The Weightier Matters
I once asked a room full of pastors who between them had accumulated centuries of studying the Bible what should have been a simple question to answer.
What were the "weightier matters" as Christ listed them off in His Gospel?
None of them knew the answer but they all said they believed in Jesus.
John 5:46-47 "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"
The Pharisees had trouble understanding the Gospel of the kingdom. One of the great obstacles to grasping what Christ was telling them was because they believed they already knew what Moses was saying and teaching. Their studies and teachings had given them a tunnel vision of the Torah and anything that seemed different from what they had already come to believe was immediately shut out.
They still had laws but they did not really understand the spirit of the law. They had unmoored the true spirit of the law which set men free. They thought they believed in Moses because Moses believed in the "law" but he actually believed in the law of love just like John the Baptist and Jesus.
They believed and promoted the weightier matters which Jesus listed off and Moses described in his statutes but summed up in his statement that we were to "Love our neighbor as ourselves".
If people lived in such a truly Christian society it would support and provide for itself by free will offerings. Every citizen would by nature of his faith contribute to the needy and protect the rights of the individuals and families. They would not look to men who might offer to be the benefactors of society through the exercise of force because that would be the antitheses of the perfect law of liberty.
In Matthew 23:23 Jesus both warns and condemns the Pharisees with, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
What were the weightier matters?
Law, judgment, mercy, are listed with faith.1
Jesus was looking for doers of the word. While the Pharisees with their Corban were making the word of God to non effect. Jesus was preaching pure religion but the Pharisees had made religion mean something else.2
Matthew 7:26 "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:"
The number of times Jesus talks about doing being important is astounding.
Keeping the commandments to obtain eternal life.
Matthew 19:17 "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
Mark 10:19 "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother."
Luke 10:26 "He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?"
John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
John 14:21 "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
The being a doer in an expression if not the proof of faith seems critical to Christ and the apostles.
Matthew 21:28-31 "But what think ye? A [certain] man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard... Whether of them twain did the will of his father?... "
James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
Romans 13:9 "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
1 Timothy 6:5 "Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself."
2 Timothy 3:5 "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
Coveting is not loving. Praying to men who exercise authority to take from your neighbor for your benefit is not love nor lawful...
"Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee." Proverbs 9:8
Many pastors cannot name these elements of Christ's gospel and fewer attend to them with any zeal. Will Christ say woe to them?
If you will not tend to law, judgment, mercy, and faith then how can you say you love your neighbor?
"Open rebuke is better than secret love." Proverbs 27:5
If you do not love your neighbor as yourself, then how can you say you believe in Christ or do anything in His name?
"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Revelation 3:19
The Corban of the Pharisees
It made the word of God to none effect.
Is our Corban making the word of God to none effect today?
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/corban.php
Adventures of Artifice in Languageland
The sophistry of words has deceived man and led him from God.
Sacrifice was meant to bring us closer to Him again.
Where has the sophistry of our sacrifice led us?
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/sacrifice.php
The Nicolaitan who God hates?
Because they covet their neighbor's goods
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/nicolaity.php
Baptism, the Ritual and the Jurisdiction
Are Christians repenting and getting baptized or are they just all wet?
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/baptismjura.php
Dear Pastor Letter
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/dearpastorromans13.php
Laws, Loves, and Liberty
Living the law of love is the key to liberty. Appeared first on NewsWithViews.
http://www.hisholychurch.org/sermon/lawsandloves.php
Elements of the kingdom
http://www.hisholychurch.org/news/articles/elements.php
Ten Laws
Laws of a Nation
http://www.hisholychurch.org/news/articles/tenlaws.php
Ends and Beginnings #95.4
http://www.hisholychurch.org/network/dearnetwork95-4.php
Early Notice and Private People #95.5
http://www.hisholychurch.org/network/dearnetwork95-5.php
The Weightier Matters, and a Sudden Stop #98
http://www.hisholychurch.org/network/dearnetwork98.php
Footnotes:
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