I Don't Believe In The Church

Good morning everyone, during the month of July I was planning on doing a series on the Sermon on the Mount. A couple weeks ago as I was starting it and praying about what should be in the sermon, I found myself having a real tough time. Sometimes, if that happens I will work on something else, then go back to the sermon. So, I stepped away from that sermon and began reading through some of my study materials. As I was doing that, one of my books linked the 7 “blessings” of Matthew ch. 5 (which is where TSOTM is located) and the 7 “woes” found in Matthew Ch. 23. As I was reading though the “woes” the Holy Spirit began prompting me in a different direction..so I put the TSOTM sermon on hold for another time. Another reason for this series is because it actually pairs well with our Wednesday evening study: The Church as a Body…which, if you can’t be here on Wednesday evenings, you can check out on our YouTube channel.

Let’s go ahead and pray, then we will begin.

PRAY

As it says up on the screen, this series is titled “I Don’t Believe in the Church.” I will explain what I mean by this as we go on. First though, I want to quickly cover the passages we will be covering the next 4 weeks.

Week 1: Matthew 23: 1-36

Week 2: James 3: 1-18

Week 3: Romans 14:1-12

Week 4: 1 Corinthians 12:12–27

Big Idea of the Series: This four-week series addresses common causes of wounds that people experience from church life. Many people have been burned by other church members or church leaders, and the pain often leaves them feeling confused, hurt, and isolated. God does not take this lightly; in his Word he calls out our hypocrisy, hurtful tongues, and judgmental attitudes. Church life is messy, but it is also a place of hope, comfort, and reconciliation. It is never too late to start fresh with God and his people.

This week, as I said, our main text is Matthew 23: 1-36, which is the vast majority of the chapter. Instead of reading it all the way through, I am going to highlight certain sections, as I talk about what is going on in the chapter. Where is want to spend the majority of my time today is the 2nd half of Ch. 26-talking about the “7 Woe’s.”

Matthew Ch. 23 is a very challenging chapter; it is one of Jesus’s last public sermons-as His death was just a few short days away. This sermon takes place after (Mat. 21) the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where Jesus fulfilled the O.T. prophecy of Zech. 9:9, where the prophet talked about the messiah riding into Jersualem on a donkey. One would think, with Jesus’s death drawing so close, his last sermons would be like the ones given earlier…about the Kingdom of God and salvation. Except here in chapter 23 Jesus takes a decidedly different tone. He is becoming more pointed and direct, especially toward those who would and could do damage to the early church.

It can be easy for the Church to look at chapters like Matthew 23 and think to ourselves: “Oh, that stuff isn’t for me, I’m a follower of Christ…Jesus is talking about those outside the Church. Except that isn’t the case for Matthew 23. Jesus is talking directly to His disciples, a crowd of people.

Matthew 23: 1-4

“Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.”

An important thing to notice here is who Jesus is speaking to and who he is speaking about. There is a similar set of passages found in Mark 12.

Mark 12: 37-40

““David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him. In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.””

In both instances, Jesus was addressing His disciples and a crowd of people…and Jesus was talking about the scribes and pharisees. Most of us are familiar with the times where Jesus addresses the Religious leaders directly…where Jesus is being challenged, so He talks directly to the scribes or pharisees. In Mathew 23, Jesus is talking about the pharisees, but talking too His disciples and a crowd of normal Jews. This is important, as it gives us some clues as to the point Jesus is trying to make.