Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

Prayer

Introduction:

Let me tell you a story from my childhood

Review

Two weeks ago we talked about the introduction to the passage that we are looking at today.

Interesting Structure

Introduction (vss.

1-12)

A. First woe (vs.

13)

B. Second woe (vs.

15)

C. Third woe

D. Fourth woe

C. Fifth woe

B. Sixth woe

A. Seventh woe

Conclusion (vs.

33-36)

Exposition

The first “woe” and the seventh “woe” go together

Based on all the context for the last several weeks and leading up to this, clearly these religious leaders have failed to recognize Jesus as messiah

Reminder, “scribes and pharisees” stands for all Jewish leadership

They have failed to recognize the kind of King he came to be and the kind of Kingdom in which they claim to want to enter.

Not only do they refuse to recognize the King or enter His kingdom but they actively seek to prevent others from doing so.

“Enter the kingdom of heaven” is used in Matthew to talk about ultimate spiritual salvation

They claim to sit in the seat of Moses but are actually fighting against the one who truly does.

Illustration

This situation is similar to one that happened to my family recently...

But with dire consequences

Restaurant with broken credit card machine.

Transition to second text of first point

So in verse 13, the pharisees miss the way to be part of the kingdom

In verses 29-32, as we are about to see, the pharisees, while missing the messiah, actively proclaim that, if they had been living in the Old Testament days, they would not have missed the forerunners of the Messiah, the prophets.

Read with me...

Jesus circles back to this teaching in the seventh woe.

They believe that they are different than those who came before them.

They see themselves as the hero’s in the OT Scriptures rather than those who failed

But they are the Israelites when Moses went to the Mountain top

They are David when he sinned

They are Solomon when he turned to idols

They are those who failed to recognize and embrace the prophets just as they failed to recognize the King and enter His kingdom.

Illustration

“I keep expecting the Chargers to not be the Chargers any more”

I. Realize that Jesus is the prophesied King and enter His kingdom(13; 29-32)

Application:

The question is, who are you when you read the Bible?

Do you identify with the Hero or the sinner?

Let me tell you, I identify with the sinner, the one who failed.

Jesus is the hero

When you read the Scriptures, yes, learn from and emulate the good examples but recognize that you have failed just as everyone else has failed but where we failed, Jesus succeeded.

Exposition 2

We don’t think of Pharisees seeking to make converts

They did

In fact many scholars believed that Pauls time as a Pharisee uniquely prepared him to be the great evangelist that he was.

Notice, Jesus doesn’t criticize them for trying to reach the lost but for leading the lost to be a “child of hell” rather than a kingdom citizen

The Pharisees led their converts to a false

II.

See that Jesus’ righteousness is more than a superficial cleaning, it is a transformation of heart.

(15; 27-28)

Exposition 3

“You clean the outside of the cup and the plate” should be “You empty the cup and the plate:

Shammaites, Hillelites

Jesus is pointing away from “ceremonial cleaning” and pointing to actual cleaning.

III.

Recognize that the Word of God does not give guidance simply to sanctify things but to sanctify hearts (16-22; 25-26)

Exposition 4

IV.

Learn that God’s Word and His righteousness are fundamentally good and radically transformational (23-24)

Exposition 5 (Conclusion)

Serpents/brood of vipers

“Hell” Gehenna

V. Know that apart from the grace of God, none can escape being sentenced to hell (33-36)

Is following Jesus a crutch?

No, a crutch implies just a help to move on our own.

If Jesus must be compared to a medical device He is more like a defibrillator, bringing to life that which is dead