Series Big Idea: "Christ's followers find their identity and mission in their covenant relationship with God"

Sermon Big Idea: "Sinners can only be justified by God's perfect righteousness credited to believers in Christ"

Key Scripture (Matthew 5:17-20)

“Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” It has been said that Matthew 5 must be understood in two contexts. First, it is part of Jesus Sermon on the Mount and must be understood from the entire context of the sermon and secondly, it must be understood within the whole context of the gospel of Matthew. Many have stated that Jesus’s thesis for His whole sermon could be boiled down to Matthew 5:20 which I laid out for you in the first sentence of this paragraph.

(Matthew 5:17-20)

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus' words here in chapter 5 would have hit the religious leaders of His day like a sledgehammer. Was Jesus anti-law? That’s what it probably sounded like to them. He quickly guaranteed His hearers that, no He was not antilaw. He was fulfilling it. He was going to keep and explain the law’s original intention. The Law and the Prophets is the entire Hebrew Scriptures which is our Old Testament.

Jesus was making the law’s original meaning clear. After all, Jesus was its author. He related to the law the way it was originally intended to be understood. But Israel as a nation didn’t understand its full implications and the Pharisees and others twisted their understanding by adding oral laws to the mix.

(Jeremiah 31:31-34 & Ezekiel 36:26-27) are key passages of the Old Testament that help explain a new covenant that would not have just an external standard but one that would be written on the hearts of God’s people. What Jesus was teaching in these verses would become a reality in the people’s lives after His death sealed the new covenant and made this promised internal transformation possible.

Jesus used the words “I assure you” (verse 18) to get the people’s attention to help them understand that Scripture is inerrant and completely trustworthy. He made clear that the smallest stroke of a pen will not pass from the law until all things are accomplished.

Jesus challenged the teachers of the law because they had changed its original meaning therefore putting His people under spiritual bondage. When Jesus used the words, “one of the least of these commands” (verse 19) He wasn’t referring to a specific command, but He was saying, “Don’t mess with or tamper with any of the law.”

Here is where Jesus states the thesis of the remainder of His sermon (chapters 5–7). “Unless your righteousness surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” That is a huge statement. To the everyday Jew, they probably thought He meant that no one could enter heaven. After all, they admired the Pharisees for being the truly holy people. But Jesus said that even they were not good enough. The problem was the heart.

Conclusion

Jesus words, “I tell you,“ Identify Him with being the author of Scripture. He was. He was insisting that His words had all the authority of God Himself. They did. Jesus was challenging false religion. He was saying that no one could be saved by his own righteousness. The law had indicated this from the beginning, but the nation of Israel missed the point (Romans 2:17 – 3:31) (Galatians 3:17-29; 5:3-6). This was a hard pill to swallow, especially for the super law-keeping person. What was the answer? They needed a Savior! Jesus is the standard of righteousness. Jesus is our standard of righteousness.

Jesus was not placing impossible demands on His followers so they could enter heaven. He was talking about the heart. True followers of Christ know they cannot do anything to become righteous enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. They depend on God to work His righteousness in them through His Son Jesus. (Philippians 3:7-11). My friend, come to Jesus and He will give you the rest you are looking for (Matthew 11:28-30).

Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:

Holman Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version Bible

King James Version Bible

Christian Standard Bible

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