“What Did Jesus Do”

“Around 2,000 years ago, in a far-flung province in the Middle East, a man emerged from the desert with a Message.  His Message would radically alter the course of world events and come to define the lives of billions.”

This man was named Jesus.  His life and story are recorded from the day of His birth.  But, His earthly ministry is said to have begun about 30 years later.

The year was around AD 30.  Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been arrested, so He withdrew into Galilee, left Nazareth where He had been living and moved to Capernaum by the sea, the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken by the prophet Isaiah, might be fulfilled.

From that time Jesus began to preach a message centered around repentance, and the kingdom of heaven being at hand.  About nine months into His ministry, large crowds were showing up to hear what Jesus had to say.

BREAK for an important NOTE:

The word “PREACH” as used in the Bible is vastly different from what we think of a “SERMON” when we hear the same word.  It is important to know the difference.

From Strong’s Bible Concordance, kérussó: to be a herald, proclaim

Original Word: κηρύσσω, Transliteration: kérussó
Phonetic Spelling: (kay-roos’-so)
Definition: to be a herald, proclaim
Usage: I proclaim, herald, preach.

The world used here is a word of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed; something which has been done, first in the Spiritual to be manifest in the natural.  It is not a general statement nor is it a request.  It is a prophetic command.

The word “sermon” is never found in the Bible. But, here are two contemporary definitions of a sermon:

SERMON = A sermon is an oration or lecture by a preacher. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. Elements of the sermon often include exposition, exhortation, and practical application.Wikipedia

SERMON - a noun - a discourse for the purpose of religious instruction or exhortation, especially one based on a text of Scripture and delivered by a member of the clergy as part of a religious service; any serious speech, discourse, or exhortation, especially on a moral issue; a long, tedious speech.

SYNONYMS FOR sermon, 2, 3 lecture. 3 harangue, tirade.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sermon 

Jesus did not “sermonize”, He preached with the authority of God, teaching the Truth of the Kingdom of God.

“Word was spreading like wildfire about a young, charismatic Jewish carpenter, claiming that he was the Son of God.  That alone was enough to convince the first century Jew to have a look-see. But this man had other credentials that intrigued people to seek him out.

“The miracles he performed were unlike any that had ever been witnessed, and his incomparable wisdom often left the intellectuals of his day speechless. Even his ability to teach complex spiritual truths through parables, a then common-day form of storytelling, had both Jews and Romans alike shaking their heads in amazement.

“The Bible records that people traveled for days to see him – sometimes getting nothing more than a brief glimpse, or a momentary chance to reach out and touch his garment in hopes of being healed.”

THE FIRST SERMON

Jesus first sermon may have been the shortest, yet the most profound of all sermons ever preached.  In Matthew 4:17 we see, “Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  End of sermon.

But, the ramifications of His first “sermon”, when properly understood and acted upon, are utterly world changing.  (go to this link for details) https://whitestone2020.com/2020/12/24/in-the-beginning/

THE SECOND SERMON

What is now called, “the Sermon on the Mount”, was a bit longer that Jesus’ first sermon.  And, it attracted more than just a few curiosity seekers.  Many of them believed Jesus really was the Messiah that the prophets of the Old Testament had promised.  In this crowd were His disciples.

They listened intently while Jesus taught extensively” – for days!  And TEACH, He did.  The scriptures say “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him, and he opened His mouth and taught them.”  This was no “sermon” as we consider “sermons”.

Jesus was teaching His disciples how to be “saved” and the Process of Sanctification each of them would have to endure in order to follow Him.  Jesus was making disciples.  Jesus was building His Church.

Jesus carried His Gospel Message, with Him, at all times.  He would teach and in open fields, from the bows of boats on lakes and on the sea.  He taught in and during storms, in the marketplace, at community wells, under trees, at bathing pools and anyplace there were people.

THE THIRD SERMON?

The Bible says Jesus “preached”, only SIX times.  But, Jesus preached and taught the Gospel by His actions, everywhere He traveled.

Matthew 14:13, – 21  “But, when Jesus heard John had been beheaded, once again, He withdrew to a desolate place by himself.  And, once again, when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.  He had taken a boat onto a lake this time, and when he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them and healed their sick.

“Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”  But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”  They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.”  Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.  And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.  And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

Jesus had preached the Gospel Message to over five thousand that day.

