From Rituals to Relationship: Embracing True Righteousness

if you have since our Lord you've murdered him in your spirit and in your heart but they never thought of it as long as they hadn't actually committed physical murder they were guilty they were righteous the same you remember with adultery thank God says the Pharisee that I'm not like these other people walking the streets of London or whatever they are now I've never committed adultery thank God my record is clear wait a minute since Christ you may be clear as regards the letter but what of the spirit have you ever looked at a woman to lust have you have a fondle that idea in your mind inherent imagination if you have you've already committed adultery with her in the sight of God but you see they didn't do this it was the letter of the law and as they had not broken the letter of the law they believed they were righteous they never sinned they did good what more all is well all righteous I came not to call people like that since Christ they are not the people I'm interested in these are the people who are utterly hopeless these are outside they don't need me they don't see any need of me they don't need any physician they're all they're righteous [00:23:01]

take the other aspect of their review of religion sacrifice they'll unlearn what that meaneth I will have mercy not sacrifice I've expanded it to you let me apply it it means this using their whole view of religion is again something external and our last how many such I wonder other in the church today this is what religion means to them external observances going to the temple with your offerings and sacrifices oh the prophets in the Old Testament one after the other keep on saying that to the children of Israel this is no good DAV do you remember said it there in that 51st Psalm that we read together at the beginning it's the thing that said everywhere of necessity it must be said thou delight us not in burnt offerings the sacrifice of God are a broken spirit not simply burnt offerings and sacrifices not killing your animals and draining away the blood and taking the meats and the portions that you commanded that's not it that's not God's Way but that was the way of the Pharisees this externalized mechanized religion [00:27:20]

as long as you go to a place of worship Sunday morning you're all right go to the mass alright what you like follow certain forms and 7on is nothing more is demanded and you see they can be very zealous about this the Pharisees were extremely zealous people and I know many people who are very zealous in this respect today there's no application in their personal life they never think about that at all as long as you come to this one service some of them don't even go every Sunday Easter Sunday morning prayers is enough puts you right or if you may go a bit off now that puts you right for the day and you're right with God do they ever stop to think about sin and the and God and his judgment and Christ and his death never for a moment they've never even thought of it they have no conception as to what it's all about their idea is that if you turn up to the service you've done your duty as it when that puts you right now that was exactly the attitude of these people sacrifice [00:28:46]

they're amazed and astonished that our Lord should allow publicans and sinners to sit and eat with him and with his disciples they're amazed at this they say into his disciples why eateth your master with publicans and sinners their writer souls were disturbed and upset at this why well because from their standpoint publicans and sinners were entirely outside the pale they were godless they were real religious they were vile living they were unrighteous and there was nothing for them and here's a man who claims to be a religious teacher mixing with them the thing is all wrong this in religion has nothing to do with people like that is for good people religion is for moral people religion is for religious people it's got nothing to do with publicans and sinners they despised them and they saw no hope for them and they were offended by the Son of God because he had anything whatsoever to do with them [00:28:14]

have you any hope to give for the failures in life is there a member of your family perhaps or fallen into terrible sin drink or something worse what's your attitude what's your attitude to the moral failures that you know is it one of simple thing is it one of understanding have you got anything to give them have you any hope to offer them or is it sure impatience is it one of a kind of righteous indignation that you feel them let the family down let you down let somebody else down are you impatient and now you know them and have nothing to give them you tell them to pull themselves together but they can't pull themselves together have you anything to give them now the whole tragedy about the Pharisee this type of men with whom I'm dealing whether is in the church or outside the church is that he fails completely when you confront him by the failures of life the man who's lost his character a woman who's lost her chastity somebody who's all into [00:29:46]

