April 5, 2020

Matthew 5:20

1. We see from this verse that Jesus is calling for a completely different type of righteousness than what was seen in the scribes & Pharisees. Pastor Nate then explained from Matthew 23:25-28 that the scribes & Pharisees had external righteousness. What are examples in today's world of people pursuing external righteousness?

2. When explaining internal righteousness, we saw that this work is only by God's doing. (See Ezekiel 36:25-27) How does this truth help us understand that glory belongs to God alone? What are the ways we might be tempted to rob God of His glory when thinking of internal righteousness?

3. We also heard that the righteousness of the scribes & Pharisees is imperfect, while the standard of God is perfect righteousness as He is perfectly righteous. Take time to explain the importance of justification. Could you explain justification to someone who is not a Christian?

4. We then heard how the perfect righteousness of Christ is received...by faith in Christ! We were given 3 dimensions of genuine faith: knowledge of Jesus according to the Word of God, a conviction that what's known from the Word of God is absolutely true, & trust/reliance that's demonstrated by action/obedience. Why is it so important to not neglect any of these 3 dimensions of genuine faith? What happens if you were to remove any of them?

5. Finally, we were given a question & a call.

The question was: Have you, by the grace of God, put your faith in the Son of God & received His perfect righteousness that's required to enter the Kingdom of God? 

The call was: boast of who God is & what He's done for you. (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)

So what's the next step for you in light of this question & call?