okay I would like to spend just a little
bit more time with you looking again
Matthew chapter 7 and verse number 12
this is a very important verse i think
the you know not only for what it
intrinsically says that here's a summary
of the entire law on the prophets this
is the ethical and moral rule by which
we should guide every aspect of our
lives but also how it fits in to the
whole scheme of the Sermon on the Mount
and that Jesus was throughout this
entire sermon helping people to better
understand the law and the prophets
right and so he says in Matthew 7 and
verse number 12 let's read it one last
time here therefore however you want
people to treat you so treat them for
this is the law and the prophets and
that essentially summarizes everything
that Jesus said all the way since
Matthew chapter 5 and verse number 17
let's read this one more time do not
think that I came to abolish the law or
the prophets see there it is mentioned
again I did not come to abolish but to
fulfil that is to fill to the full and
that's what happened between Matthew 5
17 and Matthew 7 12 Jesus had been
filling to the full the law and the
prophets and the problem was is that
people needed the law and the prophets
to be filled to the full because it had
been drained to the dregs by the scribes
and Pharisees and I might mention to you
that the scribes and Pharisees are
mentioned subtly in these this passage
as being the problem after Matthew 5 17
we read Matthew 5 18 and 19 where Jesus
says until heaven and earth pass away
not the smallest letter or stroke shall
pass away from the law until all is
accomplished well that's exactly why the
Christian Bible contains the Old and New
Testaments all right the Old Testament
is still completely relevant and worthy
of our study and obedience as long as it
is interpreted through the greater light
of the new testament ok and then
number 19 whoever then annul one of the
least of these Commandments and so
teaches others shall be called least in
the kingdom of heaven whoever keeps and
teaches them he shall be called great
and so on now verse 20 this is the one
I've been wanting to get to for I say to
you Jesus says that unless your
righteousness certain and what he's
talking is he talking about imputed
righteousness like some teachers try to
tell us and well of course I right this
is better than the scribes Pharisees
because we were covered with the blood
of christ and the christ righteous is a
beautiful is that what he's talking no
no the context is all prior to this and
after this all about the law God's
commandments and so Jesus is talking
about practical righteousness unless
your practical righteousness surpasses
that of the scribes and Pharisees you
shall not enter the kingdom of heaven
and as I mentioned you and when we study
this Jesus that's that's like dropping a
bomb on the audience he's telling them
all your former teachers those scribes
and Pharisees that you listen to every
Sabbath in the synagogue and other times
they're all going to hell you don't want
to follow them and you got to do better
than them okay so clearly there is a
correlation between holiness and heaven
sure we're saved by grace through faith
but through a faith that works a living
faith not a dead faith now we've talked
about this the scribes and Pharisees
although they're not specifically
mentioned from this point onward they
are certainly alluded to over and over
and over again as Jesus continues when
he talked about the guy who preys on the
street corners and the synagogues and
sounds the trumpets they all knew he was
talking about the scribes and Pharisees
when he said you have heard it said love
your love your neighbor and hate your
enemies well they they knew who was
teaching the hate your enemies thing the
scribes and Pharisees so although it's
not so obvious to modern readers it was
so obvious to the people who were
listening to him that first day and
early readers of Matthew they knew Jesus
is continually nailing the scribes and
Pharisees by this sermon just taking
what they said and saying it innocents
this is practically completely wrong
what these guys these scripture twisters
have been teaching you these guys go
into hell these guys who righteousness
does not meet the standard that is
required of true believers you got it
okay I think you got it and so when we
come to Matthew chapter 7 and verse
number 12 you know he's still talking
about the law and the prophets because
he mentions the law of the prophets and
he sums up everything he said and this
in itself is a condemnation of the
scribes and Pharisees who were not
keeping the golden rule I mean they
here's the thing here's the tragic thing
they knew that the greatest commandment
was the love God of all your heart mind
soul of strength and they knew the
second greatest commandment was to love
your neighbor as yourself which is just
another way isn't it of saying treat
others as you want them to treat you
they knew that the golden rule was the
second greatest commandment and yet were
they doing it keeping it no they weren't
doing it all and every kind of a little
loophole they could find in the law and
they would and they're also you know be
attracted to the theological teachers of
their day that provided them with the
most loopholes we talked about some of
those loopholes you know they found in
the law regarding divorce and remarriage
and how Jesus condemn them for the sin
of adultery by their quickie divorces
and quickie marriages to their
mistresses and so forth you know so this
is the really the ultimate condemnation
of the scribes and Pharisees and this is
the ultimate moral code which is binding
upon all people the law by which
everyone will be judged because everyone
intuitively instinctively knows the
Golden Rule amen you know when you see
someone who for example is less
fortunate than you are someone who is
living in great deprivation and extreme
poverty and other nations people are
starving and so forth I mean you know
and you're sitting there in your living
room
within a plush place you know your
conscience pricks you it's universal I
should be doing something because that
could be mean why am I sitting in this
plush couch and that person is in that
you know famine ravaged country man I I
need to do something about that okay
treat that person like I'd want to be
treated if our roles were reversed well
want to help some people like that
that's what the Ministry of heavens
family is all about when I say goodbye
check out our website Evans family door
thanks for joining me see you next time