Dirty Breakfast, Dirty Hearts, Deadly Consequences

Introduction

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, we have seen that multitudes follow Him. There is a portion of the population, however, that absolutely detest him. These were mainly the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Scribes. Not all of the these people hated Jesus, but the majority did. However, there were some notable examples, especially among the Pharisees, that did not hate Jesus, but were genuinely curious about Him.

Toward the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He is sought out by one of the head Pharisees named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was truly curious and convicted of Jesus’ teachings. He seeks out Jesus at night, so as to have a private conversation with him, and possibly so that he is not found out by the other Pharisees who at that time were beginning to hold some resentment toward Jesus. We do know that later, Nicodemus does become a follower of Jesus, and it was probably due to this private conversation they shared.

Later, Jesus is approached by both Scribes and Pharisees and sits in a house to speak with them and answer questions. A large crowd stands outside the house, crowding the windows and doors, but there is a group of friends that have a buddy that they have brought to Jesus to heal. He is paralyzed and cannot walk, but as the crowd is so great, they make an opening in the ceiling and lower their friend on his cot to Jesus.

Jesus then pronounces the man forgiven of sins, (causing the Pharisees and Scribes present to marvel), and then, to prove that He has the authority to forgive sins, Jesus heals the man by simply commanding him to get up and walk. The man gets up, picks up his bed, and walks out the door, causing everyone else to marvel.

It is at this point that the Pharisees begin to really hate on Jesus and start to look for ways that they can kill him.

As time goes by, Jesus is invited to attend a dinner at another Pharisee’s house named Simon. Simon has brought Jesus there, not genuinely seeking fellowship with Him, but just to observe and question the ‘oddity’ that is Jesus.

We remember that this is the occasion in which Simon does not offer any of the common courtesies that were expected to be offered to a guest. However, a woman interrupts their dinner by falling at Jesus’ feet, weeping so profusely that her tears shower Jesus’ feet. She wipes His feet clean with her hair, and then anoints those same feet with a precious perfume.

From that encounter, we find that the woman received forgiveness because of her faith in Jesus, and Simon finished that conversation with Jesus not having received anything at all.

Our text today brings us to another encounter with a Pharisee. This Pharisee is nameless in the Bible, but we find the occurrence in the book of Luke 11:37-54.

Before we get into the story of what happened, let’s remember the context. Jesus has just healed a demon-possessed man that was blind and mute. The multitudes marvel and begin to wonder if this Jesus is in fact the promised Messiah that the prophets had spoken of. However, in that multitude are Pharisee trying to catch Jesus lackin’ and trying to perhaps catch Him saying something that is against the Scriptures. These same Pharisees and Scribes then accuse Jesus of casting out demons through the power of Satan instead of the Spirit of God. Jesus rebukes them, and then informs them that making those accusation is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the only sin that God is unwilling to forgive.

Those same Pharisees let up a little and begin asking for a sign in the heavens, which Jesus refuses to perform, as he is not somebodies on-demand miracle worker.

Then, Jesus’ own family tries to get Him out of the situation and the crowd, they call for Him, but Jesus looks around at those that believe in Him and His disciples and says, “These are my mother and brothers, those that hear my word and do it - those that know the will of God and do it.”

This is where we left off.

But the interactions with Jesus from people in this crowd have not ended just yet.

Dirty Breakfast

How many of y’all are familiar with the term “Dirty Breakfast”? Usually it is just people that are into intermittent fasting...

I intermittently fast. I start eating in the morning, finish up some time at night and then I fast for the next 6-8 hours… while I sleep… Just kidding!

A dirty breakfast, in the fasting world, is a meal, or a snack, consisting of specific foods that provide less than 100 calories. This is usually done in the morning, ergo the name ‘dirty breakfast’, but when practiced at other times throughout the day it is called dirty fasting. It is not a true fast, in the sense that there are calories consumed during the period of fasting. The goal of dirty fasting is to maintain the body in a fasting state while still able to consume some favorite foods or to tide you off until your actual meal time.

