Sermon Tone Analysis

PRAYER

A - Oh God of Abraham you are true and in you there is no error.

When you speak it will be done.

When you act no one can stand in your way.

You are faithful to your people even when they are faithless.

C - God we are so often faithless, we claim your name and yet often live in opposition to your will.

We recognize and seek to repent from our falseness our hypocrisy.

Send us a fresh wind and fire to live out our faith authentically in all areas of our life at all times always so you may receive the glory you are due.

T - We thank you LORD that you are able and often do work out your plan even in spite of us.

We thank you that you are long suffering with us and that you have started a work in us will bring it to completion and that promise gives us great hope.

S - Therefore we lift one another to you.

We ask that you would heal our sick.

Save our lost.

Keep our hearts faithful to you and help us persevere until the end.

Grant us patience and peace as we wait for your glorious appearing.

INTRO

Big Idea of the Message: If Christians really love Jesus, why is there so much hurt in the church?

Why you shouldn’t go to church…

You don't have to look very far to meet someone who has been hurt by the church.

Based on past studies of those who avoid Christian churches, one of the driving forces behind such behavior is the painful experiences endured within the local church context.

In fact, one Barna study among unchurched adults shows that nearly four out of every ten non-churchgoing Americans (37%) said they avoid churches because of negative past experiences in churches or with church people.

(“Millions of Unchurched Adults Are Christians Hurt by Churches but Can Be Healed of the Pain,” The Barna Group, April 12, 2010, https://www.barna.com/research/millions-of-unchurched-adults-are-christians-hurt-by-churches-but-can-be-healed-of-the-pain/)

Sexual Abuse, Infidelity… Cover-ups

Embezzeling funds

How have you been hurt by the church?

“Church People”?

Hypocrisy !!

the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform = Gr = Pretender!

Jesus reserved some of his harshest critiques for the religious leaders of his day.

His words still ring with truth for the modern Christian.

MESSAGE

As we look at Matt 23 we can see that Jesus is speaking to his disciples and yet has a word to the religious elite of His day.

Do as they say but not as they do

they preach but do not practice

they want the look of religion… relationship

But this is NOT how it is supposed to be

we are all equal… under Christ

those who humbly serve are to be honored… will be honored

7 Woes to these “religions” hypocrites

First Woe

Hypocrites Kill Conversions

“Religious” preaching without righteous practices shuts people out of the kingdom

Where are we claiming Christ but living Lucifer??

They shut the door in their faces!!

They do not enter in themselves

They do not allow others to go in either

Second Woe

Hypocrites Keep Condemning

They work hard to corrupt the converted.

They work hard to make converts, only to place them under corrupted theology and subject them to rabbinical rule rather than scriptural authority.

They set free from sin to enslave to law

Are you even working hard to make converts?

How quick are we to judge someone based on our own perceived spiritual maturity?

What dos the Bible say and what is church tradition?

Third Woe

Hypocrites Practice Religion

Their swearing makes the people want to cuss.

they encourage evasive vows that are tantamount to lying.

where are we looking for loopholes in the law?

As a Christian are we cannot be ok with half truths, living in the grey area, or looking for loopholes.

There is and there fore should not be any disconnect between our Sunday self and Monday self.

Fourth Woe

Hypocrites Neglect Repentance

Their pocket books are open but their hearts are closed.

so many people believe that their involvement in the local body begins and ends with merely bringing their tithes regularly.... some are not even as regular in this area as they should be!

Do you remember the poor widows mite?

Fifth & Sixth Woes

Hypocrites Emphasize The External

They have cleaned up their act but are not acting the part.

We have beautiful multi million dollar buildings full of people who are not really sold out for Jesus!

we wear our Sunday best, put on programs and pageantry all the while there is gossip, gluttony, pornography, bitterness, and backbiting …

Seventh Woe

Hypocrites Eliminate Accountability

Their father had rejected the prophets and they would reject Christ

They say they honor them but they taught about Jesus who was here and they were shortly going to denounce him… if they truly honored the men of God they would honor the Man of God too.

We say we stand on the word of God… but only the parts we like, the parts that make people happy and grow our coffers.

Thats Not All

Galatians = Legalism

Colossians = Teaching Heresy

2 Timothy = Leadership Tensions

Philippians = Conflict and Selfish Ambition

1 & 2 Corinthians = Pride and Arrogance

Revelations 2-3 = Letters to the Churches

Church malfunction and dysfunction is not a new thing, and it wont end with us here at ABC in the year 2023 either.

What do you get when you put a group of sinners together for a period of time??

you get sin!!

Big Idea of the Message: If Christians really love Jesus, why is there so much hurt in the church?

Because the church is full of sinners!

And sinners sin!

Why you shouldn’t go to church…

You shouldn’t go to church if you equate Jesus the Christ with those who claim to be Christians

You shouldn't go to church if you expect everyone there to be perfect

You shouldn't go to church if you think everyone there is going to like you or serve you or cater to your needs

You shouldn't go to church if you think church is about what you get rather than what you bring

You shouldn't go to church if you are unwilling to see past the people who are in the building to the Christ whom you should be there to worship.

Why you should go to church…

Because you truly love God, His Word and the Gospel

Because it is the best place to be discipled, to be held accountable, and grow in your spiritual maturity

Because the Holy Word of God assumes that this is the way we live out our faith in Christ

Now That Being Said