Isaiah 65. Notice verse 5 again. Isaiah 65, verse 5. Our Lord, who knows the thoughts and hearts and motives of all men everywhere. He knows our thoughts afar off. He says that these people, this national people Israel, the natural descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which say, stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I'm holier than thou. These, our Lord said, are smoke, smoke screen. There's smoke in my nose, angers the Lord. It's just a fire that burned all the day long. Smelly. Smelly. Smoke. Now I'm calling the message from that verse, the deadly sin of self-righteousness. The deadly sin of self-righteousness.

There's nothing more contrary and opposed to the way of salvation by grace and salvation accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ than the idea of self-righteousness. For it declares that salvation is of myself and not salvation is of the Lord. The Lord declares it's nothing but obnoxious, abhorrent in his sight. He describes it as smoke, smoke in my nose, obnoxious. It is God, it is in God's eyes, most offensive, most obnoxious, loathsome of all the evils in the world.

Self-righteousness. Yet, it is that which is most appealing to our flesh, that by which we are most likely to be deceived. Self-righteousness appeals to this fallen, frail, fickle flesh. The wise man Solomon put it this way, there is a way which seems right unto men, unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

You see, our thoughts are all wrong about how God saves sinners. Our thoughts are all wrong about who God is. Remember from our reading last week in Romans 10 verse 20, Paul says of Isaiah that he was very bold in declaring that salvation is all of grace alone. Bold in declaring that the way of self-righteousness is as filthy rags in God's sight.

Now look, just across the page, if you have the Cambridge that I'm reading, you see across the page a column, Isaiah 64 verse six. Isaiah 64 verse six. But we're all as an unclean thing. We are all, that include Isaiah, that includes him, does it include you?

We're all as an unclean thing. And all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. and we all do fade as a leaf. Our iniquities, like the wind, have driven us away. There's none that calls upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee, for thou hast hid thy face from us and has consumed us because of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, thou art our father. We are the clay, thou art the potter, we are all the work of thy hand. We say with Paul, I am what I am by the grace of God. But all of our righteousness before God are filthy rags, are they not?

The only thing that's pleasant and sweet-smelling before God, you remember this scripture in Ephesians 5, where it says, Christ also had loved us and given himself for us, an offering for sin, a sweet-smelling savor unto God. God smells of that sacrifice, and it's well-pleasing to Him. So much so, how do we know it's more pleasing to him? God raised him from the dead. He's seated at the right hand of God right now, interceding for us.

Paul was bold in declaring that God would pass by the religious self-righteous Jewish nation and call out a people from among the wicked Gentiles. Bold in declaring that God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. Not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy. He will have mercy on whom He will.

When the Lord Jesus Christ came into flesh, this was written 700 years before the Lord incarnate, born in Bethlehem, God incarnate. When the Lord Jesus Christ came among this Jewish people, Hundreds of years before Isaiah spoke these words, very true words, inspired and bold words, he found these Jews still in the clutches, vile clutches, and death grip of self-righteousness, going about to establish their righteousness to earn God's favor or to remove his wrath. Don't we see the same thing going on in religious circles today? They're trying to gain God's favor or earn his favor or, by what they do, or remove his wrath by what they do.

Many make the fatal mistake, and here's where it's, many make the fatal mistake of trusting morality, their morality, for righteousness. Now our best morality, our best state, man in his best state is vanity. Vanity. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've gone astray.

Listen to this scripture. He said, where did Isaiah prophesy of you? This is our Lord speaking to those self-righteous Jews. Where did Isaiah prophesy of you, you hypocrites? People, they draw nigh unto me, our Lord said, with their mouth. They honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. They draw nigh to me with their mouth, they honor me with their lips, but their heart's far from me. A heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Our Lord had the strongest rebukes, not for those poor sinners in need.

All those who came to him in need of healing, what'd he do? He healed them. All those self-righteous Pharisees who came to him to criticize him, He said this, you or they would justify yourself before men. God knows your heart. That which is highly esteemed among men, he said, is an abomination in the sight of God. Same thing, isn't it? Smoking my nose, smoking my nose. The Pharisee in the temple prayed, what did he pray? God, I thank you, I'm not as other men are.

Self-righteousness causes us to despise others, as that Pharisee did. He despised the publican, didn't he? We're still plagued with the same bio-disease among the very religious, or even really among the very irreligious. The irreligious people have a self-righteousness too. Our dear Pastor Mahan used to tell us, he'd often make this statement about self-righteousness, those who go about to justify themselves.

He would often say this, your sins won't keep you from trusting Christ, but your self-righteousness will. It will. It'll keep you from trusting Christ because you're always looking to self instead of Him. Now let me give you several reasons why this self-righteousness is such a deadly thing, and why the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Christ are so opposed to it, and why it is so condemning. I was reading in the book of Amos today, in Amos chapter 5, verse 21, the Lord said, I hate, I despise your feast days, I will not smell your holy days, I have no pleasure in them. Same thing, isn't it? Now let me give you four or five things about this deadly sin of self-righteousness.

