Exceeding Righteousness: Embracing Scripture's Authority
Summary
### Summary
In today's sermon, we delved into Matthew 5:17-20, where Jesus emphasizes the importance of righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus clarifies that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it, underscoring the enduring authority of Scripture. The sermon highlighted the necessity of understanding and adhering to God's standards rather than creating our own.
I shared a personal story about nearly failing a college course due to following the wrong syllabus, drawing a parallel to how we might miss the kingdom of heaven by following the wrong standards. Jesus' thesis in the Sermon on the Mount is clear: our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. This means not just outward compliance but an inward transformation that aligns with God's will.
We explored the dangers of presentism, where modern culture dismisses ancient wisdom, and how this mindset can lead us away from God's truth. Historical examples like Marcionism and the Jefferson Bible illustrate the perils of editing Scripture to fit personal beliefs. Jesus' teaching calls us to accept the full authority of Scripture and apply it to our lives.
The sermon also touched on the importance of not just knowing but doing God's word. James 2:19-23 reminds us that faith without works is dead. Our status in the kingdom of heaven is tied to our obedience to God's word. Finally, we discussed the necessity of receiving God's grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit to live out this righteousness. Philippians 2:13 assures us that God works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose.
### Key Takeaways
1. Accept the Authority of Scripture: Jesus emphasized that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. This underscores the enduring authority of Scripture. We must accept the Bible as the ultimate standard for righteousness and not attempt to edit or dismiss parts of it to fit our modern sensibilities. [20:59]
2. Aim to Apply the Scripture: It's not enough to merely believe in the authority of Scripture; we must also apply it in our daily lives. Jesus highlighted that those who do and teach even the least of the commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Our status in the kingdom is directly linked to our obedience. [27:53]
3. Beware of Presentism: Modern culture often dismisses ancient wisdom, thinking we are morally superior due to advancements in technology and science. This mindset can lead us away from God's truth. Historical examples like Marcionism and the Jefferson Bible show the dangers of editing Scripture to fit personal beliefs. [06:56]
4. Faith and Works are Inseparable: James 2:19-23 reminds us that faith without works is dead. Our faith must be demonstrated through our actions. It's not enough to profess belief; we must live it out. This is how we attain the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. [32:14]
5. Receive God's Grace and the Holy Spirit: True righteousness comes from God and is made possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Philippians 2:13 assures us that God works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose. This divine help enables us to live out the standards set by Jesus. [41:10]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[01:34] - Personal Story: The Wrong Syllabus
[04:17] - Jesus' Thesis: Exceeding Righteousness
[06:56] - The Danger of Presentism
[08:30] - Historical Examples of Editing Scripture
[13:46] - The Fallacy of Setting Our Own Standards
[18:08] - Paul's Perspective on Righteousness
[20:59] - Accepting the Authority of Scripture
[27:53] - Aiming to Apply the Scripture
[32:14] - Faith and Works: James' Teaching
[35:04] - Exceeding the Righteousness of the Pharisees
[41:10] - Receiving God's Grace and the Holy Spirit
[44:00] - Conclusion and Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
- Matthew 5:17-20: "Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
### Observation Questions
1. What does Jesus say about His purpose concerning the law and the prophets in Matthew 5:17?
2. According to Matthew 5:19, what determines whether someone is called great or least in the kingdom of heaven?
3. What is the significance of Jesus stating that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees to enter the kingdom of heaven? [05:39]
4. How does the sermon illustrate the concept of "presentism" and its dangers? [06:56]
### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it important to accept the authority of Scripture as Jesus emphasized in Matthew 5:17-18? How does this impact our daily lives? [20:59]
2. What does it mean for our righteousness to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees? How can this be achieved according to the sermon? [35:04]
3. How does the sermon explain the relationship between faith and works, particularly in the context of James 2:19-23? [32:14]
4. What role does the Holy Spirit play in helping us live out the standards set by Jesus, as discussed in Philippians 2:13? [41:10]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current view of the Bible. Do you accept it as the ultimate authority in your life? If not, what steps can you take to align your view with Jesus' teaching? [20:59]
2. Think about a time when you followed your own standards instead of God's. How did that impact your spiritual life? What can you do to ensure you are following God's standards moving forward? [05:39]
3. How can you actively apply the teachings of Scripture in your daily life? Identify one specific commandment you can focus on this week and plan how you will live it out. [27:53]
4. Have you ever dismissed ancient wisdom because it seemed outdated? How can you guard against the mindset of presentism in your spiritual journey? [06:56]
5. In what ways can you demonstrate your faith through works? Identify a specific action you can take this week to live out your faith more fully. [32:14]
6. How can you rely more on the Holy Spirit to help you live according to God's standards? What practical steps can you take to invite the Holy Spirit's guidance in your life? [41:10]
7. Reflect on the personal story shared in the sermon about following the wrong syllabus. How can this story serve as a warning to ensure you are following God's standards and not your own? [01:34]
Devotional
Day 1: The Enduring Authority of Scripture
Jesus emphasized that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. This underscores the enduring authority of Scripture. We must accept the Bible as the ultimate standard for righteousness and not attempt to edit or dismiss parts of it to fit our modern sensibilities. Jesus' words in Matthew 5:17-20 remind us that the law remains relevant and authoritative. By fulfilling the law, Jesus demonstrated its importance and showed us how to live in accordance with God's will.
