The Only Way to Stop Worrying Once and For All- Matthew 6:31-33

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:31-33

 We could run over this passage fairly quickly. Many of us could already quote it (or sing it) without looking at the words. But slow down for just a minute and really think about it.

Why shouldn't we worry about those things?

1. Because when we do we look like everyone else in the world scurrying around worried about what is right in front of their faces! I got smacked in the face by this principle on the way home from a long day of studying and clinicals yesterday. I was tired and frustrated and feeling very overwhelmed and joined in the complaining and fretting that all of the other nursing students were doing in the computer lab. And then I got in the car and turned the radio on. It just so happened that I caught the tale end of a sermon that was apparently about Christians exhibiting joy and peace in the middle of trying circumstances and how that joy and peace brings notice and praise to God when others witness it and ask "why are you so happy!?" I want to be different than the rest of the world that does not know the providence of my Father. I want to live with more trust, more calm, and more peace. Not because I want anyone to notice me, but because I want them to notice the One who lives in me.

2. Because your heavenly Father already knows that you need all those other things! Quick, name one thing you need that God hasn't already thought about? Having trouble? I'll give you more time, but I doubt you'll ever be able to come up with anything. So let's try another. Think of one thing you need that God does not have the power to provide. Blank again? Huh. That's strange. One more thing. Think of one dad that you know that loves his kids more than God loves you. I'm not being sarcastic to make a point to you...I'm needing to make the point to me! I'll lose the sarcasm and approach it like a logical proof. 

If God is my Father who loves me infinitely and perfectly, 

and if God is more powerful than any force in this world or any other, 

then God is both infinitely more willing and more able to take care of me than I am to take care of my 3 yr old daughters.

God is my Father who loves me infinitely and perfectly, 

and God is more powerful than any force in this world or any other,

Therefore God is both infinitely more willing and more able to take care of me than I am to take care of my 3 yr old daughters.

I'm know some philosophy student is yelling about why the format of this proof isn't set up exactly right, but if you fix whatever technicalities need to be fixed (and please do and let me know so I can set it up better!), I feel like the basic logic is sound, don't you?

I'll add one more conclusion. If that proof stands...then I can trust Him completely even more so than my daughters trust me. And I'm pretty sure they have never really been worried about not having enough to eat or drink or wear.

That sounds pretty simple, right? About as simple as 2+2=4. But you and I both know the living of faith is a lot more difficult than the stating of faith. I think Jesus knew that too and that's why He added the next verse. Instead of just telling us to stop worrying, he tells us how to stop worrying. Focus on something worth worrying about---The kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Christianity is not a religion of negatives. "Don't do this and don't do that." It is a religion of radical action based on faith. When we forget that and focus hard on what we are not supposed to do, we miss out on the peace that God offers in His Son. The only way we will ever be free of worry and truly exhibit peace and joy is by actively seeking God's kingdom. How have you done that today? How will you do it tomorrow.

Maybe if we all commit to doing so, we will finally be able to quit worrying about worrying too much and we will actually quit worrying once and for all!

Be perfect!? Really!? - Matthew 5:48

 

 

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

 

- Matthew 5:48

Be perfect? How is that possible? We know that we still sin even as Christians. In fact, if we claim that is not the case, John says we are liars (I John 1:8-10). What's more, we typically don't even like those people who seem to think or act like they are perfect! And yet, at the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus tells all of his follower to be perfect just like their heavenly Father is perfect.

What are we supposed to do with this? One option is to ignore it and chalk it up to hyperbole assuming Jesus didn't really mean perfection...perhaps he just meant something more like maturity or completion. If that were the case it sure would relieve a lot of pressure on us. But that doesn't seem to make sense in light of the comparison to God's perfection which is perfect.

