Keeping Up Appearances

Matthew 23: ²⁵ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

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Scouting out the right desk was the first part of the plan. It had to have lowered light and needed to be at an angle where my back was all that could be seen. I placed a pen in one hand and propped my head up with the other. To anyone who walked past, I looked like I was working but in reality, I was asleep! I mean the job was boring!

• There were times I appeared to be righteous.
• There were times I looked great on the outside but was rotten on the inside.
• There were times I seemed to have it all together.

JESUS told the Pharisees and Sadducees that while they appeared to be holy, they were not. They carried their hidden sin into the church and pretended to have it all together. Meanwhile their pretense did not go unnoticed. GOD sees the same in me. HE sees when I am trying to keep up appearances or “fronting.”

• GOD says to me “Admit your sins before many and it will be easier to admit your sins to ME.”
• GOD says to me “Ask to be cleansed on the inside and I will guide you.”
• GOD says to me “Seek to have people learn of ME rather than trying to appear perfect before humans.”

Smiling on the outside and rotten on the inside is not GODLY. JESUS wants hurt people not those who declare they are well. HE knows only HE can cleanse me of all unrighteousness if I am willing to confess my sins. I may look like a wretch to humans, but to GOD, I am declared clean.

• Are you taking hidden sin into the church and telling others to follow the rules?
• Do you think your sin is not being noticed?
• Can you stop trying to look righteous and ask GOD to cleanse you of all unrighteousness?

Pride of Giving

Matthew 23: ²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. ²⁴ You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

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Finally I had made it! I could give a tenth of my salary while paying bills, going on vacations, and buying stuff! Suddenly someone asked me for some money. “What are you going to do with it?” I interrogated. When I did not hear the reply I wanted, I declined to give a penny.

• There were times when I measured my faith by “my” actions.
• There were times when I was “proud” of my holiness.
• There were times when I was excited about “my” giving but blind to my true surroundings.

Pride of giving meant nothing to GOD when it came to the Sadducees and Pharisees. HE saw through their pride and said they should not only give, but treat others well around them. HE says the same to me.

• GOD wants me to give and show others justice.
• GOD wants me to give and display mercy when other people ask for it.
• GOD wants me to give and be faithful to give to others who GOD sends to me.

My pride of giving was also the pride of being wealthy enough to give, but what about those who were struggling at the time? “Get a job” was my answer. GOD wants me to act differently. HE wants me to show justice, mercy and faithfulness for those who can’t give.

Instead of judging the poor, GOD wants me to raise them up with justice by being faithful enough to pour out mercy on them. GOD sees my heart and wants to grow it.

• Are you proud of where you have come from in your giving?
• Do you think your giving is the measure of your faith?
• Can you stop judging those around you who are in need and just be there for them?

Swearing

Matthew 23: ¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. ²² And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

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“I swear I will never do that again” were my empty words of whatever sin I did at the time and felt I got hurt by it. I actually swore by something that I would “never” do something again and probably did that thing the next week or even the next day.

• In the past I have taking my “swears” lightly.
• In the past I have taken my “oaths” with a grain of salt.
• In the past I have treated my “vows” as something to find loopholes in.

Swearing is a part of GOD that is probably taken the most seriously. HE holds HIMSELF accountable to HIS sworn word. HE never lies. Whatever HE says, HE does. Unfortunately I have not been as diligent. For a number of reasons, more like excuses, I have travelled away from my “sworn” word in the past. BUT GOD makes that right.

• GOD wants me to swear only when necessary.
• GOD wants me to take an oath only when I am sure I can keep it.
• GOD wants me to state a vow only when I know I have HIM on my side to enable the vow to be kept.

The Pharisees manipulated their congregations into swearing by money and gifts and not by the grouping of the people which is the church. GOD saw through their evil plan and sees through my pitiful sworn word. HE wants me to swear on occasion and to make it sacred.

• Have you sworn without the means to keep your word?
• Have you sworn in order to get out of trouble?
• Can you swear on occasion and admit to GOD you need help upholding your end of the bargain?

Recruitment

Matthew 23: ¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

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When I joined the group, I felt great. I received gifts and people noticed me. Little did I know that some who were in the group were doing some underhanded things. “Should I be like them and recruit for them?” came to mind.

• Sometimes I have to leave the crowd.
• Sometimes I have to not be part of the group.
• Sometimes I have to step back and assess what crowd I am with.