In a world where cultural norms and values are constantly shifting, it is crucial to anchor ourselves in the unchanging truth of Scripture. The Bible provides a solid foundation for our faith and guides us in living a life that pleases God. Accepting the authority of Scripture means submitting to its teachings and allowing it to shape our beliefs and actions. [20:59]
Psalm 119:89-90 (ESV): "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast."
Reflection: In what ways have you been tempted to dismiss or edit parts of Scripture to fit your personal beliefs or modern sensibilities? How can you recommit to accepting the full authority of God's Word in your life today?
Day 2: Living Out the Scriptures
It's not enough to merely believe in the authority of Scripture; we must also apply it in our daily lives. Jesus highlighted that those who do and teach even the least of the commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Our status in the kingdom is directly linked to our obedience. This means that our faith should be evident in our actions, and we should strive to live according to God's standards.
Applying Scripture involves more than just intellectual assent; it requires practical obedience. This can be challenging, especially when cultural norms conflict with biblical teachings. However, Jesus calls us to a higher standard of righteousness that goes beyond outward compliance to an inward transformation. By living out the Scriptures, we demonstrate our commitment to God's will and reflect His character to the world. [27:53]
James 1:22-25 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."
Reflection: What specific commandment or teaching from Scripture have you struggled to apply in your daily life? How can you take practical steps to live out this teaching starting today?
Day 3: The Danger of Presentism
Modern culture often dismisses ancient wisdom, thinking we are morally superior due to advancements in technology and science. This mindset can lead us away from God's truth. Historical examples like Marcionism and the Jefferson Bible show the dangers of editing Scripture to fit personal beliefs. Presentism, the tendency to judge past events by modern standards, can cause us to overlook the timeless truths found in the Bible.
By recognizing the value of ancient wisdom, we can avoid the pitfalls of presentism and remain grounded in God's truth. The Bible contains eternal principles that transcend cultural and historical contexts. Embracing these principles helps us navigate the complexities of modern life with a biblical perspective. [06:56]
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 (ESV): "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, 'See, this is new'? It has been already in the ages before us."
Reflection: In what ways have you allowed modern cultural norms to influence your understanding of Scripture? How can you seek to understand and apply the timeless truths of the Bible in your life today?
Day 4: Faith and Works are Inseparable
James 2:19-23 reminds us that faith without works is dead. Our faith must be demonstrated through our actions. It's not enough to profess belief; we must live it out. This is how we attain the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. True faith is evidenced by a life of obedience and good works, which flow from a transformed heart.
The relationship between faith and works is essential to understanding biblical righteousness. While we are saved by grace through faith, genuine faith will naturally produce good works. These works are not a means of earning salvation but a response to the grace we have received. By living out our faith through our actions, we bear witness to the transformative power of the gospel. [32:14]
Titus 3:8 (ESV): "The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people."
Reflection: How can you demonstrate your faith through your actions today? What specific good work can you commit to doing this week as an expression of your faith?
Day 5: Receiving God's Grace and the Holy Spirit
True righteousness comes from God and is made possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Philippians 2:13 assures us that God works in us to will and to act according to His good purpose. This divine help enables us to live out the standards set by Jesus. We cannot achieve the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees on our own; we need God's grace and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.
