The Reason You Aren't Improving

Why Jordans were (and are) so popular.

We think that if we dress like him we will be like him. Foolish, right?

Passage: Luke 11:37-54

Big idea: improvement comes by changing who you are, not what you do

The problem is that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law have the wrong focus. Their focus is squarely on what someone is doing. I don’t mean to say that has no meaning, but Jesus has a different focus: who they are.

The Gospel according to Luke A Table Prepared in the Presence of His Enemies (11:37–54)

Jesus’ involvement with unclean crowds and his failure to wash before eating would have been particularly offensive to a Pharisee.

At this dinner party, Jesus basically used the wrong fork. Of all the surprising things Jesus has done in his ministry, this is the one that stands out?! This shows the mis-focus of the pharisees. The result of their rules and guidelines made it so that they could follow all the rules, yet still have hearts that are far from God.

Does that idea scare you? Maybe you have been raised in a house with a lot of rules. Maybe you feel like Christianity is a religion centered around rules. I am here to tell you that it isn’t. There are a lot of rules, but these rules were never intended to change your behavior. Does that surprise you?

Romans 3:20 ESV

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Because, guess what? At the core of Christianity is an understanding that we cannot, ever, no matter how many rules or incentives or threats or guidelines, ever make ourselves righteous. In fact, if you believe that by following the rules, you can make yourself righteous, you don’t know what Christianity is.

Instead, the actions of these leaders reveals what is going on inside of them. Are they interested in being generous to the poor (v. 41)? No. There is no reward in that. The poor aren’t going to pay you back, they may not even be thankful. It costs you, but there is no ROI. This is why giving to the poor, caring for the least of these, is so close to the heart of God. In fact, roughly 300x the Bible tells us to care for the poor and needy. These are the opposite of “greed and wickedness” and flow from a pure heart.

However, getting to church early and being respected in town (v. 43), there are some instant rewards there. This is compelling to them.

The sad thing is, these guys are so focused on behavior, they have convinced themselves they are good. But Jesus point with the washing. If the inside is dirty, not amount of cleaning on the outside will matter (v. 39).

Tupperware with poop in it.

How would you clean this?

And this is supremely sad because these are teachers, examples, those who should be followed. Jesus uses this analogy: unmarked graves (v. 44).

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary 5. Woe to the Pharisees (11:42–44)

There is irony in the comparison of the religious Pharisees, who thought so well of themselves, to these unsuspected sources of defilement. People who walked over unmarked graves became ceremonially unclean. And people who walked in the teaching and ways of the Pharisees became morally unclean.

Discussion of bloodletting and leeches.

How profoundly sad that these people were trusting these Doctors to make them better and in the end they made them worse.

So these teachers, the Pharisees, are making people worse who come to them to get better. How are they making things worse? (v. 46)

Here is an example:

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary 6. Woe to the Lawyers (11:45–54)

On the sabbath, they taught, a man may not carry a burden ‘in his right hand or in his left hand, in his bosom or on his shoulder’. But he may carry it ‘on the back of his hand, or with his foot or with his mouth or with his elbow, or in his ear or in his hair or in his wallet (carried) mouth downwards, or between his wallet and his shirt, or in the hem of his shirt, or in his shoe or in his sandal’

Friends: trying to improve what I do without changing who I am is a major part of my testimony. I thought that by following all of the rules I would be able to make myself acceptable to God. But as long as those “good deeds” were flowing out of a heart that was trying to justify itself, they would never make any progress. And I didn’t. I never improved.

As long as we think of the problem being out there then we will focus on externals. However, there will NEVER BE LASTING IMPROVEMENT.

So, have I just basically told you that change is impossible? Yes. But what is impossible for man is possible with God!

You would NEVER eat out of this Tupperware, right? But what if it was recycled and then reformed, would you then? Sure you would. This is the only solution.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

And how are we saved? By the blood! (v. 50)

Challenge:

Don’t leave the former undone (v. 42)

This is NOT an excuse for disobedience!

Check what you love (v. 42-43)

Watch your response (v. 53)