Religion vs. Regeneration in Christ

Luke 11:37-44

Luke 11:37–44 NKJV

37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. 39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. 40 Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. 42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

Prayer

Message

Oh my goodness, I can not say enough about how proud I was of our church for your participation in our revival meetings. 46 night one, 41 night 2, 37 night 3 and 42 night 4. What was interesting is that we had a different set of 3 to 4 guests each time that had come for the first time over each four nights. Another aspect of the revival that was so encouraging was your consistency. This revival had the highest consistency of our membership coming than I have ever experienced since I’ve been your pastor.

I shared this excitement with our Chairman of Deacons, Terry Brooks and he said the only thing that could have been improved on would have been someone accepting Christ. There was one there that he knew needed to accept Christ and was hoping they would follow through in those services. I totally agreed with his thoughts.

And, it is never too late to accept Christ. You can get that right today during our invitation time if you were hesitant for whatever reason. Get that right today.

But quickly in your defense and rebuttal I shared with him the overall maturity I saw in our congregation at large for their discipline of attending these services. To God be the glory. Amen?

That is what we are going to continue in discussing this morning from our study of Luke. Jesus in Chapter 9 and following had moved from an emphasis on the miracles of Jesus and salvation to teaching discipleship. Jesus was teaching that once you accept me and follow me, how does that change your life? How is the Christian life fleshed out?

Such good timing following our revival series of messages. Brother Heath carried us through Galatians and we gained understanding that a life in Christ is a faith based, grace filled life, but not a license to sin.

We follow behind that this morning to get back in sync of understanding what growing and maturing in Christ really is. What is a life in Christ when we move from milk to meat.

Jesus approached these teachings as life was happening during His time on earth before going to the cross to save mankind of its sins. His time was limited, His teaching was precise, His tones were serious because they were life-death statements.

He taught life lessons during the situations presented Him. We would call that case study or OJT, on the job training. Dearly beloved that is in fact the Christian life. A life lived 24/7 for Him and applying His truths, the Word of God in daily living. Amen?

I’m amazed at what expense the Lord goes to win over one to Him and a proper perspective about life. If you are here this morning and you admit in your former life that you were a hellion or someone that was totally stark against religion and its by God’s amazing grace that you are saved this morning, give a hearty amen. And for good reason, religiosity at its best can be in stark contrast to what Jesus states that a real life in Christ is really all about.

Jesus told the seventy He was sending out in Chapter 10 these words:

Luke 10:3 “3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.”

Have you ever stopped to consider that regardless of how rebellious, or how hard hearted or how heinous your life may have been that Jesus still loved you and pushed for a relationship with you? It’s hard to comprehend.

What is more interesting is to realize that God knew when He was invited to this Pharisee’s home to eat that he was a lamb among a wolf. In His omniscience, He knew what words would be passed, He knew what attitudes would be conveyed, He knew what actions would be put in place to begin in finding a way have Jesus murdered, yet Jesus dined with this man. Oh, the love of God. Oh, the love He has for you in spite of yourself and in spite of me. Amen.

This morning, Jesus addressed three barriers to true salvation found in Christ. The Pharisees were confused in this area and many people today have a misunderstanding about what Christianity is really all about. Jesus desires that you truly dine with Him this morning. WE are reminded today that the Christian life is not a dutiful or obligatory style of life but a life in delight by dining with Jesus.

The first mistake we can is being found more conscious of how people perceive us that we are concerned about our purity.

Being More Conscious of How People Perceive You your than Purity VV. 37-41

Luke 11:37-38 “37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.”

One of the heights of the Pastor’s life is to be invited into your home and you offer to have me over for dinner. We live in a day when most of us go out to eat together and that is a wonderful exchange one for the other, but everything pales in comparison to being invited to your home to eat. There is such a fellowship, such a relaxation, a peeling back to understand who you are and to see the pictures of family, and see the scenes of the home that tell a story about you. One of the great expressions of love and friendship is to prepare a meal for someone and put yourself into it. There is an intimacy to come into your home and see your place of refuge and experience that with you. It is one of the great highs for us pastors.

Listen, being invited into one’s home states that you are special. I care about you. I value you. I want to get to know you better. Jesus had all of these ideals for this Pharisee inviting Him into His home and yearned to enjoy that intimacy, but Jesus, the God man knew there would be a critical spirit for His actions and He was prepared to respond to the disdain the Pharisee had for Jesus.

The Pharisee had a critical spirit over the fact that Jesus had not washed before eating the meal. Now let’s be very clear as to what I am talking about here. I am not discussing hygiene. This was not a hygiene issue. This was not a hygiene issue but a “how to”, an issue of traditions, of ritual or ceremonial washing. And dearly beloved, this was not an issue of the Torah or the OT, but of the oral traditions of the Mishnah.

Mark 7:2-4 “2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.”

