Matthew 23
July Memory Verse: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
Read: Mathew 23
In Matthew 23 we see some bold words from Jesus to the Pharisees. This is His last public message to the people before He was crucified and He wanted to make sure that He left no stone unturned. He was denouncing them publicly to make sure people knew that the way to God He was telling them about was VASTLY different from what they had heard from the Pharisees…
1) HE CALLED OUT THEIR VIEW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v.1-3)
“To the Pharisee, righteousness meant outward conformity to the law of God. They ignored the inward condition of the heart.” - Warren Wiersbe
They were about looking good on the outside. Jesus was about transforming the inside. This is exactly what Jesus was preaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Not only that, but they were hypocrites. They did not even practice what they taught to the people fully, yet they considered themselves righteous. They had self-righteousness… they did not have God-given righteousness.
It is so easy to get here, but we have to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is our righteousness - 2 Corinthians 5:21.
2) HE CALLED OUT THEIR VIEW OF MINISTRY (v.4)
They acted as if ministry was placing legalistic practices on people while pointing to how good they were. That is not ministry. Ministry is helping people see and know a loving and holy God who wants to redeem them and know them on the the most intimate level.
Jesus did not come to make our burdens heavy but light - Matthew 11:28-30.
3) THEY HAD A FALSE CONCEPT OF GREATNESS (v.5-12)
“To them, success meant recognition by men and praise from men. They were not concerned about the approval of God.” - Warren Wiersbe
Jesus flipped this on its head. True greatness is found in serving others… in humility… in pointing people to the one who is truly great.
After explaining this to the people, Jesus pronounced seven woes on the Pharisees about how they were blinded and a hindrance to the kingdom of God. But Jesus did not pronounce judgement… yet. They still had time to turn to Him. Jesus still loved them. He still died for them.
Why is it so easy to fall into a false view of righteousness, ministry, and greatness? How does studying the life and teachings of Jesus help us keep a right view?
By: Nick Parsons
Read: Mathew 23
In Matthew 23 we see some bold words from Jesus to the Pharisees. This is His last public message to the people before He was crucified and He wanted to make sure that He left no stone unturned. He was denouncing them publicly to make sure people knew that the way to God He was telling them about was VASTLY different from what they had heard from the Pharisees…
1) HE CALLED OUT THEIR VIEW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v.1-3)
“To the Pharisee, righteousness meant outward conformity to the law of God. They ignored the inward condition of the heart.” - Warren Wiersbe
They were about looking good on the outside. Jesus was about transforming the inside. This is exactly what Jesus was preaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Not only that, but they were hypocrites. They did not even practice what they taught to the people fully, yet they considered themselves righteous. They had self-righteousness… they did not have God-given righteousness.
It is so easy to get here, but we have to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is our righteousness - 2 Corinthians 5:21.
2) HE CALLED OUT THEIR VIEW OF MINISTRY (v.4)
They acted as if ministry was placing legalistic practices on people while pointing to how good they were. That is not ministry. Ministry is helping people see and know a loving and holy God who wants to redeem them and know them on the the most intimate level.
Jesus did not come to make our burdens heavy but light - Matthew 11:28-30.
3) THEY HAD A FALSE CONCEPT OF GREATNESS (v.5-12)
“To them, success meant recognition by men and praise from men. They were not concerned about the approval of God.” - Warren Wiersbe
Jesus flipped this on its head. True greatness is found in serving others… in humility… in pointing people to the one who is truly great.
After explaining this to the people, Jesus pronounced seven woes on the Pharisees about how they were blinded and a hindrance to the kingdom of God. But Jesus did not pronounce judgement… yet. They still had time to turn to Him. Jesus still loved them. He still died for them.
Why is it so easy to fall into a false view of righteousness, ministry, and greatness? How does studying the life and teachings of Jesus help us keep a right view?
By: Nick Parsons
4 Comments
v.3b) For they don't practice what they teach.
"Your talk talks and your walk talks,
but your walk talks louder than your talk talks"
I remember hearing Todd Thomas say this years ago when Tina and I became members of CPC in 2010. Todd heard this from a ministry mentor he had many years ago. It is critically important that we have a clear understanding of God's word and then live it out in our day to day lives. Jesus had harsh words for the Pharisees who knew the word of God but lived in a manor that denied its truth.
Our culture is in desperate need of the good news of Jesus. I pray that God gives us the wisdom and courage to live out The Word in our lives so that others can see Jesus in us. Thanks for the good word today Nick!
Thanks Nick. You're right, it is so easy to get there, where we do all the right things, for all the wrong reasons. I know I've been there. We go to church, serve, read our Bible, etc. all because we are 'supposed to'. When in reality, it should be all about inner motivation. We shouldn't do things simply to look good to others. Instead, we do things to grow closer to God as we strive to become more and more like Jesus.
Don't get me wrong, you aren't always going to 'feel like' doing certain things, and that's where discipline comes in. But strive for God's approval, not man's.
I love this quote - Ministry is helping people see and know a loving and holy God who wants to redeem them and know them on the the most intimate level. Great job!
If the doing comes from an obedient heart, even when you don't really feel like doing something, God will honor that by giving you the right desires of your heart. I'm so grateful for that, because I do not generate goodness on my own.
Thanks for your word today, Nick!