God refuses compartmentalized religion (Jeremiah 7:9-11, Malachi 2:13,1 Peter 3:7)

Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the Lord, have spoken! Jeremiah 7:9-11

Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. Malachi 2:13

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7

Big idea: The altar cannot be a place of escape from covenant obligations, it exposes them.

The structural irony in Malachi 2:13: The tears at the altar were real grief but grief over the consequences of sin, not the sin itself. They mourned the closed heaven, not the broken covenant.

The progressive witness

• Prophetic diagnosis (Isaiah 1:15, Jeremiah 7:9-11, Hosea 6:6)
• Wisdom confirmation (Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 21:13)
• Jesus's direct teaching (Matthew 5:23-24, 15:8-9)
• Apostolic application (1 Peter 3:7, Ephesians 5:25-33)
• Positive command structure (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)

The Jeremiah 7 passage adds a dimension the others don't: the presumption of ritual as cover for ongoing sin. "We are delivered, so we can continue" that's not just hypocrisy, it's weaponized religion.

Cain Builds His Name; Seth Brings Repentance to God's Name

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The Church: Helping or Hurting?

I'm always looking for resources to learn from that support Biblical counseling, discipleship, and "evidence alternatives to self-help." Looking at Genesisprocess.org I saw a book for sale that offers the founder's life story about experience in the Church. The more I grow the more I realize that prayer of intercession is Lost and Found God's way (Isaiah 65:1, Romans 10:20)

Today we planned on going to the Catholic church Pax Christi but my friend canceled. I've latched onto the idea that every church has "true believers, make believers, and non-believers." I can enjoy every church where Christ is evident and enjoy conversations that reveal what we believe rather than arguing about topics with little value (2 Tim 2:19-26)

The Church: Helping or Hurting is described as;

A guide to practical Christianity, making individuals and churches safe and effective for helping wounded people heal. 

This book provides the understanding for individuals, churches, and agencies to help people who want to change actually be able to change. Michael’s primary question in writing this book was this: how can we assist the church at being safe and effective at helping hurting people heal?  This book is a synopsis of what he has learned over the past 45 years in his efforts to help wounded and addicted people.

If you have a heart to help hurting people, this book will aid you in understanding—“what helps and what hurts”.

The book argues that while the Church is God’s design for spiritual growth, it has often wounded people through hypocrisy, legalism, abuse of power, and lack of love, driving many away from Christ rather than toward Him.

One-Sentence Biblical Summary

“The Church may wound through human sin, but Christ still heals through His bride when she walks in truth, humility, and love.”

• Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. - John 17:17

• Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. - Ephesians 4:15

• Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. - Colossians 1:18

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PROS

Ways the Book Faithfully Reflects Biblical Truth

1. Calls the Church to Self-Examination

Biblical Alignment:

• Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. - 2 Corinthians 13:5

• Search me, O God, and know my heart, point out anything that offends you and lead me into the way of everlasting - Psalm 139:23–24

• Revelation 2-3, Jesus emphasizes perseverance, truth and love for Ephesus and Smyrna (2:1-11), Jesus emphasizes repentance for Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis (2:12-3:6), Jesus emphasizes perseverance and discipline for Philadelphia and Laodicea (3:7-22)

Value:
The book confronts complacency and calls the Church to repentance. This reflects Christ’s repeated warnings to the churches to examine fruit, motives, and faithfulness.

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2. Amplifies the Reality of Church Hurt

Biblical Alignment:

• Ezekiel 34:2–4, Matthew 23:4, Romans 2:24, Shepherds who don't feed sheep, leave unbearable burdens without helping, leaving the world to blaspheme God's name as a result. 

Value:
It exposes how spiritual abuse and hypocrisy push people away from God. Scripture clearly condemns shepherds who exploit or neglect the flock.

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3. Emphasizes Love Over Legalism

Biblical Alignment:

• John 13:34–35, Matthew 22:37–40, Galatians 5:6, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Love God, Love People, a circumcised heart = "faith expressing itself in love."

Value:
The book highlights relationship over rigid rule-keeping. This reflects the heart of the gospel, faith working through love.

