A Woe to a Wow #1 "The Key"

Pledge

Passage: 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.”

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.

Pray

Me - Introduction

Have you ever felt like ......... you were Not good enough / Didn’t belong / Felt excluded from?

Worse yet .... Have you ever caused someone else to feel this way?

Last August, Shelly and I were blessed to see our son Logan marry his High School sweetheart (Meghan).

I have done close to 50 weddings over the last 20 years as a minister.

This wedding was the first one we were more involved with and was in the planning of it from the beginning.

I hope this doesn’t come out the wrong way but seeing everything that has to be done leading up to the wedding .....

Well lets just say I would rather have a root canal 4 weeks in a row that have to plan a wedding.

You have to understand, I am a visionary type person (Futuristic)

I see a point to shoot for and then get others to help get me there.

Do you know what all is involved in planning a wedding?

Some of you are shaking your heads yes ......

The venue

The reception hall

The flowers

The photographer

The Videographer

Here is where it gets really crazy ......

Who is going to be the Bridesmaids (Not everyone can be a bridesmaid)

Who is going to be the Groomsmen (Not everyone can be a groomsmen)

Who is going to be the maid of Honor (Someone didn’t make the cut)

Who is going to be your best man (Someone didn’t make the cut)

Out of these last four things someone was going to feel ...Not good enough / Didn’t belong / Felt excluded from!

Here comes the big daddy of them all ...... (This is where Shelly and I felt the worst about ....)

How many people can you afford to invite?

Mind you, everyone could not be invited to the wedding! (Financial reasons as well as the size of the venue)

Some people were going to feel ....... Not good enough / Didn’t belong / Felt excluded from.

Mind you .... this is unintentional. (For some it was intentional! Every family has that crazy aunt or uncle)

If you don’t you might be that aunt or uncle!

Shelly and I knew this was going to be the case! It just didn’t sit well with us. (We want everyone to feel like the are good enough/ they belong/ feel included!

TRANSITION STATEMENT

Has this ever happen to you? Have you every experienced something like this before?

WE - Introduction

I was on the other side of this dilemma just a couple of weeks ago!

My boss (Greg Story) got married!

I saw the pictures on FB.

I saw other pastors from the district in some of the pictures.

I wasn’t upset that I wasn’t invited!

I was fearful that it was expected of me to be there and I wasn’t!

I didn’t want Greg and Charity to feel like they didn’t matter to Shelly and I.

In case you were wondering, it was a small intimate wedding! Shelly and I didn’t make the cut!

I know this must have been hard on them!

Who to invite/who doesn’t get an invite!

You have to be believe some people felt like the were ..... Not good enough / Didn’t belong / Felt excluded from

TRANSITION STATEMENT

You ever wonder if this is how some people feel about the church?

Don’t get me wrong, I know there are some people, no matter what we do or don’t do, will always blame the church for making them feel like this (Even though its not true).

But I think you would agree with me there have been things done by the church that has caused people to feel like they ....... Not good enough / Didn’t belong / Felt excluded from.

LET ME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES:

Do you know we still have some churches today who make women feel like they are not good enough to serve in leadership?

Years ago we caused people to feel ostracized from the church because they were divorced.

A woman who got pregnant out of wedlock was shunned by the church.

Not advocating DIVORCE, SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE!

You ever wonder if this is how some people feel about the church?

GOD - Body

Jesus has something to say about this ...... Let’s take a look!

“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.”

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.

What Jesus is addressing in this verse is how the Pharisees and scribes (Religious leaders of the church) caused a group of people to feel like the were ..... Not good enough / Didn’t belong / Felt excluded from.

Let’s look at what was taking place leading up to this first WOE!

Chapter 22 - we had to understand the WHY before we could understand the WOE.

3 attempts to entrap Jesus with His words

First - The Law of the Land

Second - The Law of Moses

Third - The Commandments (Law of God)

Jesus then ask them a question “How do you see me?”

Son of David! (Wrong)

They never ask Jesus another question from that moment on.

Chapter 23 we see Jesus turn from the Religious leaders and address the crowd.

