The Heartbeat of the Sermon on the Mount

The heart beat of the Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew 5:17-21 17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or 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. Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, he did not abolish them. You couldn’t abolish the Scripture anymore than you could abolish God. Every jot and tittle is accomplished in Christ. Disciples of Jesus are moved by the Spirit to obey everything that God has commanded and Jesus will reward them, from the least to the greatest. However, no self-righteous Pharisee who denies Jesus Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Why was Jesus so hard on the Pharisees? Here are six reasons: 1.) They rejected Jesus. 2.) They were legalistic law keepers. They tried to establish their own righteousness by good works. 3.) They were partial law keepers. They paid a great deal of attention to insignificant details (e.g., tithing spices), while managing to totally ignore the whole spirit of the law. 4.) They were exclusive law keepers. They believed they were the only true people of God. 5.) They were more devoted to their traditions than to the Law of God. 6.) They were proud law keepers. So Jesus said to his disciples, “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.” Jesus was not saying that in order for you to be in the kingdom you must have a slightly higher degree of the same kind of righteousness that the scribes and Pharisees have. Jesus was saying to enter the kingdom you must have a different kind of righteousness altogether. Your righteousness begins and ends in a personal relationship with Jesus. You must humble yourself and mourn over your sin so that the Holy Spirit can make you meek and gentle. You must hunger for righteousness so that you will be full of mercy and grace. Then your heart will be pure and your motives will be sincere. Once the character of Jesus is formed in your heart you will be a peacemaker. When people mistreat you because of Jesus you will rejoice because you know Jesus will reward you even more. This total transformation happens from the inside-out. It's an inside-out righteousness that allows you to shake and shine i.e., you can shake the salt and shine the light. I was a Pharisee and I’m in recovery from legalism. I was a legalistic law keeper. I thought I had to be saved by good works. I was an exclusive law keeper. I thought we (i.e., the COC) were the only true people of God. I was devoted to our traditions and confused our traditions with God’s commandments. I’m still not over it. I’m still in recovery. But I’m learning that the key to righteousness is a relationship with Jesus. I’m learning that the more I love Jesus the more important his law becomes. I'm learning to look at law, not as a means to salvation, but as insight into the heart of Jesus. It doesn’t save me. The Law helps me know him better and there is no greater thing than knowing Jesus.