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Sons of Hell

Round two: Matthew 23

Jesus versus the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. The bout is set, Jesus goes on the attack. (See ‘Mercy’ 24 Feb 2012)

Amazing to think – despite seven damming judgements to follow – Jesus starts by instructing his followers to obey these warped people, for “they sit in Moses’ seat”. Authority and accuracy they had, but Jesus lambasted them for authenticity and application.

‘Obey them, but do not do as they do.’ And ‘They are hypocrites. Everything is done for men to see.’

WOW. They held the truth, could impart accurate information regarding the truth, but grasped the pride of knowledge and social status becoming complete abject failures at any semblance of personal application related to their hearts. Their public lives were ‘religious’ and ‘devoted’ yet lacked mercy, justice and faithfulness. What Jesus effectively reveals is their inner lives were dark and twisted. They were ‘Sons of Hell’.

  1. They stopped people from finding faith within the truth. Matt 23:13
  2. They converted humble sinners to proudly proficient ‘religious’ sinners, doubly sons of hell. Matt 23:15
  3. They swapped ‘sacred’ and ‘divine’ away from God’s presence onto man’s efforts. Matt 23:16-22
  4. They reverse the order of importance of divine law away from justice, mercy and faithfulness elevating instead small technicalities as of primary importance. Matt 23:23-24
  5. They robe themselves as majestic leaders whilst promoting greed, indulgence and pride. Matt 23:25-26
  6. They dress up and promote religion while inwardly proliferating wickedness. Matt 23:27-28
  7. They use the martyrdom of the righteous prophets claiming alliance yet standing in the very feet of those who killed them in the first place. Matt 23:29-32

Astonishingly, Jesus not only predicts their persecution of his new upcoming church and it’s leaders, but states categorically that upon this generation of teachers and Pharisees will come all the blood guilt of every righteous person martyred from Genesis to at least Malacai! (Matt 23:35) Ouch.

Conclusion?

  • Love truth, do good work AND
  • Crave God’s presence while keeping a humble pure heart cleansed by grace.

Phillip Yancy in his 1997 book ‘What’s so amazing about grace?’ says this, ‘I have come to see legalism in it’s pursuit of false purity as an elaborite scheme of grace avoidance. You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it.’

By the way – it’s worthwhile noting that many teachers of the law, Pharisees and even priests eventually became firm believers and trusted in their Messiah – albeit post crucifixion/resurrection. Consider Saul otherwise known as Paul.

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Mercy

A classic stoush between Jesus and the Pharisees is recorded in Matt 12:1-14. Jesus and his disciples were hungry and keen to help anyone, anywhere any time, break free of the power of the devil; bringing life wherever they went. The Pharisees wanted to maintain a system of appearances, trying to keep people looking ‘together’, but killing faith as went. Both believed their approach honoured their father in heaven. The Pharisees were will to provoke, trap and kill to enforce theirs. They taunted – ‘this is not lawful’. Jesus cut through their protectionist, systems management thinking to bring it back to the personal level.

‘I desire mercy not sacrifice’.

At the heart of the matter is the person, a soul, created in God’s image, to ‘live’, that is to say ‘to enjoy life as given by God and the blessing of God’s creation to all fullness’. Such a system can never lift the average person to greatness; it should however always lift the broken out of harms way. Only mercy (or read ‘love’) elevates people to greatness, giver and recipient often alike.

System without mercy fail to serve anyone broken by sin. But watch out! When you attack a failed and merciless system, expect no mercy in return! Death threats may follow.

Love conquers all: ‘But the greatest of these is love.’

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Reward Pending

Three times Matthew record Jesus saying,

“I tell you the truth, they have already received their reward in full.”

Normally a positive statement indicating that something has been earned and justly paid, here it is a rebuke of the severest kind. Rebuked for using a form of Godliness as self promotion; they take payment themselves in the approval of men without waiting to receive payment from the authorised source, the approval of God. Their pride in wanting to be seen to be righteous by men, ironically causes them to be resisted by God, and discredited out of heaven. Prayer, fasting and generosity; three actions inspired by heaven earn them a ticket to hell.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must make every effort to avoid pride and look only to God internal seal of approval; thus we heed Christ’s warning. The moment we step past our confidence in God’s saving grace and our permanent need for it, and step into thinking we are therefore better than other men, God owes us nothing!

Jesus also unlocks a truth for us here. Prayer, fasting and generosity done in secrecy and humble acknowledgement of our need for God, puts God in debt to us! WOW. And He wants us to do this!