Another option is to read it as it stands and do our dead level best to actually be perfect. But you already know the guilt and pharasaism that comes along with seeking righteous perfection. I think most commentators understand it to be something more of a hybrid. Take Coffman's commentary for instance:

No one can say that Christ did not set a high standard for man to follow! To be perfect as God is perfect, what a challenge this is! At the outset, every candid student of the holy Scriptures should admit and understand that there is not the slightest possibility of his ever graduating from this school, "Magna Cum Laude"! nobody, but nobody is ever going to be perfect; and yet, it is the genius of the Christian religion that perfection is required of its adherents. A contradiction? no, only a paradox. The goal or ideal is necessary that man may continually know that he is unworthy of salvation, that he can never in a million years merit it, and that any real perfection he might eventually attain must be the free gift of Christ. (emp. mine)

 I have to say that I almost  agree. This would have been my thinking for many years up till now, but I am in the process of slowly seeing things a little differently. If Coffman is correct, then we are either going to be constantly burdened by guilt, or we are going to feel free to continue in the "minor" sins, because after all, no one can actually be perfect! I think both of those are off base and lead to a life that is still in some ways a slave to sin.

What if Jesus' call to perfection which sums up this section of the sermon on the mount-- in which he has talked about anger being equal to murder, lust being on par with adultery, absolute honesty, and loving your enemy to the point of personal sacrifice--is the exact same thought that he began it with? "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven," he said. And if you recall, we talked about the only way our righteousness will ever surpass theirs is if our righteousness is found in Christ who actually did achieve perfection!

You may think I'm picking at details that don't really matter and arguing semantics, but here's why I think a different understanding of this perfection does matter in a huge way.

If we understand that our righteousness and our perfection is found in Christ alone, then we will not be in danger of the sin of pride and self-righteousness. But we will also steer clear of the danger of thinking, "I can't ever achieve the ideal so why should I try"...or "I can't ever achieve the ideal and therefore I constantly feel guilty." We will understand that, as Coffman says, we are unworthy and we will "never in a million years merit" salvation. However, we will most certainly not "eventually" attain perfection as a free gift, because we will recognize that we have already attained it as a free gift! And since we are already perfect, then we are free to stop trying to be perfect and we can simply begin living as if we are perfect.

It's the difference in saying, "I need to try hard live perfectly in order to be worthy of God" and "God has made me perfect and worthy, so how will I live if I believe that I am those things."

I don't pretend to know Greek and can't say much from expertise on this, but my New American Standard Bible has a note in the margins that says the literal translation of verse 48 is "Therefore, you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (emp. mine)

Maybe it's time we stopped trying to be perfect and simply started living as if we believe that what God says is true and that we are already perfect.

"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified (made righteous) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."  - 1 Corinthians 6:11

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."  - 2 Corinthians 5:21

Breaking the Divorce Cycle- Matthew 5:31-32

"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery."

Matthew 5:31-32

I have to be honest...I originally wanted to skip this passage. Not because it is not an important passage or a teaching that needs to be looked at, but because I feel like divorce is such an obvious problem in someone's spiritual life that we tend to pick on it constantly while ignoring sins of anger, bitterness, slander, etc. Part of me wants to skip over this passage to spare the pain that this teaching must bring to those who have been touched directly or indirectly by divorce...and that is most of us. Having said that, though, it does touch so many of us and especially so many of our children and teens today who are affected by it without participating in it, that it would be negligent not to address Jesus' teaching on marriage when it comes up in scripture.

I will not attempt to draw the lines on who is and who is not eligible to remarry. Enough other people have argued that and come to conclusions that if you are looking for guidance on that, you can find it easily. I think we would be better served to go further back before someone is in the position of being divorced or remarried and really teaching ourselves and our children why marriage is so important to God and why He says, "I hate divorce" (Malachi 2:16).

I don't have to talk to you about the pain and the damage that is done to the couples who get divorced and to their children if they have any. You already know it and have felt it.

I really don't even need to remind you about God's plans for marriage. We all pretty well recognize that marriage is supposed to be "till death do us part."

Instead, let's just look briefly at how Jesus' teaching about divorce in this context fits into the Sermon on the Mount.

