Heavy Burdens

Matthew 23:4

Introduction

We live in a world filled with immorality.

Sometimes we may think that the world doesn’t even believe in morality.

But it is not true. If anything, the world is using the word evil more than ever.

So it is not a matter of believing good and evil exist, it is a matter of who defines the terms.

People will always distinguish between right and wrong. Just like we need to be careful about letting the world tell us what is right, we need to also reject their definitions of the wrong.

Daniel Patrick Moynahan and Charles Krauthammer - defining deviancy down and defining deviancy up (Isa. 5:20).

Extreme Ideals

God calls on our time and attention in many diverse ways (1 Thess. 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:15; Deut. 6:6-10).

But divided attention is not sin (1 Cor. 7:32-34, 28).

Failure to divide your attention could actually be sinful (Mk. 7:10-13; 1 Tim. 5:8).

It is men who create impossible ideals and call it sin when men fail (Matt. 23:4; 1 Jn. 5:3; Deut. 30:11).

A couple of takeaways here:

Expand the definition of sin until we are all equally in the throws of sin all the time. We are all walking around with beams 24/7 and there is no room to say anything about any sin that anyone else is committing.

It is a way to minimize the things that God actually calls sin. Make actual sin basically on a level with normal everyday activity.

If sin is defined in this way, then obedience is out of reach, and is too hard for us. We are only responsible for what is within our capacity to do.

Sins that Love Covers

Love for one another is an important aspect in dealing with sin (1 Pet. 4:8).

Notice the role of hatred in the rest of the quote (Prov. 10:12).

We see the role of hatred and love in accusations of sin by the Pharisees (Matt. 12:7).

Love does not erase actual transgression, but it will abolish perceived sin (Rom. 12:9-21).

Preference Made Moral

We all have a tendency to elevate our preferences and it often involves food (Rom. 14).

People make sin out of where you buy your stuff (1 Cor. 10:25-26).

They make sin out of how much you pay for stuff (Jn. 12:3-9).

They make sin out of how healthy your purchases are (Prov. 13:4; 15:30; Isa. 17:4; 1 Cor. 9:25; 1 Tim. 4:8).

This is not even to say that all preferences are equal (Ecc. 2:13).

It is to say that if there is sin, it is in the heart and not the food (1 Tim. 4:1-5).

Conclusion

Some folks make God so complicated that they forget the repeated refrain of Solomon (Ecc. 2:24; 3:13; 5:18; 8:15; 9:7).

Now, if you are feeling better about some of these areas where you have felt condemnation, good!

But if you are feeling pride in some of these areas, there is a difference in saying you have not sinned, and you have no room for improvement.

Just because I have no cause for shame, doesn’t mean I have room to boast (2 Tim. 2:15; Lk. 17:10).

Jesus does not call you to a life of impossible standards. He calls you to a life of blessing. His standards pull you away from misery. They do not create it.