March 13, 2022

Pastor Nate Wright

Matthew 23:13-24

The Important Distinction:

• Genuine Followers of Christ battle against hypocrisy.  For those who pretend to be followers of Christ, hypocrisy is their pattern.  Christians battle against hypocrisy; non-Christians pattern their lives after hypocrisy.

1. As a group read Matthew 23:13-24 together.  Pray for your time together.  Share what has the Lord convicted you of since listening to the message.
2. Jesus emphatically calls the Scribes and the Pharisees hypocrites seven times.  He states that they are full of greed, self-indulgent, lawless; a brood of vipers, serpents and children of hell. In what way do these descriptions pierce you own heart?
3. Considering verse 13: This is the first time Jesus calls the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites.  This is the first woe.  (See below for definitions.)  Jesus is engulfed by sorrow and ire.  Pastor Nate said: "The intensity of this passage cannot be overstated."  What is the serious accusation against them?
4. Why is it tempting to be a hypocrite?  See Matthew 6:1-2, 5 and 16.
5. What did you say or teach this week as a co-worker, a parent, a neighbor that presented a false Gospel?  How did you act this week that blocked people from belief and repentance of the Gospel?
6. Do you realize how sinister false teachers are? See Dt. 13:6-11; Mt. 18:5-6; Gal.5:7-12.  "God hates those who block others from the Kingdom of Heaven." How would you like to grow in this area so that it impacts your daily life, your study habits and prayer life?
7. Verse 15: What or who are your favorite books or teachers for Biblical instruction?  How have you grown in this area of discerning Biblically based teachers and instruction? If you struggle in this area, Pastor Nate shared that the Pharisees had most of the Old Testament memorized and yet they didn't understand because they were not regenerated by the Spirit of God.  Have you been regenerated by the Spirit of God?  Are you a believer who is obedient to the Word of God?  Where are you struggling in obedience?
8. Never, never, never blindly accept what teachers or pastors say. Always, always, always test it against the Word of God. How do you do this? What is our example in Scripture of a community who did this? (Acts 17:10-12)
9. Verse 16-22: Jesus attacks the Scribes and Pharisees for their heresy.  Would your spouse, neighbor, ministry leader say that you were true to your word this week? Integrity demonstrates one is a genuine follower of Christ.
10. Verse 23: Jesus attacks the Scribes and Pharisees for inconsistency.  (See Dt. 14:22; Micah 6:8) "Instead of magnifying the Word of God, they minimized the Word of God." "Are the Scriptures the supreme, final authority for what you believe or are your feelings your final authority?"

The Exhortation:

Genuine Followers of Christ:  May the Spirit of God reveal to you where you are acting hypocritically, and as a result, lead you to confess and repent of sin, and grow in sanctification for the glory of God.  Kill your hypocrisy. 

Those who pretend to be followers of Christ:  May the Spirit of God remove the scales form your eyes, so you see your true spiritual condition and as a result be led to confess your hypocrisy and turn from it and believe in the Gospel.

The Definitions:

Woe: A declaration of Divine judgment.

Hypocrite:  Literally an actor in a play; one who pretends to be someone or something they are not.