False Religious Concepts
Notes
Transcript
Have you ever had someone tell you, “do as I say not as I do?”
On the surface that might sound like an honest person with some integrity right?
Unfortunately that premise would be wrong!
Anyone who tells you “do as I say, not as I do” is what we call a hypocrite.
Listen, if that person knows what they are supposed to be doing.
If they can tell you what you’re supposed to be doing, and they aren’t doing it themselves.
What else would you call it?
How many times have we told people they’re a hypocrite?
How many times have you been told you’re a hypocrite?
Or at least you’re being a hypocrite.
The church has been labeled hypocrites for at least 40 years. I say at least because that’s as far back as I can really remember with any clarity. And with the number of people who were fired up against the church for being hypocrites it had to have started longer than 40 years ago.
Why does society look at the church like we’re a bunch of hypocrites?
It couldn’t have anything to do with our expectations of how they should live their lives, while we don’t even come close to living that way ourselves could it?
As we continue looking at the last week of Jesus’ life we’re going to be in Matthew 23:1-12 today. I found it theologically interesting how different Bible translations have different pericopes for this passage. A pericope for those of you who may not know is the headings you see in your Bible above certain passages.
The ESV encompasses verses 1-36 under one pericope labeled “Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees.” The NASB95 is 1-12 labeled “Pharisaism Exposed.” The NKJV is verses 1-12 labeled “Jesus Characterizes the Pharisees.” The CSB is verses 1-14 labeled “Religious Hypocrites Denounced.”
I could go on but you get the point. I have my opinions why the seemingly odd discrepancy but I won’t bore you with all the theological debate over doctrinal understandings. Instead I’m just going to give you how I interpret these verses as relevant for today.
These passages come right after the Sadducees were silenced when Jesus answered the great commandment question. In Matthew we see Jesus also ask the Pharisees whose son is the Christ in Matt 22:41-45
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.”
43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?
45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”
The greatest commandment passage which most of you are very familiar with and this passage are important to understanding the passage we’re going to cover today. In the two passages we see the religious leaders have an understanding of the Law. But they live Godless lives.
In Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus points out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders words and deeds.
Jesus is telling the crowd where the religious leaders are flawed in their religious concepts of:
Righteousness
Ministry
Greatness
The first thing Jesus points out is their false religious concept of righteousness.
Righteousness
Righteousness
Let’s look at Matt 23:1-3
1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples:
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses.
3 Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach.
Notice in verse one we have a change of audience. Jesus was just addressing and talking to the religious leaders. He is now speaking to the multitudes and His disciples.
Some commentators say this is because the religious leaders left. Others say they were still there listening. It’s impossible to know for sure what the case may have been.
I would say it’s more likely that some may have become disinterested and left while others stuck around to hear what Jesus was teaching. However, what’s important is WHO Jesus was addressing.
He is addressing the multitudes. His message is for their ears if they are willing to hear. Verse 2 “The Scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses” is literally translated “The Scribes and the Pharisees have sat upon Moses’ seat” or “have sat down on Moses’ seat.”
The literal translation makes a huge difference in how we understand this passage right? They weren’t hand picked and anointed by God to lead and receive revelatory Law from God. They placed themselves in the seat of Moses.
Did God allow them to sit there? Yes, God allowed them to be there. He allowed them to have the authority to teach what was written in the Law. The Scriptures.
The problem is they were so focused on what the Scriptures said that they forgot about the relationship piece. The religious leaders were so focused on the corporate worship of God that they didn’t seek God’s intimate presence in their own lives.
Jesus in addressing the new audience says, do what they say, but not what they do. Jesus is saying what they say is correct, but they don’t practice what they preach.
Think about the many big name famous pastors who have fallen because their private lives were revealed to be scandalous?
It’s not just them though is it? We all know people in the church who seem to be wonderful, upstanding members. Publicly they present themselves with integrity and many show tremendous knowledge of Scripture.
They lead Bible studies, they may even rise up in leadership of the church. They might be Bible study teachers, small group leaders, deacons, elders, lay pastors, assistant pastors, or even pastors.
I have witnessed the destruction that can happen not just to those people’s lives and their families, but to the church itself. They appear to be living a great, humble Christian life.
Their careful to only reveal non-damaging sinful behavior they have in their lives. But, behind the scenes, behind closed doors, their character turns dark. Sometimes even evil.
We see the couple who publicly appear to have a wonderful and happy marriage. But, inside the private confines of the home the husband/wife is verbally, emotionally, spiritually, or even sometimes physically abusive the the wife/husband and children.
Everyone is completely shocked by their announcement of divorce. Many times I have actually witnessed a wife or a husband coming to church leadership to privately cry for help. They are seeking relief from the abuse going on when the world isn’t watching.
The results almost every time unfortunately are that the leadership doesn’t take the person seriously. They don’t believe that person could be so abusive. They are a prime example of a Christian.
The spouse and children become frustrated with the church. Sometimes it drives them away from the church and God.
In every instance of these situations that I have been witness to, they all have at least two important things in common. God is absent in their lives. And they all wanted to appear more righteous than they really were.
Let’s face it. We all want to look more righteous than we really are. If you’re thinking no, that’s not true. I’m completely honest about everything. Then let me ask:
If we could play a video of your life 24 hours a day, seven days a week, would you be okay with that?
If you’re not squirming in your seat at the thought of that we need to talk.
Part of us dying to self is about being the humble honest person that isn’t concerned about how righteous we look to others. Our concern should be how we appear to God.
Because God can, and at judgement will, play a 24/7 video of our entire life.