First, it's worth noting that Jesus once again begins with the current understanding of the law of Moses and then elevates it to a higher plateau. At the time, the practice was that men could divorce their wives for pretty much any reason they wanted (sound familiar in our context?) and they were still "good men" as long as they gave her a certificate of divorce so she could have proof that she was no longer married. Jesus says that this understanding of "righteousness" was absurd and points out that such divorce culminates in adultery of pretty much all parties involved. The disciples, mired in their current way of thinking, thought this to be such a difficult change compared to what they were used to, that they decided it would be better not to be married at all! (Matthew 19:10) But they had not yet understood the possibilities of life and the power of the Spirit inside the kingdom of heaven!

Second, is it any surprise that Jesus began the sermon with uncontrolled anger and contempt, and then discussed lustful perversions and adultery in the heart, and THEN talks about divorce. Can you imagine how many marriages could have been saved if the spouses had been living according to the kingdom principles of anger and lust? Can you imagine how many future marriages can be saved if children and teens today, and even spouses-- whether they are already struggling, are healthy, or are still in the honeymoon-- really decided to be like the wise man who built his house on the rock and put Jesus teaching about anger and lust into practice over and over again in each circumstance they rear their ugly heads?

I have a friend named Chris who I admire greatly. We were discussing how peaceful he and his wife always are and how they are my role models for marriage. I jokingly said that they should teach a marriage class even though they would still be considered "young marrieds." His response was typical Chris. "It's easy. Just do what the Bible says." It's been a while since we had that conversation so I may be paraphrasing, but that's pretty close. And he is absolutely right.

But where does that leave us now when we are already in the middle of so many broken families and so much hurt? It does no good to despair in guilt and for me or other church leaders to continue adding to the pain that divorced people have already been through once they are working to restore relationships with family and with God. It also does no good to ignore the fact that divorce tends to be a cycle that children repeat in their own marriages once they have experienced. But does that mean that divorced parents who feel no hope and the church should add more pain and judgment to an already painful situation? I don't believe so. Instead I will point to another passage that I think should guide our thoughts about ourselves and others and serve as a lens to look into mirrors and into other's eyes with.

Paul lists a lot of different categories of "unrighteous" people who will not inherit the kingdom of God in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Among those are the sexually immoral and the adulterers. Based on Jesus' teaching about the results of divorce for any reason, we are at least not many steps removed. Of course, we also know from many other passages that liars, divisive people, slanderers, and children who disobey parents, as well as any other sins and acts of unrighteousness could also be included in Paul's list. But verse 11 is what I am interested in.

"Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

 To parents of teens and children, I say model and teach every day what it means to live life inside the kingdom of God as regards the teachings about anger and purity of heart so your children will never have to see divorce. Remind them constantly that as the body of Christ, we are washed from our old sins, sanctified (set apart) for a different style of life, and justified in front of the righteous almighty Judge. Now we are free to live like we are those things. To married couples I say the same thing. To divorced parents of teens, I say remember that if you are in Christ, you are also now washed, sanctified, and justified like every other sinner in the body of Christ. And now you are free to live in those attributes like everyone else. And to young and old children alike who have witnessed divorce in their family and are suffering from it or fearing repeating the same mistakes in your future marriage...I say to remember that you are washed, sanctified, and justified and can break the cycle with the power of the Spirit of God that is living inside you. And I say to remember that your parents, if they are in Christ, are now washed, sanctified, and justified as well. Help them to remember that and to live like it.

Marriage is messy, but if lived according to the kingdom of God, it is a beautiful and wonderful blessing. Divorce is messier...but I don't believe there is any sinful situation or any sinner that is so messy that God cannot redeem them. May we all live inside that hope and promise and may the cycle of divorce in America's churches finally be broken as people realize this and live kingdom principles.

Is Self-mutilation the key to kicking lust out the door? Matthew 5:29-30

photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/

If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 

Matthew 5:29-30

Regarding Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 about looking at a woman to lust after her, Dallas Willard says this:

"In other words, all the elements of a genuine act of adultery other than the  overt movements of the body are present in such a case. The heart elements are there. Usually the only thing lacking for overt action is the occasion. When the heart is ready, the action will occur as occasion offers. Just as the thief is the person who would steal if circumstances were right, so the adulterer is the one who would have wrongful sex if the circumstances were right. Usually that means if he or she could be sure it would not be found out. This is what Jesus calls 'adultery in the heart.' In it, the person is not caring for, but using, the other. The condition is wrong even though sexual relations do not occur."    (The Divine Conspiracy. p. 161)

In our verses 29-30, Jesus lays out what I feel are very practical teachings for how to best avoid sexual temptation....and it makes absolutely perfect sense. What happens if your leg is infected to the point that it cannot be saved? No one wants to lose a limb, but almost all of us recognize the common sense of sacrificing a diseased limb in order to save the rest of the body.

