Scoffing During The Sermon
Luke 16:14-18
January 12, 2020
If you were with us last time you know that Jesus began a new sermon which He directed at His disciples regarding stewardship.
I think we can all agree that what Jesus had to say was very convicting.
He began by telling a story of
• An unrighteous manager who squandered his master’s possessions
• And then when he was caught, he actually cheated the master even more
• By going to his master’s debtors and slashing their debts in half.
He did this in order to make friends
That would welcome him after he lost his job.
And much to our surprise Jesus used that man as a POSITIVE EXAMPLE.
He, in effect said, “I wish My disciples were as shrewd as that man.”
What did that man do that solicited praise from Jesus?
He used wealth he couldn’t keep
To secure for himself a better future.
And though the man was wicked in many accounts of his life, Jesus still saw in that an example that He passed on to His disciples.
In fact, He told us:
Luke 16:9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
And we learned from Jesus about what true stewardship actually is.
According to Jesus money is NOT TO BE hoarded or stored or loved.
Money is to be invested.
But not invested in stocks or CD’S meant to make more money
Or to give us a feeling of security.
Money is to be invested in the kingdom.
He told His followers to use money to make friends that would eventually be in heaven and would gladly welcome you there.
In short, use your money to further the spreading of the gospel
And to see men saved.
And even AFTER that instruction HE CONFRONTED our underlying greed and covetousness by reminding us that stewardship and generosity
Are NOT MATTERS OF SURPLUS, BUT RATHER FAITHFULNESS.
Luke 16:10-13 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
In short, if we’re getting honest,
The real reason His disciples aren’t faithful with the little they have
Is because they don’t actually love God.
The real problem is that they love money.
And according to Jesus this does not bode well for their eternity
If they are not faithful in the wealth which God lets them use on earth,
Will they ever get the opportunity to have their own true riches?
In other words: If you won’t forsake this world,
Which you don’t own and you can’t keep,
Can you really expect to inherit your own eternal kingdom?
It was convicting to say the least.
And I don’t mind telling you that THE SERMON IS NOT OVER.
Jesus is going to close this sermon with another story
About a rich man who lived this whole life for earthly comfort
Only to find in eternity that it was not worth it.
And Jesus is just about to get to that story when He notices something.
THERE WERE SOME OUTSIDERS LISTENING TO HIS SERMON
AND THEY WERE SCOFFING AT HIM.
In the middle of a sermon which warns men that
Loving this world can actually cause you to lose eternal life
Jesus catches a group of people who are scoffing at what He is saying.
So before Jesus finishes the sermon, He actually stops His current message to address the scoffers who don’t like what He is preaching.
That’s why we call the study of this text: “Scoffing During The Sermon”
So Jesus will not take a short detour in the sermon
To address the self-righteous hypocrites who are scoffing at Him
Before He returns to finish His sermon.
And the heart of His message.
JUSTIFYING YOURSELF IS A FOOLISH DECISION
That’s what these men had done and Jesus is about to call them on it.
3 main points this morning.
#1 SELF-JUSTIFICATION EXHIBITED
Luke 16:14
Here we find out what went down as Jesus was preaching.
“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.”
FIRST we see that “the Pharisees…were lovers of money”
This should not surprise us.
• We saw it in Luke 14 when the Pharisee only invited his friends and not the
poor to his dinner so that he might be paid back by them.
• We saw it in Matthew 15 where we found out that they were unwilling even to
help their parents financially. They actually twisted the Law to say they
couldn’t help their parents because all of their money was dedicated to God.
• We see it in Matthew 23 and Luke 20 where we learn that they are those who
“devour widow’s houses”.
These men were “lovers of money”
AND THEN we find out that because of this greed, they “were scoffing at Him” as He preached.
It is a word that means “to deride; or to turn up the nose”
The word shows up again when He is on the cross.
Luke 23:35 “And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”
There it is translated “sneering”, but it is the same Greek word.
And that gives you some insight into the mood.
They didn’t like what they were hearing
And they were sneering and they were scoffing.
Jesus just preached about a sinful and greedy mindset
That can even keep a man out of heaven
And these Pharisees scoffed at it.
And apparently were making a bit of a scene as they did it.
What you have there is an EXHIBITION OF SELF-JUSTIFICATION.
• If you can hear Jesus speak about a sin so dangerous that it can keep you out of heaven
• And you can just turn your nose up at it like it’s not important
• Then obviously you have already judged that you are fine and don’t need to hear it.
