The Danger of Morality, Matthew 12:38-50

The danger of morality is that it guarantees an outward cleanliness, but it doesn’t guarantee an inward conversion.

This is the issue Jesus is addressing again with the Pharisees in Matthew 12:38-50.

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 39 He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching; and look—something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look—something greater than Solomon is here.

43 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any. 44 Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first. That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”

46 While he was still speaking with the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48 He replied to the one who was speaking to him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 49 Stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Throughout our sermon series we have witnessed the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders rejecting the truth about Jesus. In fact, this middle section of Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes the contrast between those who accept the truth of Jesus and those who reject the truth of Jesus.

The ones who reject the truth about Jesus are the ones who are keeping the religious rules and the law, these are the moral people.

The ones who accept the truth about Jesus are the ones who have broken the law and who don’t keep all the religious rules, these are the immoral people.

Matthew records Jesus making this point in Matthew 12:38-42.

Jesus points out that the Pharisees, the ones who were keeping the law were an “evil and adulterous generation” for demanding a sign. But, the pagans of Ninevah were saved by believing the testimony of Jonah. In addition, Jesus reveals the foolishness of their rejection by contrasting them with the pagan queen of Egypt, who showed more wisdom than the Pharisees when she sought out Solomon. Jesus is greater than Solomon, therefore making the rejection of the Pharisees that much worse.

They were looking for someone to praise them and reward them for their morality with positions and power in the kingdom. But, the message of Jesus was that they needed to repent of their sins and receive the reward of His grace- the same inheritance that the sinners and tax collectors would get- His.

Jesus didn’t preach morality, He preached repentance and salvation.

Does this mean that morality is bad? No.

Does this mean that I don’t think we should live according to the morals of Scripture? No.

Jesus didn’t preach morality as the solution to the problem of sin.

Three Circles (like we used in VBS this past week)

God’s Design— Sin— Brokenness— Christ— Redeemed and Restored to Pursue God’s Design.

The pursuit of God’s Design comes on the other side of redemption and restoration. Moral living does not result in redemption and restoration.

John McArthur points out,

“You can have a Pharisee who doesn’t cheat and lie and steal and commit adultery, who gives tithes of everything he possesses, who fasts twice a week and goes to hell, because he’s swept up the place and adorned it, but he’s empty. And on the other hand, you can have a tax collector who is an extortioner and an adulterer and a cheat and a liar and all of that, and he goes to heaven, because he has Christ on the inside.” - John McArthur

The danger of morality is that it doesn’t need repentance or faith for salvation. As a result…

Morality leads to a false sense of security.

The Pharisees were confident in their good works, and as a result they rejected the call of God to follow Christ and trust in Him.

The same thing happens today. People who attend church and live a moral life without repentance and faith in Christ. The presence of morals and ethics provides a sense of security that only repentance and faith in Christ can truly bring. It becomes easy to view your moral life as blessed when you live with all the material blessings we have in our country. Morality combines with wealth to blind the hearts and minds of many in our country.

This doesn’t mean that wealth in and of itself is evil, but it does mean that we should heed what Jesus said in Matthew 19:24 (CSB), “24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Wealth can be misconstrued as a blessing to the moral. But, we see throughout the world that the wealth is not tied to morals, especially the ways of God written in the Bible. This holds true for individuals and for nations.

There are many who live a moral life that feel secure before God because of what they have done. They look for blessings where God doesn’t promise them while at the same time ignoring the promises God has made through Jesus.

In the same way that the Pharisees demanded another sign from Jesus, morality leads one to look for God to prove them wrong rather than looking for how Jesus proves Him right. They say things like, “If I’m so bad then how comes things are so good?” “If I wasn’t doing what God wanted then things would be worse for me.” Or, they compare themselves to others and thing that they don’t need to repent because they can find a few other people who are way worse than they are. Some even convince themselves that doing the good things cancels out the bad, and this way of thinking is the working definition of what we call works based theology.

The danger of morality is that it doesn’t need repentance or faith for salvation. But, according to the Word, without repentance and faith there is no salvation.

Luke 5:32 (CSB)

32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Acts 2:38 (CSB)

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 17:30 (CSB)

30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,

2 Peter 3:9 (CSB)

9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

Ultimately this is the point of the parable Jesus shares:

If you clean yourself up, but are never filled with Christ, then your end will be worse than the beginning.

Looking back at the parable, Jesus says in verses 44-45, the spirit returns to the house and, “It finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first. That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”

Cleaning yourself up without following Christ is the path to complete and utter destruction. The Pharisees and the nation of Israel rejected Christ. They held on to the law, but they rejected Christ. It was just about 40 years later that Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. The destruction of Jerusalem was a foreshadowing of what awaits everyone who rejects Christ. Those who clean up their lives, but leave the empty space, are condemned to hell.

Morality isn’t bad, it’s just not enough to save you. Morality is a part of the Christian life, it’s just not the source of the Christian life.

What this means is…

Morality doesn’t fill the empty place inside, it adorns the one who saves.

There is a good and God glorifying place for faithfulness and righteous living. But, there is no life that glorifies God apart from faith in Jesus Christ. The reason for this is that there is nothing apart from Christ, including glorifying God.

John 15:5 (CSB)

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.

The basis for your righteousness is faith in Christ, not your personal morality.

Jesus saves, this is the gospel! Jesus didn’t come to reward those who are living moral lives, Jesus came to save, and He even saves those who fell short by keeping the law.

