Stand for Truth and the Value of Tonight

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.  (Romans 10:14-17)

Thoughts: Tonight is a reminder of history- good and evil.  Most live in today and live as if history means little and does not affect us.  But we wouldn't be trick or treating without history.  Our trick or treating would not be so benign if it were still under the guise of Druid religion.  The trick would be a threat. 
    The attack in New York City is also a reminder not only is our culture different today, but it is different because of our history.  We value freedom and are willing to sacrifice to keep it.  The violent Islamists would sacrifice us and them in order to destroy our freedom that we might be afraid- retreat from freedom and give up on the secular ideal.  Christianity gives meaning, motivation, and hope to freedom.  Secularism with its ideal of tolerance for all has little answer to the evil violence of Islam.  Secularism only gets angry and tries to lump all religions into one- getting angry at all unable to distinguish good from evil.  Ironically, Christianity is the only ally of the secularists who criticize it.  The violent Islamists will give no quarter to secularists, nor to any true Americans who would resist them. 
     There is another more important meaning to tonight.  It is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's nailing of the 95 Theses to the Wittenburg Door- and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.  When he did so, it opened up the Bible so that the people could read in their own language.  The question of our passage- "How are they to hear without someone preaching"is answered in part when in God's providence and by God's Spirit Luther was led to stand up and give the Bible to the people.  The Reformation was not about economy, nationalism, politics, or even ideas.  It was a movement of God's Spirit in God's providence.  It is history that helps us value the freedom to read for ourselves to be educated so we may read the scriptures.
      We should not take lightly the value of this night.  The Reformation would teach us not just to value good, but to stand up for good and truth against those would devalue it and the God of all truth. 

Prayer: Lord, give me strength today to stand for you and your Word.  

The Public Visibility of the Second Coming

22“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.

26“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29“Immediately after the distress of those days

“ ‘the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’^b

30“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth^c will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.^d 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Mt. 24:22-31)

Thoughts: Jesus' coming will not be done on a corner.  Many may say they are the Christ, but the second time Jesus comes- He will come in the glory with the angels in the clouds and every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7). 
      How can every eye see Him at once?  Jesus, trying to relate to a first century audience speaks of lightning flashing from east to west. that many can see at once.  Electricity and TV would make this fulfilled.  It is amazing that an event may be happening in Iraq and we see it live in America thanks to satellite TV.  Many can see things live on the other side of the world on their phone.  It really doesn't matter how this happens- whether in person or we see it at once by artificial means. What matters is that it will happen- it will be public and clear.  

Prayer: Lord, Help me to look for the majesty of your coming 
 

The Church Encouraged to Leave Jerusalem

15“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’^a spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.(Matthew 24:15-21)

Thoughts: Jesus was emphasizing that His disciples should seek to escape Jerusalem when they see the Temple desolated and the foreign armies surrounding Jerusalem.  Jesus was trying to give them a sense of urgency- don't go back, go in a hurry- flee to the mountains. 
     Historically, many believe this prophecy helped save the church.  For the most part the Christian church was encapsulated in Jerusalem. But Jesus had asked them to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; Mt. 28:19-20).  They left Jerusalem about 64 AD according to the church historian Eusebius (see below 3,5). 

Prayer: Lord, give me ears to hear you and respond to you.  

“The whole body, however, of the Church at Jerusalem, having been commanded by a divine revelation, given to men of approved piety there before the war, removed from the city, and dwelt at a certain town beyond the Jordan, called Pella. Here those that believed in Christ, having removed from Jerusalem, as if holy men had entirely abandoned the royal city itself, and the whole land of Judea; the divine justice, for their crimes against Christ and his Apostles finally overtook them, totally destroying the whole generation of these evildoers form the earth.

