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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Genesis 13-15
Matthew 5:17-37

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Matthew 5:20 (CSB): “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Matthew 5:17-20 would take a month of Sundays to properly unpack. But let me attempt to provide a brief summary:

  • Vs. 17 – Jesus didn’t come to get rid of the Law; He came to affirm the Old Testament Law and to perfectly obey it.
  • V. 18 – God’s Law (OT specifically; entire Bible by implication) is God’s authoritative and inerrant Word that will not so much as have one iota erased or proven to be untrue until it all comes to pass.
  • V. 19 – How we treat God’s Word is directly related to how Heaven sees us. If we disobey it and/or discredit or distort it, we are nothing in Heaven’s eyes (probably an unbeliever). The one who desires to obey God’s Word and teach it correctly demonstrates that they are saved and will be celebrated in Heaven’s eyes.

And then we come to verse 20, where Jesus says that if our righteousness isn’t greater than the Pharisees (who were looked upon by everyone for their impressive righteous), then we will never get into the kingdom of Heaven. In other words, we can’t be saved.

I believe that Jesus’ words call us to contemplate two very important points:

First, we must “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). We must desire to study God’s Word to know what God’s righteous standard is for thinking and behavior. Then, by God’s grace, we must strive to live by that standard.

Second, we will never reach God’s perfect standard of righteousness. In fact, all of our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). But God has made it possible, through Jesus, for us to attain a perfect righteousness. Jesus lived a perfect life according to the Law (Matthew 5:17). When we place our trust in Him for eternal life, He forgives our sins and credits us with His perfect righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB): “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

So, as saved followers of Jesus, we are credited with His righteousness. Therefore, we are called to act like who we are and pursue a righteous life.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you see that if you are a genuine follower of Jesus, you must pursue a righteous life.
  • Ask God to help you see that you cannot pursue righteousness on your own. You need Him to save you and then to help you make good in your pursuit of righteous living.
  • Ask God to help you study and understand His Word today, and then obey what He reveals to you.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into why we cannot rely on our own “righteousness,” consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“Why does Christ’s righteousness need to be imputed to us?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com).