This broadcaster has 780 podcast archives available on-demand.
Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.
August 3, 2022 8:00 am
It's quite possible that the most important question that any man, woman and child could ask themselves is, what does God require of me if I am to stand before him in judgment.
The Scripture says you stand before God on judgment day. What exactly is he going to require of you before letting you into heaven.
Spoiler alert. Someone else must fulfill that requirement. This is the true pulpit with gone green founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio ideal candidate Don tackles this very difficult question as he kicks off a series called are you good enough for God friend. If you have your Bible handy, let's get started now here is done.
Great to continue in his ministry of teaching God's people.
God's work from the truthful, what I want to do here today is is to simply show you that in two parts to this message that the Old Testament required. Heart righteousness from the people of God. That was the standard, and as Jesus speaks in the second part of today's message you're going to see that Jesus Christ was requiring part righteousness as well and so all of a sudden everything about your inner man is on display. Everything is at stake here. There are no secrets before God in what we are about to look at what you think about it this way. We're used to people who have professional or trade skills to to be able to break things open in order to repair and fix the mechanic goes to an engine in and opens it up in order to repair that which is not working properly. He goes beyond the externals and gets to the internal workings of the engine in order to repair it and make it work properly in a similar way, a physician will penetrate the human body in order to remove diseased tissue, either through splicing it open or through something less invasive, but he'll deal with the inner body in order to correct that which is ailing. It were used to this inhuman terms will hear in a much more profound way in a much more important way, the Lord Jesus goes inside the human being goes into the inner man, as it were, and says this is the matter which must be corrected.
This is where the problem is it's found in the heart, not in the external rituals of man. So what we want to do since Christ started at the Old Testament and then made his way into his lengthy exposition in verses 21 to 48 just in the most brief manner. I want to remind you for some of you probably for the first time. Maybe see that all along the Old Testament required a righteousness of heart from man. It was never simply about external sacrifices. It was never simply about going through the rituals and ceremonies in the feast that the was established in the Old Testament.
Those role means to a greater red that's what you have to understand the law always had a moral force that went beyond external behavior.
Always always always always need to see this go back to the passage where the Lord first gave us the 10 Commandments in Exodus chapter 20 Exodus chapter 20 what you find as God gave the 10 Commandments, giving a vertical dimension to them saying that you shall have no other gods before me shall not worship or serve them should not take my name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
And then there enters in a more horizontal dimension with relationships among men.
Honor your father and mother shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal.
You shall not commit false witness against your neighbor. That's verses 13 through 16 that I just ran through very quickly. There then in verse 17. What is so often neglected the 10th of the 10 Commandments is this you shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs your neighbor, the breath of that is astonishing. All of a sudden we realize that God is prohibiting matters of the heart rather than simply restraining external behavior like that after physical adultery. And so you find that there is this inner dimension to the law. This inner dimension to the 10 Commandments from the very beginning and we realize that God is applying his law to the heart and not simply to the external man and until you understand that you haven't understood. The first thing about the 10 Commandments are the law of God or the righteousness that he requires God looks on the inner man looks on the heart look over Deuteronomy chapter 5 where the Decalogue the 10 Commandments are repeated in Moses his final sermon to the people of Israel before they enter the promised land. And he was taken away you find in Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 17 a being selective here, you just see these the latter part of the 10 Commandments being repeated. The other ones are earlier come earlier in the passage. I just want you to see the principle of inner regulation.
For now verse 17 you shall not murder. Deuteronomy 518 you shall not commit adultery. 19 you shall not steal, shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet. When you take these as a seamless whole, you realize that that it's not just the illicit desire for something that does not belong to you. That is, is present. That 10th commandment helps us understand the moral force of everything that went before it is not just that you shall not actually murder. It's that you shall not desire it in your heart is not simply that you shall not commit external adultery. You shall not desire it in your heart and on it goes God. In other words, sees your inner man.
He sees your inner thoughts.
He sees your inner attitudes. He sees your inner motivations. He hears the words that you whisper in private others that you would never want broadcast to people at large. God sees all of that and says this also must be holy, not simply what man sees on the outside and in so many places. The Old Testament made this clear that God sees.
He evaluates he judges attitudes and desires and motives in the quiet gossip. That's whispered in the years of those who will receive it not just your behavior that's on display for all men. We won't look at all of these passages will give you the text reference as you can see later on. First Chronicles chapter 28 verse nine, first Chronicles 28 verse nine the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts that's pretty comprehensive.
All of it every intent of the thoughts Lord is scrutinizing every aspect of your inner man at all times without exception. Look at Psalm 19.
