Keeping the Gospel Central: Avoiding Hypocrisy and Misplaced Zeal
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "We don't stand condemned because God didn't like some things we did. We stand condemned because we chose to rebel against him and his way. In our sin, we deserve hell. But the good news of the gospel is that God and his great love and his great grace came after us. To make a way for us to be restored to him. So that we didn't have to have hell, but we could have heaven. We could be in his kingdom, restored to life, restored to his glory forever. He did that through becoming flesh. And taking on our sin. All upon himself. Living a perfect life that we can never die. But then in the great substitute, dying the death we deserve to die in our place. For our sin. And then having paid the penalty for our sin in full. He rose again on the third day. So that any who would put their faith in Jesus. Surrendering their lives to him. Would be saved. Would be restored to God. Would be able to escape being condemned to hell." [06:16]
2. "How can you escape from being condemned to hell? That's the question Jesus lays on the scribes and the Pharisees in the text we're going to be in this morning. How can you escape from being condemned to hell? If you have a Bible with you, let me invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 23, verses 13 through 16. And as you're turning there, I'll remind you that last week we saw Jesus speaking to the crowds and also to his disciples that were in the temple complex. He's been having this back and forth conversation with the religious leaders there in the temple complex, particularly the scribes and the Pharisees. And last week he called out their hypocrisy. And he was warning the crowds that were there and his followers to not... ...to fall into the temptation of the scribes and Pharisees to not become the hypocrites that they were." [03:43]
3. "It's what baptism's about. The Apostle Paul, he talks about it in Romans. How when we've been baptized in Christ, we've been buried, we've been buried with Him in His death. We've been raised in a new way of life, spiritually. That's talking about something that's happened on the inside. That we have in faith trusted in Jesus' life, in His death, in His resurrection, so that we've died to the old self. We've died to our sin. So that we could be raised up with Him to a new life. But the water baptism, what we just did, we put somebody under and bring them back up, that doesn't save anyone. That's just meant to be an outward picture of something that's happened inwardly. An outward profession that I have died to myself and I've been raised to new life." [40:03]
4. "I was in India on a mission trip. And it was just, it was crazy when we were there. This was in February of 2020, right before the coronavirus broke out. And it just so happened that the president was coming to tour India and he was only a few days behind us, okay? And so, if you've ever been to India, it's not the cleanest of countries. And I say that with as much respect as I possibly can. But it's dirty. Just trash laying everywhere. It's not really something they focus that much on. But because the president from the United States of America was going to be coming into town the day that we were at the Taj Mahal, he was three days behind us. There were people out there, workers on their hands and knees with little brooms, like sweeping up every little thing they could find to get. Picking up every little piece of trash. They were laying bricks on the side of the road in the best way that they possibly could. Why? Because they wanted to make it look like something because there was someone coming. But the reality is, that's not how it was all the time." [37:12]
### Quotes for Members
1. "Church, I want to say this morning. For our own sake and for the sake of others all around us. We must get the gospel right. We must get the gospel right. So that we don't fall into the temptation of the scribes and the Pharisees. To think that there are. Some religious things that we can do. To make ourselves right before God. To think that if we check the right boxes. And we go through the right motions. Then God has to let us in. We have to get it right for ourselves in that regard. But we also have to get it right so that we don't lead others astray. Giving them some sort of false sense of assurance. That if they do certain things then they're okay and can go to heaven." [07:43]
2. "Jesus condemns religious zeal without gospel knowledge. Right? It starts there in verse 13. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees. Hypocrites. You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you don't go in. And you don't allow those entering to go in. Woe to you. You travel over land and sea to make one convert. And when he becomes one you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are. Think of the image here. That Jesus is using. A door. Right? And this isn't any door. This is the door. Into the kingdom of God. And the Pharisees and the scribes. They're standing right outside of it. Really right beside of it. Because we understand Jesus is the door. He uses that of himself in John. He calls himself the gate. I am the gate. Anyone who enters by me. Enters in. Right? He is the way. The truth and the life. He talks about Jesus is the door. The scribes and the Pharisees are standing right beside the door. And yet they refuse to go in. There must be another way. And not only will they not go in themselves. When others are walking toward that door. And about to walk through it. They say no, no, no. Don't go that way. Come with us. They shut the door in people's faces. Preventing them from going in." [15:09]
