Our Lord's words are especially,
someone suggested, especially here, directed to these Jews
who had such high regard and admiration for the Pharisees.
They used to say that if two men went to heaven, one of them
would be a Pharisee and one of them would be a scribe. That's
the way these old Jews thought. They had great admiration for
the scribes and the Pharisees. And so, verse 20, he said, I
say to you, I say to you, that except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall
in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. And who are the scribes? Well,
the scribes Listen carefully. Now, the scribes were the highly
educated rulers of the temple. They were the learned people
who were employed in writing out the scriptures. In other
words, they didn't have printing presses. They wrote the scriptures.
They took the scriptures and wrote them out. And they expounded
the law. The scribes were the most educated
men, the most learned people. And they were employed in writing
out the scriptures, entrusted with expounding the law. They
were students of the law. Now, the Pharisees were the strictest
moralists, the strictest, straightest moral people among the Jews,
as far as outward religion and outward holiness was concerned.
Now, Paul gives us a clue in Acts 26. Acts 26, he's talking about himself. Remember, he was a Pharisee. Paul was a member of the highest
Jewish court, the Sanhedrin. And he says here, when he stood
before Agrippa, in Acts 26, verse 4, My manner of life for my youth. which was at the first among
my own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews. They know who I
am. They knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after
the most straightest sect of our religion, I lived a fire
city. So this, you get the impact here
of this statement our Lord is making to these people. They
held these scribes, the most learned, the most educated, the
most respected expounders of the law and writers of the scripture,
they held them in such high esteem. And the Pharisees, they were
the straightest, strictest, most moral people as far as outward
religion and righteousness was concerned. And yet the Lord says,
He doesn't say except your righteousness equals theirs, or comes almost
up to theirs. He said your righteousness has
got to exceed theirs, far exceed, far beyond theirs, or you'll
never enter the kingdom of heaven. Now, what was their righteousness? You see, turn to Romans 10. Paul talks about them and their
followers in Romans 10. These men were atheists. Now,
they were religious men. They were legalistic, moral, religious men. And Paul
says in Romans 10, my heart's desire and prayer to God for
Israel is that they might be saved. I bear them record. They
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. They're ignorant
of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own
righteousness. They're establishing their own.
They haven't submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.
Now, what was their own? Well, number one, the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees lay in external observance of
the laws. External observance of the law.
Not from a sincere heart, not from a principle of love, not
from an inward compassion. Not for desire for the glory
of God, but they're just stuck to the outward observance of
the law. For example, turn to Luke 18. You'll hear one's testimony.
Here's a Pharisee's testimony. And he was sincere. He was telling
the truth. In Luke 18, verse 11. Well, Luke 18, 10. Two men went
up into the temple to pray. One a Pharisee. and the other
a publican, and the Pharisee stood, and this is how he prayed. Listen to him. God, I thank Thee. I thank Thee I'm not as other
men are. Outwardly, I'm not an extortioner,
I'm not unjust, I'm not an adulterer. I'm not like this publican. I
fast twice a week. I observe the law, the rule,
not once but twice I give tithes of all that I possess. This is
my righteousness, which consists in an outward observance of laws
and ceremonies and traditions. Matthew 23 is another example
of their righteousness, consisting in external duties and deeds. Matthew 23, verse 25. Our Lord's speaking here. Woe
unto you scribes and Pharisees. See, he's talking about these
special religious people. He says you're hypocrites. You
may clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within
you're full of extortion and excess. Verse 27. Woe unto you scribes
and Pharisees. You're hypocrites. You're like
a whited tombstone. sepulchre, mausoleum, you appear,
you indeed appear beautiful outward, but within you're full of dead
men's bones. So that's number one, their righteousness was,
it lay in external observance of law. Secondly, their religion
and righteousness was not performed with a view to obeying God. That
wasn't the motive, to obey God, or even to give God glory. But
their outward performance of these duties and religious deeds
was for men's applause. To merit praise, the praise of
men. Let me show you that Matthew
6, just over one page. Matthew 6. This is a description
of their motive for their duties and deeds. Take heed, Matthew
6.1. But you do not your alms before men to be seen of them.
Otherwise you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Therefore when you do alms, do not sound the trumpet before
thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues." Who are the
hypocrites? Those men he talked about a while
ago. In the street, they do that that
they may have the glory of men. They'd ask them if you'd have
their reward. Look at verse 5. And when you
pray, don't be like the hypocrites, the scribes and Pharisees. They
love to pray. Oh, they love to pray standing
in the synagogue, in the street corners, that they may be seen
of men. And then Matthew 23 again. Let's listen to our Lord. Matthew
23, verse 2 through 5. He says, verse 2, Matthew 23,
the scribes and Pharisees. sit in Moses' seat. All therefore whatsoever they
bid you observe, that observe. These men are teaching the scriptures,
the scribes and the Pharisees, the rulers of the Jews. What
they, Christ is saying to these Jews, what they command you to
observe, observe. The Lord's Passover, the Sabbath
day, the first fruits, the feast of the tabernacles, all these
things they command you to observe, do it. But do not after their works.
