"And when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, plotting to catch Him in something He might say."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, whether it's your first time or you are a faithful member of our family in Christ, we're glad you are here. If you have recently received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please contact and let us know so that we can pray for you. Praying with and for others is a foundational practice of the Christian faith, shifting the focus from self to others through the act of intercession as often modeled by Jesus Himself.
There seems to be a growing hostility toward anyone who is actually preaching the Word of God, rather than just reciting a few Bible verses, quoting other pastors, telling stories and giving some commentary more frequently to fill their "15-30 minute time slot" rather than actually teaching from the Word of God. I believe the problem is that many "pastors" are focusing on growth in size rather than the spiritual growth and depth in discipleship to compete with their peers, are not biblically qualified to be pastors and many cases are disqualified from ministry all together because of their immoral conduct, believing they're invincible. Furthermore, due to the influx in false converts and the lack of discernment in the visible church because of poor teaching, the average church goer has no idea what is happening, so they just continue singing along with the songs filled with emotionalism to make them "feel" closer to God. Make no mistake, Christ is building His Church, however, Satan continues to build the church of the tares. All faithful men who are called of God, will boldly proclaim the Gospel, unapologetically declare that all people, including those sitting in the pews, are sinners, steeped in sin, and are desperately in need of genuine repentance and biblical salvation demands more than just superficial, meaningless confessions and reciting a rote prayer. I believe the biggest reason these false teachers have been able to create these mega churches, is because of the widespread drift from core doctrines. Statistics show that only 35% of American adults hold to the traditional biblical view. Even more alarming, is the fact that over half of professing Christians now embrace a form of salvation that incorporates personal efforts or moral performance, essentially turning grace into something earned rather than a gift to be received.
The reality is that most people would rather be told a lie to affirm their sin that makes them feel better rather than the Truth that will uncomfortably convict them, forcing them to take to honest look at themselves. The call to true salvation is a call to radical transformation, yet, in every generation where cultural Christianity often disguises itself as authentic saving faith, convicting messages are increasingly being sidelined in favor of pleasant platitudes, comforting clichés, in order to make the message more palatable to sinners. That's not the true Gospel.
The dictionary defines "integrity" as steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code, essentially, undivided, it is the quality of being incorruptible. I believe there is nowhere in the world where integrity is more crucial than in the church. It is absolutely crucial in the life of the pastor, the servant of God. Yet, in the pulpit today, according to biblical standards, many are either unqualified for spiritual leadership or disqualified from ministry due to a lack of integrity. In fact, a person person who says one thing and does another is called a hypocrite. The absence of integrity in the life of a minister is a very serious offense.
In Matthew chapter 23, in a very blistering indictment against the hypocrisy of the self-righteous religious leaders of His day, Jesus began a rather lengthy diatribe against them, revealing their hypocrisy, calling them blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and even a brood of vipers. I do not believe the lack of integrity is accidental—it's symptomatic of an unredeemed heart, an unconverted heart that craves affirmation from the world system which opposes God, and is not aligned with God's divine Truth.
That's why Paul says 1 Corinthians 9:26-27, "Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified." I cannot stress enough why it is so critically important for the man of God to guard his life against sin, such as lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life or the love of money, by taking a proactive stance to actively avoid sinful desires and behaviors to be above reproach, because the enemy is as a "roaring lion" seeking someone to devour. The call to the pastorate is not about achieving perfection, but a call to live a life that aligns with one's profession of faith through both sound doctrine and exemplary conduct, to effectively serve the people of God. That’s what living a life integrity means, one who consistently lives what he preaches, all the time, everywhere. 1 Corinthians 4:3, "But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court. In fact, I do not even examine myself." True men of God won't be showmen, seeking opportunities to stroke their own egos, but living a life of humility, grounded in faith, through faithful service to God. Integrity, loyalty and faithfulness are all matters of great concern to God, because if Satan is able to take down a pastor, he can effectively take down the church.
I am often criticized for my firm stance against easy-believism and the notion that cheap grace produces shallow faith, yet this watered-down version of the Gospel is evident in the belief that a single prayer can guarantee heaven without any evidence of transformation in one's life.
In 2023, a Lifeway Research survey underscores the allure of this religious phenomenon: stating that a now shocking 76 percent of churchgoers now believe God desires their financial prosperity, a hallmark of the charismatic counterfeits promoting the prosperity gospel that promises blessings without the "baggage of genuine repentance," with 43 percent strongly agreeing—which is a devastating increase from previous years, further validating that non-biblical churches who merely mention the name of Jesus, without advocating adherence to His teachings, tend to thrive precisely because they affirm that Jesus loves us and is OK with our fallen desires, with a staggering 90 percent of regular churchgoers expressing satisfaction with sermons that focuses on tolerance and personal fulfillment over doctrinal depth.
Post-modern contemporary Christians would rather hear that God is some sort of a cosmic vending machine, dispensing feel-good, live your own truth vibes through heretical worship music than to hear the voice of the One True Living God of conviction, that exposes their hidden idols, false worship practices and demands personal surrender. No wonder Jesus emphatically emphasized in Matthew 7:14, "For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it."
