Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19951231.htm

MATTHEW: JESUS AS ISRAEL'S MESSIAH AND HIS MESSIANIC KINGDOM
Part VII: Discerning True Kingdom Righteousness From Mere Religiosity
C. Christ's TRUE Righteousness As Contrasted With Religiosity's Bankrupt "Morality"
1. Contrasting TRUE Avoidance Of Murder With Religiosity's False Concept
(Matthew 5:17-26)
  1. Introduction
    1. When Jesus came presenting the Messianic Kingdom, he entered a post exilic Jewish community that had a strict psychological allegiance to the Mosaic Law. Since returning from God's punishment for idolatry and for disobeying the Mosaic Law, the nation Israel considered itself heeding the Mosaic Law as pure.
    2. However, the best of man's righteousness is inadequate, for all have sinned and come short of the righteousness of God according to Paul's writings in Romans 3:23. Well, since Paul counters Israel's belief that Israel was truly righteous, did Jesus agree with Paul? If so, how could the religious elite in Israel or in any well-meaning group of religious people today fall short of the righteousness of God?
    3. Matthew 5:17-26 shows us the spiritual bankruptcy of man when it comes to the sin of murder:
  2. Christ's TRUE Righteousness Contrasted With Religiosity's Bankrupt "Morality", Mtt. 5:17-48.
    1. Jesus claimed not to undermine the Mosaic Law, but to fulfill it, Mtt. 5:17-18.
      1. Though Jesus might have been considered a religious revolutionary, He claimed not to overthrow or to undermine Moses' Law, but to fulfill it perfectly, Mtt. 5:17.
      2. In fact, He claimed that neither the smallest Hebrew letter yodh nor the appendage to a Hebrew letter that would change it to another letter (tittle) would pass from the law until He had fulfilled it; otherwise, heaven and earth would pass away, Mtt. 5:18. We understand the Bible to be verbally inspired according to this statement by Jesus.
    2. Well, since not even the religious conservatives of that day, the Pharisees, could obey the Mosaic Law THAT rigidly, Jesus claimed that unless one's heeding the law exceeded their obedience, they could in no way enter into the kingdom of God, Mtt. 5:19!
    3. As a case in point, Jesus contrasted His treatment of murder with the Pharisees' treatment of it, 5:21-26:
      1. The Mosaic Law forbade murder: "Thou shalt not kill" was the Ex. 20:13 command, Mtt. 5:21a.
      2. The Pharisees said that whoever physically killed another would be in danger of capital punishment passed by judgment of the council convening for the trial, 5:21b.
      3. However, Jesus broadened this definition of murder to include not only the act but also its attitude:
        1. He claimed that whoever is angry with his brother without cause should be in danger of a capital punishment verdict by the convening council, Mtt. 5:22a.
        2. He also claimed that whoever says the Aramaic word, Raca, a derogatory term spoken in hatred, should be in danger of the council's capital punishment verdict as well, Mtt. 5:22b.
        3. He said that he who calls another a fool in hatred was going to Hell, Ryr. St. B., KJV, ftn., Mt. 5:22!
      4. Thus, in view of these facts, even if we are not guilty of the attitude of hatred, but our brother hates us, we need to seek to reconcile with him lest we be guilty of hatred as well, 5:23-26:
        1. Jesus claimed that if we wished to offer a gift to God, but discovered that our brother had something against us in hatred, we would be wrong not to try reconciling with that person first before offering that gift to God as we would be guilty of hate by promoting another's hatred of us, Mtt. 5:23-24!
        2. He also claimed that we need to do everything we can to agree with those who oppose us if it is right to do so or be guilty of promoting hatred in another, a sin of hate itself, Mtt. 5:25-26.
      5. In contrast to all of these things, the Pharisees thought nothing of hating others or of festering hatred in their opponents providing they never physically killed another in hatred ! Thus, they were guilty of murder before God in spite of their conservative religiosity!
Lesson: To obtain eternal life, one must be guiltless of murder. Though this means not taking another person's life, as God sees it, murder also includes the attitude of hatred, or even of maliciously letting another's hatred for us go unc hecked without our attempted reconciliation with them! Accordingly, even if the very religious have ever been guilty of such errant attitudes, even they need the salvation of Christ to be forgiven the sin of murder, Mt. 5:20; Rom. 3:19-20,23-26.