They say and do not. Don't imitate them. Listen. They bind heavy burdens and grievous
to be born, lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves
will not move them with one of their fingers. Their works they
do to be seen of men. They make broad their phylacteries.
They enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the uppermost
rooms at the feast, the chief seats in the synagogue, greetings
in the marketplace, to be called of me and master, master. You
see, that's their righteousness. All right, the third thing. First,
they observe the external observance of love, not from the sincere
heart. Secondly, their religion, their
righteousness was performed with one view. Men's praise, men's
applause. Thirdly, and here's a condemning
thing, their righteousness concerned itself with lesser matters. Lesser
matters. They neglected the weightier
matters, the important matters of God's love. Like judgment,
and mercy, and faith, and love. I'll show you that Matthew 23
again. Matthew 23, their righteousness, they neglected the weightier
matters, they hammered on lesser matters. He says here in verse
23, Matthew 23, were these scribes and Pharisees? You never could,
you paid tithe of mint, every little This is even the herbs
that was in their home. They paid tithes, strict tithes
on every little thing, the lesser matters. Anise, cumin, you've
omitted the weightier matters of the law. Judgment, mercy,
and faith. These ought you to have done
tithing. Sure, it was in effect then.
It was a commandment of God then. They tithed 10% of everything
for the Levites. for the storehouse. He said,
do that. But don't leave there the undone.
And that's what they did. Their righteousness consists
in the lesser matters. They were careful to wash their
hands after every meal and things like that. Lesser matters. And
they totally neglected the weightier matters of the law. Now here's
the fourth mark of their righteousness. And this is the This is perhaps
their greatest error. Their righteousness, and today's
error, their righteousness was based on their interpretation
of the law. They had the advantage of the
people, see, they were teachers of the law. People, most of them
didn't even have scripture. But these men wrote the scriptures
out, translated, taught the scriptures, interpreted. And they interpreted
God's law according to their own capabilities to keep it.
Like I told you a few weeks ago. A fella told me one time, he
said, I can jump over a barn. I said, you can jump over a barn?
He said, yeah. Let me build a barn. I built
it about that high. And I'll leap over it with room
to spare. And that's what these fellows did. They interpreted
the law. This is the reason Salatarsus,
the Pharisee, could be blameless. Turn to Philippians 3 and listen
to him. That's what he said, I was blameless. Whose law? Well, they called
it God's law, but it was their interpretation of God's law.
He says in Philippians 3, verse 6, Well, verse 5, I've circumcised
the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew of Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, the strictest,
straightest, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching
the righteousness which is in the law. I blame this. Yeah, but he was walking according
to his interpretation of the law. That's what these Pharisees
did. Their interpretation of God's law was so short, and so
barren and so empty. That's the reason their righteousness
was so corrupt. And I'll tell you today, people
are interpreting the laws concerning abortion, concerning divorce,
concerning homosexuality. They're interpreting all these
laws themselves. They're not interpreting the
law according to God's Word. And that's the reason they're
getting so broad with these things. They do what they want to do.
Everybody does that which is right in his own eyes. That's
what scripture says. Every man did that which was
right in his own eyes, his own interpretation. Let me give you
an example. Our Lord condemned these men
in Mark chapter 7. He gives us, our Lord gives us
a good example here of their interpretation of the law in
Mark 7. In Mark 7, let's look at this,
Mark 7, verse 5. Then the Pharisees and the scribes,
they ask him, why walk not your disciples according to the tradition
of the elders, that they eat bread with unwashing hands? Isn't
that amazing? These men whose hearts were so
full of theft and covetousness and wickedness, that they're
worried about a man washing his hands. And the Lord said to him,
Why don't you put in your mouth the apology of what comes out
of your heart? And he answered and said to them, Where hath
Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people
honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
However, albeit in vain, do they worship me, teaching for doctrines
and commandments of men. interpretation of the law by
men. Laying aside the commandments of God now, you hold the tradition
of men as the washing of pots and cups and many other such
things like things you do. And he said to them, full well
you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your own
tradition. And here's an example. Moses
said to you, honor your father and your mother. That's what
Moses said, who so cursed or neglected father and mother that
he died to death. This honoring the parents was
not only in word and deed, but providing for them in old age,
providing for them in poverty, providing for their needs, honoring
the mother and father and providing for their needs in their old
age. Well, these Pharisees got around that. Verse 11, but you
say, If a man shall say to his father and mother, his father
and mother comes to him for help. They're hungry. They don't have
enough food or clothing or some other thing in the house. They
need some help. They come to this man for help, this Pharisee
or religious man. If a man shall say to his father
and mother, it's Corban. It's what? It's a gift. It's
a gift. That is to say, it's a gift.