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4. Encourages Authentic Community

Biblical Alignment:

• Acts 2:42–47, Romans 12:9–16, Hebrews 10:24–25, Everything in common,  Love each other with genuine affection, enthusiastic hope, confidence hope, patient in trouble, and keep on praying, ready to help those in need. Encouraging ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Not neglecting our meeting together.

Value:
It affirms that genuine Christian community heals rather than harms when built on humility, truth, and shared life.

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5. Gives Voice to the Wounded Without Silencing Them

Biblical Alignment:

• Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 12:20, The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Jesus, the Holy Spirit of the Sovereign Lord anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. Christ has set me free, from negativity from impossibility - Rend Collective "blessed is a bruised reed" - Jesus caused Justice to be victorious: Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. (Heb 12:24) Alleluia you have saved me, so much better your way!

Value:
The book models compassion toward those hurt by spiritual leadership. God never dismisses broken voices.

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CONS

Where the Book Can Drift from Full Biblical Balance

1. Risk of Generalizing the Entire Church

Biblical Tension:

• Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 5:25–27, 1 Timothy 3:15, Jesus church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. Christian code of conduct in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Concern:
The tone can imply the Church as a whole is primarily harmful. Scripture affirms the Church as Christ’s bride and the pillar of truth, even in its weakness.

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2. Heavy Focus on Institutional Failure Over Personal Sin

Biblical Tension:

• Romans 3:23, James 1:14–15, John 16:8, Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Temptation from desires, 1) enticed, 2) dragged away. 3) sinful actions, 4) allowed to grow, 5) gives birth to death. It's visible by the Holy Spirit, poured out on all people, He convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

Concern:
The book can over-emphasize leadership failure while under-emphasizing individual accountability for sin and repentance.

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3. Limited Emphasis on Church Discipline

Biblical Tension:

• Matthew 18:15–17, 1 Corinthians 5:12–13, Hebrews 12:11, Conflict should be handled person to person, person to group, person to church, if that doesn't work love them like a pagan or tax collector (Luke 19:1-10, Matthew 9:9-13)

Concern:
In seeking to avoid legalism, the book can soften the biblical necessity of corrective discipline, which Scripture frames as loving and restorative.

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4. Potential to Encourage Deconstruction Without Reconstruction

Biblical Tension:

• Jeremiah 1:10, Ephesians 4:11–16, Titus 1:5, 2 Cor 10:4-5, We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God. Pastors and elders are given to build up the church, the body of Christ, maturing people united in the special work each is appointed. 

Concern:
It is strong at tearing down broken systems but sometimes less clear on how to biblically rebuild healthy church structures. Christian Code of Conduct for the Church Militant

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5. Emotional Narrative Can Eclipse Doctrinal Clarity

Biblical Tension:

• Colossians 1:28, 2 Timothy 1:13, Jude 3, So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. Wholesome teaching shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Defend the faith that God has entrusted to us. 

Concern:
Personal stories are powerful but must remain anchored in sound doctrine to avoid shaping theology primarily through experience.

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The Biblical Tension the Book Surfaces Well

The Church is both:

• Holy and flawed

• Spirit-filled and still sinful

• God’s instrument and man’s responsibility

Key Scripture Holding This Tension:

• Ephesians 2:19–22, 1 Peter 2:5, 2 Corinthians 4:7

God places His treasure in jars of clay so His power, not ours, is seen.

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Bottom-Line Assessment

Where the book is strongest:

• Naming real wounds

• Calling for humility and repentance

• Re-centering love as the primary witness

Where discernment is required:

• Avoiding anti-church sentiment

• Holding both justice and grace

• Rebuilding with biblical structure, not just emotional healing

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Jesus shows expert teachers their hypocrisy and how to cure it (Matthew 22:15-23:11)

 Matthew 22:15-23:39

A) Pharisees and Sadducees try to trap Jesus about government, Scripture, and God's will

15-20) Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with flattery and questions about paying tax

21-22) Jesus says, "give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's", left amazed

23-28) Sadducees who don't believe in resurrection ask Jesus about marriage at the resurrection

29-30) Jesus, "Your error; you don't know the Scriptures or the power of God, like angels/no marriage

 - 31-33) God said to you, I AM the God of Abraham, God of the living - not the dead", crowds astonished