We still have a false religious concept of righteousness. Every one of us to some degree or another have this crazy idea that righteousness is showing others our conformity to Scripture.
Listen, our relationship with the Triune God isn’t a fake till you make it kind of situation. But we all try to do that to some degree. We know this is what the Bible says about how we’re supposed to live.
We all tend to be more about outward appearances and what people think about us than the inward condition of our heart and soul. We place more emphasis on worldly relationships than we do the most important relationship of all.
Our relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our false religious concepts always negate that relationship. And that bleeds over to our ministries.
Ministry
Ministry
Look at verse 4
4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
We listen to the pastors and leaders of our church. We get an understanding of Scripture through the lens of their doctrinal views. And let’s be honest here, every doctrinal view places some human devised set of rules based around the Bible.
Why?
Because, in our fallen nature laws and rules seem to be the only tangible guide we can adhere to. The problem with these man-made rules is that they encroach on every detail of our lives. It’s no different than the religious leaders adding to the Law.
Think about how many leaders in the church have been chosen by outward appearances that have caused great harm to the church and the church body. Anyone can provide an outward appearance that seems righteous by our man-made rules for the short time they allow themselves to be under public scrutiny.
We all do it to some extent. With this facade also comes a fear of being exposed. If we get exposed then we are shamed as fraudsters and hypocrites. So, we push those rules on everyone around us.
Have you ever noticed the area or rules of doctrine people seem to call others out on are the very same rules they themselves struggle to keep?
Peter says in Acts 15:10
10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
There’s a direct correlation between how much we are putting on the outward facade verses how much we are inwardly seeking God’s presence in our lives. as to whether we are harder on others or harder on ourselves.
Living the outward facade causes us to be harder on others and pile burden after burden on their lives. Jesus came to lighten our burdens. All it takes is a soul transforming relationship that humbly looks inward instead of outward.
When we deal with others either in the church or outside the church we can either be hypocritical religious dictators or we can be humble spiritual leaders.
Dying to self means a transformed soul that puts the good of others above ourselves. We humbly show others how seeking God in prayer and meditation brings a transformation relationship with God.
We seek inward transformation and care more about our humble relationship with God more than we care about our outward appearance. I’m not saying doctrine isn’t important because it is. Without it we would struggle to understand God’s word.
But just focusing on the doctrinal rules without God leads to a false ministry tells others God’s presence in your personal life isn’t as important as adhering to the rules.
The false concept of ministry has hurt the church in so many ways. It has caused the church to miss the importance of a deep, soul transforming relationship with God. The irony of it all is the soul transforming relationship with God causes us to naturally start adhering to God’s Law and the rules which aline with God’s laws.
It has also caused the church to have a false concept of Greatness.
Greatness
Greatness
Look at Matthew 23:5-12
5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,
7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
When we read verses 5-7 it would be easy for us to say the religious leaders were just a bunch of over bearing narcissistic religious bullies. The only way to achieve success was recognition and praise from men.
Let’s look at what the Mayo Clinic says about narcissism:
Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.
Man that seems to fit well doesn’t it. Look at what Psychology today says:
Narcissism does not necessarily represent a surplus of self-esteem or of insecurity; more accurately, it encompasses a hunger for appreciation or admiration, a desire to be the center of attention, and an expectation of special treatment reflecting perceived higher status.
It would be easy to label them as a bunch of narcissists and pretend none of that pertains to us, right?
Do you ever seek the approval of other people? Do you have any desire at all to be recognized by others?
I can tell you from ministry experience, every person that walks through a church door for the second time, expects to be recognized.
We all seek a higher status in the world. We all exhibit a little narcissism in our lives. What Jesus is pointing out isn’t their narcissism. He’s pointing out their lack of seeking God’s approval.
Jesus is pointing out the lack of an intimate relationship with God in their lives. They have the Scriptures in their minds, but they failed to store them in their heart.
Storing Scripture in your heart is a personal, intimate, soul transforming relationship with God. Just like we talked about Jesus coming to town humbly seeking reconciliation, our relationship with God brings a humbleness in us.
As we are transformed our desire to seek God first humbles us before the world. We should seek to serve God and in doing so serve the world.
Our human nature is to seek a higher wordly status. To have others recognize us as someone important. Someone to look up to. A person they would like to emulate.
Some of us might be a bit competitive. We want to win or be the best at what we do. You do realize that’s the same thing right?
Oh we mask it by saying,
“I’m just competitive.” It’s just about personal achievement. It was a personal goal I wanted to accomplish.
Really? Did God make it happen or did you make it happen?
What was your desire for achieving that goal or being the best?
A soul transforming relationship with God humbles us. If God drops worldly success in our laps it happens to us, not by us. It happens so we can humbly serve those who God brings through the door.
Jesus humbled Himself so much that He became a servant to His enemies. To the point that He didn’t even defend His innocence in a kangaroo court.
Oh, how we have a false concept of greatness.
Greatness comes when we humble ourselves before the Lord and before the world.
Last week we talked about seeking an eternal spiritual healing in our prayers. Part of that spiritual healing is removing the selfish narcissistic tendencies and replacing them with the humble character of God.
A humble believer, in the world, is greater than the most powerful worldly leader. Jesus came to reconcile humanity back to God.
Pray that God removes your desires to be recognized, to seek man’s approval, to be glorified by man. And ask Him to replace all of that with His humble character.
A humble believer serving the world brings God into the world. If you don’t think that is greatness, if you don’t think that is success, then I must ask:
What is greater than the presence of God?