we must in this type of person can't help their daugther why not well for this good reason you see all they've got is what they've done themselves they say I've lived a good life I've had to use my willpower I've had occurred myself I've had to say no I've had to take myself in him it's been a great fight but I've done it and I've succeeded in going the straight in the narrow way I haven't fallen into sin and because they've done it himself they obviously have got nothing to give anybody else you may have a very high and a very strong willpower but you can't give that to another you may have a very high moral code but you can't implant that into the mind of another here you're dealing with somebody who hasn't got a strong willpower in fact it's as weak as water this poor person has decided like you many a time never again to do that thing but when he or she meets a certain type of person gone in a moment it's just hopeless they want to be bet but they can't and all this type of person can say to them is well you should pull yourself together you know it's wrong why don't you make pull yourself [00:31:36]

the first characteristic is that they know that they are sick they that are whole have no need of the physician but they that are sick what's he talking about what he means is this he is interested in people who know that they're morally and spiritually ill the people that he's come to call and in whom he's really interested are those who know that there's a running saw in their souls the people he's interested in other people know that they're weak that they're diseased that they're twisted that they're perverted that there's something wrong in their very innermost paths they're the people described by David as he talks about himself in that 51st town they're people who troubled about themselves they say isn't that a doctor isn't there a physician isn't there somebody who can help me somewhere I'm an ill man I'm sick what do they mean by that will they say I've got no strength to will is present with me but how to perform I [00:34:18]

repentance just means sorrow for sin a realization that you're an evil person that there's no good in you at all that in you in your flesh dwelleth no good thing to repent means this that you not only recognize that you are a sinner that you condemn yourself for it that you admit it to yourself you admit it to God you say that you deserve punishment far from presenting a sermon about sin you say it's absolutely true far from feeling annoyed because I say that you're rotten at the heart you say you're perfectly right if you only knew more about me you'd say it's still more you've got nothing to say for yourself that's repentance the man who repents is a man who says yes I'm a vile sinner wash me with hyssop create within me a clean heart repentance means that you've got a broken heart because of your sinfulness your unworthiness you are wrong attitude towards God repentance [00:41:14]

the man who's truly repented the man was aware that he sickened that he's a sinner and who repents he's a man who sees absolutely clearly that it doesn't matter what he does he can never put himself right though my zeal could my zeal no respite now could my tears forever flow oh for sin could not atone now this is absolutely basic my friend this man who is to be blessed by Christ is a man who realizes that he can do nothing at all about his salvation nothing he no longer relies upon his goodness positive and negative he no longer relies upon his own religion he relies upon nothing in himself and nothing that he can do he simply cries out and says Lord be merciful to me a sinner nothing else or with David he puts it have mercy upon me O Lord according to thy loving-kindness according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions he says this will be one hope for me and that is that there is mercy with God and he casts himself upon the mercy of God [00:44:35]

I am come who is the son of God the second person in the blessed Holy Trinity I am come I came from heaven to earth he said to save you to give you the mercy that you need because of your failure I am come I'm come to call you I'm come to tell you that I've taken your sins upon myself that I came into this world in order to die for you I came to receive your punishment that's what happened to me on the cross and because I received your punishment I offer you freely with nothing at all without money and without price the pardon of God the reconciliation to God sonship of God and airship of eternal bliss I am come for you not for that like yourself satisfied men not for that good religious man that me a church member no no I haven't come for him I've come for you whatever you are in your other helplessness and hopelessness in your sickness in your soreness in your depth of sin and shame I've come for you [00:46:00]

he didn't come to tell us to save ourselves he came to save us it's his action that saves us nothing that we do we have the purpose that you to receive it as a free gift it's all in Christ it's all his action he's come he lived he died he rose again he's done it and he gives it to you unto me as a free gift and because it is the free gift of God's grace you can never be too bad for this he doesn't ask a hippie from you not a farthing nothing he doesn't ask a scrap of righteousness he gives it all and all he asks of you is that realizing your need your vileness you're a desert of hell that your father did every claim on the love of God realizing all that that you believe him when he tells you that he has come in order to call you to repentance and then to give you the forgiveness that you need he's come to wash you to cleanse in your inner thoughts as well as external and to make you a child of God and an air of his own eternal glory [00:48:34]