Journey Through Matthew: The Righteousness of Pharisees

This morning we are going to be continuing our Journey Through Matthew, and this morning we are going to be in chapter 5, looking at the subject of The Righteousness of the Pharisees.

Again, that is is where we will be focusing.

However, before we get into the Scripture for this morning, I do want to get us up to speed a bit to where we are in the Gospel of Matthew.

We have moved through Jesus’ birth and early life and into the beginnings of His ministry, with the temptation in the desert.

And this morning we pick up in the middle of Chapter 5, with the extended teachings of Jesus.

Chapter 5 starts out with Jesus going through what we know as the Be-attitudes, the “Blessed is he who . . .”

And then it goes into the subject of the “Salt and the Light,” which we covered not too long ago and then we get to where our Scripture picks up for this morning.

Now, this extended teaching of Jesus that we see here is going to stretch from all the way through in what we know as the “Sermon on the Mount” and it is going to cover a wide range of things.

And when we think about sermons, we think about somebody like me standing up here behind a platform talking to people like you.

In Jewish custom and tradition it was a little bit different though.

The custom was for the teacher or Rabbi to have some place either like we find here on the side of a mountain where everybody could see and hear, or in a synagogue, or someplace in town where people could gather.

And their custom was that the Rabbi would sit down surrounded by the people and teach them from the Scriptures.

And this is what Jesus did.

He was standing up in front of them shouting down commands of God.

Jesus was sitting among them, teaching them about all sorts of different aspects of life.

And a great deal of that teaching was in the form of answering their questions that they had.

And Jesus was a very dynamic teacher in that people flocked to hear what he had to say.

Chapter 5 starts out . . .

Matthew 5:1 NIV - Anglicised

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,

And it wasn’t just one or two people, it was crowds of them.

It was sort of like what missionaries report goes on in other parts of the world.

People are so hungry for the Word of God that they flock to where Bibles are being handed out or where people are preaching and teaching.

You hear stories of people walking for miles just to hear a sermon.

We had dinner with some missionaries the other night and they shared with us how a pastor in Africa would tie himself to the top of a semi truck and ride all night just to take tapes of sermons so they could be broadcast on the radio so others could hear the word.

And in the U.S., we have trouble getting people to show up for church because it’s raining, it’s sunny, it’s too hot, too cold.

And the problem is that in this country we take for granted the gift that God has given us.

We do not realize how precious salvation really is.

We are so locked in this Western mindset that we think that nothing can touch us.

But I will tell you that none of us are immune to death.

And if we die in our sin, then we die without hope and spend an eternity in a devil’s hell.

Because it does not matter how rich, poor, nice, or nasty we were on this earth.

Our eternity is based on whether or not we followed Jesus or not.

Now, I will say that if you are following Jesus, then you will be nice and not nasty to people, because God changes your heart, but your salvation is based on whether you follow Jesus or not.

And we who have received the gift of salvation need to stop taking our gift for granted and realize that there are multitudes of people who have never received what we have.

And they are wandering around this world in a lost and hopeless state, searching for something to put their hope in.

They are actually searching for God and just don’t realize it.

And we have an obligation . . . it is our job, to share the Gospel with others.

Matthew 28:19–20 NIV - Anglicised

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

And . . .

Romans 10:14 NIV - Anglicised

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

Sharing the Gospel is not something that we can just say, “oh well, somebody else can do that.”

Sharing the Gospel is something that God has told every single one of to do.

And behind all of the excuses we have for not doing what we are called to do lies a couple of things.

#1-Fear because of a lack of faith in God.

#2-A lack of humility and air of self-righteousness.

Either we are quieted because our faith in God is not where it needs to be and the devil has us afraid, or our own self-righteousness has convinced us that as long as we are okay, that’s all that matters.

That we don’t need to share the gospel with somebody else.

We have put so much confidence in ourselves that we don’t need to do a thing.

And consequently that is the same worldly mindset that many people who reject the Gospel have as well.

Which is exactly what Jesus is going to address in our passage this morning.

So, if you have found in your Bible, I’d invite you to stand with me if you are able.

Again, . . .

Scripture Focus

Matthew 5:17–20 NIV - Anglicised

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks 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 practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Fulfillment of the Law

Now, it’s sort of strange here that Jesus starts out talking about fulfilling the Law and ends up talking about self-righteousness.

And some might say that the two are not really related, but they are completely intertwined and related to one another.

And the reason they were so interrelated was because the Law was what the Jews were placing their faith in.

And the Pharisee’s were experts at it.

They rejected Jesus because Jesus didn’t fit in their nice little box of what they thought the Messiah should look like or act like.

Jesus didn’t play by their rules and their flawed human interpretation of the Law of Moses.

Because what had happened over the centuries the Jews had treated the Law like we have treated the Bible in many instances.

They had manipulated and twisted the Law in so many directions to fit their own desires and needs that even their best interpretations were flawed.

And I can only imagine the corrections Jesus would make in our flawed interpretation of the Bible today.

