Jesus made a statement in the Sermon on the Mount that may have shocked many of the listeners: Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no way enter into the kingdom of Heaven (Matt.5:20).
No doubt many were shocked that this teacher would criticise the recognized religious teachers and teachers of the day. He was saying in effect that His hearers, the common people, would have to do better than their teachers if they wanted to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This necessarily implied that that their teachers would not enter the Kingdom of Heaven either! Perhaps their inward reaction was similar to the reaction Jesus’ disciples displayed when He told them how hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven – Who then can be saved?
The Scribes and Pharisees were religious men, but their problems were many: They were interested in details, not in principles (Matt.23:23); they were interested in actions without motive Matt. 12:1-3,14); they were interested in doing to be seen, rather than in doing to please God (Matt. 6:1-6; 12:42,43; Matt. 23:5-7). Jesus labelled this style of religion, hypocrisy. Technically, we could call it self-righteousness.
Luke 18:9 calls it the practice of trusting in oneself for righteousness. Self-righteousness is not to be confused with living righteously. Some are so afraid of appearing righteous and branded as “goody goody two shoes”, they practice a certain amount of unrighteousness in their life, but not enough to be a criminal. Some are afraid of the “pharisaic” label we hear cast about so much today so they bend over backwards to avoid the label by not striving to be “too good”. They choose the wrong method! Jesus Christ condemned self-righteousness and taught it doesn’t save, yet He Himself lived a perfect life.
There’s an art in cooking a meal or making a bomb (these two things can be one and the same sometimes!). Ingredients aren’t the only issue: proportion, order and mixing are also important. This is also true in the fine art of living. It’s also true in the process of salvation. Failing to get the mix right, the right order and the right proportion is seen so clearly in the false doctrines to do with faith and works. The Bible teaches that faith saves but works can’t, but a faith that does not work cannot save. Is that confusing? Righteousness is important to salvation as our text says, yet self-righteousness is condemned. However, self-righteousness continues to be a widely-practiced plan of salvation. I would venture to say it has been the most popular belief in every age:- that men will be saved or lost based upon the idea that one’s good deeds will outweigh one’s bad deeds on the great scales of judgement. It’s understandable, particularly if one knows little about the idea of judgement. Most people who practice self-righteousness don’t know they are doing it. How is that so?
Many are trusting in moderate ‘goodness’ in order to earn a place in Heaven. As we have seen, being too good leads to being labelled as self-righteous, so being moderately good must in some way earn an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. They will obtain a ‘passing grade’ on judgement day by the respectability of their life. After all, if they don’t make it, how many more won’t make it?! Why, the thought is too disturbing.
Yet the truth is often disturbing. And the truth about us is disturbing. We are not as good as we think we are! And the penalty for sin is death. We are dealing with a perfect God who wants perfect creatures to inhabit the Kingdom of Heaven. He wants to be in the presence of His children. Since there are none perfect He wants to make them perfect because He cannot be in the presence of evil. The idea that God should just fling open the doors of Heaven and invite any who want to, to come in, is just not possible. “Come as you are” is not possible. But God can do anything, right? Wrong! He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13) – He has to be faithful to His nature and His word. He cannot pretend that darkness is light, that evil is good, that error is truth, that apathy is zeal, or that disobedience is obedience. He cannot lie (Titus 1:1).
It reminds me of children who don’t understand the difficulties in certain things. I can remember as a young boy amusing my father with solutions to problems that I underestimated. I remember making a toy boat and I was putting in an electric motor to drive the propeller. As I was thinking about the batteries that would be constantly needed (no rechargeable then), I had a brainwave. I had two little electric motors and I figured if I joined the two together so that one would drive the propeller and also drive the other motor effectively make it a generator. Then all I had to do was hook up the generator to the motor and it would drive it and the propeller and I wouldn’t need batteries. All I would have to do was give the propeller a flick to turn the motor to turn the generator which would generate power to turn the motor and it would go forever. I excitedly told my father but instead of him becoming as excited as me he gave one of his little chuckles which was code for “that won’t work”. That was but one of many low points in my engineering career.
