Minor over Major
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Pledge:
Passage: 23 “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. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
23 “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.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
Prayer:
ME:
How many of you are the youngest sibling?
How many of you are the middle child?
How many of you are the oldest?
Story of my younger brother.
Mom saying, “It’s easier!”
What we are going to look at this morning is this .....
Over emphasizing on minor things while neglecting the major things.
WHY?
Because it was easier!
Transitional Statement: Doing things because its easier is not just found in parenting ......
WE:
In life, we look for the easier way of doing things. (Not saying this a bad thing, just making a statement from my own personal life.)
If you think about it, society has done the same thing!
Look at our culture .....
We have a shop that desires to be the “One Stop Shop!” (WalMart)
Their entire business model is based on this idea!
Why do you think Amazon is such a big business?
They made shopping easier!
You don’t have to leave home!
Work items around the house have been invented to make life easier.
Weed-eaters (battery powered) (change the string in lest than 60 seconds)
Micro-Wave’s (easier and faster to prepare food)
3 minutes and I can have a bowl of popcorn!
We look for ways to make things easier!
But while its a good thing to make things easier, with some things, it could have a negative affect.
It could cause us to NOT WANT TO DO THE HARD STUFF!
Let me ask you, ....
.... It’s hard to make a marriage work!
.... It’s hard to raise Kids!
.... it’s hard to say you forgive someone who has hurt you bad, isn’t it?
.... it’s hard to love someone who doesn’t show the same in return.
No one has created an easier way to work at your marriage, raise your kids, forgive that person who hurt you, or Love the unlovable!
No one has created an easier way to extend grace to those who “WE FEEL” don’t deserve it!
Someone might say, “Jesus makes it easier!”
I would say this, “He makes it possible, but He doesn’t make it easier.”
It could cause us to NOT WANT TO DO THE HARD STUFF!
But while its a good thing to make things easier, with some things, it could cause us to NOT WANT TO DO THE HARD STUFF!
Even though we have not found an easier way to love someone, forgive someone, or extend grace to someone, We are still suppose to do it.
Why do some people choose not to do it?
Because it’s easier NOT TO!
Transition Statement: God doesn’t mind if we do things easier, just as long as we don’t neglect what matters most for the sake of easiness.
GOD:
In the 4th Woe we find in it deals with this issue.
Break down this passage!
Starts out just like the 1st and 2nd Woe!
Jesus, in making His point, address something that was not found in the written Torah but was practised by the Pharisees in respect to the Oral Torah.
Jesus said the Pharisee’s hold people to tithing their Herbs: mint, dill, and cumin (This is not mentioned in Duet. 14:22-23).
The Pharisees took the principle of tithing one’s crops, which is firmly fixed among the commandments of the OT (cf. Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22–23), to include even such herbs
The Pharisees took the principle of tithing one’s crops, which is firmly fixed among the commandments of the OT (cf. Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22–23), to include even such herbs
The Pharisees took the principle of tithing one’s crops, which is firmly fixed among the commandments of the OT (cf. ; ), to include even herbs.
The Pharisees took the principle of tithing one’s crops, which is firmly fixed among the commandments of the OT (cf. ; ), to include even such herbs
“and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law:”
The word “Neglected” is the Greek word (Aphiemi) which means OMIT!
This is not by accident. This word expresses the feel of “intentional.”
Meaning, they did not want to do the harder stuff.
It was easy to hold people accountable (collect the Tithe) than it was to address the “weightier matters.”
The phrase “Weightier matters” has one Greek word (Barys) which means “pertaining to being important because of unusual significance.” - MORE IMPORTANT.
The weightier things Jesus was referencing was: Justice, Mercy, and faithfulness.
WHY?
Because it was easier!
The Pharisees placed more emphasis on minor things and less emphasis on the major things.
WHY?
Because it was easier!
This is how the Pharisees operated ....
Minor Matters Elevated / Major Matters Neglected!
Transition Statement: Jesus is not the only one who dealt with this … we all deal with today.
YOU:
Marriage:
I talked to a guy once who told me his wife left him!
I asked him why?
She told him, “She was tied of him not thinking of her needs!”
He said, “Pastor, all I did was I forgot to take out the trash and she left me!”
The minor thing was elevated: Taking out the trash!
The Major thing was neglected: His wife’s needs!
Minor Matters Elevated / Major Matters Neglected!
School:
I remember my kids would come home from school!
I flunked the test, they would say!
Their excuse was, “The teacher doesn’t like me!
The teacher may not have liked them but after asking the one important question, (All parents know it!) “DID YOU STUDY?”
What were they trying to do? Minor matters elevated (Teacher not liking them) and Major matters neglected (They didn’t study)!
Let me say this to the teens so you wont feel too bad, “Most of us have used this excuse to our parents as well.”
Minor Matters Elevated / Major Matters Neglected!
Church:
Minor issues elevated all the while neglecting the Major issues.
I knew of a church that was fussing with one another over the color of the Carpet.
This was a Minor issue that was being elevated but all the while neglecting the Major issue.
What was the Major issue?
This church did not report 1 person coming to know Jesus Christ over the last 2-3 years.
Minor Matter Elevated: Color of the carpet! / Major Matter Neglected: Lost Souls!
Easier is always more appealing!
But ...... Easier is not always more effective!
I think we would all agree, there are some things in life that are just easier to point out and deal with than other things.
Most of the time, the minor things are easier to deal with!
Most of the time, the minor things are easier to deal with!
But the Major things are more difficult.
They require more energy, time, thought, and sometime more money!
It’s easier to complain about something than to praise!
This is why the Pharisees were more concerned about the action of tithing of herbs than the conduct of the peoples.
Justice being done, Mercy being given, and faithfulness being lived out.
Minor Matters Elevated, Major Matters Neglected!
HAVE THE PRAISE TEAM COME BACK UP ....
Transition Statement: I am sure we all can relate to this right?
We have elevated minor things and/or neglected the Major things!
HAVE THE PRAISE TEAM COME BACK UP ....
WE:
What if we all decided today we are going to be more aware of doing this, where ....
Minor Matters would be dealt with without blown out of proportion ....
and .... Major things would not be swept under the rug (Neglected intentionally)!
You might be asking, “How can I be more aware of this?”
How can we change this Woe to a Wow?
The Holy Spirit!
The Pharisees were made aware of this by Jesus!
The Word!
You may not have asked Jesus to come into your life yet but I believe the Lord can still help you by reading His word. (Prevenient Grace)
A good godly Friend!
Let’s be honest, Jesus was a friend to all sinners. He was a friend to the pharisee who desired him dead.
God can use a good godly friend to make you aware.
Let’s put this to practice right now!
Has the Holy Spirit brought something to your mind that was minor but you now see how you had elevated it all the while neglecting something major?
As we read God’s word this morning, did something come to mind that was minor but you now see how you elevated it all the while neglecting something major?
I would like to believe I am your friend!
As I was sharing this morning did something come to mind that was minor but you now see how you elevated it all the while neglecting something major?