“SIMPLE CHRISTIANITY”

Simply put, Jesus did not ‘sermonize’ or lecture.  Jesus taught the Truth, lived the Truth and sent His disciples to live the same way.

Jesus set the pattern and method for His Church and For Preaching the Gospel.

Jesus would Say The Words.

Jesus would Show the Wonders.

Jesus would Send the Workers.

 

 Jesus was making disciples.   Jesus was building His Church.

As Jesus was nearing completion of His mission of teaching His disciples, He gave His disciples authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

Jesus then gave them these instructions:

Matthew 10:7 “Proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’^c 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,^d cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics^e or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.”  (https://biblehub.com/esv/matthew/10.htm)

SERMONS?

The main difference between Jesus PREACHING the Good News (Gospel) of the Kingdom and the SERMONS we hear today, is that Jesus is teaching and demonstrating HOW TO be saved and sanctified;  HOW TO do the works He did;  HOW TO make disciples and the SERMONS we hear today are just telling us ABOUT what Jesus did while posturing on stage behind a pulpit under the glare of lights, and little more.

Jesus led by example.  We must do the same.  Not the ‘preacher’, but you and me – The Church!

Time is short.  Jesus’ return is upon us.  We, THE CHURCH – you and I –  must get back to our calling and “DWJD“.   (Do What Jesus Does)!

https://whitestone2020.com/2021/03/31/i-will-build-my-church/

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

https://bibleproject.com/blog/sermon-mount-jesus-new-moses/

I was part of a church which decided they could be more successful  if they built a bigger building

A popular movie in 80’s was “Field of Dreams”. Field of Dreams is a 1989 American sports fantasy drama film  The film stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Burt Lancaster in his final film role.

An Iowa farmer, Ray, (Kevin Costner) hears a mysterious voice one night in his cornfield saying “If you build it, he will come,” he feels the need to act. Despite taunts of lunacy, Ray builds a baseball diamond on his land, supported by his wife, Annie (Amy Madigan). Afterward, the ghosts of great players start emerging from the crops to play ball, led by “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. But, as Ray learns, this field of dreams is about much more than bringing former baseball greats out to play. Field of Dreams is sentimental, but in the best way; it’s a mix of fairy tale, baseball, and family togetherness.

The ‘motto’ later in the film, becomes, “If you build it THEY will come”.  And, sure enough, word gets out and almost magically, lines of cars fill the country roads for miles, as far as they eye can see, making their way to the baseball diamond on this rural farm.

Disneyland may have been an amazingly successful forerunner of a similar idea.  So, perhaps the writer and producer of “Field of Dreams” had Disney’s idea in mind when they made the movie.

It seems that the idea caught on in future years. Entrepreneurs, dreamers and business people alike, have been coming up with their own fantasy-like ideas to promote their dreams, causes or money-making schemes.  Most of these ‘dream builders’, however, have not been so successful.

I was part of a church organization in the recent past, which decided they could be more successful (or, as they would say, “so we can serve the Kingdom of God better) if they built a bigger building on a busy roadway near big neighborhoods.  They didn’t say the exact words, “Build it, and they will come”, but that is exactly what they were saying.  Here are some examples of how they would say what they would say:

1. “Our church facility is too small, and studies show that more people will come if we had more inside space per person.”
2. “We are landlocked and can’t expand and grow, and studies show that if we had more parking space, more people would come”.
3. “People can’t find us so we need more visibility so we can expand and grow.  Studies show that if we are more visible on a heavily traveled road, more people will come”.
4. “We need more land for future expansion, so we can (yep) expand and grow.  More people would come if they knew we had a plan for the future.”

The difference is that the ghosts of great preachers will not start emerging from any of the nearby crops, like in the movie.

The similarity between the movie and this real life event are that a pastor instead of a farmer heard a mysterious voice saying, “If you build it they will come.” The ideas are sentimental, but in the best way; it’s a mix of hopeful thinking, church growth, and family togetherness.

Do I sound to harsh?  Listen to the reasons they listed and excuses offered for not growing:

1.  The reason we can’t grow is because of our small building. It’s the fault of our small building.
2. It’s the fault of our location and lack of parking space.
3. It’s the fault of lack of visibility.
4. It’s the fault of our lack of excess land and acreage.