34-36) Pharisees, get their expert; "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

37-40) Jesus, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind - then Love your neighbor as yourself"

 - Love neighbor = show him complete mercy, at great expense - Luke 10:25-27,29-35,36-37

B) Jesus reminds them of the promised Messiah, the purpose of Scripture

41-42) Jesus asked Pharisees, "what do you think about the Messiah, Whose son is he?", David

43-46) If David speaking by the Spirit calls him Lord how can he be his son? No one could answer

 - Jesus refers to Psalm 110:1, concluding the idea at the Olivet discourse (Matthew 26:64). Jesus Son of man, Son of God "Lord said to my Lord" (Mark 12:36,14:62,16:19, Psalm 110:1)

23:1-4) Jesus, do everything Pharisees tell you from Scripture, but not what they do; "tie heavy loads on other's shoulders they aren't willing to carry"

5-7) Don't be like them who do everything for show, to be respected and honored as 'Rabbi'

8-10) Not 'Rabbi/father' since you have one Teacher (Spirit), one Father, one Instructor (Messiah)

11-12) Greatest will be servant, exalted will be humbled - those who humble themselves will be exalted

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Be careful and guarded against hypocrisy and learned-deception (Matthew 16:1-12)

 A) Jesus warned the confused disciples when the Pharisees and Sadducees asked for a sign. – Matthew 16:1-12 

1-3) Teacher test for a sign from heaven, Jesus literally talks about weather but goes deeper into the purpose of stars and time (sign from heaven)

• Gen 1:14 "And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years"

4) wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, only the sign of Jonah 

• Jesus already gave them this sign: Son of man in the earth, like Jonah (Matt 12:40)
• Three days belly of the fish (Jonah 1:17)
• Jesus provided another sign in the feeding of 4,000  who fasted 3 days (Matt 15:32)
• Jonah obeyed the word of the lord for three days (Jonah 3:3), a thousand years is as a day to the Lord (2 Peter 3:7-9). The Holy Spirit is come to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11)

5-6) "Be careful, guard against yeast of Pharisees and Sadducees"

7-11) Not about bread, about faith and remembering God's abundant provision

• Look at the birds (Matt 6:26), you are more valuable (Matt 14:13-21, 15:32-39)

12) Then they understood, be careful, guard against teaching of Pharisees and Sadducees

• Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise (Eph 5:15), see our group members real-life, true concerns (Proverbs 27:23), right regard not cruelty (Proverbs 12:10)
• Behold, I have put my words in your mouth (Jer 1:9), discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12), profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16)

Prayer: thank you Lord for healing my heart and showing me sin, teaching me to wash myself and others with care and confidence. Help me to walk wisely today. Courage to change the things I can, accepting the role you've given me in watering and allowing me to see your growth. 

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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.

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Knowing God yet living in sin leads to destruction (Hosea 8-9)

 Hosea 8-10

A) The problem with "knowing God" yet living in sin (Hosea 8)

8:1-3) Alarm! enemy against God's people, covenant-breakers, defied revelation, rejecting goodness

 - Faith is more than crying out to God in trouble saying "My God! We know you!"

 - Faith is shown in a covenant life, guided by God, cultivating goodness.

4-10) Deciding without asking Lord, idols, planted wind/harvest whirlwind, liars, whores

Key verses: “They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. Hosea 8:7

 - Faith is more than words, it's the seed of God planted in our souls, reaping righteousness.

11-13) Altars of sin, unacceptable. God's word is clear, pretend can't read, held accountable, punished/slavery forgotten Maker to build themselves greatness to burn

14a) Forgotten Maker: God's creative Spirit and Word prepares us for eternity (Genesis 1:1-5, Hebrews 11:1-3, 2 Cor 5:5-21)

14b) build themselves: Cain builds his name, Seth brings repentance to God's name (Gen 4)

B) wasted life ends in destruction (Hosea 9)

9:1-6) Wasted life (rejoicing in): unfaithfulness, orgies, parties, whoring, bankrupt, disillusioned, refugees, defiled, unclean, conquered, invaded, ruined

 - MSG: Souls polluted by the spirit-dirty air. You’ll be starved for God... homesick

Unfaithfulness: The angry, stay at home brother of the prodigal (Luke 15)

Application: 3 Steps to Victory available to everyone

7-9) Dooms day/Payday for the wages of sin: hostile to God and his prophets, depravity

 - Sin is our default occupation until we understand our vocation.

