Woe To Legalizers

Inside Out: The Heart of True Religion

1. Cleanse the Core

Luke 11:37-41

Luke 11:37 NIV

When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table.

Luke 11:38 NIV

But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

Luke 11:39 NIV

Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

Luke 11:40 NIV

You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?

Luke 11:41 NIV

But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

Proverbs 16:2 NIV

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.

2. Prioritize Purposefully

Luke 11:42-44

Luke 11:42 NIV

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

Luke 11:43 NIV

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

Luke 11:44 NIV

“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

Proverbs 21:2 NIV

A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Proverbs 21:3 NIV

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

3. Lift the Load

Luke 11:45-52

Luke 11:45 NIV

One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

Luke 11:46 NIV

Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

Luke 11:47 NIV

“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them.

Luke 11:48 NIV

So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.

Luke 11:49 NIV

Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’

Luke 11:50 NIV

Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,

Luke 11:51 NIV

from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

Luke 11:52 NIV

“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

Proverbs 26:12 NIV

Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.

4. Stand Strong

Luke 11:53-54

Luke 11:53 NIV

When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions,

Luke 11:54 NIV

waiting to catch him in something he might say.

Proverbs 30:12 NIV

those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;