If only we could see that principle so clearly when it comes to the part of us that is eternal!

But of course, we rarely see that and, therefore, Jesus' comments about cutting off hands and plucking out eyes seem to be simply exaggerations. But the truth is that it would actually be better to cut hands off and pluck eyes out if that would ensure entrance into the kingdom of heaven!

Now practically speaking, I'm not suggesting that we do that. But if we felt like that were the only way, wouldn't it be worth it!? Most commentators lean more towards the understanding that there are certain relationships and/or circumstances that need to be cut out of our lives if we know they are causing us to sin. If your boyfriend/girlfriend is tempting you to think things you shouldn't...break up with them! Isn't it better to be lonely and "miss out" than to be thrown into hell!? If you cannot keep away from certain sites or ads on the internet, then get rid of the internet! Isn't it better to miss out on a convenience than to have your whole body thrown into hell because you can't say no to the pop-ups!? If someone at work dresses inappropriately and you can't avoid them and can't quit thinking about them...switch jobs! Isn't it better to sacrifice job security than to sacrifice your eternal security!?

I think we would all do well to apply these principles for ourselves and our children in whatever way we need to...no TV or internet in bedrooms, no internet on phones if necessary, no late-night TV, restrictions on what types of movies are worth paying money for and what types will cost us out souls...whatever steps we need to take.

But the truth is that we could cut all of those things out- indeed, we could go so far as to take Jesus literally and cut limbs off and pluck eyes out- and still not have our heart in the right place. Willard takes a different view of Jesus' teaching that I think is worth looking at.

"Jesus is saying that if you think that laws can eliminate being wrong, you would, to be consistent, cut off your hand or gouge out your eye so that you could not possibly do the acts the law forbids.

Now, truly, if you blind yourself, you cannot look on her at all. And if you sufficiently dismember yourself, you will not be able to do any wrong action. This is the logic by which Jesus reduces the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees to the absurd.

...Of course being acceptable to God is so important that, if cutting bodily parts off could achieve it, one would be wise to cut them off....But so far from suggesting that any advantage before God could actually be gained in this way, Jesus' teaching in this passage is exactly the opposite. The mutilated stump could still have a wicked heart. The deeper question always concerns who you are, not what you did do or can do. What would you do if you could? Eliminating bodily parts will not change that....

 The goodness of the kingdom heart, by contrast, is the positive love of God and of those around us that fills it and crowds out the many forms of evil. From that goodness come deeds of respect and purity that characterize a sexuality as it was meant by God to be. (The Divine Conspiracy. pp. 167-168) (Emphasis added)

Where is your heart? Is it just fear of getting caught by your family or others...or even God that is your primary motivator in avoiding lust? If it is, then you are doomed to fail as long as you have any members attached to your body that can overcome their fear and long for sex outside of God's plans. On the other hand, if you fill your life with so much love for God by burying yourself in His words for you (the Bible), by filling your time with His purposes for you, and by filling your heart with God's love for others through you, then the battle will already have been decided because Jesus has already defeated sin and has given you the victory.

I have no doubt that we would all do well for ourselves and our children to think about what areas need to be cut off or plucked out because they consistently trip us up. But I am also absolutely convinced that we will always be able to find a way around our precautions if our heart is not filled with God. Therefore, what will you do today to fill your heart and the hearts of your sons and daughters with enough Love and Light that the Light will drive out the darkness?

Covenant Eyes- Matthew 5:27-28

 

 

 

“You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'...