10-14) First fresh grapes in desert, then deserted God idolatrous heathens: barren, unfit parents

15-17) Evil exposed, kicked out, not loved, struck dry barren, rejected, didn't listen or obey, homeless

 - Jesus brings clarity: Discovering the Light of listening and being Salt (Luke 8-14)

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What a hypocrite looks like (Hosea 7)

Hosea 7 gives an image of sin like a fire in a burning oven, it's embers hot and ready to burn because of delight in wickedness and refusal to call to God, return to him or search for him. People not turning to the Most High are half-baked bread, a faulty bow, a senseless dove.

1-2) Israel healed, Ephraim's sin exposed; deceit, thieves, sins engulf them. God sees

 - Counterfeit Christians live a lifestyle of deception

3-7) Drunken, passion, lust, entertainment devours our future, yet none call on God

• Calling on the name of the Lord is central to our faith (Gen 4:26, Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21)
• Wisdom is understanding the will of the Lord and sacrifice (altar) are linked (Eph 5:15-17, Romans 12:1-2) leading us to honest humility (Romans 12:3)
• Wisdom and grace from calling on the name of the Lord (James 1:5, 3:17; Proverbs 3:13-18)
• Principle: God’s grace in us blesses others. God’s grace equips us for spiritual victory in our lives and in the lives of others. 

8-10) mixed with pagans, dissipating himself, unnoticed, dying, oblivious to God, despite all the signs, ignoring God

 - King Belshazzar’s self-inflicted ignorance of God ruins his life

 - Hear God's promise, don't neglect salvation in Jesus (Heb 2)

11-12) Like silly witless doves, easily captured, God punishes for the evil they do

13-16) Sorrow awaits those who deserted God, who wanted to redeem them but they told lies

 - Insincere hearts, crying to themselves, turning away from God (Hosea 7:14)

 - God made them strong, yet they plot evil against God (15)

 - Looking everywhere except the Most High, like faulty equipment they are useless and laughable. MSG says Ridiculed in the court of world opinion (16)

From What does it mean that the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12)?

How can we be sure that the love we have for Christ will never grow cold? We begin by examining ourselves to be sure we are truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). If we truly belong to Christ, we can be confident that we possess the love from the Spirit that never grows cold. Then we should make every effort to increase our love:, “This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9–11).

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Jesus taught to live life with God on purpose (Matt 16:25-27, Job 27:8)

Pharisees and Sadducees tested Jesus, wanting a sign from heaven. Jesus rebuked them for knowing how to interpret the appearance of the sky but they couldn't interpret the signs of the times. Jesus reminded them of Jonah, left them and went away. (Matt 16:1-4, parallel Luke 12)

• Interesting, they didn't recognize the sign of his birth (Matt 2:7), a clear sign from heaven and now Jesus tells them about the sign of his burial and resurrection. He already explained this in Matt 12:38-41 is what he meant by the "sign of Jonah". He explains this to disciples later in Matt 16:21. 
• Yet in the narrative, Matt 16:17, Simon son of Jonah received a revelation from the Father in heaven. It was faith to say that "Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
• Simon is actually the son of John (John 1:42,21:15). So not only is the death and resurrection the sign of Jonah but also Peter, the Church and the Promise (Matt 16:17-19)

Jesus told his disciples to be careful, on guard against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Reminding them about their little faith, 5 loaves, 5 thousand, 7 loaves 4 thousand. He asked how many basketfuls did you gather at each event? (Matt 16:5-12)

• I like the trite expression, "blessings brighten when you count them." I'm seeing a tie between food and teaching and later the keys to the kingdom of heaven and "feed my sheep (John 21:15-25)."
• Our faith is based on miracles we experience with Jesus. What is he reminding you of in your past? Do you remember when you received an abundance when you followed Jesus? What has Jesus given to you that you couldn't have gotten without him? Have you been a witness of any miracles done in Jesus name? Everyone who calls upon the name of Lord will be saved. 
• Beware of Bible teachers who lack faith. They may have a form of godliness but deny it's power (2 Timothy 3:5). They are false prophets (Matt 7:15), lead undisciplined lives (2 Thes 3:6), they don't train themselves for godliness (1 Tim 4:7), they don't provide for their own household (1 Tim 5:8). 
• Beware of Bible teachers who are hypocrites (Luke 12:1). Everything hidden will be made known (Luke 12:2-3, Mark 4:22). They honor God with their lips but their heart is far from him (Isaiah 29:13). 