Because the #1 reason many of our modern interpretations are flawed is because they are human interpretations made to suit our own desires and the Holy Spirit has had no part in them.

Our interpretation is full of “this is what I think,” or “this is what I believe.”

And I would also almost bet that many would react to Jesus the same way today as the Pharisees did then.

And I am not talking about the people of the world, I am talking about people in the church.

Remember the crowds flocked to Jesus.

It was the religious people that rejected Him.

All because Jesus didn’t fit their narrative.

Which brings us to the first question this morning, how have you envisioned Jesus?

What would you do if Jesus doesn’t fit your narrative of things?

We like things in nice little tight and orderly boxes, but that’s not how life works.

And that’s not how Jesus works.

One of our common misconceptions is the idea that we have to get our life in order before coming to Jesus.

Well, that’s not going to happen.

We cannot get our life in order.

Apart from God that is impossible.

No, we come to Jesus how we are and we allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate every fiber of our being and the Holy Spirit works in us.

The Holy Spirit purges us, cleans us, teaches us, guides us.

So, if you are here this morning and you are waiting until you get your life in order before coming to Jesus, I will tell you that is never going to happen.

And you are going about things backwards.

Come to Jesus and then witness the miracle that Jesus will do in you.

But, our Pharisees or our church people here were complaining about Jesus.

He wasn’t teaching the the right thing.

He wasn’t acting the right way.

He wasn’t dressing right.

He wasn’t singing the right songs.

He wasn’t giving them all warm fuzzys.

Jesus was making a complete mess out of things and worse yet he was going to make such a mess that he was going to do away with their whole law.

All of their traditions, all of their rules and regulations, all of their doctrines and Manuals, Jesus was going to do away with it all.

So, Jesus politely addresses their concern . . .

Matthew 5:17 NIV - Anglicised

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.

Matthew 5:17-

And what he is trying to get them to understand is that he is not there to do away with the Law but he is the fulfillment of every requirement of the Law.

The Law in its purest form was important because it was what sustained the Jews until Jesus came.

It is what instructed them on how to live until Jesus came on the scene.

And the thing about the Law is that none of them could follow it.

That is why they had sacrifices.

They were designed to atone for the parts of the Law that were violated.

And Jesus would become the sacrifice that ended that whole practice.

He is just trying to get them to put their faith in Him.

He even tells them . . .

Matthew 5:18–19 NIV - Anglicised

Matthew 5:18–29 NIV - Anglicised

18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks 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 practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Matthew 5:18 NIV - Anglicised

18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

The Law is still important because the Law was God’s standard.

And the Law was the 10 commandments, the rest were added later.

And the 10 commandments can be fulfilled by placing your trust in Jesus Christ.

Because when a person places their trust in Jesus Christ their heart is changed.

And from there with a changed heart we are able to love God with all our being and love others as ourselves.

And when we do that the Law is fulfilled.

And when we mess up, we are covered by the blood, we ask forgiveness and we start again.

But these people were so entrenched by their rules and regulations that they could not see that .

The Righteousness of Pharisees

And the reason behind this is because they had this self-righteous, self-serving, self-saving attitude.

They could not grasp the fact that they could not save themselves.

They could not grasp the fact that they could not come up with enough rules and regulations to eliminate the penalty for sin.

Their attitude was that they could save themselves and they didn’t need anyone else.

After all they had spend centuries coming up with all of these rules to address every single situation.

And their expectation was that when the Messiah came he would look at them and say “good job guys! You’ve got it covered!”

And we do the same thing.

We pour ourselves into all sorts of things to try and make ourselves feel better.

We do everything in the world to lift ourselves up.

And our expectation is that Jesus is going to tell us “good job! You’ve done well for yourselves!”

But the reality is . .

Romans 3:10

Romans 3:10–18 NIV - Anglicised

10 As it is written: “There is no-one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practise deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

And when we hear that we get upset.

We don’t like someone to tell us that all of our work was for nothing.

After all we’ve worked hard to get where we are!

Which was the exact attitude of the Jews.

And Jesus tells them . . .

Matthew 5:20 NIV - Anglicised

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Altar Call

Our righteousness is found in Jesus Christ and not ourselves.

Our righteousness is found when we place our faith in Jesus Christ and not ourselves.

We will never be able to save ourselves.

And when we can admit that we have taken the first step.

Realizing that without Jesus we are hopelessly lost.

But it takes more than just realizing it.

We have to do something about it.

We have to come and ask God to forgive us, put our faith in Jesus Christ, and follow Him.

Maybe you are here this morning and you need to do this.

Will you come and do that today?

Are you willing to humble yourself before God and admit that you cannot save yourself?

Maybe you are here and you once lived for God but you have wandered out in sin.

You need a do-over.

You can do that today.

It is as easy as coming, asking forgiveness and dedicating yourself anew to God.

Are you willing to do that?

Maybe you are here and you have another need.

God has placed something or someone on your heart today.

And God has told you to pray for them.

Will you be obedient and come and do that today?

Whatever the need is God can meet it, if you are willing to allow Him.

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