How will you avoid being sentenced to hell?

Introduction to me

Good morning church. I’m glad to be here with you this morning as we explore more questions Jesus asked. Our question this morning is “How will you avoid being sentenced to hell?” At least I got the easy question right? I actually don’t find this to be too challenging, when I am with the youth I spend a lot of time with students who make it their job to ask me hard questions. Sometimes they are questions that align with the lesson anyways so we can take the time to dig deeper, and other times we spend a lot of time talking about whether or not sunscreen is good for you, or the moon landing. Lets just say I spend a lot of time down rabbit holes, and trying my best to answer hard questions.

As I was preparing for this message was studying the interactions that the pharisees had with people in scripture and I kept thinking about the idea of a “double standard”.

Double standards Story

Double standards are great when you’re on the right side of them. I have some experience with this. In fact there are many times when I feel as though I’ve created a double standard. Last Summer we were at CIY with our Middle Schoolers. And there was one night when the speaker was going a little long and the kids started to get a little fidgety, and they were playing around and talking during service. So I did what every responsible adult would have done and I said “hey guys, seriously settle down, you really need to be paying attention to this”. And immediately after saying that I went back to making origami out of my gum wrapper. And after finishing my tiny hat that I made out of a gum wrapper to make even MORE of a double standard I nudged the kid next to me and said “check this out dude”. It was a double standard! But double standards are great when you’re the one setting them.

When you’re on the receiving end of a double standard it can be infuriating. It can be hopeless. it can feel as though you will never be enough and you’ll never measure up. I want us to keep this idea in mind as we read about this interaction with the pharisees because it helps set the stage for what Jesus is saying to them.

Intro to sermon

This question this morning comes from Matthew 23 when Jesus and the pharisees are kind of going back and forth and Jesus is calling them out on some of their bad practices. Our question comes specifically from verse 33 but for the sake of context which is extremely important, I am going to read with you all verses 16-33.

Matthew 23:16–33 ESV

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?

Jesus ask this question to you and I

There are two ways you can walk away from reading this story. You can hear this story and walk away fired up, ready to flip a table on the first false teacher you see. You can leave here and do a deep dive on all of the teachers and preachers in your life and find ways that they aren’t measuring up. And then you can go find them and call them a brood of vipers. You could do that.

Or you could hear this story and begin to evaluate your own pharisee-like behaviors. You could take a different perspective on your life and ask yourself, “What am I doing that is similar to the way the pharisees were doing it?”.

Now I bring this up not because the first option isn’t important. It is very important. Even within youth ministry we talk all the time about fact checking our teachers and using discernment when listening to someone preach. At the end of every Sunday morning bible study and Wednesday night small group I ask two things. I ask for prayer request, and I ask if anyone disagrees with anything we’ve talked about. I do this because its important to teach our kids that nobody is exempt from being questioned on their teaching. In fact one might be able to make the argument that the reason the pharisees ended up in the position they were in was because they put themselves above being questioned.

But church we would be missing the bigger picture if we stopped here in this teaching. If we wrapped up here and said “remember everyone don’t forget to question everyone around you that calls themselves a Christ-follower.”

The much harder idea to wrestle with is the idea that Jesus ask this question of us. How will YOU avoid being sentenced to hell?

And if anyone is thinking “Jesus clearly pointed that question at the pharisees, so it doesn’t even apply to me”. Lets go with that and look at what qualities the pharisees had that made him ask that question?

The pharisees claimed to be one thing with their words, but their actions said something else.

The pharisees put tradition above God’s Word.

They desired Recognition more than Gods Glory.

They possessed more knowledge than obedience.

Now there’s something funny about this list. None of us can honestly say that we don’t struggle with at least one of these points. And if you say you don’t, then now we know you definitely do.

Who in here doesn’t have a hard time saying one thing and doing another?

Who in here doesn’t enjoy tradition and sometimes would rather do whats more comfortable than what God’s word says?

Who in here doesn’t love being recognized for the good things they’ve done?

I can look around this room and find a lot of people that KNOW A LOT about scripture. People in this room that I call if I have questions about something because they are so knowledgable in the word, but who doesn’t sometimes feel like they have more knowledge than obedience? Who doesn’t kick themselves every once in a while and say “man I know better”.

Jesus is asking this question not just to the pharisees but to you and I.

Jesus finds another opportunity to speak about the leadership of his time later in the book of Mark.

Mark 10:42–45 ESV

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus was talking again about the leadership of his time, pointing out where certain leaders loved their position a little too much. And we can see how the pharisees get looped into this again. They love being served, they love being important, but they don’t love doing the Lords work.

