In Jesus' kingdom, we are called to show the things we're tempted to hide, and hide the things we're tempted to show. This is all so that our Father in heaven gets the glory. Jesus shows how this works in the area of religious practice.

Now that Jesus has established that the 'greater righteousness' needed to get into heaven comes from him, he moves to show what it really means to live out that righteousness in a deep, heart-level obedience to God. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, based on a cold-hearted, technical obedience to God's law, just won't cut it.

Christians are often confused that two-thirds of our Bibles are Old Testament. What are we meant to do with it? Jesus teaches a more exacting approach to the Old Testament, where he has not abolished it, but fulfilled it.

Please note: this passage has been spread over two messages, covering v17-20 in the first one, and v20-48 in the second.

Christians are meant to live for the kingdom of heaven, but in the kingdom of the world. How are we meant to do that? Jesus answer is to live lives of profound influence: flavouring, preserving and illuminating the world around us, for God's glory.

Being a member of God's kingdom is the path to true fulfilment. But that fulfilment, surprisingly must begin by emptying ourselves of self-righteousness, and self-assurance, and letting God do the filling.