Why do I mention “dirty fasting” or “dirty breakfast”? Well, simply because while I was studying, I titled this section “dirty breakfast”, and then I thought, “I have heard that term before...” So then, as my brain normally compels me to do, I googled the term and remembered where I had heard it before. “Mike, did you used to do intermittent fasting?” “No! At least not on purpose, like healthy people.”

So are we talking about fasting and someone cheating on their fast today? No, not at all. I just like to give y’all some insight into how my mind works sometimes...

Anyway, let’s get into the text this morning, and maybe you’ll see how I got sidetracked...

Luke 11:37–39

KJV 1900

37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.

Now, we hear the word ‘dine’ and we think dinner. When we think dinner, we are to think of the principle meal of the day, the biggest meal of the day. Depending on where you grew up or what your family tradition is, dinner might mean lunch or it might mean supper. This word translated ‘to dine’ is the Greek word aristao. This word did eventually mean to eat dinner (the principle meal of the day), but at the time, that is to say, during the first century, it meant to eat breakfast. So, at this this time, Jesus is being invited to eat breakfast with one of the Pharisees.

So let’s read that again with the understanding that Jesus is being invited to eat breakfast. [Read verse 37 again]

38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. [Again, this means breakfast] And for those wondering, not every time the New Testament says dinner does it mean breakfast. Most of the time, as far as I am aware, it does mean dinner, as we understand the word today.

So what has happened here is that Jesus is invited for breakfast at an unnamed Pharisee’s house, and when he comes into the house, to sit and eat, Jesus does not wash his hands. We might think that odd or unhygienic today, but that is not what made the Pharisee marvel.

It is important to know the context of what is going on. Today, if we are familiar with someone, we might call them out and say, “Hey, don’t you want to wash your hands?” Or maybe, a little more subtly, “The sink is right over there if you want to wash your hands...” If that person did not wash their hands, we may be a little shocked, or even disgusted. But probably wouldn’t let it show too much.

However, this Pharisee marveled, and it was obvious, because Jesus responds to it in just a little bit. But we need to understand why the Pharisee was shocked before we proceed. We must remember that the people of this age were not concerned about bacteria. They had no clue what bacteria was. The washing of hands for the Pharisees was not out of hygienic interests. The reason that the Pharisees washed before eating was for purity reasons.

If I were a Pharisee in those days, I would have a thought process like this:

I have walked around today and as I have, I have shaken hands and rubbed elbows with people who 1) may not be Jewish, or 2) are unclean [and by unclean, again, we aren’t talking about having bacteria, but they are ceremonially unclean according to Mosaic Law]. So, since I have probably come in contact with those people, then I need to wash my hands. If I do not wash my hands, then my food could become defiled when I touch it, and then I will become defiled when I eat it!

This was the thought process of the Pharisees. Not only that, but if their bodies had touched someone else in the marketplace by someone that was unclean, they would go home and bathe their whole selves.

So, Jesus goes to this Pharisee’s house for breakfast, and walks in and sits down at the table without washing himself, and the Pharisee is disgusted by it. “How dare Jesus not wash himself. He is constantly touching an interacting people. He holds children and hugs people. He touches those that are defiled, and touches Gentiles too, and here he sits without washing his hands? Doesn’t he realize that he is going to become unclean before God by eating food with unwashed hands?”

Now, the Pharisee didn’t say any of this out loud, but one of the things that we have seen many times about Jesus is that because He is God in the flesh, He has that ability to know what is in people’s hearts. So Jesus has a response to the Pharisee’s reaction.

Dirty Hearts

Jesus, of course, is more concerned with the hearts of people than he is with the outward appearance or actions and He responds with this.

Look at Luke 11:39—44

Luke 11:39–44

KJV 1900

39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

Jesus begins to tell the Pharisees that their concern is with the wrong thing. They worry so much about being ceremonially clean, clean on the outside, that they do not concern themselves whether they are clean on the inside - in other words, whether or not their hearts are clean before God. They worried so much about their every action, but not the heart behind it.

Jesus calls them fools, a harsh term, because they treat their behavior and the outside of their physical bodies as if that is the only thing that God can see or that He is concerned about. But, Jesus says, He who made the outside [the body] also made the inside. And here Jesus is not referring to the organs or skeletal structure, He is referring to the heart, the soul.