Now, listen to what God says:

1.  John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to Myself.
2. Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 
3. 1 Thessalonians 3:9 “Now as to the love of the brothers and sisters, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 for indeed you practice it toward all the brothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to excel even more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we instructed you, 12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.
4. Acts 2:37 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
5. Acts 2:43 “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all the believers were together and had all things in common; 45 and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

(I am a pickleball enthusiast.  I play for fun, but, I am also a student of the game because I want to become better at the game.  I guess I should say, “The better I play, the more fun I have”.

I play ‘doubles pickleball.  That means I play with a partner.  It seem that when my partner plays well, I play better, and vice versa.  Good players always compliment their partner’s good play.

I occasionally have a partner who does not play well.  I know players who don’t practice, they do not study the game, and they do not play well, but, they always blame their partners for their poor play, missed shots and failures in court strategy.  I don’t criticize, but, they are just no fun, so I avoid playing with them when I can.

There is a saying that goes something like this:  “Successful people correct their mistakes and give credit to others; unsuccessful people make excuses and lay blame”.  Be the former, not the latter.)

Maybe I am just too old-fashioned, or perhaps my life experiences have distorted or tainted by view on these matters.  But, after 11 years at this church, and seeing a repeated pattern from other churches, I think I am seeing clearly.

My prayer is that God will come though and fill this, and all the understaffed, small, isolated and cramped churches to overflowing – to the point that they, the Church, builds newer and bigger facilities to accommodate what God has already done!

I have more to say, but, I will just leave you with this audio sermon from Truth For Life, the teaching ministry of Alistair Begg: 

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

You probably already know the perceived condition of America in 2021, as well as the state of the world. Some are saying we are in a state of political and social chaos. New diseases, wars, political intrigue and poverty, to name a few things that are holding our attention and draining our treasury.  Many people are turning to religion, God or the Church for answers.

Millions of people (approximately 52 million) “attend church” in one of the 300,000+ churches in America, at least once a week each month. However, when people were asked the topic of the “sermon” they heard after 24 hours, only about 10 percent could tell you. When asked to cite the most important lesson they received, most just shrugged.

An estimated 1.2 million hours each week, (#1), are spent in sermon preparations; it takes about another 300,000 hours in delivery of these sermons, (#2), at a staggering potential cost of over $750 millions dollars nationally, each week. (#3,. Yet, only 5% of those hearing these sermons, remember anything about them after 72 hours.

If you are normal, you have the potential of remembering 10% of what you hear, and that is only the potential. Pastor and Bible teacher, Rick Warren, says we forget 95% of what we hear after 72 hours.

So, what are you getting for $750,000,000 in offerings? And, if you are a preacher or a pastor, what are you giving? Are you preaching, sermonizing, teaching, discipling, lecturing, giving a religious address or discourse which improve peoples’s lives or that they can even remember?

Review these methods used by churches, and determine which of these your are getting on Sunday mornings – and decide if it is worth the time and money:

• • • Religious Lectures
    • Religious Addresses
    • Religious Discourses
    • Gospel Preaching
    • Bible Sermons
    • Religious Teaching
    • Christian Discipleship training

Studies show that most people don’t remember sermons, lectures, address or speeches—they don’t even remember paragraphs. What people remember are simple statements, slogans, and phrases. I don’t remember any speech John F. Kennedy gave, but most of us of a certain age remember his statements,

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” and, “I am a Berliner!”

I don’t remember any sermon preached by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but I do remember his famous phrase,

“I have a dream!”

People tend to remember:

• • • 10% of what they read.
    • 20% of what they only hear.
    • 30% of what they only see.
    • 50% of what they see and hear.
    • 70% of what they say and write down.
    • 90% of what they DO

People will more frequently remember simple repeated statements, slogans, and phrases.

Jesus ministry was modeled on:

• Jesus personally and actively setting the example for making, teaching and sending disciples. (I can find no example that Jesus wrote anything.)
• Jesus speaking and teaching and showing His disciples by His own example (50% retention rate).
• Jesus teaching His disciples to repeat His Words as He went with them to do His Works (90% retention rate).

So, Christian, how about you? How effective is your ministry?

