Sermon
How Good Do You Have To Be To Get To Heaven?
January 2-3, 1999
Pastor Donald Sheley

Lord Jesus, we do find that the longer we serve You, the sweeter it grows. To know You and to experience Your faithfulness. We that have made the journey over long years can say it grows sweeter as the years go by, and our relationship with You is wonderful Lord. Now please help us to understand the passage before us today. May Your Holy Spirit make its meaning very, very clear. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Take your Bible and join with me in a passage we've been studying now for some weeks. It's the passage the Sermon on the Mount. We have not progressed too far. We got slowed up during the Christmas time, but we are at verse 17 and I am going to read 17 through 20 today; chapter 5. 

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. 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. 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. 

When we come to verse 17 you will notice there is an abrupt change. Verse 16 says, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Do not think. There is an abrupt change, and the reason for that as we noted last time, Jesus realizes that those who are a part of His audience misunderstood His ministry. They realized that He was different than any other religious leader and that what He had to say was almost opposite from what the scribes and the Pharisees had to say. And the result was that He was met with much suspicion, and some of them thought of Him as a revolutionary others thought He might be an incendiary, one that steps out of a page of history and does damage to the cause of religion and then disappears. 

Jesus immediately picks that up and says I want you all to know, I did not come to destroy the law. And when He uses the term law, it's in reference to the entire Old Testament text. What He is saying, I did not come to disannul, I did not come to abrogate, I did not come to abolish what you folks have build your Judaism religion on. So don't misunderstand me. I came not to destroy, but I came as the fulfillment of that Old Testament. Its promises, its shadows, its patterns. I am the fulfillment of the Old Testament. I didn't come to destroy. I came to complete it, to bring it to its fullest meaning. So don't misjudge me. 

And then He went to verse 18 and said, For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass form the law. Jesus said there is coming an end when this world shall be no more, and until that day takes place there is only one authority and that's the Word of God. Isaiah spoke of that day. He said, lift up your eyes to heaven and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke and the earth will grow old like a garment and those who dwell in it will die in like manner, but my salvation will be forever. 

Peter picked up the theme of the last closing moments of this old earth. 2 Peter 3:7 he says, But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. And so until earth is no more, and until that day when this earth is dissolved, Jesus is saying listen, the Word of God is absolute. It's unshakable. Heaven and earth will pass away, but this Word will never pass away. This is the authority for man. And then He added something very interesting, He said not one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law. What did He mean? 

Well in the Hebrew language there is what is called the yoth, y-o-t- h, the yoth. And what it is, it's the smallest letter. Just like a little apostrophe. Just a little mark, but it's very, very important. Very, very small. In the Greek language there are times when you take the 'i' and drop it down and under another letter and it appears like a little comma. When He referenced the tittle it's the one stroke that finishes the meaning of a letter or a word. Such as if we take the letter 'F' and we put two strokes out here we've got an 'F', but if we put one more little stroke we've got now an 'E'. And what Jesus is saying, every stroke, every comma, every little part that makes the Word of God what it is, it will be fulfilled, it will never be changed. 

Jesus Christ believed in the inherency of the Word of God. He is saying I didn't come to destroy, I came to fulfill it and I want you to know it will last and stand as mans' only authority until this earth is dissolved and not one little marking of God's law will loose its meaning nor its authority. 

Now He comes to verse 19 and says, 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. He is saying, listen, I want you to know I didn't come to destroy. I came to fulfill and every word, every commandment is important, and anybody who would teach men to negate and look scants at God's law, that man will be least in God's kingdom. 

And then verse 20. Here is the shocker. He now knows He's got the attention of His audience, and He centers in on something that He knows from the rest of the message He is going to get an angered crowd. Because in that crowd He's got scribes and Pharisees. Look at what He says, 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. 

Now the question is this. If Jesus said that righteousness had to exceed that most religious people of that community or they wouldn't get to heaven, those scribes and those Pharisees immediately their ears went high. You see, the scribe was the person who spent all of his lifetime writing, recording, studying, interpreting, seeking to understand in-depth the Old Testament text so he could be the leader of religion. And history tells us that some of those scribes in going over and over the text many of them memorized much if not all of the Old Testament text. And these scribes are standing there and Jesus is saying, listen, we've got scribes that are amongst us who spend their lifetime trying to lean how to be righteous, but they're going to miss heaven totally. 