 

Is it any wonder that when Jesus turned his attention in the Sermon on the Mount to the practical right and wrong choices of day-to-day living, the first two subjects addressed were uncontrolled anger and sex? Can you think of any two other things that have destroyed more lives, damaged more young children, and alienated more families from each other?

I could press the point about how saturated our society is with sex, but I know I don't need to. You've already had the point made loud and clear many times today as you drove past billboards, turned on the radio, changed the channel, and surfed the web. Not to mention the clothing worn at school and at work that is specifically designed to flatter one's body shape in order to gain attention. 

I can't help but think of Job's words from centuries before Jesus ever lived as a man.

"I made a covenant with my eye not to look lustfully at a young woman....Does he not see my ways and count my every step?...If my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes, or if my hands have been defiled^, then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted. If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door, then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her. For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged. It is a fire that burns to Destruction; it would have uprooted my harvest."

 - Job 31:1-12

 As he did with anger, Jesus started with the absolute right and wrong of the matter of adultery. But he explained that in God's kingdom, it is more than just the restraining of the actual physical act that matters to God...it is the heart of the person. And regardless of what I might or might not do based on the consequences of my actions and the fear of "getting caught", if my eyes are wandering because my heart is inclined toward other women, then I have already violated my relationship with my spouse (or future spouse for those who are not yet married), and with my God.

I want to be careful here because this area is one that is especially double-edged. On the one hand, Satan has kept the second-rate cheap version of sex in front of our minds and eyes so much, that it is possible to completely lose sight of Jesus' ideal of a pure heart and not think twice about a lingering look filled with illicit desire. On the other hand, Satan has also employed the weapons of worldly guilt to keep boys, girls, young and old men and women alike absolutely crippled in their desire and pursuit of Godliness because they cannot shake the "dirty" feeling that comes from this most personal of sins.

So today, I simply want to ask a question and remind you of a truth...

1.You have already made a covenant with your God. Most of you have already made a covenant with your spouse. Have you made a covenant with your eyes such as Job did? If not, then why not? 

2.  If you have, then when you think about your past and are overwhelmed with guilt, or you think about your present or future and are overwhelmed with fear, then I want to remind you that as with anger and everything else, Jesus began this sermon by calling us to a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. AND THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS YOURS INSIDE CHRIST! It is not yours if you can manage the strength to live up to it; it is yours because you have trusted in the One Who did! So quit falling to that sin over and over again because you don't feel worthy of forgiveness and keep returning to the mud like a pig returning to its wallow, and start living with the confidence and strength of someone who has been bought with the blood of Christ and redeemed from the old way of life...and lust.

To focus on the sin is to put yourself in a position to fail again. You cannot change your heart by legislating your eyes and hands any more than we can change the heart of the nation by legislating laws. The laws of the nation will merely reflect its heart.

No...focus on Christ who will teach you how to overcome and change you from the heart out. And as you do, I think you will find along with all of God's saints who have done so throughout the centuries that God's perfect law of liberty that is legislating your eyes and your hands will more and more perfectly reflect the heart that is in you.

The hardest teaching of Jesus for brothers! Matthew 5:21-22

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Matthew 5:21-22 

I am the middle child of 5 and all of my siblings are about 1.5 years apart...and we are all pretty competitive. Let's just say the quote below from Phillip Yancey's The Jesus I Never Knew hit close to home!

"Growing up with an older brother, I fretted this verse. Can two brothers weather the storms of adolescence without relying on words such as "stupid" and "fool"?

We must remember as we look at this verse what we talked about last week...that Jesus introduced this part of the sermon by stating that unless our righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees we will not enter the kingdom heaven. I like what Yancey wrote about the six "You have heard that it was said/ but I say to you" statements that Jesus makes in the sermon on the mount. In fact, I like them better than I feel that I can write about them, so most of this post will be his writing. First he points out that,

"Using the Torah as a starting point, Jesus pushed the law in the same direction, further than any Pharisee had dared push it, further than any monk has dared live it....Jesus made the law impossible for anyone to keep, then charged us to keep it."

