomplished end.

But what is that purpose?

What was the purpose of the law and the prophets that Jesus is accomplishing?

Two things:

1 / / The Law & the Prophets point to Jesus. The law and the prophets point to the Christ, the Messiah. The entire Old Testament of the Bible is leading to one thing. The fulfilment of all God’s promises in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Think of it this way, all that has happened is leading to this point, where all will now be complete in him, so that the purpose of all that has been, can be fulfilled in you.

And this “misunderstanding” that people are wrestling with is that they think the system and the law is the only way, but Jesus has come to do something different with it than they thought, but they don’t understand.

Let’s try and piece this together. Paul says in Colossians 2:8-10, which is almost an echo of 1 Peter 1:18, / / Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Ok, so that’s the goal? To be complete through our union with Christ.

To understand what Jesus did, let’s look at what God said through the prophet Jeremiah 31:31-34, / / “The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord.

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”

So let’s take what Jeremiah says, and what Paul says and look at what God said Jesus was going to do through accomplishing the law.

/ / A new covenant I will make with you… I will put my instruction deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts… For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ…

So, I want you to hear Jesus this morning:

Don’t mistake why I came. I didn’t come to do away with the law. I didn’t come to even just check all the boxes for my own life. I came to fulfill it through my life, death and resurrection, so that I could so fully and deeply write it on your hearts through my union with you that you would come alive in the covenant and promise of the Triune God.

/ / 2. I tell you the truth…

See, this is why I say that, because the next thing he says is, / / I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until it’s purpose is achieved.

So, I asked a moment ago, what was the purpose of the law. And 1st, it was point to Jesus.

The second, is to lead you to life.

/ / The Law & the Prophets are meant to lead you to life!

They are constantly pointing us to a life of relationship and community with the Triune God. And how do we love and honor those we are in relationship with? Especially God? Obey his commandments. Follow him.

Deuteronomy 30:19, one of my favorite verses, / / Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

Two things there. First, God isn’t actively cursing you if you mess up. The choice between blessing and curse is the curse of the action, of the curse of the fallen world. Think of it this way. Put a donut or a carrot in front of me, one commands life, one commands death. I know, silly, but true. Even if it’s just in the smallest way. But put that same rationale into every small and big thing alike. God sets before us a way of life and we choose if we walk in it.

Now, what does that mean for Jesus to fulfill the purpose of that law? It means Jeremiah 31, that / / Christ, the fulfillment of the law, now in union with us through the power of the Holy Spirit, who is alive inside of us, is now leading us as a Good Shepherd rather than a set of rules.

If you read the writings of the Apostle Paul you will see multiple times that his encouragement is not to live by the letter of the law, but by the leading of the Spirit. Is the law still valid, yes, because the law was fulfilled in Christ, and now we are filled with His Spirit who embodies holiness and righteousness, and when we lean into him, we won’t have to live by the letter of the law because we will do what is right by the very act of following him.

God isn’t looking for people who know how to follow rules, he’s looking for people who are going to follow Him.

This is why the next thing Jesus says is a warning…

/ / 3. So if you ignore…

/ / So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obey’s God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Having the power of the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of the law and prophets through Christ on our side should empower us and embolden us to live as He lived and follow His ways.

Again, back to “don’T misunderstand why I have come.” Paul deals with this in the early churches. He has to flat out ask them, “Does the grace of God being so wonderful mean we should just go on sinning so we can experience that grace more? Of course not!” The grace of God is meant to compel us to live a live UNTO him, not unto ourselves. So don’t teach people to ignore the law because you think it doesn’t matter anymore. Teach them the purpose of the law is meant to lead to Christ and following Christ leads to life.

Think of it this way. And I’ll use my life as an example, and trust me when I say this, I don’t do this lightly. I don’t point these things out to make light of or to downplay anything, or to even pick on myself or point out my flaws. I do it in full recognition of what God wants to do in and through me to the betterment of my life and the lives of those around me. So the more I preach to myself in the power of the Holy Spirit the more I feel Him at work in me compelling me toward life in Him.