Traditionally, Jews are required to wash their hands and say a blessing before eating any meal that includes bread or matzah. The ritual, known as netilat yadayim, is typically done using a two-handled cup, but any vessel will do. There are various customs regarding how the water should be poured, but a common practice is to pour twice on the right hand followed by twice on the left (this is reversed for those who are left-handed). Hasidic custom is to pour three times on each hand. www.myjewishlearning.com “Ritual Hand Washing Before Meals

The Netilat Yadayim practice and blessing.”

What was the rub with Jesus? Traditions, norm, the status quo.

We have traditions much more than we realize. The Doxology. Offering in the middle of the service before the special. Offering can be at the end.

Joining the church

Ill. The present furniture arrangement. Stage, black and back lit. Dr. Ed Young Senior-2nd Baptist Church.

Ill. Parking in the lines at the store.

“Saw it”-V. 38

Jesus could see into the heart of the Pharisee and he saw that dutifulness reigned more in his life than having delight in his heart.

Saw it-You came this morning to have a dining experience with Jesus. Where is your focus this morning. Are you looking for it or are you looking for Jesus?

-spiritually speaking are you on the date at dinner with the bridegroom this morning looking at your spiritual cellphone texting, watching the game, answering emails? Are you people watching in the restaurant or are you caught up in the cleanliness or the decor or looking for someone you know to speak to in the restaurant or ARE YOU ON A DATE WITH JESUS?

Look at verse 39 with me:

Luke 11:39 “39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.”

Jesus told the Pharisee that you are much more concerned with how people perceive you than you are actually concerned about the purity of your heart. Jesus was saying that Mr. Pharisee listen to me. Quit worrying about your appearances and be much more concerned with your attitudes, your internal condition.

Jesus was not saying that they did not properly wash cups both inside and out, but it was the fact that their religiosity was more about the externals than a real transformation that had taken place in their lives.

Jesus accused them of “greed and wickedness.” Jesus in another place, Luke 16:14 referred to them as “lovers of money.” And the wickedness He described was “devouring widows houses”

Luke 20:47 “47 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”” WE can only assume that these religious elite had made loans to a family and held their home as security and the husband died and the ability to pay ceased. The religious leaders would redeem the home and hold a prayer over the matter and still take the collateral put up for the loan not having a heart or considering the circumstances behind the default on the loan or the fact that they were putting a widow out on the streets. Legalism was more important than love and concern for one’s fellow man.

Listen to what Paul writes in Titus 1:15 “15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.”

Later Jesus said to these Pharisees in Luke 16:15:

Luke 16:15 NKJV

15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Ill. Camp Counselor-Little Debbie

How is your heart today? You may be misled and think that a real relationship with Jesus is about going to church, reading your Bible, bringing your tithe, saying your prayers, and all of those actions are important and they are needed. But if all of that is a facade. Something is terribly amiss.

Ill. You can walk down a street at Hollywood Studios and you can see a Western town where they shot a western movie. If you were to open the door of a given shop or saloon, you would quickly discover that nothing is there. It is all props to appear as a town but you walk through the door and you simply see space. The prop is held up by a bunch of lumber. No actual rooms, no chairs, no real place to sit down and dine.

Oh listen dear church, the Lord wants you to invite Him into your home and enjoy real intimacy. He doesn’t want to walk through a door and find everything about your spiritual life is a facade, a prop to show strictly for the outside world. Do you believe people do not have others over to eat today because they are ashamed of what one might see? They may be fearful as to how someone might act. Or fearful of what someone might say. Interesting thought.

Being More Concerned about Legalism than Showing Love

Have you ever met that person that is mild mannered and you push their buttons and you crank up their engine and they just build up and they will work you over? You know anybody like that? Jesus is passionate and principled about certain areas of our lives. And He has the nerve to address us when we miss out and it affects our lives of an abundant life He offers us. He loves you and He loves me enough to be forthright with us and He was forthright with the Pharisee.

Luke 11:42 “42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

The religious elite had missed the forest for the trees. They had become consumed with legalism than the spirit of the law and what the law was really teaching. You can read in Deuteronomy 14 and in Leviticus 27 some specifics about tithing, but again, by following the oral traditions brought about the religious to carry tithing to some ridiculous levels. They lost undue energy on the exactness of the tithe on small amounts of spices and were missing the importance of the weightier matters, “you pass by justice and the love of God.”

In other words, you will lose all amounts of energy being exact in legalism on calculating your tithe and you fail to open your eyes to needs around you every day where people need the love of God and need a helping hand and you walk right by ministry opportunities staring you in the face.

Let’s be clear here. Tithe is an OT concept and tithing is NT concept. Do you remember that Jesus said I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law.

Matthew 5:17 “17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”

Matthew 5:27-28 “27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Listen what Jesus told the Pharisee in the Matthew account:

Matthew 23:23 “23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

Jesus was saying, tithing is elementary. That is the easy stuff. You are expected to do that. You have not even given to the things of God until you have met the tithe. Jesus is saying, you are caught up in religious legalism about your giving and you do not even see basic needs where people are hurting about you and you pass by them daily without any concern for those who have real need. There is nothing about your heart that is merciful toward someone hurting whether it be financially, physically or spiritually.

