Sunday, August 11th, 2019 - AM - Perspectives on the Bible & Righteousness, Part 2 (Matt. 5:17-20)

Matthew 5:20 KJV 1900

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.

Introduction:

One of the great preachers of only a generation ago, Dr. Ironside, made some statements on the these verses that we do well to repeat here:

IN the so-called “Sermon on the Mount” our Lord was not preaching the Gospel, but He was setting forth the principles of His kingdom, which should guide the lives of all who profess to be His disciples. In other words, this is the law of the kingdom; the observance of which must characterize its loyal subjects as they wait for the day when the King Himself shall be revealed. Throughout, it recognizes the existence of definite opposition to His rule, but those who own His authority are called upon to manifest the same meek and lowly spirit that was seen in Him while in the days of His humiliation here on earth. The Epistle of James answers very closely to the teaching set forth here. He calls it “the perfect law of liberty,” because it is that which is becoming to the new nature received when one is born of God. For the natural man this sermon is not the way of life, but rather a source of condemnation; for it sets a standard so high and holy that no unsaved person can by any possibility attain to it. He who attempts it will soon realize his utter helplessness, if he be honest and conscientious. He must look elsewhere in the Scriptures for the Gospel, which is the dynamic of God unto salvation to all who believe (Rom. 1:16). The keenest intellects of earth have recognized in the Sermon on the Mount the highest ethical teaching to men, and have praised its holy precepts even when conscious of their inability to measure up to its standards. So far as the unsaved are concerned, therefore, the teaching given here becomes indeed, as C. I. Scofield has well said, “Law raised to its Nth power.” But for the believer, just as the righteous requirements of the law are “fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4), so the principles laid down in this sermon will find their practical exemplification in the lives of all who seek to walk as Christ walked. It is not for us to relegate all this to the Jewish remnant in the last days or to disciples before the cross, though fully applicable to both. But we discern here “wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 6:3) which we dare not refuse to obey, lest we be proved to be such as are described in the following verse (1 Tim. 6:4): “He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.” We need to remember that, though a heavenly people, we have earthly responsibilities, and these are defined for us in this greatest of all sermons having to do with human conduct. [Ironside, H. A. Expository Notes on the Gospel of Matthew. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1948.]

Main Thought: Following the Beatitude Blueprints for the Blessed Life, and shining as Disciples worth our salt for the Savior, Jesus now challenges our thinking regarding the Bible and Righteousness. As we live for the Lord, we must maintain the right perspective in relation to the Bible and true Righteousness. Failure to do so will result in future loss at best, and hell at worst.

Sub-Intro:

He began his Sermon with beatitudes in the third person (‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’); he continued in the second person (‘You are the salt of the earth’); and now he changes to the authoritative first person and uses for the first time his distinctive and dogmatic formula I say to you (18) or I tell you (20). This paragraph is of great importance not only for its definition of Christian righteousness but also for the light it throws on the relation between the New Testament and the Old Testament, between the gospel and the law. It divides itself into two parts, first Christ and the law (17, 18) and secondly the Christian and the law (19, 20). [Stott, John R. W., and John R. W. Stott. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture. The Bible Speaks Today. Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985.]

Body:

I. Right Thinking About the Bible (Matt. 5:17-19)

A. Christ’s Purpose - Fulfillment (Matt. 5:17)

  “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:” (Matthew 5:17)

1. Challenging False Misconceptions About Christ’s Ministry (v. 17a)

Note the force of the Prohibitive Subjunctive as a negative imperative

Note - Jesus’ “...own attitude toward the Old Testament, and His total endorsement of it, are emphatically announced at the outset” ~ J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book.

“A greater than the O. T., than Moses and the prophets, is here. But the Greater is full of reverence for the institutions and sacred books of His people. He is not come to disannul either the law or the prophets.... Jesus expresses here in the strongest manner His conviction that the whole O. T. is a Divine revelation, and that therefore every minutest precept has religious significance which must be recognised in the ideal fulfilment.” [Bruce, Alexander Balmain. The Synoptic Gospels. New York: George H. Doran Company, n.d.]

The scribes and Pharisees had developed the oral tradition in order to explicate the law more clearly for the people; they wanted to make its meaning evident on the practical level of living it rightly. Jesus is saying in effect that they have failed to do so. Only he can “fulfill” it, that is, bring it to its intended end or goal. [Osborne, Grant R. Matthew. Vol. 1. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010.]

2. The Consummation of the Old Covenant in Christ (v. 17b)

“...I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (Matthew 5:17)

The term “fulfill” (plēroō) is more than obedience. Jesus not only fulfills certain anticipated roles, but his interpretation and application of the Old Testament Scriptures completes and clarifies God’s intent and meaning through it. All that the Old Testament intended to communicate about God’s will and hopes for humanity find their full meaning and accomplishment in Jesus’ teaching and ministry. [Arnold, Clinton E. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002.]

