The Religious Christian

Matthew 6: 1-18

v.1

- charity seen as a noble deed, but what are peoples intension when they perform a deed?

- never perform “religious” actions for the approval of others or to seem superior to others

v.2

- hypocrites

- those who do good deeds (or purity signal) have their rewards

- doesn’t just apply to charity, prayer or fasting (which we will come to), but to any action that can gain status or credibility

v.3

- don’t let everyone know what you are doing to boast

v.4

- God sees what you do

- seems the suggest there is more worth (at least a distinction) between boasting about your good works and those good works done without boasting

Matthew 23:13-25

v.13

- scribes and Pharisees seeking to establish our righteousness (Romans 10:3)

v.14

- long prayers, to seem more righteous and religious

- something seen in modern day Christians

v.16

- creation of arbitrary rules that are not biblical (Jesus says not to swear on anything in Matthew 5)

- applies to the “keeping of the sabbath” talk I did

- how many Christians create arbitrary rules?

v.23

- kept to the law, but neglected the more important issues

- how many Christians keep to religious rules, but neglect the foundations of what makes us a Christian? Grace? How many Christians still hold to their works?

v.25

- appear religious on the outside, but inside they are not so clean

v.5

- even in an act that we should do as Christians, don’t make it a boastful event

- typically, giving to charity isn’t done so much nowadays, however, Christians will often use prayer as a means of boasting

v.6

- don’t pray for validation of others

v.7

- no pointless repetitions

- how many people have prayed with dramatic language or repetitions out loud to appear more pure or religious?

- how many people change themselves in prayer out loud?

- prayer is not a formula

- the more dramatic or spectacular the prayer, the result doesn’t change

v.8-14

- given template of how to pray

v.16

- when you fast, do not boast

- no reason to feel superior after fasting

Matthew 7:1-5

v.1-5

- the religious Christian will judge, as their religion and works makes them superior to other Christians in their view

- contrast that to the last study (on church discipline)

- 1 Corinthians 5:3, Paul expresses how he has “already judged” those who are sinning in the church

- we can judge sin in our church and deal with it

- however, we can not judge those not in sin by what they are doing/not doing in their walk

- this isn’t referring to sin, but to those “dead works”

- this is an unrighteous judgement

- the religious Christian will judge there brothers/sisters as less righteous than themselves for what religious act they have or have not done

- use of word “hypocrite” which summarises the “religious” Christian

James 4:11-16

v.11

- don’t slander or defame one another

- form of passing judgement

- when you judge, you put yourself above the law

- again, there is righteous judgement and confrontation in church, when someone sins

v.14

- humbling verse

- insignificance of our life and efforts (like vapour)

v.15

- if the Lord wills

- takes credit away from the works of man (1 Corinthians 3)

- how many Christians fail to submit to the will of God?

- how many religious Christians take credit for the work of God? And pass it off as their righteousness?

- 1 Corinthians 3:7, neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase

v.16

- therefore, such boasting is evil

- verse seems to talk about business, but can apply to ministry or any work we do as Christians

- not just wrong, but evil