A Warning to the Religious
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Who is your favorite movie character?
How many of you remember as a child or young person watching a movie and thinking, “I want to grow up and be just like that!”
I’ve often heard it said, “Never meet you heroes.” What they mean by this is that they will let you down.
We tend to idolize people in our minds and make them more exalted than they really are.
Sometimes when we meet our heroes we find out that they are not really the person we thought they were, but are actually nasty people.
Some of you may remember actors like Bill Cosby - “America’s Dad”
or,
Bob Sagat - the dad from Full House
I don’t mean to imply that Bob Sagat is like Bill Cosby in that he committed criminal assault, but if you have ever heard any of his stand up comedy, he has an incredibly foul and dirty mouth.
He is not the same guy that was portrayed on Full House.
He’s not alone though. Many in the actor’s guild are like that. In fact, many famous people are not as they seem, and that includes preachers of the gospel.
Jesus gives a warning to those who would pretend to be someone they are not, particularly people pretending to be God’s people, but who don’t really know God in their hearts.
Let’s take a look at the warning Jesus had to give to the religious.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
Pray
When I say the word “hypocrite,” what comes to your mind?
You may think of a particular person, or you may think of a class of people.
The word originated as a term that was used to describe Greek actors who would wear a mask to play different parts. By the time that Jesus was using the word, it had come to mean what it does today referring to people who play the part, but don’t really live out the lifestyle.
You know there are some actors who will get so into character that they grow their hair or beards out or they lose a lot of weight for a role.
They may even start talking in a certain accent and completely immerse themselves in the character to become like them.
Sadly, some actors have even experienced breakdowns and tragedy has ensued as a result of this.
However, we also all know people who have done this when it comes to living out the Christian life. They think that if they act the part, they can fool God into thinking that they are really a Christian.
You might know them outside of church and know a whole different side of them that is not so religious.
But what about yourself? Are you a hypocrite as well? This doesn’t excuse someone else, but we do need to look inwardly first, before casting judgment on others.
Jesus addresses a major group of hypocrites right before their very eyes by giving 7 warnings, or woes to them. These are pronouncements of judgement and while they may seem final, they are really an opportunity for those who will listen to repent.
We know of at least one who did in Nicodemus.
Let’s take a look at the first two of these 7 woes this morning.
1. Beware of Unbelief (v.13)
1. Beware of Unbelief (v.13)
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
A. They Refused to Believe Themselves
A. They Refused to Believe Themselves
They had been given many signs that gave evidence to who Jesus was
They had the miracles and the Scriptures
They even saw Lazarus raised from the dead
They attributed Jesus’ works to Satan
They were different in some way from the normal use of hypocrite, because they really believed what they taught
They refused to humble themselves and see Jesus for who He was, because that would mean giving up control and would be an affront to their pride
God has chosen the foolish things in this world to confound the wise
B. They Led Others Astray
B. They Led Others Astray
Notice the lengths Jesus said they went to to make a disciple that would not believe, just like themselves
Have you ever noticed how evangelistic atheists can be? They go to great lengths to try to convert people to believe there is no God.
How have we led others astray by having lives that don’t match what we say we believe?
How many people have said they would go to church, but there are too many religious hypocrites?
Illustration
Atrocities committed in the name of nominal Christianity
Application:
We must make sure that we guard our ways and don’t lay any stumbling block other than the gospel itself in the way of people who might otherwise believe
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
Paul warned the church about this as well in Rom. 14:13
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
He goes on to say,
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.
21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
Textual Variant
Before we move on, I do need to make a comment for those of you that are keen math students. You might have learned that 14 follows 13 and comes before 15. So as you look at your Bible, you are wondering what happened to verse 14.
Verse 14 does appear in the King James and New King James versions, because they are based off of another set of manuscripts than versions like the ESV, NIV, and CSB.
However, if we look at the verse in the original manuscripts, there are places where it appears before verse 13 in some manuscripts and after it as verse 14 in others.
What this indicates to us is that this verse is not in the original version of Matthew’s gospel, but was later added by a scribe to make it match with Mark and Luke. This sometimes happens when we try to harmonize things in our minds.
There is no need to worry because it is legitimately in Mark and Luke’s gospels, but Matthew is accomplishing something different here.
In the other two gospels, the 7 woes are not fleshed out like they are here. Those gospels simply speak of Jesus calling out the Pharisees.
Here Matthew is using 7 woes to illustrate a point. Remember that 7 is a number of completion.
Matthew is writing to highlight the complete bankruptcy of these leaders. If we add in verse 14, we end up with 8 woes and break the purpose Matthew intended.
Some people will uses this to argue against modern translations and say that they take verses out of the Bible, but remember that we are warned not to remove, OR ADD verses to the Bible. If they were not there in the beginning, we cannot add them back, even if they are found in other places. This doesn’t make the Bible less true, but means we have to pay attention to what is there.
We neither gain anything or lose anything from this extra verse.
I needed to address this because I didn’t want you thinking, “Well is he not going to address the elephant in the room here.”
Now we move on to the second warning.
2. Beware of Legalism (v.15)
2. Beware of Legalism (v.15)
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
Another problem Jesus addresses is the problem of legalism.
We will see this further illustrated in the fact that the leaders went so far as to tithe off even their herbs and spices, but would not deal justly with people.
Here Jesus speaks about how the result of the evangelistic efforts of these Pharisees was to make people who were worse than themselves in being legalistic, but who were better fit for hell than themselves.
Illustration
What we do in moderation, the next generation will do in excess.
Let me give you an example. How many of you have noticed the increase in the use of profanity in our culture today?
Christians are not to speak like that and yet we see it so prevalent that you just about can’t watch anything on tv or social media anymore without 4 letter words being dropped.
It is so bad that Preschoolers and Kindergarteners are coming into classrooms cussing out teachers and workers.
We shake our heads at that, but they practice in excess what the previous generation practiced in moderation.
This has been a work in progress for several generations, but it needs to stop today with this one, as far as we can help it.
What is really coming out is the poison that in the heart.
No you know why British people speak with an accent? Do you know why Scotts sound Scottish and Southerners have a drawl?
It is because Brits are British and Scotts are Scottish and Southerners are Southerners.
What is inside comes out.
The reason people curse and do all sorts of evils is because what is on the inside is bursting to get out.
Jesus said.
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
That is why to be a true believer, we must have our heart changed.
Romans 2:29 says,
29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Conclusion
Here is the hope for us today. We can have a new heart. We can go to the Holy Surgeon and have the old one removed and be given a new, clean heart that will change who we are from the inside out.
Don’t misunderstand me this morning. The Bible is not giving us a set of rules to make better behaved sinners who are more fit for hell.
The Bible is showing us the need for a change in our hearts.
Remember that our righteousness is like filthy rags before God.
We need to have a new heart and rest in the righteousness of Jesus.
If you are discouraged thinking all is lost this morning, take heart.
The old hymn we’ve sang for so many years says,
I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more;
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me,
Now safe am I. Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Christ loves us and while we are yet sinners, He died for us to make us clean.
Will you receive Him this morning? Will you accept that love that lifts you out of the mire of your sin and sets you on solid ground?
One of the signs you have done this, church member, is that we take off the mask of the actor, the hypocrite, and we start looking like Jesus.
Study his role in the Scripture. Observe His manner of living. Immerse yourself in the character of Jesus and be like him. Become like Him and you will lead others to Him in your wake.
