Dear Christian friends:

"I tell you, therefore, that you can go into the Kingdom
of heaven only if you are more righteous than the Law teachers
and the Pharisees." (Matthew 5:20)

Dear Christian friends:

In Washington, D.C., in the Capital Building, two men were hurrying along the halls. They met at a corner and both men fell down. One man began to curse and berate the other for not watching where he was going and then he stopped. The other man was Abe Lincoln the President. While the two stood up Lincoln said to the man, "Young man, there's something wrong with you inside."

Often people seem good and fine. They have fine clothes and a beautiful presence. But inside their heart is bad.

In our text Jesus teaches about that idea. Jesus wants His people to be fine and good, really good, inside and out. He teaches about:

It is better than the righteousness of the Jewish Law teachers and Pharisees here in our text. The Jewish Law Teachers and the Pharisees seemed good and fine, but inside they were very bad.

The Jewish Law teachers and the Pharisees had a religion of "do not". Don't kill; don't commit adultery; don't swear falsely. Their righteousness was very negative, God intended the Ten Commandments to have a positive side also. In order to keep the Ten Commandments we must do more than withdrawing from evil. Yes, we must not do murder, but on the positive side we must love our neighbor and be a friend to him and help him in every physical need. On the negative side we must not steal from our neighbor, but we must do more than forsaking stealing. On the positive side we must love our neighbor and help him to improve his property and help him protect his property.

The Jewish Law teachers and Pharisees did only the negative side; not the positive side of the Ten Commandments. They did only one-half. God requires the other half, too! (Read verse 20!)

The Pharisees and the Law Teachers considered only evil deeds that broke the Ten Commandments; they did not consider evil thoughts, and evil desires.

Before God anger and insults are as bad as killing someone (verses 21-22), and thinking and wishing to have sex with your neighbor's wife is as bad as doing it. (verses 27-28)

The Pharisees and the Law Teachers failed to see that evil thoughts and desires are as bad as evil deeds before God. They refrained from doing evil deeds. They were partially right, but not right enough to enter into God's Kingdom.

Today many people are like the Pharisees and Law Teachers, especially church members. They don't do evil deeds, but they have and keep and enjoy many evil thoughts and desires.

It is easy to be righteous like the Jewish law teachers and Pharisees. But that righteousness is not good enough; it's only one-half, God wants the other half; it's only negative, God wants the positive side also.

The righteousness of God's Kingdom only a believer in Jesus Christ has. When we try to have pure thoughts and desires, when we try to be positive like God demands we find that we cannot. We see that our own righteousness only one-half, the same as the Pharisees and Law Teachers. We see that we really are sinners and law-breakers before God, and really deserve to go to hell. We need a better righteousness than mans.

That is why we need Jesus Christ. By faith in Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of all our sins and we put on Jesus' righteousness, like we put on_a new clean shirt. St. Paul said, "Not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." (Philippians 3:9) When we by faith put on Jesus' righteousness we are better than the Pharisees etc.

With faith in Christ Jesus we who belong to Jesus' church today and can begin to do the second half, the positive side of the law. The Pharisees were good people, but they were not good enough for God's Kingdom. By faith in Jesus Christ you and I have been admitted into Christ's Kingdom, therefore we can with His help and power begin to do the other half and the positive side of the Ten Commandments. His mercy and forgiveness changes our hearts. Kind David prayed, Psalm 51:10: "Create in me a clean heart etc."

God wants His men and women to have right thoughts and desires as well as right deeds. He wants us to do rightly like the Pharisees, but then also to have humble, meek and a repentant heart. If you come here to our church to worship God and give your offering and remember you are angry with someone, leave, don't worship; but go make peace with that person, and then come and worship. (Read verses 23-24) If you are tempted to desire another woman and have sex with her, resist that temptation. Remember that God has give you your wife and he commands you to love her only and desire here. (Read verses 29-30)

God wants the people in His church to be people whose righteousness, exceeds that of the Law Teachers and Pharisees, people whose righteousness is in their heart and minds, same as their deeds. These people have the true righteousness of God's Kingdom. They are true members of His Kingdom, now on earth and forever in heaven. I pray that God give us all His righteousness in Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Additional Info: God has two living places: in heaven and in each believers heart. St. Paul said the same: "Do you know that you are God's temple and that God lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16) If God lives in you then you have a new heart. No! you will not be perfect like God, but you will try with His help to please Him and honor Him. When you fail, you will be ashamed, sorry and repent. And God is always ready to forgive because of Jesus.