The Supernatural Standard: Why Grace Doesn’t Lower the Bar

• The Sermon on the Mount [00:43:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces a summer series covering Matthew 5-7, specifically focusing on the Beatitudes, Christian influence, and righteousness.
• The Law and Grace [00:45:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the common evangelical misconception that Jesus 'lowered the bar' or abolished the law, arguing instead that Jesus fulfilled it and raised the standard of righteousness.
• Sloppy Gospel [00:53:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor critiques the cultural tendency to use 'grace' as an excuse for sinful behavior, labeling it 'greasy grace' that disregards God's standards.
• Grace vs. License [00:53:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debunks the cultural trope that grace lowers the moral standard, arguing instead that 'greasy grace' is a misuse of theology that leads to sin.
• The Limitations of the Law [00:59:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the law is not bad but limited; it can punish sin but cannot transform the heart or prevent sin, necessitating the fulfillment of the law through Christ.
• Fulfillment through Love [01:02:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines the fulfillment of the law as loving God wholeheartedly and loving one's neighbor, which naturally results in obedience without the need for external coercion.
• Spirit-Led Righteousness [01:05:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts walking according to the flesh (which requires the law) with walking according to the Spirit (which fulfills the law instinctively from the heart).
• The Law and Jesus [01:07:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that Christians listen to Jesus because He properly interprets and fulfills the law, rather than changing or abolishing it.
• Pride and Self-Exemption [01:09:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies pride as the root cause for believers attempting to minimize or exempt themselves from God's commands.
• Grace vs. Legalism [01:11:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debunks the idea that grace is a license to sin ('greasy grace'), asserting instead that grace empowers freedom from sin and raises the moral standard.
• Righteousness: Quality vs. Quantity [01:18:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that Jesus requires righteousness of superior quality (heart posture) rather than mere quantity (legalistic rule-keeping).
• Imputed Righteousness [01:21:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor concludes that human effort cannot produce true righteousness; it must be received from God through faith in Christ's sacrifice.
• Human Inability and Righteousness [01:21:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the human inability to meet God's standards and the resulting need to seek righteousness outside oneself.
• The Exchange of Sin for Righteousness [01:22:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, the pastor defines Christianity as an exchange where God's righteousness is credited to believers through Christ's sinless life and death.
• Performance vs. Grace [01:26:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the 'performance mentality' and self-righteousness of born-again believers with the assurance of grace found in Christ's work.
• Invitation to Faith [01:25:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > A direct call to action for the congregation to trust in Christ, lift their hands, and receive the righteousness of God.

• Sermon Illustration [00:47:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story about playing one-on-one basketball with his son, who intentionally injured his knee, illustrating competitive rivalry. He then uses this to transition into a broader analogy about arguing sports history, comparing the 'golden age' of the 80s/90s (Jordan, Bird) to the modern era (LeBron, Curry). He argues that modern players are often compared unfairly because the 'rules' (officiating standards) have changed and 'lowered the bar' (e.g., traveling, flopping), using this to debunk the theological error that Jesus 'lowered the bar' of righteousness for Christians.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a hypothetical scenario where Charlotte, North Carolina, suddenly has no laws or law enforcement, illustrating that society would instantly fall into chaos, proving the necessity of law for sane people.
• Sermon Illustration [01:06:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references a political candidate running for Congress who claims to be a Christian but uses the Bible to justify abortion, illustrating how people twist scripture to fit their agendas.
• Sermon Illustration [01:17:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of Usain Bolt (speed), Elon Musk (wealth), and Albert Einstein (intelligence) to illustrate how impossible Jesus' standard of righteousness seems when viewed through human effort.
• Sermon Illustration [01:16:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the Pharisees counting sprigs of thyme to tithe, illustrating their meticulous but heartless legalism compared to the required spiritual righteousness.
• Sermon Illustration [01:10:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist regarding baptism to show Jesus' perfect submission to fulfilling every 'punctuation mark' of righteousness.
• Sermon Illustration [01:23:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'spiritual bank account' where God deposits the credit from Jesus' sinless life into the believer's account, rather than the account being filled by human obedience.
• Sermon Illustration [01:28:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts 'greasy grace' with a genuine desire to walk with God and be transformed by the Holy Spirit.

• Pastoral Charge [00:50:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > Attendees who believe LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan are humorously invited to come forward, kneel, and repent before the Lord.
• Pastoral Charge [01:25:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > Online viewers are instructed to click a button in the chat to engage with pastoral care.
• Pastoral Charge [01:27:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > In-person attendees are instructed to stand and lift their hands as a public declaration of faith and acceptance of Christ.
• Pastoral Charge [01:28:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The entire congregation, including existing believers, is instructed to pray a specific prayer of exchange and dedication out loud.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:03:13] Just pull up. Yeah. Yeah. Jason's made his house personally available to anyone viewing online. He's just going to post his address. I will. And just pull up on him. He'll pay for your gas and food as well. I love having visitors at my house. So yeah, come on. Especially the unexpected. That's right. Yeah. Unexpected ones will be greeted very welcomely. For sure. Anyway, it's a beautiful day here in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's about, what, 78 degrees? Yeah, about 78.
[00:03:43] to the west beautiful here wherever you guys are from leave it we're watching right now on the uh freedomhouse.cc slash live drop in the comments where you guys are viewing from yep we love seeing
[00:03:56] it last service we had somebody where was it somebody uh nigeria nigeria yeah we had like a pennsylvania some california people all the states and then we had nigeria yeah i wonder where the

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:04:10] weather is there or if anybody's watching from like guam alaska yeah arkansas we had some last week watching from the middle east yeah yeah crazy crazy time but yeah so we're in this series summer on the mount pastor olin in the house oh yeah uh andrew and i get the the opportunity to
[00:04:28] be able to sit in on first service and he killed it like always yeah does a great job he uh yeah Pastor Olin, he's always going to make you laugh, so he said a lot to make you chuckle.
[00:04:40] But, yeah, great job today.

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:04:42] If you're unfamiliar with Pastor Olin, his personality shines brighter than his head.
[00:04:48] It just glimmers around.
[00:04:50] He's an amazing man of God.

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:04:52] That was a good one.
[00:04:53] I like that one.
[00:04:55] I think he takes pride in being bald.
[00:04:58] I think so.

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:04:59] He rocks it.
[00:05:00] He does.
[00:05:01] Some people don't.
[00:05:02] He rocks it.
[00:05:02] Yeah.
[00:05:03] I've never known him with hair, and I've known him for a long time.

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:05:05] If I ever walked in and saw him with hair, I would – I don't know what I would do.
[00:05:08] Start crying.
[00:05:09] Yeah.

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:05:09] I'd start praying for him.

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:05:10] What's going on here?
[00:05:11] Yeah.
[00:05:12] Seriously.
[00:05:12] Really, Lord, take this hair away.
[00:05:13] Yeah.
[00:05:14] Seriously.
[00:05:15] Take that man's hair off.
[00:05:16] Yeah.
[00:05:16] Oh, God.
[00:05:17] Oh, man.
[00:05:17] So, busy month.
[00:05:20] We got everything – something going on every weekend on campus here.
[00:05:24] We had Strong, like, yesterday.
[00:05:26] And next Saturday, what do we have going on?
[00:05:28] The fishing tournament, which is always a favorite.
[00:05:31] and then Sunday is Father's Day.
[00:05:34] Yeah.
[00:05:34] Correct?
[00:05:34] Yeah.