But then he says,

"For years I had thought of the Sermon on the Mount as a blueprint for human behavior that no one could possibly follow. Reading it again, I found that Jesus gave these words not to cumber us, but to tell us what God is like....Why should we love our enemies? Because our clement Father causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good. Why be perfect? Because God is perfect....How could I have missed it? Jesus did not proclaim the Sermon on the Mount so that we would...furrow our brows in despair over our failure to achieve perfection. He gave it to impart to us God's Ideal toward which we should never stop striving, but also to show that none of us will ever reach that Ideal. The Sermon on the Mount forces us to recognize the great distance between God and us, and any attempt to reduce that distance by somehow moderating its demands misses the point altogether.

The worst tragedy would be to turn the Sermon on the Mount into another form of legalism; it should rather put an end to all legalism. Legalism like the Pharisees' will always fail, not because it is too strict but because it is not strict enough. Thunderously, inarguably, the Sermon on the Mount proves that before God we all stand on level ground: murderers and temper throwers.... We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute Ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute grace."

We say we know it...that all sins are equal before God. But we never think twice about losing our temper with our families or with a particularly worrisome, annoying, or selfish person in front of us. And we typically feel justified in our lashing out. Do we not take seriously Jesus' instruction about bursts of anger being liable to the fires of hell? Are we willing to bet our eternal souls that He didn't really mean what He was saying and was simply exaggerating to make a point!? Or do we despair, because try as we might to change our attitudes and control our tongues, the fire keeps fanning into flames that burn our families and neighbors occasionally?

The answer in Christ...is a resounding neither.

We aim for God's "absolute Ideal," as Yancey calls it, with everything that we have...not out of legalism, but out of desire to imitate the love that we have seen and experienced in God. Picture it as a child who looks pitifully cute standing in his daddy's clothes that are way too big for him to fill. But he puts them on anyway because he wants to be like his daddy. And the scrawny little boy trying to fill his daddy's full-grown clothes couldn't possibly make his dad any prouder.

Yes, we aim for the absolute Ideal and when we fail and fall short of it, we glory even more in God's grace as we see through scripture his smile at our desire to "wear his clothes." And that smile causes our desire to be as forgiving and as loving to others as our Father is to us grow even more. And one day...even if it is the day we meet Jesus in the air, we will finally fill out those clothes and they will fit perfectly naturally for the rest of our eternal lives.

BUT WE MUST AIM AND NOT SETTLE FOR BEING "GOOD ENOUGH" AND/OR BETTER THAN THE MURDERERS 

FOR OUR GOD IS PERFECTLY RIGHTEOUS!

What are you aiming for? What are you trusting in? What would it look like for you to aim for God's patience, God's "slow to anger" nature, God's love, and God's forgiveness this week?

Surpassing Righteousness- Matthew 5:20

PD-US

 

 

"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."

Matthew 5:20

I have to admit....I was pretty tied up yesterday and wasn't able to get to writing the VOW. However, part of the reason for that is that I was a little taken back when I read verse 17-20 and had to do a little digging. I made peace with verses 17-19 yesterday, but was still having trouble with verse 20 until just now. Take a minute to read the context of verse 20 and then I'll explain why I needed a little more time with it.

“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. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, 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 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices 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."

 Up until this passage, Jesus has really been just setting the stage...giving the introduction. He flipped everything about religion on its head with the Beatitudes and then called those who would heed his words to view themselves as salt and light. And then before he gets into the practical aspects of living that are the rest of the sermon, He makes it absolutely clear to the Jewish audience He was preaching to that He was in no way going to teach that the Law of Moses was anything but the inspired word of God and direction for life. It was to be held and followed by those who would follow God. Now before you run to the nearest sheep farm for a live sacrifice because Jesus did not in fact set the law aside, remember that while he said he didn't come to "abolish the law," He did say that he had come to "fulfill the law." Read Colossians 2:9-15.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Well, in my mind, that is the answer to verses 17-19. Jesus didn't cancel the law, He finished (fulfilled) it! His fulfillment of the law meant that the law wasn't "cancelled" for us, but the "charge of legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us" was cancelled and nailed to the cross!

