Let's continue reading, reflecting upon, and responding to God's Word.
PRAY and give God honor this morning! Jesus is our King, so speak to Him as such!
READ Matthew 5.
REFLECT
Jesus expounds on the message of repentance and aligning ourselves with God and His Kingdom as the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7) lays out Kingdom values and a Kingdom heart for us. And it is an amazing series of snapshots. Ultimately, "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (v. 20). We have a tendency to think of Jesus and somehow think He actually lowers the bar for us, makes is easy for us to enter heaven, by dying on the cross for our sins. And in thinking of the baby Jesus coming to us, we make ourselves the standard of acceptability before the Lord. Jesus actually never lowered the standards for the Kingdom. His death broke the power of sin over our lives to free us to grow. We receive His merit so that we are considered righteous before the Father. And we receive His Spirit so that we can actually see our lives transformed to grow into Christ-likeness.
RESPOND
Maybe Jesus makes this strong statement solely to express our need for His redemptive work. Maybe Jesus still knows that we cannot ever really be that righteous. I mean, for real, do we really expect to have our lives changed that much? The short answer is: yes! I've seen it! Mature Christians who have a heart for Jesus and a real love for others, who are crucifying sin in their lives through the power and lead of the Holy Spirit, and who are living for the Kingdom as they share the Gospel with others. I've seen men and women whose households or friendships are seasoned with the truth of Scripture, the hope of Jesus, the conviction and boldness of the Spirit! But ultimately, it is not us manufacturing righteousness. It is simply us walking with God in the Truth and in the Spirit's work in us. Besides, when you scratch beneath the surface...the Pharisees did not set the bar that high! They had a false righteousness but were actually far from God! We need only live every day in true Spirit-filled fellowship with our Savior and He transforms our lives from the inside out by His grace and love for us! Aim high! And follow Jesus!
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