Look at verse 20 again of Matthew
chapter five. For I say unto you that except
your righteousness shall exceed. Like I said, you could see the
translators added the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
and the Lord does not use this word to describe them. I imagine
it's implied, but let's read it with the italics. For I say
unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case under no
circumstance, not in any wise, enter into the kingdom of heaven. I've entitled this message, The
Righteousness That Exceeds. Verse 17, think not. The Lord knows we
think wrong. I think wrong, you think wrong. If a man thinketh himself to
be something when he's nothing, do you hear that? If a man thinketh himself to
be something when he's nothing, He deceives himself. If any man thinketh he knoweth
anything, he knoweth nothing as he ought to know. And here the Lord says, think
not, that I'm come to destroy the law or the prophets. Think not that I'm come to send
peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but
a sword. And he's talking about the sword
that will be created through the preaching of the gospel.
He's not talking about earthly wars. He's talking about the
division that'll come even in a family over the gospel. And here he says, think not that
I'm come to destroy the law or the prophets. I'm not come to
destroy, but to fulfill. Now the law, I love God's law. God's law really is everything
he says. If he says it, it's law. It's
absolute. Now he's talking about the law
contained in the commandments. There are 613 specific commandments
found in the first five books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch. And he says, I've come to fulfill
every single one of them. The prophets from Isaiah to Malachi,
there are 17 of them, and I am sure that he's including all
the other books of the Old Testament. Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Solomon, the historical accounts of Joshua, Judges, Ruth,
1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah,
Esther, all are included. Don't think
I've come to do away with God's law or with the prophets. Don't
think I've come to Destroy the law and the prophets. I didn't
come to destroy, but to fulfill. Now, how did he fulfill the law
and the prophets? There's two ways. First, he kept
every law perfectly. He never sinned. I want you to think of the awesomeness
of that thought. Jesus Christ the Lord, Jesus
of Nazareth, never committed a sin. As a matter of fact, he
was and is incapable of committing a sin. He's God. Can God sin? Absolutely not. Can Jesus Christ commit a sin? Absolutely not. Even the thief
knew that. I mean, he was the example of
the newest born believer. And because he knew who the Lord
was, he could say, this man hath done nothing amiss. How'd you
know, thief? Because it's who he is. He is
the God man. He never committed a sin. He obeyed all of God's law perfectly. And he fulfilled all that was
written concerning him, which is everything that was written. Perfect obedience. In Luke 24,
44, he says, all things must be fulfilled, which were written
in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning
me. Then opened he their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures." I love that verse
of scripture. You know what I'm going to understand
the scriptures? When he opens my understanding. And not before
then. And the same is true of you. We're totally dependent upon
him to open our understanding. Or this book is a closed book.
But he says, with regard to God's holy law, everything written
in the Old Testament, don't think that I've come to destroy it
or do away with it or make it not count. I didn't come to destroy
it, but to fulfill it, to complete it. He who made the law, the
lawgiver, was made under the law, that he might redeem them
that are under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons. Now he fulfilled all of the law's
commands by his life. He satisfied all of its sentences
against disobedience by his death. And he was raised because of
the satisfaction he rendered to the law. He fulfilled every
prophecy with regard to him. And really, that's what the Old
Testament is all about. Now, the holy law of God must
be honored, and that's what he did. He honored God's law. He glorified God's law. And the only way that you and
I can honor God's holy law is by looking to Jesus Christ alone. Do we make void the law through
faith? God forbid, yea, we establish
the law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. If you trust the Lord Jesus Christ
right now, you honor God's holy law. I want you to turn to a
passage for a moment in Romans chapter eight. Verse one. There is therefore now, right
now, present tense, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. And here is what those who are
in Christ Jesus do, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit. Now that's what everyone who
believes the gospel does. They're not walking after the
flesh. That doesn't make sense to the flesh. They're walking
after the spirit of God. God has given them a heart to
do this. Now let's go on reading. For
the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me
free from the law of sin and death. What is this he's calling
God's law? The law of sin and the law of
death. It exposes sin and pronounces
death on all who sin. The law is called the law of
sin and the law of death. This holy law that God sent his
son to fulfill and complete. Paul calls it under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit. And I'm sure he did so fearfully.
It's the law of sin. That's all it exposes about me.
And it's the law of death. It pronounces my death. Verse
three, for what the law could not do in that it was weak through
the flesh. Now what's that mean? What the
law could not do? Couldn't save me. It was weak,
it could not do that because of my flesh, my sinful flesh,
my sinful nature, the way I was born into this world. The law
could not save me. And the problem's not with the
law, the problem's with me. God sending his own son into
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh. He condemned sin in his own flesh
when he was made sin as a substitute for his people. Oh, to think
of what took place in the spotless Lamb of God's flesh, how He was
made sin. Nobody knows what all that means.