But again I would remind you that
THIS SUBJECT on which Jesus preached is NO LAUGHING MATTER.
The issue of coveting and greed and a refusal to be generous
IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE.
Not only is not coveting one of the 10 commandments.
But it is also clearly a sin with far reaching destruction.
Remember the Rich Young Ruler?
Matthew 19:16-20 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”
Now if you’ll remember the 10 Commandments
• You’ll remember that 4 of them point upward (as they relate to God)
• And 6 of them point outward (as they relate to man)
And when Jesus is proclaiming the Law to this young man He starts giving him those 6 that reach out to humanity.
But you notice that Jesus subbed out the final command.
He didn’t give the 10th commandment, instead He substituted it with the second greatest command which was to love your neighbor as yourself.
The command Jesus omitted?
“Thou shalt not covet”
Why did Jesus omit it?
Because that was the sin that covered this man’s heart
And Jesus was about to reveal that by asking him to give up all his possessions.
And yet it was this sin that kept the Rich Young Ruler from being saved.
IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SIN.
If you’re familiar with Paul’s personal testimony
• You’ll remember that despite his impeccable resume as a Pharisee and a
Hebrew of Hebrews and one who ascended beyond his contemporaries
• Paul acknowledged one major sin in his life that he couldn’t kick and one
which literally caused him to declare himself a wretched man.
What was that sin?
Romans 7:7-8 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.”
Later, after Pentecost as the church was in full missionary form
• Philip began to preach and a man named Simon claimed to believe;
• He was even baptized, but later on he tried to obtain and use the Holy Spirit for
money
• His heart was revealed as being covetous and listen to what Peter said to him.
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
Despite this man’s public confession…
Despite this man’s baptism…
Peter saw his covetous greedy heart
And boldly proclaimed him a man still in bondage to his sin.
Loving Money is a HUGE SIN and one that keeps men from being saved.
1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
James 4:1-4 “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
We actually heard Jesus say last week:
Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
It’s a real problem and a real bad indicator.
SO if Jesus preaches on greed and it convicts you or exposes you.
THE EXPECTATION OF THE DAY
Is that you repent and humble yourself
And ask for mercy and forgiveness from Christ.
That is what SHOULD happen.
But these men didn’t think they needed mercy or forgiveness.
They had already justified themselves.
• And so INSTEAD OF weeping they were scoffing.
• INSTEAD OF humbling themselves they rejected and mocked the preaching of
Jesus.
It was Self-Justification Exhibited, and Jesus wouldn’t put up with it.
#2 SELF-JUSTIFICATION EXPOSED
Luke 16:15
Jesus certainly was aware of their scoffing.
Even if they hadn’t done it outwardly, He would have seen their heart.
And He stops mid sermon to not only call attention to them
BUT TO FULLY EXPOSE THEM.
“And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”
According to Jesus there are SOME REAL PROBLEMS
With their theology and their thought process.
Let me lay them out for you.
1) THEY HAD AN UNQUALIFIED DEFENSE
“You are those who justify yourselves”
What you have here is a sort of court-room scene
And a person without qualification standing up to offer the defense.
A defense attorney is only allowed to speak at the permission of the Judge,
And even then it is closely scrutinized and listened to
And the Judge has the authority to stop him at any moment.
Well here you have a man who feels like
He has the right to speak on his own behalf before the Judge.
And that is foolish because this man has nothing to say
That the Judge is interested in hearing.
It reminds of the story of Job
Who had determined to sort of justify himself before God.
God let Job know pretty quick that He wasn’t interested in his defense.
Job 38:1-3 “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!”
And of course that went on for 4 chapters until Job finally did answer.
Job 42:1-6 “Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”
Job learned that he had no right
To stand before God in an effort to justify himself.
Paul said this is one of the purposes of God’s Law;
Namely to stop men from trying to justify themselves.
Romans 3:19-20 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
The point is that these men would justify themselves before God
But what they didn’t seem to understand is that
They were unqualified defense attorneys.
The Judge is interested in evidence not their excuses.
But that wasn’t their only problem in this courtroom.
2) THEY HAD A POWERLESS JURY
“You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men”
The Pharisees entire game plan and ambition was to prove to men how righteous they were.