You see the term scribe marked an office within the community. There was the civil scribe and he took care of all the history as the nation progressed and he was kind of a historian of the nation. He was called the civil scribe. And then there was the ecclesiastical or the ceremonial scribe and here is the one that's standing in Jesus' audience. They are the fellows who spent all of their lifetime studying the Old Testament text so they could tell others how to be righteous. The scribes later became known and the rabbis and oft times they are also referred to as lawyers. It's the same group. The scribes, the lawyers, the rabbis. Well who are the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a sect in Judaism and Pharisee means they were separate. What they were, they were the legalists. They were the extreme fundamentalists of Judaism, and what they had done is that they had codified their traditions. They had taken God's commandments and they had lessened the standard, formed a tradition, and then committed themselves to living according to those traditions. 

They were the Pharisees. I mean, these were the super spiritual people. They carried their little phylacteries in their box here in their forehead and it had their laws written. And I mean every place they went you knew this man has committed his life to following every tradition. Paul was a Pharisee. So here He's got these scribes and these Pharisees and He says, I want you to know we've got the scribes and Pharisees with us today, and in our community they are looked upon as the most spiritual people here, but they are going to miss heaven because if you don't have a righteousness that exceeds theirs, you're not going to make it.

Now, question. What was the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? Well it was a system of human achievement, external rituals in the following of their traditions to the exclusion of God's commandment. Go with me to Mark chapter 7; it's very, very clear. You immediately pick up what the kind of religion the Pharisees believed in. Chapter 7 of Mark verse 1, Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. You see that was part of their religion, the way you washed your hands. You had to hold them up. People poured water over the fingers. It dropped down to the wrist and then you made sure you got rid of it. That was part of being religious, the way you washed your hands. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches. There were people that wouldn't use some food in some of their containers and they were set aside just for specific meals and so forth. I mean this was religion. The kind of plate that you ate on was part of your religion. 

Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: "This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain, without purpose, without meaning they worship Me. Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." They're teaching as truth what is simply tradition. 

Next verse. "For laying aside, ignoring, the commandment of God, you hold the traditions of men – the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, all too well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your traditions. What was their righteousness? They were more interested in details than they were principles. They were much more concerned about actions rather than motives. They were more concerned about doing rather than being. They were superficial. 

Matthew 23:25 says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. I mean, you look good on the outside, but you are ugly on the inside. So theirs was a religion that was superficial. They were more interested in acting religious, but in their hearts they could be cold hearted. They were cruel. They were filled with hatred. And they were terrible slave drivers when it came to religion. That's the righteousness of the Pharisees. 

Luke 16:!5 says, And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. You look religious, but he said inside you're full of extortion and self-indulgence. So theirs was a religion that was external, just to be seen, but in their heart of hearts they were cruel, filled with hatred and pride. Now also not only was it external, but theirs was a partial righteousness. They choose areas in which they wanted to set their standards and they ignored the rest. 

You remember Jesus said you guys make a great to do out of all this matter of tithing. You even count seeds. You get down to anise and cumin and mint which are just little seeds. I mean you're so precise you make sure that one out of every 10 seeds you take to the temple. So what! What you've really set aside is you've ignored this whole matter of mercy and justice and love. You've selected where you've wanted to be righteous and you've set your standard, but what God considers righteous when mercy and love and caring concern you, that's not part of your righteousness. So it was a partial righteousness. It was a redefined righteousness. They lowered God's standards to meet their own. 

It's interesting. You know, we have the same tendency. When we're confronted and God's Word is very, very clear, some of us work night and day to rationalize and get around that and set another standard so we can somehow have a peace of mind. I've watched people do it constantly, and sometimes I've tried it. God says this and I say, but isn't there someway else we can get around this command of God, this standard, and we reduce, we try to pull the standard down. 

Those Pharisees had a righteousness that was superficial. It was external. They had ugly hearts. Mean hearts, but to their world they were the spiritual somebodys. And Jesus is saying, your righteousness will never get you into heaven. Now I'm sure that those scribes and Pharisees were about ready to pick up every rock they could find and start throwing at this preacher who is telling them they are not going to go to heaven. You say then, what kind of righteousness do you have to have to get to heaven? How good? 

Let me ask the question, how good do you got to be to get to heaven? Answer, as good as God. There won't be anybody in heaven then only God Himself. Well look what the Bible says, Matthew 5:48, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. You say, I'll never make it. I know it. None of us will. What's His requirement for holiness? Absolute holiness, absolute perfection, both internal and external? Jesus said unless you've got that kind of righteousness you'll never qualify as an entrant to heaven. 

