1 00:00:00,050 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker: all right, Matthew chapter 23, we're gonna be looking at one of the, 2 00:00:04,070 --> 00:00:06,650 one of the wildest passages in the Bible. 3 00:00:06,949 --> 00:00:12,260 Um, we're gonna be looking at, at the finale of Jesus verses the Pharisees. 4 00:00:12,260 --> 00:00:17,150 So remember in Matthew chapter 21 and 22, we were looking at, um, Jesus going 5 00:00:17,150 --> 00:00:18,650 back and forth with the Pharisees. 6 00:00:18,650 --> 00:00:24,710 And now in chapter 23, it, it kind of comes, comes to a climax here. 7 00:00:24,710 --> 00:00:28,460 So Matthew, chapter 23, we're gonna see Jesus get really, really, really. 8 00:00:28,895 --> 00:00:31,535 Emotional, and that's something you might not have noticed about Jesus, but 9 00:00:31,535 --> 00:00:35,194 I want you to think what's the, what's the, like, what are the peak emotional 10 00:00:35,194 --> 00:00:36,664 moments you've had in your life? 11 00:00:36,664 --> 00:00:40,865 Like maybe what's the saddest you've ever been in your life, or what's the 12 00:00:40,865 --> 00:00:42,995 happiest you've ever been in your life? 13 00:00:42,995 --> 00:00:46,805 Or what's the angriest you've ever been in your life? 14 00:00:46,835 --> 00:00:50,045 The, the, just the most emotion you've ever seen from yourself. 15 00:00:50,045 --> 00:00:52,504 Someone did something to you and you got so angry, or someone said 16 00:00:52,504 --> 00:00:55,775 something about you, or something happened and you were so happy, or 17 00:00:55,775 --> 00:00:57,155 something happened, you were so sad. 18 00:00:57,185 --> 00:00:57,815 Think about what. 19 00:00:58,715 --> 00:01:03,305 Makes you the most emotional usually is what matters the most to you. 20 00:01:03,455 --> 00:01:06,995 And so when we see in this passage of scripture, when we see Jesus being, 21 00:01:07,475 --> 00:01:11,225 saying really strong things to people and getting really sad about something 22 00:01:11,225 --> 00:01:14,795 and getting really even seemingly upset about something that's, that 23 00:01:14,795 --> 00:01:16,625 means it's really important to Jesus. 24 00:01:16,685 --> 00:01:19,625 And what's really important to Jesus should be really important. 25 00:01:19,940 --> 00:01:23,240 To us, your strongest emotions reveal what you care most about. 26 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:25,310 And what does Jesus care most about? 27 00:01:25,310 --> 00:01:30,020 Well, we'll see in Matthew chapter 23, Jesus really cares about your heart. 28 00:01:30,350 --> 00:01:33,410 What gets Jesus the, the most worked up, the most sad, the most 29 00:01:33,410 --> 00:01:37,070 angry, the most happy is your heart, the state of your heart. 30 00:01:37,340 --> 00:01:42,320 How you feel about him, the desires you have, the values you have, 31 00:01:42,350 --> 00:01:46,729 they're all coming from your heart and that's what Jesus cares most about. 32 00:01:46,729 --> 00:01:49,490 So look with me in your Bibles at Matthew chapter 23. 33 00:01:49,490 --> 00:01:53,870 We're gonna start with the first 12 verses, Matthew chapter 23, 1 to 12. 34 00:01:53,870 --> 00:01:55,520 And make sure you're bringing your Bibles to true north. 35 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:55,910 Every week. 36 00:01:55,940 --> 00:01:57,410 We, we love the Bible here. 37 00:01:57,770 --> 00:02:00,170 Bible is our middle name here at Compass Bible Church. 38 00:02:00,350 --> 00:02:03,140 And so we wanna make sure that we're using God's word. 39 00:02:03,470 --> 00:02:06,590 Um, not just seeing it on a screen, but learning how to use it for ourselves. 40 00:02:06,590 --> 00:02:10,160 So Matthew, through chapter 23, so Jesus, he just finished 41 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:11,240 talking to the Pharisees, right? 42 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,900 They had their back and forth battle in the temple that Pharisees tried to trick 43 00:02:14,900 --> 00:02:16,700 him, and he answered all their questions. 44 00:02:16,700 --> 00:02:21,890 And now chapter 23, Jesus then spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, and 45 00:02:21,890 --> 00:02:23,150 he says something about the Pharisees. 46 00:02:23,630 --> 00:02:26,329 He says that they're in Moses' seat. 47 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,780 And what that means is that the Pharisees, they're in charge of the Jews. 48 00:02:29,780 --> 00:02:30,950 They're the religious leaders. 49 00:02:30,950 --> 00:02:31,730 They have authority. 50 00:02:31,985 --> 00:02:33,275 They're, they're teaching the law. 51 00:02:33,305 --> 00:02:36,005 They're the ones that, that say, okay, here's what the Bible says. 52 00:02:36,005 --> 00:02:38,825 They're the pastors, they're the, the seminary professors. 53 00:02:38,825 --> 00:02:41,315 They're the religious leaders of the day. 54 00:02:41,675 --> 00:02:42,845 And so he says, verse three. 55 00:02:42,845 --> 00:02:44,704 Therefore, do what they tell you to do. 56 00:02:44,735 --> 00:02:49,865 Do the things that they say about God and about his word, but 57 00:02:50,105 --> 00:02:51,845 don't do the things that they do. 58 00:02:51,905 --> 00:02:52,715 Don't be like them. 59 00:02:53,435 --> 00:02:54,485 They know the right things. 60 00:02:54,485 --> 00:02:57,125 They say the right things, but don't be like them. 61 00:02:57,815 --> 00:02:58,265 Why? 62 00:02:58,925 --> 00:03:01,595 Because they say things and don't do them. 63 00:03:01,955 --> 00:03:03,095 They don't do what they say. 64 00:03:03,425 --> 00:03:05,495 They just, they, they say something and they do the opposite. 65 00:03:06,095 --> 00:03:09,635 Verse four, they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people's shoulders, 66 00:03:09,815 --> 00:03:13,625 but they're unwilling to even help them move them with a finger. 67 00:03:13,655 --> 00:03:15,215 So they're, they're making all these rules for people. 68 00:03:15,215 --> 00:03:16,805 They're saying, here's what God says to do. 69 00:03:16,925 --> 00:03:19,835 Here's what we say you have to do, and we're not even gonna help you do it. 70 00:03:19,865 --> 00:03:21,725 We're just gonna come with all these rules for you to do. 71 00:03:22,940 --> 00:03:25,310 But verse five, that's what I want you to focus on here. 72 00:03:25,310 --> 00:03:25,850 Verse five. 73 00:03:25,970 --> 00:03:28,940 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. 74 00:03:28,970 --> 00:03:31,550 All the religious things they do, all their, their Bible reading, they're 75 00:03:31,550 --> 00:03:33,560 praying, they're fasting, they're tithing. 76 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:35,810 Everything they do is to be seen. 77 00:03:35,990 --> 00:03:36,860 They're trying to get noticed. 78 00:03:36,860 --> 00:03:40,550 They want attention from people and then this, this word you probably 79 00:03:40,579 --> 00:03:44,060 have never seen before in your life, for they make their phylacteries 80 00:03:44,060 --> 00:03:45,530 broad and their fringes long. 81 00:03:45,530 --> 00:03:45,860 What? 82 00:03:45,890 --> 00:03:48,140 What in the world is a fractory? 83 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,020 Imagine if I said, Hey, draw Flac on the plate, on your head. 84 00:03:51,395 --> 00:03:53,105 What a fractory is, or a fringe. 85 00:03:53,105 --> 00:03:56,555 So a fractory, if you remember from Deuteronomy chapter six, remember, 86 00:03:56,555 --> 00:03:58,625 love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, your 87 00:03:58,625 --> 00:03:59,465 mind, all your strength, right? 88 00:03:59,525 --> 00:04:03,845 And then Moses goes on to talk about having God's word before your eyes. 89 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,170 Put it as a front lit for your eyes put. 90 00:04:06,170 --> 00:04:10,190 So it was this box that the Jews would use to, to live out this verse. 