He says then in verse 41 Luke 11:41

Luke 11:41

KJV 1900

41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

To give alms was to give to the poor and needy. So Jesus is saying here that we should give of what you already have, that is, give your inner life, your love, mercy, compassion, etc., to the blessing of mankind, and then your inner purity will make you proof against outward defilement. The cleanliness on the outside, the purpose of the ceremonial cleanness which the Pharisees held so highly, was supposed to be a symbol of inward cleanness. It was never meant to take the place of being pure of heart. It was supposed to reflect purity of heart.

As we studied back when we were going through the Sermon on the Mount, both the heart and our behavior are important, but the heart is far more important that our actions.

Psalm 24:3–4

KJV 1900

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully.

The hill of the Lord is a referencing Mount Zion in Jerusalem where the temple would be built. David wrote that Psalm, so at the time, the Temple was not built yet (it would be built by Solomon, his son) but they gathered in the Tabernacle, which was a large tent where they offered the sacrifices and housed the ark of the covenant. That area that housed the ark of the covenant, which represented the presence of God, was called the Holy of Holies, both in the Temple and in the Tabernacle.

Who is it that can ascend the hill of God and enter his holy place? What this is meaning is, who can worship God (truly) and have intimate fellowship with Him?

Verse 4 tells us who - those that have clean hand (good actions). But that is not good enough, those that have clean hands must also have clean hearts. Those with clean hearts are characterized by some things: they are humble (they haven’t lifted up their soul), they are not vain (they are concerned with what God says is truly important, not so much with the temporal things), and they have integrity.

Keep these three things in mind as we go back to Jesus’ response to the Pharisee as He denounces the religion of the Pharisees.

Luke 11:42–44

KJV 1900

42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

The Pharisees tithed everything, even from the smallest herbs like mint and rue (a small bush that was used to flavor wine and for medicinal purposes). They were very meticulous about this temporal practice. It was a good practice, but this tithe was for the sustenance of the Levites and priests and for the poor, something that honestly, mint and rue and other herbs would not be enough to fill their bellies and significantly provide for them. But in their super-careful observance of tithing of their goods, they left off the more important things like judgment (discernment between right and wrong, not being judgmental) and the love of God that they were supposed to have toward others.

So they were worrying more about temporal things than truly worthwhile things.

43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

Jesus is accusing the Pharisees of pride and vanity. They love being recognized and having the spotlight. This is a heart matter. Remember that the Psalm says that those that can worship and those that can have an intimate fellowship with God are those of a pure heart who have not lifted up their souls.

44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

And then this last part here is an accusation against their integrity. Let’s break it down.

They are Hypocrites - They appeared as though they were pure inside, but they were not practicing God’s character even though doing good external deeds.

They are Graves that don’t look like graves. The Jews were very careful to not touch dead people or even graves because this would render them ceremonially unclean. If this happened, they had to perform certain washings and rituals so that they could once again be ceremonially clean. In order to make sure that they stayed a good distance from graves or tombs and so that they would not accidentally touch them, they would whitewash all the tombs and grave markers once a year. But here, Jesus is saying, “You worry so much about never stepping on a grave or touching a tomb, but YOU are an unmarked grave that defiles anyone that listens to you, in the same way that people would be unclean if they walked over a grave.” Talk about harsh language!

The Pharisees contaminated God’s word. They had made God’s word ineffective by what and how they were teaching.

Mark 7:13

KJV 1900

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

They were so worried about traditions rather than the actual word of God that God’s word, through them, had become ineffective in changing people’s lives because they had twisted it and misrepresented it so much. And anyone that listened to them and adopted their twisted teachings would become as unclean internally as someone who had walked over a grave.

In Matthew 15:10 we see Jesus telling the Pharisees and a multitude around him that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, or makes a person unclean.

Matthew 15:10–11

KJV 1900

10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

So when Jesus tells them this, someone else speaks up that is present at breakfast.

Luke 11:45

KJV 1900

45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.

The lawyers were those religious leaders that were experts in expounding the law of Moses. The Scribes were often called lawyers. And one of the guests there at the table with Jesus is a lawyer who takes offence to what Jesus has said to his Pharisee friend. Now, he doesn’t take offence because this may offend his friend, he takes offence because if Jesus does not clarify his words, people might think that the lawyers are also at fault.