– Eusebius, History of the Church 3, 5

The Gospel to Every Nation

14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

Thoughts:  This is an important prophecy of Jesus that everyone can see is fulfilled or very close to being fulfilled.  It is amazing that almost 2,000 years ago with only a few dozen followers Jesus predicts His message will go to the ends of the earth.  He asks His disciples to preach the Gospel to every nation (Mt. 28:18-20) after the resurrection.
    Jesus has just predicted the destruction of the Temple (24:1-4) and with it the destruction of Jerusalem. When the Temple was destroyed and the disciples had to get out of Jerusalem and Judea- and with it they took the Gospel with them.
     The "testimony to all nations" has a dual meaning.  First, it means that there will be believers in every nation (or some some tribe/people group) so that they will hear the good news.  Second, it is a testimony to all nations that the Gospel is indeed spread to every area. 
      In 1989 the last nation without any Christian adherents (Nepal) had several converts.  Christianity became the first and still only religion to have adherents in every country in the world.  So in one sense this prophecy has been fulfilled. In another sense, some missiologists say, the word "Nation" refers to tribe or language group.
    This missions accomplishment is one of the most amazing feats in the history of the world.  It has taken great sacrifice.  Many have given up the comforts of their culture, their families, their homes to spread the hope and love of Christ.
    In 1995 Christian protestant denominations got together and found there were 15,000+ people groups that had little or no witness in them.  There was a tremendous coordinated effort.  Today there are only about 5,000 people groups with little or no witness in them.
    Another un-publicized part of this huge accomplishment is the huge sacrifice to translate the Bible into each vernacular language.  This has become somewhat easier in recent years with computer software.  But many very smart people have left their families, their homes, the comforts of running water and sewer and medical help to live with a people and learn their culture and language.  Then being able to put the language into writing and then translating the Bible into that language.  This is a huge service to that culture- putting their own language down to be preserved and understood better.
    Some other effects of missionary enterprise has been the stopping of cannibalism.  Darwin even wrote the London Times about this as a benefit-that if you ever get stranded on a South Pacific Island you should pray the missionaries went ahead of you to convert the cannibals.  Another benefit is the stopping of widow burning (sati)- where the widow would throw herself on her husband's funeral pyre.  There are many benefits to the spreading of the Gospel to every nation- most are unseen.  

Prayer: Lord thank you for the hope and purpose you give. Thank you for those who have sacrificed their lives and comfort for the spreading of your love and hope.  May your good news continue to spread in the world.
     

Jesus Predicts Tough Sledding

9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:9-13)

Thoughts: Jesus had not yet faced the full wrath of the persecution of His people, yet while He could speak freely, He tells them that they will be persecuted.  Historically we think that all but one of the apostles were martyred for their faith.  Sadly, the media forgets the martyrs of our time.  Two atheists leading atheistic regimes, Mao and Stalin,  are responsible for 150 million Christians dying (give or take 15 million). You could also add the Khmer Rouge and the Cuban persecution to the list of atheistic regimes punishing Christians.  It is hard to believe that the One who promoted love of neighbor, who did not raise a finger against anyone would be hated by so many and that hate is passed onto His followers.  More Christians have died in the last century than all the other centuries combined. 
    Jesus also predicts that despite a spreading of the Gospel, many will turn away from the faith.  There will be divisions and dissension in the church before He comes back.  There has always been some division and dissension, but this is especially aggravated at the end times.  Perhaps it is aggravated over sin and evil.  For the next verse says, "because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold."  When the world is wicked it may seep into the church.  When the church becomes enveloped in sin, it loses its purpose and saltiness.  It is hard to be good in a very evil time. 
     But Jesus still encourages His followers asking them to stay firm until the end.  There is always salvation to those who persevere and do not give up.  Our job is to keep on keeping on and trust in God though all the world turn away. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to persevere through those who would hate me only because I love you.  Help me to not give up but persevere.  

Matthew 24:3-8 Signs part 2

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:3-8) 

Thoughts: We need to explore the signs- the birth pains in a little more detail. 
The basic thought is that terrible things happen before the great good of Christ's coming.  Much like a woman in labor is in a great deal of pain and then the baby comes.  What this means too is that the terrible things in life are not the end.  There is hope found in Christ and His presence.  As a woman's labor pains intensify- so these signs are in every generation but will just be more intense and more frequent before Christ comes. 
      Many come in Christ's name today- saying that they are the Messiah.  Thirty years ago there were 350 denominations/religions in America.  Today there are 2,000+.  As many criticize and drift away from Christianity people pursue their own, made- up faiths. 
    Certainly there have been wars and rumors of wars and nation against nation.  There are wars in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Niger, Somalia, Philippines, There are rumors of war with Iran and North Korea.
         There will be famines- Many have predicted as the population grows there needs to be more food to feed them.  There are major famines that are caused in part by war- with no time or peace in order to plant (Syria, South Sudan).  

