Seven Woes and a Wail, Part 2

Most of us understand how it feels when were rebuked by someone who shows were falling short of the standard disappointing someone, we respect Xers feel like a failure today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll invites us to envision ourselves in the first century religious leaders imposed him possible standards know about their expectations. I gratefully Jesus had the tenacity to confront their pride and expose their hypocrisy. Let's pick up our study now in Matthew chapter 23 Chuck titled today's message seven woes and away Jesus being God see if there's anything a hypocrite doesn't want to happen is that someone see through them and call about exactly what Jesus is doing more to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites your careful to tithe even the tiniest tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law, you should tied yes but he adds do not neglect the more important things. This would you strain your water or your wine or your milk or whatever.

Maybe the beverage are going to drink you stretch the Muslim over the container and you pour the liquid onto that so that you can strain up and that by the way, was considered unclean, to the Jew the same time you are getting ready to swallow a camel. How Chris and examples of majoring in the mine. It is important that you and I as we grow in the Christian life here this continued to deal with what is essential and what's nonessential. What's worth making an issue over and what's worth overlooking every marriage that stays together. The husband and wife have learned how to do that every partnership. The partners have learned how to do that you won't major in the minors, you will major in the majors. If it's an issue that ought to be dealt with in order to be big enough to deal with but if it's something we all overlook, overlook, they didn't do that every nitpicking detail became important to the scribes and Pharisees, look at this next one. The fifth one in verse 25 woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for your careful to clean the outside of the club and the dish, but inside your filthy word. You are filthy, full of greed and self-indulgence.

You want to know something they've never heard such things said to them, you will not read of anyone else who confronted the one who came closest to was John the baptizer and you know what happened to him. Here is Jesus exposing them for what they are speaking of exposing reminds me turn my head to Hebrews chapter 4 of them show you a verse that's familiar, followed by one that you easily forget. Hebrews 412, along with 413 you remember the worse for the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. You know God's word cuts were no surgeons scalpel can go no surgeon can ever do work on the soul. Only God's word.

Does that. That's why when you feel conviction over things that are said it's the spirit of God cutting through right through the soul and spirit to reveal to you what is actually there. He says it exposes our even mow our innermost thoughts and desires. No other book on earth does this read as much.

Shakespeare is you like. You will not do self-examination by reading Shakespeare read any of the poets you will not do self-examination all their might be a thought or two that will make you think deeper, for sure, but you won't expose the truth that's within you like what he doesn't saying you are filthy on the inside. When he speaks, he speaks as the very word of God.

Now the verse that's often overlooked, but if the 13th verse. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.

Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes and he is the one to whom we are accountable before we go back to Matthew 23. Stay right here. Let those words sink in.

The negative is nothing is hidden. The positive is everything is naked and expose my hide from your best friend from your spouse from a calling that is so close. You know virtually everything about each other but you don't know everything God knows little.

He's not at all since you took your first breath he will know it all until you take your last. Nothing is hidden which is the beautiful part of following the Lord Jesus Christ when he knows us like this and accepts us as we are. No wonder it's called grace. The one who noses the best love since the most. Now back to Matthew 23 you will see where he says inside, you are filthy. That's why he was able to say that down here in verse 25 full of greed and self adult is God when he looked at them. He looked right, deep into their heart of hearts.

Nothing was hidden and how they hated that he says of them look first wash the inside of the cup and then the outside will become clean to they were interested in washing anything within themselves that you're busy looking for what's wrong in other lives so hypocritical delegate number six, the sixth, woe deals with spiritual contamination.

Talk about vivid words.

Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, your like whitewashed tomb whitewashed tombs sparkling beautiful resplendent white on the outside but filled on the inside with the stench of death, you can't get more of a contrast than that. All sorts of impurity outwardly you looks so righteous, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness rarely, but I can't say never. Rarely does a person acknowledge before others the truth of his own life when it was alive and active, as is the president of the navigators Lawrence Sammy told the story of a young man he was discipling mentoring, we would say today from the Air Force Academy), Colorado Springs young man happened to be the top of his class. I can't recall if he was a junior or senior but he was a respected cadet among the student body and they had a retreat Lord tells the story in he asks the young man if he would be willing to let him interviewing and the student of seemed a little bit uneasy about it but said he was okay if you want to do that so after a few general questions Lord said to him tell me what calling Frank tell me Frank, you have your time with the Lord and how is it help you in your in your walk, your Christian walk young man stood straight, looked Mr. Sammy straight in the eyes middle to the group and said Sir I don't have a quiet time. My life is empty and I've led you to believe I am one kind of man and I am not that at all. There were tears there were think is a recall Lauren broke the meeting up spent time with him and about my whole point in telling you this is how rare that sort of thing is put yourself in a small group have someone ask you about a part of your Christian life that you know is not what it should be, but it's made out to be a model is your moment either to fake it or acknowledge it.

That young man acknowledged it.

I will tell you don't know the percentage but it's a very very small percentage of individuals who are honest enough to say actually I'm not the person you think I can. I am a fake. I pretended to be. You can be sure not one scriber Pharisee ever told anyone that they were filthy on the inside, Jesus exposed for what it was when you walk with Christ, you open yourself to his accountability when you're willing to be mentored by someone you're saying, in effect, probing my life, point out areas that I need to acknowledge because I want to be sure and clean want to be a model of what this life is about. Even though I'll never be everything I should be. I certainly don't want to be a hypocrite. Now the last woe is one that brings us into this serious scene of murder woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you build tombs for the prophets.

Your ancestors killed you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed and you even say if we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets, but but there's that's contrast but in saying that you testified against yourselves that you are indeed the descendents of those who murdered the prophets. In fact, they are the very ones who are beginning to conspire against Jesus himself, you know that in your heart lies.

See, of murder, when Jesus comes to a conclusion. This, by the way it's in this section he calls them snakes and Vipers mute you can't be more more more vivid when it comes to the end. He looks at this at the nation Israel, which is if you will personified in the city of Jerusalem, and there is a there is a baleful awful way you'll he says, oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

It's as if you say all Israel. Israel always Israel listen to me.

You're the one who killed the prophets and stones in God's messengers, but the truth is, how often I listen to the to the compassion how often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks.

Can't you see it mother hand with her wings out pulling her chicks into protective under her wings, it's with a broken heart. He adds III would've brought you under my wings like it like a mother hand with her chicks and you would let me.

Many of you will remember your English literature days when you study the poets. One of them was John Greenleaf Whittier member. These words for all said words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these. It might have been.

It might have been as the tragedy of this wheel, Jerusalem.

Just think of what we go to bed Israel. Just think I'd so much to offer as your Messiah.

I came offering it to you how often I wanted to gather you but you fought against me. It might've been, but you would not have anything to do with.

I could have protected you set you free but you have nothing to do with Donna Barnhouse, preacher of yesteryear tells a moving story when he was just a lad walking with his little boots on.

As a boy through a barnyard that is just been on fire. And now the fire is been put out, but the embers the hot embers are everywhere and there were sparkling on the ground. This pretty good sparks from here and there and is walking through it kind of kicking the embers and he comes upon this like a little larger ball that sort of glowing fire charred remains of something and and and he kicks it and out flood eight or 10 little chicks from the charred remains of a mother hen that now scrawls out did before him as he watched as the chicks run to hide protected by the mother in they had found safety and now that the fire had ended. They they were freed and he said oh I would've taken you like a mother hand. How often but you wouldn't let me. You wouldn't come my way. I told you I am the way and the truth and the life. And I sent to you. No one comes to the father but through me. You wouldn't come wouldn't have it. Listen to those around us today in the real world out there and you'll hear resentment as you give the gospel message. Here's what's resented it's it's too exclusive Colusa say that the only way to God is through Christ. Will Christ says it God's plan is that you're going to come to him and enjoy his heaven, you're going to come his way. While a good God should let everyone into his heaven, whether or not they believe in Jesus you hear that, why because they cannot stand the thought of that exclusive message here. Here's another one a just and fair God will not will not treat you like that just and fair God will at least let religious people in and I want to go will wait I have just been talking about the most religious people who have ever lived on the planet. They dressed like religious people.