And for those of us that say that we love the word of God. Psalm 19 being a song that greatly extols the perfections of the word of God should understand where David ends up at the conclusion of that song after he said the law of the Lord is perfect. What's his concluding take away, in light of the way that God has revealed himself in nature. In verses one through six of Psalm 19 in the way that God has revealed himself in his word in verses seven through 11.
He looks inward he looks to his inward man with a sense of fear and trembling, in verse 12 he says who can discern his errors acquit me of hidden faults also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me, then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Look where he ends in verse 14 let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight oh Lord my rock and my Redeemer. Why would he say that is because the God of Revelation in nature and in the written word is a God who examines the inner man. David understood that it was, not simply about external matters. It wasn't simply about what he did but the God looked at his heart.
He said all God in light of the greatness of your Revelation. In light of the way that you have displayed your glory in the heavens and in your word in light of the fact that I am I am open and laid bare before you all God, but the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, because I realize how serious this is in Psalm 51 verse external to Psalm 51 with me.
Psalm 51 verse six David in his confession of his sin. After he sinned with Bathsheba killed her husband through an illicit military maneuver in confessing his sin. He says in verse six behold, you desire truth in the innermost being and in the hidden part you will make me know wisdom God and the innermost man you wanted to be true and righteous. There, look at Psalm 139 Psalm 139 verse one he says, oh Lord you have searched me and known me, you know when I sit down and when I rise up.
You understand my thoughts from afar you scrutinize my path and my lying down and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is word on my tongue, behold, oh Lord, you know it all. The cumulative weight of the Scriptures which could be multiplied again and again and again make it obvious to us that the in the Old Testament God made it plain that he required an inner righteousness, a heart righteousness of the inner man. Proverbs chapter 16 verse two. You don't need to turn their Proverbs chapter 16 verse two it says all the ways of a man are clean in his own site, but the Lord weighs the motives.
In Jeremiah 17 verse 10 the Lord himself speaks and he says I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind even to give to each man according to his ways. According to the results of his deeds, and so in numerous passages that we've already looked at and many others that we could see were not looking at isolated texts out of context.
We are seeing beloved, we are seeing a predominant theme of Revelation that God is a God most high is the eternal and immutable. God and he not only created the outer man. He created the inner man as well and that your inner man. You young people understanding this from the start can save you a world of trouble later on in life understand that the God who created humans/also created the inner man and intended that to be a pristine sanctuary of worship and obedience and devotion to him and that nothing unclean, nothing unworthy was to intrude upon that, so much so that relate wide listen to this.
All my goodness, especially when were about to celebrate communion. So much so that religious ritual from a rebellious heart is a sin against God rather than something that he finds pleasing book of Proverbs chapter 21 Proverbs 21 Proverbs 21 verse 27 says the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination. How much more when he brings it with evil intent. So, as is God looks on those who would approach him and worship is evaluating the attentions with which we do it what that says about the casual approach of money toward gathering together with people of God and approaching him, if you look at the book of Isaiah chapter 1 had intended to read this book. How could I not when it comes to my mind he says in verse 10, hear the word of the Lord Isaiah chapter 1 hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom give ear to the instruction of our God. People of Gomorrah. What are your multiplied sacrifices to me, says the Lord had enough of burnt offerings of Rams and the fat of fed cattle and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats when you come to appear before me who requires of you, this trampling of my courts blood you understand they were going through the motions they were going through the prescribed sacrifices and yet God says you are trampling upon the holy place of worship you are desecrating the whole purpose for which these things were appointed by the spirit with which you bring them and he commands him. He says stop it. In verse 13.
Bring your worthless offerings no longer incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath. The calling of assemblies. I cannot endure iniquity in the solemn assembly I hate your new moon festivals, and your appointed feasts.
They become a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them so when you spread out your hands in prayer. I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, even though you multiply prayers.
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood, wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds for my site cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, reprove the ruthless defend the orphan, plead for the widow, the external stuff doesn't matter to me if it's not accompanied by a a heart life of righteousness. Now you and I are all in the same boat to 1° or another, we tend to worry about our appearances before men but to so-and-so, think about this is person like me does. How does this appear, what are they thinking I hope beloved that you see that as we've gone through these preliminary texts here, but none of that stuff matters by comparison. None of that. None of that is is important. It should be obvious that you should have a far greater concern about your life a holy God knows your secret thoughts. He knows your secret words.
Nothing is hidden from him in the God who sees through you like that is a God who is holy and who does not compromise his standard and who is offended by the sinfulness that he finds in your heart.