Self-righteousness only regards the cleaning up of the outward man and totally disregards the real problem. The real problem is the wicked, deceitful heart of a totally fallen, sinful, guilty person. Jeremiah describes it, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it? You see, self-righteousness only is concerned about the outward action, but not the inward motive. The inward motive, for example, turn over here to Matthew 23. Matthew 23. Matthew 23, 25. Matthew 23, 25.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites, for you may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. or unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, or you like unto a whited sepulchre, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness, even so outwardly you appear righteous, but within you're full of iniquity." See, you can clean up the outside. I mean, you can put on a thousand dollar suit. $1,000 dress and you can clean up pretty good on the outside.

God looks on the heart. That's the problem. God looks on the heart. Someone said to me some time ago, a well-known businessman in this community, he said to me when he found out I was a pastor and a preacher, he said, I would make a profession and join a church, but he said, I have a potty mouth. I have a potty mouth. His problem was not dirty language. His problem was a dirty heart. He had a dirty heart.

Our Lord said this, for out of the heart proceedeth evil thoughts. Those things that come from the mouth originate from the wicked heart. So that man was concerned about Some of the things he said, realizing that the problem was not his mouth, but his heart. You see what's in the well of the heart comes out through the bucket of the mouth.

Salvation is not cleaning up the outside. You can teach men to be moral. You can follow rules, church creeds. But salvation, as it's revealed in the Word of God, is a heart issue. God must break the heart. God must give us a new heart. He's nigh unto them of a broken heart. Save us that ye be of a contrite spirit.

Salvation is a heart work. It's God giving us a new heart, making us new creatures, doing a work inwardly, in the mind, in the will, in the affection, and desires, making us a new creature in Christ Jesus. God, being confident, Paul said of this very thing, God who hath begun a good work in you, he will finish it, he will perfect it. You see, salvation, that's what David prayed in Psalm 51. in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me." Create a new heart and a right spirit. Enable us to set our affection on things above, not on things of the earth. So that's the first thing about self-righteousness. Here's the second thing.

Self-righteousness is such a deadly and damning sin because it comes into the heart and grows like wildfire when the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is rejected. You reject Christ as the only ground of justification and righteousness, you go about to establish a righteousness of your own. Faith and self-righteousness are opposed to each other. True faith, saving faith, and self-righteousness are opposed to each other. Those who reject the gospel of righteousness provided in Christ are always going about to establish the righteousness of their own making and their own doing.

You remember Romans 10, when Paul talked about those, he said Israel, he said they're always going about, they're ignorant of God, they're ignorant of God's righteousness, therefore they're always going about to establish the righteousness of their own and have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God as revealed in the gospel.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Christ alone is all our righteousness. And it has to be that way because the scripture said there was none righteous, no, not one. The faith of God's elect finds great comfort receiving Christ alone, resting in him alone for all things in salvation. Those saved by grace find no room to glory in the flesh, knowing that all flesh is grass. They find great reason to glory in what? Who? The Lord Jesus Christ.

That's why Paul said we count all things done and ruined and lost. that we may win Christ and be found in him, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law. You see, Paul the Apostle was one time Saul the Pharisee before he came to meet the Lord. And he said one time, all those things he said as a Pharisee that I counted as gang to me at one time, now I count them all but lost, dung, and ruined, that I may win Christ and be found in him.

Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. You see, it's not my faithfulness. My faithfulness is not my righteousness. Christ is my righteousness. Our righteousness is based upon the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The faith of God's elect finds great comfort receiving Christ alone, resting in Him for all salvation. Those saved by the grace of God find no room to glory in the flesh. Knowing all flesh is grass, they find great reason to glory only in the Lord Jesus Christ. He that glorieth, let him glory only in the Lord. A sinner given faith, the faith of God's elect, comes to Christ as a sinner. looking to the Lord Jesus Christ to provide all things for us. My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory through the Lord Jesus Christ.

The faith of God's elect find no other comfort, find no comfort in our obedience, but rather the obedience of Christ. You see, our salvation is based upon his faithfulness, his obedience unto God. He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He performed all things for us. All things for us. Now don't turn, because you're familiar with this. I quote it quite often. And I read it quite often. In Galatians 2 verse 16, let me just read it to you.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. It's by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Notice how we're justified by the faith of Christ.

Now if you get a newer translation of Scripture, I've even picked up some of those Bibles that Gideon's put out in hospitals and doctor's offices and different things, but they have changed that verse. Galatians 2 verse 16, they changed it this way, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Instead of saying by the faith of Jesus Christ, they put by the faith, having faith in Christ. You see, my faith is not my righteousness.

Christ is all my righteousness. True saving faith is given if God looks to Christ alone for all our righteousness. So our salvation is based upon His faithfulness, His performance, His obedience, not ours. You understand that, don't you? You remember Psalm 57, where it says, He performeth all things for me. Aren't you glad He does?

