How Are You Doing in the Faith Department?

How Are You Doing in the Faith Department?

Matthew 5:17-20

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  (18) I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter , not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.  (19) Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same 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 that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

There is a lot packed in to these three short verses so let’s look a little closer at it and see what we can learn from Jesus today! 

First of all it is important to notice that Jesus was very clear that we need to follow the law of the Prophets.  He didn’t come to destroy the old testament teachings but He came to fulfill the teachings.  We could spend a lot of time looking at the ways that Jesus fulfilled prophesy by His presence on this earth.  That can be a study by itself so I will hold off for now in writing about it.  But, one way He fulfilled the law was by living a sinless life.  The Pharisee’s made the law about doing righteous acts but do you remember what Jesus told the Pharisee when he asked what greatest commandment was?

                Matthew 22:37

“Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (38) This is the first and greatest commandment. (39) And the second is like it: Love you neighbor as yourself. (40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

There is no question that Jesus fulfilled these laws.  For the Father, he obeyed.  For others, He sacrificed His life on the cross and rose again in three days. 

Now let’s consider what laws might be okay to break---NONE!  Furthermore, Jesus tells us that if we break the least of a command and teach others to do the same, we are least in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus gave us a perfect example in our message yesterday on how we should treat others.  Sometimes we fail at treating them the way we should so we have broken the law of loving our neighbor.  Sometimes in this life we get so busy with everything else that we forget to pray, read our Bible, or in someway fellowship with God.  By doing this we have loved other things more than God.   Anytime we break the law we are most likely involving others in the process whether we know it or not and we are teaching them to do the same.  I have seen the ripple affect happen more than once when someone has made a bad choice, it affects those around them and those far away.  So many times we think that we are only hurting ourselves when in essence we may be hurting those we don’t even know.

Jesus goes on to tell us that we need to keep the commands and teach others to do the same.  Sometimes the only way to teach those commands is to live them out for others to see.  I have heard the right words spoken but the lifestyle did not match the words spoken.  The old saying “actions speak louder than words” is so true.  Sometimes the words are not heard because the actions don’t match the words.  Jesus is very clear when he says that we need to first practice and then teach.  I believe that he purposely mentioned practice before teach.

Now let’s look at the last part of these words,

(20) “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

What is righteousness?  I have heard it described as “right living” and that is what the Pharisees tried to base their entire life on.  But let’s look at Romans 3:21-23L

“But now a righteousness from God apart form the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  (22) This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference.  (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Did you see that?   Righteousness comes from FAITH.  If we do not have faith our right living will do us no more good than it did the Pharisees.  How are you measuring up in the faith department?  Do you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who came to save you from the grasp of sin in your life?  If not, it does not matter how well you live you will not enter the kingdom of God.  If you do not have this faith, ask Christ today to become a part of your life, confess to Him, accept His forgiveness, recognize His greatness, and seek Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila