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| SERMON #91 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy, MAT 5:43. We must keep the teaching of our text in context with the six contrasts that Jesus sets forth in MAT 5:21-48. We must keep in view what the Lord Jesus taught and why He set forth these concepts. Jesus used this gospel as a golden cord to illustrate what He meant in MAT 5: 17-20. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." The central theme of the gospel which the Lord Jesus Christ teaches is like a golden cord interwoven throughout all the gospel. The personal application of these truths is found in MAT 5:20, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." The central theme of the six contrasts in this chapter shows where the scribes and Pharisees were in error in their teaching. Jesus did not come to abolish, alter, or destroy the law of God. He came to overthrow the doctrines by revealing the errors taught by the scribes and Pharisees which were strictly the commandments of men. He said, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." These teachings were just 180 degrees off from the teachings of the Old Testament law which they claimed to be teaching. Where Jesus said in V:17 that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it, He was not specifically referring to His work of atonement. He was referring to His body, i.e., the church as well. MAT 5:19 says "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Small sins are especially grievous to the Lord because they are small; the smaller the sin, the greater the reflection against the Law Giver. If a person flippantly commits "small sins" and refrains from committing "big sins," he doesn't understand God's will. If you transgress the will of the Holy God of Heaven for a trifling violation of the law, that shows you can trifle with and show disrespect for God. So He said, "...Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." We are not to slight the law as though it is immaterial to the Law Giver whether or not we obey. We do not obey the law to merit salvation--far from it. We are corrupt; we are not able to keep the law with perfection. Slighting the Law Giver would be more provoking to the Lord than slighting His law. When we receive a faith's view of the love of the Father in sending His own Son to suffer, to bleed, and to die, to be the propitiation of our sins, i.e., to appease His wrath upon our sin, how could we slight even the least of His commandments? We would stand in holy awe of God's holy will! Then we would have a holy reverence for God and walk in obedience from a motive of love, not to merit or gain anything. When we receive a faith's view of the the love of the Father, we begin to understand what Jesus meant when He said, "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Our best righteousness will not purchase salvation, but the Lord looks at our hearts. The motivation of our hearts must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. It must be a heart religion, and it must be from a heart of love that we serve the Lord. The fact that He has sent His Son as a propitiation of our sin should generate such love in our heart that we have a desire to obey, and we will not want to slight the least of His commandments. Each time Jesus said, "Ye have heard that it was said...But I say unto you," He was revealing the meaning of this righteousness that will exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. The intent or spirit of the law is what the Lord Jesus is dealing with in these six contrasts. In each instance Jesus establishes that He is not altering or abolishing the law, but He is teaching the true intent of the law. Our text says in MAT 5:43, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." Jesus is again revealing the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees in their perversion of the intent of the law. The intent of the law was love. There are two tables to the law. The first table of the law is to love God above all; that comes through in the first four commandments. The other table is to love your neighbour as yourself which comes through in the next six commandments. Those two tables of the law, the whole center theme and whole motive of the law, are the law of love. "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you," MAT 5:44. The teaching of the scribes to love thy neighbour was a teaching of partial truth, which is Satan's tactic of making a lie to accomplish his deceit. Partial truth is one of Satan's most flourishing tactics of our day. This is what he did in the Garden of Eden. This is what he did when he put the Lord Jesus Christ on a pinnacle and said, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone," MAT 4:6. Jesus corrected this partial truth by placing it in its proper context saying, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," V:7. The scribes and Pharisees were teaching the truth when they taught "Thou shalt love thy neighbour." This is the very heart of the second table of the law, but Satan's devices of deceit develop in the interpretation of the Word! They quoted the Word correctly, and then Satan twisted it into a lie. We have to be so careful in the interpretation of the Word; we must use the Word to unfold the Word. It is not what you or I believe; it is what the Word of God says. We must be very careful when trying to unfold the Word! All the different religions today come from various interpretations of the Word. Unfolding the Word and interpreting the Word are two entirely different things. We must use the Word to unfold the meaning of the Word. The interpretation of the Word is being used to twist the Word and make a lie. God's Word forbids any private interpretation of His Holy Word. 2PE 1:20-21 says, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." When God's Word is unfolded by using the Word to reveal the meaning of the Spirit, it is the inspired Word that is speaking and not any private interpretation of man's human reasoning. This perversion of the truth is what the Apostle Paul referred to as the mystery of iniquity that shall abound in the last days. This mystery of iniquity is the perverting of the truth by using partial truths. 