Our question today, of course, is derived from something that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount.
In Matthew 5:20, you’ll recall that Jesus told his disciples that day,
For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Did Jesus Christ upgrade the Law of Moses? We’ve been asking that question on the previous two Little Lessons. We’re going to ask it one more time today. I can’t review too much, but the law to love your neighbor as yourself is an Old and New Covenant Law, and it’s the highest moral law that relates to how we treat each other.
We find that in Jesus’ “You have heard it was said, but I say to you” statements, He doesn’t always accurately cite the Old Covenant Law as people claim. He often quotes the Pharisees and their twisted teaching that’s based on the Law of Moses.
Did Jesus upgrade the Law of Moses morally? This is the same question we asked in our previous little lesson, and we’re going to elaborate a little bit more on it in this lesson. If you didn’t watch the first part, you might want to back up and watch that part first.
Today’s question is about the rightness or the wrongness of celebrating Christmas. I guess my initial answer would be, “if you believe it’s wrong to celebrate Christmas, then it is wrong for you.” I’d never ask you to violate your conscience and do something that you feel is wrong. That’s the short answer.
The longer answer is that maybe we should ask if it really is wrong to celebrate Christmas.
We’re going to talk about the law of Moses—the moral requirements of the law of Moses—and how it has or has not changed under the New Covenant.
So let me start by asking you, what was the highest moral law? That is, in relationship to how we relate to other people? What’s the highest moral law in the law of Moses? You tell me.
I am a Christian. That means I’m a person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, and that makes Him a unique person of all history.
I believe He is still alive. I believe He’s seated at the right hand of God the Father. And one day all of us—you and me included—are going to have to stand before Him and give an account of our lives. Therefore I’m doing my best to try to obey what He said.
In our last Little Lesson, we were talking about how to prevent or stop your child from being a brat. I thought it would be good to continue on this same theme because the principles are the same when it comes to figuring out how to get your little child to sleep all through the night. It comes down to reinforcement.
My wife and I have had three children, and we succeeded in getting them to sleep all the way through the night pretty early on. So I’m going to share my secret with you so that you can also enjoy a good night’s sleep. All right?
Wow, it is no easy task raising children! I’ve had the blessing of raising three. They’re all grown and married and they’re raising their own children today. As I watch them, I just think to myself, “Oh my goodness! That takes so much work and effort. Did I actually do that?” Because now as a grandfather, I don’t have what it takes any longer. I can love them and leave them and that’s about the extent of it.
Today, we’re going to talk about good works and what part they play in the equation of salvation.
Now, there are extreme views on this topic. Some, the Greasy Grace guys—the hyper-grace folks—tend to promote an idea that good works are not a part of the salvation equation at all. And if you just pray a little prayer and ‘accept’ Jesus as your personal savior, you’re in, and you got it, and you can’t lose it.
How do I get victory over sin in my life? That’s a great question. The first thing to understand is that that’s not an unusual question because it’s not an unusual struggle. Just because you’ve become a believer in Jesus doesn’t mean that you automatically are a super holy person.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians that “the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:17).