• That’s why they sounded a trumpet when they gave…
• That’s why they prayed on the street corners in public…
• That’s why they neglected their appearance when they fasted…
• That’s why they broadened their phylacteries…
• That’s why they lengthened the tassels on their garments…
They were constantly putting on a show before men to prove how righteous they were.
There is one profound problem with that.
MAN IS NOT THE JURY
Men don’t decide your fate, Christ does.
John 5:22-29 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
Someday at the judgment you won’t get to plead your case before all the inhabitants of heaven to see if you can convince them to let you in.
THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN.
What will happen is the books of evidence will be opened and God will judge you based on your deeds to determine whether or not you get in.
Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Justifying yourself in the sight of men is as foolish as it comes.
But I’ll tell you another problem they had.
3) THEY HAD AN INVALID STANDARD
“but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”
These Pharisees justified themselves before men, which was foolish enough.
But even worse was the fact that when they did seek to justify themselves THEY DID SO WITH THE WRONG STANDARD.
That is to say they always measured themselves
By an external human standard.
AND THAT IS NOT THE STANDARD THAT IS USED.
Remember what Paul said about the Judaizers?
2 Corinthians 10:12 “For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.”
And yet that is how the Pharisees walked.
They stood before a human jury and justified themselves
By putting on an outward show
Of how much better they were than other people.
Luke 18:11-12 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”
AND THEIR MOST GLARING PROBLEM IS THAT
They didn’t understand God’s standard of judgment…RIGHTEOUSNESS
Isaiah 28:14-19 “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. “I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And the waters will overflow the secret place. “Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place. “As often as it passes through, it will seize you; For morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night, And it will be sheer terror to understand what it means.”
Acts 17:30-31 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
When you stand before God, you are NOT judged by your own standards,
You ARE judged by His standards.
He determines, by His standard of righteousness,
Whether or not you are righteous.
Romans 2:5-11 “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”
God is the judge, and HE DOESN’T compare you to other people
And HE DOESN’T look at the outside.
God looks at the heart.
“but God knows your hearts”
His judgment is not just of what you do, but of your motives.
Do we not remember that penetrating sermon of Jesus in Matthew 5?
• Where He reminded us that just because you haven’t murdered anyone that doesn’t mean you aren’t guilty because everyone who is angry with their brother has committed murder in their heart
• Where He said it doesn’t matter if you haven’t physically committed adultery but if you have looked at a woman with lust you have done it in your heart
God’s judgment is regarding true evidence
And it is a judgment of your heart, not just your appearance.
John 2:23-25 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Do you see the problem of the Pharisees?
1. They did all their work on the outside
2. To satisfy a faulty standard
3. And to impress a jury who didn’t get to decide anything
4. All the while they ignored the true righteous standard
5. Of the One who would ultimately be their judge.
HOW FOOLISH!
AND MEN ARE PRONE TO DO IT.
• We hear those who are “work place justified” because all their buddies
agreed with them that they are ok.
• We hear those who are “momma justified” because their momma convinced
them that they are a good person.
• We hear those who are “social media justified” because all their friends on
Facebook said, “Girl, you deserve to do that!”
And people who justify themselves in such a way
Are those who ultimately scoff at the commands of God
Because they have already justified themselves in their sin.
But it is so foolish!
Let me show you the heart of the real Judge.
“For that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”
So what is “highly esteemed among men”?
He’s talking about what man loves and desires.
And that has been clear from the beginning.
Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Paul laid it out for us in Romans 3
Romans 3:13-18 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
That is what man highly esteems.
• Man loves sin.
• Man loves this world.
• Man loves the gratification of the flesh.
And Jesus says that these things are “detestable in the sight of God.”
The real Judge will destroy you for those things.
Ecclesiastes 11:9 “Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.”
You can follow the pattern of the world and let society be your jury,
But come judgment that will not benefit you at all.
The things of this world are “detestable” to God.
That is a word that means “foul”.
It is rotten and corrupt and it stinks to Him.
Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
That word “abominable” is the same word rendered “detestable” here.
Those people will be judged.
SO JESUS EXPOSED THESE PHARISEES
AS THOSE WHO WERE IN GRAVE DANGER BEFORE GOD.
Self-Justification Exhibited Self-Justification Exposed
#3 SELF-JUSTIFICATION EXPLAINED
Luke 16:16-18
Here Jesus goes even a step deeper
TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING
• When men ignore the commands of God in order to justify themselves in the sight of men.
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached…”
That’s just a divine timeline.
• Until John all we had were promises and prophecies of the coming kingdom.