He is talking about the religious leaders (About them not to them)!

He says do what they say but don’t do what they do!

Then in verse 13 Jesus turns back to the Religious Leaders and says “Woe to You ...”

What we understand about a “WOE” is its a Prophetic indictment for behavior that will lead to disaster.

A parent saying to their child, “When we get home your in big trouble!”

This is a prophetic indictment!

So what is the Religious leaders in trouble for? (What is Jesus “Woe - ing” them about)?

They are SHUTTING the kingdom of Heaven up in the peoples faces!

They are preventing others from entering the Kingdom!

How are they doing this?

By their false burdensome teaching about the LAW!

The ones who were sitting on “Moses’s Seat” (23:2) who should have been revealing the KEY that would open the door for the others to experience the reality of the Kingdom of heaven, was actually keeping people out by causing them to ..... Not feel good enough / Didn’t belong / Felt excluded from.

TRANSITION STATEMENT

I wonder, is the church guilty of this today?

Better question, “Are we guilty of this today?”

YOU - Segway

You might be saying, “Its not my job to open the kingdom of heaven up to others!”

I would boldly disagree with you!

Not everybody is called to be a pastor (Expounding the word)

But we all are called to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven.

Do you realize we have the ability/wisdom/knowledge (through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us) to reveal the kingdom of heaven to a lost and broken world.

What would our world look like today if we embraced the idea that as a believer of Christ .......

...... our lives (Lived out in front of others)

...... our words (Spoken into others)

could be the KEY for others to enter the kingdom of heaven?

What if we embraced this?

Hey Dad and Mom,

what if I told you your life/words/ is the key to your children enjoying a life in Christ? A life in the Kingdom?

Hey Teenager,

what if I told you your life/words is the key to your friends experiencing a life in Christ? A life in the Kingdom?

Hey X.Y,Z, Baby boomers, Millennial generation

what if I told you your life/words is the key to your friends, your family members, experiencing a life in Christ? A life in the Kingdom?

You see, this is exactly what Jesus was telling the Religious people of His day! “YOU HAVE THE KEY!”

WOE TO YOU!

Your behavior doesn’t lead to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Your behavior leads to disaster. (A prophetic indictment.)

TRANSITION STATEMENT

Would it not be awesome if our church bought into the understanding that we hold the KEY?

Changing a WOE to WOW!

How do we do this? BE THE KEY!

Don’t place heavy, burdensome, unrealistic .... (I would even go as far as to say “Unbiblical”) .... expectation.

All I can relate this to is the NAZARENE Church!

Years ago you were ostracized if

...... you were divorced!

...... men had facial hair!

...... couldn’t wear a wedding ring!

...... coming to church you had to wear a suit/dress!

...... ladies were not allowed to cut your hair (in a bun) wear any make-up.

Nothing wrong with living like this if you desire too.

But when we place this on others as a requirement to enter into the Kingdom of heaven, it’s “SHUTTING THE DOOR IN THE FACES OF THOSE WHO DESIRE TO ENTER IN!”

And Jesus say’s “WOE TO THAT!”

HAVE THE PRAISE TEAM COME UP

WE - Conclusion

What if the church fostered an atmosphere that ....

“You belong here!”

“We love you right were you are at”

“You are welcome” in the Kingdom!

“You belong!”

What if instead of Jesus saying to the church, “WOE” he said ....

WOW Dad and Mom! Great Job being the KEY!

WOW teenager! Great Job being the KEY!

WOW X,Y,Z, Baby boomer, Millennial Generation! Great Job being the KEY!

Would there be someone here this morning willing to say, “I’M IN!”

I want to be the key for my kids to enter into the Kingdom!

I want to be the Key for my friends to enter into the Kingdom!

I want to be the Key for my family, co-worker, that stranger I come across to enter the Kingdom!

You see, if you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you.

HE IS THE KEY!

There might be someone here this morning saying who has never received Christ into your hearts.

Would you let us be the Key for you today?

Can I be the Key for you today?

Let me say this to you ..... your good enough / You belong / Your included here.