INTRO: A young girl became a Christian in an exciting revival at her church and was baptized the closing Sunday morning. That afternoon she ran through the house singing and dancing. Her sour grandfather rebuked her with these words, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You just joined the church and you’re singing and dancing on the Lord’s Day!” Crushed by her grandfather’s attitude, the little girl went out to the barn, climbed up on the corral fence, and observed an old mule standing there with a sad, droopy face and bleary eyes. As she reached over and patted the mule sympathetically, she said, “Don’t cry, ole mule. I guess you’ve got the same kind of religion that Grandpa has!”
Steve Hill: Religion is hanging around the cross, Christianity is hanging on the cross.
TS: This morning we are continuing the series “Facing Your Giants.”
1. We’ve looked at the giant of intimidation (fear).
2. The giant of discouragement.
3. The giant of the journey (time).
4. The giant of deception.
Today we are going to look at a very cruel giant, the giant of religion.
TITLE: The Giant of Religion
TEXT: Matthew 23:1-7, 13, 23-28
This morning we are going to look at 5 signs to see if the giant of religion is affecting you.
1. Religion is very burdensome.
2. Religion seeks to please men.
3. Religion will hinder your faith.
4. Religion only sees people’s faults.
5. Religion looks good on the outside.
*This was our Lord’s last public message. It is a scathing denunciation of false religion that paraded under the guise of truth.
I. Religion is very burdensome. Religion weighs down the heart and takes away one’s passion and joy.
A. We read here how the Pharisees gave people orders concerning religious observances.
-V. 4, “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”
1. These rules, regulations, and laws crushed the people and the religious rulers did nothing to help.
-The truth be known, the Pharisees and teachers of the law could not even keep these rules and regulations but they expected the people to.
2. In those days people thought they’d get to heaven by keeping the 10 commandments and the hundreds of other laws they manufactured out of them.
B. Too many rules and too many laws will lead to a loss of personal freedom and cause people to feel enslaved and burdened, and then ultimately lead to a desire to escape and run away.
1. Illustrate: When I was newly saved I had well meaning Christians telling me their convictions of what Christians should and should not do and as I remember it they were pretty dogmatic about it.
-As I thought about what they said, I felt like there was absolutely no way I can make it as a Christian, I felt like quitting and giving up until I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to do what he said and not to worry about what the well meaning Christians’ convictions were.
-Religion leaves no room for error and thus God’s grace.
Q: In your mind when you see a Christian do something that you wouldn’t do, do you think somehow you’re more spiritual (that somehow they have not arrived)? Be careful, that’s religion.
TS: Religion is not only burdensome but—
II. Religion seeks to please men. Vv. 5-7
A. Success meant recognition by men and praise by men.
-They used their religion to attract attention, not to glorify God. (Matt. 5:16)
1. They used religious ornaments to display their piety.
-Phylacteries were small leather boxes into which the Pharisee placed portions of the scriptures. They wore these boxes on their foreheads and arms, in literal obedience to Deut. 6:8 and 11:18.
-They also increased the size of their tassels on the hems of their garments.
2. The Pharisees also thought that position was a mark of greatness, so they sought the best seats in the synagogue and public dinners.
-Albert Einstein: Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.
-True greatness is found in serving others, not in forcing others to serve us.
B. In our own lives do we seek God’s approval over man’s?
1. This is easy to say and believe until the Lord tells you to share your faith to some stranger in the supermarket. You feel that tension building and you begin to rationalize all the reasons why not.
Q: Ask yourself: Am I more worried about what they think of me or am I more worried about what God thinks?
Thought: Why then is it so hard. Because we are more concerned what people think than God.
TS: Religion is not only burdensome it also seeks to please men.
III. Religion will also hinder your faith. V. 13, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”
A. I believe one of the enemy’s greatest traps – when people are searching for the kingdom of God he throws religion their way. Here is how to get to heaven.
1. Usually tied around you have to earn it. It’s something you have to earn. It’s a duty you have to perform.
-Friends, there is absolutely nothing worse than trying to work your way to heaven.
2. It’s bad enough to keep yourself out of the kingdom but worse when you stand in the way of others by teaching man-made traditions instead of God’s truth. They literally closed the door to salvation.
B. Religion is an impossible yoke to carry. You know what happens when you try and accomplish something that God never meant you to accomplish. You become burned out, mean, critical, no patience. You begin to see people as tasks rather than relationships.
-You can get so turned around here like the Pharisees - when God showed up they thought he was the devil.
1. Sadly they thought they were leading people to heaven but the truth was they were leading them to hell and this was Jesus’ rebuke of them.
TS: Religion is burdensome, it seeks to please men, it will hinder your faith.
IV. Religion only sees people’s faults. Vv. 23-24
A. The religious leaders on one occasion were coming down on the disciples for not washing their hands and they were eating some food with unclean hands and Jesus rebukes them. (Mark 7:1-3)
1. Religion only sees what you’re doing wrong according to your understanding (the way you do things).
Illustration: Many years ago Felicia was in Junior High and she mentioned she wanted to come to prayer breakfast. I saw God was doing something in her heart, no teenager wants to get up at 5:00 before school to go to a prayer meeting. So I agreed, we got up and went, she sat by me, it was a good time, this happened for a couple of weeks.
The only thing I noticed that I found peculiar was an older lady kept trying to get Felicia to sit over with her. I was totally surprised, after about the 3rd meeting this older man came unglued and started ranting about women should not sit at our table, they should be over at the women’s table.
Sadly as he ranted in front of everyone including my daughter she was afraid of getting in trouble so she never came back.
Thought: I thought to myself - isn’t that what religious people do all the time, they find fault in something so minor rather than take care of their own lives.
I’ve seen people get so bent out of shape if you don’t sing enough hymns vs. choruses, or how dare you have drums, how dare you call Resurrection Sunday Easter.
Point: I found a common thread in these folks. They are very religious and they don’t have any fruit of the kingdom of God. They usually destroy the work of God rather than build it. They are just a different version of a suicide bomber. They destroy one person at a time.
TS: Religion is burdensome, it seeks to please men, it will hinder your faith, religion only sees people’s faults.
V. Religion looks good on the outside. Vv. 25-28
A. Jesus used a couple word pictures to bring home his point.
1. A cup and a dish that is clean on the outside but filthy on the inside.
Ex. Like when a teenager sets an open can of pop down. After a while you get thirsty, you take a drink only to find a bee in it and you get stung.
The Pharisee looks so holy and right on the outside but on the inside is greed and self-indulgence.
2. White washed tombs on the outside look beautiful and clean but on the inside is rotting bones.
Point: Everything on the outside looks good but what truly matters - the inside is wickedness and death.
Q: This morning are we more concerned with our outward appearance or with what’s on the inside (thoughts, beliefs, character)?
3. You may look beautiful on the outside, wear brand-name clothes, have the proper manners and actions, but on the inside you’re envious, bitter, jealous, controlling, fearful, angry.
-What good is it, it’s sad to put confidence in something that is only temporary.
In Conclusion
Do you find that you struggle in any one of these characteristics? Don’t be surprised you’re facing the giant of religion. Try going to the opposite to beat this giant.
Religion—
Ó Is very burdensome.
-Try having some fun (my yoke is easy, my burden is light).
Ó Seeks to please men.
-Try seeking to please God.
Ó Sees people’s faults.
-Try seeing the good in people.
Ó Looks on the outside.
-Try looking only on the inside.