2TI 2:7 says, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work." It was already starting in the days of the apostles. It is through interpreting God's Word with partial truth that Satan works the spirit of the antichrist and rebellion in the hearts of people. In 2TH 2:10-12 we read, "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." I want you to realize that Satan is preaching salvation without repentance when he twists the truth or uses partial truth. Satan will let his ministers go forth and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. They will preach that there is peace in the blood of the cross, but it is a partial truth when there is nothing about repentance. The Lord Jesus' ministry began with the need for repentance. MAT 4:17 says, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Repentance is a true remorse over sin, turning from sin, and walking in righteousness. The kingdom of heaven is at hand, i.e., enter into His service today! Turn from serving self and sin to serving under the yoke of Christ! The invitation in the gospel of Jesus Christ is, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light," MAT 11:28-30. They who receive not the love of this truth, "that they might be saved...God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not [this] truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness," 2TH 2:10-12. The teaching of the scribes and Pharisees that, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy," perverted the spirit of the law in two areas. They used a partial truth and perverted it with their interpretation. It perverted the spirit of the law and turned it 180 degrees to the exact opposite of the intent of the law. The first perversion was in their teaching of who was their neighbour. Secondly, they taught that you were to love only their neighbour. In their legalistic teaching much time was spent to determine who was one's neighbour. This perverted teaching not only justified hating, but it commanded hating every person they decided was not a neighbour. That is how Satan perverted the Word of the Lord. The teachings of that time were confusing and inconsistent. God is not inconsistent. Some of the schools of the scribes taught that fellow students of the law were neighbours, so it was limited to scribes and Pharisees. Some schools of the scribes and Pharisees taught that it was wider than that. They taught that your neighbour was every blood relative, every friend, or person living in your locality, i.e., in their community. Other schools taught that it was much broader yet. They taught that every Jew was a neighbour, but Jews only! That is interesting. The Canaanites were not neighbours; the Samaritans were not neighbours. No person could be a neighbour if they were not a Jew. In other words, they had to hate every person who was not a Jew. Some schools were much more liberal. They taught that Gentile proselytes who had joined the Jewish faith were neighbours. This was the broadest school of the scribes and Pharisees. The most common teaching was that only good Jews were considered as a neighbour. Publicans, harlots, or any public sinner was positively excluded. As a result of this teaching, they had to hate every person that was not what they esteemed to be a good Jew. This belief put every person in the judgment seat. The Lord Jesus teaches that we don't judge the next man; we don't judge the next man's conscience. "Judge not, that ye be not judged," MAT 7:l. Placing every man in the judgment seat meant one had to judge whether or not the person was a sinner. If so, one was to hate that person. See the perversion. They perverted the intent of the law thinking they were doing God's will. We must know some of this history to understand how that certain lawyer tempted Jesus while trying to justify himself. In LUK 10:25-29 we read, "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, [Now listen to this] said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?" This lawyer wanted to justify his hatred for publicans and sinners. He wanted to justify his school of thought, so he asked who was his neighbour in order to distinguish between those whom one loved or hated. He expected Jesus to give his narrow view of the meaning of the word neighbour to mean his fellow scribes and Pharisees. In other words, he wanted that narrow interpretation of the word neighbour. He knew the law, and he knew what it meant. This scribe, or lawyer, was "willing to justify himself," as having earned salvation by strictly observing the law of loving God above all and loving his neighbour as himself as he cited it. The Lord Jesus told him in V:34, "...Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." Jesus answered this lawyer's question, "And who is my neighbour?" with the parable about the good Samaritan. There was no scribal school that interpreted the term neighbour liberal enough to include those hated, detested Samaritans. The scribes and Pharisees considered the Samaritans as the most hated on earth. The second error which automatically resulted from the scribal teaching of partial truth in, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour," was to hate thine enemy, i.e., any person who was not considered a neighbour. They could not understand why the Lord Jesus used a Samaritan as the illustration of who was a neighbour. Why? We know the history. The Samaritan took care of a Jew who had fallen among thieves. The priest had walked around the other way; the Levite had walked around the other way; the Jew had passed by, but that hated Samaritan stopped and gave help. This shows that this was during the time of such great division of thinking. Absolutely no school of the scribes had ever included the Samaritans as a neighbour. So when Jesus was asked who was a neighbour, He used the act of the good Samaritan to show who was a neighbour. How did the thought develop that they were to hate every person who was not a neighbour according to their standards? That word hate comes from the Greek word, miseo which means, "hatred; to detest (especially to persecute); loveless--hateful." So when the scribes and Pharisees taught that you must hate your enemies, they meant you must detest that person, persecute them, and have no love for them. This was the perverted teaching of the scribes and Pharisees who were the students of the law and the teachers of the church! We see Jesus willingness to talk to a Samaritan woman was a great surprise to her. She was so surprised that He would speak to her as a Samaritan since He was a Jew. In JOH 4:9 we read, "Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." She was shocked. She couldn't understand why the Lord Jesus was talking to her in a friendly way. In their teaching of "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" out of the context in which it was written, the scribes and Pharisees taught a personal revenge. The Old Testament teaching of "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" pertained to proper administration of justice in a court of law; it did not pertain to personal revenge. The court system was not to give a punishment that was in excess of the crime nor give one far less than the crime. "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" was teaching the necessity of equal justice; the courts, the judicial process, were to administer justice with equity. That was the teaching of the Old Testament; it was not to be used as a personal vendetta. Using this same school of thought, they took a national matter and used it as a personal vendetta in their perverted thinking of, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." The children of Israel had been God's chosen nation. They had received the covenant of circumcision, the law of God, the oracles of God, i.e., divine revelations of God through the prophets and the Scriptures. ROM 3:2 says, "...because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." The scribes and Pharisees, who were the interpreters of these oracles, developed a strong religious pride over the centuries. They were the teachers of the law, the ones who would interpret the laws, and bring them forth to the common people. Further the Israelites, as a nation under Joshua's leadership, were God's instruments to destroy and annihilate the Canaanites for their wickedness. Here we see that the Lord did use the nation of Israel to overthrow a nation for its wickedness. For that reason, they were to show no mercy unto them, but they took this teaching on a personal basis to mean they were to hate every Canaanite. That was not the intent of the law any more than the teaching of "An eye for and eye, and a tooth for a tooth" meant a personal vendetta. DEU 7:2 says, "And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them." The Lord sent them as an instrument in His hand to render justice for the transgression of a nation. It was not a teaching of hatred for the individual person. In EXO 23:23-24 it says, "For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images." These divine commissions were given to Joshua as the leader of the nation of Israel. However, the scribes and Pharisees interpreted this on a personal basis. Instead of learning to see God's displeasure upon the sin in their own hearts, which was the intent of the law, this hatred instilled an "I am holier than thou" attitude in the Jews. That was not the intent of the law. The Lord cautioned them to overthrow their idols and their gods, and "don't do after their works." The Lord saw that they were just as capable of committing those sins as those other peoples. Later, they did commit those sins; the "I am holier than thou" attitude that the scribes and Pharisees set up is what brought about that spiritual pride. The Lord threw Israel out of the land because they became more abominable than the nations destroyed under Joshua. As God gave Joshua his commission to destroy those nations, He also gave strong admonitions to obedience for good success. He didn't tell Israel they were destroying the wicked nations because Israel was holier or greater than those nations. They were the instrument the Lord used to cut off wickedness. That didn't give them a right or a license to walk in that very sin. The Lord was saying