91 00:04:10,190 --> 00:04:12,200 They would, they would have something to do with the Bible 92 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,530 verse and put it either on their head or on their arms or somewhere 93 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,360 to help them remember God's word. 94 00:04:17,510 --> 00:04:20,779 And what the Pharisees would do is they would like, right, I'm, you know, I'm 95 00:04:20,779 --> 00:04:24,740 super, I'm a super godly Pharisee, so what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna get the 96 00:04:24,740 --> 00:04:29,420 biggest box and I'm gonna have the biggest reminder of God's word to show you that. 97 00:04:29,420 --> 00:04:30,980 That's how committed I am. 98 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:31,940 It's a holiness. 99 00:04:32,030 --> 00:04:35,780 It'd be like if you, like, let's say you wanted to show everyone how awesome of 100 00:04:35,780 --> 00:04:39,710 a Christian you are, and so you brought this like massive Bible to true north. 101 00:04:39,710 --> 00:04:42,440 You know, like the, the biggest Bible you could ever find. 102 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:43,370 You brought that to true North. 103 00:04:43,670 --> 00:04:47,300 Or like you, you came to school and you like made sure I'm just gonna 104 00:04:47,300 --> 00:04:49,880 carry my Bible around in the hallway just so people know I'm a Christian, 105 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,990 or, oh, I'm gonna wear Christian shirts only for the rest of my life. 106 00:04:53,990 --> 00:04:56,030 Like, that's what the Pharisees are doing. 107 00:04:56,030 --> 00:04:56,990 They're saying, look at me. 108 00:04:56,990 --> 00:04:59,659 I'm such a good follower of the law. 109 00:04:59,780 --> 00:05:01,010 So that's what they do with these things. 110 00:05:01,385 --> 00:05:04,655 And then verse six, they love the place of honor at Feast. 111 00:05:04,655 --> 00:05:07,984 They love the attention that comes from being a religious leader, 112 00:05:08,164 --> 00:05:11,344 and they love getting the best seats at in the synagogues, right? 113 00:05:11,344 --> 00:05:13,835 At church, they, they sit in the front row, they put their 114 00:05:13,835 --> 00:05:15,155 hands up in worship, right? 115 00:05:15,245 --> 00:05:16,984 They're doing it so that people see them. 116 00:05:17,015 --> 00:05:18,125 They want people to notice them. 117 00:05:18,125 --> 00:05:19,325 They're like, oh, look at us. 118 00:05:19,325 --> 00:05:20,375 We're so holy. 119 00:05:20,945 --> 00:05:21,995 And then they get greeted. 120 00:05:21,995 --> 00:05:24,395 They get called rabbi, teacher by others. 121 00:05:24,395 --> 00:05:28,625 So the Pharisees, they're doing all this stuff to get attention from people. 122 00:05:29,735 --> 00:05:33,905 But Jesus, he contrasts that in, in verses eight to 10, he, he tells 123 00:05:34,145 --> 00:05:35,345 his followers something interesting. 124 00:05:35,345 --> 00:05:37,265 He says, he says something about titles. 125 00:05:37,265 --> 00:05:41,165 He says, don't, don't be called these titles like Rabbi or teacher or 126 00:05:41,165 --> 00:05:45,034 Father, but instead you should remember that God is those things for you. 127 00:05:45,095 --> 00:05:47,375 You're not to elevate yourself of above people. 128 00:05:47,975 --> 00:05:49,955 But you're supposed to remember that you know what God is, is 129 00:05:49,955 --> 00:05:51,185 really the the one who's holy. 130 00:05:51,185 --> 00:05:53,195 God is really the one who is in charge. 131 00:05:53,195 --> 00:05:55,145 And then he goes on to say something that we've heard before. 132 00:05:55,145 --> 00:05:58,265 Probably if you've been following along with us in Matthew, the greatest 133 00:05:58,265 --> 00:06:00,185 among you shall be your servant. 134 00:06:00,305 --> 00:06:03,905 Whoever, exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles 135 00:06:03,905 --> 00:06:06,485 himself will be exalted, right? 136 00:06:06,485 --> 00:06:12,455 The person who is, who is humble, who's focused on other people, who's not 137 00:06:12,455 --> 00:06:15,215 worried about what other people think, who's not trying to get attention. 138 00:06:15,530 --> 00:06:16,760 But who's trying to love people? 139 00:06:16,909 --> 00:06:19,849 That person, that's a truly great person. 140 00:06:19,849 --> 00:06:22,099 This is the question, none of you guys could get in jeopardy last week, right? 141 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:26,240 What's the greatest human quality that, that Jesus says humility, humility's the 142 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:28,520 greatest thing that, that you could have. 143 00:06:28,729 --> 00:06:31,400 And so what he's doing is he's, he's setting up this contrast. 144 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,849 He's saying the Pharisees are like this, but you guys, I want you to be like this. 145 00:06:34,849 --> 00:06:38,480 If you're gonna be my follower, I want you to be humble. 146 00:06:38,510 --> 00:06:42,919 I want you to use your, your religion, your, your good deeds to serve people. 147 00:06:43,265 --> 00:06:45,995 To love people, not to draw attention to yourself. 148 00:06:45,995 --> 00:06:49,115 Don't be like a Pharisee and do all these things to gain attention, to 149 00:06:49,115 --> 00:06:52,715 look good, to get people to notice you don't use it to get things. 150 00:06:52,865 --> 00:06:55,205 Use it to give things to love to people. 151 00:06:55,265 --> 00:06:55,865 So 0.1 152 00:06:55,865 --> 00:07:00,785 tonight, use your religion, your good deeds, your your religious activity. 153 00:07:01,235 --> 00:07:04,835 Use it to serve people, not to impress them. 154 00:07:05,390 --> 00:07:09,920 Use your, your religion, your religious activity, right, your, your church 155 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:14,630 going, your Bible, reading your worship, singing your small group participation. 156 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,880 Use it to serve people, not to impress people. 157 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,530 Jesus says that the opposite of the Pharisees is a servant, someone who's 158 00:07:27,530 --> 00:07:32,090 doing things for, for the good of others, not for the attention of others. 159 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,830 And when I was thinking about this passage, someone that I, I 160 00:07:36,830 --> 00:07:39,530 thought of was actually my brother. 161 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,100 My brother, because my brother, the way he played soccer, 162 00:07:43,159 --> 00:07:44,780 reminded me of this passage. 163 00:07:44,780 --> 00:07:47,720 See, my brother, he played center defense, center back. 164 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:52,040 And so if, if you're an athlete, that's like playing o line in football, that's 165 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:53,960 like playing catcher and baseball. 166 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:55,940 No one's gonna notice you until you mess up. 167 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,300 No one's gonna notice until you, until you let that guy through for 168 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:00,500 a goal or if you give the ball away. 169 00:08:00,770 --> 00:08:01,670 But my brother. 170 00:08:01,970 --> 00:08:04,070 Was actually really, really good. 171 00:08:04,340 --> 00:08:06,020 But see, my brother, he was good at soccer. 172 00:08:06,050 --> 00:08:10,220 He was good at the things that made people actually want to play with him, right? 173 00:08:10,220 --> 00:08:12,200 I really didn't care how many juggles he could do. 174 00:08:12,380 --> 00:08:14,720 He didn't care how many fancy tricks he could do. 175 00:08:14,810 --> 00:08:17,810 He didn't care if he could hit the crossbar, you know, crossbar challenge. 176 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,900 He didn't care about all the cool stuff that all the, all the, the 177 00:08:20,900 --> 00:08:22,520 fancy soccer players cared about. 178 00:08:22,850 --> 00:08:25,430 He didn't have the Ronaldo cleats or the messy cleats, or 179 00:08:25,430 --> 00:08:26,750 the namar cleats or whatever. 180 00:08:27,034 --> 00:08:28,655 He, he just was really good at soccer. 181 00:08:28,655 --> 00:08:29,284 And you know what? 182 00:08:29,465 --> 00:08:31,085 Everyone wanted to play with my brother. 