3. "Jesus condemns selective, corrective, and neglective reading of and obedience to the scripture. We often pick upon people, particularly, I don't know why, it's usually us men, for having selective hearing, like wives. Any of you wives have a husband who has selective hearing? Okay, a couple of you just don't want to, you're afraid of what might happen when you get home. But yeah, a couple hands went up, right? But what do we pick? They conveniently hear the things they want to hear and they choose not to hear the things they don't want to hear. That's at least the object of selective hearing, right? But now, we can't let the women off free on that. Because I think women have a way of corrective hearing, okay? I mean, it's a nice day outside and your husband comes up to you and says, isn't the weather beautiful? Why don't we go for a walk? And all of a sudden, what have you said, man? Why do I need to go for a walk? Are you calling me fat? They correct what you're saying. They read into it and want to interpret it in a different way than the actual words that come out of your mouth. And then there's the neglective kind of hearing where, like, I mean, I've done this before, but I pick on my kids with it. You tell them to go do something, they're like, I don't want to do that. And they just neglect what you tell them to do. But do you understand, this is exactly what Jesus is condemning the scribes and the Pharisees for doing when it comes to the Word of God. They're selective in what they choose to hear and what they choose to obey. They neglect, neglect some things while they choose to really press in and be scrupulous over others." [23:39]
4. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin. You're tithing these things, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law. Justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. Blind guys, you strain out a gnat, but gulp down a camel. They were scrupulous when it came to giving their tithe. Even down to not just the big things, but to the smallest of herbs in the garden. They made sure to get a tenth of their mint and their dill, and their cumin, and give to that. Man, they were getting it when it came to giving their tithe right. And notice here, Jesus doesn't say that's wrong, by the way. Some of us don't even qualify to be Pharisees, right? He doesn't say it's wrong that they tithe. He says, you've actually got this part right. What's the problem, though, church? While they're making sure they're doing this, they're giving their tithe, they're scrupulous in this matter, they were neglecting the weightier matters of the law. In other words, they majored in the minor things, and then they neglected the major things." [28:43]
5. "We must get the gospel right, church. We must not miss the gospel in the midst of our religion so that we don't have zeal without gospel knowledge. Next we see Jesus condemns selective, corrective, and neglective reading of and obedience to the scripture. Jesus condemns selective, corrective, and neglective reading of and obedience to the scripture. We often pick upon people, particularly, I don't know why, it's usually us men, for having selective hearing, like wives. Any of you wives have a husband who has selective hearing? Okay, a couple of you just don't want to, you're afraid of what might happen when you get home. But yeah, a couple hands went up, right? But what do we pick? They conveniently hear the things they want to hear and they choose not to hear the things they don't want to hear. That's at least the object of selective hearing, right? But now, we can't let the women off free on that. Because I think women have a way of corrective hearing, okay? I mean, it's a nice day outside and your husband comes up to you and says, isn't the weather beautiful? Why don't we go for a walk? And all of a sudden, what have you said, man? Why do I need to go for a walk? Are you calling me fat? They correct what you're saying. They read into it and want to interpret it in a different way than the actual words that come out of your mouth. And then there's the neglective kind of hearing where, like, I mean, I've done this before, but I pick on my kids with it. You tell them to go do something, they're like, I don't want to do that. And they just neglect what you tell them to do. But do you understand, this is exactly what Jesus is condemning the scribes and the Pharisees for doing when it comes to the Word of God. They're selective in what they choose to hear and what they choose to obey. They neglect, neglect some things while they choose to really press in and be scrupulous over