    Earthquakes are becoming historically more and more frequent and severe.  For example there were more than twice as many severe earthquakes (7.0 or greater) in 2014 than 1979. 
       Famines and earthquakes are the beginning of the birth pains.  Signs do not mean things have to happen immediately.  But signs may be like alarm clocks to remind us that His coming may be close.  

Prayer: Lord, let me see and understand that you come at just the right time. 
      

Signs of His Coming

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:3-8)

Thoughts: Matthew 24 has four major prophecies: 1) The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple; 2) The persecution of the followers of Christ climaxed before His coming (the Great Tribulation); 3) The spreading of the Gospel to all nations before the end comes (24:14); 4) The Second Coming of Christ. 
       The disciples asked a question that Jesus didn't answer directly.  Their question was when will the Temple be destroyed as he predicted.  This happened within a generation of his death (24:34- 33 AD to 70 AD- a generation is 40 years).  Jesus was not just thinking about the destruction of the Temple but of the end of all things and His coming.  The Temple's destruction was a symbol that the Gospel is not restricted to one place and one people.  When Jerusalem was destroyed the Christians literally scattered all over.  Jesus was thinking about His impending arrest, death, resurrection and then His coming. 
      Jesus describes the signs of His coming as "birth pains"- labor pains of a woman in labor.  It is important in two senses: 1) the pains get more intense and more together before the delivery- indicating that the signs of famine, war, false Christs, and persecution would truly get worse before He comes;  2) The birth pains give birth to new life.  His Second Coming is not all pain- but hope and joy too-  as when a baby is born.  

Prayer: Lord, Let me lift up my head and see your hand at work in the world today.  Thank you for the assurance that history has a direction and purpose.  

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple.

1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1,2)

Thoughts: The Herodian Temple was not fully complete when the disciples were awed by it.  It was considered one of the wonders of the ancient world because of its huge stones and the way the sun glistened off of the white limestone.  It was finished in 66 AD but was totally destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.  They literally tore the huge stones down. 
      This is a prophecy of Jesus that he made at least eight times.  He was accused at his arrest of speaking against the Temple and partially was crucified for this charge.  He told the women of Jerusalem to not weep for Him but for themselves for the destruction about to come upon them.  It is noteworthy that Matthew does not speak as if the Temple has already fallen, saying something like "and the Temple did fall."  Or, "Just as Jesus predicted..."  Many scholars date Matthew as coming before the fall of the Temple for this reason.  Others think that this is such a specific outlandish prophesy that it had to be dated after the Temple fell.  However, Jesus also predicted in 24:14 that the Gospel would be sent to all nations- (accomplished when converts came in Nepal in 1989).  Christianity is the only religion that is in all nations- and Jesus predicted this when the faith had only a few dozen followers all centered in one place.  But no one would date Matthew after 1989.  Prediction alone is not a reason to date a book. 
      Jesus was and is considered a prophet by many Jewish rabbis because of his teachings and prediction on this particular issue (he was one of the few).  The Temple was bigger than it had ever been and the walls seemed quite imposing and invulnerable.  Yet Jesus pointed out that they were to come down- and within a generation they did. 
      It was in part a symbol of what God was doing.  He was taking the faith and spreading it beyond the centralized location of the Temple-Jerusalem-Judea.  God was remaking His people/gospel as a Potter re-makes the clay.  

Prayer: Lord, Help me to trust in you in the times you are re-making things as a Potter remakes the clay.  

