**Greater Righteousness
Matthew 5:17-20
17 “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 say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
PHARISEES VS. JESUS
• They prided themselves in their interpretation of the Mosaic law. They developed a strict set of fence laws designed to maintain their purity.
• They were looking for the Messianic leader, “the anointed one,” to come as a revolutionary leader to free them from the oppression of the Roman empire.
• In the Chronicles of Messiah, it says, “If the religious leaders or pious Jews could prove that Jesus was a Torah-breaker, they could discredit His ministry and His claims. If they could prove that He intended to abolish or annul the Torah, they could dismiss Him as a heretic.”
• Jesus’ response to their accusations was…“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” (v. 17).
• “Abolish” - to do away with or destroy.
• “Fulfill” – 14x’s in Matthew…to fulfill what the prophets have spoken. Jesus is bringing to completion the redemptive story that God had set in motion from the beginning (John 5:31-38; Luke 24:13-35)
• Jesus confirmed that the Torah held God’s truth and testimony within its pages.
• An “iota” was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet and the “dot” was the tiniest stroke of the pen. Jesus was saying absolutely nothing in the Law was going to pass over…he came to “fulfill” or bring to “completion” all that God had spoken from the beginning.
*GREATER RIGHTEOUSNESS: *
Jesus called his disciples to a “righteousness” that exceeded the Pharisees (v. 20)….greater righteousness.
WHAT IS RIGHTEOUSNESS?
• Meaning “what is right, the act of doing what is in agreement with God’s standards, being in a proper relationship with God, justice.”
• Jonathan Pennington defines righteousness as “whole-person behavior that is in harmony and consistent with God’s nature, will, and his coming kingdom.”
HYPOCRITES: The Pharisees were hypocrites because their external words/actions were not aligned with their internal heart. Their internal hearts were self-righteous, greedy, prideful, self-promoting, not compassionate, unmerciful, etc. Their deeds and teachings did not come from a pure heart (Matt. 23:1-7; 23-26).
HEART TRANSFORMATION
A whole person’s behavior begins in the heart. The HEART describes the whole person…you’re character, your inner life, your soul, your reasoning, your mind, your intellect. Greater righteousness always begins with heart transformation.
The inner heart must match the outward behavior OR it’s NOT truly a righteous or virtuous person.
Righteousness does not begin with behavior modification…it begins with heart transformation or a “HEART CHECK.”
3 Heart Check questions:
• What’s the TRUE state of my inner heart?
• What is really motivating my heart?
• Is my heart genuinely pursuing God or just giving a false pretense?
Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection established victory for us and a way for us to experience “greater righteousness” (1 Corinthians 5:21). Our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees because of Jesus. His righteousness is now our righteousness. And we now live, move and have our very being in Him.
We are now empowered by the Holy Spirit, who lives in us (Romans 8), and is at work within us to both to “will and do” what God desires (Phil 2:13). As we yield to the Holy Spirit and grow in our faith, the HS highlights sin, convicts us of wrong actions and attitudes, and continually transforms us. We are empowered to crucify our flesh and walk in step with the Holy Spirit, who is drawing us closer and closer to Jesus.
THE MESSAGE OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: Our external words, deeds, and actions must proceed from a transformed heart that is grounded in a genuine right relationship with God. A flourishing, transformed heart operates out of humility and not self-righteousness. It is a heart that is grounded in God while seeking to do the will of God in service to those around them.
Life Group Questions:
1) Where have you played the part of the Pharisee in your life? (v. 20).
2) When was the last time you did a heart check, and what was the Holy Spirit revealing to you that needs to change?
3) What steps are you taking to develop a genuine heart relationship with God and others?