183 00:08:31,235 --> 00:08:32,975 Everyone was like, I want that guy on my team. 184 00:08:33,455 --> 00:08:33,784 One. 185 00:08:33,784 --> 00:08:34,835 'cause no one wants to play defense. 186 00:08:34,835 --> 00:08:36,365 So everyone wants a defender on their team. 187 00:08:36,515 --> 00:08:38,164 But also because everyone's like, you know what? 188 00:08:38,164 --> 00:08:40,985 That guy's actually good for our team, the things that that guy does, right? 189 00:08:40,985 --> 00:08:42,155 That guy, he guards people. 190 00:08:42,183 --> 00:08:46,685 He runs, he gets loose balls, he takes he, he makes good passes. 191 00:08:46,685 --> 00:08:47,645 He doesn't hog the ball. 192 00:08:47,765 --> 00:08:50,495 The things that my brother does are actually good for everyone. 193 00:08:50,944 --> 00:08:53,435 The things that my brother does as a soccer player are good for the team. 194 00:08:54,425 --> 00:08:56,255 The things that maybe other soccer players do, right? 195 00:08:56,255 --> 00:08:57,665 They, they try to do fancy tricks. 196 00:08:57,665 --> 00:09:00,665 They, they're like, oh, I'm, I can do a hundred juggles without 197 00:09:00,845 --> 00:09:01,925 letting the ball touch the ground. 198 00:09:02,885 --> 00:09:04,445 My brother would look at those people and be like, all right, 199 00:09:04,475 --> 00:09:05,675 you're not gonna drill past me. 200 00:09:05,675 --> 00:09:06,815 I don't care how many juggles you can do. 201 00:09:06,845 --> 00:09:07,775 It doesn't matter, right? 202 00:09:07,955 --> 00:09:10,355 You're not gonna be able to actually do anything helpful on the field. 203 00:09:10,820 --> 00:09:14,795 He didn't use his skills to draw attention. 204 00:09:15,065 --> 00:09:18,575 He used his skills to actually help the team and to play better. 205 00:09:19,145 --> 00:09:21,725 See, as Christians sometimes. 206 00:09:22,130 --> 00:09:24,740 Or maybe even as someone who's not a Christian and just at church, 207 00:09:25,220 --> 00:09:28,400 you can do all your religious things and not really help people. 208 00:09:28,939 --> 00:09:31,280 You can do all your religious things and just for you, just 209 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:32,150 'cause you want attention. 210 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:34,370 You are like, oh, well I'm so good at reading my Bible. 211 00:09:34,370 --> 00:09:37,430 I, I feel so good about, about my, my Bible reading streak. 212 00:09:37,430 --> 00:09:39,710 Or, I read my Bible every day or whatever. 213 00:09:40,100 --> 00:09:44,480 But if you're not actually loving people with what you've heard from God's word 214 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,569 and putting it into practice and, and serving people and caring about them, 215 00:09:47,990 --> 00:09:49,430 that's not really doing you any good. 216 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:52,790 You just have this, this good feeling, oh, I did my Bible reading. 217 00:09:52,790 --> 00:09:53,750 I I'm a good Christian. 218 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:55,670 So it's really about you. 219 00:09:55,670 --> 00:09:57,920 It's not about God, it's not about other people. 220 00:09:59,150 --> 00:10:01,970 So I want you, you to think about why do you do the good things you do? 221 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,270 When I say religion, why do you do the, the good religious 222 00:10:05,270 --> 00:10:06,620 church things that you do? 223 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,000 Do you do them for you or do you do them for, for God? 224 00:10:11,630 --> 00:10:14,930 Do you do them to impress people or because you love people? 225 00:10:15,770 --> 00:10:17,270 So think about maybe your, your prayer. 226 00:10:18,020 --> 00:10:21,260 When you pray, are you praying just to make your parents happy or are you 227 00:10:21,260 --> 00:10:24,469 praying 'cause you actually wanna pray for people, you actually want to grow, you 228 00:10:24,469 --> 00:10:26,150 actually love God and want to talk to 'em. 229 00:10:27,979 --> 00:10:31,339 Or maybe when you serve at church, maybe you serve in kids' ministry on Sundays 230 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:35,870 or maybe you, you want serve on, in, in the worship team, or maybe you want 231 00:10:35,900 --> 00:10:41,449 to serve VBS or maybe you, you want to help out at the, the church in some way. 232 00:10:42,020 --> 00:10:44,510 Is that for you to say, oh, look at me, I, I get to do all 233 00:10:44,510 --> 00:10:45,740 these cool things at church. 234 00:10:46,085 --> 00:10:46,775 I'm so good. 235 00:10:46,775 --> 00:10:48,425 I can play this instrument really well. 236 00:10:48,425 --> 00:10:50,525 Or, or I can, I'm so good with these kids. 237 00:10:50,525 --> 00:10:51,755 Or look how involved I am. 238 00:10:51,755 --> 00:10:54,935 Or Oh, you can tell your college, on your college app, you can be like, oh, I look 239 00:10:54,935 --> 00:10:56,945 how many community service hours I did. 240 00:10:57,485 --> 00:10:59,645 Or Are you doing it 'cause you actually love the church and you 241 00:10:59,645 --> 00:11:02,015 care about people and you're saying, I, I'm here to serve these kids. 242 00:11:02,015 --> 00:11:04,865 I'm here 'cause I love these kids and I want to teach them and 243 00:11:04,865 --> 00:11:06,755 help them learn from God's word. 244 00:11:07,025 --> 00:11:09,305 Or I wanna really help people worship and sing. 245 00:11:09,305 --> 00:11:12,515 And that's why I play my instrument is to, to help people sing to the Lord. 246 00:11:13,955 --> 00:11:15,755 Or maybe it's your, your talents, right? 247 00:11:15,845 --> 00:11:18,905 The talents that God's given you, the instrument you play, or the sport you're 248 00:11:18,905 --> 00:11:23,615 good at, or the, maybe you do speech and debate, or maybe you have all these, 249 00:11:23,615 --> 00:11:26,585 these, these talents and maybe you're doing them just so people can look at you. 250 00:11:27,905 --> 00:11:30,425 Or are you using your talents as a way to bless people? 251 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,625 So that's, I know that's not a church activity, but that's still a 252 00:11:34,625 --> 00:11:37,835 religious activity because if you're doing it for the Lord, it should 253 00:11:37,835 --> 00:11:39,185 be a, it's, it's religious, right? 254 00:11:39,185 --> 00:11:40,955 It's a good thing that you're doing. 255 00:11:42,065 --> 00:11:45,425 So, who are you using your good deeds for? 256 00:11:46,355 --> 00:11:48,455 Are they about you or are they about others? 257 00:11:48,935 --> 00:11:51,035 Because Jesus would say if they're about you, if they're trying to 258 00:11:51,035 --> 00:11:54,305 impress people and, and gain favor and, and attention from people, 259 00:11:54,305 --> 00:11:55,205 then you're just like the Pharisee. 260 00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:00,650 But if you're someone who's, who's following Jesus, you should be doing 261 00:12:00,650 --> 00:12:02,420 them humbly out of love for others. 262 00:12:02,510 --> 00:12:04,189 I I'm not gonna try to draw attention to myself. 263 00:12:04,220 --> 00:12:05,449 I don't even care if people notice me. 264 00:12:05,449 --> 00:12:07,220 I don't care if people know how many times I serve. 265 00:12:07,430 --> 00:12:10,400 I don't care if people, people can tell how good I am at my instrument 266 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:12,470 or, or how much I read the Bible. 267 00:12:12,470 --> 00:12:16,520 I just gonna do it because I love God and I love people. 268 00:12:16,970 --> 00:12:19,790 So I want you to think about what would it look like to do those things for others? 269 00:12:20,030 --> 00:12:23,630 Maybe what would it look like to come to True North, to love people? 270 00:12:24,439 --> 00:12:26,630 Maybe you come to your small group instead of coming to your small group 271 00:12:26,630 --> 00:12:30,620 saying, I, I'm here to, to have fun and to make people laugh and to get attention. 272 00:12:30,830 --> 00:12:33,320 Or, I'm coming here to show off my Bible knowledge or show how good of a 273 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:35,150 Christian I am, or impress my leader. 