I hope you are screaming "AMEN" at the computer screen right now, because that statement in itself is enough to celebrate! If the impact of it hasn't hit you yet...go back and read through the books of the Law and behold the love and the severity of God and then come back and shout "AMEN" for joy!

But what about verse 20? Jesus' message throughout His ministry and the message throughout the NT was that we can't trust in ourselves and our righteousness. Take a look at Isaiah 64:6 which says that "all our righteous acts are like a filthy rag." Translating it as a "filthy rag" is a pretty polite way of putting it. The Orthodox Jewish Bible puts it "garments of menstruation." He wanted us to be very clear in our understanding that we can NEVER earn our way into God's favor with our righteous living, because when we compare it to God's, it doesn't look anywhere near what righteousness actually is.

Then why did Jesus say that "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven"?

I think I've always had the reverse "pharisee and the publican" attitude when I've read that. "God, I thank you that I'm not like the self-righteous pharisee!" I understood Jesus' instruction to be saying that they were really just hypocrites and weren't really righteous at all. Well...that was true for a lot of them. But what about the sincere ones...the ones who did believe and put their faith in Jesus? Besides, even without them, there is still the problem of having to "surpass" anyone's righteousness as a means of getting into heaven! And we've already established that no amount of our righteousness can do that!

And then it finally hit me while I was just staring at the verse. He had already answered the question back in verse 17 when he said, "I have come...TO FULFILL THE LAW."

Jesus' whole point with the question in verse 20 was to reiterate that we can't do it ourselves! The Pharisees and the teachers of the law worked harder than anyone to be righteous and they failed miserably! But if they had to stand on their own righteousness in front of the almighty, righteous God, He would have cast them aside just like we would trash a "filthy garment!" (read the note above for the specific imagery if you've forgotten...it's not pretty!)

So how do we "surpass the righteousness" of them and enter the kingdom?

WE DON'T. JESUS DID. 

AND BECAUSE HE DID AND HE BECAME SIN ON OUR BEHALF, WE CAN NOW BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD! (see 2 Cor. 5:21)

And so, not by our might or by our power, we surpass the righteousness of the pharisees and the teachers of the law.

Does that not give you reason to rejoice today!?

Next week, as we start looking at the practical instruction on day-to-day living in the sermon on the mount, I think it is absolutely necessary that we establish and keep in our minds exactly where "surpassing righteousness" does and does not come from. I am so thankful that it depends on God instead of me!

Do you really believe enough to quit complaining? Matthew 5:10-12

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

- Matthew 5:10-12

!!!HYPOCRISY ALERT!!!

Warning! I am about to write an entire post about something I don't really believe! Please continue reading with the understanding that the author is a big hypocrite in this area.

Before I'm labeled as a heretic that doesn't believe the words of Jesus, let me explain! My head believes it absolutely...my heart and my emotions just haven't quite caught up yet. I'm praying that one day they will!

Do you remember what happened the first time Peter and the apostles were arrested and beaten for preaching about Jesus? You can read about it in Acts 5. Here's the cliff's notes version. Peter and the rest refused to obey the religious leaders and quit talking about Jesus because obeying God was more important to them (Acts 5:29).   Gamaliel, an incredibly well-respected Jewish leader, convinced the other leaders that they needed to let Peter and the others go because, after all, they might be wrong about Jesus not being from God. If it Jesus was from God, Gamaliel argued, you can't do anything about it anyway (Acts 5:39). And lo and behold, his argument won the day! But... just for good measure, they went ahead and flogged Peter and the others, anyway, and told them one more time to quit talking about Jesus!  

I think it's worth mentioning that a flogging for the Jews meant being hit 39 times with either a rod or some sort of pretty barbaric whip. Do you know why it was 39 times? Because the law only allowed 40 times for fear the person would die if they took too many more. To be sure they didn't violate the law by miscounting, they stopped at 39. Pretty considerate, huh?

And do you remember how much Peter complained about the hypocritical leaders beating him after acknowledging that they might be wrong and Peter might just be right about Jesus after all? Do you remember how the apostles told everyone in Jerusalem how unfair the council was therefore proving that people should listen to the apostles instead of the council? Do you remember that?