For a sinner to go to Heaven is more difficult than most people realise.
There was a certain professor of religion named Dr. John Paul Samson, a studious man who taught at a well-known college in the northeast of the United States. He taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course in his first year, regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Samson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.
This particular year Dr. Samson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a first year, but was studying with the intent of going on to train for the ministry. Steve was popular, was well-liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting centre on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor’s class.
One day, Dr. Samson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.
“How many push-ups can you do?”
Steve said, “I do about 200 every night”.
“200?, that’s pretty good Steve”, Dr. Samson said. “Do you think you could do 300?”
Steve replied, “I don’t know….I’ve never done 300 at a time”.
“Do you think you could?”, again asked Dr. Samson.
“Well, I can try”, said Steve.
“Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it”, said the Professor.
Steve said, “Well…I think I can…yeah, I can do it”.
Dr. Samson said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind”.
When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren’t the normal kind of donuts, they were the extra-fancy BIG kind, with cream centres and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last day of class, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Samson’s class.
Dr. Samson went to the first girl in the first row and asked,
“Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?”
Cynthia said “Yes”.
Dr. Samson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?”
“Sure”. Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat at his desk. Dr. Samson put a donut on Cynthia’s desk, before going to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe, do you want a donut?”
Joe said “Yes”. Dr. Samson asked, “Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?”
Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.
Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Samson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When the professor asked, “Scott, do you want a donut? Scott’s reply was “Well, can I do my own push-ups?” Dr. Samson said “No, Steve has to do them,”. Then Scott said, “Well, I don’t want one then”. Dr. Samson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn’t want?” With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn’t want one!” Dr. Samson said, “Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.” And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.
Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.
Dr. Samson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Samson asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a donut?” Sternly, Jenny said “No!” Then Dr. Samson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so that Jenny can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Steve did ten…..Jenny got a donut. By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say “no!” and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.
Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.
Dr. Samson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push-up to make sure he did the full ten in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.
Dr. Samson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran along the sides of the room. When the professor realised this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Samson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a tough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.
Steve asked Dr. Samson, “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?” Dr. Samson thought for a moment. “Well they’re your push-ups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way you want”. And Dr. Samson went on.
A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!” Jason didn’t know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, “No, let him come in”. Professor Samson said, “You realise that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?” Steve said, “Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut”. Dr. Samson said, “Okay, Steve, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?” Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. “Yes”, he said, “give me a donut”. “Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?”
Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Dr. Samson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off his face; there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room. The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders and very popular. Dr. Samson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a donut?” Linda said, very sadly, “No, thankyou”. Professor Samson quietly asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda. Then Dr. Samson turned to the last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a donut?” Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. “Dr. Samson, why can’t I help him?”
Dr. Samson, with tears of his own, said, “No, Steve has to do it alone. I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether hey want it or not. When I decided to give this party on the last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sake’s”. “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?” As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understand he had done everything that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.
Dr. Samson turned to the room and said, “And so it was that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, “into thy hands I commend my spirit”. With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten”.
Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. “Well done, good and faithful servant”, said the professor, adding, “Not all sermons are preached in words.
Turning to the class, the professor said, “My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been offered to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He spared not only His only begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid. Wouldn’t you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?” So ended the lesson.
Rome 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life…. A wage is earned but a gift is not. Eternal life is a gift because no one is good enough to earn their way to Heaven. Earthly gifts can be received by going to the letterbox, following a string, holding out one’s hands, opening a box etc. The gift of eternal life is received by believing, repenting, confessing and being baptised into Christ for the remission of sins. It is in the culminating act of baptism that one receives the gift (Luke 1:77). In what will you put your trust, or, rather, in whom will you put your trust: your self-righteousness or the righteousness of Christ given as a gift through the remission of your sins?