Jesus Christ fulfilled God’s Law in every area of His life. He fulfilled it in His birth because He was “made under the Law” (Gal. 4:4). Every prescribed ritual for a Jewish boy was performed on Him by His parents. He certainly fulfilled the Law in His life, for nobody was ever able to accuse Him of sin. While He did not submit to the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees, He always did what God commanded in the Law. The Father was “well pleased” with His Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5).

Jesus also fulfilled the Law in His teaching. It was this that brought Him into conflict with the religious leaders. When He began His ministry, Jesus found the Living Word of God encrusted with man-made traditions and interpretations. He broke away this thick crust of “religion” and brought the people back to God’s Word. Then, He opened the Word to them in a new and living way—they were accustomed to the “letter” of the Law and not the inner “kernel” of life.

But it was in His death and resurrection that Jesus especially fulfilled the Law. He bore the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13). He fulfilled the Old Testament types and ceremonies so that they no longer are required of the people of God (see Heb. 9–10). He set aside the Old Covenant and brought in the New Covenant.

Jesus did not destroy the Law by fighting it; He destroyed it by fulfilling it! Perhaps an illustration will make this clear. If I have an acorn, I can destroy it in one of two ways. I can put it on a rock and smash it to bits with a hammer. Or, I can plant it in the ground and let it fulfill itself by becoming an oak tree.

When Jesus died, He rent the veil of the temple and opened the way into the holiest (Heb. 10:19). He broke down the wall that separated the Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:11–13). Because the Law was fulfilled in Christ, we no longer need temples made with hands (Acts 7:48ff) or religious rituals (Col. 2:10–13).

How can we fulfill the Law? By yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to work in our lives (Rom. 8:1–3). The Holy Spirit enables us to experience the “righteousness of the law” in daily life. This does not mean we live sinlessly perfect lives, but it does mean that Christ lives out His life through us by the power of His Spirit (Gal. 2:20).

When we read the Beatitudes, we see the perfect character of Jesus Christ. While Jesus never had to mourn over His sins, since He was sinless, He was still a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). He never had to hunger and thirst after righteousness since He was the holy Son of God, but He did delight in the Father’s will and find His satisfaction in doing it (John 4:34). The only way we can experience the righteousness of the Beatitudes is through the power of Christ. [Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996.]

B. Covenant Promises - Still Valid (Matt. 5:18)

1. To the End of the World (v. 18a)

  “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, ....” (Matthew 5:18)

Matthew 24:35 KJV 1900

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

2. To the Smallest Iota (v. 18b)

“...one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18)

Note - Tittle - LSJ - “antennae of the crayfish or of insects”

Jod - Ps. 119:73

Beth - Ps. 119:9; Caph - Ps. 119:81;

Samech - Ps. 119:113; Pe - Ps. 119:129

Gimel - imel - Ps. 119:17; Nun - Ps. 119:105

Vav - av - Ps. 119:41; Zain - Ps. 119:49

Teth - Ps. 119:65; Mem - Ps. 119:97

Ain - Ps. 119:121; Tzaddi - Ps. 119:137

Daleth - Ps. 119:25; Resh - Ps. 119:153

He - Ps. 119:33; Cheth - Ps. 119:57; Tav - Ps. 119:169

Jesus confirms the full authority of the Old Testament as Scripture for all ages (2 Tim. 3:15–16), even down to the smallest components of the written text. (1) The “smallest letter” (Gk. iōta; kjv “jot”) of the Hebrew alphabet is the yôd. (2) “The least stroke of a pen” (Gk. keraia; kjv “tittle”) most likely refers to a serif, a small hook or projection that differentiates one Hebrew letter from a similar one (such as the letters ב bêt/ כ kap, the letters ד dalet/ ר rês̆, and the letters ה he/ ח-hêt).

ב–bêt | כ–kap

ד–dalet | ר– rês̆

ה–he | ח–hêt

י–yôd

According to this statement, Jesus indicates that the inspiration and authority of the Old Testament Scripture extends to the actual words, even to the smallest of letters and the least parts of words. Scripture does not simply contain the Word of God; the words of Scripture are the very words of God. [ZIBBC NT 1]