that He would give them success if they would walk in His ways, and if they didn't, He would put them out the same as He put out the wicked nations. The scribes and Pharisees overlooked this, and they became spiritually proud. Look at what we see in JOS 1:5-8, "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life; Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, [You can't separate success from obedience can you?] This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." You see, the scribes and Pharisees had perverted that teaching. They taught as though they had a license to sin as a result of the commission to overthrow those who had been wicked. The scribes and Pharisees forgot God's exhortation by the mouth of Jeremiah in JER 25:9, "Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant..." The Lord sent Nebuchadnezzar to overthrow the kingdom of Israel and carry them out of that same land for their abominations. The scribes and Pharisees forgot how Israel had served seventy years under the king of confusion because they had stooped to where they were committing the sins that were committed by the nations Israel overthrew. When Israel rebelled against the Lord and polluted themselves more than the nations the Lord had cast out before them, the Lord commissioned an ungodly nation as His servant to overthrow their kingdom and lead them into captivity. Nebuchadnezzar was a worshiper of idols; he was not a godly man. This should have led the scribes and Pharisees to see that the Lord used an ungodly king and an ungodly nation to come and overthrow His chosen nation to bring them into captivity because they had sinned the same sins as the kingdoms they had overthrown. In their "I am holier than thou" hypocrisy, Israel lost sight of why they were under the Roman yoke at that very time. How could they stand so proud and teach hatred while the Roman Empire and soldiers held them in captivity? They were under the Roman yoke because they had transgressed the law; they had violated the law and provoked the Lord to anger with their sins. How could they stand so proudly, looking at publicans and sinners with hatred when they were perverting the intent of the law? JOH 8:3-4 says, "And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act." They were going to pronounce condemnation upon that woman. They brought her to the Lord Jesus Christ to have Him pronounce judgment and have her stoned to death. They stood there with such an "I am holier than thou" attitude. They felt they had a right to hate that woman. Why? They were righteous, and she was the sinner. JOH 8:7 says, "So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." The Lord threw a little light into their hearts, and the Pharisees saw a glimpse of the hypocrisy in their own hearts. Not one had a stone to throw. Now who was the enemy? They had stood so aloft, filled with spiritual pride, when they brought the woman who was taken in adultery. V:9 continues, "And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." What did the Lord Jesus say to the woman? The answer is in V:10-11. "When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." The accusers were gone. Isn't that a blessed thing when you and I get enough light in our own hearts that we don't have one stone to throw at one who is guilty of capital crime? If you don't have one stone to throw at one who is the most corrupt sinner on earth, then who is there left to hate? If you can't throw one stone because you have learned to look into your own heart, then who becomes your neighbour? Who is left to hate? See the hypocrisy of the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus dealt with the hypocrisy of judging others in MAT 7:2-5, "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." A mote is so fine you almost need a magnifying glass to see it, and a beam is something big enough you can trip over it. Jesus is saying you have a beam in your own eye, so why are you trying to get the mote out of your brother's eye? If you saw (as Jesus showed those scribes and Pharisees), but a glimpse of what is in your eye, you wouldn't have one stone to throw. When we see the wretchedness of our own heart, when the Lord has shown us our own sin, when we have learned to understand what it is to confess before the Lord, "Father, I have sinned," we start to see clearly. After we are converted, we can strengthen the brethren. Then we can come to our brother, not as a judge, but as a sympathizer. Then we can say to our brother, "Don't walk in that sin. I have sinned and I see the grievousness of sin. I see the horrible consequences of sin in my own soul." We can see clearly because we see the sinfulness of our own sin; then we can go to our brother and take the mote out of his eye. Jesus showed the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees who were ignorant of the corruption within their own heart in MAT 23:25- 28, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. [On the outside you appear so righteous and perfect, but you have extortion, excess, and corruption within your heart.] Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." At funerals, some coffins are so beautiful on the outside as long as the lid is shut, but within there is deadness and darkness; if we recognize the corruption within our own heart, we couldn't speak so loftily about our neighbours. We wouldn't have any hate left for our neighbour even if he is a publican, harlot, or sinner. We won't have one stone to throw. Those who judge the heart of others are inexcusable, and it is going to be revealed in the day of judgment. If you and I can pass judgment on anyone, we will be inexcusable. We will be judged with the judgment we judged others. ROM 2:1 says, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." You that are passing judgment don't know your own heart. You don't know your own corruption and sin or you couldn't pass judgment on another. The scribes and Pharisees loved greetings in the market place and the highest rooms at the feasts. They fed their spiritual pride with such things. This spiritual pride led them to hate the Gentiles, or any outsiders, who were despised and looked upon with disdain as if they were dogs. The scribes and Pharisees interpreted the law to mean they must hate their enemies. Hate meant to persecute, detest, to hate with a passion. They loved the greetings and the things that exalted their pride, but they hated the Gentiles. When our eyes are opened by God's grace, we see ourselves as a dog, like the woman of Canaan. We have to understand that in the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel was not preached to the Gentiles. You and I are Gentiles; we are not Jews or Israelites. What a blessing that the Lord Jesus Christ has sent the gospel to the Gentiles so you and I may have the gospel. It so displeased the scribes and Pharisees to think that the Gentiles, whom they hated, were allowed to hear the Scriptures. When God has opened our eyes, we see that we are unworthy. In MAT 15:26-27 we read, "But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. [The Lord Jesus was talking to a woman of Canaan who was pleading with Him saying, 'Lord help me!'] And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Isn't that blessed? If we learn to understand our own hearts, then we have to come before the Lord and say, "Truth Lord...we're dogs, but give us but a crumb of that Bread of Life. We don't deserve it; we have no claim, right, or title to it." The scribes and Pharisees were off just 180 degrees in their thinking when they thought that they became defiled by touching anything a Gentile had touched. Oh, they were so holy within themselves that they couldn't touch anything touched by a Gentile because then they would become unclean. They had such an "I am holier than thou" attitude, but they didn't look into their hearts. They didn't realize that Nebuchanezzer was sent to overthrow Israel for the very thing that Israel was sent to overthrow the Canaanites. By grace we learn to see that everything becomes unclean from the least touch of that ugly monster, "I"! What is uglier than that big, ugly monster, "I"? When you or I touch anything where "I" becomes the center, then we see things become unclean. When that woman came to the Lord, it wasn't that she could come in any holiness of herself; she came as an unclean one. When that ugly monster, "I," begins to touch the holy things of God, they become unclean, not when the Canaanite touches them. Isn't it true that our most earnest prayers become polluted when that old self gets in there some way? We can be struggling before the Lord with some of the most blessed communion, and that ugly monster, "I," steps in there some way. That's what makes it unclean! Isn't it true with our best righteousness, the good things we try to do, are polluted when they are touched by self? We don't need to be concerned about being touched by another person; self does the polluting. Scribes and Pharisees, then and today, hate the gospel of Christ's teaching that those who esteemed themselves the least, go in first. Isn't that something? LUK 18:11-14 says, "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican...And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.[But Jesus said.] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The man that could stand there and pray so beautifully with himself and thank God he was not like the other man, did not go in first. He went home with the condemnation of God upon his head because he had never come to the point where he confessed his sins; therefore, he was not forgiven. However, the publican who could say, "...God be merciful to me a sinner" went home justified. See what Jesus said, "...for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. These self-righteous hypocrites hated Jesus for keeping company with those whom they hated and disdained as unclean. The scribes and Pharisees hated Jesus when he kept company with harlots and sinners, bringing them the gospel of salvation. They looked at the Lord Jesus Christ as being unclean because He had gone into the company of sinners. They stood aloft, above, with their "holier than thou" attitude. LUK 15:1-2 says, "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." They murmured against Him. This murmuring of Christ's enemies becomes a blessed gospel. What a blessedness there is for those who see the sin of their own heart in the accusation of the proud. What a blessedness there is in a Saviour who receives sinners and eats with them. Previously I spoke from REV 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." In other words, I will eat with him; I will have spiritual fellowship with him. We will feast at the table of the heavenly victuals; our souls will feast in the banqueting house of the Lord. That is so precious. The scribes and Pharisees were murmuring because they didn't see themselves as sinners; Jesus received sinners and ate with them. That accusation against Christ is so precious for you and me. The preaching of Jesus shown as a light into the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees which revealed their hypocrisy. 