274 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:40,040 Maybe you should come thinking about how can I love my friend and my small 275 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:41,390 group who's, who's having a hard time? 276 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,150 Or how can I be a good example to people who, who don't 277 00:12:44,150 --> 00:12:45,590 follow Jesus in my small group? 278 00:12:45,830 --> 00:12:48,590 Or how can I encourage my leader and, and bless her? 279 00:12:49,235 --> 00:12:53,975 Rather than try to just draw attention to myself with, with how good of a Christian 280 00:12:53,975 --> 00:12:57,275 I am or, or how dramatic my problems are. 281 00:12:58,625 --> 00:13:01,025 So think about when I come to True North, what, what would that 282 00:13:01,025 --> 00:13:04,145 look like to come to love people and not to be noticed by people? 283 00:13:06,155 --> 00:13:09,815 And maybe some of you, you, you've never even thought of that before. 284 00:13:09,815 --> 00:13:12,215 You've never thought about how on the way to True North, 285 00:13:12,605 --> 00:13:13,835 how can I love someone today? 286 00:13:15,005 --> 00:13:16,625 Maybe that's a really good place for you to start in the 287 00:13:16,625 --> 00:13:17,615 car on the way to true North. 288 00:13:18,155 --> 00:13:19,835 Maybe even ask your parents, Hey, hey mom. 289 00:13:19,835 --> 00:13:20,105 Hey dad. 290 00:13:20,105 --> 00:13:22,444 I, I want to think about my small group on the way to true North. 291 00:13:22,444 --> 00:13:27,064 Can we stop and pray on the way to small group and, and on the way to true 292 00:13:27,064 --> 00:13:28,295 north or on the way to church on Sunday? 293 00:13:28,295 --> 00:13:29,375 And just pray. 294 00:13:29,405 --> 00:13:32,824 God, please help me to focus on other people and not on myself. 295 00:13:33,155 --> 00:13:36,905 That would be such a good place for you to start applying this point, and 296 00:13:36,905 --> 00:13:40,085 maybe you're thinking, okay, well, doing good things for the wrong reasons. 297 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,010 That can't be as bad as, as other sins, right? 298 00:13:43,010 --> 00:13:45,950 Maybe you're thinking, well, I, I, I know that maybe I'm prideful. 299 00:13:45,950 --> 00:13:48,950 Maybe I do some, some church things for, for myself and draw attention, 300 00:13:48,950 --> 00:13:50,480 but it can't be that bad, right? 301 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,670 Like, there's, there's people out there that are doing, they're 302 00:13:52,670 --> 00:13:54,080 not even coming to church Lewis. 303 00:13:54,380 --> 00:13:55,430 They're doing terrible things. 304 00:13:55,430 --> 00:13:57,320 You should see what those people at school say. 305 00:13:57,620 --> 00:14:01,580 You should see what, what those, those people on my sports team say, you should 306 00:14:01,580 --> 00:14:03,080 see what they do, what they talk about. 307 00:14:03,110 --> 00:14:04,430 They're, they're not as bad as me. 308 00:14:04,460 --> 00:14:05,720 I'm at least at church. 309 00:14:06,530 --> 00:14:08,540 Well, I want you to see what Jesus says. 310 00:14:08,870 --> 00:14:09,829 About those type of people. 311 00:14:09,829 --> 00:14:11,630 So let's keep going in Matthew Chapter 23. 312 00:14:11,630 --> 00:14:12,949 All right, look back on your Bibles. 313 00:14:13,670 --> 00:14:18,380 This section right here, um, there's this word that's gonna come up a lot. 314 00:14:18,439 --> 00:14:19,490 It's the word woe. 315 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,640 WOEI always think of that scene from ice age. 316 00:14:22,699 --> 00:14:25,219 I don't even know which one, where they come up to the, I think it's 317 00:14:25,219 --> 00:14:27,680 ice age three, with the dinosaurs, where they come through these plates 318 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:31,099 and they're the plates of woe, and everyone's like, whoa, not that 319 00:14:31,099 --> 00:14:33,170 type of woe, woe in, in the Bible. 320 00:14:33,170 --> 00:14:36,290 When you see WOE, it's the opposite of blessing. 321 00:14:36,665 --> 00:14:38,795 So when, like, remember the beatitudes, Jesus was like, 322 00:14:38,795 --> 00:14:40,714 blessed are the porn spirit. 323 00:14:40,925 --> 00:14:44,074 Blessed are the meek, and it's this like, blessed means happy. 324 00:14:44,104 --> 00:14:45,275 Blessed means joy. 325 00:14:45,305 --> 00:14:46,175 Blessed is good. 326 00:14:46,175 --> 00:14:48,094 Blessed is, this is awesome. 327 00:14:48,875 --> 00:14:50,074 Woe is the opposite, right? 328 00:14:50,074 --> 00:14:52,745 Cursed, or sometimes even worse, right? 329 00:14:52,745 --> 00:14:56,435 This is God's instead of God's happiness and God's favor, this 330 00:14:56,435 --> 00:14:57,694 is gonna be God's judgment. 331 00:14:57,694 --> 00:15:00,484 These people are on the, the wrong end of God. 332 00:15:00,844 --> 00:15:03,035 They're not gonna get anything good from God. 333 00:15:03,064 --> 00:15:04,714 That's what woe means. 334 00:15:05,045 --> 00:15:09,425 Okay, so in this section there's, I'm not gonna be able to read all of it, 335 00:15:09,425 --> 00:15:14,525 but there's, there's these, Jesus says, woe to you, Pharisees, woe to you. 336 00:15:14,525 --> 00:15:19,925 He says it a bunch of times here in this, in this section, and 337 00:15:19,925 --> 00:15:21,665 then he calls them this word. 338 00:15:21,695 --> 00:15:23,165 He says, scribes and pharisees. 339 00:15:23,495 --> 00:15:24,275 Hypocrites. 340 00:15:25,115 --> 00:15:25,835 Hypocrites. 341 00:15:26,045 --> 00:15:27,155 What does that word hypocrite mean? 342 00:15:27,485 --> 00:15:30,155 Well, what it means is it comes from this idea of someone 343 00:15:30,155 --> 00:15:31,655 who's like an actor in a play. 344 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,069 Someone who's putting on a face like a hypocrite. 345 00:15:34,189 --> 00:15:36,260 So you think of someone who's putting on a mask, pretending 346 00:15:36,260 --> 00:15:37,969 to be something they're not. 347 00:15:38,180 --> 00:15:40,040 They're just playing a game. 348 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:45,860 And so Jesus is getting really upset and, and really intense about 349 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,319 these Pharisees being hypocrites. 350 00:15:48,319 --> 00:15:53,240 He really cares about, about the fact that they're trying to, to 351 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,040 put up an, a face or an image. 352 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,969 They're, they're trying to look one way, but really they're living another way. 353 00:16:00,425 --> 00:16:02,615 This is one example of that right here. 354 00:16:02,675 --> 00:16:06,694 Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites for you are like 355 00:16:06,694 --> 00:16:08,585 whitewashed tombs, right? 356 00:16:08,855 --> 00:16:12,635 There's dead people inside, but they look really pretty on the outside. 357 00:16:13,564 --> 00:16:14,735 So they're, they're unclean, right? 358 00:16:14,735 --> 00:16:15,605 They're gross. 359 00:16:15,665 --> 00:16:16,655 You don't want to go in there. 360 00:16:16,655 --> 00:16:19,595 They're, they're dead inside, but outside they look great. 361 00:16:20,285 --> 00:16:21,365 And that's what he says in verse 28. 362 00:16:21,365 --> 00:16:22,860 Outwardly, you appear righteous. 363 00:16:23,660 --> 00:16:27,560 To others, but within, you're full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 364 00:16:27,710 --> 00:16:30,230 So even though you think you're keeping the law, you're really not. 365 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:31,790 You're really not. 366 00:16:31,790 --> 00:16:34,430 Even though you're putting on this face of, look at all the good things I'm doing. 367 00:16:34,730 --> 00:16:36,920 Look at all the, the Bible verses I've memorized. 368 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:38,030 Look at all the good deeds that do. 369 00:16:38,030 --> 00:16:38,930 Look at all the tithing I do. 370 00:16:38,930 --> 00:16:39,980 That's what the Pharisees were saying. 371 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:40,760 He says, really? 372 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:41,780 You're not even keeping the law. 373 00:16:41,810 --> 00:16:44,420 You're, you're full of lawlessness inside. 