The Righteous Work of Jesus Christ

1. Read: Matthew 5:20

2. About the Text:

1) The Sermon on the Mount discusses citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

2) The character of those citizens is in the beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12.

3) The influence of those citizens is discussed in Matthew 5:13-16.

4) Now Jesus discusses the condition of being in the Kingdom.

5) This condition is true righteousness.

6) How can we attain to true righteousness?

7) Only through the righteous work of Jesus Christ.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. What did Jesus say?

1) “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18).

2) Jesus was critical of the traditions of the Pharisees (Matthew 15:1-9).

3) Some mistakenly thought he was violating the Law of Moses.

4) He came to fulfill that law by living a perfect life.

5) “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

2. Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses.

1) “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me’” (Luke 24:44).

2) “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4).

3. Christians are no longer under the Law of Moses.

1) “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:14-15).

2) “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14).

1. What did Jesus say?

1) “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19).

2) Jesus is continuing to speak about His work.

2. Who are those who break the least commandments?

1) All it takes is breaking one of the least commandments to become a sinner.

2) “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

3) Every Christian is in the category of breaking at least one commandment.

4) “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).

3. Who is the one who does and teaches all the commandments?

1) Jesus was the only one who both did and taught obedience to all of the commandments.

2) “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5).

3) “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

4. Who is the greatest?

1) “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4).

2) “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11).

3) “took the form of a servant” “humbled himself” (Philippians 2:5-8).

4) Jesus is the greatest.

1. What did Jesus say?

1) “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

2) What was the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees?

3) It was righteousness “according to the Law.”

4) A system of merit.

5) This system could only condemn; it could not justify.

6) “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).

7) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith’” (Galatians 3:10-11).

2. How does one’s righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees?

1) Only Jesus did it!

2) “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19).

3) The sinless Son of God offered His righteous life on behalf of mine.

4) “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:3-4).

3. Today, our righteousness exceeds that of the Law when we believe and obey Jesus.

1) “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8-11).

2) “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

1. The righteous work of Jesus Christ means . . .

1) The Law is Fulfilled

2) Jesus is the Greatest in the Kingdom being King

3) His Righteousness Exceeds the Law

2. Invitation