Why Good isn't Good enough(Matthew 5:17-20)

When Faith Feels Like a Burden Instead of a Blessing

Let me start by naming something many sincere believers feel—but rarely say out loud.

There are seasons when faith feels heavy.

You still believe. You still love Jesus. You still show up to church.

But something feels off.

You open the Bible, and instead of hearing God’s voice, you feel pressure. Instead of invitation, you feel expectation. Instead of grace, you feel guilt.

You don’t feel inspired. You feel inspected.

And some of us—good, faithful, churchgoing people—have quietly wondered, “Why does the Bible feel boring sometimes?” “Why does faith feel exhausting instead of life-giving?”

We’re not saying God is boring. We’re not saying Scripture has lost its power.

What we’re really saying is this: somewhere along the way, faith became about managing behavior instead of nurturing relationship.

We learned the rules. We memorized the verses. We knew what not to do.

But we didn’t always learn how to walk with God.

And when faith becomes rule-keeping without relationship, it will always feel dry—no matter how true the rules are.

That tension is exactly where Jesus steps in during the Sermon on the Mount.

WE – How We Accidentally Turned a Living Word into a Rulebook

This isn’t just a me struggle. It’s a we struggle.

Many people struggle with Christianity not because they reject God, but because the version of faith they were handed was heavy on rules and light on relationship.

For many, the Bible became:

A textbook to master, not a voice to hear

A rulebook to obey, not a story to enter

A legal document instead of a love letter

So faith became about:

Behavior modification

External compliance

Public performance

And when spirituality is measured that way, one of two things always happens.

Either you become proud—because you think you’re doing better than others. Or you become exhausted—because you know you never measure up.

Some people eventually say, “I tried Christianity, but it didn’t work.”

What they often mean is, “I tried rules without relationship.”

Modern Pharisee Illustration – “I Don’t Do Those Things”

Let me describe a kind of Pharisee that still exists today.

This person doesn’t look angry. They don’t feel rebellious. They would never call themselves self-righteous.

Their faith sounds like this:

“I don’t drink.” “I don’t smoke.” “I don’t party.” “I don’t cuss.” “I don’t struggle like those people.”

Their righteousness is built almost entirely on what they don’t do.

And here’s the sneaky danger: most of those things are actually good.

But over time, faith quietly shifts.

It becomes less about loving God and more about comparing yourself to others.

They don’t wake up asking, “God, how can I walk with You today?”

They wake up asking, “At least I’m not like them… right?”

That’s Pharisee righteousness.

Not open rebellion. Not obvious pride.

Just quiet comparison that feels holy—but slowly hardens the heart.

And Jesus speaks directly to that kind of righteousness in Matthew 5.

Early Seed – The Sticky Statement

Before we go any further, I want to give you one sentence.

One sentence I want ringing in your ears as we read Jesus’ words.

If you forget everything else I say today, remember this:

God didn’t give us the law to fix us—He gave us Jesus to fulfill it.

I’m coming back to that.

Because if we miss that, we will misunderstand everything Jesus is about to say.

Let’s hear His words.

GOD – The Text in Its Full Weight (Matthew 5:17–20)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

This is one paragraph. One argument. One big idea.

Jesus is answering this question:

How does life in God’s kingdom relate to God’s law?

1. “I Did Not Come to Abolish” – Clearing the Misunderstanding (v. 17)

Jesus begins with, “Do not think…”

That tells us people were already thinking it.

Some assumed Jesus was dismissing Scripture. Others thought He was loosening moral standards. Some believed grace meant God no longer cared about holiness.

Jesus shuts that down immediately.

“I did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.”

The problem was never God’s Word. The problem was how people related to it.

Then Jesus uses the key word: fulfill.

To fulfill means to bring something to its intended completion.

The Law was never the destination. It was the signpost.

How Jesus Fulfills the Law

Jesus fulfills the Law:

Prophetically – every promise points to Him

Personally – He obeyed it perfectly, inwardly and outwardly

Purposefully – He accomplished what the Law could never do

The Law could reveal sin—but not remove it. The Law could define righteousness—but not produce it.

Illustration: The Mirror

A mirror is honest. It will show you what’s wrong.

Messy hair. Dirt on your face.

But nobody washes with a mirror.

The mirror reveals. It cannot restore.

That’s the Law.

The Law shows us what’s broken. Jesus is the One who makes us clean.

The Pharisees kept staring into the mirror— but never came to the cleanser.