So Jesus clarifies His words a bit further.

Deadly Consequences

In the following verses, we are going to read that Jesus does not intent to rephrase what He is saying to make it less harsh, but instead, He is going to make sure that the Lawyer is very clear that Jesus is in fact lumping lawyers, the Scribes, and the Pharisees in one group. And here are his accusations toward the lawyers and the Scribes:

Luke 11:46–52

KJV 1900

46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

The first thing that Jesus accuses them of is of adding so much to the law through their “interpretations” that it becomes impossible to follow. We’ve discussed this before, but let me refresh your memory just on one interpretation of the law.

The law said to not work on the Sabbath. To carry a burden would be to work. So, therefore, it had been determined that you could not carry a burden on the Sabbath. So then, after a while, the question was brought up - What constitutes a burden? After much arguing and deliberations throughout the years, a burden became the carrying of anything additional to your clothing outside the confines of your house. This meant that if you carried a simple handkerchief in your pocket as you left the house, in the eyes and teachings of the Scribes, you had broken Sabbath law. Of course, if you sowed that handkerchief onto a string that was then sowed into your pocket, that “burden” magically became part of your clothing and therefore could be carried about with you on the Sabbath. Jesus’ accusation to the lawyers is that the burden of law that they put upon others was so heavy, but they created loopholes in their interpretations so that they could get away with things and appear better than others.

47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

What Jesus is now accusing them of is of decorating and venerating the tombs of the prophets when their own ancestors were the ones that killed them. So many prophets were killed by the Jews who did not like the messages that they were delivering from God. So we might look at that as an act of repentance, but again, Jesus knew the hearts of the people. Look at what He says next.

48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.

The dead prophets bear witness that the lawyers allowed, or were in agreement in killing the prophets. Now, how could this be? If the great great great grandparents of these lawyers were the ones that were killing prophets, how could Jesus accuse them of agreeing to their murders if they were trying to honor the prophets by decorating their tombs?

Because a prophet is truly honored only when his message is received and followed. But what were the Scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers doing? They were twisting the messages to say what they wanted them to say. Thus, they were dishonoring the prophets that their own ancestors had murdered.

49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:

Jesus then speaks a prophecy of His own. I will send prophets and apostles… And Jesus did. After Jesus was resurrected, the apostles, many of whom spoke prophetically, were all persecuted and all but one were eventually killed because of their faith.

50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Then Jesus says, so bad is the disregard for God’s word among you, that I will hold this generation of people who follow in your teachings responsible for the deaths of all the prophets of the Old Testament.

52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

And here is the deadly consequence of their twisting of Scripture. They had the key of knowledge. They had access to Scripture that taught about salvation and about the coming of Jesus himself, but they had twisted Scripture so much that though they had the key, they didn’t unlock the door to that knowledge, and anyone that they taught was therefore locked out of having that knowledge as well.

It was fatal for them, because they now could not recognize Jesus for who He was, and it was fatal to all those that listened to them because they would never know about Jesus.

Thinking that Jesus had spoken quickly without thinking and that that was the reason for his harshness, the lawyer asks for clarification, but instead of softening his words, Jesus doubles down. Why? Because Jesus never spoke without thinking.

This message, as you might deduce on your own, was not well received of those Pharisees and Scribes present.

Luke 11:53–54

KJV 1900

53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:

54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

They were sure that in a rapid-fire questioning, Jesus would say something that would incriminate him and then they’d be vindicated from these awful, but true accusations. Notice that their response is not one that denies that they do these things. The Pharisees and Scribes never deny that they are dead inside or hypocritical, they can’t deny it. Instead, they begin to throw out accusations and excuses and entrapments whenever Jesus calls them out.

It’s funny, and sad at the same time that you will find that when you approach someone about a sinful attitude or sinful things that they are practicing, many time, they will in turn try to find fault with the person confronting them or throw accusations at others instead of repenting of the fault that they have been called out on.

E.g.: Hey, I want to talk about how you need pay attention to this behavior or lack of behavior because this is what the Bible says.

