Kingdom Life Series

Through his humor, Bill Waterson has a way to make you think about life. He’s the author of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips; and some time ago, he drew Calvin (a little boy) hurtling down a snowy slope on a sled with his friend Hobbes (a tiger).

Calvin: I'm getting nervous about Christmas.

Hobbes: You're worried you haven't been good?

Calvin: That's just the question. It's all relative. What's Santa's definition? How good do you have to be to qualify as good? I haven't killed anybody. That's good, right? I haven't committed any felonies. I didn't start any wars. I don’t practice cannibalism. Wouldn't you say that's pretty good? Wouldn't you say I should get lots of presents?

Hobbes: But maybe good is more than the absence of bad.

Calvin: See, that's what worries me. (Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes, December 23, 1990; www.PreachingToday.com)

Some people define “good” in terms of what they don’t do, but they’re worried, “Am I good enough?” Am I “good enough” not so much for Santa’s sake, but for God’s sake? What is GOD’S definition of “good”? And what does it take to be “good enough” for His Kingdom? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Matthew 5, Matthew 5, where Jesus talks about what it takes to be “good enough” to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and his answer might surprise you.

Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (ESV)

If you want to be good enough for God’s Kingdom, it starts when you...

REALIZE THAT JESUS DID NOT CANCEL GOD’S LAW.

Understand that Jesus did not invalidate the Old Testament. Appreciate the fact Jesus did not loosen the requirements of God’s rules one bit.

You see, some people think that the rules don’t matter anymore. that Jesus did away with the Old Testament standards, that all we have to do is love, love, love and live the way we want. But Jesus is very clear here! He did NOT invalidate God’s Law. On the contrary, God’s moral law still matters very much! It is the absolute standard, which defines right and wrong.

Roger Wengert, a philosophy professor at the University of Illinois, often begins his introductory ethics classes by asking how many of the students believe that truth is relative. A show of hands usually reveals that two-thirds to three-fourths of the class thinks in this manner. After discussing the syllabus, testing dates, papers and content of the course, Wengert informs the class that they will be graded according to height. When the smart-alecky tall kid loudly agrees with this system, the professor adds, “Short students get A's; tall students flunk.”

Inevitably a student's hand is raised: “Your grading system is not fair.”

“I am the professor,” retorts Wengert. “I can grade however I wish.”

The student insists, “But what you ought to do is grade us according to how well we learn the material. You should look at our papers and exams to see how well we have understood the content of the course and grade us on that.” The class nods in affirmation (especially the tall students).

Professor Wengert then replies, “By using words like should and ought, you betray your alleged conviction that truth is relative. If you were a true relativist, you would realize that there is no external standard to which my grading should conform. If my truth and my ethic lead me to an alternate grading system that you deem inappropriate, c'est la vie! I will grade however I wish.” (Mark Ashton, Absolute Truth, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996, pp. 9-10; www.PreachingToday.com)

When it comes to defining what is right and fair, you MUST have an external standard. Moral relativism does not work in real life and certainly not in God’s Kingdom. So if you want to be good enough, you cannot get rid of the standard. Instead, you must realize that Jesus did not cancel God’s Law. Rather...

REALIZE THAT JESUS COMPLETES GOD’S LAW.

Understand that Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament. Appreciate the fact that Jesus gives real meaning to God’s rules.

You see, the entire Old Testament is about Him! After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His followers on the road to Emmaus. They didn’t recognize Him, and they were distraught that their beloved Teacher had been crucified. So Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe ALL THAT THE PROPHETS have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and ALL the Prophets, he interpreted to them in ALL THE SCRIPTURES the things concerning himself (Luke 24:25-27). If you’re reading the Old Testament and don’t see Jesus, then look a little closer, because it is ALL about Him!