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:05:35] It's the first one I can halfway celebrate because my wife's pregnant.
[00:05:38] That's right.
[00:05:39] I don't know.
[00:05:40] That's right.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:05:40] What would people say to you?
[00:05:42] Happy halfway Father's Day?
[00:05:44] I guess.
[00:05:45] I think, I don't know.

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:05:46] That's a debated topic.
[00:05:48] I think I'll half celebrate it.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:05:50] I've always told people that are like expecting dads, I guess is the way you'd say it.
[00:05:56] I guess.
[00:05:57] I don't know.
[00:05:57] I've always told them, well, I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you Happy Father's Day or not.
[00:06:00] So happy half day, Father's Day, I guess.
[00:06:03] I'll take it.

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:06:03] Thank you.
[00:06:04] I'm the first one to wish me that.
[00:06:06] Oh, okay.

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:06:07] Yeah, better than nothing.

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:06:08] Anyway, do we have anybody online watching from random places?

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:06:13] Nobody said it yet.
[00:06:14] If you're in the chat, let us know where you're watching.
[00:06:16] We love seeing it.
[00:06:19] Like I said earlier, we have people all over the country.
[00:06:22] So, yeah, we love, we get the chance to see the whole graph, and it's awesome.
[00:06:28] It's really cool.

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:06:29] I've got a question, too, for everybody viewing.
[00:06:32] Summertime's coming up.
[00:06:33] It feels like summer already.
[00:06:35] If you could travel, this is for you, if you could travel anywhere inside the U.S. on a vacation, where would you go?

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:06:44] Midwest.
[00:06:45] Yeah, summer Midwest.
[00:06:47] Montana, the Dakotas, Colorado, something like that.
[00:06:50] Do you like to hunt or just to hang out?
[00:06:52] I do, yeah.
[00:06:53] Okay.
[00:06:53] I like to hang out, hunt, see the views, go on hikes, all that.
[00:06:57] Okay.
[00:06:57] So I've never been out there.
[00:06:59] That's my goal is to go out there.
[00:07:01] What about you?
[00:07:02] Ooh, if I could go anywhere?

[00:07:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:07:04] I might go back to the Grand Canyon.

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:07:07] Oh, yeah.

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:07:07] I went there once.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:07:08] It is awesome.
[00:07:09] Is it really?
[00:07:10] Yeah.
[00:07:10] You know, they say you go to the Grand Canyon and you really feel tiny when you go to the Grand Canyon because of how big it is.

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:07:15] It is.
[00:07:16] I've never seen something before where you're looking at it and you're like, I didn't know something could look like this.

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:07:21] Yeah, seriously.

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_18]
[00:07:22] And speaking of things you can't realize how good they look, service is going to look amazing.

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_17]
[00:07:28] Yep.
[00:07:28] We're excited for you all to witness it.
[00:07:30] Thanks so much for being here.
[00:07:32] We'll see you soon.

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_22]
[00:07:33] Good morning, Freedom House Church.
[00:07:36] Let's stand to our feet with great expectation for the Lord to move in this place this morning.
[00:07:41] Come on, let's put our hands together.

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_24]
[00:07:43] From the tribes that will be moaning, rejoicing your glory and in your all.
[00:20:17] Thank you, Jesus.

[00:20:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_23]
[00:20:19] Amen.
[00:20:19] How many believe we serve an amazing God?
[00:20:24] Yes.
[00:20:24] in the book of acts chapter 16 we see paul and silas severely beat and thrown into a jail what was the crime just serving the lord working for the kingdom can anyone relate to that
[00:20:45] trying to serve god and things come our way and we think we did something no you're just serving the lord and here it comes but they did two things that are very crucial whatever you're going through
[00:21:00] you do these two things you know you're gonna be all right one they started praying two they started singing praying automatically comes out of you when you're going through something because we don't like to be in any bad situation dear lord get me out of this please
[00:21:21] automatically comes out but singing worshiping in the middle of a crisis requires a different level of trust in god and sometimes we do half of the formula and we miss the other 50 they did both paul and silas prayed worship and guess what happened the ground started to shake
[00:21:50] and eventually the doors busted wide open when we do both things happen is the word of God so I want to do that this morning I want to invite all the leaders to come forward
[00:22:04] and before you come forward all of you that have needs I want you to say in your heart God I praise you because what I'm going through is an opportunity for you to show up I praise you
[00:22:17] because what I feel right now, you're going to turn it around and I'm going to have a testimony of my life. So this morning, I want you to come with a posture of praise, but at the same time,
[00:22:32] when you come forward, say, God, you're going to turn it around. See it, just see it as an opportunity of breakthrough, not breakdown of your life. Amen. So we're going to praise.

[00:22:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_14]
[00:22:45] we're going to pray as we continue to worship and sing amen he provided isn't he such a good father

[00:31:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_22]
[00:31:01] he is so faithful we can trust him we can sing through a church i love what you said we can pray god rescue me to turn it vertical and praise him and give him the glory for what he has done and
[00:31:17] who he is that shifts everything doesn't it come on it's so good to be in god's house we can learn these things, learn how to fight these battles. Hey, if you're a first-time guest, I want to say
[00:31:29] a special welcome to those of you joining us both here and online. And before you're seated, turn and meet someone brand new today. Give a name, get a name, and then turn your attention toward the screens for a special message from our senior pastors. Hey, everyone, and welcome

[00:31:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_21]
[00:31:58] to Freedom House. My name is Troy Maxwell, and my wife Penny and I are your senior pastors. We are one house with many different rooms. And our heart is very simple to help equip you to experience

[00:32:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_19]
[00:32:10] Christ's freedom in your everyday life. We have a big vision here at Freedom House. You will notice every week at every campus, we have live teachers and preachers. Why do we do that? Because we are
[00:32:23] relational church. We love connecting and we are not a video venue. You'll also notice over in our kids area, they have the same thing. Live teaching, preaching, worship. We're not a babysitting service. They are getting a fresh, relevant Word of God, just like you are. And hey, maybe you're

[00:32:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_21]
[00:32:43] new or you haven't got connected yet. All you got to do is very simple. Just open your phone up, click that little circle on the seat back pocket in front of you, and check out all the amazing

[00:32:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_19]
[00:32:53] things that are happening at your church. That's right. We can't wait to get connected with you.
[00:32:57] Take a look at what's coming up here at Freedom House.

[00:33:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:33:00] We're kicking off Father's Day weekend by celebrating our dads and making them feel fin-tastic.
[00:33:12] Get it?
[00:33:13] On Saturday, June 20th at 9 a.m., we're hosting a good old-fashioned family fishing tournament.
[00:33:19] Nothing says dad quite like a day spent hook, line, and sinker.
[00:33:25] So grab your best bait and meet us at the pond at our central campus.
[00:33:29] It's the perfect opportunity to slow down, enjoy the outdoors, and make some great memories together.
[00:33:36] So, pack your gear, bring your crew, and get ready. It's going to be a real good time.