“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” Matthew 6:20

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The Greatest Priority

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things will be given unto you.” Matthew 6:33

This is my life verse. The verse that reminds me to return my priorities to the things of God. It reminds that His righteousness is available at all times and is in all ways better than mine, and easier to attain. It reminds me that God is watching, not in a mean way, but to see if my thoughts will always come back to Him so He can bless me more. It reminds me that my Father in heaven cares for me and provides for me regardless, and even more so when I’m about his business. And it reminds me that it is possible, and if fact easy, for us to know God’s will, share in His work, and discover His thoughts.

He’s better than the best employer, more generous than the most loving father, more compassionate than the most caring mother, more intentional than the most committed entrepreneur or evangelist, and more resourceful than the trickiest conundrum.

And what had always fascinated me is the underlying suggestion that Gods is perfectly happy, even excited, to plan for those who do this even greater rewards than just their ‘needs’. Indeed, God awaits with prepared and as yet unknown bonuses of things which are ‘wants’. Pleasures and even indulgences. And surely this is simply true, as the word generous could never be used to describe someone who only ever stumps up with the bare minimum. And our God is abundantly generous, even extravagant!

Imagine the good things He has in store for you! Seek His kingdom first, everyday, make it and His righteousness your first and greatest priority.

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Election or Evangelism?

Election or Evangelism? Which paradigm is right? And they are paradigms! They are flavours of thinking that settle questions and decide actions before cognitive reasoning manages to assert itself and actually allow us to think things through.

Election

Based on many scriptures like Mark 13:27 which point to God’s very purposeful choosing of some people for salvation and His clear rejection of others. In the paradigm of election, evangelism seems somewhat mute and pointless against the breadth of God’s power to pre-determine things according to His own thoughts. To the elect, effort can seem somewhat pointless; as God has chosen us and nothing I do changes this. Sin and repentance can seem almost trivial beyond the moment of conversion. Fellowship with the saints doesn’t carry urgency. And righteous ‘works’ are only likely only motivated out of humanistic compassion. ‘I am elected to salvation, and this, by grace.’

Evangelism

Again based on many scriptures (like Matthew 28:19), the paradigm of evangelism defers always to the importance and sufficiency of our works. We must witness. We must make disciples. We must instruct about sin’s sinfulness, confession and repentance. We take people and baptise them, disciple them, teach them, pray for them, intercede for them, and save them from an eternity of separation from God. And nations must be challenged. Without our actions and interventions, a person may go to hell. Evangelism upholds the thought that everyone is master of their own destiny, and not God. We must keep our salvation by holding tight to Christ, remaining in close fellowship with Him, praying always with all kinds of prayers, and staying closely in God’s Word.

So which is it?

Typically Pentecostals like myself find they have both paradigms operating at the same time, often in conflict. Neither convinced that our efforts are trivial, nor convinced we should be doing nothing. Fully comfortable in our election yet ceaselessly motivated to evangelise. We acknowledge that God himself is perfectly comfortably with the tension between paradigms.

In truth, God has always chosen to reveal his love for all, through people. People connect with people. And being God, His revelations to us are but glimpses of the edges of His thoughts, reasons and plans. So we find not only does He have a will independent of us, He also knows who will choose Him, and how this will come to pass. Thus we should neither stop telling people about God, nor every question the security and capacity of grace to save despite us.

Election through evangelism? Evangelism serving election?

So we find that election reassures us we are safe in God’s hands, and evangelism reassures us we are not robots. Election compels evangelism to walk in grace and not be forceful and intense; and evangelism in turn compels the elect to understand just what a blessing is to to be able to say yes to God.

Got it? Simple aye.

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One word

Life is a funny thing.

One word can change everything.

STOP. A word made to halt us in some kind of activity which is about to become harmful, destructive, or is past its best point of reward for effort. (Like when you go too far trimming the trees in the back yard with a borrowed and very effective chainsaw!)

YES. A word granting approval and affirmation on some query, request or clarification. (Like when you ask ‘Shall I trim the trees today?’ Maybe I should have been more specific.)

Sometimes we want to ignore those singularly powerful words because we feel they are binding us. Other times we wish could hear just one word to release us.

If one word from a loved one can make all the difference, rest assured one word from Jesus Christ can change your whole world! One word from Him can set you free from any bondage the power of the enemy has asserted over you.

There was a time years ago when Janine and I were struggling under a demonic oppression. We knew it and sensed it over a period and worked to keep free of it. Then one day in prayer, Jesus gave me one word, a name, that was the key to release. And we have never been burdened by it since.

God is good. Very good. He loves you. One word from Him will transform your life for good. Will you listen?