Jesus asks his disciples about what people say about the Son of Man, then asks "Who do you say I am?" Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." - Jesus affirms this was revealed by "his Father in heaven" and prophecy's about Peter and the Church. (Matt 16:13-20)

• "You are Peter, 
• and on this rock I will build my church, 
• and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 
• I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven"
• When did Peter receive these keys? "feed my sheep (John 21:15-25)", Pentecost
• Teaching "repent, and be baptized" Acts 2:37-38  
• The Church is personal, person to person, relationships, eternal.

Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, rebukes Peter as "Satan" because he didn't have in mind the concerns of God but merely human concerns. (Matt 16:21-23)

• Where am I merely concerned about human things rather than God's concerns? How can I keep the concerns of God in mind? What can I do routinely to renew my mind in Christ? Be sacrificial to God in helping others (Romans 12:1-3, Phil 2:5-8). Yet wise and discerning where people are faith (1 Cor 2:6,16, 3:1).

Jesus teaches our purpose is to deny ourselves, follow him - offering ourselves as a living sacrifice as he has done. Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Jesus will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeits their soul? The Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

This all came from a verse I saw this morning in Job:

For what is the hope of the hypocrite (godless), though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul (life, breath, spirit)? Job 27:8

• Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so the hope of the godless will perish. - Job 8:13
• But the eyes of the wicked will fail, their escape route will be cut off, and they will hope for their last breath." - Job 11:20
• The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind. - Job 12:10

Luke 12:20
But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?'

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Jesus, ruthless in critique of inadvertent hypocrisy (Matt 23:23-24)

I discovered Thebanner.org at the clubhouse of Sunbird community in Chandler AZ. The cover of the magazine had a guy facing away with a tee shirt that read on the back "recovering hypocrite" - intrigued I read the article. It gave me a 

Externally wise, but not present with God or looking for his will to be done (Luke 12:54-56)
 - This teaching was for all people, not just the disciples
 - Matt Henry puts it this way:

Let them learn to discern the way of God towards them, that they may prepare accordingly. They were weather-wise, and by observing the winds and clouds could foresee when there would be rain and when there would be hot weather...Even in regard to changes of the weather God gives warning to us what is coming...Luke 12:56 JKV: “Ye hypocrites (fools), who pretend to be wise, but really are not so, who pretend to expect the Messiah and his kingdom” (Matthew 12:28)

 "living in the (ballpark) of the Truth but being unaware of what the score is" Biblical studies and wisdom for living p 237. Calvin Seerveld 

Recovering hypocrites, intentional or otherwise

• Humbles us, reluctant to judge others, Matt 7:1-5
• By God's grace we have another yeast working in our lives, God's kingdom (Matt 13:33; Luke 13:20-21)
• As we immerse ourselves in God's word, faithful Christian community, and faith-forming practices, we allow the Holy Spirit to work that yeast into our lives, enabling us to grow into more sincere, less hypocritical faith and love.
• As a sponge is immersed in water, the water is in the sponge and the sponge is in the water. John 15, https://run.alphausa.org/

1 Peter 2:11-12 The Message (MSG)
11-12 Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives

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Born again believer in bondage to sin and hypocrisy?

An amazing series by Pastor Robert Morris, about the balance between Deliverance and Discipleship. "You can't deliver a person from the flesh and you can't disciple a demon" as a church we need to be doing both,
1. Deliver the person from the demon - prayer and fasting
2. Desciple the freed person - teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded

 Jesus said:  "If the Son sets you free you are free indeed" - but what if you are in bondage with sin?