others." [23:39]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "We don't stand condemned because God didn't like some things we did. We stand condemned because we chose to rebel against him and his way. In our sin, we deserve hell. But the good news of the gospel is that God and his great love and his great grace came after us. To make a way for us to be restored to him. So that we didn't have to have hell, but we could have heaven. We could be in his kingdom, restored to life, restored to his glory forever. He did that through becoming flesh. And taking on our sin. All upon himself. Living a perfect life that we can never die. But then in the great substitute, dying the death we deserve to die in our place. For our sin. And then having paid the penalty for our sin in full. He rose again on the third day. So that any who would put their faith in Jesus. Surrendering their lives to him. Would be saved. Would be restored to God. Would be able to escape being condemned to hell." [06:16]
2. "How can you escape from being condemned to hell? That's the question Jesus lays on the scribes and the Pharisees in the text we're going to be in this morning. How can you escape from being condemned to hell? If you have a Bible with you, let me invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 23, verses 13 through 16. And as you're turning there, I'll remind you that last week we saw Jesus speaking to the crowds and also to his disciples that were in the temple complex. He's been having this back and forth conversation with the religious leaders there in the temple complex, particularly the scribes and the Pharisees. And last week he called out their hypocrisy. And he was warning the crowds that were there and his followers to not... ...to fall into the temptation of the scribes and Pharisees to not become the hypocrites that they were." [03:43]
3. "It's what baptism's about. The Apostle Paul, he talks about it in Romans. How when we've been baptized in Christ, we've been buried, we've been buried with Him in His death. We've been raised in a new way of life, spiritually. That's talking about something that's happened on the inside. That we have in faith trusted in Jesus' life, in His death, in His resurrection, so that we've died to the old self. We've died to our sin. So that we could be raised up with Him to a new life. But the water baptism, what we just did, we put somebody under and bring them back up, that doesn't save anyone. That's just meant to be an outward picture of something that's happened inwardly. An outward profession that I have died to myself and I've been raised to new life." [40:03]
4. "I was in India on a mission trip. And it was just, it was crazy when we were there. This was in February of 2020, right before the coronavirus broke out. And it just so happened that the president was coming to tour India and he was only a few days behind us, okay? And so, if you've ever been to India, it's not the cleanest of countries. And I say that with as much respect as I possibly can. But it's dirty. Just trash laying everywhere. It's not really something they focus that much on. But because the president from the United States of America was going to be coming into town the day that we were at the Taj Mahal, he was three days behind us. There were people out there, workers on their hands and knees with little brooms, like sweeping up every little thing they could find to get. Picking up every little piece of trash. They were laying bricks on the side of the road in the best way that they possibly could. Why? Because they wanted to make it look like something because there was someone coming. But the reality is, that's not how it was all the time." [37:12]
### Quotes for Members
1. "Church, I want to say this morning. For our own sake and for the sake of others all around us. We must get the gospel right. We must get the gospel right. So that we don't fall into the temptation of the scribes and the Pharisees. To think that there are. Some religious things that we can do. To make ourselves right before God. To think that if we check the right boxes. And we go through the right motions. Then God has to let us in. We have to get it right for ourselves in that regard. But we also have to get it right so that we don't lead others astray. Giving them some sort of false sense of assurance. That if they do certain things then they're okay and can go to heaven." [07:43]
2. "Jesus condemns religious zeal without gospel knowledge. Right? It starts there in verse 13. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees. Hypocrites. You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you don't go in. And you don't allow those entering to go in. Woe to you. You travel over land and sea to make one convert. And when he becomes one you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are. Think of the image here. That Jesus is using. A door. Right? And this isn't any door. This is the door. Into the kingdom of God. And the Pharisees and the scribes. They're standing right outside of it. Really right beside of it. Because we understand Jesus is the door. He uses that of himself in John. He calls himself the gate. I am the gate. Anyone who enters by me. Enters in. Right? He is the way. The truth and the life. He talks about Jesus is the door. The scribes and the Pharisees are standing right beside the door. And yet they refuse to go in. There must be another way. And not only will they not go in themselves. When others are walking toward that door. And about to walk through it. They say no, no, no. Don't go that way. Come with us. They shut the door in people's faces. Preventing them from going in." [15:09]