The Compassion of the One Who Draws us to Himself

33“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’" (Matthew 23:33-39)

Thoughts: Jesus shows two sides.  He shows a side of anger because the religious leaders unjustly kill his followers, kick them out of worship, and hound them down.  He points out that these people deserve destruction.  This is a common theme in Matthew, but more importantly it is a common theme in Jesus' teaching.  The Jews who didn't believe in Him still revered Jesus as a prophet for He was the only one who foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple.
     But the other side is how Jesus longs for the people to come back to Him.  In Jerusalem there is a church halfway down on the Mt. of Olives.  It is there as a way to view all of Jerusalem.  Jesus looks on the city and weeps.  He longs for His people to come to Him but instead they reject Him-- to their own destruction.  It is that way with all of us- He longs for all of us to not reject Him but to come to Him- for our own good as well as to His glory. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your compassion that draws me to yourself.  

View from the church on Mt. Olives looking over Jerusalem

The Pharisees Persecute Prophets

29“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. (Matthew 23:29-36)

Thoughts: It is always easy to have 20-20 hindsight and assume that we would have acted better than others if we were there.  I find myself saying, "I will never deny you Lord" the same way Peter did before he denied Jesus.  The Pharisees honored the prophets yet were responsible for killing John and Jesus. 
      Jesus says he is sending even more prophets but they will reject them too.  The problem is that we want to do what we want to do no matter what God wants.  

Prayer: Lord, you are King.  You are worthy of praise not persecution.  

                                                              

The Inside vs. the Outside

25“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:25-28)

Thoughts:  These are two woes together with the same basic message: take care of the inside not just the outside.  The Pharisees wanted people (and God) to think well of them because they did the outside things well out of duty and a sense of show.  But God isn't fooled.  Jesus is always more concerned about the inside- the heart.
     Jesus uses two images- if you clean the outside of the cup but leave the inside filthy, it will not make for a good drink.  If you have a nice painted tomb- it may look good on the outside but it is still a tomb.  I have heard many comment on a dead body that is made up- "Oh they look so good."  I am glad they look good- I guess.  But it doesn't matter- they are still dead.
    Our culture still values the outside- beauty, the size of the house, the car.  People are willing to go into tremendous debt just to look good on the outside.  But what about the soul?  Richard Dawkins speaks positively about selfishness calling it "the selfish gene" but his thesis is just a disguise for greed and appearance- leaving life an empty shell without true love, grace, hope, and meaning.  The more we fool ourselves thinking that because we look good on the outside, the more we tear at our eternal soul.  This does lead to hypocrisy- a pretense- and a kind of self-indulgence that seems to be justified. 
     Jesus gives here a check on both selfishness, greed, and hypocrisy that is not found in many other religions or philosophies.  Christianity values humility more than stuff.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to humble myself before you.  Give me grace to clean and focus on my heart and soul.  May your love grow and cast out my selfishness.  

Need for Grace in Giving

23“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (Matthew 23:23-24)

Thoughts: Jesus was not condemning the tithe- as much as we might want Him to do so.  Instead He is condemning the lack of heart in giving.  They give out of a deep sense of duty, but they have missed the heart of giving- the compassion needed.  They were walking passed the needy at the outside of the Temple in order to give a tithe of the dust and spices.  Jesus wants them to be able to have a heart of generosity instead of a focus on the details of the Law.  The Law is not condemned by Jesus, but He would like for us to both keep the Law and practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness. 
    In our day, there are those who totally neglect the law (antinomians) in an effort to be free.  Then there are those who are legalists- trying to do what is right so they obey every little thing that might please Him.  The better way is to know the Law, make every best effort to keep it, but also know and believe that we need God's grace to keep the Law and practice the heart of the Law loving neighbors in need. 
    The Pharisees were majoiring in the minors and minoring in the majors.  Thus they strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to listen to you.  Thank you that you are full of grace. 

What We Value Most

16“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.(Matthew 23:16-22) 

Thoughts: Blind guides are not trustworthy.  The Pharisees thought they saw and understood but they were confused (foolish) and blind. 
    Here Jesus rebukes them for valuing gold over worship.  They were willing to swear by the gold but not by the Temple as the steadfast valuable thing to swear by.  This is one of the problem of our day- we are so materialistic that we think the gold makes the church- not that the church itself is golden.  We tend to value the best stuff of earth more than the best stuff of God.  God is the maker both of gold and the Temple.  Jesus is trying to help people to value the house of God more than they do.  We who believe in Jesus need to hear His teachings on this.  