• Is your church primarily using reading materials to disciple? (10% retention)
• Is your church primarily giving you sermons to disciple? (20% retention)
• Are you seeing videos and overhead projections and bulletins with outlines?
• When was the last time you went out with your pastor and preached, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  (And, as it says in Matthew 10:8-15), attempted to), “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Verse 9.  Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is deserving of his support. Verse . And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. Verse 12. As you enter the house, give it your greeting. Verse 13.  If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. Verse 14.  And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet. Verse 15.  Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than for that city. ” (90% retention)

And, Preacher / Pastor, how about you? How effective is your ministry?

• Do you have a blog? (10% retention)
• Do you give a weekly sermon or lecture? (20% retention)
• Do you use overheads projectors, videos or bulletin outlines? (50% retention)
• Do you take others and go and make disciples?  “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.  Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,  or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is deserving of his support. And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city.  As you enter the house, give it your greeting.  If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace.  And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet.  Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than for that city. (90% retention)

The current way of “doing church” seems to be changing monthly.  This has been going on for the last 40 years and it is causing the church to falter in influence and to lose its “savor”, as the Bible puts it.

The church, it seems, is becoming little more than a religious institution delivering “drive-in” or “drive-up fast food style” preaching, sermons, religious lectures, addresses, discourses and entertainment in competition with NFL Sunday, Youtube TV, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Now I have said it and you have read it, will it make any difference or will you just shrug your shoulders and trundle back to “doing your church thing” this Sunday?

Or will you, do like Peter, Andrew, James, Zebedee and John, who dropped everything about the current ways they were living, and followed Jesus, step by step?

The Answer?  Follow the pattern and method established by Jesus. Nothing more, nothing less.

I can hear (because I have heard) people and pastors saying, “But, all the things we are doing are necessary and part of our ministry.”

And I say, “Yes? But, Jesus did not say to do it your way and He did not do it your way. Everything else you might say about Jesus, and those things which flow from Him, may be “Necessary, but they are Secondary”.  Jesus is the MAIN THING! (And, by the way, if you say all the ‘extras’ are necessary, who are you trying to convice?”)

Audio by Pastor Alistair Begg at Truth for Life

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Footnotes and references:

1.   300,000 churches (x) 4 hours preparation time = 1.2 million hours for sermon preparation.
2.   300,000 churches (x) 1 hour sermon deliver time = approximately 300,000 hours
3.   1.2 millions hours in sermon preparation + 300,000 hours is sermon delivery time = 1.5 millions hours (x) $500 one day operating costs for building, utilities, salaries, etc., = $750,000,000,

Explanation of NOTES:

Take a look at these definitions, and determine which of these your are getting and if it is worth the time and money:

Religious Lectures: noun
a speech read or delivered before an audience or class, especially for instruction or to set forth some subject: a lecture on Picasso’s paintings.
a speech of warning or reproof as to conduct; a long, tedious reprimand.
to give a lecture or series of lectures: He spent the year lecturing to various student groups.

verb (used with object), lec·tured, lec·tur·ing.
to deliver a lecture to or before; instruct by lectures.
to rebuke or reprimand at some length: He lectured the child regularly but with little effect.

Religious / Church Addresses
[ noun uh-dres, ad-res; verb uh-dres ]

a speech or written statement, usually formal, directed to a particular group of persons: the president’s address on the state of the economy.
a direction as to the intended recipient, written on or attached to a piece of mail.

verb (used with object), ad·dressed, ad·dress·ing.
to direct a speech or written statement to: to address an assembly.
to use a specified form or title in speaking or writing to:Address the president as “Mr. President.”

verb (used without object), ad·dressed or ad·drest, ad·dress·ing.Obsolete.
to make an appeal.
to make preparations.

Religious Discourses
[ noun dis-kawrs, -kohrs, dis-kawrs, -kohrs; verb dis-kawrs, -kohrs ]
noun
communication of thought by words; talk; conversation: earnest and intelligent discourse.
a formal discussion of a subject in speech or writing, as a dissertation, treatise, sermon, etc.
Linguistics. any unit of connected speech or writing longer than a sentence.
verb (used without object), dis·coursed, dis·cours·ing.
to communicate thoughts orally; talk; converse.
to treat of a subject formally in speech or writing.
verb (used with object), dis·coursed, dis·cours·ing.
to utter or give forth (musical sounds).

