Cannot fool
God!
I wonder how your religion teachers would have got on if they
had been invited to this meal along with Jesus? Here is what happen
when a Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him. 1*.
The Pharisee got his first surprise when Jesus took his place at
the table without carrying out the religious hand-washing ceremony
of the Pharisees. "You Pharisees," Jesus said, "clean the outside
of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and
wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the
outside make the inside also?" 2*.
Jesus saw much further than their hands and arms, He saw into their
minds and hearts and told them of their wickedness. 3*. God is NOT impressed with the
outward show of religious practices when the person continues
unclean in his or her heart and life. 4*.
Maybe already this Pharisee was wishing he hadn't invited Jesus to
eat with him!
Jesus then spoke about the great show they made of their tithes and
offerings for God, and of the great respect these things earned
them from the people. But He told them why they had been unable to
earn any respect from God. "You neglect justice and the love of
God," 5*. He
said.
Have you noticed the same today with many religious people. They
make a great show of their fasting and their praying, yet they
often "neglect justice and the love of God." They continue to be
dishonest, vulgar, selfish, unreliable. They may even take the
Lord's name in vain, or insult God in other ways such as by praying
to statues! 6*.
Just to be trying to appear clean and religious on the outside
while continuing to be revolting to God in your heart and life is
worse than useless! "Woe to you" Jesus said - "Woe to you".
7*.
Jesus had more to say to those religious hypocrites 8*. that were around Him at this
meal. They were claiming to know and to show the way to God. "Woe
to you experts in the law because you have taken away the key to
knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered
those who were entering," Jesus said.9*.
It is Jesus who is "the Way the Truth and the Life. No one
comes to the Father except through Him!" 10*. But they refused Jesus and His
teaching.
The scribes and the Pharisees were not going to give up their fame
and power. They realised if Jesus was allowed to go on saying these
things about them the people would maybe turn against them and turn
to Him! So, they began to be very hostile toward Jesus and were
trying find excuse to condemn Him in something He might say.
Do YOU feel insulted by the teachings of Jesus? Have you been
content to put your trust in the words and actions of religious
leaders instead of in Jesus Christ, God's Son? Will you go on
trying to look good on the outside and trying to hide the sort of
person you really are? You might fool you friends and your
religious leaders, but you cannot fool
God!
Heed Jesus warnings found in Luke chapter 11, verses 37-54. Turn
from your sin and put your whole trust in Jesus to forgive and save
you, now!
Bye for now,
John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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Bible quotations from N.I.V.
1 Luke 11:37.
2 Luke 11:39-40.
3 See 1st Samuel 16:7.
4 Isaiah 1:11-16.
5 Luke 11:42. See Romans
3:20.
6 See Exodus 20:3-7.
7 Luke 11:42-44.
8 Matthew 23:23-29.
9 Luke 11:52.
10 John 14:6. Hebrews
7:24-27.