COMMUNION

It seems fitting that after reading Mark 10 verse 45 that we move to a time of communion. That last verse I’ll read again, it says “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

You see church I’ll be the first to admit that often times I get caught up in the royalty of Jesus. I get caught up in the awesomeness and power of who Jesus is. I picture Jesus as a big man with scars and callused hands defeating the enemy on my behalf.

However I recently read a book titled “Gentle and Lowly”. Jesus is speaking in Matthew 11:29 when he says:

Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

I hope you can see it the way I’m seeing it church but all of these things come together to create who Jesus is. He is mighty and powerful and awesome, but just like Mark 10 says he came to serve, he came to give his life, and just like Matthew 11 says he is gentle and lowly in heart, which means what? It means we can approach our savior. He loves you and cares for you and he gave his life on a cross for you. Lets take a moment and thank him for that now.

Pause for Prayer

“Father we thank you for your sacrifice on that cross. Father we thank you for the fact that you are not some far off, scary being that we should be afraid of. But rather you are gentle with us and kind, and merciful. Thank you for your body given and your blood spilled on our behalf. Its in your mighty name I pray, Amen.”

TAKE THE BREAD

TAKE THE JUICE

Jesus’ question is merciful

This may sound completely backwards, “Jake, Jesus just let these guys have it, he tore them apart what about this is merciful?” This question that he ask sounds harsh, but underneath these harsh words is grace and mercy.

Jesus didn’t ask this question because he was waiting for an answer, he asked this questions as a warning to these people. Jesus is the savior of the world but we sometimes forget that he was a prophet! Jesus knew how few pharisees would turn from their ways but he warned them anyways.

Everything he’s saying to them is just another way of saying “Y’all gotta stop where you’re at right now! you’re on your way to hell! You’re digging yourself deeper and deeper and I’m asking you to put down the shovel!” Y’all how many times has Jesus tried to get you to put down the shovel, how many times have you been digging yourself deeper and deeper and you’re thinking its not that bad, I can fix it, its gonna be okay, and then Jesus hits you with the same thing he hit the pharisees with “Look at what you’re doing, look at how you’re living your life” “How will you avoid hell?”

We can see a similar theme later in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 12:5–6 “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.””

Church what would it look like if we welcomed the discipline of the Lord?

What would it look like if we recognized the Lords discipline as something that will better us as followers of Christ.

How comforting is it to know that Jesus cares for us so much, that he is willing to show us some tough love. With as much attitude and disobedience we give to him, he hasn’t given up on us.

Tough love is one of those things that I’m sure many of us are familiar with. Maybe your a parent and your VERY familiar the giving side of tough love. Maybe you can recall a time when you were on the receiving end of some tough love. Tough love can look many different ways. Tough love can be a loving act, but still be painful on the receiving end AND the giving end.

Tough Love Story

My wife has one of those large study bibles, and within the study bible there are hundreds of 2 page devotions. Some of them are straight from scripture and others of them are stories that people have shared that are related to the text. As I was talking to Maddie about my message I was explaining the idea of tough love and how Jesus displays this for us and she says “Wait, I read a story in my Bible that reminds me of this”. The story goes like this:

There was a woman who was diagnosed with cancer when she was about 7 years old. The cancer was so bad that they had to fly her out to a special hospital, her body was rapidly deteriorating and her health was going downhill. She tells this story as a grown woman. She was healed from the cancer, and as she recalls some of the hardest parts of the process this experience was one of them that she could never forget.

“During our time in Holland, they wheeled me under the glare of hospital lights and turned my limp, and fragile body sideways as my father held me curled like a hollowed-out shell while they performed a spinal tap. The pain was like nothing I had experienced, and I cried and looked up at him as his eyes flooded with tears and struggled against his restraint.

He told me years later it was one of the hardest things he's ever had to do because I was so little and didn't understand how my father could allow those people to hurt me. At one point I wailed, "Dad, make them stop!" He wished a thousand times he could have lifted me up and taken me home right then and there, but it was for my own good, so he held me tight under the suffering.

I often still see God this way in my life. When I'm struggling against trials—with suffering. with questions—I see God as my father, weeping for my pain but holding me down to endure, for my good and His glory. Somewhere along the line I relented to that. And only that. I've lost sight of the fullness of God. So I'm learning to believe his Word is true. He is a good, good Father.

2nd Point Cont.

Its important to see in Matthew 23 that Jesus didn’t have to say anything! He had every right to stay silent. To let the pharisees lay down in the bed that they made. But like a good father, he knows what they need to hear, we know Jesus is loving and kind but he still presents them with this opportunity to reflect on their own wrong doings. As much as he loves us and cares for us he’s willing to show us some tough love if it means its for our own good.

