The Righteousness God Requires #2

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 intend that to be a pristine sanctuary of worship and obedience and devotion to him is there a list environment must be met for God will let you into heaven, what exactly are those requirements and do you and I have even a snowball's chance of meeting them hello and welcome to the truth pulpit with John Green, founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. I built today is Don continues teaching God's people. God's word to bring us part two of a message titled the righteous God requires.

If you're ready, let's get started now here's the from the truthful verse six times that Jesus does this. In these 28 verses verse 21, where he says you have heard that the ancients were told, you shall not commit murder, and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court but I say to you notice Jesus speaking on his own authority. Jesus not relying on a past oral tradition, Jesus presupposes and manifests his authority to definitively state what the word of God means he alone can do that from his own sui generis authority, because he alone has the authority of God.

Everything that we teach is derivative of what said in Scripture, not based on an independent authority not based on an independent word from God. Jesus is not in that position. He says I can tell you what God's word means because I am God, and so he says in verse 22 but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court and whoever says to his brother you good for nothing should be guilty before the Supreme Court.

And whoever says you fool should be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell, you've heard that the issue is don't commit murder. I'm here to tell you that that's only part of the story, Jesus says, I say to you that you need to be concerned about the sinful anger that is in your heart because that's guilty enough to send you to hell, and so don't be satisfied. Watch this.

Don't be satisfied.

Don't congratulate yourself on the mere fact that you haven't literally taken the physical life of another human being. Through the actions of your own hands will be satisfied with that question is what about the anger of the tenure heart. What about the way that you slay people with your words, what about the way that you you judge people and turn people against one another with the wicked things that you say, what about that going on in your heart.

Jesus says that's the righteousness that God requires.

Don't excuse yourself from the greater inner standard simply because you've met a lesser external standard 20 says and goes on and you can see the same principle being played out in verse 27 when he says you have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. You focused on the external action and young men who were raised up in a Christian because I Christian environment. My congratulate themselves on the fact that they haven't sinned with the girl physically what Jesus says is fine but understand that the righteousness of God goes far deeper and examines the loss of your heart and your desires to do that, which are too scared to do in your flesh. The fact that you desire and wanted and long after it look and ways are completely inappropriate, exposes the sinfulness of your heart.

It's in the heart that God requires righteousness. All of a sudden call all of a sudden you're just starting to feel the sense that Isaiah must've felt when he saw the glory of God in the temple say woe is me holiness of God is being unveiled before my eyes and I find I'm a man of unclean lips not only my a man of unclean lips. I live among people of unclean lips. This totally undoes me.

This shatters my pretensions of being a good person. This shatters any idea that I have a standing before God and saying I'm good enough. God says why should I let you into heaven is a pretty good did right by my fellow man never killed anyone. God says about your heart say I did wait that was no one told me that was the issue.

No one that hears this message can say that I can.

No one who reads the Bible can say that and so we have this powerful declaration from Jesus says understand what the righteous standard of God is he goes on in verse 31 you can see the pattern again. He said it was said whoever sends his wife away.

Let them give her a certificate of divorce and owes long as you as long as you file the right paperwork you're okay. Just fill out the right certificate and you've satisfied the demands of God's law for righteousness. Jesus says now I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife except for the reason of unchastity makes her commit adultery, whether gone through the right paperwork or not. If your motives are wrong.

If you have no biblical justification for divorce are guilty, says at the conclusion verse 32 whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery see again pattern the what what was said was it's the externals that matter don't don't commit murder. Don't commit physical adultery, do the right certificates. When you file for divorce and Jesus says anger last uphold the sanctity of marriage in every way with verse 33. Again, you've heard that the ancients were told, you shall not make false files, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord, you know, if than they had these these silly things that you you could if you swore by the gold of the temple. You were bound, but if you know if and in essence on this is not right. But in essence, just to make the illustration because will cover this later if you got your fingers crossed behind your back than the bow doesn't count.

Jesus says no says. What matters is your word and your integrity. Verse 34 but I say to you see it again. But I say to you, let's look at that again.

Verse 22 but I say to you. Verse 28 but I say to you, verse 32 but I say to you. Verse 34 but I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God or by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

Verse 37. Let your statement be yes yes or no know anything beyond these of evil is of evil tell the truth be honest or it doesn't matter if you're honest, you don't need to swear by anything if you're dishonest, swearing to a doesn't help what I say to you, Jesus says, notice that for the disciple of Christ. The word of Christ is dispositive. Here Jesus is making an assertion of his Lordship when he says these things, but I say to you, but I say to you, but I say to you, but I say to you, we recognize that in embedded in that is an assertion of absolute authority and understand this beloved that as he's making statements and declaring law that governs inner heart righteousness. What is he saying except this that he is Lord over the inner man. He is asserting his dominion not only of inanimate creation not only of external behavior. Jesus, Christ asserts his authority over the human conscience and over the human heart and as you understand these things. He rises as it were, in our mind.