by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me." In other words,
I can't give you anything because this is a gift. Well, he's free,
he doesn't have to help them. What's he talking about? Well,
here it is. Here's the way around God's commandment. If you do
not wish to share what you have with your mother and father,
your parents, tell them that you have given your estate to
God. You have willed everything to
God and to the work of the Lord. Then you don't have to share
it with them. Tell them it's a gift. Tell them you've first
given to God and you don't have anything left for them. And you're
free. Our Lord said that to these men.
That's the way they, what they did to God's law. When they need
help, just tell them, I'm sorry, I've given it all to God. I've
already given my tithes this week and I've got nothing left
for you. And so you're free, because they can't touch it if
it's in the temple. So then, our Lord declares the true sense
of the moral law. That's what we're going to look
at now. Verse 20, let's read it again. I say unto you, except
your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven.
And their righteousness was based on their interpretation of the
law. Now listen to the next verse.
Here's the law. You've heard it was said by them
of old time, this is God's law, thou shalt not kill. Whosoever
shall kill shall be in danger of judgment. In other words,
you can't take a sword and run a man through, take a hatchet
and cut his head off. You can't poison him, you can't
kill him. But I say to you, here's the law of God. That whosoever
is angry with his brother, without a cause, shall be in danger of
the judgment. Whosoever shall say to his brother, vain fellow,
he's getting madder now, he's angry, then he's stupid, stupid
fellow, you're stupid, be in danger of the council. But whosoever
shall be so angry, he says, you fool. That man's in danger of
hell fire. He hasn't killed anybody. He
has in his heart. His heart's full of hatred. That's
where the law of God is interpreted. And we're all guilty of that.
Therefore, even when you're worshiping God, listen, if you're going
to live by the law, don't interpret it. I ain't killed anybody, not
lately anyway. Therefore, if you bring your
gift to the altar, and you remember your brother has ought against
you, something in the past, you just leave your gift there. And
you go your way and be reconciled to him, and then you're coming
off of you again. Even this, your enemy. Agree
with your enemy. Agree with your adversary. Don't
carry on a quarrel. Agree with him. Quickly. While
you're in the way with him. Lest at any time the adversary
deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the
officer, you be cast into prison. And I say unto you, thou shalt
by no means come out this, till you've paid the uttermost poverty.
Now that's the interpretation of I shall not kill. That's the
law. No anger, no hatred, no malice,
no grudge. Love. Him as you love yourself. You've heard it said by them
of old times, I shall not commit adultery. I say unto you, this
is what, this is adultery, this is what scripture teaches. As
far as that commandment's concerned, I say ye, whosoever looketh on
a woman or a man, in the case of a woman, to lust, a desire, already they've committed
adultery. Doesn't have to be in an act,
doesn't have to be a deed, just a thought, just a desire. And here's how far you go to
keep from doing that. Like Job said, I've made a covenant
with my eyes. If you write off injury, pluck
it out. Cast it from you, whatever it takes. If you're going to
live by the law, it's profitable for you that one of your members
perish, not that your whole body perishes. The law says do it.
Don't think about it. Do it. Obey it. Don't even have
a desire If your right hand offends you, cut it off, cast it from
you. If it's possible for one of your members to perish, then
let not the whole body be cast into hell. All right, here's
the law concerning divorce. Verse 31, It hath been said,
Christ said, Whosoever puts away his wife, let him give her a
right in the divorcement. But I say to you, Whosoever shall
put away his wife's saving for one cause, impurity, immorality,
causeth her to commit adultery, and whosoever marry her, this
divorce, he lives in adultery. Turn to Mark 10, Mark chapter
10. And this is today, this is just
a common practice. People don't get married today
with any thought of spending the rest of their lives together,
though they vow to do so, but they don't plan to. In Mark 10
verse 2, And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife, tempting him? He said,
What Moses commands you. They said, Moses suffered to
write a bill of divorce and put her away. Jesus answered and
said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote this precept.