But He was made sin. He bore our sins in His own body
on the tree. He wasn't simply charged with
sin. He was made sin. And in the flesh, in His flesh,
He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. Now, does that mean that we are
by grace enabled in our flesh to keep the righteousness of
the law and to obey God's law? No, no. Let me say that again,
no. All the law does in that sense
is expose our sin. I love God's law. Law exposes
by sin. That's not saying we are enabled
to, in our flesh, keep God's law, but it does say this, when
we walk in the spirit and not in the flesh, and this is something
a believer always does, it's not like you're in the flesh
one day and in the spirit the other. No, everybody that believes
the gospel walks in the spirit. Everyone who walks in the Spirit
looks to Christ only, and thus they fulfill God's holy law. You remember when the Lord said
to John the Baptist, thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. We can say with Paul, I delight
the law of God after the inner man. Now back to our text in
Matthew chapter five, verse 18. I think not that I'm come to
destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not come to destroy, but
to fulfill, to complete, for verily I say unto you. Now this is the first of 14 times
he says this. I love the Sermon on the Mount.
This is the part maybe I love the most. The way he says, I
say to you. I say to you. Most of the times he said, you've
heard it said of them of old, but I say unto you. He never
said, thus saith the Lord. He said, I say unto you, and
that's the absolute authority of it. This is God speaking. I say unto you. till heaven and earth pass. And heaven and earth will pass
when time shall be no more. And all there will be will be
eternity. Everything you're looking at,
everything you can touch and feel is going to be burned up.
It's going to be gone. There's going to be a new heaven
and a new earth. And until heaven and earth pass
and be no more, not one jot or one tittle. The jot is the smallest
letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The tittle is the accent line. The most insignificant part of
the written language. For verily I say unto you, till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law. Till all the fulfilled. The whole law must be fulfilled. The reward for obedience, the
punishment for disobedience, all of the law must be fulfilled
and he fulfilled it. And so did everyone in him. You
can look at that law with confidence, with joy, because you fulfilled
the law in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look in verse 19. 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. Now, who is this person
who has broken the least of these commandments and taught men so? Me and you. This describes every
man alive. And if you would think that doesn't
describe me, you're being a hypocrite. You're lying to yourself. You're
deceiving yourself. You've broken the least of these
commandments and the greatest and everything in between. And
by your example, you've taught people to follow your example.
I'm ashamed of that. I wish it wasn't that way, but
it's so, and you know it. If you're a believer, you know
it. If you're an unbeliever, you may deny it, but if you're
a believer, you know this is so. You're someone who has broken
even the least and the greatest and everything in between, and
you've taught others to do so. This describes every man. And every man in the kingdom
of heaven, they agree with God. Everybody in the kingdom of God
says, and they're condemning their self and saying this, but
everybody in the kingdom of God said, they're the least. That's
what the people in the kingdom of heaven say. They're the least. Now, what about this next person?
But whosoever shall do and teach them. Who's that described? There's only one person that
that describes, the Lord Jesus Christ. He did them, he taught
them. That does not describe anyone
else but him. Now the ones who broke them,
that describes me and you. The one who keeps them, that
describes him. And what is he called by the
subjects of the kingdom of heaven? Great. He's great. He's infinitely great. This is
what everybody in the kingdom of heaven has to say. He is the
great one. There's one who is great in the
kingdom of heaven. I've heard people use the saying,
he's a great man of God. No, he's not. He's a sinful person. saved by the great God of all
grace. He only is great in the kingdom
of heaven. Four, verse 24. I say unto you, he says that
again. I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed,
surpass, the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees,
you shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven. Now here is
the second time he says, I say unto you, and it ought to prick
up our ears every time he says, I say unto you. What is he saying? Speak Lord, thy servant heareth. What's he saying? I say unto
you that except your righteousness exceed, And I love the way the righteousness
of the scribes and the Pharisees is in italics. He doesn't really
use the word to describe them. But he's not saying we need to
try harder and do better. And if we just try hard enough
and pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and give enough effort,
we can have a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees. He's not saying that at all. Let me say some things about
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. It was self-righteousness. Self-righteousness. A righteousness
generated by self. Any kind of self-righteousness
is the product of the human will. If I have self-righteousness,
it's because my will decided for it. Self-righteousness and
free will are the same thing. You can't really separate them.
When you have one, you have the other. You remember the parable
the Lord addressed to certain that trusted in themselves that
they were righteous and despised others. It was an external righteousness,
what they thought Others could see all their works they do to
be seen of men. Look in chapter six, verse one.
