You’re Doing it Right, Now!

Things You Don’t Want to Hear

There are certain words and phrases from certain ppl you just don’t want to hear.

Like, many of you know I have been dealing w/ a sinus issue that put me in the hospital for 4 nights. I had been dealing w/ it since January. It took till June to present itself where my doctor could diagnose it and begin to treat it.

It was a Friday afternoon. I had worked all week. My sermon was done. I taught BS that Wednesday. But by Friday my head felt like it was about to explode. I had a follow up appt w/ my doc that afternoon.

He looked up in my nose and said words I really never ever wanted to hear my doctor say.

“Wow. That looks bad. I’ve never seen it this bad before.”

Are you kidding me?

Whatever you doc is talking about.

A new knee, while looking at your old one.

Cancer, looking at your scans.

Other infections, ligaments, cartilage.

You never want to hear you doc say, this is the worst he’s ever seen. Come on!

So, straight to FMC. They finally got me admitted and started pumping IV antibiotics for the infection and Morphine for the headache. Thank you very much.

You never want to hear someone you love tell you that you’re doing it wrong. Whatever ‘it’ is. If you love someone, you want do things the way they want them done. That’s part of the relationship thing.

You want them to things the way you want them done. That’s the way marriage and family work best. We set aside what we want and do what others want, the way the want it. If everyone does that, then family works best that way.

I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating.

We would go and visit Sara’s parents in Tucson when they were still w/ us. Her mother was always a very giving person, servant, and a great cook. Sara got a lot of her talent in the kitchen from her mom.

Her mom was kind of quirky. An anal, Type A personality. Details were a priority to her.

So, she’d cook us a wonderful meal. Sara would assist. Then, when it’s over, I’d want to do my part which always involved cleaning up. Clearing the dishes. Rinsing. And loading the dishwasher. Kids would help and we’d get everything cleaned up just short of starting the dishwasher.

We’d settle in for the evening w/ a game, or a movie, or ballgame on TV, AZ basketball. After a while, we’d look around, and mom wouldn’t be in there w/ us.

She’d be back in the kitchen, having unloaded the dirty dishes out of the dishwasher, and reloaded them the right way. At least the way she thought best. There was her way, and the wrong way.

She never told us we were doing it wrong, but she showed us all the time.

We felt bad. We wanted help. And she had worked so hard on the meal. But we just didn’t do it right.

Sara did not get that gene from her mother. I so appreciate Sara that she’s not wound as tightly as her mom. I’m the detailed one. She’s the big-picture creative and can find very creative ways to load the dishwasher and put things away in the kitchen. Generally, there’s a place for everything. But sometimes that place changes.

I want to do things in the kitchen the way Sara wants them done. The main way I can do that is by staying out of the kitchen. And, make sure the dog stays out of her way, too.

In the series I’m teaching thru, we have been in an extended passage in Luke. A few weeks ago we studied the passage where Jesus was asked about the most important command. Love God. Love your neighbor. Then, went on the explain who your neighbor is.

But, if you love God more than anything, the last thing you want to hear from Him is, “You’re doing it wrong.”

We’re in a passage today where Jesus confronts the religious leadership and says exactly that. He uses strong language to get His point across.

“Woe to you.”

Meaning, I’ve judged you, you’re guilty and due to be punished severely for this.

First of all, those of us who have faith in Jesus to be saved, we will never be condemned by God.

Romans 8:1 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

We who believe in Jesus, we live in Christ Jesus, therefore we will never be condemned and punished.

But, that does not mean we do everything the way God wants it done. It means we do the most important thing right, we believe in Jesus. But our behavior may still need a little work.

For those who are not there yet, who have not chosen to believe in Jesus, while your behavior is important, belief is the most important thing and I would encourage you to consider one more time believing in Jesus.

If you love God more than anything, then let’s make sure we’re doing things right, the way God wants them done.

In this passage Jesus is confronting the religious ppl and telling them they were doing these 6 things wrong.

Not to get anything from Him, but just b/c we love Him, we want to make sure we doing these things the way God wants them done. That’s what makes successful relationships work.

If you do what you do for your spouse, just to get something from them, then you’re being selfish and manipulating. That does not work long-term. That does not make for a happy long-term marriage.

Likewise, if you do what you do, like go to church, just to get something from God, then you miss the point.

We do what we do for God b/c we love Him. Yes, we get good stuff in return. But if you do what do to get what He’s got then you won’t get what you hope to get from Him.

We’re in Luke 11 this morning. Beginning in v.37. Jesus got Himself invited over to a Pharisee’s house for a meal. They didn’t invite Him to honor Him or learn from Him. They invited Him to try to entrap Him. He went anyway and took advantage of the opportunity to tell these religious leaders what they were doing wrong.

Woe x3

Luke 11:37–44 NIV

When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces. “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

Right away they think they have Jesus cornered on an important issue to them. The problem was, it wasn’t important to Him.