I first came across his teaching on the Jezebel spirit and then came to this free indeed series.
How to recognize the Jezebel spirit: Insecurity, rejection, pride, arrogance, manipulation, and control.

Signs of the Jezebel spirit affecting your life:

• Strange and bazaar prolonged sicknesses. (Including prolonged sinus problems.) 
• Suicidal thoughts
• Fear (especially of confronting the Jezebel spirit in yourself or someone else because of the reaction you'll get). 
• Exhaustion
• Sexual immorality or thoughts 

The Jezebel spirit (the controller) cannot operate without an Ahab spirit (the controlled).
The Jezebel spirit is not gender biased. It operates in both men and women.

Revelation 2:19-20

Here's the whole series, below are the sermons that impacted my thoughts
http://gatewaypeople.com/ministries/life/events/free-indeed/

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Replace greed and self-indulgence with Justice, mercy and faithfulness

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
Matthew 23:23 ESV
 - Do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)
 - Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (Matt 5:7)
 - Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13)
 - Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Col 3:13)
 - We plead for patients but demand respect and judge others harshly (Matthew 18:23-35)

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
Matthew 23:25‭-‬26 ESV

“‘What?’ you ask. ‘Doesn’t the child pay for the parent’s sins?’ No! For if the child does what is just and right and keeps my decrees, that child will surely live. The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness. But if wicked people turn away from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live and not die. All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done. “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord . Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. However, if righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and start doing sinful things and act like other sinners, should they be allowed to live? No, of course not! All their righteous acts will be forgotten, and they will die for their sins.
Ezekiel 18:19‭-‬24 NLT

The Fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:16-18)
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.…

Matthew 7:12
In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the prophets.

Romans 3:31
Do we, then, nullify the Law by this faith? By no means! Instead, we uphold the Law.

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Watch out!...Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod (Mark 8:15)

While listening to Matthew 16 and then Mark 8 as part of the 155-day challenge I was struck by this teaching and Exodus came to mind. Earlier this year I went to a Jewish Passover Sader and heard the life of Moses taught during that meal. I've had the opportunity to study the life of Moses twice and the Gospel of Matthew twice in BSF, not only study but also to teach in the school program there. At the Sader, I learned something new. When the Israelites were commanded to eat everything that night and leave without leftovers. My Jewish friends taught that every batch of dough was started from the previous so that you could be eating bread that was passed down from your great-great grand mother. She said God commanded to burn the left overs so that they wouldn't be taking the pagan ways of Egypt into the promised land which God was giving them.

(12:1-11) Lord said 10th day of this month, lamb (1 year old, male, no defects)  per household, care for it 4 days, slaughter at twilight, blood on door frame eating, roast all over fire (bitter herbs, unleavened bread), eat fast, burn leftovers

(12-16) Lord – strikes every firstborn of people and animal to judge gods of Egypt but will Passover houses with blood on door, commemorate, generations, lasting ordinance

(17-20) Lord – Celebrate Festival of Unleavened Bread 14th to 21st, out of Egypt

(21-30) Moses, elders – gives instructions, they obey (26-27) children ask, tell them, LORD  strikes, every house mourns - Exodus 12 outline

Then Jesus warned about the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod (Matthew 16:6, Mark 8:15), Luke 12:1 summarizes that the yeast is hypocrisy, Matthew 16:12 shows the disciples understood Jesus to be saying "Beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees". All of this in the context of Pharisees trying to discredit Jesus and Jesus telling them "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. (Matt 16:4)", which points to God's plan for the Messiah (Matt 16:13-20) and his death and resurrection (Matt 16:21-28). Mark places this closer to Miracle of feeding 4,000 and Jesus reminds them about the feeding of the 5,000 (which is 1 or only two miracles in all 4 Gospels). In Mark 8:17-18, Jesus asks, "Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?"

Jesus continues to questions them in Mark 8:18 b, "And don’t you remember?"

• 5 loaves, 5,000 how many baskets left over: 12
• 7 loaves, 4,000 how many baskets left over: 7
• Jesus leaves it with "Do you still not understand?" Mark 8:21

Called out of Darkness into His Marvelous Light

"Success" where failure would have been better

Relational Grace: Loving kindness of Christ in me

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