[00:33:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:33:44] Dads are just built different.
[00:33:46] From their perfectly timed corny jokes, to their ability to fix just about anything, to the way they somehow find peace and pride in a freshly cut lawn, it's a kind of everyday greatness you don't fully understand until you see it up close
[00:34:04] on sunday june 21st we're celebrating father's day across all our campuses with some good old-fashioned manly fun from nail sinkers to darts to cracking open some nice cold root beers we're taking the time to pour into and honor the strength grit and heart of our dads and
[00:34:26] father figures. So bring your family, bring your competitive spirit, and come ready to relax, laugh, and celebrate this Father's Day. For all this and more, visit freedomhouse.cc

[00:34:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:34:42] slash connect. Oh, church, good to be together today. For those of you whom I have not met, my name is Morgan. My husband, Adam, and I have the privilege of being our NowGen pastors. That's
[00:34:57] kids, youth, young adults. We hanging out with Gen Z mainly. It's like all my slang has changed now.
[00:35:03] People are like, I don't understand you anymore. I'm like, me either, honestly. Anyways, I'll try not to use it as I talk to you in this next moment about some principles that we believe here at
[00:35:12] Freedom House when it comes to our generosity. First, we believe that we are just stewarding what God owns. God owns it. We steward it. Second, we don't give to get. Like I'm not out here tithing
[00:35:26] or being generous with my time even and being like, oh God, you owe me something now, right?
[00:35:31] However, when we give, we've opened our hand, we've postured ourselves to be able to receive the blessings that God has for us.
[00:35:41] And I wanna show you where that correlation takes place in the Bible.
[00:35:44] It's 2 Kings chapter four.
[00:35:46] There's a Shunammite woman and Elijah, the prophet of God.
[00:35:50] He comes frequently through her town and she sees like this guy knows God.
[00:35:56] And she says, I wanna be a part of ministering.
[00:35:59] I wanna be generous to him.
[00:36:01] And so she opens her hand and she's generous.
[00:36:04] She actually opens her home.
[00:36:06] She cooks a meal.
[00:36:07] She lets him stay there.
[00:36:08] Actually, at one point she talks to her husband and says, hey, we gotta build an extra room so that anytime that Elijah comes through this town, whether we're here or not, he has a place to stay.
[00:36:18] She's opened her hand.
[00:36:20] And because of that, she's actually in a great position to receive a blessing that she'd been longing for through the prophet Elijah. He prophesied over her, you're going to have a son. And it was something she'd
[00:36:31] been longing for. And a year later, she actually has that son. And then when the son tragically dies, again, because she's in relation with Elijah, because of that generosity, he comes back, rolls up, excuse me, Gen Z, and raises that son from the dead. You know, this woman didn't go into
[00:36:50] this saying, oh, Elijah, I gave you a room. You owe me something. She didn't have entitlement, but she could be encouraged to expect to see a blessing in her life because she connected her generosity to that. So here's the point I'm making. What is our posture when it comes to
[00:37:07] generosity? And what motivates us? Do we even give to begin with or is our hand closed? And if our hand is open, are we giving to get something or are we just like, yo, I'm going to be faithful.
[00:37:20] And I'm also going to understand that because I'm faithful, I'm in a good place to be able to receive the blessings God has for me. If you are pondering this journey of giving and you want to
[00:37:30] learn more about that at any point, we'd love to talk with you. Catch somebody in the lobby, a life group leader, myself. We'd love to talk with you more. You're also welcome to open your
[00:37:39] phone, tap the button that's on the seat back in front of you. It'll take you to a place you can learn more, also heading to freedomhouse.cc slash giving will do the same. Let me pray for us. Lord,
[00:37:49] I thank you so much for this house. And I thank you for the generosity you showed us when you gave us your son, your best. And so out of gratitude we give today, we say, thank you.
[00:38:01] Thank you for everything you've given us. Just like Nicole said, thank you for the breath in our lungs. May we not take that for granted. And may out of the same posture that you had in giving,
[00:38:09] may we give today, not expecting something back from you, but also understanding that when we open our hand and we're generous, man, you are so faithful to bless us. I thank you for the blessings that are coming, the promotions that are coming, the things that people don't even
[00:38:22] see behind the curtain that are about to unfold in their life. I thank you for the faithfulness in this room. I thank you. There are people in here who know you and they know that, hey,
[00:38:32] planted in the house, I'm going to flourish. And so I'm going to put my roots down here, maybe with my time, with my talent, but also with my treasure. We love you for it. We thank you in
[00:38:40] advance for the good that you're going to do in our lives, sure, but more so in the lives of those who are on the receiving end of this offering today. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen, church. Hey,
[00:38:51] we're in for a good one. Let's continue to worship God through this service together.