374 00:16:44,420 --> 00:16:46,219 And what does he say that's gonna happen to these people? 375 00:16:46,219 --> 00:16:49,040 This is what he says in verse 33, you serpents. 376 00:16:49,655 --> 00:16:51,035 That's not a, that's not a compliment. 377 00:16:51,185 --> 00:16:52,985 Us serpents, you brew to vipers. 378 00:16:53,015 --> 00:16:56,074 Remember John the Baptist said that in Matthew three, you brood to vipers. 379 00:16:56,134 --> 00:16:57,035 How are you two? 380 00:16:57,035 --> 00:16:59,314 Escape being sentenced to hell? 381 00:17:02,015 --> 00:17:03,305 Jesus is intense. 382 00:17:03,995 --> 00:17:08,074 Jesus cares a lot and he's, he's warning them because he cares. 383 00:17:08,493 --> 00:17:10,473 He's not warning them because he doesn't like them. 384 00:17:10,743 --> 00:17:12,513 He's warning them because he, he loves them. 385 00:17:12,513 --> 00:17:13,384 He cares about them. 386 00:17:13,714 --> 00:17:17,315 And he's, he's giving the warning, look, guys, you are, you're on the receiving 387 00:17:17,315 --> 00:17:18,964 end of, of God's judgment right now. 388 00:17:19,025 --> 00:17:23,675 If you keep playing this game, putting up this face, living one way with the 389 00:17:23,675 --> 00:17:26,493 appearance of one thing, and really on the inside being the other way, 390 00:17:26,825 --> 00:17:28,385 this is where that's gonna take you. 391 00:17:30,515 --> 00:17:34,415 Jesus is serious and he's intense about it, and that's because he cares. 392 00:17:34,415 --> 00:17:36,935 He, he loves hypocrites enough to warn them. 393 00:17:37,925 --> 00:17:40,264 And he might be warning some of us tonight. 394 00:17:40,264 --> 00:17:44,585 So point number two, beware the judgment for religious hypocrites. 395 00:17:45,905 --> 00:17:46,985 Beware, right? 396 00:17:46,985 --> 00:17:47,615 Be careful. 397 00:17:47,645 --> 00:17:48,215 It's scary. 398 00:17:48,215 --> 00:17:52,835 You should be afraid of the judgment for religious hypocrites. 399 00:17:55,475 --> 00:17:57,754 So maybe you are that person who's saying, well, you should see 400 00:17:57,754 --> 00:17:58,985 what, what the other people do. 401 00:17:58,985 --> 00:17:59,735 I'm here at church. 402 00:17:59,735 --> 00:18:03,215 I'm a good kid, even though I'm maybe living for the approval of others. 403 00:18:03,905 --> 00:18:05,345 But you should see what those people do. 404 00:18:06,409 --> 00:18:12,769 Jesus says, you are still gonna be on the receiving end of God's judgment. 405 00:18:15,949 --> 00:18:21,139 I was thinking about hypocrisy and I, I saw this article and it was an 406 00:18:21,139 --> 00:18:24,529 article about people, it was a bunch of college students, and they were 407 00:18:24,529 --> 00:18:29,344 complaining that their professors were using AI to teach the class. 408 00:18:30,844 --> 00:18:33,094 And I thought that was, I was like, that's really funny. 409 00:18:33,094 --> 00:18:34,985 'cause you hear about all like, oh students, you know, don't use 410 00:18:34,985 --> 00:18:36,304 chat GBT to do your homework. 411 00:18:36,364 --> 00:18:37,534 Don't write your paper with ai. 412 00:18:37,534 --> 00:18:38,014 Don't do this. 413 00:18:38,014 --> 00:18:38,134 Right. 414 00:18:38,134 --> 00:18:40,895 You hear all that, don't let AI do your schoolwork for you. 415 00:18:41,044 --> 00:18:44,465 And then these college students were like, wait, my professor's 416 00:18:44,465 --> 00:18:46,114 using ai that's not okay. 417 00:18:46,114 --> 00:18:48,485 And they like, were trying to get their money back from the school. 418 00:18:48,485 --> 00:18:54,725 They were like, we paid, you know, $65,000 to go to this school for one year. 419 00:18:54,995 --> 00:18:59,284 And now my professor's not even teaching me. 420 00:18:59,735 --> 00:19:03,695 He's using AI to, to write his lecture and his presentation, and they wanted 421 00:19:03,695 --> 00:19:06,425 their money back 'cause they felt like their professor was being a hypocrite. 422 00:19:06,425 --> 00:19:06,635 Right? 423 00:19:06,635 --> 00:19:10,355 The professor, like, you told me not to use ai and now you're using ai, right? 424 00:19:10,355 --> 00:19:14,255 Imagine if you found out that your math teacher or your English teacher used 425 00:19:14,285 --> 00:19:15,845 AI to like write all their lectures. 426 00:19:15,875 --> 00:19:17,075 They had done anything all year. 427 00:19:17,075 --> 00:19:21,815 All they had done was just read their like AI classroom plan for, for the year. 428 00:19:22,235 --> 00:19:23,495 You'd be like, are you serious? 429 00:19:23,495 --> 00:19:24,365 What are you doing? 430 00:19:24,935 --> 00:19:26,290 Like, do you do anything all day? 431 00:19:26,345 --> 00:19:27,545 Like, what are you supposed to do? 432 00:19:29,270 --> 00:19:33,050 You, you would be like, like you sense something's totally wrong with that. 433 00:19:33,050 --> 00:19:35,090 Like, you're telling me not to use AI and you're using ai. 434 00:19:35,270 --> 00:19:35,959 That's not cool. 435 00:19:35,959 --> 00:19:36,350 That's not okay. 436 00:19:36,350 --> 00:19:37,189 You'd be so upset. 437 00:19:38,570 --> 00:19:43,760 Now think about just the, the hypocrisy that you might have in your own life. 438 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:48,649 You might be just like that professor if, if you claim to be a Christian or you at 439 00:19:48,649 --> 00:19:53,929 least claim to be a be a good church kid, you might be just like that professor. 440 00:19:54,169 --> 00:19:57,530 So I wanna ask you, are you a hypocrite? 441 00:19:58,520 --> 00:19:59,629 Am I a hypocrite? 442 00:19:59,629 --> 00:20:02,330 That's the, that's what Jesus is putting before us right here, because 443 00:20:02,330 --> 00:20:04,610 remember who he started talking to at the beginning of this passage? 444 00:20:05,540 --> 00:20:07,970 He started talking to the crowds and the disciples. 445 00:20:09,260 --> 00:20:10,429 He didn't start talking to the Pharisees. 446 00:20:10,429 --> 00:20:14,600 He said, you guys disciples, you guys crowds watch out for this. 447 00:20:14,690 --> 00:20:17,929 So let's look at one of these other woes here in Matthew 23. 448 00:20:18,260 --> 00:20:21,649 He says, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. 449 00:20:22,039 --> 00:20:27,110 For you, and here's what he, he says, you tithe mint and dill and cumin, 450 00:20:27,110 --> 00:20:31,429 so some spices and have neglected the weightier, the maybe even 451 00:20:31,429 --> 00:20:35,239 more important matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness. 452 00:20:35,810 --> 00:20:38,764 These things like the, the tithing, tithing, the, the 453 00:20:38,870 --> 00:20:40,159 small, tiny spices, right? 454 00:20:40,159 --> 00:20:42,409 No one cares if you're like, are you tithing your cinnamon at 455 00:20:42,409 --> 00:20:43,279 home under your spice cabinet? 456 00:20:43,279 --> 00:20:45,620 You're like, well, I gotta give 10% of my pepper to the Lord today. 457 00:20:46,100 --> 00:20:47,090 You're not doing that right. 458 00:20:48,125 --> 00:20:49,115 But the Pharisees did that. 459 00:20:49,145 --> 00:20:52,055 They were like, I wanna make sure I give 10% of everything to God. 460 00:20:52,145 --> 00:20:54,455 So they're like, imagine that you scoop like everything out 461 00:20:54,455 --> 00:20:55,715 of your like spice cabinet. 462 00:20:55,715 --> 00:20:58,264 You got like your, your teaspoon thing and you're like putting it out. 463 00:20:58,264 --> 00:20:59,675 All right, 10%, this is for God. 464 00:20:59,675 --> 00:21:00,305 This is for God. 465 00:21:00,665 --> 00:21:01,685 You'd never do that, right? 466 00:21:01,715 --> 00:21:02,645 You'd be like, that's crazy. 467 00:21:02,675 --> 00:21:05,165 Well, they're doing that 'cause they're saying, this is how much I love God. 468 00:21:06,485 --> 00:21:09,004 He's saying, you're doing that, but you missed the point. 469 00:21:09,875 --> 00:21:10,024 Right? 470 00:21:10,024 --> 00:21:12,785 You're not loving people, you're not compassionate, you're not faithful. 471 00:21:13,565 --> 00:21:14,675 You don't trust God. 472 00:21:16,039 --> 00:21:19,219 He said, you should have done the small things, but you shouldn't 473 00:21:19,219 --> 00:21:20,209 have neglected the big things. 