Damning Righteousness | Matthew 5:20

Scripture

• Matthew 5:20

About this sermon

Introduction: In the 20th verse we have one of the most startling statements that Jesus ever made. It is a statement that not only explains the series of contrasts that will follow (a contrast between what the people had heard and what true righteousness is), it is a statement that identifies the spiritual condition of scribes and Pharisees. Jesus tells the crowd that unless their righteousness EXCEEDS that of the scribes and the Pharisees, they will NEVER enter the kingdom of heaven. Anyone carefully listening — anyone paying attention — immediately recognizes the implication of Christ’s statement. Jesus just said that the kind of righteousness taught and practiced by the scribes and Pharisees is NOT SUFFICIENT to enter the kingdom of heaven. If the righteousness necessary to enter is GREATER than what they possess, then what they possess is not enough. HIS STATEMENT PLACES THEM OUTSIDE THE KINGDOM. The teachers of the law. The guardians of the law. The experts in the law. The models of law-keeping JESUS SAYS ARE LOST. They have it wrong. For the common man that was shocking. The common person at this time could not imagine anyone being more qualified for the kingdom of heaven that a scribe or a Pharisee. How could men so religious, so knowledgeable, so rigid, to careful to observe external standards such as tithing down to the herbs out of a garden — how could such a person not enter the kingdom of heaven? And this would have not only been startling, but it would also have been FRIGHTENING. IF THEY COULD NOT ENTER THEN WHAT HOPE DID THE COMMON PERSON HAVE? Well, what this sermon makes clear is that what Jesus is calling for is NOT MORE of the same kind of righteousness that the scribes and Pharisees possessed. Jesus is not saying that everybody needed to try harder. Jesus is not saying that those men were on the right track, they just hadn’t done enough. What Jesus is saying is to enter the kingdom of heaven you need an altogether DIFFERENT kind of righteousness. It’s not the DEGREE of the RIGHT KIND of righteousness that is in question. The righteousness that EXCEEDS a scribe’s or Pharisee’s is of an altogether different NATURE. IT IS THE NATURE OF TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS that Jesus is explaining. As we concentrate on Christ’s statement, I want to share 6 observations about what characterized the scribes and Pharisees. As we have already said, verses 17-20 are the entry point into the main theme of Christ’s sermon, but in a very real sense, the rest of the sermon is an explanation of this 20th verse. So, today we look at 6 characteristics of a DAMNING RIGHTEOUSNESS — a righteousness that falls short of the kingdom of heaven. Five characteristics of a righteousness that belongs to the deceived. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES (vs.20) What kind of righteousness characterized the scribes and the Pharisees? As you look at the gospels and what Jesus had to say about these people, it becomes clear that their righteousness was false. It was not a righteousness that God taught. It was not a righteousness that God produced. In fact, their works made clear who their father was, and their father was the devil. And as you examine what Jesus said about them, there are at least 6 characteristics of their false righteousness that stand out. 6 CHARACTERISTICS OF THEIR FALSE RIGHTEOUSNESS This becomes important because following verse 20 Jesus gives six teaching examples. Six times he will take what the people had heard from scribes and Pharisees and contrast it with the truth. Each those examples illustrates what we will talk about today. • THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS MERELY EXTERNAL ESV Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." 14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. Jesus says that they were concerned about justifying themselves before men. They loved what exalted them among men. But Jesus said that “GOD KNOWS YOUR HEARTS.” He also said that what was exalted among men is an ABOMINATION in the sight of God. “YOU ARE EMBRACING WHAT GOD HATES AND IGNORING WHAT GOD SEES.” He contrasts what is external and MEN KNOW with what is in their heart and GOD KNOWS. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was a SURFACE righteousness. It was an EXTERNAL righteousness. They were very careful and scrupulous about what they did OUTWARDLY but not concerned about what kind of people they were INWARDLY. Very concerned about their PUBLIC IMAGE, but not characterized by PRIVATE HOLINESS.