Well what about so and so? They do this and that and the other…

or

What about you? You do this and that is wrong?

[And they may even be right about those things, but ever Christian needs to understand that when we are corrected by others, the person correcting us is not perfect, and their imperfection does not excuse our sin.]

So if Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and Scribes here, then what does that have to do with us?

Application

First off, and this is especially for all the children present, and maybe for some adults too… The moral of this story is NOT that you don’t have to wash your hands before you eat. So, when you go home and eat dinner, and you mom and dad tell you to wash your hands, don’t tell them that you don’t have to because Jesus did do it.

The REASON Jesus did not wash his hands at this time was to bring to light the hypocrisy of the Pharisees once again and to denounce them. And here is the application for us.

The Pharisees were so concerned with making sure everything they did was something that honored them. If it didn’t bring them honor, they didn’t do it. We have already seen that though the Israelites were commanded to fast once a year, the Pharisees fasted once or twice a week, and when they did, they made sure everyone knew about it.

When they prayed, they prayed in public - long, loud, repetitive prayers. When they gave their tithes and offerings for the poor, they blasted trumpets and made a show out of it. They were sure to be seen taking the tithe of the smallest of herbs as well. They thought because they did all these things and more that they were clean. Not only that, they thought they were cleaner than anyone else. In fact, they were so clean, that when they went out in public and returned home to eat, they had to wash themselves because they had been among those that were not as clean. And again, we are not talking simply about hygienically clean, we talking ceremonially clean.

Their mindset was to think that the sin of others would literally rub off on them. They were afraid of spiritual cooties.

Adults, you remember “cooties”, right? Ladies, when you were a girl and a boy happened to brush by you, you would have to get a “cootie shot.” How many of you remember those? “Circle, circle, dot, dot, now I’ve got my cootie shot.”

Just like the childhood cooties, the spiritual one’s aren’t real either. If I shake hands with a thief, it hasn’t “rubbed off on me.” If I am hugged by someone who lied or disobeyed their parents or murdered someone, their sin does not rub off on me.

Not only that, but Christians are to recognize that though we may be holy and sanctified by the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, it has nothing to do with what we have done. We are not perfect. We have not achieved anything.

While prisoners were being led out to execution and the crowd around was cheering and jeering, a 16th century Reformer named John Bradford exclaimed, “There, but by the grace of God, go I.” He was a preacher, and a well known and respected one. Of all the people in the crowd, he could have been most justified in saying, “There go the criminals, about to receive their just rewards.” But he had the attitude that Christ compels us to have - mercy, love, and pity toward others.

Christian, if you do the things that you do in order to appear better in the sight of anyone, it does not make you a better disciple. It just makes you a cleaner gravestone, underneath which is nothing alive nor worthwhile.

This brings us to the Scribes, the lawyers, and the accusation Jesus holds for them. He told them that they were guilty of withholding the keys of understanding Scripture, because they twisted it and misrepresented it. They held people back from understanding God because instead of caring about the actual word of God, they invested more time and effort into creating and following traditions than they did in studying the prophets.

Christians now, and honestly, Christians throughout the ages, have gotten so wrapped up in petty things. Like - What kind of music is the best, hymns, contemporary Christian, or southern gospel? Should women wear pants or exclusively dresses and skirts? Should men wear ties to church? Should we use the KJV, the New King James, the MEV, or the ESV? Should churches have worship teams or choirs or both or none? Should churches have pews or chairs? Should I read my Bible in the morning or in the evening or both?

None of that really matters. What matters is that when we sing, are we singing things that are true, and are we singing for the glory of God and the edification and encouragement of others? When I dress for church, or any other occasion, am I being considerate of others and of the environment that I find myself? (Because if we use the idea that we are to dress our best to meet with the Lord on Sunday, then I expect that we should wear suits and ties for our morning devotions also. just throwing that out there.)

The important thing is not what version of the Bible you read, though there are a few versions that are not good translations. The important thing is that you are understanding what you read and that you are following what it says. Because honestly, if you read ten chapters a day, and don’t understand it. It does not good. And if you read ten chapters and do understand it but don’t obey it, then, like Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees, the word of God is of no effect to you.