474 00:21:20,209 --> 00:21:23,629 You guys are blind guides, and I love this picture straining out a 475 00:21:23,629 --> 00:21:26,809 gnat and swallowing a camel, right? 476 00:21:26,809 --> 00:21:28,909 You're, you're like, oh, did I imagine you're like eating, 477 00:21:28,939 --> 00:21:30,079 uh, this isn't gonna work. 478 00:21:30,079 --> 00:21:33,019 But imagine you're like eating your cereal and there's this little tiny 479 00:21:33,019 --> 00:21:36,139 bug in it, and you're trying to get the bug out and the whole cereal's rotten. 480 00:21:38,239 --> 00:21:39,379 Why do you care about the bug? 481 00:21:40,129 --> 00:21:41,269 The whole cereal's rotten. 482 00:21:42,860 --> 00:21:45,289 Maybe, maybe that's you. 483 00:21:45,860 --> 00:21:47,239 Maybe you're looking down on that person. 484 00:21:47,239 --> 00:21:49,070 You're like, oh, I can't believe they make those jokes. 485 00:21:49,340 --> 00:21:50,840 I can't believe they say those words. 486 00:21:52,340 --> 00:21:54,769 And in your heart, you're so prideful about it. 487 00:21:57,709 --> 00:21:58,759 That's being a hypocrite. 488 00:21:58,969 --> 00:22:00,620 That's the type of person Jesus is talking about. 489 00:22:00,620 --> 00:22:03,139 Or maybe you're saying, oh, well, you know that person. 490 00:22:03,139 --> 00:22:06,949 You know, they, they don't, they go to that church, they go to that 491 00:22:06,949 --> 00:22:09,889 youth group, and that church is. 492 00:22:11,584 --> 00:22:13,834 But then you're the one who's looking down on them. 493 00:22:13,834 --> 00:22:14,885 You're the one talking bad about them. 494 00:22:14,885 --> 00:22:20,344 You're the one gossiping about them, or, oh, this person, you know, they, 495 00:22:20,344 --> 00:22:25,205 they, they, they play these video games and in your head, you actually 496 00:22:25,205 --> 00:22:26,584 wish you could play those video games. 497 00:22:28,294 --> 00:22:29,314 That's being a hypocrite. 498 00:22:29,885 --> 00:22:31,594 You're the people that Jesus is talking about. 499 00:22:32,824 --> 00:22:34,804 So I wanna ask, all of us are, are you a hypocrite? 500 00:22:34,834 --> 00:22:37,895 There's, there's things in this passion that Jesus points out about 501 00:22:37,895 --> 00:22:39,094 being a hypocrite, one in them. 502 00:22:39,545 --> 00:22:43,625 Right here, we see that hypocrites, they, they do the external things right? 503 00:22:43,685 --> 00:22:44,855 The things that people see. 504 00:22:45,455 --> 00:22:49,415 They do those things right, but their motives are all wrong. 505 00:22:50,315 --> 00:22:52,445 Maybe you do all the church things, right? 506 00:22:53,165 --> 00:22:56,975 If, if, if we ask your parents or your small group leader, oh, do are, 507 00:22:56,975 --> 00:22:58,655 do they follow the rules at church? 508 00:22:58,655 --> 00:23:00,155 Do they do the good things at home? 509 00:23:00,155 --> 00:23:02,225 Do they, are they a polite person? 510 00:23:02,225 --> 00:23:05,015 Are they, are they doing the things you ask them to do? 511 00:23:05,405 --> 00:23:06,185 They'd say, yeah. 512 00:23:07,445 --> 00:23:11,405 But in your heart, you're bitter, you're resentful, you're anxious, 513 00:23:11,495 --> 00:23:12,935 you're angry, you're prideful. 514 00:23:15,665 --> 00:23:16,625 You're being a hypocrite. 515 00:23:18,245 --> 00:23:22,054 Also, what we see as passage is that the Pharisees or Hypocrites, 516 00:23:22,145 --> 00:23:23,524 they look down on people. 517 00:23:23,524 --> 00:23:24,425 Instead of loving them, 518 00:23:26,705 --> 00:23:31,625 they're saying, oh, why that person does that, and they don't love that person. 519 00:23:32,385 --> 00:23:34,804 If they see someone sinning, they're like, oh man, I'm so 520 00:23:34,804 --> 00:23:36,125 glad I'm better than that person. 521 00:23:36,574 --> 00:23:39,004 I'm so glad that person exists 'cause they make me feel better. 522 00:23:40,324 --> 00:23:41,435 Maybe you don't say it like that. 523 00:23:41,495 --> 00:23:44,135 Maybe that's how you really feel like, well, you know, I, I'm 524 00:23:44,135 --> 00:23:45,245 not like those other people. 525 00:23:46,955 --> 00:23:50,105 I'm not like those people at school or on my team, so I must 526 00:23:50,105 --> 00:23:51,365 be, I must be good with God. 527 00:23:52,924 --> 00:23:55,954 That heart posture is exactly what Jesus is talking about. 528 00:23:56,344 --> 00:23:58,144 There's other things in this passage that we could talk about. 529 00:23:58,384 --> 00:24:02,344 Hypocrites are, are people who cover sin instead of confessing and repenting. 530 00:24:03,064 --> 00:24:06,304 The Pharisees, we talked about them being like whitewashed tombs or 531 00:24:06,304 --> 00:24:09,394 people who earlier in the passage, people who clean the outside of the 532 00:24:09,394 --> 00:24:11,134 cup, but the inside is all gross. 533 00:24:12,214 --> 00:24:13,354 They're covering the sin. 534 00:24:13,354 --> 00:24:15,724 They wanna look like they don't have sin, but they're not doing anything 535 00:24:15,724 --> 00:24:17,434 about it 'cause they wanna keep it. 536 00:24:18,125 --> 00:24:21,215 So maybe you're in small groups and you're saying, well, you know, I, 537 00:24:21,215 --> 00:24:22,415 I, yeah, I don't have any struggles. 538 00:24:22,415 --> 00:24:23,344 I'm not really struggling with this. 539 00:24:23,344 --> 00:24:24,245 I don't have this issue. 540 00:24:24,425 --> 00:24:28,324 You don't tell anyone your issues, but on the inside you love them. 541 00:24:28,534 --> 00:24:30,334 And the reason you're not telling people is 'cause you wanna keep 'em. 542 00:24:30,965 --> 00:24:32,764 You don't wanna bring 'em to the light 'cause you don't wanna get rid of them. 543 00:24:34,294 --> 00:24:35,375 That's being a hypocrite. 544 00:24:37,774 --> 00:24:40,145 Another thing that, that this passage will say about being a hypocrite 545 00:24:40,145 --> 00:24:43,475 is that hypocrites care more about their group than about God. 546 00:24:44,165 --> 00:24:46,114 They care more about being part of the right group. 547 00:24:46,370 --> 00:24:47,810 Than about being right with God. 548 00:24:49,070 --> 00:24:51,439 Like, oh, well I'm part of this church so I must be good. 549 00:24:51,620 --> 00:24:53,810 Or, I'm part of, I'm friends with these people, so I must be good. 550 00:24:54,020 --> 00:24:56,540 Or My parents are, are this way, so I must be good with God. 551 00:24:59,959 --> 00:25:02,899 Hypocrites also make their rules more important than God. 552 00:25:02,990 --> 00:25:03,199 Right? 553 00:25:03,199 --> 00:25:07,879 Well, I, you know, I don't, I don't do these five things, so I must be 554 00:25:07,879 --> 00:25:12,169 a good person or a good Christian, but really on the, you're, you're 555 00:25:12,169 --> 00:25:13,850 also sitting in these other big ways. 556 00:25:17,060 --> 00:25:20,780 Hypocrites also come up with their own righteous reasons to disobey God. 557 00:25:20,780 --> 00:25:23,989 Maybe, maybe that's you, you, you know that you sin in certain ways, but 558 00:25:23,989 --> 00:25:28,939 you're like, well, actually, you know, it's not that bad because X, Y, and Z. 559 00:25:29,929 --> 00:25:34,159 It's not that bad that I do this because, well, you know, it's okay for me to, 560 00:25:34,159 --> 00:25:40,010 to, to be with these bad friends because I'm really trying to to love them, and 561 00:25:40,010 --> 00:25:42,530 you've never said anything about, they don't even know you're a Christian. 562 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:46,700 Or maybe you're saying, oh, well it's okay for me to be mean to my 563 00:25:46,700 --> 00:25:48,740 brother because he's just annoying. 564 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:53,420 Or all he needs to grow up, so I'm gonna be mean to him or my sister. 565 00:25:56,360 --> 00:25:57,200 You're being a hypocrite. 566 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:58,850 You're justifying your sin. 567 00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:06,890 And lastly, we we'd say hypocrites are are people who are blind to their own sin. 568 00:26:08,075 --> 00:26:10,055 That's what verses 29 to 31 are about. 