By this time we're saying, well listen, how do you get there? How do you get that kind of righteousness that qualifies you to get into heaven? Here are some of the most glorious verses of scripture. Go with me to the book of Romans. Paul deals with this whole subject of righteousness in the most beautiful way. Romans 3:20. Remember we said, what kind of righteousness will qualify us for heaven? The perfection of God. You say, I can't make it. Good. Neither can I.

Look at what it says, Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified, verse 20, in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Remember, we've said the law would never save anything. It will just tell you how big a sinner you are. That's all it does. It can't save you. And then he goes on to say, But now the righteousness of God apart from the law has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. What do we receive when we turn our life over to Jesus Christ? He clothes us with His righteousness. He no longer sees us as we are, He sees us covered with the righteousness of Christ. 

Go to chapter 5 verse 17. He picks up the theme again, For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness. Now, righteousness is a gift. It's not something you earn. It's not something you work at trying to be goody-goody. It's not something that makes you look religious. Righteousness is a gift from God and will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 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. Because of what Christ did at Calvary, and when we put our trust in Him as our Lord and our Savior, and that glorious transformation takes place, where we're born again and we're made new creations in Christ, we're given and implanted the glorious gift of His righteousness. And He sees us as righteous because we have His righteousness, as righteous as He is. That's almost too much to grasp, isn't it? But that's what Paul is saying. 

Go with me to chapter 8. He picks up the theme again, verse 3 and 4, For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. He said to those scribes and Pharisees, you try to keep the law, but it's too weak. You'll never, you'll never achieve any righteousness there. 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. All the righteousness that God required in that law because of our relationship now in Christ, as we walk by the Spirit, that is fulfilled in our life because we have His righteousness. Isn't that a tremendous verse?

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on the 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. How good do you have to be? As good as God. And how do we get that? When He imputes to us the gift of righteousness. And Jude says on that eternal day He will present us faultless before His eternal presence with joy. I tell you, that's the glorious truth of salvation. You can't work your way into heaven. It won't work. I mean, those scribes and Pharisees are in hell today. 

There's a verse in Matthew 6:23. It's that last phrase. It says, If the light that is within you be darkness, how great is that darkness! Those scribes and Pharisees thought that the light that they had that they were following was truth. Jesus said if that light that you think, what you think is truth ends up being a lie, you'll miss heaven and you'll spend eternity in hell. You say how does this verse apply? Let me quickly bring it to conclusion. I look across the religious world today and I see people who are part of religion, part of cults, and they think their way. 

I had a person say to me the other day, there are many ways to New York and you can take any way you want to. No, you can't. There is only one way to heaven, and that's through putting our trust in Jesus Christ. Only one way. And I see these people who play religion, and you know, they think that their religious associations, they attend church frequently. I ask people are you a Christian? They say well I'm a...and then they tell me they're either Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, whatever it is. That's not the question I ask. It's not that religious affiliation that will in any way get us to heaven. It's only in knowing the transforming relationship with Jesus Christ that has made us new creatures in Him. That's going to be the qualifying factor. 

And I fear on that eternal day there will be some that will stand on judgment day and God will say, Why do you qualify? And they will say, I went to Church of the Highlands. That didn't qualify them. I think one of the greatest griefs I have is I see people come and go Sunday after Sunday and month after month, and they don't receive the righteousness of Christ through faith in Jesus. And I live with that knowledge that on that eternal day He will say depart from Me I never knew you, you worker of iniquity. If the light that is within you be darkness, if what you think to be truth and you are relying on that, your goodness to get you into heaven that light is darkness. And how great be that darkness.

Those scribes and Pharisees stood there that day and Jesus made it very clear, you guys are not going to make it because your righteousness is not the righteousness of Christ. And yet they turned against him and ultimately they are part of the crowd that is yelling crucify Him, crucify Him! And they nailed truth to the cross and died in their darkness. There is only one way to heaven. One way. And that is through trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, and allowing God to clothe you with His righteousness. So when we stand before Him on that eternal day He will not see us as sinful men and women, but He will present us faultless before His eternal glory with joy.

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, there are so many people who are trying to be religious and following various sects and teachings and cults; people within the church who are going to count on their personal goodness to qualify them. Somehow open their eyes. And may it be that we here in our fellowship never forget that we'll only be in Your eternal presence because of Your mercy, and Your grace, and Your forgiveness towards us. Thank you dear Jesus. Amen.