Simple Faith Produces True Righteousness

Introduction

Matthew 7:28–29 “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

No greater sermon has ever been delivered than the one Jesus preached from the Galilean hillside. There has never been a more humble messenger communicate the life of simple faith. Jesus delivered this sermon with precision and courage. Jesus delivered one surgical strike after another, exposing the hypocrisy and legalism of 1st century religion. When it came to clear communication, Jesus was a master. It wasn’t difficult understanding the teachings of Jesus. In our text verse we need to understand the background behind the statement. In the sermon on the mount Jesus was freeing the listeners from years of manipulation by the Pharisees and Scribes.

Jesus Plea for True Righteousness

Jesus Was concerned for those who had surrendered their lives to Pharisaic tyranny that was light-years away from simple faith. These people had gotten sucked into the pharisaic model of substituting the artificial for the authentic, a danger that always lurks in the shadows of legalism.

Matthew 6:8 “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

Jesus wants followers who are distinct and unlike the majority who follow the herd. Jesus wants authenticity in solving conflicts, doing business and responding to difficulties, He wants people who operate different from the majority. When Jesus instructed the people not to be like the Pharisees, he was saying “Don’t be a Hypocrite!” He hates hypocrisy, but He loves authenticity. Hypocrisy allows the appearance of righteousness, but inside is unholiness. Hypocrisy permits one to sound pious in public, but inside secret they are profane. Many have been trapped in the grip of hypocrisy and they have developed clever ways to mask their hollow cores and shallow lives.

Let me give you an example using the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They were masters at such things! For example let’s take the Ten Commandments of the Mosaic Law. Just with these ten the Pharisees tacked on 365 prohibitions, as well as 250 additional commandments. But did that make them righteous? NO!

Matthew 5:20 “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 we attempt to become more spiritual by doing more things, we only complicate the Christian life. Now you can imagine the shock when the Pharisees heard Jesus say this. A quick overview of the sermon will reveal Jesus’ magnificent message and the simple walk of faith with four basic teachings.

Expelling Hypocrisy

If we do a slow analytical reading of the forty eight verses of Matthew chapter 5, you will notice Jesus answers three questions:

What does it mean to have character? (vv. 3-12)

What does it mean to make a difference? (vv. 13-16)

What does it mean to be godly? (vv. 17-48)

Notice the statement Jesus repeats no less than six times in the third section (vv. 17-48)

Matthew 5:21–22 “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: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Matthew 5:27–28 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

Matthew 5:31–32 “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.”

Matthew 5:33–34 “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: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:”

Matthew 5:38–39 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Matthew 5:43–44 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

What is His point? He is reminding the people that the things they have been taught by their religious leaders are hypocritical and not authentic. These religious vipers had perverted the Law of God and had placed upon the people a harsh taskmaster. The people had become slaves to rotten Pharisaic religion. It is easy to fake Christianity. To polish a super-pious image that looks godly but it’s phony. These are the ones that trying way too hard. They’re busy for sure, but they’re not genuine Christlike. They are sincere. Many of them intense. Most of them busy, but far from spiritual.

Simple advice: “Be who you are, because if you are who you are not, you aren’t who you are.”

b. Eradicating Performance

Giving

Matthew 6:2 “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

Praying

Matthew 6:5–7 “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

Fasting

Matthew 6:16–18 “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

c. Exalting Tolerance

John Stott once said “Hypocrisy is Hideous.” He went on to say, “What cancer is to the body, hypocrisy is to the church. It is a killing agent. Unfortunately, hypocrisy is also addictive. And even though Jesus reserved His most severe words of condemnation for the hypocrite, we still seem to prefer that lifestyle to truth and authenticity.”

Matthew 7:1–5 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

Jesus is continuing His reproach against hypocrisy. The question we must ask, are we taking Him seriously? Christians have become “speck specialists.” We look for specks in people’s lives, we detect specks and then we criticize specks, all the while deliberately ignoring the much larger and uglier and more offensive logs in our own lives that need immediate attention and major surgery.

Dr. Newman Hall, who wrote a book entitled, “Come to Jesus.” Had another preacher publish an article in which he ridiculed Hall, who bore it patiently for a little while. But when the article gained popularity, Hall sat down and wrote a letter of protest. His answer was full of retaliatory invectives that outdid anything in the article which attacked him. Before mailing the letter, Hall took it to Spurgeon for his opinion. Spurgeon read it carefully then, handed it back to Hall and asserted it was excellent and that the writer of the article deserved it all. “But,” he added, “it just lacks one thing.” After a pause Spurgeon continued, “Underneath your signature you ought to write the words, ‘Author of Come to Jesus.’” The two godly men looked at each other for a few moments. Then Hall tore the letter to shreds.

d. Energizing Commitment

The words of Jesus certainly penetrate the heart. When our faith is genuine faith a simple expression of our walk with God tolerance comes more easily. But does this negate commitment? Does everything about faith become passive and mildly indifferent? Absolutely Not!

Matthew 7:6–7 “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”

Matthew 7:13–15 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

People of simple faith mean what they say and do what they hear. That, in essence, is the practical outworking of Christianity. That is simple faith in a nutshell.

Conclusion

My Response

First, I admit I am not completely free of hypocrisy. I confess it, Lord and I know I am not alone.

Second, I admit I do not always search my motives. I openly confess that I do not always ask myself why.

Third, I admit I still occasionally judge others. My intolerance is at times blistering; my pride at times rotten and putrid. My patience so short. My acceptance so limited. Is yours? Don’t be afraid to say yes. It is the truth that will set you free.

Fourth, I dare not continue as I am. That’s a statement I need to make. Do you? We need help to change, to sift truth from error, essentials from incidentals.