Priorities in the Kingdom 7
As we are getting close to finishing this study, here is a reminder of what we have talked about so far.
1. First be reconciled with your brother.
2. First seek the Kingdom.
3. First take the beam from your own eye.
4. First bind the strong man.
5. Gather ye together first the tares.
6. This is the first and great commandment.
We have two more to do and to look at. How many times have you been fooled in your life? Can you remember the feeling of betrayal? How could you even be so dumb as to believe it in the first place? You had that feeling of anger because something was misrepresented. Your trust was abused and your kindness was taken advantage of. Without even thinking, your reaction is that of disappointment and wanting to do something about it. You hate the moment and you hate the very idea of not doing something about it.
Questions start running through your mind about what will happen if you don’t do anything to stop this. What if this happens to another person, would you be able to even live with yourself? Something must be done before someone else gets fooled as well. This must stop and you need to do something about it. Are you feeling this with me? We all hate injustice and we all hate it when we are taken advantage of. Worse than this, we all know someone that has gone through this very scenario more than once. Our news channels are filled with stories of innocent elderly people losing money or even people getting money after a disaster fund was started for hurricane victims, and they took advantage of the opportunity to register for relief funds when they were not even in the disaster.
Jesus addresses this issue strongly with the Pharisees of His time. They were expecting the people to keep laws they themselves didn’t keep. He calls them out and tells them to their faces that they are wrong. He confronts them because their outward appearance looks good and religious and in order with God, but their intentions are wrong and deceiving.
Matt. 23:26-28 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
God does know what is in the hearts of men and woman. We can fool people with the mask we put on, but God sees what is behind the mask. When Adam and Eve sinned they made themselves clothes of fig leaves to hide their nakedness. God came looking for them as they were hiding and found them. You cannot hide from God. He sees everything. He then clothed them to cover their nakedness. The enemy's plan is to hide you but still expose your nakedness. God's plan is to cover you and cover your nakedness. God will address any man-made idea or plan that looks like you are covered but still does not protect you. God wants us to deal first with what is in our hearts and then we will be upright before men. The enemy is a deceiver and when we are hypocritical and not truthful we are a manifestation of his character and not God’s.
Religion has the tendency to create masks because it will bend the rules to accommodate people’s sin. Behind the masks they feel free to worship because the mask has created a false sense of achievement. People say, "I can live like this and get away with it." Religion will dress you for success while it ignores the struggles in your heart. Religion will cause you to lash out in self-righteousness at those that want to address your mask and your issues. How dare they invade my heart that is behind this mask? Religion will cover your hurt and allows you to be the most hurtful and broken person on earth, and it will cut you off from the healing you need so desperately.
That is why Jesus says: Clean first the inside of the cup. God loves to start with the real issues we have. Will you allow him to clean the inside first?