It's About Your Heart

For those who first heard the "Sermon on the Mount", it turned everything they thought they knew about living for the Lord upside-down. What Jesus said and how He said it was so different from anything they ever heard before. And it still HITS DIFFERENT today.

Jesus points to the scribes and Pharisees, those Jewish holy men who were held up to the people as teachers and examples of how to live according to the Scriptures. The system they taught for achieving righteousness was keeping a long, long list of religious rules and rituals. And they did it really well. They spent their lives, all day every day, in this pursuit of appearing more holy than the next guy.

But Jesus said, “In My kingdom, your righteousness has to be better than theirs, or you won’t be accepted in!” “But how can I be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees? These guys are pros! Look at how holy they are! I could never be better than them!”

How is it possible? Let’s investigate. Please find Matthew 5:21-30.