Matthew Chapter 22 Verses 41 – 46

• It’s a staggering statement by Jesus because in this culture, in no way, no how, no shape and under no circumstances would the father of a family ever refer to his son as lord. It just didn’t happen. This culture was and is entirely patriarchal and therefore until the father’s death, he would be revered as lord of the home.
• But David makes this statement in Psalm 110 and Jesus asks them, baffles them really, why would David do this? Of course the answer is that Jesus indeed is the Son of man…the Son of David…and yet He is also the Son of God…and therefore both the Son of David and the Lord of David! And check this out, Jesus says that David, in the Spirit penned the Psalm and in that statement He validates that indeed the scripture is not man originated but rather man penned and originated by the Holy Spirit…just as 2 Timothy 3:16 states…
• What’s striking for me is that even in the midst of all of the rejection and the hate, Jesus reaches out to them. You see they also taught and thought that the Messiah would simply be a man…not divine. Their accusation against Jesus later would be that Jesus made Himself equal to God which in their mind was blasphemy, not a sign of the Messiah…and Jesus knew that…So one last try…After this question He will pronounce woe upon the scribes and the Pharisees…but not all of them…some of them heard the scriptures through Him and knowing them for years, they finally did receive them…

Matthew Chapter 23 Verses 1 – 3

• Jesus allots respect and even obedience towards the scribes and the Pharisees not for who they are and certainly not for how they are but simply because of the fact that they sit in the seat of Moses. And there is something to be said and taught about reverence towards those that are in positions or seats of authority even if you don’t like them…even if they’re not good leaders…God still has a purpose for you and for me in those situations…
• Poole said it this way, “Let not the law of God lose its authority with you because of wicked men…” The wise goal and correct passage is to seek the heart of God in whatever situation and in whatever relational or personal circumstance. If the men and women around you must be perfect to obtain your ear towards the things of God then good luck! You may as well go mute the rest of your life too…and I’ll say just one more thing on this topic…I am eternally thankful for the less than perfect leaders I’ve had throughout my past…(and not for their good characteristics, either!)
• God has used them to magnify His grace and truth towards me and in me and if all I ever had was “easy street” in the past then all I’d ever be is someone who can handle easy things…but God has a bigger calling on my life…a more fierce fight that He has worked in preparation towards me and for that I am thankful!
• I had a dream that I was about to enter into a fight, like that was my profession – like boxing…but I wasn’t ready and I was afraid. April was there and she fed me good food before the fight and gave me some Excedrin so that the pain and swelling would be curtailed somehow…and yet I knew I wasn’t ready…and then I entered the hotel room that was reserved for me prior to the fight and it was like a mansion…and reminders of all of my past fights were all around…and I learned that I was undefeated and extremely skilled…then I was drowned in confidence and even excitement…inspired and thrilled to go fight…
• You see, God uses what you’ve been through, what He’s taken you through, even tough people and bad leaders (those that say and do not do) to prepare you in courage, skill and wisdom for what is yet ahead…time to look for God’s heart in it friend and stop the complaining…trust God and watch for Him…He is there and He is at work…and so for me and my house, respect and revere those that are ordained and over you in authority lest you squander your training and arrive at the next fight, the next contest, the next trial and test…weak and filled with fear…when through God and day by day, moment to moment eyes on Him you could show up a champion…unbeaten and unbeatable!

Matthew Chapter 23 Verse 4

• Truly the very definition of a bad leader…one that says and does not do…the life and activity is inconsistent with their own messaging and also…one that lays their burdens on the people rather than taking upon themselves the burdens of the people. Now that we know that, we can define, (in context of this scripture) good leadership. A leader that lives in consistency with what they teach and a leader that gives no burden that they themselves are not willing to bear.

Matthew Chapter 23 Verse 5a

• Jesus taught at the Sermon on the Mount, “Take heed to yourselves, (police yourselves in this), that you do not your righteous acts before men, to be seen by men, for I say to you, you have your reward.” And when He talked about giving He said, “Don’t sound the trumpet like the Pharisees who make a big deal out of what they give…but when you give, do it in secret not letting your right hand know what your left hand is doing.”

• And He continued, “When you pray, don’t be like the Pharisees who like to stand in the street corners that they may be seen by men but go into your closet, shut the door…” And He said, “When you fast, don’t be like the Pharisees, who go around with sad faces looking so drained but anoint your face with oil that you don’t appear at all to men to be fasting…”

• I love what Chuck Smith said on this passage, “Be careful that you don’t get caught in this religious sham, where outward demonstration for others to see or experience your spiritual awesomeness takes away one iota of true spiritual worship!” Chuck continued with a story…, “Some fellow came up to me Thursday night after service and said, "I stood up tonight while they were singing, and I was worshiping the Lord, and someone came up and told me to sit down, and I was just there worshiping the Lord." I said, "Well, whoever told you to sit down, told you right." I said, "If everybody else is sitting down, and you are standing, then all you are doing is drawing attention to you. We are not here to be attracted to you; we are here to be attracted to Jesus Christ."

• The fact is that my old nature, the nature that wants attention and accolade and wants approval from others…how spiritual that I am and all…that old nature is constantly activated and at war against the true things of the spirit and so we ought to do what Jesus said and take heed to ourselves so that not only our own worship is solely about what it should be about, God and not us, but also we ought to take heed that we aren’t dragging others out of worship by taking attention away from the Lord!

Matthew Chapter 23 Verses 5 – 10

• It’s so true…that even in this church, I am not the rabbi, the father or the teacher…all of those belong only to God…even in the teaching of God’s Word…If it is not God interweaving in my own heart the Word of God and crafting each sermonic message then it’s all a waste. The lesson may intrigue, inform or even entertain…but in the end…the word not mixed with faith profits nothing…

• And so we have Sundays and Wednesdays where folks tell me, “That message was JUST for me!” It happens often! And I know that there are 1,000 different ways (maybe even inexhaustible ways) to unpack and apply each truth of each verse and yet God selects certain ones for certain sermons for this certain church…and therefore, if anything hits the mark and if anything produces fruit…best believe it is fruit of the Spirit and NOT fruit of the human teacher…

Matthew Chapter 23 Verses 11 – 12

• This is a point that Jesus has made before and what’s interesting is that normally people assess and evaluate greatness by how many people serve them but Jesus says in the Kingdom of God it’s different…greatness is estimated by how we serve and honor others…
• And then a powerfully true statement…whoever exalts himself…forces others to recognize them as someone, and many times, someone superior…God will humble. But whoever humbles himself and gives of himself in service to others, God will recognize as someone…

Matthew Chapter 23 Verse 13

• Now that’s a huge statement and I just want to put a mental highlight on what Jesus just said. “For you neither go in yourselves,” present tense, “Nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” Present tense. God’s desire is for us to enter into eternal life…now…presently! For the Spirit of God to enter our heart of hearts and introduce us today to our Creator, Savior, Father and King! To prepare us and equip us for the contest we are in…first for our own souls and then for the souls of those around us…