569 00:26:10,264 --> 00:26:12,065 Hypocrites are people who are blind to their own sin. 570 00:26:12,065 --> 00:26:15,125 The Pharisees were like, look, if the prophets, you know, if Isaiah and 571 00:26:15,125 --> 00:26:18,365 Jeremiah and all those people were alive today, we would've listened to them. 572 00:26:18,815 --> 00:26:20,030 We, we would've listened to 'em. 573 00:26:20,030 --> 00:26:22,835 And we love Isaiah, we love Jeremiah, we love Ezekiel, we 574 00:26:22,835 --> 00:26:24,365 love Hosea, and Joel and Amos. 575 00:26:24,545 --> 00:26:25,835 We love all these prophets. 576 00:26:26,254 --> 00:26:28,535 And then Jesus comes saying the same thing the prophet said, 577 00:26:28,535 --> 00:26:29,735 and they're like, we hate Jesus. 578 00:26:31,500 --> 00:26:32,225 And maybe that's you. 579 00:26:32,225 --> 00:26:32,824 You're like, you know what? 580 00:26:32,824 --> 00:26:36,965 If Jesus came back today, if I saw Jesus, I would become a Christian. 581 00:26:39,064 --> 00:26:40,354 But you don't love the Bible. 582 00:26:41,104 --> 00:26:42,245 You don't love his people. 583 00:26:42,995 --> 00:26:43,925 You don't wanna pray to him. 584 00:26:43,925 --> 00:26:44,885 You don't wanna hear from him. 585 00:26:45,334 --> 00:26:47,314 So what makes you think you'd love Jesus if you saw him? 586 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,514 If you don't love what he says in his word, he's not gonna be any different. 587 00:26:54,874 --> 00:26:57,514 So hypocrites are usually blind to their own sin, and Jesus is 588 00:26:57,514 --> 00:26:58,804 giving these strong warnings. 589 00:26:58,804 --> 00:27:00,965 And maybe you're like, man, Lewis, this is my first week at your north. 590 00:27:01,175 --> 00:27:01,985 What's happening? 591 00:27:01,985 --> 00:27:03,394 Why, why is this so aggressive? 592 00:27:03,695 --> 00:27:09,094 Because Jesus wants you to see that your sin is gonna lead you to destruction. 593 00:27:09,695 --> 00:27:10,955 It's gonna lead you to death. 594 00:27:11,344 --> 00:27:13,685 And he loves you too much to let you keep going that way. 595 00:27:13,685 --> 00:27:17,314 And so he says some strong words to grab your attention and, and, and shake 596 00:27:17,314 --> 00:27:19,414 you awake and say, I love you too much. 597 00:27:19,699 --> 00:27:20,840 To let you keep doing that. 598 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,959 I love you too much to let you keep passing over your sin and ignoring 599 00:27:23,959 --> 00:27:26,629 it and sweeping it under the rug and pretending like it's not there 600 00:27:26,629 --> 00:27:28,999 or it doesn't matter, or you can hide it or you can get away with it. 601 00:27:30,350 --> 00:27:33,889 Jesus loves you too much to do that, and so he's gonna tell you, 602 00:27:34,399 --> 00:27:36,080 Hey, there's a big problem here. 603 00:27:36,995 --> 00:27:37,745 'cause I love you. 604 00:27:37,985 --> 00:27:39,395 And that's what we'll see here. 605 00:27:39,395 --> 00:27:42,725 Even though Jesus is extremely, he's coming down really hard on the Pharisees. 606 00:27:42,875 --> 00:27:46,534 He's not like, oh, I'm so glad I get to put these Pharisees in their place. 607 00:27:46,534 --> 00:27:53,105 So let's look at this last section here, Matthew 2337 to 39 in the Gospel of Luke. 608 00:27:53,794 --> 00:27:56,345 Uh, Luke says that Jesus is weeping in this section. 609 00:27:56,615 --> 00:28:01,235 And so he says in, in verses 37, 39, oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 610 00:28:01,835 --> 00:28:03,875 the city that kills the prophet. 611 00:28:04,489 --> 00:28:06,770 And stones, those who are sent to it. 612 00:28:07,820 --> 00:28:09,139 So that's what Jerusalem's known for. 613 00:28:09,139 --> 00:28:12,379 Jerusalem is known for rejecting God, for rejecting his word 614 00:28:12,379 --> 00:28:13,850 and for killing his messengers. 615 00:28:14,449 --> 00:28:18,739 He's saying that that type of city, right, the, if you think about it, these are 616 00:28:18,739 --> 00:28:20,540 some, these are the worst people, right? 617 00:28:20,540 --> 00:28:22,999 There's they, they hear God's word and they say, we don't want it. 618 00:28:22,999 --> 00:28:24,469 We're actually gonna kill the people who say it. 619 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,010 Then here's what Jesus says about them. 620 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:32,600 How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen, 621 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:34,250 gathers her bro under her wings. 622 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:36,770 He's like, I, I wish you guys could come to me. 623 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:39,380 I would love to embrace you. 624 00:28:39,470 --> 00:28:42,890 I would love for you to follow me, to love me, to have a relationship with me. 625 00:28:42,890 --> 00:28:43,880 I would love that. 626 00:28:44,930 --> 00:28:45,860 That's how much he cares. 627 00:28:46,340 --> 00:28:49,280 And but you were not willing, you didn't want it. 628 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:50,780 I would. 629 00:28:50,780 --> 00:28:53,510 I, I'm standing here with open arms inviting you to come to 630 00:28:53,510 --> 00:28:54,380 me and you're just like, no. 631 00:28:54,874 --> 00:28:55,444 I don't want to. 632 00:28:57,274 --> 00:28:59,464 And then he, he, he pronounces some judgment. 633 00:28:59,554 --> 00:29:00,214 Verse 38. 634 00:29:00,304 --> 00:29:04,534 See your house, your, your, you know, your, your legacy is left to you desolate. 635 00:29:04,534 --> 00:29:05,044 It's gone. 636 00:29:05,524 --> 00:29:09,274 It's gonna be destroyed for I tell you, you will not see me again. 637 00:29:09,274 --> 00:29:10,654 This is your last chance, Jerusalem. 638 00:29:10,654 --> 00:29:13,534 I tell you, you won't see me again until you say blessed is 639 00:29:13,534 --> 00:29:16,384 he who comes in the name of the Lord until Jesus second coming. 640 00:29:16,534 --> 00:29:16,864 Right? 641 00:29:17,584 --> 00:29:20,524 We, people said that at his first when he walked into Jerusalem 642 00:29:20,614 --> 00:29:23,404 on, um, in, in chapter 21. 643 00:29:23,404 --> 00:29:24,184 When, when Jesus. 644 00:29:24,559 --> 00:29:26,809 Comes or chapter 19 when he comes into Jerusalem. 645 00:29:27,919 --> 00:29:30,799 Um, and now he's saying, this is it. 646 00:29:31,009 --> 00:29:33,169 You're not like, this is your last chance, Jerusalem. 647 00:29:34,100 --> 00:29:36,590 There's, there's judgment coming and I would love for 648 00:29:36,590 --> 00:29:39,439 you to repent, but you won't. 649 00:29:39,709 --> 00:29:40,699 And that's our third point here. 650 00:29:40,819 --> 00:29:44,299 Respond to the plea of the compassionate judge. 651 00:29:46,549 --> 00:29:48,019 See, Jesus is, is the judge. 652 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,769 He will come back to these Jews who've rejected him. 653 00:29:54,260 --> 00:29:57,020 He will tell them, I never knew you, right. 654 00:29:57,020 --> 00:29:57,889 Depart from me. 655 00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:03,860 But he's not doing it like, oh, he's not excited to send people to hell. 656 00:30:04,550 --> 00:30:06,110 And maybe that's your impression of God. 657 00:30:07,100 --> 00:30:09,680 Maybe you've been like, oh, well God is just, he's just mad at all the 658 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:11,044 sinners and he wants 'em to go away. 659 00:30:12,254 --> 00:30:14,629 That's not the Jesus of the Bible. 660 00:30:16,370 --> 00:30:17,600 That's not the God of the Bible. 661 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:18,649 The God of the Bible isn't like. 662 00:30:19,129 --> 00:30:21,679 Trying to get rid of all the sinners. 663 00:30:21,679 --> 00:30:24,739 'cause he can't, he just doesn't want anything to do with them. 664 00:30:25,820 --> 00:30:34,249 He's, he gives them more than enough to come to him, but they were not willing. 665 00:30:37,504 --> 00:30:41,824 See that picture of like a, of a bird and, and her gathering her chicks 666 00:30:41,824 --> 00:30:43,024 maybe you like, are like, what? 667 00:30:43,054 --> 00:30:43,745 What in the world? 668 00:30:43,745 --> 00:30:44,824 Like why would you pick that? 669 00:30:44,824 --> 00:30:45,154 Jesus. 