Modern contemporary Christians would rather hear that God is some sort of a cosmic vending machine, dispensing feel-good vibes through heretical worship music than to hear the voice of the One True Living God of conviction, that exposes their hidden idols, false worship practices and demands personal surrender.
While most new believers begins with simple steps, at the heart of Christian maturity is the ongoing pursuit of intimacy with God, not only through foundational practices such as prayer and Bible study, but also becoming more Christ-like through a deeper understanding which goes beyond casual reading and transformative disciplines, like abstaining from sin, a practice that requires our complete surrender by yielding to spiritual authority. While daily honest confession of our sin deepens intimacy with God, and equips us to serve Him through serving others and lead faithfully.
The "called" pastor, commissioned by the Triune God Himself, with the sacred charge to guide, guard and nurture the flock of God, not just in knowledge, but also leading them toward spiritual maturity to cultivate resilience against cultural drifting that erodes biblical Truths, Christ-likeness—equipped to withstand trials that produce steadfastness and completeness, through teaching, counseling, leadership by example, all while simultaneously consistently warning them against false teachers, whether subtle heresies or blatant deceptions, which requires both the ability to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict with unwavering precision, exposing their heresies, which necessitates hours of intense theological study, pouring over the text in its original languages, as well as its historical contexts, listening for God’s voice, along with humble self-examination to avoid one's own superficiality and sin that originates from within the heart. Ministry as a divine vocation, characterized by a relationship with God, rather than a self-appointed professional pursuit with an emphasis on charisma and charm, prioritizing personal achievement and professional recognition above faithfulness and spiritual growth. Through Christ, transformation is possible. However, the real question is how willing are we to embrace this transformative process and live it out, especially when it involves letting go of things we have accepted as the norm for our lives? Are you ready and willing to deny yourself and take up your cross for Christ?
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we humbly thank You for Your Word, I pray that we would hear it well and would be faithful to follow its pure and clear instruction to flee from sin, in whatever form it presents itself and pursue holiness. We know there can be no compromise with Satan and the kingdom of darkness for believers. Father, we pray that Your Spirit would grant us great discernment, so that we can follow those who rightly divide the Word. The world feeds on endless confusion, God's people feed on the truth of the Gospel. Lord, help us to not lose heart or become discouraged when we're met with resistance or hostility in sharing the Truth in love, even to those who profess to know You—remembering that You also faced opposition. In a world filled with Satan's lies, now more than ever, people need the Truth of God, even if they do not realize it. Rather than softening the Truth, speak it in love with compassion, remembering you were once outside God's kingdom. Help us to remember the goal is never to win an argument, but point one who's soul is lost to You. Therefore, let us remain diligent, steadfast in the faith and keep in mind, that a slave is not greater than his Master. We pray these things for Your glory, for Christ's sake and Your increase in the Kingdom.
Amen.
Today's Message: Unmasking The Holy Hypocrites
I trust that since you all have you Bibles with you today, you will open them with me to Luke chapter 11, and following along with me as I read verses 53 and 54, to set the text well within our minds as well as our hearts. Luke 11:53-54.
"And when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, plotting to catch Him in something He might say."
As I'm sure you remember, this discussion between Jesus, the Pharisee that invited Him to lunch and the scholars of the law actually started back in verse 37 and runs all the way through to verse 52. Now, we've come to the end of the chapter 11, Jesus seized the opportunity to expose their hypocrisy, their corrupt leadership, and their burdensome man-made traditions that keeps people out of the kingdom, telling them they were no better than their apostate ancestors, then without giving them an opportunity for a defense, we come to verse 53 where Luke says and "He left there." Luke says "when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile. When God's Truth challenges a person's self-image, more often than not its an image built on pride, status, or self-righteousness, the natural instinctive human reaction is often to respond in either self-defense or an aggressive counter attack. Notice Luke says and they began to question Him closely on many subjects. This was not a casual conversation; it was an intense interrogation. Its the Greek verb "apostomatizó" used only here in the New Testament, meaning they began to question Him very closely, in an invidious manner, it means to press hard. These were not questions in a relaxed verbal exchange to satisfy their curiosity, this was an assault, a barrage of calculated questions on many subjects by the religious leaders in order to provoke Him to a response, and we learn in verse 54, "plotting to catch Him in something He might say."
In other words, Jesus' harsh words not only pierced, but shattered their pristine self-images as impeccable guardians of the law, forcing them to carefully examine their inner corruption and rather than to repent, they doubled down, intensifying their efforts to evade accountability, a defensive tactic that often arises when mental discomfort is triggered by contradictory, new information that violently clashes with one's deeply held personal beliefs as a way to dismiss the new information to restore internal harmony. This is a very common practice when a person prioritizes self-preservation over the pursuit of truth. Jesus declares in John 3, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Those who engage in evil deeds hate the light because it exposes their wrongdoing, and thus they seek to avoid it, because the "light" symbolizes truth, righteousness, and divine revelation. Scripture certainly abounds with of parallel examples of human frailty under God's divine scrutiny. Jesus, lived a perfect, sinless, righteous life, He was unmoved by the intense opposition that often surged against Him. Aligned with the Father’s will, His Light never diminished even when engulfed by the darkness that surrounded Him. Even though the Pharisees and scribes repeatedly dogged His steps in order to watch Him more closely, seeking to find any fault they could accuse Him, yet they could only accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath or claiming divine authority, which they misinterpreted as blasphemy.
