Believing and Not Believing
The God of Rules
May 7, 2017
I believe there are lots of people who would love to be followers of Jesus, people who want to believe, however, something holds them back.
While these people are rejecting God, I believe they are doing this because they have a distorted, an incorrect view of God. That’s really what we’re talking about over the course of this series. I could call it “Distorted Views!”
Last week we looked at the fact that God is not a Genie. We just don’t rub His belly and are granted 3 wishes. This week, we’re going to look at what I am calling the God of Rules.
Next week, we will look at the Unemotional God. When we don’t feel God’s presence. Then in week 4, it will be the God of no heart! When we believe God doesn’t care.
Today, we’re looking at the Legalistic God, the God of Rules. You want to believe in God, but all of these rules seem to get in the way. You want to grow deeper in your faith, but there are too many obstacles, rules and laws and legalism which seems to slow you down.
Have you experienced this in your life? People get on you because you’re supposed to act in a very certain way in church or in public. Remember, when women couldn’t wear pants? Men had to be clean shaven and wear a suit. You had to have a certain version of the Bible for it to really be the Bible. You couldn’t go to the store or a movie on Sunday’s. Then we add prohibitions today, that too many things are sinful. Drinking is sinful, tatoos are sinful and the list goes on.
Some people want to believe in God, but they hear about all of these rules, and they wonder why would I subject myself to all of these rules with all of these people. My life is going fine. Why should I follow a God who tells me do this and don’t do that?!
So, let’s take a look at this conundrum - -
In Matthew 23, Jesus was going at the Pharisees, and He said this ~
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. – Matthew 23:25-26
Have you ever looked at someone and thought “you are such a hypocrite! You say one thing, but you do something very different!”
That’s exactly what Jesus was saying in this passage. They were putting on this religious show for the people, but on the inside, they were still dirty and unclean.
So, Jesus tells them to get their insides clean before they show their outside nature. In fact, this is a common theme we see over and over in comments by Jesus. Look at the very next comments by Jesus ~
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. – Matthew 23:27-28
Remember the word hypocrite comes from a Greek word which means “actor” or someone who pretends to be someone they are not. That’s what Jesus is saying. Add to that what He said in Matthew 6 ~
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.
Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. – Matthew 6:16
This is what some people would say is the problem with religion. It focuses on the external things rather than on the inside or inner person. We become stuck on this and we see a holy God and we are unholy, we are sinners, so we think we have to work hard to make ourselves clean and holy. We think if we follow all of the rules, we will have it made and God will look at us and say, “Ah, well done good and faithful servant.”
So, we go to church, not because we want to, but because we believe we will find God’s good graces if we do, we have to give our money, and be nice, don’t be mean, let others know that you do good. And don’t do all the bad things. Don't drink, don't smoke, don't chew, and don't run with girls who do. If I do these things, and don't do the bad things, then maybe I’ll be right with God.
And that’s what the Pharisees were doing. It was all human effort. Jesus was saying “don’t be like the Pharisees. They’re doing it all wrong. There’s a better way, in fact, there’s an easier way!”
Remember how bad it was for the Jews, they were to follow 613 commandments or laws. Can you imagine trying to learn all of them. Then they had books written which were extra biblical writings, like the Mishnah, Midrash and Talmud which helped interpret all of them. It was crazy. There were 101 laws regarding sacrifices and offerings. There were 45 commandments regarding idolatry. So, it got pretty intense and it got to the point the people were just trying to follow the rules.
So, instead of looking at all of the rules which are going to earn us salvation, and understand this, I’m not knocking the need for rules and laws. We need them to keep order. Why? Because we are sinners. Because we see things through our own lenses, even when we think we’re trying to do right, we can be doing the wrong thing. So, yes, there is a need for rules, but I don’t think we want to remember 613 commandments! The quiz will be next week!
So, if you’ve struggled with the God of rules, this legalistic God who is a kill-joy, then hold on and hopefully, you see a different side in a few moments!
The laws God established are not to confine us, but to free us to have the life He wants us to live. I want to share with you the good news about Jesus, and we're going to plow through some information. And there’s a great payoff in the end.
In Romans 3:20, Paul said this ~
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, – Romans 3:20, 23
So, we need to understand this basic truth - - - you cannot earn God's acceptance by obeying the law. No matter how hard you try, no matter how religious you are, no matter how many good works you do, or bad works you avoid, you cannot earn God's acceptance by obeying the law. Scripture teaches you cannot be good enough to please God.
The Bible tells us “no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law. No one. It doesn't matter what kind of church you go to, how holy you act, how good a show you put on, how hard you try, you cannot be good enough to please God by your works. You cannot please God by just doing the works of the law. It's impossible. That may sound like really bad news! But . . . it may be the most liberating news you will ever hear!
So, why did God give us the law, if we cannot really use it to our advantage? The purpose of the law is to show us we need a Savior. None of us will be declared righteous by God according to our works! Through the law we become more aware of our sinfulness and our need for a Savior.
You see, we want to believe we’re not bad people. We really do want to believe that. We struggle with being called a sinner. We don’t like to hear that, yet it’s true. Nobody can say they haven’t sinned except for Jesus. Maybe when you compare yourself to someone else, you’re not so bad, but compared to God - - - well, we all fall way short!
So, let me ask you this . . .
How many of you have ever told a lie? I don’t care if it was a white lie, or a huge whopper of a lie. Raise your hand! Raise it a little higher. Leave them up! Now, how many of you have stolen something? Something as trivial as a pen in an office or whatever. How many of you have said something in anger and hurt someone, had evil thoughts about someone, lusted after someone, lusted after someone’s possessions . . . I don’t really need to go on do I?
You see, God’s standards are so much higher than ours. Now, based on a general show of hands from all of you . . . people I called saints last week, I’ve got to tell you, you just told me most of you are lying, thieving, adulterers. That sounds like a pretty big sinner to me. You're unrighteous. You're unholy. Ah, welcome to First Baptist Church, where we make you feel really good about yourself. I hope you're glad you came.
Now, I don't want to be harsh, or critical, or make you feel bad, but let me tell you why it's so important because when you go through life saying, "I'm not a bad person," then you don't recognize you need for the redemptive power of God’s forgiveness. Until you see yourself as a sinner, you won't see your need for a savior.
Let me say that again . . . Until you see yourself as a sinner, you won't see your need for a Savior. This is what the good news is all about! There is no person who can perform or earn their way to God because all of us have sinned and we all fall short of the glory of God. So, the purpose of the law is to help us see we need God’s grace and mercy.
So, we cannot earn God’s love or salvation by obeying the law. The purpose of the law is to show us we need a Savior.
Now comes the great news! Some really, really, really great news. Being right with God comes by faith in Christ alone. The way that we're made right with God is not by works, not by trying harder, it’s not by following all 613 laws . . . but it's by trusting in the perfect work of Jesus, and that alone.
This is what Paul was getting at in verses 22-24 ~
22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, – Romans 3:22-24
Aren’t these great words from Paul? It doesn't matter how bad your past has been. It doesn't matter how bad your present is. When you put your faith in Christ, your sins are forgiven, and you are made completely new. We need Christ and Christ alone. Not Christ plus good works. We need Christ and Christ alone.
Now, we are called to do good works as a result of our faith in Jesus. We don’t perform good works to earn extra brownie points with God. We do good, because we have a desire to do good, because Jesus has changed our lives. Our lives should look different. We are called to be different than the rest of the world, we have a message the world doesn’t want to hear, yet we have been entrusted by God to spread the word about Jesus.
We don’t do that by following all of the laws. Nobody would want to come alongside of you.
Really, we’ve talked about this on and off for awhile now. When God looks at us, God doesn't see our sinfulness. Instead God sees the righteousness of Christ in us. He sees the goodness and the perfection of Jesus. That's why if we are in Christ, we're a new creation. Our sins are forgiven by God and God doesn't see us as the filthy sinners we are, but He sees the righteousness of Christ.
It’s part of what we just did in communion, it’s when we not only remember what Jesus did for us, but we come and we are reconciled by the blood of Jesus. The blood He shed for you and I is what actually cleanses us as we come before God.