Prayer: Let me see clearly what you value, O God.  Give me grace that my values would be more and more in line with yours.  

Converting others to a fake salvation

15“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. (Matthew 23:15)

Thoughts: This is the third woe. The Pharisees wanted people to be like them.  But they themselves were lost.  They were trying and trying- and trying to be good but could never get there.  They were running like hamsters on a wheel- but going nowhere (like Sisyphus in Tartarus/hell rolling a rock to nowhere continuously).
    The Pharisees converted people to their way of torturous tireless trying but failing because of sin.  The Pharisees needed grace but they refused it because they thought they could get to the kingdom by their own effort.  They turned their own Messiah down.  So any converts they made were brought down with them. 
     There are religious people who steer people away from God.  The Pharisees did this.  They were sincere, but they forgot about grace and God's help and love.  Instead they believed it was all about obedience and duty. Duty without heart is an empty shell.  Converting others to that kind of religion only brings them down too.  

Prayer: Lord, help me to see that I am a sinner in need of a Savior.  Help me to see I need your help- your grace to remove my failures.  

Refocusing Religion

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. (Matthew 23:14)

Thoughts: Most manuscripts leave out verse 14.  Yet it is found similarly to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47: ("they devour widow's houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.  These men will be punished more severely").  So it was a saying of Jesus that makes sense in this place.
    "They devour widow's houses" this means they take advantage of the needy to advance themselves financially.  Their greed possessed them more than their compassion.  All of us are called to give up greed and instead be generous toward those in need.
      "And for a pretense you make long prayers."  It is hard to mess up praying.  Many feel uncomfortable praying.  But the only real requirement of Jesus is that it be talking to God FROM THE HEART- AND NOT JUST FOR SHOW. 
     True religion takes the focus off of us and puts it on God and others.  But these scribes and Pharisees (teachers of the Law) found a way to manipulate religion to still focus on themselves.  In our day this happens with a different twist.  We believe in God only for what God can do for us.  The focus therefore is not on God- but on what God can do for us.  This shows clearly when we are disappointed with something that happens in our lives and we blame God.  It is not about us.  

Prayer: Lord, let my life's attention and focus be on you.  You alone are worthy of worship, praise, time, and all that I am.  

Shutting Heaven

13“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. (Matthew 23:13) 

Thoughts: The Pharisees condemned people they considered "sinners."  They did not give second chances.  They lived only by rules and not be grace.  So, the Pharisees were quick to condemn (and in their minds) send people to hell.   This is what Jesus means when he says, "shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces." 
    But the Pharisees do not enter.  They believe that they deserve heaven because they try so hard to obey their rules.  The problem is no one is perfect.  If heaven is a perfect place, even the Pharisees- who try harder than anyone- will not make it.  Imperfect people cannot come in or haven will no longer be perfect.  The Pharisees did not think they needed God's help to get to heaven.  They felt that all they needed was to keep all the commands and they felt they could. 
     The Pharisees also condemned those who were trying to follow Jesus.  Thus He said, "Nor will you let those who enter who are trying to."  The sinners who repented and followed Jesus were condemned by the Pharisees as were all who followed Jesus. 
     The Pharisees acted as it they were guardians of the door.  They did not have that right because they couldn't get in themselves.  The invitation to heaven is open to all and only God has the right to let people in. 

Prayer: Lord, let me trust in your grace and not in my own ability to do good.
      

Titles and Robes

5“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries^a wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

8“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:5-12)

Thoughts: The Pharisees did things for people to see.  Many in America do this as well.  We like to look good- with good cars, nice houses, nice boats, the best tickets at the best events- things that make us supposedly look good.  But looking good temporarily does not affect us for eternity.  It could even adversely affect us.  Some will go into debt so high in order to look good- or have our children look good.  But this is just for show.
      One of my seminary professors said that the further we move away from the Bible, the longer our robes and the more colored our stoles become, and the more degrees and titles are meted out. 
      The biggest truth for us is that the greatest will be a servant and the humble will be exalted.  We are called not to seek to look good, but to humble ourselves rightly before God.  

Prayer: Lord, let me seek you from the heart and not to seek to simply look good.