We know the importance of washing your hands before you eat. Germs. This was not in the law. But it was in their oral traditions that they had elevated to a priority above God’s law.

So, they confronted Jesus on this. Quickly, he turned the tables on them.

These Pharisees were more concerned about how the looked clean on the inside. But God is more concerned about how clean they were on the inside.

We can get caught up in that today. We clean up on the outside pretty well. Look how attractive we are. But, we all know, we can hide a lot of ugly stuff under a new haircut, under a pretty dress, or suit, or stylish new shirt or blouse.

Honestly, here at MPCC, we don’t care how you look when you get here. If you have to work on Sunday, or are planning an activity after church and you come in here a little scruffy, great. We would much rather you be here and a little dirty on the outside, making sure you are right w/ God and clean on the inside.

Jesus pronounced 3 woes on these religious leaders. They thought they were doing everything right. But Jesus told them otherwise.

The first woe, they were doing this wrong.

They were meticulous about giving the exact right amount of the smallest herb they grew in their garden, 10%, a tithe of these little green things; but they gave nothing to help the poor in their community.

Justice, fairness to those who struggled the most, was a tangible way to express their love for God.

In the end times, when Jesus pronounces judgment, eternal reward and punishment for believers and non-believers, this is what He will say is a standard by which he measures us:

Matthew 25:34–40 NIV

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Then, the opposite is true for those who don’t believe. Behavior matters. But, belief is the priority. And, those who believe, who love God, also have a desire to do the things God wants done and do them the way He wants them done.

Micah 6:8 NIV

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

These religious leaders knew the OT prophet Micah backwards and forwards.

What does God require of us?

When you walk w/ someone, it’s not just a casual walk in the woods. Micah meant that we have that sort of personal relationship w/ God where we interact, dialogue, express our feelings and listen for what God wants from us.

We act justly, fairly to those who need it. We love mercy. Those who have not done anything to deserve to picked up out of the pit they have found themselves in. We help them out, dust them off, and give them a new opportunity.

James, Jesus’ half-brother wrote this:

James 1:27 NIV

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

We are religious ppl. Sometimes religion is considered a dirty word. But religion is how we practice what we believe. If we believe we are saved by Jesus purely due to our faith and his grace, then we are to act graciously toward other ppl.

Orphans and widows are among the least likely to be able to repay us for anything good we do for them. Do it anyway. We are unable to repay Jesus for what He did for us. If we understand that, believe that, then we behave as if we do.

Walk humbly w/ God. Be merciful and gracious to those who do not deserve it. This is doing it right.

These passages set the stage for the rest of the 5 woes.

Woe #2 to the Pharisees. Your pride blinds you.

Matthew 20:16 NIV

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Don’t seek for yourself positions of honor. Put yourself in the back seat and let the ppl invite you to the front seat.

Or, in the case of church, we all know the most desired seat in the house. You’ve got to get here early to get them. Where are they? Back row.

I’m kidding, it’s not quite the same thing.

But the point being, don’t seek these positions for yourself. Let others promote you.

Humbly walk w/ Jesus and let Him, thru those around you, lift you up.

Woe #3: You’re causing other ppl problems and they don’t even know it.

The picture here is the classic horror movie. Why is the cute girl and macho guy running thru the cemetery in the dark at night being chased by the zombie?

They trip and fall into the newly dug grave that just happens to have a dead body, not in a casket, lying at the bottom of the pit.

OT law said if you come in contact w/ a dead body, you’re messed up. They carry disease. You could get sick and die. So, if you do, you must quarantine yourself for a week. And if you get sick, you may die.

Jesus called these Pharisees, unmarked and open graves, stumbling pits for the ppl they were supposed to be leading. Causing them to stumble and die when they should be leading ppl to Jesus and life.

If thru our rules and rituals are pushing ppl away from Jesus, we’re doing it wrong. We are not supposed to be so relevant we leave Jesus out of church and our programming. But if our programs are not leading ppl to Jesus where they can be given a new life, a changed life, then we’re doing all wrong.

Not just us as a church, but if your lifestyle, behavior is pushing ppl away from Jesus, then you are doing it wrong.

Live your life, use our activities to build friendships that make ppl want to be closer to Jesus. Then, we’ll be doing it right.

The Pharisees were not the only religious leaders at this meal. There were scribes. These were the writers and experts in the law.

There was a scribe there who got his feelings hurt as Jesus woe’d the Pharisees. He probably should have kept is head down and mouth shut.

But once raised his head and the issue w/ Jesus, Jesus had a 3 more woes for the scribes. That brought the woe total to 6.

Woe x3 More

Luke 11:45–52 NIV

One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

Woe #4: You weigh ppl down w/ too many rules and don’t help them carry them.

By the time Jesus showed up on the scene in c.1, the OT law found in the first 5 books, had been expanded to over 70 volumes, 365 prohibitions (thou shalt not’s), and 248 commands (thou shalt do’s).

613 rules.

