TRINITY 6 July 11 2021

Old Test: Exodus 20:1-17 Epistle: Rom. 6:3-11 Gospel: :20-26

Standing…

Grace be unto you and peace from our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

Sitting…

When Sound Words Academy begins in September, one of the subjects we will delve into is the book of Proverbs. We’ll see that in the first nine chapters, Solomon draws a comparison between Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly.

On the surface, these two women act very similar. To the undiscerning, they are almost indistinguishable.

Both Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly have prepared a lavish feast, who call out to the simple, from the highest places in town. They both say, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And they both makes promises to whoever will do so. The difference lies is in the outcome. Following Lady Wisdom leads to divine blessing and life. Following Lady Folly leads to misery and eternal death.

Comparisons like this run throughout your Bible. The narrow road verses the broad road… The fruitful tree verses the barren… Light verses dark… And this is exactly what Jesus does in our Gospel lesson. He holds up for us two kinds of righteousness, asking us to compare the two.

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One kind of righteousness, which is most popular, is really no righteousness at all. Which is why our Lord says… That unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

This must have sounded like a clap of lightening to Jesus’ original audience.

For consider how hard the scribes and Pharisees worked at achieving righteousness… They were the supposed experts—engaged in spiritual exercises 24/7/365. Their every day was carefully choreographed, every movement to ensure that they did not outwardly transgress God’s command—either His ceremonial or His civil commands. They actively adhered to an elaborate system of religious rituals, engaging in repeated daily worship and prayer. They waited anxiously for the Messiah, and in many ways their lives were consumed with the pursuit of righteousness.

But there’s was only an external observance—a skin deep righteousness, a righteousness for show. By it, they deceived others. They even deceived themselves. And Jesus says, “Exceed them… in order to get into heaven.”

Jesus calls for perfect righteousness— utter sinlessness—complete obedience to God’s law, not just externally… but complete obedience in thought, word and deed. For this…is what earns a place in the kingdom of heaven.

Now beloved, this is something I cannot do—nor can you. We could, if we were back in the Garden of Eden, before the Fall— but that ship has sailed. Now, everyone born of human father is soiled by sin, which is not an external soiling that can be scraped off. Original Sin, as it is called, has infected us all… turning us into people who by nature, trust in ourselves first, who look out for our own interests first, people who easily find fault in others, and in God, but who imagine ourselves to be righteous— or at least, righteous enough.

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This is why Jesus preaches the way He does… so that we hear the Law—in this case the Fifth Commandment, hearing that it does not deal only with the external act of murder, but there’s an inward righteousness tied to it. I mean, to us, the Fifth Commandment seems to be the easiest commandment to keep— “I’ve never murdered anyone!” And my guess is, neither have you. So, check it off and move on. But not so fast…

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

The Fifth commandment doesn’t just forbid murder— it instructs the heart and lips as well. Specifically, what we think and say about our neighbor. Those harmful words, and thoughts we use all the time, according to Jesus— are forms of murder in God’s sight.

Think about the times when someone has wronged you, sinned against you, more times than not in the slightest of ways, and you obliterate them with your thoughts and words… Put the best construction on them? Please—not on your life! It’s more like worst deconstruction. And you’re perfectly content doing so. Yet, insult is murder. Anger towards another is murder. Ergo, you are a murderer. And if that is how you fare with what is thought to be the “easiest” commandment to keep, how will it be with the rest of them?

Jesus’ interpretation of the Law makes it far more penetrating and dreadful than it had become. And when it’s held before our eyes— we’re convicted, confessing, “I have not kept the Law.”

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“I’m condemned.” “Who can live like this?!”

Despair sets in— because there’s no way we can achieve this perfect righteousness, leaving us with no hope of entering the kingdom of heaven.

What’s Jesus’ point? You need the righteousness of Another—the righteousness of a Savior. A Savior who works a righteousness entirely outside of you, for you.

Gratefully beloved, your Savior has come. In the fullness of time God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem you who were under the law that you might receive the adoption of sons.

Christ came not to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. He is the One who loved God above all things, being faithful even unto death. He is the One who truly loved His neighbor as Himself, for He died at the hands of His neighbors, to save them and save you. And in the spilling of His precious blood, the once for all sacrifice was made. He was delivered to the officers bearing your sins. He was condemned by the earthly judges. He was crucified by the soldiers, forsaken by God the Father and thrown into the prison of death, so that you can be declared innocent.

You see the law is fulfilled in Christ. And God's wrath is appeased, meaning there is no wrath left for you. Only love. Only forgiveness. Only mercy. The price has been paid—even to the last penny. But that dark, stone prison could not hold Him, even with its official seal and armed guards. So, believing in Him all your sins are forgiven. Believing in Him you are reconciled to God and to your brother. You are washed in the washing

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that removes sin, because you were buried with Him through baptism into His death.

So, for you…who desperately need righteousness you cannot attain, Jesus says, “Look to Me, I have it…and will give it to you.” For His is the only righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees— whom He called white-washed tombs. And His is the righteousness you have…

Through your baptism you first put on Christ as a garment of righteousness, through . But it doesn’t end there… Jesus pours His righteousness out to you through the lips of the faithful pastor who absolves you and preaches the cross into your ears. Jesus pours out His righteousness for you—the very cup of given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins. And when you die, we’ll cover your casket with a white pall to show everyone who comes to your funeral that you were clothed in the righteousness of Christ, no doubt entering into the kingdom of heaven.

So now, made righteous in God’s sight, the Holy Spirit has made you into something new—a new creation. He gives His Holy Spirit to dwell in you, to fill you, to lead you in the ways of righteousness to create a new heart in you. So now, when we return to the Commandments—we see them not as a mirror but as a guide, not to learn how to enter the kingdom of heaven, but to learn how children of heaven think, speak and act toward our neighbor.

And when it comes to those who wrong us—what do we do? We love and do not hate. We bless and do not curse. We pray and do not gossip. We serve and do not neglect. This is a righteousness that comes from faith. Is this tough to do? Sure it is. But we pray for the Lord’s help to soften our conscience.

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We pray for the Holy Spirt to dwell with us and teach us what it means to be gentle and kind and caring.

Though I wish it were, this is not complete in this life, and sometimes gets messy. But it’s genuine, and we keep working together with the Holy Spirit— striving to be righteous like Christ calls us to be.

Beloved, reckon yourself to be dead indeed to sin, but…alive to God in Christ Jesus your Lord.

In the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.

Standing…

And now may the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.