670 00:30:45,245 --> 00:30:47,794 I never would've pictured Jesus as a chicken, so I 671 00:30:47,794 --> 00:30:48,784 wanted to give you a picture. 672 00:30:49,654 --> 00:30:52,684 Jesus is not a chicken in that sense. 673 00:30:52,684 --> 00:30:55,294 He's not a scaredy chicken, but this is what it's like. 674 00:30:55,294 --> 00:30:55,834 See, look at that. 675 00:30:55,834 --> 00:30:57,424 Look how cute these little birds are. 676 00:30:58,924 --> 00:31:00,364 That's the picture, right? 677 00:31:00,364 --> 00:31:02,254 Jesus wants you to be one of these people. 678 00:31:03,319 --> 00:31:04,039 Jesus wants. 679 00:31:04,039 --> 00:31:05,719 Jesus wants to be this for you. 680 00:31:05,719 --> 00:31:08,239 That's what he's saying And what's the point, right? 681 00:31:08,239 --> 00:31:12,469 Why do these little cute birds come under here for protection, right? 682 00:31:12,469 --> 00:31:13,969 This, this, this. 683 00:31:13,969 --> 00:31:18,499 Mama chicken cares a lot about these birds, right? 684 00:31:18,499 --> 00:31:22,939 This, this chicken would die for these birds, these little chicks. 685 00:31:23,689 --> 00:31:27,259 In fact, I found a news story that was actually really hilarious. 686 00:31:27,709 --> 00:31:31,999 So this goose, someone set fire to like this area. 687 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:38,540 Apparently on purpose and she would not leave her eggs like geese are mean. 688 00:31:38,930 --> 00:31:41,899 Geese like try to kill me when I go to the lake with my food. 689 00:31:43,070 --> 00:31:46,580 Geese are mean, but they, they love their babies. 690 00:31:47,149 --> 00:31:48,710 They will die for their babies. 691 00:31:52,190 --> 00:31:54,860 Jesus is saying, I'm like that. 692 00:31:55,610 --> 00:31:58,129 Or rather those things, those birds are like me. 693 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:03,949 He made the, he made mama birds to help you see how much 694 00:32:03,949 --> 00:32:05,929 he cares about his people. 695 00:32:07,189 --> 00:32:09,169 Jesus loves his people. 696 00:32:09,199 --> 00:32:10,760 He wants his people. 697 00:32:10,879 --> 00:32:12,439 He puts himself out there for his people. 698 00:32:12,439 --> 00:32:15,260 He came and lived a, a regular life. 699 00:32:15,290 --> 00:32:18,860 He left heaven and came and lived a regular life so that 700 00:32:18,860 --> 00:32:19,820 people could come to him. 701 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:23,810 And then he, he died on the cross. 702 00:32:23,810 --> 00:32:27,379 He, he endured rejection and, and shame. 703 00:32:28,249 --> 00:32:33,919 And punishment and the wrath of God because he loves people and 704 00:32:33,919 --> 00:32:35,509 he wants people to come to him. 705 00:32:36,860 --> 00:32:39,949 That's the picture that Jesus is painting. 706 00:32:39,949 --> 00:32:41,749 He has this intense love. 707 00:32:42,019 --> 00:32:44,749 Yes, he has holy, fierce justice. 708 00:32:45,259 --> 00:32:47,299 He will judge sin. 709 00:32:47,299 --> 00:32:51,830 He will come again and there, there won't be a, a second chance at that 710 00:32:51,830 --> 00:32:57,019 moment, but at the same time he is, is he deeply cares about you. 711 00:32:57,725 --> 00:32:59,854 He wants you to come to him. 712 00:33:01,654 --> 00:33:05,524 I had another picture about a mama animal, but really I just wanted to 713 00:33:05,524 --> 00:33:07,024 show you guys these cute puppies, right? 714 00:33:08,044 --> 00:33:10,715 Aren't these, don't you wanna be one of these puppies? 715 00:33:10,804 --> 00:33:12,394 You could be right. 716 00:33:13,174 --> 00:33:17,584 No, but that's the point, is they, they care so much about they're 717 00:33:17,584 --> 00:33:20,764 young and if, if an animal right, if an animal can care that much. 718 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:24,080 Imagine how much Jesus cares about you. 719 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:26,570 Jesus wants everyone to come to him. 720 00:33:26,750 --> 00:33:29,120 Even the people who have been rejecting him. 721 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:31,820 Maybe you're thinking, well, I've rejected Jesus my whole life, or you 722 00:33:31,820 --> 00:33:33,379 don't know how big of a hypocrite I am. 723 00:33:33,770 --> 00:33:35,300 You don't know what sin I've been hiding. 724 00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:38,389 Lewis, you don't know what, what I've been thinking in my head. 725 00:33:38,389 --> 00:33:39,620 You don't know what I've said in my heart. 726 00:33:39,620 --> 00:33:40,760 You don't know what I've said out loud. 727 00:33:40,820 --> 00:33:41,810 You don't know what I've texted. 728 00:33:41,810 --> 00:33:42,469 You don't know what I've. 729 00:33:42,889 --> 00:33:44,299 Thought, you don't know what I've clicked. 730 00:33:44,299 --> 00:33:45,259 You don't know what I've watched. 731 00:33:45,290 --> 00:33:46,190 Maybe that's what you're saying. 732 00:33:46,190 --> 00:33:47,570 You're saying you don't know. 733 00:33:47,570 --> 00:33:50,000 If you found out who I really was, you wouldn't want me. 734 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:50,989 Jesus wouldn't want me. 735 00:33:52,820 --> 00:33:56,960 And what Jesus is saying is, is the, the only thing that's stopping you is you. 736 00:33:58,610 --> 00:33:59,330 He's there. 737 00:33:59,330 --> 00:34:00,080 He's ready. 738 00:34:02,375 --> 00:34:04,925 The only thing that's preventing you from coming to him is you. 739 00:34:04,955 --> 00:34:07,565 Either you're hardhearted and you're saying, I don't need Jesus. 740 00:34:07,565 --> 00:34:08,675 I wanna do things on my own. 741 00:34:08,675 --> 00:34:10,804 I wanna live my own way because I know better. 742 00:34:10,925 --> 00:34:13,054 Or you're saying, I'm too dirty, I'm too sinful. 743 00:34:13,054 --> 00:34:13,745 I can't come. 744 00:34:16,025 --> 00:34:19,625 The only thing that's that's stopping you is you. 745 00:34:20,735 --> 00:34:26,435 So Jesus will come again to judge and he will get rid of sin. 746 00:34:27,485 --> 00:34:29,824 And if you are not covered by Jesus blood. 747 00:34:31,085 --> 00:34:37,685 You will be sentenced to forever apart from him in hell, but you don't have to. 748 00:34:37,804 --> 00:34:43,685 Jesus is ready and willing to save and he, he desperately loves his 749 00:34:43,685 --> 00:34:47,074 people and wants them to come to him. 750 00:34:48,125 --> 00:34:49,714 So let's pray and we'll go to small groups. 751 00:34:53,043 --> 00:34:55,085 God, we're so grateful that you love us. 752 00:34:55,594 --> 00:34:57,515 We're thankful that it's your idea to save us. 753 00:34:57,845 --> 00:35:02,765 We are so unworthy to be loved by you, but we're so grateful that you 754 00:35:02,765 --> 00:35:05,015 don't love us because we deserve it. 755 00:35:05,315 --> 00:35:08,165 You don't love us because we're, we earn it from you. 756 00:35:08,225 --> 00:35:10,565 We don't, you don't love us because we love you a certain amount, 757 00:35:10,565 --> 00:35:11,555 and then you start loving us. 758 00:35:12,455 --> 00:35:17,885 You love us because you decided to, because you are a loving God. 759 00:35:18,455 --> 00:35:22,175 And so I pray that for anyone in this room who feels unlovable by you, maybe they're 760 00:35:22,175 --> 00:35:25,985 a Christian and they just feel like, uh, as a Christian, they've sinned so much. 761 00:35:27,290 --> 00:35:30,440 I pray that you would encourage them with your love, that you are compassionate. 762 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,470 God, if there's anyone here who feels like they can't become a 763 00:35:33,470 --> 00:35:35,540 Christian because you wouldn't want them, I pray that you help 'em. 764 00:35:35,540 --> 00:35:38,660 See just how much you love them and how much you, you care about them, 765 00:35:38,660 --> 00:35:41,870 and how ready you are to forgive them no matter what they've done. 766 00:35:42,500 --> 00:35:43,400 Help us to have a good time. 767 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:46,490 Small groups help us to focus, um, and, and be a blessing 768 00:35:46,490 --> 00:35:47,360 to the people in our group. 769 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:48,530 In Jesus name. 770 00:35:48,980 --> 00:35:49,400 Amen.