Let's just be real today. That's just be handed and faithful to Scripture, and what we see and what we say it is imperative for you to see yourself in a vertical way, vertical dimension, God is looking down man may see nothing to complain about on the outside. God sees the inner motions of your heart. The prolonged the persistent attitudes and if that brings conviction upon you, then let it bring conviction if that convicts you it's because it's necessary for you to be convicted of these things and to realize that while man may laugh it off. This is a matter of utmost seriousness to a holy God.
Now that's the Old Testament background from which Jesus was speaking in general when he said the law and the prophets easy was pointing people back you could look back to the lawn prophets and find the God requires a heart righteousness will now as we pivot into and you can turn back to Matthew chapter 5 now as you turn back to Matthew chapter 5 will find that the Lord is expanding and expanding on this very same thing. Having said that, you must have a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees. He goes into an extended discussion applying the law to the inner man. What he's doing here is he is upholding heart righteousness against the false and external righteousness of the Pharisees that the Pharisees had had had covered up this fundamental principle with all manner of external observances weren't even called for in the Scriptures multiplied fasts and things of that nature wearing the garment's long and gaudy. So the people would look at him and focus on the outer man in the Lord times, as it were, and any he blows off the accumulated dust of 400 years of silence of divine revelation. The intervening 400 years and is as it were.
He picks it up and goes blows all of that away in the section that were going to look at in order to get back to the clean and the purifying word of God supplied to the heart.
What were going to do is cover this section, verses 21 through 48. In an overview fashion today were just going to look at the main principle that he is enunciating here that he's teaching here and will save for future weeks. A closer look at the individual passages.
This is an opportunity for us to kind of rise up and see the big picture. This is a satellite view of a very important section of Scripture and I want you to see. I want you to see what unifies this section of Scripture rather than what makes each section, distinct from one another. This is such an important matter of biblical interpretation of understanding the text is to be able to see the global picture of what's going on the big picture so that you understand how to interpret individual sections in light of the overarching thing that is going on Jesus here in the section of Scripture that I read earlier, has an obvious pattern that he is following what he's doing is this he is quoting a misapplication of the law by the Pharisees in order to refute it and to recover the truth and to show the true moral force of the principle that was on their lips. Remember that we said that the Pharisees relied on oral tradition in order to establish their authority as we said there was the written law of Moses.
What the Pharisees said was that God had also given an oral tradition to Moses and to those who followed him.
That added to the law that that protected the lawn that if you followed the oral tradition you were never in danger of violating the written word that all sounds well and fine and good. The only problem was wasn't true if the total fabrication. There was no such thing, but that became that on which they used and base their entire authority. Verses 21 to 48 you find Jesus using words along the lines and say you have heard that it was said, making reference to the oral tradition invoking in a summary form, the manner in which the Pharisees took this and applied it and externalized and so when he says you've heard that it was said Jesus is referring to the prevailing teaching of the Pharisees that is as it existed amongst his contemporaries, not in an effort to reverse or to modify the law. Watch this is so important. There are those who say Jesus is changing the law. Here that's impossibly wrong. I can't possibly be correct because he had just said.
Look at verse 17 he had just said don't think I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I didn't come to abolish them but to fulfill. So he's coming to fulfill a me when suddenly turn around and start contradicting it by what he say what is contradicting are the Pharisees and enforcing and applying the true moral force of the law is what is doing here what Jesus does is he calls people back to the heart righteousness. Watch this. Listen to this calls them back to the heart righteousness which God had always required. As we saw from a dozen passages just now and so with that in mind. Notice how Jesus will quote something that focuses on externals and then he'll apply it to the heart.
Why does he do that because Scripture requires hard righteousness. That's what the Old Testament did because Jesus was here fulfilling the law and the prophets, he fulfilled it in part by his teaching that he is showing what the law really means, and what he says in the process of seeing that we have detailed forests one after another after another since of the heart of which were all guilty of. No one could hear this teaching from Jesus and come away thinking I satisfy the standard I bring in my own accord. I bring for my own heart the righteousness that God requires.
Let me just tell you is a preview of coming attractions. That's not the reaction that you should take away that's not your take away from this taxable going to look at Jesus elevates the righteousness of God requires in a way that shows clearly and convincingly that we've all violated and fallen short of the glory of God. So we come before God as humble beggar seeking grace rather than those with pride and expectation that we deserve something from him. This is so very fundamental that's done green bringing our study for today to a close on the truth pulpit will friend if you'd like to share this message with a friend. We invite you to send them to our website.
That's the truth.
Pulpit.com. There you can find out more about our ministry about getting free CDs and podcasts and much all at the truth. Pulpit.com Bill Wright, inviting you to join us again next up is done.
Green continues teaching God's people. God's word from the truth