Heart Before Habit
Why Righteous Living? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today’s Reading from God’s Word
Today’s Reading from God’s Word
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the greatest and most important command.
39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Introduction
Introduction
Two weeks ago we focused on this passage:
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Here, Jesus challenges us to exhibit a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees and scribes.
This would have been a shocking statement.
The Pharisees and scribes were seen as the best. It was said by the Jews, that if only two people made it to heaven, one would be a pharisee and the other a scribe.
Here, Jesus is saying — that all their personal righteousness:
credentials
adherence to laws, ritual, and outward perfection
were not enough.
Righteousness is not manufactured — it is a gift to be received by faith in Jesus Christ — and trust in the sufficiency of His sacrifice to make us whole.
So, Jesus is calling for something deeper — a life embodied in transformation.
So here’s the question for today:
If righteousness is a gift, what does it look like to live it?
Jesus’ sermon doesn’t stop here in v. 20.
In the sermon on the mount, He paints a picture of kingdom righteousness — not just a status we claim — but a life we live.
Today, we’re going deeper into how this righteousness begins in the heart and flows into every part of who we are.
You are already open in Matthew 5, go back to v. 6:
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
And later, v. 48:
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
What does this mean for us?
How do we live a righteousness that reflects our king?
Today, we’ll explore how Jesus redefines righteous living — not as a collection of do’s and don’ts, but as a heart transformed by His love, grace, and the Spirit — impacting how we treat others and honor God.
Righteousness Redefined — From Rules to Relationship
Righteousness Redefined — From Rules to Relationship
Let’s go back to Matthew 5:17.
17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
Key word here is fulfill and the main principle Jesus is establishing is how to live a life of righteousness.
For a Jewish audience, the idea was that good works equaled righteousness. The more you did — the more righteous you were.
This turned into a system concerned with only legal fulfillment — not a changed heart.
We need to be aware of this in our own time.
When we turn Christianity into a system we:
turn righteousness into a burden — endless rules to prove worthiness.
rule keeping does not transform a heart.
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Pharisees and scribes were the masters of rule keeping.
Wasn’t good enough.
And so note how, especially in Matthew’s gospel, that Jesus distills the law into loving God and loving your neighbor:
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Love is the lens or perspective by which we operate.
Covenant faithfulness expressed in relationship.
When Jesus says He came to fulfill back in Matthew 5:17, he is speaking about bringing it to completion — by filling it up with meaning.
He’s not tweaking rules; He is revealing their deeper intent.
God’s law was given to reveal the heart of God — operating with a spirit of love and mercy and compassion for others.
Let’s go back to the Old Testament.
Micah 6:8 reveals the intent of the law:
8 Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.
The law’s intent has always been relationship.
God desires for us to reflect His character.
Jesus was the perfect embodiment of this - love in action.
When Jesus sought to redefine righteous living — it wasn’t a rejection of obedience — it was its redemption.
Whereas the religious elite saw righteousness as a status to earn — Jesus offers it as a gift to receive.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
and a call to live out.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
So the expectation is covenant faithfulness — not slavish legalism.
So what does this look like in real life?
It’s not enough to hear He fulfills the Law — we need to see how He calls us to live it.
Jesus calls us to turn our gaze inward.
He doesn’t tell us what to do — he tells us who to be.
And that’s the Heart of Righteousness — as seen in the Beatitudes.
The Heart of Righteousness — The Beatitudes
The Heart of Righteousness — The Beatitudes
Let’s turn to Matthew 5 — and beginning with verse 3, Jesus reveals the character of a heart remade by God.
This is a character marked by:
Humility - Matthew 5:3 - D. A. Carson once said that humility is what opens the door to grace.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Repentance - Matthew 5:4
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Meekness - Matthew 5:5
5 Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.
Hunger for righteousness - Matthew 5:6
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Mercy - Matthew 5:7 - the righteous do not shun sinners - they lift them up.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Purity - Matthew 5:8
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Peacemaking - Matthew 5:9
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Persecution for Righteousness - Matthew 5:10
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
These are the fruit of a life aligned with the kingdom.
Righteousness flows from within — shaped by humility, mercy, and love.
This is the exceeding righteousness of Matthew 5:20 — deeper, not louder.
This is what Rich and I have been talking about on Wednesdays — this is the upside-down kingdom where the blessing comes to the overlooked — not the overachievers.
Again, covenant faithfulness — lived through transformation — not transaction.
So when you read the beatitudes — see them as a mirror that we hold up — of ourselves reflecting Christ.
Who do you need to forgive that doesn’t deserve it?
What is a situation where you can serve as a peacemaker — mending a rift between loved ones or someone at work?
Pick one of these — or maybe some other aspect Jesus covers — pray over it — and ask Jesus to shape your heart to live it.
Now, here’s the next thing. Jesus doesn’t stop with who we are, He moves us to what we do with our transformed heart.
While the pharisees thought righteousness was about standing apart; Jesus says it’s about reaching out.
How?
He gives us the key in one simple, earth-shaking command that ties it all together - love.
Love is the Core of Righteous Living
Love is the Core of Righteous Living
So, it’s not just about our hearts — but our hands. Let’s go back to Matthew 22.