Rules reveal. Relationship transforms.

2. God’s Word Still Matters (vv. 18–19)

Jesus says not even the smallest part of Scripture will fail.

Grace did not cancel the Word. Grace fulfilled the Word.

Grace doesn’t lower the standard. Grace empowers obedience.

As Megan Fate put it so well: “God’s grace isn’t just meant for you to be forgiven—it’s meant to be gifted.”

Grace isn’t only erasing guilt. Grace is giving power.

Religion says, “Try harder.” Grace says, “Come closer.”

3. The Statement That Shocks Everyone (v. 20)

Then Jesus says:

“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees…”

That would have stunned the crowd.

The Pharisees were the gold standard. If righteousness were about performance, they already won.

Illustration: “That’s Still Not Enough”

Imagine giving your best— training, striving, obeying—

and being told, “That’s still not enough.”

If they aren’t righteous enough, who is?

Jesus creates tension to dismantle a system that trusted performance instead of God.

Modern Pharisee Illustration – Gossip, Division, and Not Getting Their Way

Let me bring this into the modern church.

Some Pharisees today don’t wear robes—they serve in churches.

They attend faithfully. They know Scripture. They’ve been around church a long time.

But when they don’t get their way… something changes.

When a decision is made they don’t like… When leadership doesn’t follow their opinion… When things don’t go the way they think they should…

They don’t confront biblically. They don’t pray humbly. They don’t seek unity.

They whisper.

They start conversations that sound spiritual—but aren’t.

“I’m not trying to cause division…” “I’m just concerned…” “I think people should know…”

And quietly—slowly—division spreads.

Not because of doctrine. Not because of truth.

But because someone didn’t get their way.

That’s Pharisaical righteousness.

It uses Scripture without love. It talks about truth without humility. It protects ego while pretending to protect holiness.

And Jesus would say, “This is not the righteousness of the Kingdom.”

4. Letter of the Law vs. Spirit of the Law

The Pharisees mastered the letter of the Law but missed the heart of God.

Illustration: The Parent’s Rule

A parent says, “Don’t open the door for anyone.”

The rule wasn’t about cruelty. It was about protection.

The Pharisees obeyed rules while missing God’s heart.

Galatians Explains It Clearly

Galatians 3:2–3 – You didn’t receive the Spirit by works. Galatians 5:16–18 – Walk by the Spirit.

The law restrains behavior. The Spirit transforms desire.

YOU – Making God’s Word Living Again

So how do we read Scripture rightly?

Change translations

Pray as you read

Read for relationship first

Slow down

The Bible was never meant to be rushed. It was meant to be lived.

WE – A Church Shaped by Relationship

Jesus didn’t come to make bad people behave better.

He came to make dead hearts come alive.

FINAL CALL – Leading into “Jesus Loves Even Me”

Let me ask you to bow your heads for just a moment.

No movement yet. No pressure. Just stillness.

Some of you have been carrying a weight for a long time.

You’ve been trying to be good enough. Trying to get it right. Trying to live up to a standard you feel like you never quite reach.

You love God—but you don’t always feel loved by God.

You believe in grace—but deep down, you still feel like you’re on probation.

You know the rules… but you’re not sure you rest in the relationship.

And today, Jesus invites you to lay that burden down.

Not because holiness doesn’t matter— but because He already fulfilled what you couldn’t.

God didn’t give us the law to fix us—He gave us Jesus to fulfill it.

Some of you have been staring into the mirror for too long.

Seeing every flaw. Replaying every failure. Carrying shame that Jesus already carried to the cross.

And today, Jesus is not standing over you with a checklist.

He’s standing before you with open arms.

If you’re tired of striving… If you’re weary from performing… If you’ve been living like God’s love is for everyone else—but you’re not sure it’s for you…

This moment is for you.

In just a moment, we’re going to sing a simple hymn.

Not because it’s fancy. Not because it’s emotional.

But because it tells the truth some of us need to hear again.

The truth that says:

Jesus loves me— even me.

Not when I get it right. Not when I clean myself up. Not when I exceed the Pharisees.

But right here. Right now.

If you need to come forward as a way of saying, “I’m done trying to fix myself… and I’m ready to rest in the love of Jesus,”

When we begin to sing, you come.

Not because you’re weak— but because you’re finally trusting.

Transition to Hymn

Church, we don’t walk to this altar because we’re unworthy.

We walk because we’re loved.

Let’s sing it together.