[00:38:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_20]
[00:38:55] Hello, Freedom House Central Campus. Can we give Jesus some praise today?
[00:39:49] Aren't you glad to be in God's house? Man, I never get tired of coming to church, mainly because of y'all. Y'all are so good looking, especially Randy over here. He got up, he left for a minute and I looked at him. I said, where'd Randy go? I miss, I gotta have my Randy,
[00:40:03] you know? Yeah. So you come to church and you look for people that you love and you care about. And doesn't that just make your day, right? Because you come to church, not just for God, you know,
[00:40:11] you can be with God at home, but you come to church to be with the people of God. Amen. And to be encouraged. And I'm always encouraged when I come to this, the central campus. So you guys
[00:40:21] are amazing. Give yourselves a hand for just being an encouraging campus. My name's Olin Carter. If I've never met you before, maybe it's your first Sunday. Listen, after service today, I'm going to be right out front. I would love to meet you, just to shake your
[00:40:36] hand, to get to know your name. And we're so glad you're here today. Our campus pastors also, how many of you know y'all have the best campus pastors in the world? Come on, give it up. Y'all stand up, the Blantons. Make sure you meet them if you're new. They're
[00:40:50] amazing. And you know, we want to get you connected. We are so happy that you're here.
[00:40:54] And man, as a church, we're just one big family. Our vision here as a church is equipping people to experience Christ's freedom in their everyday life. And what does that mean? It means I'm a
[00:41:04] coach, not the player. I'm a coach. You're the player. You're the player. We believe in equipping you to get out into the world, man, and just share the gospel, the love of Jesus. And so we do
[00:41:15] everything here at Freedom House Church as a team from the parking lot to the pulpit. So we have a teaching team. You're going to see a different face up here each and every week. So if I'm not
[00:41:25] here next week, don't worry. Like what happened to that guy? Listen, I'm just at another campus preaching. Okay. It's okay. And you're going to see me again. And we rotate through because we have a team and that's how we do everything here at Freedom House. And aren't you glad for pastors
[00:41:38] who allow all of us to step into our gifts, to be used by God. And I love that vision as a church because our church is never going to be built on one person, a celebrity pastor. How many of you
[00:41:49] know there's a lot of celebrity pastors out there? And you know, here at Freedom House, there's one celebrity. His name is Jesus. That's it. There's one celebrity. His name is Jesus Christ. And so I do want to take just a moment, remind you guys, June, normally I know in the
[00:42:06] world, June is what they call it, Pride Month. That has been canceled. Yeah, Pride Month's canceled. Here at Freedom House, the month of June is all about our dads. It's all about investing in our men. Man, we had our strong breakfast yesterday. It was incredible,
[00:42:26] incredible. And we've got lodge trips coming up. We've got a great Father's Day. So listen, if you are a dad, if you know a dad that needs to get into church, drag them in here, man. Get
[00:42:36] them into church this month. We've got a lot of great things planned. Encourage them to build them up. The world is tearing down fatherhood, masculinity, just dragging it down. We're going to lift it up. We're going to encourage our dads. If you're a dad in here, we love you. We want to
[00:42:52] pour into you. So make sure you're here all month long. Now, real quickly, before we jump into God's Word, our online campus, we have folks joining us right now from all around the world. We've got
[00:43:02] people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Vermont, California, Minnesota, Puerto Puerto Rico and Greece, you guys give it up for them. We love you guys very much too. So thank you for being with us today. You're a part of our family and all month or all summer, I keep saying
[00:43:21] month, all summer long, we are going to be in this message series, Summer on the Mount. We, our teaching team has worked very carefully. We've gone through Matthew 5, 6, and 7, the entire Sermon on
[00:43:35] the Mount, and we've broken it down. So we're going to cover every single verse. It's going to be incredible. So you don't want to miss a single Sunday. And I'm fired up. If you know anything
[00:43:44] about me, listen, I bring a sweat rag for a reason. I get excited about the Word of God. I love teaching the Bible. And so this, I mean, this summer has just got me all kind of fired up, man,
[00:43:56] to go through the Sermon on the Mount. It's going to be so much fun. Now, I want to read you something before we jump into the Word today. This is from John Stott. Now, he's got an incredible
[00:44:05] resource. If you want a great resource on the Sermon on the Mount, he has a book, I believe it's called The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, but it's a really good commentary. I refer
[00:44:16] to it often, and he says this about the Sermon on the Mount. He says, the Sermon on the Mount is probably the best known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood
[00:44:29] and certainly it is the least obeyed. It is the nearest thing to a manifesto that he ever uttered, for it is his own description of what he wanted his followers to be and to do.
[00:44:45] Now, Jesus starts in Matthew 5, verse 3, talking about the Christian's character.
[00:44:51] You may have heard this referred to as the Beatitudes.
[00:44:55] Blessed are, blessed are, blessed are.
[00:44:58] What is he talking about?
[00:44:59] How our character is supposed to be developed, who we're supposed to be as a follower of Christ.
[00:45:05] Then he moves on in verse 13 to talk a little bit about the Christian's influence.
[00:45:11] That's where he talks about salt and light.
[00:45:14] That's Matthew 5, 13 through 16.
[00:45:16] And then in verse 17, Jesus pivots.
[00:45:20] He begins to focus on the Christian's righteousness.
[00:45:25] He begins this teaching on the Christian's righteousness with a look at Christ, the Christian, and the law.
[00:45:34] Now, if you have grown up in North American evangelical Christianity, we don't talk about the law very much. Can I get an amen? We don't like the law. Can I get an oh me? When I say,
[00:45:46] oh, we're going to talk about the law, people go, boo, the law. Because in church, right, it's like, I ain't under the law. I've been redeemed from the curse of the law, right? Like I'm under grace,
[00:45:56] not law. So nobody likes the law. But Jesus, very early in the Sermon on the Mount, he talks about the importance of the law and what he came to do in regards to the law. So let's jump
[00:46:11] in here. Matthew chapter 5 verse 17. He says, don't think, don't misunderstand that I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you until heaven
[00:46:31] and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does
[00:46:50] and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that, exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter or get into the kingdom of heaven. Now, if you've ever heard me preach, I use a lot of sports
[00:47:17] metaphors. I love sports and I really, really love basketball. I love basketball. That was my first love. I'm getting a little too old and out of shape to play at a high level now. My knees,
[00:47:31] you know, I mean, it's just not good, right? I was playing my son recently. My son has kind of developed a love for the game, which is great as a dad. I get to kind of share that with him. He's
[00:47:42] following the NBA, and we've been watching the playoff games and college basketball and stuff like that. But I will say this publicly, he still has not defeated me one-on-one, not even once.
[00:47:55] But recently, it was probably two weeks ago, we go to the court.
[00:47:59] He's like, hey, I'm gonna go play.
[00:48:00] And so I go up there and I'm up on him by three points.
[00:48:05] He goes to cut baseline on me.
[00:48:07] And so I kind of move like this and he puts his knee right into the side of my knee.
[00:48:15] And let me tell you, if you know my son, skinny little rascal, his knees are like elbows.
[00:48:20] About broke my leg.
[00:48:21] He hit me so hard and I was like, ah!
[00:48:23] you know, and I'm like limping over, and he's like, I didn't mean, it was an accident. Oh, you know, walk it off, you know. It was intentional. It was intentional and vindictive, let me just tell you. Right now, that kid is too competitive. I don't know where he gets it from,
[00:48:41] but we love some basketball, and we love, you know, when you love sports, one of the things you love to do is you love to argue sports, right? And so, we argue basketball history, and who's the greatest player and all that stuff.
[00:48:56] We argue.
[00:48:57] Now, how many sports fans do I have in the house today?
[00:49:01] Okay, quite a few.
[00:49:02] If you're a sports fan, you know with me, you would agree, arguing sports with your buddies, there's nothing more fun than that, right?
[00:49:10] Like, don't you just love to debate sports with your friends?
[00:49:12] Like, it's awesome.
[00:49:14] Years ago, I used to serve in the parking lot out here at Central Campus, and Pastor Michael used to go running into the parking lot because he thought me and some of the guys, like, we were gonna get in a fight or something
[00:49:24] because we were yelling, you know, Tom Brady stinks. No, he's the best. And like, Pastor Michaels, I think they're going to fight, you know? And he would get out there and we would laugh. Like, no, we're having a blast, man. You kidding me? We love this. Like, we're hugging
[00:49:38] each other. Like, this is great. And so me and my son, we do that all the time. We're always debating sports. Who's better? I'm an old head. So like, I believe with all my heart that the 80s
[00:49:50] in the 90s, that was the golden age of basketball. You can give, you can give a hand clap. You had Magic, you had Larry Bird, right? And hey, the incomparable Michael Jordan. Like, right? Michael
[00:50:06] Jordan. Now, now, you have LeBron, like, you know, LeBron James, woo. You got Kevin Durant. You got Steph Curry. I like Steph Curry, right? Now listen, if you're one of those people, you think LeBron
[00:50:26] is better than Jordan. It's okay. It's okay. After the service, we're going to have a time of repentance and prayer. You can come forward. You can get on your knees. You can repent before the
[00:50:35] Lord. It's all right. I don't think LeBron should even be compared to Michael Jordan. It's not close.