Receiving God's grace involves acknowledging our dependence on Him and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. As we yield to the Spirit's leading, we are transformed from the inside out and equipped to live in accordance with God's will. This process of sanctification is ongoing and requires our continual cooperation with the Holy Spirit. [41:10]
Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV): "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to rely more on God's grace and the Holy Spirit? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you to live out God's standards today?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "If we don't know what we're going for, if we don't know what we're supposed to do, we could actually miss entrance into the kingdom of heaven. This is the topic. This is what Jesus is saying. The thesis is that we're going to miss entrance into the kingdom of heaven. The thesis statement is if less yours, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you won't make it in his whole purpose of this sermon is to tell you how to make it in, how to live the life that makes it in." [05:39] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "We think, that because we're advanced, because we're modern, because we are contemporary, we have advancements in science, advancements in technology, advancements in learning, that we are therefore morally superior to historical generations. That we're better than them because we have an advantage that they don't have. Or we have tapped into things that they don't have access to. As a result, we think of ourselves as more evolved. We're more progressive. We're more intelligent. We have more money. We have more blessing. We have more stuff. We have more access. We have more than the Neanderthals of 200 years ago." [07:00] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "There are no shortcuts. There are no back doors into the kingdom of heaven. You can't sidestep the standard of Jesus. I mean, think about it. Do you guys know? I think it was the 1996 Olympics, the USA team, fastest team in the world, four runners running hard as possible, got disqualified from a gold medal. Why? Because one stepped on a line. They were arguably the fastest. Last team we had put forward and they ran the race and won the gold medal, except they didn't. Why? Because they didn't meet the standard. You got to stay in your lane. And they stepped on the line and was disqualified." [16:47] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, you got to find the ones that give you the verse and little opinion, because guess what? In the big scheme of things, my opinion don't matter. Nothing. What matters is what God said. Amen. So you need to know the word of God for yourself, but you gotta, you gotta understand that this is not something to trifle. This is not something that's optional. This is not something for you to pick and choose and edit as you will. This is the word of God." [24:56] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "If you believe that it's God's word, if you want to enter in the kingdom of heaven, and I kind of have to say that straightforward and point blank and kind of in your face. Why? Because in our touchy feely society, your, your truth is what you want it to be, but that's not true. That's not accurate. No one in, in historical generations will be like, yeah, your reality is real. Punch you in the face and say, well, I didn't hit you. I mean, that, that's nonsense. My reality is that, no, it's not your perspective might be that, but reality is reality. And you don't decide that you don't determine that the standard has been set not by you." [26:20] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "Jesus said, whoever therefore breaks one of these, one of the least of these commandments and teaches men. So shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Listen, it's critical that we accept the authority of God's word, but that in and of itself is not enough. Jesus then focused on the doing, the applying the obedience required to keep the scripture. What did he say? He said, whoever does and teaches, did you catch that? What was first right. I mean, how many of us have tried to use, uh, you know, we knew what the right thing to do was, but we didn't do it right. You could tell somebody what the right thing is. It's kind of like, you know, don't do as I do. Just do what I say. Jesus said that ain't cutting it. That ain't enough. It's what you do matter." [27:53] (62 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Jesus said, for I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Now Jesus makes what people call an antithetical or basically a contrasting statement here. He does that a lot. He says, well, I tell you this or you've heard this, but I'm going to tell you this. I, you, you think it's this way, but I'm going to tell you it's this way. This is what he's doing. He's setting us up. He's trying to express the importance of believing and practicing the scriptures, but then he's pulling out the best example that anyone can think of the scribes and the Pharisees and says, unless you do better than these guys, you ain't making it." [35:04] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Jesus said, I didn't come to get rid of this. I didn't come to invalidate this. I didn't come to do away with the word of God. He said, not even one pen stroke, not even one punctuation mark. He said, you look at this and you look at even the, the dots on the I's and the cross of the T's. I ain't getting rid of none of it. I'm not editing, editing any of it. It all matters. This is Jesus talking. You would think that if he came to give a new way, he would say, I'm getting rid of the old, but he didn't say that. He held the Old Testament scriptures in the highest esteem is the word of God." [20:59] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "We need the righteousness that comes from God, not our ability, not our strength, not by us trying to keep the standard in our best power in our best way because we've all tried that and we know it don't work. Jesus saying unless you learn to receive the spirit of God, unless you learn to receive help from God, unless you receive that new covenant in your heart that doesn't depend on the arm of flesh or your capability or your reserves or your tenacity when it doesn't depend on you but it depends wholly on your response to me in partnership with me then you won't enter the kingdom of God." [39:51] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "So if we want to attain the resurrection for the dead and enter into the kingdom of heaven, then we also have to receive the righteousness that is by God, in Christ through faith. So let's look at this thesis of Jesus's sermon on the mount so we can begin to discover the standard that we have to meet. Okay, so if you're taking notes, point number one is going to be accept the authority of scripture. We need to accept the authority of scripture." [19:29] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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