• But John was the forerunner showed up and started proclaiming the kingdom.
• Remember: “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”
HOWEVER, THE UNIVERSAL PROBLEM IS THAT
Even though John and Jesus both told us how to enter the kingdom (“repent”) men did not want to enter that way.
Instead “everyone is forcing his way into it.”
What He means is that instead of repenting
Men are trying to force their way into it.
Matthew 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”
In effect men attack the kingdom.
• They attack its standards
• They attack its requirements
They seek to lower its walls and widen its gates
They aren’t interested in earning the favor of the King,
Instead they determine to scale its walls and enter it
As a hostile takeover not as submitted slaves.
This was evidenced in what Jesus said:
Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus exposed the expectation of men.
• They just knew that if anyone was to enter the kingdom then someone would
have to come and show them which commands didn’t matter.
• In order to be pleasing to God someone would have to come and use their
sharpie and mark out the unimportant commands.
That is what the Rich Young Ruler wanted.
When Jesus told him to “keep the commandments” he said, “which ones?”
But Jesus was clear: ALL OF THEM!
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets”
Here in Luke He says:
(17) “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”
You’d have an easier time destroying the galaxy than you would getting God to omit even one dot or stroke from His righteous standard.
“It ain’t gonna happen.”
If your plan is to go to heaven by omitting God’s righteous decrees or lowering God’s righteous standard
Then you are in a world of hurt, because it won’t happen.
But that is why self-justifying men try to do.
• They try to destroy the righteous standard of God.
• They try to omit His Laws and disregard His ordinances.
And Jesus even gives an example.
(I realize verse 18 looks like it comes out of nowhere, but it doesn’t. Jesus is just giving another example of a place where the Pharisees did violence to God’s Law)
One way they assaulted God’s righteous Law was in the area of divorce.
Jesus says:
(18) “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.”
Why did Jesus bring that up? Because this was another area where the Pharisees abused God’s Law in order to justify themselves.
Matthew 19:3-9 “Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
The Pharisees actually told Jesus that Moses commanded divorce.
They are referring to:
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.”
The point of Moses was that
• All too often men in Israel send their wives away for some reason of indecency
• And then later, after she is remarried try to marry her again,
• And Moses forbid it.
• The only point of Moses was that divorce causes adultery.
But the Pharisees took verse 1 and saw Moses warning as permission.
THEY TWISTED what Moses said to mean that
They could divorce their wives for any reason at all;
Including if she didn’t cook good or wasn’t as pretty as another woman.
AND JESUS BRINGS THAT UP
As just another incident where they did violence to God’s Law.
They were men who mutilated God’s Law in order to justify themselves.
And do we not see them same today?
• We have churches and even entire denominations rewriting their doctrine on homosexuality in order to justify men who are sinning against God.
• The entire Methodist church is about to split over this issue.
THAT IS HOW SELF-JUSTIFICATION WORKS.
1. Men nullify God’s Law
2. They then replace it with their own outward standards
3. And then they defend themselves before other men
4. And thus they feel good about themselves
5. So good in fact that they mock and scorn when God’s truth is presented
BUT WHAT A FOOLISH ERROR
1. For someday those men will stand before the real Judge
2. Only to find that not one dot of that Law was nullified
3. And they will be judged according not only to what they did but according also to what was in their heart.
In short, scoffing at Jesus when He warns of judgment
Is a very foolish thing to do and Jesus revealed that here.
Friend, I would remind you that:
• God’s Law has not been removed.
• God’s righteous standard has not been nullified.
• God will still judge every man based on the good or bad he has done.
God’s Law has not been abolish, BUT it has been fulfilled.
• Jesus Christ came to this earth and He alone fully obeyed God’s Law.
• He kept every jot and tittle.
• He obeyed every command without flaw.
And He offers that righteousness which He earned
1. To every man who admits that they fall short of God’s righteous standard,
2. And runs to Him asking for forgiveness
3. And trusting in His righteous life and His death for their salvation.
When you stand before God you will be judged
By the righteous or sinful deeds you have done.
But it is possible to stand there clothed in the righteousness of Christ so that you are made acceptable.
When you hear Jesus speak of God’s Laws and the requirements of salvation,
• Don’t scoff, humble yourself and run to Jesus for mercy and righteousness.
• Don’t justify yourself, run to Christ who alone can justify you before God.
Romans 3:19-24 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”