a. Verbal Inspiration of the Bible

It is not at all uncommon in our seminaries today for a young man to be taught that if he stands firm on a high view of Scripture as the church in previous ages has always done, he runs the danger of bibliolatry or Bible-worship. That is, he runs the danger of actually worshiping the Bible instead of the Lord Jesus Christ and of placing it on a pedestal which even Jesus himself did not assign to it. This argument against the traditional view of the Christian church on Scripture sounds valid to some persons and even seems pious, but it is misleading. And as used in the hands of some teachers it has greatly harmed the unwary. In opposition to this debilitating and erroneous approach, the careful student of the Bible must maintain that Christ so identified himself with Scripture and so interpreted his ministry in the light of Scripture that it is impossible to weaken the authority of the one without at the same time weakening the authority of the other. And to accept Christ’s teachings is at the same time to accept his high view of God’s Word. What did the Lord Jesus Christ teach about the Bible? He taught many things, and on many occasions, of course, but by far the most comprehensive answer the Lord Jesus ever gave to this question is contained in the verses to which we come now in our study of the Sermon on the Mount. [Boice, James Montgomery. The Sermon on the Mount: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002.]

b. Plenary Inspiration of the Bible

2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pt. 1:20-21

3. On the Eternality of God’s Word (v. 18c)

“...till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18)

Is the Bible the Word of God?

Adapted from W. Graham Scroggie

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 119:89

INTRODUCTION: To the question, “Is the Bible the Word of God?” we can give a three-fold answer:

1.It Seems to Be.

A.Its origination

B.Its preservation

C.Its circulation

2.It Claims to Be.

A.In the Old Testament: See Psalm 19:7–11.

B.In the Testimony of Jesus: See John 10:35.

C.In the New Testament: 2 Timothy 3:16.

3.It Proves to Be

A.The Witness of Individuals. The testimony of millions is a witness to the Bible’s authority.

B.The Witness of the Church. The origination, progress, preservation, and influence of the church bear witness to the Bible’s authority. 

CONCLUSION: Being of divine origin, the Bible speaks with sovereign authority and demands we take its precious teachings into our hearts and lives as a standard for faith and practice. [Morgan, Robert J. Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook. 2006 Edition. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006.]

C. The Christian’s Reward - Attainable (Matt. 5:19)

1. The Model Law-Breaker - Least in the Kingdom (v. 19a)

  “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:” (Matthew 5:19)

The Jews used the expression the law in four different ways. (1) They used it to mean the Ten Commandments. (2) They used it to mean the first five books of the Bible. That part of the Bible which is known as the Pentateuch—which literally means The Five Rolls—was to Jews the law par excellence and was to them by far the most important part of the Bible. (3) They used the phrase the law and the prophets to mean the whole of Scripture; they used it as a comprehensive description of what we would call the whole Old Testament. (4) They used it to mean the oral or the scribal law.

In the time of Jesus, it was the last meaning which was commonest; and it was in fact this scribal law which both Jesus and Paul so utterly condemned. What, then, was this scribal law?

In the Old Testament itself, we find very few rules and regulations; what we do find are great, broad principles which people must take and interpret for themselves under God’s guidance, and apply to the individual situations in life. In the Ten Commandments, we find no rules and regulations at all; they are each one of them great principles out of which people must find their own rules for life. To the later Jews, these great principles did not seem enough. They held that the law was divine, and that in it God had said his last word, and that therefore everything must be in it. If a thing was not in the law explicitly, it must be there implicitly. They therefore argued that out of the law it must be possible to deduce a rule and a regulation for every possible situation in life. So there arose a group of men called the scribes who made it the business of their lives to reduce the great principles of the law to literally thousands upon thousands of rules and regulations.

We may best see this in action. The law lays it down that the Sabbath day is to be kept holy, and that on it no work is to be done. That is a great principle. But the Jewish legalists had a passion for definition. So they asked: ‘What is work?’

All kinds of things were classified as work. For instance, to carry a burden on the Sabbath day is to work. But next a burden has to be defined. So the scribal law lays it down that a burden is ‘food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, oil enough to anoint a small member, water enough to moisten an eye-salve, paper enough to write a custom-house notice upon, ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet, reed enough to make a pen’—and so on endlessly. So they spent endless hours arguing whether a lamp could or could not be lifted from one place to another on the Sabbath, whether a tailor committed a sin if he went out with a needle in his robe, whether a woman might wear a brooch or false hair, even if it was permissible to go out on the Sabbath with false teeth or an artificial limb, or if a parent might lift a child on the Sabbath day. These things to them were the essence of religion. Their religion was a legalism of petty rules and regulations.

To write was to work on the Sabbath. But writing has to be defined. So the definition runs: ‘He who writes two letters of the alphabet with his right or with his left hand, whether of one kind or of two kinds, if they are written with different inks or in different languages, is guilty. Even if he should write two letters from forgetfulness, he is guilty, whether he has written them with ink or with paint, red chalk, vitriol, or anything which makes a permanent mark. Also he that writes on two walls that form an angle, or on two tablets of his account book so that they can be read together is guilty … But, if anyone writes with dark fluid, with fruit juice, or in the dust of the road, or in sand, or in anything which does not make a permanent mark, he is not guilty … If he writes one letter on the ground, and one on the wall of the house, or on two pages of a book, so that they cannot be read together, he is not guilty.’ That is a typical passage from the scribal law; and that is what orthodox Jews regarded as true religion and the true service of God.