1TI 1:15 says, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." Do you know who was speaking? The great apostle, Paul, who brought the gospel to the Gentiles, was speaking. He saw himself to be the chiefest of sinners. He said he found forgiveness because he did it ignorantly, not realizing what he was doing. Paul said in PHI 3:4-7, "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee, but he was a converted Pharisee. He was a Pharisee who had learned to see his sins. Oh, how those proud hypocrites hated Jesus for saying in MAT 21:31, "Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." While these proud hypocrites were crucifying the very Son Of God for this gospel, they would not go into the judgment hall of a Gentile lest they would be defiled. They were so holy within themselves that they would not go into the judgment hall where they were having the Lord of Life and Glory unjustly condemned to death. We read of this in JOH 18:28, "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover." Such a self-righteous spirit kills the gospel message in the soul. The gospel message is "...that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." In MAR 2:17 we read, "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He is not referring here to those who are truly righteous. He is talking about those scribes and Pharisees who are self-righteous and have never learned to see their need of a heavenly physician. They have not learned to see the sin of their hearts, and they have no felt need in their hearts for a Saviour. A self-righteous spirit not only kills the gospel in one's own soul, but they go out to kill it for others. They have such a bitter enmity against those who would receive such a gospel. See what we find in 1TH 2:14-16, "For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: [Not only did they refuse to receive the gospel, but] Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost." Not only did they do everything they could to kill the Lord of Life and Glory, to slay Him for coming with the gospel to sinners, but they forbade the apostles to preach the gospel. They went out to destroy them. What hypocritical pride which teaches: "Hate your enemy." Who did they esteem as an enemy? Whoever you don't like becomes the enemy. See the hypocrisy of this teaching. The gospel must be brought to the ends of the earth; the gospel must be brought to every creature. The Old Testament gospel says in EZE 18:23, "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" This was the gospel they were perverting. They were preventing and forbidding the apostles to speak the gospel unto the Gentiles because they thought they weren't their neighbours; they had to hate them. The Lord Jesus was only teaching the same gospel as the Old Testament. The Lord is saying He had no pleasure in the death of the wicked. They should turn from their ways and live. Why would a self-righteous person want to forbid the preaching of the gospel of Christ? Jesus said in JOH 3:19-21, "And this is the condemnation [this is what condemns them, their own conscience], that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." They did not like the light that the Lord Jesus was shining in their soul revealing their hypocrisies. That was their condemnation; they were comfortable, enjoying, and basking in the sunshine of their deceits, until the light of the truth entered. Men loved the darkness because their deeds were evil. They were violating the spirit and intent of the law. VV:20-21 continue, "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." Let's consider an example which illustrates this principle. You and I are going hand in hand, and everything is going along beautifully and smoothly; we can be friends, but when we come to an intersection, there is a decision to be made. What will we do? If I say "no" to your choice, "I don't want to do that because I believe it is a sin," then something will happen to our friendship. You want to do it because you enjoy it; the light of my refusal to do it immediately becomes a condemnation. As I have previously stated, when I was in the trucking business, a lady called on a Sunday morning wanting to know if they could plan on me coming out Monday morning to haul grain. I answered, "I don't do business on Sunday, Madam, but I will call you at six o'clock Monday morning." She was furious. She says, "I happen to be a Christian. Are you telling me you are holier than me?" "No, I never mentioned you; I mentioned me. I said, `I don't do business on Sunday.'" She was so infuriated. Why? That condemned her. My life, being unwilling to desecrate the Lord's day, reflected a light and revealed that she was desecrating the Lord's day. When I called Monday morning to ask if she wanted to work out an arrangement to haul grain, she let me know in no uncertain terms that she would do no business with me if I was so holy that she couldn't confirm the deal on Sunday. You see, the condemnation that came into her heart infuriated her. It made her a bitter enemy because I refused to desecrate the Lord's day. We see that our walk of life becomes such a ministry. Our walk of life becomes a gospel. Why? It brings condemnation. When the light comes into the world, then there is condemnation. Let our walk be in the light. Amen. |
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