Apr 29 2018 When External Righteousness Lacks Internal Transformation

Lord, thank You for this morning and the opportunity to be in Your presence. Thank You for Your grace to us. We give ourselves to You fully and completely and desire to press forward in the work You want us to do. We forget what lies behind – and that is our desire.

Matt. 5:20 "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:20 NAU)

The religious leaders had an external form of righteousness that was both vigorous, we’ll see, and rigorous, and yet it lacked the internal quality of a transformed heart. They did everything right on the outside, but the heart was never changed.

As we read about the Pharisees – they were so much to the letter, but were coming into conflict with Jesus.

Here, Jesus is telling the disciples, that it is not enough to have outward Christian behavior and activity – if your heart has not been transformed. It is character that must come out of a transformed heart. All of us have known people who exhibit the behavior and activity of a ‘really good Christian’ but the heart hasn’t been changed, and eventually, what is in the heart MUST come out. It always happens. If the heart is not being changed into the image of Christ, out of your heart and mouth, your activities will betray you. Maybe it has happened to us. Maybe it has been us!

Why?

What creates an external righteousness without a corresponding internal transformation.

I will give you a history lesson the Jewish leaders – the Pharisees. When we say it today – we are saying it like a bad thing. In Jesus’ day, no one would have done that. The Pharisees had many good qualities. The Pharisees were highly respected by the common folk. They believed in the rule of law. They were Bible scholars and teachers. They believed in obeying God’s commandments. They believed that faithfulness to the Old Testament Law was the pathway to Israel’s restoration. They believed they were under the oppression of Rome because of the failure of the nation to obey.

They sound like pretty good folks? Where did they get the reputation? They privileged their reading and interpretation and application of Scripture. Everyone does that. You read a verse and you think – oh yeah, everyone sees it that way – until you run into those who don’t – and either they are wrong or you are!

But the Pharisees closed themselves off to any other teaching.

Jesus came in and said – You have heard it said… (This is what the Pharisees teach) BUT (this is what it really means).

Second – their teaching and interpretation – they allowed it to rise to the level of authority of Scripture itself.

People do that today – their interpretation is the authority.

I have heard it so many times – the Bible says THIS! (and I think – no, it doesn’t!) And others could do that to me at times!

The problem with the Pharisees: They were simply unable to see their errors. In their pride, they raised up their own thinking and viewpoint above the authority of Scripture itself. They went beyond what it taught and went to what they thought was faithful adherence to the Bible.

In the 60s or 70s – it was dancing (unless it is square dancing) or listening to rock music. You can’t be a Christian and do these things! The Bible never says that! Then it was online dating! We knew someone – a youth minister who was fired for meeting this wonderful Christian missionary gal online.

Borrowing money – there are a lot of scriptures that advise against it – but the Bible never forbids it, yet people used to forbid it all the time.

This is called proof-texting. People do it all the time – I’ve said – you can take 10 verses to make them say whatever you want the Bible to say.

Matthew 23:23

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Pharisees have a reputation for being legalistic. Our view and theirs of legalism was a little different. The Pharisees were overzealous in their approach to righteousness. But the problem is not what they did – tithing mint, dill, and cumin – but rather what they did not do. Jesus is telling the Pharisees - You’ve neglected the weightier matters of the Law – Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor. Love God and neighbor – Justice, mercy, faithfulness – and they neglected that.

The purpose of righteousness – integrity – character – is love of God and neighbor – not those things for their own sake.

The Pharisees had righteousness, integrity and character for its own sake – and it had nothing to do with loving God and neighbor.

Pharisee righteousness is not formed by love. He goes on in verse 25 –

25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Hypocrisy – when outward behavior does not match the inward reality.

When we think of hypocrisy – we think of this, but there is some nuance to it – someone who doesn’t practice what they preach. “They say they are a Christian, but on Friday night they do whatever anyone else does.”

There is a difference with the Pharisees – they never smoked, drank, or chewed – and yet they were still hypocrites – all of their behavior never came from a heart formed by love.

The Pharisees did all that they did for one purpose – to set up boundary markers – those who don’t do this cannot be part of the community. You’re out! You’re excluded. They used the Law to exclude everyone.

What is remarkable about the gospels is that Jesus excluded the people the Pharisees included and included the people the Pharisees excluded. WHY ARE YOU INCLUDING THESE PEOPLE? They would ask Him.

It should make us shudder – we think of how we relate to other people. The people who heard Jesus say these words were not saying, oh yeah, give it to those Pharisees! Instead – it was Him talking about living life sacrificially and transforms us to the core of our being.

In Matthew 6:1 – He moves away from the Pharisees and to you and me:

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

The source – the core of external righteousness is the desire to seek the praise of people. The heart of it is the need for approval and honor from people. And it is an attitude that I must receive others’ approval to feel good about myself – so we pursue acceptance at any cost.

There are a number of causes – lack of attention or approval in childhood. It can be perceived or real – it has the same effect. Maybe it is rejection as a child. Divorce can often do this – the feeling of rejection. Absent parent – maybe the parent has to work a lot – a child can feel rejection. Living in a comparison culture can do this.

Approval/Acceptance is valuable and important. As a child, it is important to receive praise – but it should never be motivation for righteousness.

Last week we mentioned - The other side of this coin – the performance track – growing up in a perfectionist environment – these must meet certain standards and goals to feel worthy. To have measurable success means I am a good person. If we measure up – we feel good about ourselves. Each of these things is of great value – but should never be the motivation for righteousness.

There should only be one motivation – love God – and love the neighbor. Our worth and value must come from the fact that God loved us so much that He gave His son on the cross to die for us and give us life. We must draw out of that deep love. We are chosen by God – we are picked.

We just had the NFL draft – they were CHOSEN! If you watched any of it – They get chosen- They cried – their moms cried – they were CHOSEN to play in the NFL

You are chosen by God to be on His team! We don’t need the approval of people! It is good to get the approval of your boss, especially if a raise comes with it. It is important to get the approval of your parents – but it is most important to know you have the approval of God!

1 Cor. 13: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love (love God, love neighbor), I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

You may have the most spirituality imaginable – but if your focus and purpose and inner heart is not love for God and neighbor, you are nothing.

2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge,

You can have the highest level of Bible knowledge – we put folks like that on a pedestal in our Christian culture – they make millions of dollars selling books and have huge ministries – God is saying – you can have all of that – and if it doesn’t come from love of God and neighbor – you have nothing.

and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains,

(The greatest risk-takers for God) – but not motivated by God and neighbor – it is nothing.

but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.

You can be the truest of true disciples.

True discipleship – sacrifice it all for God – I remember one guy who read it every week – you can be the truest of disciples, but if your motivation is not love of God and neighbor – you have nothing.

4 Love is patient,

I’m just going to let that sit here a second! What does patience have to do with being like Jesus? That is the point, isn’t it? All of us struggle with that one – don’t we?!

love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag,

We know that person who bragged in high school – so we’ve learned not to brag like that!

There is the “Look at me, but it is all Jesus!” bragging.

it is not puffed up.

5 It is not rude

America needs to hear that one.

it is not self-serving, (does not insist on its own way)

it is not easily angered or resentful. (does not take into account a wrong suffered) - Does not keep score.

6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

I’ll close with this: Paul’s point - These characteristics - can only come out of a heart formed in the image of Christ – next week, we’ll look at how that happens. You cannot fake this stuff, like the Pharisees. There are all kinds of Christian activity we can fake, but you can’t fake any of this – at least not for long at all

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.