This is where you get the rules like no plucking a gray hair on the sabbath or moving your furniture. The were absurd. You couldn’t walk more than a half-mile. After that, even if someone was dying and you could help them, you had to let them go or face punishment for walking too far.

So, when they taught ppl that to be right w/ God you had to keep all the rules they were overwhelmed. Why bother even trying. 613 rules. Are you kidding me?!

The OT law, if read and interpreted correctly, would lead you to a gracious and merciful God.

Like all the furnishings in the temple, or the traveling tabernacle before they built the temple, each piece of furniture pointed to something about Jesus.

There was a polished mirror for self-evaluation. There was table where sacrifices were made once the self-evaluation was complete and sins were confessed. All pointing to the sac Jesus would make on the cross for us as we recognized our need of Who Jesus is and What He did for us.

These rules hurt ppl, didn’t help them find the gracious God who would save them.

Woe #5: Publicly, outwardly, they commended the prophets. But inwardly and privately they rejected them and what they said and wrote.

Micah, I quoted earlier. Zechariah. Isaiah. All warned Israel for their disob. They pointed to a coming Messiah and how to recognize Him when He arrived. The blind would see. The lame, walk. The deaf, hear.

Yet they all rejected what the prophets said by rejecting Jesus.

Their ancestors built beautiful tombs for these prophets. But they killed them first so they needed the tomb. It looked like they honored them. But in reality, they despised them. “Don’t tell me I’m doing it wrong or I’ll kill you.” Which, they did.

And, this generation of Israelite will finish what their ancestors started when they kill Jesus. They will be just as guilty and punished accordingly as their ancestors from centuries earlier.

We may publicly, outwardly, talk about how much we love Jesus and enjoy the Word of God on Sunday, but then on Monday thru Saturday live as if we wouldn’t know Jesus if we ran into him at the post office.

Woe #6: They’ve taken the key to knowledge away from the ppl.

Knowledge in this case is the personal knowledge of God and Jesus. Not just facts about Him. But, knowing Him, personally.

They added oral traditions on top of the rules and buried the Word of God under the words of men.

They misinterpreted the Word of God for themselves and missed Jesus as God’s Messiah. Then, they prevented anyone else from recognizing Jesus, as well.

Doing it right is studying the Word of God, knowing God personally. Living the Word of God out so by word and deed those we encounter can find Jesus, too.

2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

This passage illustrates the religious leadership of the day and their hostility toward Jesus. When told the most important command is to love God w/ their entire being, they honestly thought they did, but then rejected and will eventually kill the Son of God.

They bel’d they were exempt from woes like this. But Jesus lumped them in w/ everybody else who rejected Him.

Here, they have God Himself, in Jesus, telling them they are doing it wrong. They don’t believe in Jesus and they aren’t behaving the way God commanded them to live.

The last thing we want to hear from God is, we’re not doing it right. Nobody is perfect in any of this. But we can do better. W/ God’s help, based on His grace and our faith, we can come closer and closer to doing it right as we grow closer to Christ.

Applications

Walking humbly?

Are you walking humbly w/ God? Are you just dropping by occasionally? How can you walk more consistently w/ Jesus?

You don’t need to lift yourself up. Find the backseat. Let Jesus, thru the ppl around you lift you up.

Closer to Christ

The ppl you hang out w/, both those who go to church and those who don’t, would you say your involvement in their life makes them want to be closer to Jesus, run away from Jesus, or just stay neutral w/ Jesus.

Jesus demands a decision. No one can stay neutral w/ Jesus and be right w/ God. And the leaders here were pushing ppl away from God, making it hard for them to find God.

Is your lifestyle, your words and deeds, jokes and facebook posts, encouraging ppl to come to Jesus or what?

What can you do to encourage more of your friends and acquaintances closer to Christ?

Living Like Sunday?

Are you living Monday thru Saturday the same way you live on Sunday? Is your life outside of church consistent w/ your life inside church?

Is there something you need to change to improve your character and integrity?

Live Monday thru Saturday like you do on Sunday at church.

We who believe in Jesus, we live in Christ Jesus, therefore we will never be condemned and punished.

But, that does not mean we do everything the way God wants it done. It means we do the most important thing right, we believe in Jesus. But our behavior may still need a little work.

For those who are not there yet, who have not chosen to believe in Jesus, while your behavior is important, belief is the most important thing and I would encourage you to consider one more time believing in Jesus.

If you love God more than anything, then let’s make sure we’re doing things right, the way God wants them done.

In this passage Jesus is confronting the religious ppl and telling them they were doing these 6 things wrong.

Not to get anything from Him, but just b/c we love Him, we want to make sure we doing these things the way God wants them done. That’s what makes successful relationships work.

If you do what you do for your spouse, just to get something from them, then you’re being selfish and manipulating. That does not work long-term. That does not make for a happy long-term marriage.

Likewise, if you do what you do, like go to church, just to get something from God, then you miss the point.

We do what we do for God b/c we love Him. Yes, we get good stuff in return. But if you do what do to get what He’s got then you won’t get what you hope to get from Him.