I'm unable. I can't honor the law of God. You can't either. No sinner can. If righteousness comes by the law, it's one of my favorite scriptures. Galatians 2.21. If righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. No need for him to die. If I can do it on my own, produce a righteousness, satisfy God's law and justice on my own, why did he come? You see, because I can't. He did. He did. That's why Paul said, I don't frustrate the grace of God. Distort or confuse the grace of God. Righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Here's the third thing. Self-righteousness, this holier-than-thou attitude and conduct is the greatest sin of all because it produces so many other evils in us. As it says there back in the text, Verse three, blasphemy and idolatry. Isaiah 65, three, people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face, that sacrifice in gardens and burn incense upon altars of brick, which remain among the graves and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh and broth of abominable things. And yet they say, come not near to me, for I'm holier than thou.

This weed, you remember in Matthew chapter 7, where those, our Lord describes those self-righteous Jews as those who they say, we preached in your name, we've done many wonderful works in your name, we've done this and we've done that, we've done all this other, and the Lord said, depart from me, I don't know you, you workers of iniquity. Not righteousness, iniquity. Now listen to this.

This weed, weed of self-righteousness grows vigorously on the dunghill of human pride and self-ego. It worships only at the altar of self-esteem, self-worth, and is nothing more than idolatry in its worst form because it's a worship of self, isn't it? You see, that leads to so many other evil and wicked things. And here's the fourth thing. Why is this sin of self-righteousness so deadly and damning to our soul? Because it's totally contrary to the Word of God and the Gospel of Christ. It's born of our own wicked thoughts.

Notice verse 2, Isaiah 65 verse 2. He said, the Lord said, I've spread out my hands all day unto rebellious people, which walketh in a way that's not good, And here's the problem, after their own thoughts. Remember in Isaiah, I think it's, no, it's Psalm 50 where the Lord said, you thought I was altogether such a one as yourself. You thought, and that's the problem, you thought. You're walking away that's not good after their own thoughts.

You remember, turn back a few pages, Isaiah 55, Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55, look at verse 8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, you see it? Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than yours. You see, his thoughts are so much higher than ours.

Isaiah, or excuse me, Psalm 50 verse 20, I quoted a moment ago. Psalm 50 verse 20, thou thoughtest I was altogether such a one as thyself. In a verse I already quoted from Proverbs 14, there is a way that seems right unto man in his own eyes, but the end of that way is death, isn't it?

If someone thinks himself to be righteous in himself, He never got that idea from the word of God. The law of God declares we're all guilty. None righteous, no not one. If someone thinks himself to be righteous by his deeds, he never got that idea from the gospel. The gospel for sinners is for sinners. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ came to save them and to call sinners to repentance.

He didn't come to call, you remember, Matthew 9, he said, I didn't come to call the righteous. Those Pharisees complained because the Lord went home with Matthew, the publican, and all Matthew's sinner friends, and he was eating with them. And the Pharisees observed that and said, why does your master eat with publicans and sinners? And the Lord overheard that and said, which are sick, they need a physician.

Those who are whole don't need one. Go learn what that means. I'll have mercy, not sacrifice. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Sinners to repentance. See, the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners, didn't he? The good news of the gospel is that grace is for the guilty. The good news of the gospel is mercy is for the miserable. Redemption is for the ruined. Reconciliation for those who separated by their sin. God was in Christ reconciling us unto himself.

The whole gospel system is needless if we can justify ourselves. If we can declare ourselves righteous by our deeds, it makes the death and righteousness and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ unnecessary. makes the work of the Holy Spirit unnecessary. If I can raise myself from the dead and make myself a new creature, no need for God the Holy Spirit to convict me of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come.

Here's the fifth thing. Self-righteousness is a deadly thing. It'll block you from any real hope of salvation. It'll keep you from true repentance. How can you repent if you're not a sinner? If you're self-righteous and you're not a sinner, how can you repent? We have nothing to repent of. It'll keep you from true faith. How can you trust Christ while you're busy trusting yourself? That's what self-righteousness does.

Remember that our Lord spoke the parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and they despised others. You see how deadly this thing is? It's a deadly thing. It's a deadly thing. It'll keep you from true righteousness in Christ because you're always going about to establish a righteousness of your own.

What is the remedy? In closing, what is the remedy? The Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing grace. That's the remedy. That's the remedy. He says in verse 1, what does he say? Isaiah 65 verse 1. Here's the remedy. He said, Behold Me. Behold Me. Look to Christ now. Throw away your filthy rags of self-righteousness and behold the Lamb of God. There is no other God beside Me. The only just God and Savior. Look unto Me. I repeat what I said earlier because it's a statement worth repeating. It's a quote worth re-quoting. Your sin won't keep you from trusting Christ or coming to Christ, but your self-righteousness will.

May God be pleased to empty us of ourselves and to fill us with Christ our righteousness. He is the Lord our righteous. And the hymn draws all the fullness of a Godhead bodily. And in Christ we stand complete. Christ is all and in all. He's made unto us all that we need, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. That according as is written, he that was glory, let him glory only in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ.