Our lives are filled with rules. The following hand-lettered signs were prominently displayed around a drive-in restaurant in Pine Grove, California. On the side of the building a sign read, "Do not back in." On a trash can in the parking lot, "Not for diaper disposal or auto trash." In the front window, "Local checks for the amount of purchase only." Over a hallway leading to bathrooms, "Restrooms are for customers only." Near the refreshment counter, "Vanilla frosties only dipped one size only." Taped to the register, "Please order by number." And of course, posted on the front door, "Observe all signs." Have you noticed that our lives are filled with so many different rules? "Do not touch the merchandise. Ring bell before entering the building. No smoking near the gas pump. Speed limit 45 mph. No trespassing. All children under age 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult. We have rules, rules, and more rules."
When I was younger, my grandpa had a neighbor who obsessed about his grass. There wasn't an imperfect blade of grass in the man's entire lawn. He watered it every day. He fertilized it. He would crawl around on his knees, carefully weeding it. He even fluffed the spots where he had stood. He guarded his lawn like a hawk. He had little signs saying, "Keep off the grass." He had this honey-I-shrunk-the-kids type anxiety about people walking on his lawn. If ever there was a perfect lawn, this man had it.
My brother Mike and I, innocently playing catch in our grandpa's yard, posed the greatest threat imaginable to this man's perfect lawn. One time I missed a catch, and our football rolled about six feet onto his lawn. Okay, so it happened more than just once. Anyhow, we were horrified at the thought of what the man would do if he knew about the ball in his yard. We knew that we couldn't walk across his lawn to get the ball. He would certainly yell at us. We knew we couldn't walk up his driveway and ask for assistance, for he was a grumpy old man and neither of us wanted to disturb a disturbed man. So we ran into the garage and got a broom, but we could not reach our ball! Next I held Mike's arm as he leaned over grass, trying reach the ball with the broom. Last, we tried getting a rope to lasso the ball. Nothing worked.
Finally, after about twenty minutes the man came out of his house and retrieved our ball. The entire time he was retrieving the ball, he was mumbling about his lawn under his breath.
Rules, rules, rules.
Now maybe you don't care if someone walks on your lawn. The point is that all of us play by a particular set of rules. All of us have posted signs around our lives, directing others to specific behaviors. All of us have lists of do's and don'ts. We hold others and ourselves accountable to our lists. We feel passionately about our lists. We try to be consistent and live our lives by our lists. Our lists lurk in the background of our thoughts and consciences, regularly reminding us of those specific things we must do to please God.
By our lists we determine whether or not we are a success or a failure. By our lists we measure our own spirituality and spirituality of others. By our lists we determine whether we have been good enough for God to accept us.
Back in 1992 in Rapid City, South Dakota, police arrested a man named Dennis Lee Curtis for armed robbery. As they cuffed Dennis and hauled him off to prison, the police discovered a small sheet of paper neatly folded up in his wallet. Upon closer examination, police were shocked by what they read.
There in his wallet, the armed robber had written out a list of rules for himself. Rule number one: I will not kill anyone unless I have to. Rule number 2: I will take cash and food stamps, but no checks. Rule number 3: I will rob only at night. Rule number 4: I will not wear a mask. Rule number 5: I will not rob mini-marts or 7-Eleven stores. Rule number 6: If I get chased by cops on foot, I will get away, but if chased by vehicle, I will not put the lives of innocent civilians on the line. Rule number 7: I will rob only seven months out of the year. Rule number 8: I will enjoy robbing from the rich to give to the poor.
What's on your list of dos and don'ts? What kind of rules do you have for yourself? What kind of rules about church attendance? About giving? About Christian living? About parenting? About divorce and remarriage? About spending money? About watching television programs and movies? About the way you talk? About the way you manage your time? About the priorities you set for self? About serving the poor? About the way you work?
What specific things must you do to be truly spiritual and loved by God? Does your list include reading your Bible for so much time a day? Does it include anything about praying to God? What about fasting? What does your list say about worship? About which Bible translation to use? About what style of music that is truly Christian? About how we should dress for church and what weekly activities are mandatory in which to participate?
Does your list have anything about giving a certain percent of your income? Does your list say anything about serving in your church so much time a week? Does your list include personal evangelism? Are there certain things your list tells you to avoid?Like going to the movies, eating out too much, playing cards or watching football on Sunday?
The list-keeping legalist.
For a good part of my life, I have lived the life of a list-keeper. Christianity was about rules. It was about endless lists. It was about do's and don'ts. Sunday school, worship, giving, and Bible reading were on my to-do list. There were other rules. Do not lie, do not cheat on the test, do not cuss, do not drink, do not smoke, do not skip church, do not watch R-rated movies, do not waste money, do not start fights, and do not disrespect your parents.
As I began high school, I became very pessimistic and discouraged and joyless with my list of rules. My do and don't list had grown ten miles long. I used to look at the calendar in my room and say, "Jesus, please don't come back soon. I am not ready for you yet." I couldn't even step out the door without rehearsing the list in the back of my mind. I even began to wonder if I had truly become a Christian. In frustration, I gave up on my list and avoided going to church. I was defeated, I was ruined, and my heart had grown sour.
And then one night I read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through Matthew 7. In Matthew 5:19 (NIV)I read, "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven." In Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV)I read, "You have heard that it was said to people long ago, 'Do not murder.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." In Matthew 5:28 (NIV) I read, "I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." In Matthew 5:29-30 (NIV) I read, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away." In Matthew 5:24 (NIV) I read, "...but I tell you, 'Do not swear at all.' "
I'll tell you, the Sermon on the Mount is the worst possible news a list-keeping legalist can hear. The Sermon on the Mount not only resurrected my list of legalisms, but it effectively caused me to repost my list in bold capital letters on my conscience.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes every rule to the next level. He basically says things like, "You know all these rules you've been keeping like, Do not murder? Well, stop murdering people in your thoughts!" So much for WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?). I had to add WWJT (What Would Jesus Think?) and WWJF (What Would Jesus Feel?) and WWJB (What Would Jesus Be?). Not only did I have to do the things on my list, I had to do them with the right attitude. God was watching me on the inside as much as the outside. Talk about becoming disillusioned with Christianity! Friends, here is what God taught me about being a list-keeping legalist.
Lesson #1: The law isn't going anywhere.
In Matthew 5:18 (NIV) Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." All the laws found throughout scripture are deeply rooted in God's character. God is life, therefore, "Thou shall not kill. " God is truth, therefore, "Thou shall not lie." God is love, therefore, "Love one another." God is faithful, therefore, "Do not commit adultery."
The law is a reflection of who God is, and as such it will never pass away. God will never say to us, "Don't worry about truth" or, "Don't worry about love" or, "Don't worry about purity" or, "Don't worry about faithfulness" or, "Don't worry about morality." God cannot disown who he is and he will never disown the law that reflects his holiness.
Lesson #2: My life will be judged by the law.
In Matthew 5:19 (NIV) Jesus says, "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Our lives will be measured by our obedience or disobedience to the law. If we break even the least of God's commandments, if we slip just a little, we will be found guilty under the law, and called least in the kingdom of God. It is a serious thing to break God's law. It is no plaything. It is no game. Those of us who arrogantly flaunt our freedom in the face of God will face the full fury of God's wrath on judgment day. The law will judge us and find us for what we are. Don't mess with the law!
Lesson #3: My best effort at obedience will never be enough.
In Matthew 5:20 (NIV) Jesus says, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Do you know who the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were? They were the best list-keepers this world has every known. Jesus Christ only had two commands. In Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)Jesus says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." The Pharisees and teachers of the law had developed a system of six hundred thirteen laws of which three hundred sixty-five were negative commands and two hundred forty-eight were positive. They wrote the scriptures on little parchments and fixed them on their foreheads and wrists in small boxes called phylacteries.
The apostle Paul was a Pharisee. In Philippians 3:4 (NIV) he says of himself, "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."
Friends, the Pharisees didn't mess up too often. They were as good as a guy can get. They didn't miss worship in the temple. They observed every religious day. They memorized every single part of God's law. They obsessed over the law. They lived and breathed obedience. The law was their identity and nothing else mattered to them! They had remarkable self-discipline. They defined self-discipline.
You and I will never rival the obedience the Pharisees had to the law! And yet Jesus says, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Listen up real carefully! No matter how much you and I do, we will never satisfy God's justice and law. We will always be lacking. Our obedience will always be inadequate. We can pridefully trust in our good works, but that doesn't change the fact that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. Paul said, "as for legalistic righteousness" he was faultless. Do we really think that we can do better than Paul in the obedience department?
For all of us list-keeping legalists out there who think we can earn God's approval and entrance into the kingdom of God through our works, we need to perk our ears up. In Romans 3:20 (NIV)Paul says, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." Galatians 3:10-11 (NIV) says, "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.' Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith.' "
The discouragement you feel right now under the burden of your list is God telling you as plainly as he knows how that you will never be obedient enough. We simply cannot measure up. It is virtually impossible for our righteousness to surpass the Pharisees' righteousness. God taught me that the law isn't going anywhere. He taught me that my life will be judged by the law. He taught me that my best effort at obedience will never be enough.
God taught me that Jesus Christ is my righteousness.
In Matthew 5:17 (NIV) Jesus says, "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." Jesus didn't come to get rid of God's law. Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus came to perfectly obey the letter and the spirit of God's law. Jesus came to fill up all that was lacking in our obedience and righteousness. Jesus came to take upon himself the curse of the law, the curse that we ourselves deserved for our disobedience. Jesus came to satisfy God's need for justice. Jesus came to become the perfect sacrifice that forever cleanses us of all unrighteousness.
Colossians 2:13-14 (NIV) says, "He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross." Galatians 3:13 (NIV) says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' "
Romans 3:21-22 (NIV) says, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast."
And not to belabor the point in any way but in Philippians 3:8-9 (NIV) Paul turns in all his righteous accomplishments saying, "I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
Moving beyond legalism.
Friends, if we are to ever have the hope of eternal life, we have to move beyond legalism. Without Christ's righteousness we will die full of good intentions. Without Christ's righteousness we will perish under the curse of the law. Without Christ's righteousness our good works, no matter how good we think they are, cannot save us. If our good works could save us, then Jesus died in vain. Without Christ's righteousness, we will go to our graves defeated, broken, discouraged, frustrated, and lost for eternity.
Listen, the law isn't going anywhere. God's going hold us accountable. Our personal best, our absolute best, will never be enough. But what a bargain. Through faith, we can receive the righteousness of God. Instead of relating to God through our failed righteousness, we can relate to God through Christ's perfect righteousness. Instead of living under the curse of the law, we can live under the freedom Christ has offered us through his own death on the cross for our sins. Instead of living under the shame and guilt of legalism, we can live under the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ.
As we sing our invitation song, you are invited to come forward and put your trust in Jesus Christ, our righteousness. You are invited to stop trusting in your works and in your list. Jesus is everything we need to relate to God. He fills up everything that is lacking in our lives. Stop kidding yourself and get right with God through faith. What a bargain!