That being said, I am a follower of Jesus. I know 100% I am going to heaven. I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no question of that in my life at all whatsoever. BUT, if I ignore the very real issue of type II diabetes in my body, I will produce within myself death. Paul says clearly the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) And sin, as defined in scripture is missing the mark of God’s great standard and purpose for our lives. That’s Romans 3:23, all have sinned, we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. When I look down that road of Deuteronomy 30:19, the invitation to choose the path of life or the path of death, and I choose to ignore or miss the mark of living the way God intends me to live I suffer in my body the consequences of my own action, sin, which is death. Maybe not an immediate death unto the grave, but death unto immediate energy when my blood sugar is high. Death of blurred eyesight when my blood sugar is out of wack for extended periods of time. Death of feeling in my feet due to neuropathy.

And I know, that lifestyle long term will produce greater extents of death in my body and life until at some point it would indeed take my life unto death in the grave.

And that’ll preach, because I feel the holy conviction of the Holy Spirit when I say that.

Now, here’s the reality. None of that takes away my salvation. On the other side of the grave I will be fully alive in Christ who is my resurrection and life.

But that resurrection and life does not make me impervious to sin and it’s effects in the here and now. There is still cause and effect in this world. Remember when Satan tempts Jesus. He says, Jump off this high place, won’t the angels catch you and protect you? And Jesus says in Matthew 4:7, / / “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

If it’s good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for us.

I need you to hear this this morning… I live free from the law of sin and death because the grave holds no sway over my eternal salvation, but I live subject to the consequence of sin in the here and now because my body is still human, subject to the laws of this earth.

So, Jesus warns, don’t teach people to not focus on or follow the law, because it still leads to life, just differently than you thought. Teach them to follow me, for in me you will experience the fullness of life and the burden of the law removed, so you can live to the life I’ve called you to.

And he brings it all together in this last part, Matthew 5:20,

/ / 4. But I warn you…

/ / “But I warn you - unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Jesus spoke in parables, he spoke in veiled thoughts and insights, he was inviting people to pursue the truth.

This whole passage of Scripture, vv 17-20 is a battle of wills:

Righteousness through working to uphold the law vs.

Righteousness through allowing Him to be our righteousness in HIS fulfilling the law and writing it deep within our hearts through the infilling power of the Holy Spirit.

Go back to Luke 5:31-32, It’s not about healthy people vs sick people, it’s about those who think they are sufficient in of themselves and people who recognize they can not fulfill the law, will not ever be able to fulfill the law, and are completely dependent on the grace of God for salvation.

The righteousness of the pharisees that Jesus is warning about here is the, “I THINK I am righteous because I’m upholding the law myself.” I said this on Easter morning, the world will try and convince you that we’re all “basically good people”. Why is that a narrative?

Because if we’re all basically good then we all basically don’t need saving.

What’s the quickest way to remove the power of a savior, by removing the need to be saved.

Don’t fall for it.

I said it last week as we were singing, “I’m not enough unless you come.” It’s not that God didn’t create us to be enough, or that we’re insufficient in some way shape or form, but that without him, without his righteousness, we will never be enough. I can’t. Not in of myself. I am not perfect. I’m not even basically good. I identify more with the Apostle Paul who said in 1 Timothy 1:15, / / This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” - and I am the worst of them all.

Not out of some feeling of ugliness or like God thinks I’m vile or nasty, right, John encouraged us with that last week, but out of a complete dependence on the grace and mercy of an ever-loving God who came to give his all for me. I miss the mark all the time. And I’m grateful that His grace is still sufficient for me.

So, this is the warning. But I warn you. Don’t be like the pharisees that think they need to be righteous in of themselves because you will NEVER experience the Kingdom of Heaven if you think you need to work your way into it. BUT, if you recognize that you need something more. The fulfillment of the law through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through whom we are now MADE righteous, or right with God, then we can begin to live a life of righteousness, or doing what is right, UNTO Him, out of gratitude, love and communion with Him.

So, in the beginning of this series on Law and Righteousness we must establish these two things:

/ / 1. The purpose of the law and prophets were fulfilled in Christ’s life, death and resurrection so that we could have the new covenant of His blood written deep within our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit.

/ / 2. Our righteousness is not our own, but through the righteousness of Christ we are MADE righteous so that we can live a life of righteousness unto him, without the burden of perfection and condemnation when we realize we are only human and won’t always get it right!