Gospel Preaching
[ preech ]
verb (used with object)
to proclaim or make known by sermon (the gospel, good tidings, etc.).
to deliver (a sermon).
to advocate or inculcate (religious or moral truth, right conduct, etc.) in speech or writing.
verb (used without object).
to deliver a sermon.
to give earnest advice, as on religious or moral subjects or the like.
to do this in an obtrusive or tedious way.

Synonbym for Preach: advocate, profess, pronounce, expound.

Bible Sermons
[ sur-muhn ]
noun
a discourse for the purpose of religious instruction or exhortation, especially one based on a text of Scripture and delivered by a member of the clergy as part of a religious service.
any serious speech, discourse, or exhortation, especially on a moral issue.
a long, tedious speech.

Religious Teaching
[ teech ]

verb (used with object), taught, teach·ing.
to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in: She teaches mathematics.
to impart knowledge or skill to; give instruction to: He teaches a large class.
verb (used without object), taught, teach·ing.
to impart knowledge or skill; give instruction.
noun
Informal. teacher.

Synonms for teach: coach. inform, enlighten, discipline, drill, school, indoctrinate; coach.

Discipleship Training
[ dih-sahy-puhl ]
noun
Religion.
one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.
one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.
any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.
any follower of Christ.
(initial capital letter) a member of the Disciples of Christ.
a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower: a disciple of Freud.
verb (used with object), dis·ci·pled, dis·ci·pling.
Archaic. to convert into a disciple.
Obsolete. to teach; train.

(Back to “A Message to the Churches – Main Page)

JESUS RESPONDS – continued in detail

Matthew 23:1-36

Let’s assume the year is 2020, and paraphrasing, drawn on the 23rd chapter of the Book of Mathew:

“Jesus speaks to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “These Preachers, Priests, Rabbis, and hypocrites have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you and do and observe, they themselves do not do themselves.

• They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders,
• but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.
• But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men;
  • Some wear clothing to be noticed by others, wearing the latest fads, sporting tattoos and tight fitting garments.
  • Others dress to ‘fit into the crowds they can attract, the people who think like them and want to be satisfied with a good performance.
• These Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in their churches, and respectful greetings the get in the market places, and being called Teacher, Preacher, Father or Rabbi by men.
  • But Jesus said do not be called Teacher, a great one, or my honorable sir
  • Do not be called Rabbi, a title used by the Jews to address their teachers; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.
  • Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
  • Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
  • For you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
• Woe to you,Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, you hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
• Woe to you Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, you hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
• “Woe to you, blind religious teachers, who say, ‘Whoever swears by their word is nothing; but whoever swears by signing a commitment card is obligated.’
  • You fools and blind men! Which is more important, your word or committing to give an offering by signing a letter or a card?
  • And, ‘Whoever says he will do a thing, that is nothing, but whoever swears by signing a commitment card to be saved or to make an offering, he is obligated.’
  • You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the Word of a Man that sanctifies the offering?
  • Therefore, whoever swears by the his own word, swears both by the his honor and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the Bible, swears both by the Bible and by Him who wrote it.
  • And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
• “Woe to you,Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, you hypocrites! For you have our personal and petty rules, in other words “you tithe mint and dill and cummin”, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law, such as honesty, justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
  • You blind Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, you hypocrites, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
• “Woe to you, Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, you hypocrites! For you act so holy, in other words, “you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish”, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.
  • You blind Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, you hypocrites, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
• “Woe to you, Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
  • So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly
• “Woe to you, Preachers, Priests and Rabbis, you hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in denying and ignoring the prophets, by which they were guilty as if they had murdered them.’
  • So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who by ignoring the prophets, murder them. Fill up your conscience, then, to a full measure of the guilt of your fathers.
  • You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?
  • “Therefore, behold, I have sent you prophets and wise men and true men and women of God and some of them you will kill with lies and rumors and crucify them on your evil crosses, and some of them you will attack in their Churches, and persecute them unfairly from city to city.
  • On you falls the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the spiritual temple consisting of the saints of all ages joined together by and in Christ and altar God used the whole burnt offerings which stood in the sanctuary or the Holy Place, The Cross on which Christ suffered and died. To eat of this altar which is to say “between the temple and the altar”.

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