Putting cute labels on something does not make what I was doing right. GOD saw my sins and didn’t want me to recruit anyone else to follow down that path.

• GOD wants me to recruit for HIS kingdom, not for my sins.
• GOD wants me to ask people to follow HIM rather than following humans.
• GOD wants me to point people to HIM rather than pointing people to the club.

Recruitment is not the problem, it is what I am recruiting people to that is the problem. GOD wants me to bring those who have forgotten HIM back to HIM so HE can guide them to HIS better place. I can recruit people to follow GOD and please HIM.

• Are you recruiting people to church but not to GOD?
• Do you think your club is better than GOD?
• Can you stop focusing people on club activities and bring people to a saving knowledge of JESUS?

Blocker

Matthew 23: ¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. ¹⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

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After searching for the right programs and the right people with the right aged children, our church home was finally found. It had a normal cadence, a coffee shop and a book store. I was now part of “Insert church name” and proud of it. We did not exclude, but for some reason the crowd was full of high income people.

• GOD wants me to be careful of becoming blind.
• GOD wants me to be careful of falling into the habit of church.
• GOD wants me to be careful not to “Block” others from the kingdom unintentionally.

After a while I did not see the poor or widows or hurting people. Only smiling faces with no financial worries at all. The right things were said and the buildings were huge, but GOD wanted something different for me.

• GOD wants me to help the widows.
• GOD wants me to be sincere about my prayers, not just make long ones and compare them to others.
• GOD wants me to seek the lost and not just sit in church.

I must admit, having a church with all the amenities felt great, but my senses became dull to my neighbor’s needs. “Invite them to church” was the mantra versus “Lead them to CHRIST and send them out to do the same.” I still love that church and I did become part of their outreach group which was a much smaller crowd. I need to heed GOD’s warning of hypocrisy.

• Are you looking for church to be a club?
• Do you exclude people by the way they dress, or how they look?
• Can you consider the widows and other hurting people in your prayers to GOD today?

Life’s Elevator

Matthew 23: ⁵ “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; ⁶ they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; ⁷ they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

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“Making it” was top of mind. I tried not to step on people, but if a person got in my way, they were in trouble. I did get the title and it felt great to have the “respect.”

• Seeking places of honor can sometimes make me blind.
• Seeking to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces can sometimes puff up my head.
• Seeking a title or a position of status can sometimes lead me to think I am better than I am.

JESUS makes it clear that HE is the only instructor and the FATHER is the only father. Anyone who seeks to have the spotlight on themselves in the church will be knocked down.

• GOD wants me to humble myself so HE will not have to.
• GOD wants me to humble myself so HE can use me HIS way.
• GOD wants me to humble myself so HE can exalt me.

When I am in a humble position I celebrate more. I mean when GOD raises me up, even a little, I am thankful and I cheer. On the other hand, when I seek a title that I feel I “deserve” and do not get it, I pout and life is quite miserable. GOD wants me to be a servant no matter what title or position HE gives me. Serving others as HE served me is the highest honor!

• Are you trying to get a title?
• Do you feel you “deserve” better in life?
• Can you seek to serve rather trying to exalt yourself?

Lighten the Load

Matthew 23: Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ² “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

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Perfection was my desire as I cast the vision to my employees. I only had a few people working for me but I had some grand ideas! “This is a lot of work” they said. “Keep going” I told them. When funding dried up I had to do it myself. “Wow, this is a lot of work” I realized.

• Practicing what I preach is not always easy.
• Practicing what I preach is not always top of mind.
• Practicing what I preach is not the first thing on my mind when I expect someone else to be perfect even when I’m not.

JESUS saw through the pastors and teachers of the day. HE saw their desire to be the “boss” rather than the employee. HE saw that in me as well. BUT GOD has a remedy.

• GOD wants me to serve others especially when I am the boss.
• GOD wants me to show people how to carry the load by carrying my own.
• GOD wants me to help others with their load.

“Amazing” should be the word people have of GOD when leaving my presence. They should not feel more burdened or bothered. GOD will convict, convince and contrive in those who are HIS. I do not have to force people to do hard labor to serve GOD cheerfully. GOD wants me to lighten loads.

• Are you placing heavy loads on people?
• Do you place loads on others that you have not done yourself?
• Can you stop placing heavy “churchy” burdens on people and lighten their load so they can see GOD?