[00:50:43] It's not close. I'm sorry. It's not close, but I can't admit, I can't admit there are some truly great players in today's era, right? Like Steph Curry. I love Steph Curry. Steph Curry, if you
[00:50:54] didn't know, he's a Charlotte. He's a hometown boy. He was born here, raised here. He comes back here, does basketball camps. I was standing in line behind him at Target one time. I mean, like
[00:51:02] this is his home. I mean, he still comes back here every year. So I root for Steph. I think he's awesome. Probably the greatest shooter ever in basketball. But here's the thing, and this is
[00:51:12] what makes these comparisons difficult. Why the arguments never really end, okay? You ever thought about why it's so hard to compare one era to another era? Because the rules have changed.
[00:51:28] See, the way the game is officiated today is way different than the way the game was officiated back in the 80s or the 90s. And if you're an old head like me, you can't help but feel
[00:51:41] like they've lowered the bar.
[00:51:43] Can I get an amen in God's house today?
[00:51:45] Come on.
[00:51:46] I mean, I'm watching the NBA and they're doing this.
[00:51:50] That's a carry.
[00:51:52] When your hand goes, that's a carry.
[00:51:55] You know, when I grew up, you could take one, two steps.
[00:51:59] Now these guys are like, I'm like, travel, man.
[00:52:06] What, James Hart, that's a travel.
[00:52:08] And don't get me started on the fouls.
[00:52:10] I mean, come on.
[00:52:12] Flopping all over the place.
[00:52:13] What used to be barely been a foul.
[00:52:15] Now it's like flagrant two, throw him out of the game.
[00:52:17] It's like, oh, you touched my arm.
[00:52:21] They've lowered the bar.
[00:52:23] And how many of you have ever experienced that in your life where you had to take a test, you had to graduate from something, earn a degree, maybe a license or certification.
[00:52:35] Like I have to take continuing ed every year to do mortgage stuff that I do and real estate.
[00:52:41] I mean, you gotta do, you know, and you pass the test, you get the license, you do the thing. And then years later, they lower the standard. They change the test. They make it easier. Doesn't that make you mad? Like, what the heck, man? I didn't get to take that
[00:52:59] test. I didn't get to do it like that. I didn't, right? Now, here's the problem, guys. As Christians, as Christians, too many of us have that view of Jesus Christ. Like Jesus came and he lowered
[00:53:18] the bar. That he got rid of the law so we don't have to obey the rules anymore. I'm under grace.
[00:53:29] The standard has been lowered. I can sleep around. I can do whatever I want. I can sin.
[00:53:34] hey, what does it matter? I'll just go to, I mean, God loves me. God's grace. I mean, I'll just repent. God will forgive me. It's okay. Like what's the big deal?
[00:53:45] And somehow in our North American evangelical Christianity, in an effort to reach people, I think a lot of times the heart was good. We've preached a sloppy gospel. We've turned God's grace into greasy grace, where grace just gives me a license to sin and to live any way I want to
[00:54:06] live. To disregard the law and the word of God, the standards of God. We see this in many areas today. Anger. Many Christians act in anger, even walk in unforgiveness like an unbeliever.
[00:54:24] Christians, many are consumed with lust or even incite others to lust.
[00:54:31] And don't feel bad about it.
[00:54:32] Divorce, you have Christians divorcing each other today without biblical grounds.
[00:54:38] Just irreconcilable differences.
[00:54:41] Well, I don't like him anymore.
[00:54:45] So what?
[00:54:48] I mean, I don't like me half the time.
[00:54:50] I mean, what does that mean?
[00:54:52] Like, I thought marriage was a commitment.
[00:54:53] I thought it was till death do us part.
[00:54:56] you ain't dead. Don't be pardoned. But it's okay, right? Oh, God will forgive me. I'm not under the law. Revenge. Christians take people to court, seek revenge, settle scores. And listen, we don't just do it. We brag about it. I'm going to do this. I'm going to show them. We tell our friends.
[00:55:19] We come to church and tell people, man, let me tell you, I got them. I took them and I won and I proved I was right and I got this and I got what now listen before you get mad at me today
[00:55:31] hey why are you picking on me like I just had a court I got divorced or whatever why are you picking listen these aren't my favorite little sins to pick on these are the exact things that
[00:55:41] Jesus talks about in the next few verses I didn't just make these up read your bible like just read the next few verses Jesus talks about lust he talks about anger he talks about divorce like
[00:55:55] These are the things that Jesus talks about as examples of how he has not lowered the bar.
[00:56:05] So what is his point when he makes these different examples?
[00:56:08] How does it tie back into the verses we were reading before, verses 17 through 20?
[00:56:13] Jesus is showing us in these examples how he calls us.
[00:56:17] if you want to be a follower of Jesus, Jesus is calling us to a higher standard than the law could ever set by itself. He's not calling us to a lower standard. Jesus didn't lower the bar. He's raised
[00:56:34] the bar. Our conduct, our behavior, our lifestyle as a Christian should be higher, better, greater than someone who doesn't know Christ, who's just operating under the law. Now let's break this down. Matthew 5 verse 17. This is the first verse of our passage that we're talking about today.
[00:56:56] This is where Jesus starts. And where does he start? He says, don't think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets. One translation says, don't misunderstand why I came. Because Jesus is so revolutionary in his thought. When you read Matthew chapter five, time after time after time
[00:57:15] and all through the gospels, people marveled at his teaching. Why? Because he taught as one who had authority. And so you'll see Jesus say, you have heard it said, or you have heard it was
[00:57:28] written, but I say unto you, but I say unto you. And he knew people would hear that, misunderstand it and think, oh man, this Jesus, this Messiah, I mean, he's just coming. He's changing everything.
[00:57:45] He's doing away with everything. He's getting rid of the law. He's changing the law. He's doing something totally different. And he says, hey, hey, hey, whoa, before we go any further, guys, don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law or the prophets. I did
[00:58:04] not come to abolish, but to fulfill. Now, imagine with me for just a moment, we all of a sudden in Charlotte, North Carolina, we had no laws and no law enforcement. Let me tell you, I would not list
[00:58:24] my house for sale. You can have it. I just give you the keys. I wouldn't pack a bag. I would get my family in the car and we would be gone. I'd be going a hundred miles an hour to somewhere other
[00:58:39] than here. Have you ever thought about it? They make horror movies about a city where they suspend the laws for one day. Come on. What would happen? The whole city would instantaneously fall into total and complete chaos. Why? Because sinful people need laws and law enforcement or we would
[00:59:04] destroy each other, right? So we know as sane, rational human beings, we need the law. The law serves a purpose. The law accomplishes. So there's a reason for the law. We need the law. But here's
[00:59:20] the truth about the law, the real truth that Jesus is bringing. Not that the law is bad, but that the law is limited. Everybody say that with me. Say the law is limited. That's the message. It's not
[00:59:34] the law is bad. It's not get rid of the law. You can read the works of Paul, Romans chapter 7, chapter 6. The law is not bad, y'all. There's nothing wrong with the law. Jesus's point is
[00:59:45] not that we don't need the law. His point is that the law is limited. You see, the law can punish murder, but it can't prevent it. The law can punish a murderer, but the law can't take murder out of
[01:00:00] your heart. The law can prohibit something, but it is powerless to transform. The law is good.
[01:00:09] The law is necessary, but the law is limited. Jesus says, I did not come to abolish the law.
[01:00:18] I didn't come to do away with the word of God. Jesus did not come to do away with the Old Testament. Jesus preached out of the Old Testament. When you read the book of Acts, guess what? They
[01:00:27] preached the gospel. All the disciples, the apostles of Jesus, they preached the gospel using the Old Testament. So Jesus didn't come to do away with it. He didn't come to change it. He came to fulfill it. So what does that look like? What is the fulfillment of the law? Well, let's
[01:00:44] take one law as an example, a law that I think we can all agree with. I think it's a pretty good one. This is a keeper. Do not murder. Can everybody agree on that one? Is that a good law? We should
[01:00:58] keep that law, right? Do not murder. Okay, well, what is the fulfillment of the law, do not murder?
[01:01:05] Look here, Matthew chapter 7, verse 12. Jesus speaking, this is still the Sermon on the Mount.
[01:01:11] He says, therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them. This is called the golden rule. For this is the law and the prophets. Have you ever noticed that?
[01:01:26] He doesn't say, hey, here's some new rule. He says, listen, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Why? Because this is, this encapsulates everything in the law and the prophets. Look with me here. Matthew chapter 22, verse 36. Teacher, they come to Jesus. Which command
[01:01:49] in the law was the greatest? Fair question. It's a good question. Which is the biggest law? Like, I can't obey them all, right? You should laugh at that one. That was a joke. You actually should
[01:01:59] try to obey them all. But hey, I can't obey them all. So which one is the most important? Like, if I've got to have a hierarchy of laws here, Jesus, which one should I really pay attention to?
[01:02:09] Which one should I really focus on and obey?
[01:02:12] He said to him, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
[01:02:19] This is the greatest and most important command.
[01:02:24] The second is like it.
[01:02:26] Love your neighbor as yourself.
[01:02:29] All, look at verse 40, all the law and the prophets depend on these two commands.
[01:02:40] So what is the fulfillment of the law?
[01:02:42] The fulfillment of the law is a person who loves God wholeheartedly and loves others as himself.
[01:02:52] That is what the fulfillment of the law actually looks like.
[01:02:59] If I love God wholeheartedly, I will not murder his children.
[01:03:03] Can I get an amen?
[01:03:05] See how that works?
[01:03:06] You don't need to write down on a piece of paper for me, don't murder people. If I love God with my whole heart, if I love, if I'm in love with Jesus, coming to church every Sunday, praising God, I'm probably not going to leave here, walk out in the