They were controlled by the lust of the eye. Verse one, take heed
that you do not your own before men to be seen of them. How much of what we do is to
be seen. The Lord utterly condemns that. Look in verse Two, therefore, when thou dost
sign alms, do not sound a hypocrite before thee, as the hypocrites
do in the synagogues and the streets, that they may have glory
of men. Verily I say unto you, they have
their reward. Verse five, when thou prayest,
thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are. They love to pray, standing
in the synagogue and in the corners of the street, that they may
be seen of men. Well, they get what they're looking
for. Men see them. What kind of reward
is that? Verily, they have their reward. Verse 16, moreover, when you
fast, be not as the hypocrite of a sad guidance, for they disfigure
their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Look at that
guy. He's fasting. What a reward. Verily I say unto you, they have
their reward. The righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees is what the Lord said, you clean the outside of
the cup and the platter. It's something that looks good
on the outside, but within you're full of dead men's bones and
all uncleanness. The righteousness of the scribes
and the Pharisees is a rationalized righteousness. They lowered the
law to think they could keep it. When the Pharisee prayed,
God, I thank thee that I'm not as other men are. I'm not an
extortioner. I'm not unjust. I'm not an adulterer. I'm not even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess.
Now, the fact of the matter is he was an extortioner. He just
lowered the law to where he thought he could keep it. He had rationalized
it. He was unjust, evil before God. Oh, he was an adulterer. He was a wicked man that had
lowered the standards of God's law to where he thought he could
keep them. Look at verse 21 for a moment.
You've heard that was said by them of old time, thou shalt
not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the
judgment. Both of those are scriptural statements, both found in the
scripture. But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with
his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. If you're angry at your brother
without a cause, you're a murderer. Whosoever says to his brother,
Raka, you idiot, you fool, You lame brain. You just committed murder. Got
any murderers here? And whosoever shall say thou
fool shall be in danger of hell fire. You ever called anybody
a fool? Somebody says, what about when
the Lord calls people fools? What about when Paul called people
fools? I know the Lord said this, if
you and I call somebody a fool, we are guilty of murder. Look down at verse 27. You've
heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit
adultery. But I say unto you that whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with
her already in his heart. And thy right hand offend thee,
or thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, cast it from thee. For it's possible for thee that
one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should
be cast into hell. And if thy right hand defend
thee, cut it off and cast it from thee. For it's possible
for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy
whole body should be cast into hell. Now rather than lust after
a woman, you ought to pluck out your eye. You got to cut off
your hand. Somebody says, literal. Somebody
says, yeah, literal. You go first. I'll follow your
lead. He's just showing us the enormity
of this sin. And for someone to think they
can keep the law like the Pharisee, they have brought it down to
their own standard that they feel comfortable with. Any thought of personal obedience
is because you've lowered the law to your own corrupt standard. The righteousness of the scribes
and the Pharisees was a deceptive righteousness because John said,
if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. And the
truth is not in us. It's a deceptive righteousness,
it's a deceiving righteousness. And I love the way Isaiah called
the righteousness of the, our righteousness. He said, our righteousness
is as filthy rags. And that means minstrels. rags. That's what God has to
say about our righteousness. This is not, you need to improve
on that. You got to be better than that. This is the same righteousness
spoken of in the Beatitudes when the Lord said, blessed are they
who hunger and thirst after righteousness. This is the same righteousness
that the Lord said, blessed are they that are persecuted for
righteousness sake. Talking about the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. This is the righteousness of
which the Lord said, seek ye first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness. And all these things should be
added to you. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. That's the righteousness he's
speaking of. That's the righteousness I must have. It's what Paul spoke
of in Philippians chapter 3 verses 8 and 9 when he said, Oh, that
I may win Christ and be found in Him not having my own righteousness. Do you understand why he said
that? Do you understand that your righteousness is as filthy
rags and you don't want to stand before God in filthy rags? You
don't want to have anything to do with your righteousness. not
having my own righteousness, which is of the law, which is
according to my personal obedience, but the righteousness of God,
which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. The righteousness of
God is what this righteousness is. It's not saying you need
to close your eyes and grit your teeth and try a little harder
and become a little more pleasing and know this is the righteousness
of God that you're going to have that must exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and the Pharisees. I'd like you to turn to Matthew
chapter 22. This is the parable of the wedding feast, and I'm
not going to read it all, but I do want to read the end of
it. Verse 11, and when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding
garment. Do you remember the wedding garment
spoken of in Revelation 19, eight? Fine linen, clean and white. This is the righteousness of
the saints. And he saith unto him, friend,
how cameest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. I bet
it's the first time he was ever speechless. He couldn't even
reply. Then said the king to the servants,
bind him hand and foot. and take him away, and cast him
into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen. And when the Lord says, accept
your righteousness, exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, this is one of the four accepts in the New Testament. There are four of them. And here's
the first. except your righteousness exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no
case enter the kingdom of heaven. Now, you may have fooled everybody
else right up to judgment day. But if you don't have this wedding
garment on, the righteousness of Jesus Christ, that fine linen,
clean and white, you might be able to fool everybody else,
but you can't fool him. He'll say, bind him hand and
foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness where
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called,
but few are chosen. The second is found in John chapter
three, if you would turn there. Verse three, Jesus answered and
said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man
be born again, born from above, he cannot, he lacks the ability
to see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, how
can a man be born when he's old? Can he enter in the second time
into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, verily,
verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water and of
the spirit. I have no doubt that the water
refers to the word of God. Remember when Paul talked about
the Lord cleansing us with the washing of water by the word.
