trusted online casino malaysia
Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
The Scriptorium

Righteousness Within

I think we would have squirmed, too. Matthew 5.21, 22

Matthew 5: The Sermon on the Mount: Exceeding Righteousness (1)

Pray Psalm 42.1-3.
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”

Sing joyously Psalm 42.1-3
(Nettleton: Come Thou Fount)
As the deer pants for fresh water let my soul, Lord, pant for You!
Let my soul thirst as it ought to for the Savior, ever true!
Tears by day have been my portion, tears by night have been my food,
While my foes add to my sorrow, saying, “Where now is your God?”

Read Matthew 5.1-22; meditate on verses 21, 22.


Prepare.
1. To what does Jesus compare murder?

2. What kind of relationships does Jesus want us to have with our fellow believers?

Meditate.
Jesus has established righteousness as the defining characteristic of the blessed of the Kingdom of God (vv. 13-20). But He warns that the righteousness He commands is not like that of the scribes and Pharisees – merely superficial, based on traditions rather than Scripture, and meant to be displayed for selfish gain. Jesus insists that true righteousness is inward, and in the rest of chapter 5, He will elaborate on what He means by that.

He begins with murder. Surely there were no murderers in that crowd gathered around Jesus. “Murder?” someone present may have thought. “Well, at least He’s not pointing the finger at me?” Then, BANG: If you fly off the handle at your neighbor and are angry for no just cause, you are just as much a murderer as if you clubbed him to death (vv. 21, 22). Unrighteousness begins in the heart, where our affections are lodged and nurtured, and from which we engage them. If our hearts are not right toward our neighbors, then we have broken the Law of God before we take the first step of outward sin!

The same is true with passing judgment: If you call your neighbor a fool, or talk about them as such, you have passed judgment on him. To refer to someone as a fool is to condemn them as not believing in God (cf. Ps. 53.1). Who are you to make that determination? You’ve transgressed in your thoughts and your heart by usurping a prerogative only God can exercise. You’ve set yourself up as God in the very place of God and judged your bother, if only in your mind (v. 22).

And now we can see that all the “non-murderers” in the crowd around Jesus are beginning to squirm. We should, too, because our hearts are no different from theirs. We must exercise constant vigilance in our attitudes, and neither destroy our neighbor with anger nor condemn him by a judgmental spirit. We should all squirm to know that Jesus knows what’s in our hearts.

But let’s make sure that, as we squirm, we’re squirming closer to Him Who has fulfilled all righteousness for us.

Reflect.
1. What is the heart, and why is it so important for true righteousness?

2. How does the mind work to help us grow in true righteousness?

3. How can we keep a close watch on both our hearts and minds?

This is what the Lord said: “I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.” In other words, to accentuate what was considered least; that is to say, to reform for the better the precepts of the law. For this reason the holy apostle says, “Do we, then, overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” … The law commands us not to murder. The gospel commands us not to get angry without reason, that we may remove every root of sin from our hearts, because anger can even lead to homicide.
Chromatius (fl. ca. 400), Tractate on Matthew 21.1.1-2

Use me to salt the earth and its fullness today, O Lord, especially as I…

Pray Psalm 42.9-11.
Weep and mourn for the condition of your heart, and ask the Lord to cleanse, renew, and uplift you, as you repent of your sins and go forth to serve Him today.

Sing Psalm 42.4-11.
Psalm 42.4-11 (Nettleton: Come Thou Fount)
Now I pour my soul out in me as these thoughts come to my mind.
And I long to once again be where true worship I might find.
Oh my soul, be not despairing!  Hope in God, and praise His Name!
For the Lord, your burden bearing, will restore your peace again.

Oh my God, my soul is weary, therefore I remember You.
Let Your grace and goodness near be, and Your promise, firm and true.
Lord, when trials and fears surround me, Your commands will be my song;
when distresses sore confound me, Your great love will keep me strong.

Lord, forget me not in mourning ‘neath my foes’ oppressing hand.
See their mocking, hear their scorning; help my weary soul to stand.
Hope in God, praise Him forever when despair on you has trod.
Look to Jesus; never, never doubt your gracious, saving God.

T. M. Moore

We are pleased to offer Worship Guides for use in your family or small group. Each guide includes a complete service of worship, and they are free to download and share by clicking here.

If you value Scriptorium as a free resource for your walk with the Lord, please consider supporting our work with your gifts and offerings. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button  at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from
The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

Subscribe to Ailbe Newsletters

Sign up to receive our email newsletters and read columns about revival, renewal, and awakening built upon prayer, sharing, and mutual edification.