[01:03:21] parking lot and just start like, you know, killing everybody, right? I mean, if I really love God, I'm not going to kill his children, right? Jesus says the second command is like it. If I love my
[01:03:35] neighbor as myself. If I love my neighbor as myself, I'm probably not going to murder my neighbor. So if I'm the fulfillment of the law, obeying the law kind of takes care of itself.
[01:03:51] Do you see that? The law isn't bad. It's just limited. Romans chapter eight, verse one, it says, therefore, there is now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the spirit of
[01:04:07] life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law, look at this, for what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh. Not that the law is bad. Do not
[01:04:23] murder is good. That's a good law. The problem is when you tell your kids not to do something, what do they want to do? Exactly what you told them not to do. There's a weakness in our flesh
[01:04:35] that when you're told a law, you cannot do this. It incites something in you. The sin nature inside of us, our flesh is weak. And so Paul tells us here for what the law could not do, not that it
[01:04:53] was bad, but since it was weakened by the flesh, look, God did. He accomplished it. The thing that the law could never do, he did. How? He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own son in the
[01:05:12] likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering in order that, what was the purpose? That the law's requirement would be fulfilled in us. Who are us? Christians. And not just any Christians, not just every Christian all the time but us who do not walk according to the flesh
[01:05:35] but according to the spirit see the law is not given for the righteous the law is given for the lawbreaker so when I'm walking in the spirit I don't need the law because I'm going to obey
[01:05:48] the law instinctively from my heart because I love God and I love you if I know God love God love you. I'm not going to steal from you. I'm not going to mistreat you. I'm not going to rob
[01:05:59] you, hurt you, kill you. No, I'm going to bless you. I'm going to fulfill the law in a greater way than the Pharisees, the Jews ever could. Why? Because it comes from my heart. It's not a lower
[01:06:15] standard. It's a higher standard. And this glorious truth of the gospel is so powerful. It's so is so liberating, but some people turn it into a self-appointed right to interpret away the laws they don't like. They read things in the Bible that they don't like, and they do this to conveniently
[01:06:36] redefine right and wrong. What does right and wrong mean? Or worse yet, to declare there's no such thing as right and wrong anymore. And that's the country we live in today. You've got a guy
[01:06:46] running for public office right now, I think it's Congress, out saying he's a Christian and using the Bible to justify abortion. God forbid. But if you listen to the guy talk for 10 minutes, he's not a Christian. I'm not judging his heart. You could just, he doesn't know, like, it's like
[01:07:11] he's reading his Bible upside down or something. It's like, that's not even remotely what it says or means because he's taking it and twisting it to approve of his political agenda, his moral whatever, so he can turn what's wrong into what's right and what's right into what's wrong. Now
[01:07:36] listen, even sincere Christians can sometimes be confused. Do I listen to the law or do I listen to Jesus? Let me help you. You listen to Jesus. Do I listen to the law or do I listen to Jesus?
[01:07:48] You listen always. You listen to Jesus. Why? Not because Jesus changes the law. Not because he does away with the law, but because he properly interprets and fulfills the law. We listen to Jesus because Jesus tells us what the law's for and how to truly fulfill it. Let's keep reading
[01:08:11] here. Matthew chapter 5 verse 18. This is our main passage. The next verse Jesus says, for truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will
[01:08:25] pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom
[01:08:44] of heaven. Now, what would lead me, especially as a Christian, but let's take this guy I was talking about for instance, what would lead me to minimize some of the standards for myself, to exempt myself? You need to do it, but I don't need to do it. What would lead me to exempt myself
[01:09:05] from some of the law, some of the rules to minimize? Jesus says, hey, not even one small, not even a period will pass away. What would lead me to try to take some of it out, to change it,
[01:09:16] to minimize it? One word, pride. Remember what this month is called by the world now? Pride month.
[01:09:28] That's pride. And it's easy to focus on and emphasize the commands of God that we don't personally struggle with, right? To point out the grievous sins of others while tolerating small acts of disobedience in ourselves, to feel entitled, to ignore, disregard the small things,
[01:09:48] the little things, because we're good people, Christians, maybe even leaders in the church.
[01:09:55] But to that, Jesus warns us, to our pride, Jesus speaks and he says, you will be called least.
[01:10:02] You're not going to be great. You might achieve power. You might achieve a following. You might justify yourself. You might look spiritual, but in the kingdom, you will be called least.
[01:10:15] See, Jesus fulfills every punctuation mark of God's word. If anyone had a right to change it, to modify it, to annul it, to shift it, to do, Jesus would have. But Jesus said, I only speak
[01:10:29] what I hear of my father. Jesus walked in perfect submission and humility and obedience to the word of God. Jesus goes to John the Baptist and he says, you got to baptize me. And John the Baptist says,
[01:10:41] whoa, I'm not going to baptize you. You should baptize me. Like I know who you are. And Jesus says, no, do it so that all righteousness is fulfilled. So that every period, every punctuation mark, every prophecy, every doctrinal teaching, nothing is left unfulfilled in Christ. Now,
[01:11:04] how does he do that? Does he do it by lowering the bar? No, he doesn't lower the standard.
[01:11:11] The message of grace is not, don't worry about it. And so many times in the evangelical world, that's what we hear. Oh, you're getting divorced. You're doing this. You're doing that. Oh, you're not providing for your family. Oh, you're going out and getting drunk every week and da,
[01:11:27] da, da, da. Well, it's okay. God loves you. It's okay. Don't worry about it. That's the message.
[01:11:36] That's not grace.
[01:11:36] That's greasy grace.
[01:11:40] That's not the grace.
[01:11:41] The grace of God never gives you a license to sin.
[01:11:45] The grace of God empowers you to walk free of sin.
[01:11:51] So Jesus doesn't lower the standard.
[01:11:54] He doesn't tell the sinner, hey, don't worry about it.
[01:11:59] I've come.
[01:12:00] You don't see one time Jesus talked to someone caught in adultery.
[01:12:03] He tells them, hey, don't stone, right?
[01:12:05] But then he tells the young lady, hey, go and sin no more.
[01:12:10] He doesn't tell any sinner, don't worry about it.
[01:12:13] I'm going to go to the cross.
[01:12:14] I'm going to die for your sins.
[01:12:15] Ah, you're fine.
[01:12:21] You hate your brother?
[01:12:22] Angry, vindictive.
[01:12:25] Want to kill that guy over there?
[01:12:26] Don't worry about it.
[01:12:28] It's all good.
[01:12:30] I'm going to pay the price, right?
[01:12:32] I mean, Jesus died for our sins.
[01:12:35] Paul talks about this.
[01:12:36] The more we sin, the more God's grace abounds.
[01:12:38] And he says, so there's some crazy people out there that'll say, well, man, I just sin even more.
[01:12:42] So God's grace can just abound even more.
[01:12:45] Is that the message?
[01:12:46] And Paul says, God forbid.
[01:12:49] No, that's not the point of grace.
[01:12:53] Jesus raises the standard beyond anything we could ever dream about.
[01:13:00] When you continue to read, what does Jesus say?
[01:13:03] He says, you have heard it said, do not commit murder.
[01:13:06] Right?
[01:13:07] It's written.
[01:13:08] It's the law.
[01:13:09] You've heard it said.
[01:13:10] Everybody, yeah, yeah, amen.
[01:13:12] Do not commit murder.
[01:13:13] But I tell you, don't even be angry with your brother.
[01:13:19] He says, if you call your brother a fool, you're in danger of hellfire.
[01:13:23] Oh, you know, people are like, whoa, wait a minute.
[01:13:27] I could not murder.
[01:13:29] I can't even be angry.
[01:13:31] I can't even like cuss them out under my breath.
[01:13:35] Like in traffic, somebody cuts me off.
[01:13:37] I can't even like, you know, give them the sign.
[01:13:42] Really?
[01:13:43] Like, I can't even do that, Jesus.
[01:13:46] Jesus says, you have heard.
[01:13:48] Do not commit adultery.
[01:13:50] Yeah, I know Jesus.
[01:13:51] I've been faithful.
[01:13:52] Married to my wife a long time.
[01:13:53] faithful, Jesus? But I tell you, if you even look at a woman with lust in your heart, you've already committed adultery. Whoa! All right, I'm out. Sorry, Jesus. Like, no. That's, come on, Jesus.
[01:14:09] Who can do that, Jesus? Live without, like, I can't even look. I can't even peek. Like, what, Jesus, what are you talking about Jesus says you have heard it said don't just send your wife away
[01:14:25] but follow the proper procedure give her a writ of divorce but I tell you don't divorce at all except in the case of sexual immorality and at that point you know the Pharisees the men I mean
[01:14:40] they were ready to probably stone him like I can't like what in their culture the men they could divorce their wife. They did all the time. The only reason they had to give them the written
[01:14:50] divorce papers was so there was some apparatus for the women to be cared for financially.
[01:14:56] If they didn't like their wife, they just, next. Jesus said, no, no, no, that's not good enough.
[01:15:05] You can't divorce at all. They're like, what? I can't be angry. I can't have any, I can't even look, do I wear a blindfold? I can't divorce. Like what if my wife, Jesus, he said, you have
[01:15:21] heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Jesus, you're out of your mind. No one can live like that.
[01:15:45] no one can who loves their enemies Jesus didn't lower the standard he raised it he raised it to a point that they had never dreamed of before and finally Jesus if that's not bad enough he ends his
[01:16:04] teaching on our righteousness in the law with a shocking statement Matthew 5 verse 20 the last verse he says for I tell you unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. I don't think most of us have any idea