Now listen, here in the River Region, is it even feasible to stop every time we see someone on a corner here in Montgomery that is panhandling for help? Most likely not. Do we know that some of those are hustling for help that may not really be conveying their real situation on those street corners? Most likely so. But, just as the Great Commission, “as we go” the Lord wants us to show mercy and exhibit love to others when real need presents itself rather than being totally caught up in how we appear here at this church and caught up in the legalism of this climate and we do not see a hurting world every day that we move about.

This was Jesus hangup with this man and He represented the religious elite that had fallen trap to thinking that type of religiosity was acceptable with God.

Proverbs 21:3 “3 To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

More Concerned about One’s Self than Your Soul VV. 43-44

Luke 11:43-44 “43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.””

Jesus had stung this Pharisee with a very honest measure of his life. Jesus felt He had nothing to lose but His forthrightness may plant a seed of thought for a later day. Maybe in the days after Jesus died on the cross, this Pharisee may have a time or reevaluation. Isn’t it hard to fathom that as off kilter this man’s heart was that Jesus died for His sins as well?

Do you believe Jesus said this to Himself:

I have nothing to lose. This man is going to hell because He has no concept of faith whatsoever. He totally believes that His goodness will earn him a seat in heaven. This may be the last time I get to impact this man. I am going to set Him straight because I know my future. I know His future if I do not tell him the truth. Jesus was dealing with life and death matters with this Pharisee and He spoke with a seriousness that it is life or death.

Jesus said, “listen fella, you are so focused on the wrong things. You are more concerned about your appearances, your needs, your wants, your desires, and how all this affects you when it is not about you at all. Your job should really be to lead others to a relationship with God by your love and concern for others and you are totally consumed with how you appear to the outside world.

You are totally caught up in being seen in the right place, dressed right, the fact that you look religious and everyone would look up to you and that is your total focus. And, the reality is that people are walking around you everyday dying because you do not care about their soul. And here is the real truth.

Luke 11:44 “44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.””

Jesus called Him a hypocrite.

New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries: Updated Edition 5273 ὑποκριτής (hupokritēs)

5273. ὑποκριτής hupokritēs; from 5271; one who answers, an actor, a hypocrite:—hypocrite(2), hypocrites(16).

Pharisee, you are putting on a front. It’s all an act. There had not been any real soul change. And to further Jesus’ words. He told him his life was like graves you walk over and no one notices. Would it not be the saddest moment to realize that at the end of your life, it amounted to nothing. I would be sad to know I had lived my whole life for me and never attempted to impact others in this life.

Ill. Dr. James Kennedy started EE in 1962. He was in Coral Ridge Presbyterian church with 17 and went to 2,000 in 12 years. In 1967, he was deemed the fast growing church in America.

Dr. Kennedy reached out to R.C. Sproul to do a study and he followed with a book and he measured the top 10 objections as to why people do not accept Christ.

#1 Objection I would never go over there to church. The church is full of hypocrites.

R. C. Sproul responded in his book to that objection. “There may be some hypocrites in the church, but not most people in the church.” He went on to clarify something. The church is full of sinners. The church is not full of hypocrites. Hypocrisy is a sin among the many other sins.

Dearly beloved, the church is the only organization in the world that requires you to be a sinner to enter. The sin of hypocrisy is saying one thing about your life as it relates to sin and in fact it is totally something else. You claim you do not engage in a given sin and in fact you engage in the sin with the best of them. That is hypocrisy and that can be the most devastating testimony we can convey.

And listen, people read through that and listen to what Jesus states when that happens, our lives are as graves. Jesus in the three areas He confronts, the Pharisee was caught up in appearances, appearances, appearances, He’s caught up in how people perceive him rather than His purity, he is caught up in people seeing him give his money rather than having a real heart for people, he is more concerned about his appearances in church and in public places than the lives that he comes in contact with each day.

I think of the movie “The Green Mile” when big John Coffey walks in on the block being escorted by a prison guard named Percy, Percy states “dead man walking.” Jesus stated that you want so much to appear as a “holier than thou” to the outside world and the reality is no one notices you and you have no affect on anyone else because it is all an act.

Oh dearly beloved, do not allow it to be an act. I believe it all begins at the dinner table with Jesus.

Tell me about your dining experience with Jesus really is. Are you washing your hands before meal ceremonially are you really cleaning up to dine with Jesus? Do you want to have a wonderful dining experience with Jesus and enjoy real intimacy with Jesus?

Jesus wants to dine with you.

Revelation 3:20 “20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

We must let Him into our homes. We must not put on a facade, but let Him into our inner beings. He wants to dine with the real you. He wants to experience the real you. He wants you open up with Him. He wants to know your real needs, your real desires, your real struggles and He wants to overcome them in your life. But it will not happen unless you are totally open and transparent with the Lord.

Confess your sins.

Hebrews 4:14 “14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”

1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

He wants to enjoy a feast of fellowship with you that is real, not fake or not a front but a real love relationship with Him.

You can do that today.

Let’s pray.