When challenged, Jesus only responded with Truth and Divine Authority, in John 8 asking, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?," revealing His perfect character.
Of course, not a single one could answer Him. God's truth doesn't just inform; it indicts, before inviting transformation. Yet, in John 11, rather than being captivated in awe, they were gripped by fear, overcome with sheer panic over their eroding power and influence, the Pharisees and chief priests convened together against Him, seeking to find, what they might do with Him? For He man performed many signs, they were concerned that if we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both their place and our nation. Finding themselves in a very precarious situation, they formulated a deadly scheme with the intent to eliminate Him, rather than to confront the hypocrisy of their unclean hearts, symptomatic of a heart unyielded to God. In Proverbs 29:1, Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel, and Bathsheba, traditionally regarded to be the wisest man to ever lived warns, "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing."
In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance, first proposed by social psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957, is a psychological phenomenon, that arises from the inconsistency of two opposing views conflicting between one's actions and one's beliefs, knowing something is wrong or harmful yet continuing to do it anyway, arguing that people have an intrinsic need for internal psychological consistency to function mentally in the real world. When inconsistency in cognitive dissonance occurs, it creates uncomfortable state, a psychological tension compared to like to hunger or thirst. The aversive state motivates individuals to reduce the dissonance, just as hunger or thirst drives people to seek food or drink.
This obvious tension is particularly noticeable in churches where longstanding Christian traditions, which many believers often view them as essential to the faith,
that have been adapted from cultural, historical, or even pagan influences and lack biblical support while participating in them out of habit. Often rationalizing them by saying "It doesn't hurt anybody and the Bible doesn't forbid it," which not only perpetuates unbiblical practices but exposes the much bigger issue, the avoidance of a deeper Bible study and/or the unwillingness of lack of application that can lead to transformation. Traditions like celebrating Jesus' birth on December 25 and the exchanging of gifts, a date was chosen in the 4th century to coincide with Roman pagan festivals, like Saturnalia and Sol Invictus, which the early Christians didn't celebrate. The first century church didn't focus of the cross, but the Empty Tomb and Resurrection, with an emphasis on the New Birth, a concept that appears to have taken a backseat in post-modern Christianity, who often reject the idea that a change of behavior is evidence of salvation. Even though biblical evidence suggests that a radical change occurs in the life of one who has been "born-again," such as Matthew and Paul, for example.
In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus clearly said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"
If you want to come to Christ, if you want to be His disciple, if you want to be a Christian, you have to understand the total commitment to submission to His Lordship and the total abandonment of your own will. I believe this is a major issue with many professing Christians today, many want to try to hang on to some of their own rights.
The call to follow Jesus Christ means to drop everything, your family, your livelihood, your lifestyle, your home, and follow Him. When you come to Jesus Christ, you must understand, you come on His terms. And that basically means three things: self-denial, cross-bearing, and loyal obedience. Those who try to avoid the reproach, avoid the hostility, avoid the intimidation and persecution, are not truly representing Christ in the world.
Looking at the word "deny" it is the Greek verb "aparnéomai," which literally means to look back at what was and utterly reject it, to strongly reject any personal involvement with the original source. In other words, you have to come to the point where you deny your own will, your own desires and be what God wants you to be. It is a selfless perspective, that literally means to refuse to be anything that you before God.
To proclaim the Word of God to those who need it is a very challenging responsibility, not only in a world of ungodly sinners but to confront, teach, encourage to apply and defend the truth to pseudo-Christians, those who believe themselves to be converted, yet lack any biblical evidence of salvation, is extremely difficult, and is virtually impossible in our human strength but a responsibility you must realize that one day you will give an account. (Hebrews 13:17) Those who seek to avoid it by proclaiming a watered-down version of the Gospel will receive greater condemnation. That why James in chapter 3 cautions against becoming a teacher without proper qualification, or the absence of the divine calling because
of the serious responsibility and accountability associated with teaching, as teachers are held to a higher standard due to the influence they wield over others.
When you come to Christ, a life of humility, completely consumed with the glory of God, without compromise is the way you live the Christian life, because you recognize your former self was judged and condemned to hell. Until you understand that you were damned before Christ, you will never appreciate the value of your salvation and how precious His forgiveness is. I realize that’s a pretty hard‑hitting message for some of you who have continued to live as you did before coming to Christ.
Each day, we're called to make a difference in the lives of others, whether that difference is for better or for worse, is a matter of the way we choose to live our Christian lives. I pray that my influence will be for your good and God's glory.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2025 All Rights Reserved