[01:16:24] what Jesus, how that landed on people. You see, the scribes and the Pharisees were experts in keeping the law. The scribes and the Pharisees, if they were here today after church, they would go home
[01:16:36] to their garden. They would take the herbs and they would count how many sprigs of thyme was on the branch and they would take one-tenth off of that to tithe it. Any of us do that? I don't think
[01:16:51] so. Jesus was saying your keeping of the law, your righteousness has to be greater than the greatest expression of human perfection in keeping the law that there's ever been. This is what Jesus was saying. It'd be like you came to church today and I told you, hey, you want to go to heaven?
[01:17:09] You want to be a Christian? You want to follow Jesus? No problem. Listen, all you have to do is you've got to run way faster than Usain Bolt.
[01:17:17] Can you do that?
[01:17:19] You've got to be way richer than Elon Musk.
[01:17:23] You've got to be smarter than Albert Einstein.
[01:17:26] I mean, you've got to make him look like a dummy.
[01:17:27] That's how smart you have to be.
[01:17:29] That was how high Jesus seemed to be raising the bar.
[01:17:35] But what Jesus was really doing was he was setting us free from self-righteousness.
[01:17:43] See, this is what Jesus was really saying.
[01:17:45] he was saying two incredible things, guys. And when you understand this, it will get you all kind of fired up. Jesus was saying, number one, our righteousness must be greater in quality, not in quantity. And number two, he was saying our righteousness must be supernatural
[01:18:05] in its source. Now, what does that mean? Quality versus quantity. He's not saying that if the Pharisee obeys 222 laws of Moses that you got to obey 223. That if you want to go to heaven,
[01:18:21] you got to find the most righteous person. And if they go to church every Sunday, you got to go to two church every Sunday. If they serve twice a month, you got to serve four times a month.
[01:18:29] If they give a thousand dollars, you got to give $2,000. That's not what Jesus was saying at all.
[01:18:36] Jesus was saying their righteousness is inferior in quality to what heaven requires.
[01:18:45] You see, they might go home and count out the sprigs of time, but their heart is far from me.
[01:18:51] He was saying the Pharisees do what they do to check the box, to earn their way to God, to impress other people, to earn their way, to look spiritual, to be a good person.
[01:19:02] They did it for themselves.
[01:19:04] Jesus says your righteousness has to be of a completely different kind. Paul says it like this in Philippians chapter three. He says, indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of
[01:19:23] all things and count them as rubbish. All the stuff I do, all the spiritual accolades I could claim. He says, I count them as trash. Why? In order that I may gain Christ and be found in him,
[01:19:40] not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. Paul says, I can't manufacture this righteousness. Human effort can't produce this righteousness. I need a different kind of
[01:20:08] righteousness. I need a righteousness that comes straight from God. I need a righteousness that comes from heaven. I need a righteousness that fulfills not just the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law. This righteousness of God, see it, it walks in perfect obedience to the Father.
[01:20:32] 24-7, every single day.
[01:20:35] It lives by faith and not by sight.
[01:20:38] This righteousness of God loves enemies and forgives the unforgivable.
[01:20:44] It's always patient and kind.
[01:20:45] It gives sacrificially with no thought of repayment or reward.
[01:20:50] It proclaims the truth boldly, but with grace.
[01:20:54] Meditates on the word day and night.
[01:20:56] Sees miracles in every circumstance.
[01:20:58] Prays without ceasing.
[01:20:59] rests fully in the goodness of God.
[01:21:02] That's the righteousness of God.
[01:21:05] And I don't know about you, I can't measure up to that.
[01:21:08] I can't produce it.
[01:21:09] I've tried.
[01:21:10] I fall short every single time.
[01:21:12] And so when I read these standards that Jesus set, when I see the life that he lived and the righteousness this required, I have to cry out to God, God, where can I get righteousness like this?
[01:21:25] where can a man go to find righteousness that looks like that the answer is so clear there's only one place I can go there's only one place I can find righteousness like that and it's at
[01:21:41] the foot of the cross the only place the only man the only thing that can give me that kind of righteousness not a righteousness produced by me to earn something for me but a righteousness that comes out of me automatically because I love God, because I
[01:22:01] love people, a righteousness that's not of this earth, a righteousness that does good because I am good. That kind of righteousness only comes from Christ. You can't make it. You can't produce it. You can only receive it. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 20 and 21. Therefore, we are ambassadors
[01:22:30] for Christ. God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of God, be reconciled to God for our sake. He made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness
[01:22:49] of God. What is being a Christian? What is this standard of righteousness? Being a Christian is not living a better life. Living a Christian is not obeying all the rules. Being a Christian is an exchange. It's giving God your sin in exchange for his goodness. It's Jesus paying the price
[01:23:18] for everything I've done wrong so that I can get credit for everything Jesus did right.
[01:23:26] It's a spiritual bank account full, not because I obey all the rules or not because I do everything right, but because God has deposited the credit from the sinless life that Jesus lived into my account
[01:23:43] so that when I get to heaven one day and they say, why should we let you in?
[01:23:48] I can say because of him not because of me but because of him if you will only believe if you will only trust in Christ in what he did for you that his death on the cross was enough
[01:24:04] that it paid for every sin because people hear this oh I know God loves me but you don't know what I've done no you have to believe you have to trust that his death his blood was enough
[01:24:15] to pay for your sin and that his goodness is enough not only to get you into heaven but to transform who you are if you only believe if you only believe today God will deposit this kind of
[01:24:35] righteousness into your heart and then you can spend the rest of your days walking with God and learning how to let it out.
[01:24:47] Isn't that a better way to live than striving and scheming and sweating?
[01:24:55] I know I'm sweating, but I'm sweating out of joy.
[01:25:00] So many of us waste our lives trying to measure up.
[01:25:03] Jesus has already measured up for you.
[01:25:08] And he stands here today and he's offering you his righteousness.
[01:25:15] Do you want it?
[01:25:17] Will you trust him?
[01:25:19] Will you only?
[01:25:22] I'm gonna ask you today to stand on your feet.
[01:25:26] If you're with us today online, there's a button there in the chat.
[01:25:28] You can click.
[01:25:29] We've got people that'll love you, pray with you, answer questions.
[01:25:32] You're involved in this.
[01:25:33] You're here with us.
[01:25:35] This is for you.
[01:25:37] But if you're in this room today and you're not the righteousness of God in Christ, you're thinking, man, you don't know what I've done.
[01:25:43] Listen, doesn't matter what you've done.
[01:25:44] That's your righteousness.
[01:25:45] Never gonna be enough anyway.
[01:25:48] Do you wanna exchange it?
[01:25:50] Do you wanna receive the righteousness of God?
[01:25:53] Do you wanna become the righteousness of God?
[01:25:56] to have a heart that loves God so much you obey the law to live better on accident than you ever did before on purpose that's the promise of the spirit that's the Christian he wants us to be
[01:26:13] that's on the table for you right now when I ask you to take just a moment to bow your head close your eyes just focus on your heart right now because maybe I know a lot of you in here
[01:26:25] a lot of you are truly born again you know Jesus you love Jesus and just like me sometimes it's easy you slip into this performance mentality that man I wish God would heal me I wish God
[01:26:37] would bless me I wish God would but I know I'm not doing right I know I don't read enough I know I don't pray enough I know I'm not good enough I know I don't have enough faith that's self-righteousness
[01:26:47] why don't you receive his righteousness today walk out of here with a father who loves you and answers your prayers, not because of what you do, but because of what Christ did.
[01:27:01] You can pray, God, heal me because of Jesus.
[01:27:04] God, bless me, take care of me because of Jesus.
[01:27:07] God, forgive me because of Jesus.
[01:27:09] God, live in me because of Jesus.
[01:27:11] God, empower me because of Jesus.
[01:27:13] God, transform me because of Jesus.
[01:27:19] If you want that today, then all you gotta do is believe.
[01:27:22] I'm gonna ask you right now in this room, if you wanna receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, You want to make that exchange your sin for his goodness. You want to know you're going to heaven,
[01:27:35] not because of what you've done, but because of what he did. You want to have that assurance today, that relationship today. If that's you right now, I want you to be bold. I want you
[01:27:44] to lift up your hand. Just say yes to God. Just lift up that hand right now. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[01:27:49] Amen. Just lift up those hands. Amen. Amen. I see hands going up. Amen. Man, listen, all you got to do is believe. All you got to do is believe. We're going to pray this prayer
[01:28:01] together. And I want everyone to join in because this isn't just for those coming to Jesus for the first time. This is for those of us who are born again, but maybe we've been living a little bit
[01:28:10] on our own performance. Let's pray this together. Pray it out loud. Say, Father God, I know I'm not good enough, but I know Jesus is. He was your perfect son. He came to this earth. He lived a
[01:28:26] sinless life. He died for my sins and I receive that right now. I exchange all my sin, all my doubt, all my shame for your goodness. Make me the righteousness of God in Christ that even when I do
[01:28:50] wrong. I stand forgiven because I'm in Christ. Make me different. I don't want greasy grace.
[01:29:01] I want to walk with you. I want to be like you to fill me up with your Holy Spirit that I could walk like you, Jesus. I believe it. I receive it. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

