Hollow Religion

Prevailing Privilege

v. 17-18 Into Six Pieces

“You Call Yourself A Jew” - proud title; used as a surname

“Rely On the Law” - because they possessed; they were more noble “I think, therefore I am” kind of approach

“Boast In God” - not in a good way, but as to show an alleged favoritism.

“Know His Will” - in possession; they “represent”; what they say goes

“Approve What Is Excellent” - they see themselves as the purveyors of right and wrong; and what that should look like.

“Instructed from the law” - to add difficulty to it all; their continued and historical up brining in the law only made their blindness worse.

What’s Good For the Goose is Good For the Gander

You might replace “Jew” here with “Christian” now

Read and listen with sobriety: We are currently the elephants in the room.

We are fools if we don’t understand — We have hearts that “own the patent of truth of God”.

Dangerous Delusions

v. 19-20

The word of the Lord that is as Timothy says: 2 Timothy 3:16–17 “...breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Is the same word be backpack with; but is reduced to soilage because we pollute the world with our Self Righteousness; Sinful Hearts

Luke 18:9–13 “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”

Humbled Hearers

v. 21-24

Bad News: We are very much in danger of this; in fact some listening may even be in jeopardy of the Great White Throne of Judgment, because Christ never them.

Good News: God seeks to humble us, right now, that we might repent and turn away from this intoxicating life; and into true freedom in Christ Jesus. (It’s a message to humble us all).

Step 1: Embrace the Light — refuse to live behind false security; stop running from the truth. (The Talmud itself charged three of it’s most illustrious rabbis with adultery.)

Step 2: Look Upon the Filth You Bring — v. 24 We are responsible for the disparity of the world; our flesh renders more lust of the flesh in consumption we are never satisfied… that is why we must die… to our old selves.

Step 3: Pray for true Love — none of us love the Lord as we should, so we must depend upon the Lord for what we should love.

Benediction:

Romans 10:9–10 “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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”