John 18:28 1/28/2025

“Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.”

This is a snapshot of religious hypocrisy.  These synagogue leaders conspired to murder The Messiah; a clear violation of a commandment contained in the law on which they claim to base their lives… While violating this command they insist on practicing ceremonial “cleanness”, refusing to enter the palace so they can eat their Passover meal… If their duplicity wasn’t so lethal, it would be laughable. 

This illustrates what Jesus meant when He accused them of straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel, or called them whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside but contaminated on the inside. This hypocrisy draws severe reprimands from the Son of God, and it is rampant in our culture today.

As Christians, when we read about these Jewish leaders or see them depicted in movies, we feel contempt for them. But if we just glance in the mirror, we’ll see disturbing similarities.

Do we embrace commands we agree with, demanding others do the same, yet disregard any command we find inconvenient?  How many times do we sit in church and judge people for judging people, or gossip about people gossiping, or refuse to love those who refuse to love others?… The quicksand of hypocrisy consistently proves disastrous, yet we continually “cherry pick” commands that fit our preferences and ignore those that don’t.

This morning’s message is not to drug dealers and prostitutes but to the church.  Don’t pick and choose the commands of God that suit you… If you’re a Believer, act like one- all of the time.  Ignoring scripture and rationalization is not an acceptable reaction to what God calls sin.  The only response that is biblical is “Confession and repentance”.

Because He loves you, God has offered amazing grace. If you have accepted that gift, then be holy… not so you will be saved, but because you have been.  

If you don’t think you need His grace – then reject God’s offer and make your own way.  Be hot or cold, but don’t be two-faced.  Choose this day whom you will serve… and then dive in.

“Godliness is more easily feigned in words than in actions” - Jonathan Edwards

John 4:25-26 1/21/2025

“The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you — I am he.”

Jesus is talking to a woman at a water well who is so low on the social ladder that she gets water in the heat of the day. She prefers to come when no one else is there, as to not endure the judgement of “religious” folks who live nearby. 

The clarity and compassion of Jesus’ answer is noteworthy.  By studying His conversations with high-ranking officials, we see that Jesus answers questions in a complex manner if your motive for asking is your own advancement, or to argue a point.  But here, He plainly responds to the true heart of a broken sinner seeking to know Him.  

It is interesting to compare the world’s opinion of this wayward woman to the lofty reputation of Herod and Pilate… and see the difference in the way Jesus responded to each.  God’s ways are not only different than ours, they’re often completely opposite. When God says the first will be last, and the servant will be the master… He actually means it. 

Do I believe that?  If I do, then why do I focus on powerful wealthy people and disregard those who have little worldly influence? Even in the church, there is a tendency to fawn over those high on the societal scale, which contrasts with Jesus’ actions in this passage.

Think about your last interaction with what the world calls a successful person and compare it to the last time you spoke to someone who was homeless.  Even if you said the right words, examine your heart in those two conversations…. Do you and Jesus agree on the importance of these individuals, or do you have it backwards?  Are you seeking “first the Kingdom of God” … or has that fallen to second place, behind networking with those who can help you build your own little kingdom?

Decide today to view people through Jesus’ eyes. Otherwise, you may find yourself investing your time in people who care only for themselves and missing great relationships with those who will be first in the Kingdom of God.  

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” -  Malcolm Forbes

Psalm 43:5 1/14/2025

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Psalm 43 was written by king David, a man who suffered greatly.  

Like most of us, his suffering resulted from both the actions of evil men in a broken world, and his own sinful deeds …So, this prayer can be seen as a templet for most of the difficult situations we find ourselves in. It calls on us to make a decision… are we going to focus on the circumstances, or are we going to place our hope and  trust in God?

I don’t ask that question flippantly.  Life can be incredibly hard.  In this verse David’s family and friends were trying to Kill him.  David’s heart was breaking. Yet he makes a choice.  He chooses to reject his anxiety and place his hope in God… David makes and executive decision to stop being downcast and instead Praise his Savior, and trust that God is still in the business of delivering His children.  

What about you?  What will you do when your heart is breaking?… No problem is big until it is yours, and the world can be dark and threatening… but we must decide whether or not we think God is still in control.

Sometimes we look for worry, we scan the web looking for reasons to be upset… But sometimes trouble kicks the door in, and feels insurmountable, dark, and unescapable… Even then, we must decide.  Even when our world hangs in the balance, we must choose what determines our actions and attitude. 

Will I trust Him?  Is He God, or not?  Will I, when under pressure, take the situation out of His hands and try to anxiously handle it myself?  

Like David, ask yourself why you’re downcast... If the problem is bigger than God, then continue in your despair … but if not, make the difficult resolution to praise Him in the midst of the battle. You can’t really claim to have faith in a chair until you’re sitting in it. So have a seat. There is only one God and He has proven His love for you. Draw close to Him and rest in His shadow.

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” -Oswald Chambers

Jude 1:11-14 1/7/25

“Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have given themselves up to the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the ones who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, like shepherds caring only for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;  wild waves of the sea, churning up their own shameful deeds like dirty foam; …”

Jesus’ little brother isn’t being very “seeker sensitive” with this reprimand. He’s warning hypocritical teachers who use church to advance themselves, not others, and certainly not God.  Jude describes their actions precisely so there will be no question about what they’re doing:

- The way of Cain was envy. Cain’s sacrifice wasn’t accepted so he murdered his brother out of resentment. 

- The error of Balaam was covetousness, he loved money and adulterous idolatry.

- Korah stood against Moses. Pursued self-advancement and rejected admonishment from godly leaders. 

James says these “pretenders” are collecting dire consequences for themselves. They cater to the rich and mistreat the poor…  not fearing God, and even taking communion in a blasphemous manner. Their envy, covetousness, and pride are making them detrimental to the Kingdom.

As a group, they’re disappointing, like clouds without water.  If the church had been in Texas Jude might have said they were “all hat, and no cattle”.  This duplicity is displeasing to God and carries severe consequences.

Jude doesn’t beat around the bush; this is what we call a good old fashioned “butt chewing”.  The people he is speaking to know exactly who they are, and their response will dictate their future.

What about us…. What will our response be when our own hypocrisy is openly pointed out?  Will we deflect blame and choose the way of Cain, Balaam, or Korah?  Or will we “own it”, confess it, and change it?   

If you want the new year to be different than the past, begin by owning your garbage… and commit to cleaning it up.  …You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. So, honestly examine your life, accept responsibility, reject sin, and pursue holiness. Start by drawing a circle around yourself and working on everything inside that circle. 

“Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.” -Spurgeon