Since your morality is not the basis for your personal righteousness or standing before God, every moral life that isn’t based on faith in Christ, is in fact a self glorifying life.

Obedience adorns the work of Christ in the lives of those who are saved.

Colossians 3:12–14 (CSB)

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Titus 2:9–10 (CSB)

9 Slaves are to submit to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back 10 or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

We are to put on the likeness of Christ because of Christ. Our efforts do not earn our salvation, but they do glorify God and demonstrate the power of God’s grace and His gospel. This is what it means to adorn the who saved us. The beauty of our lives is Jesus and His gospel. Our good works are like window dressing on the house that is the Lord.

Morality is not the answer to the problem of sin in your heart, or the sin in the world, the gospel of Jesus Christ is.

Good works flow from the heart of those who have been transformed by the power of God because of their salvation in Christ.

Morality is not the answer to the problems our country is facing, the gospel of Jesus Christ is.

This is the problem with trying to change our country through political action or moral engagement. If Jesus isn’t the name they know and the gospel isn’t the message they hear than its worthless.

Homosexuality is wrong because it goes against God’s design, making it sin. But the solution to homosexuality is the gospel of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Transgenderism is wrong because it goes against God’s design, making it sin. The solution to transgenderism is the gospel of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Finding your identity in anyone or anything other than Christ is idolatrous.

And, as hard as it might be to admit, “Moralism” is wrong because it denies the need for Christ, the cross, His death, and His resurrection. Moralism is the way of the Pharisees. Moralism is the pursuit of righteousness and reward through good works. Just like the solution to the sins mentioned before, the solution to the sin of self-righteousness (moralism), is the gospel of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

The danger of morality is that it guarantees an outward cleanliness, but it doesn’t guarantee an inward conversion.

Righteousness is credited by God to you based on your faith in Him.

Romans 4:1–5 (CSB)

“What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness., 4 Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.”

Righteousness is not determined by how clean your hands or your heart are.

Righteousness is the result of God’s justifying grace through your faith in the promises of Jesus Christ.

Though our works don’t earn us a better standing with God, our works do honor Him and bring glory to Him. Our obedience to the Word of Christ flows from our relationship with Christ, and we must strive to preserve this truth in our church and in our homes. We must be careful about condemning the good works of others, while at the same time remembering that those who are doing good works may very well be condemned.

The Pharisees missed Jesus because they didn’t see their need for a Savior. They were caught up in a earning their righteousness by their works, and instead earned their condemnation rather than receiving their salvation.

In working on the sermon this week I couldn’t help but see some parallels in our world, and in particular the current climate in the denomination we belong to.

SBC Moment…

I’ve mentioned the issues facing our denomination in previous sermons. The issues are large. Most of the prominent news sources (WSJ, the Post, NYT, etc) have highlighted articles and stories about the SBC meeting this week in Nashville. One of the major issues we are facing is the disagreement over what to focus on. Some want to focus the effort of our denomination on what has become known as social justice issues. These issues of racism, sexual abuse, gender, marriage issues, abortion, etc is an area where the gospel clearly speaks. But, these flow from the gospel, not toward it.

Others in our denomination would have us to focus our efforts on the political landscape of our country, believing that the best way forward for our denomination is a national partnership with partisan politics and the pursuit of a conservative America. Again, these issues should flow from the gospel, not toward the gospel.

The Pharisees wanted morality to flow toward a relationship with God, rather than for morality to flow from a relationship with God. From where I sit too many Southern Baptists are trying to work backward to the Gospel, rather than working toward the issues from the gospel.

The danger of the social justice movement is that you can have a denomination, churches, and so-called Christians who are engaged in good works, but who are empty of Jesus and His gospel.

The danger of the political conservative movement is that you can have a denomination, churches, and so-called Christians who are engaged in good works, but who are empty of Jesus and His gospel.

Good works, Conservative works, these don’t guarantee conversion or the glory of God.

But, a relationship with Jesus Christ results in a heart for justice to be done in the lives of those around you. A relationship with Jesus Christ results in a care and concern for the good of our country.

We must make sure that in our personal lives, our church, and as much as we can our denomination, that we fill the empty space and adorn the one who saves us with good works that bring glory to His name.

Three of the lessons we learn from this is that:

1. Good works and self denial are not the goal in and of themselves.

Good works and self denial are the means by which we pursue our greatest pleasure or joy in our relationship with Jesus.

“The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We’re told to deny ourselves and take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ, and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find when we do so contains an appeal to desire. . . . Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward, and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum when he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” - C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, 25–26)

2. Christians fight against sin, including the sin of self-righteousness

Colossians 3:5 (CSB)

5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

Ephesians 4:22 (CSB)

22 to take off, your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires,

Titus 2:11–12 (CSB)

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age,

Romans 6:13 (CSB)

13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.

“Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” - John Owen

Ways to fight sin:

Prayer

Read and memorize the Word

Flee from it

As a team (the church)

3. Christians fill their lives with following Christ

The Christian life is more than avoiding sin, it is also living and following Christ.

This is why Jesus said in Matthew 12:50, “50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

The danger of morality is the lack of conversion, but the gift of grace is life by faith in Christ.

Ways to fill your life with following Christ:

Prayer

Read and memorize the Word

Obey the Word

Deny Yourself and Die Daily

Flee to God

As a Team

The danger of morality is that it guarantees an outward cleanliness, but it doesn’t guarantee an inward conversion.

The guarantee of grace is that is saves you from the danger of your sin when you trust in Christ and fill your life with Him.