But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave
to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. So then there are
no more two, but one. Wherefore what God hath joined
together, let no man put asunder." So everybody in here that's been
divorced, if you're going to try to gain God's favor by the
law, you're already lost. You've got a hopeless situation
on your hands, because the law doesn't give you any grounds
whatsoever for divorce. Verse 33, this is the law, this
is what God's law says. Again, you have heard this has
been said by them of old times, thou shalt not forswear thyself,
but shalt perform unto the Lord thy oath. I say unto you, swear
not at all. Don't swear at all, neither by
heaven, it's God's throne over the earth, it's God's footstool,
neither by Jerusalem, it's the city of the great king, Neither
shall you swear by your head, because you can't make one hair
white or black. Here's the only thing that we'll
have permission to say, yes and no. Let your communication be
yes or no. Whatever is more than that, you
see. We got enforced it with a little
exaggeration though, haven't we? A little swearing, a little,
so help me God, something like that, you know. Yes and no, that's
the law. You've heard it said by them,
you've heard that it has been said an eye for an eye, tooth
for tooth, get even. Get even. But I say unto you,
don't resist evil, don't get even, don't get vengeance. Whosoever
shall smite you on the right cheek, just let him hit the other
one too. A man will sue you at the law and take away your coat,
let him have your cloak. Man compels you to go a mile,
makes you go a mile, go with him too. Give to him that asketh
thee, and from him that would borrow thee, turn not away. That's
God's law. That's written Christ says it's
fulfilled on two principles. Love God with all your heart,
neighbor as yourself. You've heard it has been said,
thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemies. I say
unto you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do
good to them that hate you. Pray for them which despitefully
use you and persecute you. That you may be the children
of your Father which is in heaven. He maketh his Son to rise on
the evil, on the good, sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.
If you love them that love you, what reward have you? The publicans
do that. If you salute your brethren only,
what do you more than others? Your publicans do that. Be perfect. As your Father which is in heaven
is perfect. But I'll tell you, you know when
I read that, our Lord's interpretation of the law, two scriptures come
to mind. The first one is Galatians 4.
This scripture comes to my mind. Galatians 4. Galatians 4, verse 20 and 21. In Galatians 4.20, Paul says,
I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice. I
stand in doubt of you. Who's he talking to? These Galatians
who wanted to get back under the law. Tell me, he said, here's
the scripture, you that desire to be under the law, don't you
hear it? You want back under this law? I don't. Free from the law. That's a condition. Jesus has
bled as remission. I don't want under that law.
Not for acceptance, not for salvation, not for recognition, not for
any reason. I can't handle it. I've already
broken it several times tonight. Now here's the other scripture
that comes to my mind. Psalm 40. Here's the other one. Jim read
this a moment ago. When I look at the law of God
and hear my Lord, interpreted, not like these scribes and Pharisees
who whittled it down and made it within their range of obedience. Psalm 40 verse 12, innumerable,
innumerable evils have encompassed me about. My iniquities have
taken hold of me so that I am not able to look up. Didn't you
feel that way when you were reading what he said? That's the reason the publica
wasn't so much as lift his eyes to heaven. He's people that are...
He's smoked on his brains. God, help me. I can't even look up. My iniquities
are more than the hairs on my head. Therefore my heart fails
me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver
me. O Lord, help me. Help me. Hmm. Well, what's the effect of a
right understanding of God's love? How did it affect you?
How did it affect you? Let me show you how it affected
Saul of Tarsus. And I read to you what he thought
about himself. Blameless, straightest sect of our religion. Romans
7. One day, The Spirit of God brought
the holy law of God in its correct spiritual meaning and power to
his heart. And listen to his response. Romans
7 verse 7. What shall I say then? Is the
law sin? God forbid it. Nay, I have not
known sin, but by the law. I know what sin is. When I read
Matthew 5, I know what sin is. You just say, I know what sin
is. I wouldn't have known sin but by the law. I've not known
lust except the law said thou shalt not covet. Well he read
that a thousand times but one day he found out what it meant. He found out what it meant. He
read thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt
not bear falsehood. He read all those. But he interpreted
them himself. Then one day the Lord interpreted
it, and what happened? Sin, taken occasion by the commandment,
wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. Without the law, sin was dead.
