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Seven Things to Love About Jesus

JESUS ALWAYS PRACTICED WHAT HE PREACHED

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’ 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. MATTHEW 23:1-12 NIV

People love the seat of authority, but hate the weight of responsibility.

JESUS PRIORITIZED RELATIONSHIPS OVER RELIGIOUS RULES

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. 15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and then you make that convert twice as much a child of hell as you are. MATTHEW 23:13-15 NIV

Christianity is not about following rules, but about following Jesus.

JESUS ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES

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

JESUS CARES MORE ABOUT ME THAN MY MONEY

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. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. MATTHEW 23:23-24 NIV

WITH JESUS, I DON’T EVER HAVE TO PLAY PRETEND

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. 26 Blind 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. 28 In 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 NIV

JESUS WAS HONEST ABOUT HELL

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. 30 And 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.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your ancestors! 33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? MATTHEW 23:29-33 NIV

JESUS LOVED ME FIRST

We love because he first loved us. 1 JOHN 4:19 NIV

34 Therefore 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. 35 And 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. 36 Truly 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. MATTHEW 23:34-37 NIV

My Notes

Discussion Questions

Use the following questions to reflect on the sermon. Choose a couple from each section to discuss as a group:

  1. START HERE: Who is someone you respect because they truly live what they say they believe?
  2. START HERE: Have you ever known someone who said all the right things but then didn’t live them? How did that affect your trust in them?
  3. START HERE: What was the biggest warning you ever received? Who warned you and what influenced the direction you ended up going?
  4. KEEP GOING: When you think about Jesus, what’s one thing you love or respect about him? Why does that stand out to you?
  5. KEEP GOING: Read Matthew 23:1-12 NIV. How can someone be around church and still be far from God?
  6. KEEP GOING: Read Matthew 23:13-15 NIV. Christianity is not about following rules, but about following Jesus. When do you find yourself slipping into rule-following instead of focusing on your relationship with Jesus?
  7. KEEP GOING: How do you know when your faith is becoming more about performance than relationship?
  8. KEEP GOING: Read Matthew 23:23-24 NIV. When it comes to giving and generosity, what helps you know whether your heart is aligned with God?
  9. KEEP GOING: Read Matthew 23:25-28 NIV. Where in your life do you find yourself playing pretend? What keeps you from being authentic?
  10. LIVE IT OUT: Of the seven reasons to love Jesus from the sermon, which one do you most need to believe right now and why? That Jesus: 
– practiced what he preached
– cares more about you than your money
– doesn’t make you pretend
– keeps his promises
– tells the truth
– prioritizes relationships
– loved you first
  11. LIVE IT OUT: Read 1 John 4:19 NIV. Jesus hasn’t given up on you because He loves you. Sit in prayerful silence for 2 minutes, simply to receive God’s love for you. Then, share what you experienced with others.