He rises in our hearts, the exalted authority of Christ who can declare such things and they be true with verse 38.

You've heard that it was said, and I for an eye and a tooth for tooth, here it is again. But I say to you, don't resist an evil person. What happened here is that the Pharisees and turn that into if they were wrong. They turned that injunction and eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth to an entitlement to inflict similar punishment on the one it would hurt the when actually was just intended to be a restraint that that vigilant justice wouldn't go beyond bounds. They said that entitles me you hurt me. I'm in a hurry back, but Jesus says that's an entirely wrong view of the law so you need to be like God, you need to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, and he appeals to an undeniable truth about the nature of God as he is, he reigns over the creation of those who by and large rebel against him what to do.

He keeps the orbits of the planets going. The sun rises up and the sun comes down and the rain comes in the rain comes down and God is not simply send that blessing on those who belong to him. He sends it on those who hate him, he sends it on those who would reject and rebel against him.

That's who God is. That's what he does he blesses with great common grace, a humanity and rebellion against him with daily acts of kindness and provision that they never give him thanks for Jesus says you look at the law on you twist and say I'm entitled to my piece of flesh when he says you should compare yourself to the eternal God, and see what he does with his enemies usually respond your enemies in the way that God responds to his you know look speaking collectively.

Speaking generally, not aiming at this it anyone just kind of collectively sharing in the guilt of humanity here who do we think we are to inflict punishment on others and to bear grudges and and carry these things out against people who've wronged us.

When God has dealt with us completely differently. God has been gracious to you in your sin. God has been gracious to you and your rebellion if you know Christ. Not only that God is gracious to his enemies by what standard do we say a different set of rules applies to me. I'm going to get my piece of flesh out of this by what justification that would satisfy the holy character of God do we think that way that's inconceivable to Richard, especially for those of us who know Christ. Especially for those of us within the body of Christ. I've been offended. Okay, you've been offended.

What did Christ do with the offenses that were lodged against him. He bore them quietly and went to Calvary and laid his life down in Scripture says freely. You've been forgiven freely.

Forgive by what standard of behavior. Does anyone think that they can withhold that in the body of Christ think that they're satisfying and pleasing to God is nothing of the sort. Jesus will hear nothing of it. What we must understand is that this starts within the heart. This starts within the desires and attitudes of the heart with a proper understanding of who God is all beloved, stay with me here will you, for I speak for the good of your soul. Proper understanding of who God is, that he's he's gracious to his creation gracious and those who are to those who are in rebellion against him. Knees had a special grace upon us as believers in Christ beloved what you are to do is to take your cues from a God like that say all I will reflect that that has that has a persuasive sanctifying power in my heart that I must be like the God who saved me rather than step apart and inflict my own punishment when I see fit. Verse 43. You've heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I say to you, love your enemies so we seen six sections where Christ is spoken. This way, beginning in verse 21 verse 27, 31, 33, 38 and 43 but I say to you, but I say to you, but I say to you, but I say to you, but I say to you, but I say to you six times. So what we take away from well one thing that occurs to us is is the majestic authority of Christ and the the immeasurable courage and authority with which he spoke, he came into a predominant way of thinking and challenged it on his own authority said you're off your thinking all wrong.

I'll tell you how to think about the righteousness of God and what he requires. And then we step back further in wheat we consider the Bible is a is a book of two parts old and New Testament, we say well the the consistency between one part to the other is amazing to see that Jesus was here to extend and apply the word that was given originally to Israel rather than to contradict it. Of course I would be case was God's word. It was going to be fulfilled, not set aside and then we look at it historically, by way of background, we realize what the Pharisees had done corrupting the law, reducing it to an obtainable standard of external righteousness. And Jesus says in their the there.

The teachers and Jesus says that's not what God requires.

He just dropped a nuclear bomb in the way that everybody thought the total meltdown of what their whole culture and religious thought was based upon says it's not the righteousness of God requires no beloved.

It's troubling to realize the significance of what Jesus is saying here God examines your thoughts and looks beyond external behavior to what's going on in your thoughts and attitudes and motives why that's so troubling guessing that many of you've never thought about it this way you send, you can send without doing anything you can be sitting in your chair alone in the living room and sinning greatly against God as you nurture grudges, your anger's as you let your sinful imagination to run away with you on and on it goes, you'll be sitting in perfect stillness physically and be sinning greatly against God because your anger breaks the commandment against murder, your lust breaks the commandment against adultery. What is all of this is due to us. Except this. It lays bare under the searching white spotlight of Scripture and shows us how much you and I fall short of the glory of God and what how far short, we fall of the righteousness that God requires what all of this does for us.

All of it brings us down to the simple point. We need a savior to help. We need someone who can come and take our guilt away.