37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is total devotion. Heart. Soul. Mind. Not just ritual.
This aspect of righteousness is vertical — aligning us with God’s character.
It’s not about us — it’s about him.
The Pharisees loved their status more than they loved their Lord.
They totally missed it.
39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Not passive goodwill but practical care.
Even for enemies.
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Note here, how the love of God and the love of neighbor are inseparably tied together.
Where people draw lines — God erases them.
Now, v. 40.
40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
“depend” means the Law hangs on love like a door on hinges. Without it, the whole thing collapses.
Matthew 22:37-39 is Matthew 5:17 in action.
Jesus fulfilled the law by revealing its aim — relationship, not regulation.
You see — love is the lens for our obedience:
It’s not a softening of righteousness — rather its completion.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.
Love prompts justice.
Love prompts mercy.
Love looks out for faithfulness.
So, Jesus makes this personal and universal — and He demonstrated it by the way He lived his life — culminating ultimately in the cross.
34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
So what will you do with this passage? How will you choose to love others intentionally?
a family member?
another person who grates on you?
Someone you’ve judged superficially?
Love isn’t easy — but it’s where righteousness lives.
Take one step in the right direction and you’ll be glad you did.
Let’s look again at Matthew 22:40
40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
loving God and loving our neighbor sums up the law.
But this is not abstract.
Love has hands and feet. It reaches out, it heals, and it restores.
The Pharisees loved rules more than they loved people — but Jesus shows us that righteousness is not static — it moves.
It’s love in action — forgiving when it hurts; serving when it costs.
How does Jesus live this out?
How does He call us to do the same — going past hollow professions with a holiness that changes lives?
Righteousness in Action: Forgiveness and Compassion
Righteousness in Action: Forgiveness and Compassion
Let’s look at two passages:
14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.
15 But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.
35 “ ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’
In these two passages — Jesus ties righteousness to two acts of love:
forgiving as we’ve been forgiven.
serving those who are in need.
This is a righteousness that goes far beyond empty rituals.
Where others build walls of judgment and exclusion — Jesus builds bridges of mercy and care.
It’s like our study from Wednesday.
Jesus, filled with compassion, touched the leper, demonstrating love and compassion at the highest level.
Social cues, religious rules and traditions went out the window — to reach a person in love.
3 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Love is not a theory.
it is forgiveness that frees.
it is compassion that feeds.
it is a reflection of God’s heart in a broken world.
Cornelia “Corrie” ten Boom died in 1983 and was a Dutch survivor of the Holocaust.
ten Boom was a part of the Dutch underground — and hid Jewish women in this house from the Nazi’s.
She had a secret room behind a false wall in her bedroom — 2 ft. deep, 8 ft. long — capable of hiding 6 people.
A buzzer would warn of raids - and she crafted a ventilation system to keep occupants alive.
It is estimated she saved around 800 lives over 4 years.
On 2/28/44 - a dutch informant tipped off the Gestapo.
30 people were arrested, including Corrie.
She wound up in Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany — a brutal women’s camp.
For months she endured starvation and unimaginable cruelty.
While incarcerated, she gave thanks for fleas — which kept guards out of her area — allowing her to study the Bible with other inmates — praising God for his provision — in the middle of the darkest time.
In January 1945 she evaded execution after a clerical error allowed her to be freed.
After the war - she formed a worldwide ministry and traveled extensively - sharing a message of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Two years later, in 1947, a former concentration camp guard who tormented her approached her after a speech one night, seeking pardon.
In her book The Hiding Place, she writes:
It was 1947, and I was speaking in Munich about God’s forgiveness. Then I saw him—a former Ravensbrück guard, now seeking my handshake. Memories of the camp flooded back—shame, loss, anger. He smiled, thanking me for my message, oblivious to my pain. I froze, vengeful thoughts raging. ‘Lord Jesus,’ I prayed, ‘help me forgive him.’ My hand wouldn’t move. ‘Jesus, I can’t—give me Your forgiveness.’ As I took his hand, a current of love flowed through me, overwhelming my heart. I realized then: forgiveness isn’t ours to muster—it’s God’s to give.
A simple handshake. Jesus’ touch.
Righteousness is a life we live, rooted in God’s love.
So again, see the thread we’ve been weaving today:
Jesus redefines righteousness from rules to relationship.
He shapes our hearts with the beatitudes.
He fuels it all with love.
And He sends it all into action through forgiveness and compassion.
The Pharisees stopped at the surface. Jesus calls us deeper.
As We Close…
As We Close…
This brings us to a choice.
Will we just hear this … or will we let it change us?
“Righteousness, in Jesus’ eyes, isn’t about outperforming the Pharisees at their game.
It’s a heart transformed by God’s love
From touching lepers to forgiving guards, it’s not about a status—it’s a gift we seek and share.”
Call to Action:
Spend time with Jesus this week—prayer, Scripture, silence.
Ask Him, ‘Where does my heart need Your touch?’
Pick one Beatitude to pursue, one person to love, one act of forgiveness or service.
Start small, but start—let His righteousness flow through you.”
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
It’s His to give, ours to live.
Do you need Jesus?
