BREAK FREE - Part 1
Good even and welcome to a new day.
Remain blessed as you read through..
On the days leading up to the crucifixion, Jesus spent his time teaching while the Pharisees and leaders of his day spent that time plotting a way to trap Jesus and destroy his popularity. Their confrontation leads to one of the most bitter attacks Jesus ever made against the chains of the legalistic leaders. In Matthew 23, Jesus breaks down these dangerous traps into what is referred to as “The Seven Woes”. These warnings still ring true. As we look forward to Easter, we must not gloss over the very controversial and powerful message Jesus taught in the days before his arrest. We must listen to them if we are to break free from the legalistic trap of religion without relationship.
Woe no. 1:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.” (Matthew 23:13) We must never judge someone unworthy of salvation. In fact, we are all unworthy of God’s grace. That is why it is grace. None of us deserve it, yet Christ died for all. Our sins are not less painful to God than the person standing before us. Woe to us if we do not invite all to come to the cross and be healed.
Woe no. 2
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15) We must judge our motives for inviting the lost into our churches. Do we care for their soul, or are we more concerned with filling seats and meeting a quota? If we have to teach a message that excuses sin and only deals with the ‘feel good’ aspects of Christianity, what good is the message we preach? There are many benefits to our faith, but there are many requirements also. To offer one without instructing about the other leaves a person worse off then they were before.
Woe no. 3
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.” (Matthew 23:16) Don’t make loopholes! God’s Word is not complicated. By design, the Gospel is simple and universal. When we stack on needless rules or round the edges of what God declares to be sin, we complicate and confuse. Behavior like what the Pharisees were doing is why so many people see Christians as a group of hypocrites. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Admit your mistakes without passing off the blame. Be real with the people around you. The church was designed to be a hospital, not a courtroom.
Break free from the box of conformity to a stuffy religion that doesn’t travel to your heart. God wants more from you. You were created for more. Christianity isn’t a prison of legality. It is a celebration of love.