Here's what the Amplified Bible says on verse 8. Sin, finding
opportunity in the commandment to express itself, got a hold
on me, and aroused and stimulated all kinds of forbidden desires,
covetousness, and lust, Without the law, sin was dead. Dharma.
Look at verse 9. I was alive without the law,
but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. Sin, the law killed me, Paul. Just killed me. Just took all
the life out of me. Just stripped me, broke me, put
me down in the dust. And the commandment, verse 10,
that was ordained to life, that's what our Lord said, do this and
live. That's what he said to Adam, obey me and live. The commandment
was ordained to life. What did it do? It killed me.
You can't save anybody by preaching law. Judgment either. The commandment
which is ordained to life, I found to be unto death. Sin, taken
occasion by the commandment, deceived me, it slew me. Now
the law is holy. It's holy, it is, we just read
it. It's holy, it's just, it's good. It's God's law. Was then that which is good made
death to me? God forbid, it's sin. It killed
me. It wasn't the law of sin. It
was my violation of the law. Sin, that it might appear sin
working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment
might become what it is. We've whitewashed it. We've patted
people on the back. We've supported people in their
rebellion. It's all right. It's all right.
I know. I understand. I'm just like you. That don't
make it right. And that's what we've done. But
when we read this like it's supposed to be read, sin becomes exceeding
sinful. It becomes exceeding sinful. We know the law is spiritual,
but me, I'm carnal. I'm sold under sin. That which
I do, I know not. I don't agree with it. What I
would, that do I not. What I hate, that's what I do.
If then I do that which I would not, I consent to the law, it's
good, it's good, leave it like it is, don't try to change it,
don't whittle it down, don't lower its demand, leave it where
it is, it's high as the heaven. Now then, it's no more I that
do it, it's sin that dwelleth in me. I know in, that is in
my flesh, I know in me, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.
The will is present with me. How to perform that which is
good, I don't find it in me. For the good that I would, I
do not, and the evil which I would not, I do. Now if I do that,
I would not, it's no more I that do it, it's sin that dwells in
me. Sin doesn't dominate us, it doesn't
reign over us, but it does remain in us, and will till we lay aside
this body. Verse 22, I delight in the law
of God. Don't you love that law? Don't
you love his interpretation? Which do you want? The Pharisee's
interpretation of the Lord. I like his, don't you? Perfect
holiness. Someday I'm going to be that
way. You ought to. Some of these days. There's not
even going to be a hint of sin. A thought of sin. Imagination
of sin. I delight in the law of God,
but I see another law, verse 23, warring against the law of
my mind, bringing me into captivity of the law of sin, which is my
members. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who's going to deliver
me from this body of death? I've got a deliverer. Deliver
him, I found a ransom, God said. Set him free. I thank God through
Jesus Christ my Lord. So then with the mind I serve
the law of God. With the flesh the law of sin.
I want to read one more thing in Psalm 40. I read that verse
a while ago. What effect does the law have?
Well, you know, Paul said, let every mouth be stopped. And I
know, I read that a while ago, every one of us justify ourselves.
We say, you don't know the circumstances. It don't have nothing to do with
it. It don't have nothing to do with it. That's right. Circumstances have nothing to
do with it. It's God. And he's right. Let God be true
and every man alive. And we even sin when we read
that and justify ourselves in any way. But the people I run
with know it's not a Jew. It's not them. It's like Brother
Shanks. He had a Christian school one
time out in Texas. I went out there and preached.
Had about 350 students. First grade through high school.
And a mother put her boy in that school. Cost a pretty good bit
to go to that school. And after about two or three
weeks, she called the office, wanted to speak to the principal,
Brother Shanks. She said, now, Brother Shanks, she said, you're
not going to let my boy get with the wrong crowd, are you? He
said, Mother, your boy is the wrong crowd. He's not with them. He's it.
And that's us. We don't blame others. We're
it. We're it. But here's that other verse,
Psalm 40. Verse 12, you remember, when I read God's law, innumerable
evils, my neck would just get hold of me. They're more than
the hairs on my head. But look at verse 5. But many,
O Lord, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy
thoughts which are to us with them. They cannot be reckoned
up in order to thee. If I would declare and speak
of them, your grace and mercy and love, there more than can
be known. His grace outnumbers my sin. Where sin abounded, grace did
much more than that. Isn't that beautiful? That's
where sin abounded, where innumerable, they're innumerable, more than
the hairs on their head. But His grace is far more innumerable. His mercies are greater than
my sins.