3. "Jesus condemns selective, corrective, and neglective reading of and obedience to the scripture. We often pick upon people, particularly, I don't know why, it's usually us men, for having selective hearing, like wives. Any of you wives have a husband who has selective hearing? Okay, a couple of you just don't want to, you're afraid of what might happen when you get home. But yeah, a couple hands went up, right? But what do we pick? They conveniently hear the things they want to hear and they choose not to hear the things they don't want to hear. That's at least the object of selective hearing, right? But now, we can't let the women off free on that. Because I think women have a way of corrective hearing, okay? I mean, it's a nice day outside and your husband comes up to you and says, isn't the weather beautiful? Why don't we go for a walk? And all of a sudden, what have you said, man? Why do I need to go for a walk? Are you calling me fat? They correct what you're saying. They read into it and want to interpret it in a different way than the actual words that come out of your mouth. And then there's the neglective kind of hearing where, like, I mean, I've done this before, but I pick on my kids with it. You tell them to go do something, they're like, I don't want to do that. And they just neglect what you tell them to do. But do you understand, this is exactly what Jesus is condemning the scribes and the Pharisees for doing when it comes to the Word of God. They're selective in what they choose to hear and what they choose to obey. They neglect, neglect some things while they choose to really press in and be scrupulous over others." [23:39]
4. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin. You're tithing these things, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law. Justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. Blind guys, you strain out a gnat, but gulp down a camel. They were scrupulous when it came to giving their tithe. Even down to not just the big things, but to the smallest of herbs in the garden. They made sure to get a tenth of their mint and their dill, and their cumin, and give to that. Man, they were getting it when it came to giving their tithe right. And notice here, Jesus doesn't say that's wrong, by the way. Some of us don't even qualify to be Pharisees, right? He doesn't say it's wrong that they tithe. He says, you've actually got this part right. What's the problem, though, church? While they're making sure they're doing this, they're giving their tithe, they're scrupulous in this matter, they were neglecting the weightier matters of the law. In other words, they majored in the minor things, and then they neglected the major things." [28:43]
5. "We must get the gospel right, church. We must not miss the gospel in the midst of our religion so that we don't have zeal without gospel knowledge. Next we see Jesus condemns selective, corrective, and neglective reading of and obedience to the scripture. Jesus condemns selective, corrective, and neglective reading of and obedience to the scripture. We often pick upon people, particularly, I don't know why, it's usually us men, for having selective hearing, like wives. Any of you wives have a husband who has selective hearing? Okay, a couple of you just don't want to, you're afraid of what might happen when you get home. But yeah, a couple hands went up, right? But what do we pick? They conveniently hear the things they want to hear and they choose not to hear the things they don't want to hear. That's at least the object of selective hearing, right? But now, we can't let the women off free on that. Because I think women have a way of corrective hearing, okay? I mean, it's a nice day outside and your husband comes up to you and says, isn't the weather beautiful? Why don't we go for a walk? And all of a sudden, what have you said, man? Why do I need to go for a walk? Are you calling me fat? They correct what you're saying. They read into it and want to interpret it in a different way than the actual words that come out of your mouth. And then there's the neglective kind of hearing where, like, I mean, I've done this before, but I pick on my kids with it. You tell them to go do something, they're like, I don't want to do that. And they just neglect what you tell them to do. But do you understand, this is exactly what Jesus is condemning the scribes and the Pharisees for doing when it comes to the Word of God. They're selective in what they choose to hear and what they choose to obey. They neglect, neglect some things while they choose to really press in and be scrupulous over others." [23:39]
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