James 1.18, of his own will beget he us through the word of truth.
There is no birth, new birth apart from the word of God, the
gospel message. And not only the word, but the
spirit, the spirit birthing men into the kingdom of God. You
didn't decide to become born, did you? It was an act of God's
sovereign will. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. That which is born of the spirit
is spirit. And this is the new nature, the
new heart given in the new birth. When you're born again, you believe.
When you're born again, you repent. That's why you do it. This is
above the ability of the natural man. But understand this, you're
in the hands of a sovereign spirit, and except he give you life,
except you be born again, you'll in no case, under no circumstance
whatsoever, enter the kingdom of God. Now the third is found
in Luke chapter 13. The Lord is speaking of some
current events at this time. Verse one, there were present
at that season, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood
Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Now, think about
this. These people were going to sacrifice. and Pilate killed them, and their
blood was actually mingled with the blood of sacrifice. What
kind of wicked people must these people have been? What kind of
secret sins must they have been harboring for such a horrible
judgment to come upon them? Do you, and Jesus answering,
when they told them about these horrible people, and Jesus answering,
said unto them, suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners
above all the Galileans because they suffered such thing? Do
you think this was some kind of special divine judgment? I
tell you nay. But except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. You're just as bad as they are.
Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. And he talked
about another current event. The Lord brings this up, or those
18 upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them. 18 people
died under that tower falling in. Think ye that they were sinners
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem. Do you think this was some kind
of special judgment of God? You know, we think that way.
Wonder what they did. This must be God visiting them
for some sin they committed, some horrible act. What does
the Lord say? Nay, but except you repent, you
shall all likewise perish. Now this thing of repentance,
a change of mind. Everything we think about God, ourselves,
and salvation is wrong. And that is proven by believing
salvation is by works. If we believe salvation is by
works, we have no idea of the character of God. We wouldn't
believe that if we did. We have no idea of the character
of ourselves. We don't have any understanding
of how sinful we are that we can't be saved by our works.
We have no idea that salvation is altogether without our works.
It's by what Christ did. Oh, and God grants repentance. Repent ye and believe the gospel. But do you think for a moment
that those people who suffered those things were sinners above?
I tell you no, except you repent. You shall all likewise perish.
And we'll end up with Matthew 18, if you'll turn with me there. At the same time came the disciples
unto Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Now, this was an argument that just went with them right up
to the last supper. You know, right before the Lord
washed their feet, they were having an argument over which
of them was the greatest. And I wonder what they thought
when the Lord humbled himself and started washing this arrogant
bunch's feet. This argument came up over a
religion of self, of comparison. Compare myself to somebody else.
How do I line up? Oh, it's not wise. But this is
the disciples. They came unto Jesus saying,
who's the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? I'm sure they were
looking for some kind of answer that would make them the greatest,
one of them at any rate. And Jesus called a little child. unto him, a little unassuming
child, and said him in the midst of them, this proud bunch thinking
they were the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And he said,
verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, turned, and
become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of
heaven. You don't need to worry about who the greatest is. You
won't even be there, except you be converted from this wretched
pride and enter the kingdom of heaven as a little child. Now, here's what this means. A little child has his father
tell him something. He believes him. He hasn't yet
become skeptical, suspicious of his father. He just believes
what his father said because he said it. That's enough. Nothing else is needed. You believe something because
God's word says it. That's the reason you believe
it, not so much because you can understand it or you see the
logical implications and all that kind of stuff. You believe
what God says because God said it. That's the faith of a little
child. It's the capacity to believe. Now that's given with this new
heart. When I'm given this new heart, that's where the repentance
comes from. That's where this childlike faith
comes from. I want to be this child that
believes God's word because he said it, and I don't need any
other reason. I don't need any other proof.
If he said it, it's fine with me. I want to be someone who's born
from above. I want to be someone who repents. I want to be someone who has
this righteousness that exceeds. May God make us, everyone in
this room, all of that. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your
word. Lord, we ask that you would give
us this righteousness that exceeds. We can't produce it and we won't
have it except you give it to us. We pray that we might be
clothed in that wedding garment, fine linen, clean and white.
Lord, we ask that we might be born from above, born of water
and the spirit. Lord, we ask that we might repent
and we ask that we might have this attitude of a little child
believing what you say. Bless this message for Christ's
sake. In his name we pray. Amen.