We need someone who does satisfy the standard of God.

The righteousness of God and have him put his arm around us as it were to to save us to rescue us to redeem us to deliver us from the guilt that God's word shows to be true about each and every one of us. We need a Savior, don't we.

You need a Savior. Don't you will the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ is this is that God has provided a Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has provided a a Savior sufficient imperfect to meet the need of your guilty heart that Christ offered himself up as a sacrifice to God so that sinners just like you could be forgiven. While the word of the law of God in the exposition of the righteousness of God requires brings a slow, it does so.

God wounds us. God convicts us for the purpose of bringing grace to bear wants were all in agreement of where were at time guilty. I can't hide that I don't deny it which point the law then becomes the tutor as it word that lead you to Christ that hand you over to Christ and says yes God knows about your guilt and God has provided a Savior to address that guilt so that your guilt can be taken away so that what we remember at the communion table is not an incidental ritual of external Christianity.

This is a symbol of everything that we need in light of the righteousness of God requires in the glory of the gospel is a God forgives sinners just like you who trust in Christ look over Romans chapter 5 Romans chapter 5 as we end on the note which conviction is meant to drive you to to Christ Jesus crucified for sinners to Christ Jesus, the one who alone can turn away the wrath of God to Christ Jesus, who alone can take away your guilt in verse six, in light of the helpless conviction that we feel under the weight of the true righteousness that God requires your heart should be thirsty to hear the good words that the apostle Paul wrote some 2000 years ago writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writing that which is certainly true and trustworthy writing that which sinners like you can stake their eternal destiny on.

He says this for while we were still helpless at the right time Christ died for the ungodly one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.

But God demonstrates his own love toward us in the while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him, for if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more, having been reconciled, shall be saved by his life. Not only this, but we also exulting God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation guilty center there is a way forward of hope for you is a God receives sinners who put their faith in Christ, the Christ died for once just like you. The Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to cleanse all of the internal and external guilt of your life and to bring you and present you blameless before God. Today, right now, in an instant when you put your faith in him for the rest of us with a fresh sense of humility and gratitude we come to the table. The table of communion. The Lord's table. This table reminds us that God didn't give us what we deserved. He didn't leave us to the judgment that was rightfully ours to bear Scripture says in first John 17 the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin. Oh how that ought to echo in your ear and resound in your heart that the deepest guilt that you wouldn't want anyone to know about has been cleansed by the blood of Christ. That's what we remember, the bread being a token of the body that was nailed to the cross, the cup being a token symbol of the blood that was literally shed on Calvary, I would ask you to turn to first Corinthians 11 just to prepare us to take communion in the proper way. Communion is not a lighthearted matter, not casual, something that we come to after an earnest examination of ourselves. I would just remind you that in first Corinthians 11 verse 27 it says therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord, but a man must examine himself and in so doing, he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. My friends generally speaking, if you have trusted Christ you're welcome to share in the this table of communion with us today. It's the Lord's table.

Those who belong to the Lord are rightly wants to partake of it. If you have rebelled against Christ or you say II know I don't know him, then just let the elements pass and let the words of Scripture be that which focus your attention on beloved for those of you that are professing Christians. I would just encourage you if there's some lingering issue of sin in your life. Think twice before you partake of that. If it's not with the repentant spirit there is lingering bitterness in your harder anger against someone that's in your heart you should let the elements pass because this is this is a table that says I've repented of all known sin and therefore I receive these elements as a symbol of my union with Christ, we don't profane that by holding onto sin in our hearts where God looks for righteousness. We don't profane that by taking elements when in fact in our hearts. God knows that there is sin there but with that said, beloved, and now speaking intimately to those of you who are of like precious faith. If you view your sentence with a broken and a contrite heart. If you look and say I know that I know that my life is displeasing. I don't want to be that way but I am trusting in Christ alone.

There's nothing in my life that I withhold sanctifying then you of all people say Christ invite you to come. Christ invite you to partake of the elements, Christ died for people just like you and this becomes a symbol that all is well with your soul. All of your sins have been washed away the God exception for the sake of his beloved son Don green bringing our study for today to a close. You're on the truth pulpit. A friend if you'd like to find out more about this ministry, please visit our website. The truth pulpit.com once more. That's the truth. Pulpit.com and I before we go here again is done with the closing thought want to let you know that we have a number of topical series available for download or CD requested our website. The truth pulpit.com issues like the place of Roman Catholicism, anxiety, transgender-ism, homosexuality and the charismatic movement. You'll find series on those topics and so many more at our three offers link at the truth. Pulpit.com. I invite you to take advantage of them all. God bless you will see you next time on the truth. Thanks Don and Frank were out of time for today.

I'm Bill Wright hoping you'll join us next time. When Don green continues teaching God's people. God's word here on the truth