To heal was to work on the Sabbath. Obviously this has to be defined. Healing was allowed when there was danger to life, and especially in troubles of the ear, nose and throat; but even then, steps could be taken only to keep the patient from becoming worse; no steps might be taken to make the patient get any better. So a plain bandage might be put on a wound, but no ointment; plain wadding might be put into a sore ear, but not medicated wadding.

The scribes were the men who worked out these rules and regulations. The Pharisees, whose name means the separated ones, were the men who had separated themselves from all the ordinary activities of life to keep all these rules and regulations.

We can see the lengths to which this went from the following facts. For many generations, this scribal law was never written down; it was the oral law, and it was handed down in the memory of generations of scribes. In the middle of the third century ad, a summary of it was made and codified. That summary is known as the Mishnah; it contains sixty-three tractates on various subjects of the law, and in English makes a book of almost 800 pages. Later Jewish scholarship busied itself with making commentaries to explain the Mishnah. These commentaries are known as the Talmuds. Of the Jerusalem Talmud there are twelve printed volumes; and of the Babylonian Talmud there are sixty printed volumes.

To strict orthodox Jews, in the time of Jesus, religion, serving God, was a matter of keeping thousands of legalistic rules and regulations; they regarded these petty rules and regulations as literally matters of life and death and eternal destiny. Clearly, Jesus did not mean that not one of these rules and regulations was to pass away; repeatedly he broke them himself, and repeatedly he condemned them; that is certainly not what Jesus meant by the law, for that is the kind of law that both Jesus and Paul condemned. [Barclay, William. The Gospel of Matthew. Third Ed. The New Daily Study Bible. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2001.]

2. The Master’s Disciple-maker - Great in the Kingdom (v. 19b)

“...but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)

The emphasis on “teaching” as well as “keeping” the commands stems from the responsibility of the disciples to teach others. The Sermon on the Mount is not just preparing disciples but preparing the teachers of disciples. ...The Bible often states that every person, believer and unbeliever, will be “judged by works” (16:27; Rom 2:6; 14:12; 1 Cor 3:12–15; 2 Cor 5:10; 11:15; 2 Tim 4:14; 1 Pet 1:17), and so we take into eternity what we have done for the Lord here. Obedience (“keep” the commands) and disobedience (“break” the commands) will have their just reward. [Osborne, ZECNT Mt]

II. Right Thinking About Righteousness (Matt. 5:20)

A. The Condition - Excelling the Excellent (v. 20a)

  “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,” (Matthew 5:20)

Kingdom righteousness operates from the inside-out, not the outside-in, a principle fully in line with Old Testament understandings of righteousness and purification (e.g., Ps. 51:2, 7, 10, 16–17). Jesus’ disciples are called to a different kind and quality of righteousness than that of the current religious leaders. [ZIBBC NT 1]

B. The Danger - Missing Heaven Altogether (v. 20b)

“...ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

This may have been Jesus’ most shocking statement, because the Pharisees and teachers of the law were the epitome of righteousness (dikaiosynē). The Pharisees (see “Pharisees and Sadducees” at 3:7) were members of the sect that was committed to fulfilling the demands of the Old Testament through their elaborate oral tradition. Their scrupulous adherence to the written and oral law was legendary in Israel; yet Jesus says it did not gain them entrance to the kingdom of heaven. [ZIBBC NT, 1]

Conclusion:

Gospel Appeal - As we live for the Lord, we must maintain the right perspective in relation to the Bible and true Righteousness. Failure to do so will result in future loss at best, and hell at worst. The Bible is all about God’s Righteousness, and Righteousness is all about our shortcomings and need for Jesus, by faith.

God’s Righteousness

That is what salvation is all about. Is that what you believe? Or are you still among those who are spending a lifetime accumulating things that you think are going to earn heaven for you? If you are doing the latter, you need to learn that those things will take you to hell. Hell is full of human righteousness. You need to recognize the imperfection of this righteousness and accept the righteousness of God. Christians have always known this and, as a result, have written their recognition of this truth into a number of their hymns. One of the great hymns says:

Nothing in my hands I bring,

Simply to thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to thee for dress,

Helpless, look to thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me;

Let me hide myself in thee.

If you will pray that prayer, God will wash you. God will cleanse you. And he will give you the righteousness that is above anything that man can attain and will receive you on the basis of that righteousness into heaven. [Boice, James Montgomery. The Sermon on the Mount: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002.]