They sounded like religious people.

They went through the religious ordinances they had religious titles they were called by religious name that required religious rules and regulations. Surely they would be allowed in and look at the woes levels of them. You know why their hypocrisy condemned them it wouldn't come through Christ, how often I would take you but you wouldn't come.

You wouldn't come my way.

You refused it.

So, some even think about it theologically, and they say well, God's sovereign and he's gonna sovereignly have that moment when I take my stand before I was reading Verna McGee's book was last week on Matthew and he tells the story of a man who would just gotten a hold of the sovereignty of God and he is you often will see. Among those it just get it. He took it to seed and he said you know said preacher. The next Sunday. You know what I'm such a believer the sovereignty of God. I think I can walk out in the middle of the freeway and stand there until lowered, is preacher legitimate said you go out there in the middle of the freeway and stand logging up your hour has come. Now tell you you play long enough, whether it's theologically or logically or whatever and you go your way, you will never know what it is to be in God's heaven, it must be as he has designed. That's his sovereign right. By the way is his heaven.

So he controls the gate and since the gate is controlled by him and since Christ is the way and the only way and truth and life. You cannot know God.

Apart from faith in Christ Jesus and I am the way, with the way there is no going without the truth there is no knowing without the life there is no living. It's only through Christ and the Pharisees and Sadducees and scribes, and Herodian's those people in such authority refused the way, don't do that.

Don't dare do that.

Life's too short and eternity's too long wondered about your head so I give you listen so well to a message that hasn't been easy to sit through. I want you to ask yourself do I really know Christ have truly placed my faith and my trust in the Savior were ought to breathe.

My last tonight and stand before my maker could I say the only reason I have, to step into your heaven is because I'm Claude in the righteousness of Christ that became mind to claim when I trusted in your son right where you're sitting. The simplest of prayers, dear father, I'm lost. I'm a sinner I'm a hypocrite.

I act one way, but I believe another. I look like I'm sure but my thoughts are filthy I am wrong before you and I need to be made right and it can happen on my own, so please dear Lord, take me as I am. I trust in your son is my Savior right now. Father, we are grateful for the way you speak to us in such direct tones in terms thank you for exposing the truth of our lives. Thank you for giving our hearts such emptiness until they can be filled with your son Jesus, thank you for loving us and being willing to take us as we are and changes and deliver us from darkness to light, from confusion to purpose definition guide us, we pray as we close this meeting to a relationship with you that is honest, lasting sure, in the name of Jesus I pray this every once in a man. Jesus said I am the way and if you've made a decision to trust Christ as your Lord and Savior. For the first time today or you've simply made a decision to pursue Christ in new and meaningful ways would like to point you to a free resource that will guide you. Chuck Swindoll writes a daily devotional that sent via email. His practical writings cover a variety of everyday issues that will help you merge biblical truth with the realities of your life and there's no cost to request this devotional email from Insight for living.

When you follow the simple instructions and insight world.org/devotional and then if you'd prefer owning a tangible devotional book when you can hold in your hands will direct you to a resource from Chuck. It's a daily devotional called God's word for you about this resource. Chuck said this world offers so much that distractions from Christlike thoughts and actions, often to the point that we become to our need for soul nourishment. It's easy to spend our days seeking to be entertained or something that satisfies the soul much more fully when we think deeply and nourish our souls with spiritual truth with a purchase a copy of this 30 day devotional insight.org/offer and let me add that when you give a donation to Insight for living your gift empowers us to provide checks Bible teaching on radio and the Internet in your gift truly makes a difference. I just, I note the red thank you psych for changing my life now four years clean from all drugs of the support Insight for living today. Here's another call listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 four to give online, go to insight.or nine thieves Mike inviting you to join us again tomorrow. Dear the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll on Insight for living. The preceding message seven woes in a way was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R.

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