We have to acknowledge the detail in which he does this too, from verses 1-33 before he even ask the big question he outlines for them everything they are doing wrong. He gives them a detailed list of all the things that need to change.

And before we get on the pharisees for being pharisees, lets reflect a little bit. How many times have you felt conviction, through prayer, studying scripture, through worship, and you ignore it? In the same way Jesus outlines it clearly for them, he outlines it clearly for us. But its up to us what we choose to do in response.

Now heres the thing, Jesus knew what their fate was. He knew who would turn and who wouldn’t but he offers them this harsh and merciful warning. Church how amazing is it that we serve a responsive God? Thanks to the word that he’s given us we don’t have to sit around and wonder whats right and whats wrong, how should I be living my life?

Its right here! And if you think your question is unanswered you haven’t read enough.

Our big question: How will you avoid being sentenced to hell? Can be answered within these pages.

The answer to Jesus’ question is himself

How does one avoid being sentenced to hell? To put it simply, salvation through Jesus Christ. Thats the answer. This is where we start to see that everything Jesus does and says is constantly pointing back to him. The one asking the question is providing the answer! This is extremely important to understand because if you’re not careful you could read this out of context and think that Jesus is yelling at these teachers just to publicly shame them. Just to win the favor of others that dislike the pharisees. But Jesus would never do such a thing, instead he offers them a question, hoping that they will look for the answer. Knowing that if they look for the answer they will find HIM!

I use the word hoping intentionally. Jesus wants you to follow him. Sometimes we might make the mistake of thinking that Jesus is indifferent to whether we follow him or not. We can see through the passion by which he speaks how seriously he wants his people to turn to him and receive salvation. The book of Ezekiel actually provides a very similar warning to the one in Matthew.

Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”

The father desires a relationship with you. Jesus desires for you to choose him and receive salvation. Jesus is not some employee that gets paid the same whether you choose him or not. Jesus doesn’t have a quota to meet, his vacation time isn’t in jeopardy if he doesn’t land another sale. Jesus wants you to choose him.

The irony of this story is that the pharisees are standing face to face with the only way to salvation, and they reject him. The pharisees made a grave mistake by looking at salvation as something to be achieved. Something to acquire by jumping through hoops. And they overlooked the one person that could give it to them.

So church I ask you this morning. How are you answering this question? I think if we’re honest we answer it a few different ways depending on the day. If Jesus asked you “How will you avoid being sentenced to hell?

Would you respond by showing him a heavy Bible with a lot of notes in it?

Would you respond by explaining how good of a reputation you have amongst your friends?

Would you respond with your tithing history?

Or would you respond with a life full of evidence, a life full of practicing what you preach, a life full of putting Gods word above your comfort, a life full of obedience and closeness to the Father. A life that was spent getting closer and closer to Jesus.

If you’re in here right now and you’re thinking thats me. I’ve spent so much time chasing all of these other things trying to acquire salvation all the wrong ways. Hear me say this: Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” If thats you and you want to make the decision to commit your life to Christ today I encourage you don’t wait. Find a mentor, find me, find an elder or pastor and anyone here would love to help walk you through that today.

Tithe of Prayer

Last week we introduced a new thing that we’re doing called a “Tithe of Prayer”. Essentially what that means is we tithe all kinds of things, we tithe our money, we tithe our time, our resources, but what if we got into the practice of tithing our prayer. Taking a couple minutes to gather with the people around you and pray for something else.

I especially like this idea because I know how it can feel to listen to someone else pray. While you might be trying your best to pray on your own its so easy to get distracted. But there is something to be said for the communal side of prayer. Gathering with one another and instead of feeling like you’re spectating prayer, you begin to participate in prayer. So before we begin our prayer time i want to encourage you all to pray over something specific:

Pray over the pharisees in your life, when I say this I don’t mean pray over the teachers and preachers in your life, I mean anyone that still has the shovel in their hands. If you don’t remember earlier we used the analogy of making a problem worse and worse and digging yourself deeper and deeper thus making your relationship with God worse and worse. And Jesus gets to a point where he ask us to “Put down the shovel”.

There are a couple ways to go about it, you could pray specifically for people you know, you could pray without saying their name, or heres the fun part where you might have to be honest. You could pray for yourself. Say look I’ll be honest I’ve been digging for a while and I can’t seem to drop the shovel.

I encourage you to find someone close to you and share a couple minutes of prayer with them now.

WAIT 2 MINUTES

Conclusion

As the band comes up I ask that you use this time to answer these questions,

How will you avoid being sentenced to hell?

What are some of my pharisee like behaviors?

How can I live in such a way that is constantly pointing people to Jesus?

Lets pray