The important thing in a church is not if we have a choir or a worship team or a song director. The important thing is that we join together as a body to sing praises to the Lord, and to teach and admonish and encourage each other in this body. The important thing is not whether we have pews or chairs, the important thing is that we show up and be a part of the ministry.

All the other things are traditions. So many of the things we worry about are as important as whether you should eat a corndog with ketchup or with mustard.

When we start focusing on the little things that are of little to no consequence, we miss the big things. Like exercising good judgment. Like loving God and loving our neighbor. Like having mercy and showing grace. We fall into the trap of doing things for the sake of doing things, instead of doing things because they are an expression of Biblical premises.

And when we focus on those things, they have deadly consequences. Churches stop reaching the lost, Christians stop being discipled, and the work of God grows weak and ineffective, actively preventing others from understanding the most important thing that they could understand - that there is a God who loves them and wants to save them from the curse and condemnation of sin.

That there is a God who desires relationship - real, authentic, deep relationship- with his children. And that he wants us to live this relationship out in our lives, not because it could make us look better, but because it exalts His name when we do, and shows people who God really is.

Invitation

The message today was primarily to those that are saved. But there may be someone here that does not have a personal relationship with God. There may be those here who think they have a personal relationship with God because of the things you do or don’t do.

I want to be very, very clear about this, because the Bible is very clear about this: you cannot get to heaven by being a good person. In fact, the Bible goes further than that, it tells us in Romans 3:10 that there is no one righteous. That word righteous means in right standing before God. There is not a single person that could stand before God and say, I am good enough to deserve forgiveness of sins.

You and I do not deserve the forgiveness of sins. But God wants us to have it, so He provided a way. God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for our sins. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, the only one who is righteous, because He is God, chose to come and willingly be put to death on a cross. He bled; he shed His perfect blood and died to pay for our sins - because that is what God’s law demands for payment, blood and death.

He then was buried in a tomb, but three days later, to prove that He is God and that what He had said was all true, He rose from the grave, alive. He did this so that you and I could have a gift and that gift is eternal life.

It is truly a gift. We do not need to work for it we do not need to pay for it. The only thing we must do to have i s receive it. The way that we receive that gift of eternal life is by believing on Jesus Christ and asking Him to forgive us of our sins. We must realize that sin is wrong, and that it is an offense to God. We must confess it, and ask Jesus to forgive us. And if we do that with sincerely, truly trusting Jesus, the Bible says that we will, in that moment, be saved and forgiven.

I am going to ask everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes.

Is there anyone here that would say, “Mike, I am not sure that I am saved. But I would like to know more about that.”

Christians, my question for you is this - what have you been focusing on? Has it been the minor things? The things that have little effect on the kingdom of God? Or are you focusing on truly following Jesus with your words and your actions and your love for others.

Have you been focused you and your preferences and your desires and how good you have been? Are you looking down on others as if they were ‘not as good a Christian’ as you? Do you refuse to talk to people, to approach or be approached by those whom you view as ‘unclean’? Or like Jesus, are you reaching out to the unwanted and the outcasts?

Home Groups

What has God been doing in your life? How has he been growing you?

Questions or comments about the sermon?

1. Why do you think Jesus accepted the Pharisee’s breakfast invitation, knowing it would lead to confrontation?

2. How did the Pharisees’ understanding of “clean” differ from Jesus’ teaching about inner purity?

3. What does Jesus’ example teach us about the difference between God’s law and man-made religious traditions?

4. Psalm 24:3-4 says that both clean hands and a pure heart are required to approach God. Why do you think both are necessary?

5. Jesus said the Pharisees’ traditions made God’s Word “of no effect.” How can this happen in the modern church?

6. What role does the heart play in determining whether an outward religious act is pleasing to God?

7. How can we ensure that our spiritual practices—prayer, giving, serving—are motivated by love for God rather than a desire feel good about ourselves or to impress others?

8. As a church, we will begin a discipleship study soon on Wednesday nights. What are some practical ways we can guard against adding unnecessary burdens to others in their walk with God?

9. In what ways can you “give alms [give to those in need] of such things as you have,” (Luke 11:41), in other words, give from the inside (from your soul) to those that have need?