The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-07-28
SUNDAY AT THE LUTHERAN
CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER
Rev. Edward Fulenwider, Pastor.


fine day Sunday. A splendid con-
gregation attended the morning SER
vice. The pastor preached plain,
practical sermon, dealing with ques-
tions of supreme interest to every
human soul today, from the text,
Matt 5:20: "Exccpt your righteous
ness shall exceed the Righteousness of
the Scribes and Pharisecs, We shall
in no case enter into the Kingdom of
heaven
1t was shown that the Scribes and
Pharisccs were not the mean, low, and
contemplate class as sometimes
represented, but that they are. the
best people Of their age, and certainly
the most intensely religious. Then
these words Of Christ must have come
like thunderclap from clear sky
to those who heard him. If the
Scribes and Pharisees could not en-
ter the Kingdom Of heaven, who then
could ever hope to be saved9 "The
things which are impossible with men
are possible with God.' These Scribcs
and Pharisees were the great teach
crs of the Jewish natron. One thing
that they taught with care and earn
estness was the coming of glorious
kingdom, but their manner Of life
was insufficient for entrance into that
kingdom, which was the hope Of the
nation, and inspired its most bcauti
full songs and sublimest anticipations.
The savior does not condemn their
belief in such Il kingdom, and their
hope Of entering it, sur ne criticises
their teachings concerning the quail
fications for entrance into it.
I. Some Of the defects Of the right
cousness of The Scribcs and Pharisees.
(a) It's shallowness:
They pridcd themselves in keeping
the commandments, but they were
kccpin" the letter Of the command
ments and not the spirit Of them.
The Savior shows that they were not
even keeping the 5th commandment
-"Thou shalt not kill, - which is the
easiest Of all to keep. It was shown
here that the same shallow interpret
tation is being given God s laws to-
day, and that the commandments of
God are being broken at fearful
rate by this Christian nation. Hence,
the Importance Of taking the Say
ior's words to heart, etc.
ihi T divorced the two sides of true
religion: -
Man has a body and soul, both
are very important, but neither hv
itself constitutes man. They must be
Joined together to have true man as
we know him. Religion has body
and spirit, and these must be unit
ed to have true religion. The Phar-
isees divorced these, their religion
became all body and no spirit-hence
it was an offensive corpse. They laid
all these on the negative side of re-
licion and neglected the positive side.
Refined from sins of commission, but
not sins of omission. A man was
good not because of doing good, but
because Of refraining from evil. But
there must be both sides to have the
true religion, James 1 :27: "Purc re-
li"ion and undefilcd before God and
the father is this. to visit the father
less and widows in their affliction.
and to keep himself umspottcd from
the world.'
(") It's Snlf-suffiricncy:
Depended upon its own merits for
entrance into the kingdom Of heaven.
But Rom. 800 says: "Bv the deeds
of the law shall no flesh be justified. "
2. The righteousness to which
the kingdom,of heaven is open. or the
righteousness which avai1s with God.
The kingdom Of heaven is open to
all who come in the right way.
Jesus Christ is rae right way, ana
only way: John lit "I am the way.
the truth, and the life: no man
comcth unto the Father, but by me. ;"
The necessity. then, Of becoming re-
conrilcd TO Christ and his ways- Not
only to Christ and his ways, but also
TO Christians. a man that goes about
with jealousy. and cumity in his heart
Is no fit subject for the kingdom Of
God. etc. The righteousness to
which heaven is open is not mine nor
yonrs, bnt the Righteousness of God
in Christ Jesus, imputed to us by God
through faith in Christ, etc.
Al this SnrNinn QUO mon, hnr unr o.