[01:29:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_23]
[01:29:24] In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor Olin. Amazing message. I was just thinking about lowering the standards, right? And that's what happened in the Garden of Eden, right? Do not touch the tree of life. All of a sudden, the standards were brought down, and there we go.
[01:29:48] We made a mistake, right? So, God wants to bless us. God has great things for us. If we obey His Word. Keep the standard. Keep the commandments, and God will do great things. I love that. I love

[01:30:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_24]
[01:30:03] that. Thank you for that wonderful message, Pastor Olin. All right, if you are a first-time guest, or maybe you just accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, we want you to go to Guest Central.
[01:30:16] We have a free gift just for you. And if you want to learn more about Freedom House, there's a button in front of your seat. You can pull out your phone and tap it, And you'll be able to learn more about who we are and events, life groups, get connected this summer.
[01:30:31] We have a lot going on.
[01:30:33] And we have Father's Day coming up.

[01:30:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_23]
[01:30:35] Father's Day is coming up.
[01:30:36] There is, next Saturday, 9 in the morning, Father's Day Fishing Tournament.
[01:30:42] All right?
[01:30:43] On the last service, I said to come to the pond over here by the house.
[01:30:51] And I said that I've been there twice, two years.
[01:30:55] I haven't seen any fishes, right?
[01:30:58] I'm a good fisherman, right?
[01:30:59] I'm just saying.
[01:31:01] I don't see any fishes jumping.
[01:31:03] It's just flat.
[01:31:04] It's just nothing.
[01:31:05] So I have a theory.

[01:31:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_24]
[01:31:06] It's a lake, not an ocean, Robbie.

[01:31:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_23]
[01:31:08] I have a theory that there's no fishes out there, right?
[01:31:11] So this young lady, after the first service, come up to me with her phone, a picture of her holding a huge fish, huge, I mean, I don't know what it was.
[01:31:22] She goes, I'm here to debunk your theory.
[01:31:25] and she shows me the picture. So I'm looking at it. It's her on that lake. So in my mind, I said, yeah, come when you have two fishes, right? So then I said nicely, yeah, I see it. So if you
[01:31:42] want to keep debunking my theory, come next Saturday, get some fishes and show it to me because I'm going to stand by my theory until you prove me wrong. So last year, our son won

[01:31:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_24]
[01:31:53] second place for the biggest fish and it was his first time a little tiny fish so i'm very sorry that you don't have that talent stick to basketball stick to baseball and i actually had kids in the
[01:32:06] lobby chasing me down saying where's your husband i have some pictures i want to show all right freedom house it was an honor we love you have a great rest of your week thank you god

[01:32:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:32:20] bless precious time