Hypocrisy, a matter of the heart - healed through honest prayer (Matthew 15:1-20;James 5:14-17)

AIM:

In Matthew 15 we see Jesus teaching what happens when people are "focused on God" and dishonest with people.  The second group of Ten commandments is covered by Jesus here. Hypocritical Pharisees are called out and every plant that our heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

10 types of people, those who understand binary and those who don't

 - We have integrity or we have nothing. 

This has got me considering the power of honest prayer. James reminds us how we help each other with our words;

Is anyone among you sick? He must call for the elders (spiritual leaders) of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings], and he prayed intensely for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. James 5:14-17

A) Jesus confronts lawyers who nullify the law with self-serving tradition - Matthew 15:1-9

 - Honor father and mother are the first use of devoted funds. Love, not tradition. They misused the law for selfish gain. 

 - We ignore our own hypocrisy when we neglect praying with integrity (quality of being honest, whole undivided) and authenticity (the quality of being genuine, truly what something is said to be, sincere). 

  Matthew 15:10-20;James 5:14-17

What external activities do people depend on as a means to be right with God?

• Going to church, having another pray for them (like babies needing to be fed by others, we should strive for maturity). 

What warning or lesson did you receive from this teaching?

• We need to confess our sins, then the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective. James 5:14-17

Our words matter, they come from the heart and can defile us. We are defiled in God's sight by evil thoughts that come from the heart and out in words including; murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These defile a person, not unwashed hands.