No, you don't. And here's why:

"So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."   - Acts 5:41-42

 Wanna know the worst that anyone has ever done to me? They've talked about me behind my back, assigned false motives for different decisions that I've made and twisted my words to say what they wanted them to say. Wanna know my reaction? I felt sorry for myself, complained to my wife, my dad, my brother, and my father-in-law, and eventually complained to God about it and asked God to fix the situation.

And that is why I have to admit that while I believe in my head that Jesus was telling the truth in the last beatitude above about being blessed if you are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, if I'm honest, I have a lot of trouble believing it enough to put it into practice the way Peter did. I feel very confident that when Peter left the council beaten and bloodied, the first words that went through his mind were those of Jesus saying, "Rejoice and be glad! For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you!" And Peter obeyed. He rejoiced and he kept at his work joyfully. I imagine it was a discipline for Peter to remind himself to rejoice instead of complain when he painfully rolled out of bed the next morning. I imagine it was difficult at first to train his mind to think, "Blessed am I!" instead of "woe is me!" each time his scabs were reopened. 

But I know that the same Holy Spirit that filled Peter and gave him enough strength and enough faith in Jesus' teachings to allow him to rejoice also fills me and offers the same strength and faith to me today. And he does the same for you if He is in you through Christ!

So how about it? What do you need to quit complaining and start rejoicing about today?

...For They Shall Be Filled- Matthew 5:6

As I've said before, for most of my life, I have viewed the Beattitudes as instructions of how a Christian is supposed to strive to live. On the surface, this Beattitude, in particular, is one that seems like it could and should be viewed that way. But when you really stop to think about what it means and to whom Jesus was saying it, it makes infinitely more sense as a fact about the kingdom instead of an admonition of how to get into the kingdom. Let me explain.

The word righteousness is the same word that we get the word just from in the Bible. It carries with it the idea of living in conformity to the covenant established. I usually describe it simply as "right living." To describe someone as "just" and "righteous" is essentially the same thing. It means they live right. If I am "hungering and thirsting" for something, it means that I have an incredibly strong desire to pursue it. Which means that an accurate rephrasing of this verse would be, "Blessed are those who really, really, really want to always be right or be in the right, because they will get it."

Now put that statement into the context of the crowd Jesus was addressing...a bunch of Jews. And who do you think the Jews thought of when Jesus talked about someone really wanting to be right or to be in the right? If you said a Pharisee, then you would be absolutely correct, in my opinion. (And I do so like to be right!:) Here's the rub, then-- Jesus spent many of his words throughout His ministry blasting the Pharisees for their self-righteousness and legalistic desire to be right! The message of the kingdom that Jesus preached more than any other was that we can never have access to the kingdom simply by trying harder and being better. We can have access to the kingdom only through Him! That does not leave any room for trying harder. It only leaves room for trusting in Christ's righteousness and not our own.

You see, for years the Pharisees thought they could earn their way into heaven. Just look at Paul's life and the things he said he finally counted as rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness that is in Christ! (See Philippians 3.) I don't believe for a second any more that Jesus would have looked at a crowd that had the Pharisees as their spiritual leaders and told them that the way into the kingdom was for them to increase their desire to be right! That is contrary to the rest of His teaching. Please don't misunderstand me.

It is good to want to be right in God's eyes...BUT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!!

Impossible, that is, without the blood of Christ.

But even for the Pharisees like Paul...and me...who want to be right so badly that we get disgusted with ourselves for our failures and disgusted with others for theirs, their is a way to finally be filled with righteousness inside the kingdom of heaven!

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God."

- 2 Corinthians 5:21

Yes, the spiritually bankrupt are blessed in the kingdom of heaven, the ones who are mourning are comforted, the meek inherit the earth, and even us Pharisees can finally get what we've been trying for our whole lives...we just have to stop working for it and let God give it to us in Christ. And when we finally humbly admit that we will never get there on our own...GOD PUTS US THERE AND SLOWLY CHANGES US INTO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON!

That          is great news!