Sermons

Matthew 12:33-37 – Answering Accusations (pt. 5)

The fifth accusation:

 

1. Hypocrite (vv. 33-37)

[TRANS] This section is an accusation that Jesus turns into a diagnostic.

• It’s both!
  • Jesus turns the tables on the Pharisees.
  • Exposing them while diagnosing them (at same time!).

 

• Important to tie together the immediate context with Jesus’ explanation of trees and fruit!
  • Good fruit and Bad fruit trees.
  • Jesus either the Messiah or Jesus a Satanist.
    • Jesus, healing and delivering by the Spirit.
    • Jesus resourced with Satanic power.
      • Not Messiah.
      • A Devil!

 

• Their accusation is so grave, Jesus drops the bomb!
  • Pronouncing a sentence.
    • They were committing the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
    • They will not be forgiven.
  • Damned, pre-death.
    • They crossed a line.
    • Going to the point of no return.

 

• To make this crystal clear, Jesus goes right into an analogy.
  • Not a detour or sidenote.
  • Tied together.

 

• Make sure you make this connection to Jesus’ illustration.
  • Calling Jesus, a Satanist is saying Jesus is a hypocrite.
    • The accusation.
    • Hypocrite!
      • Doing miracles in disguise.
      • The wolf in sheep’s clothing.
        • A fake, an actor, a false teacher, and a deceiver.
        • Questioning his motive, his method, his source, and his integrity.
        • Not holy, evil.

 

• Jesus brings crowds to the crossroads.
  • No one denying the miracle.
  • Everyone susceptible to following Pharisee’s accusation.
    • Whether the Pharisees were right or not.
    • Whether He is Messiah or not.

 

• “Who’s the Blasphemer?”
  • Like a “who done it” murder mystery.
    • One or the other.
    • Who committed to crime?

 

• “Crowds” [“the people were amazed…” v. 23] want to the follow the right leadership.
  • Follow the one not blaspheming.
    • Stakes are high, eternal life or death.
    • Both look good.
      • Jesus worked the miracle.
      • Pharisees deeply tied to their moorings, traditions, and family religion.
      • All they ever knew!

 

• “Will you follow Jesus for eternal life or the Pharisees to eternal death?”

[Question] “How do you know the difference what is true and false?”

• “Was miracle of God or Satan?”

[KEY] Not easy position for crowds, unable to see inside Jesus’ heart.

• Pharisees had all political power.
  • Highest religious office.
  • Authority and pedigree.
  • Masters of the Law.
    • In knowledge.
    • In practice.

 

• Questioning Pharisees was highly suspect.
  • Flying in face of all continuity of childhood.
  • Everything they had grown up believing.
    • Like growing up in RCC, Mormonism, Unitarianism.
    • Inside someone’s psyche.

 

• “Who is right?

[Question] One level deeper, “Is it ever right to judge someone at all?”

• If these Pharisees are wrong then: “How am I not doing the same thing?”
  • “When I say someone is in error!”
  • “Who am I to judge?”
  • “Am I a modern Pharisee?”
    • Self-exaltation?
    • Same pride as they had?
    • Committing same Blasphemy?

[Answer] “Everything can be boiled down to a single question.”

• “What is the difference between being judgmental and being discerning?”
  • What the Pharisees did wrong.
  • What Jesus did right.

 

• Called to discern while called, “not to judge” (cf. Matt. 7:1-5).

^ESV  Matthew 7:1-5 ^a“Judge not, that you be not judged.

^{2 a}For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and ^bwith the measure you use it will be measured to you.

³ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but ^ado not notice the log that is in your own eye?

⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?

⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Mat 7:1-5 ESV)

 

• We are called to discern.
  • A life of discernment.
    • 2 Peter and Jude call people to examine both lifestyle and motive of teachers in the church.

 

• The Old Testament required false prophets be stoned because they did not speak for God.

^ESV  Deuteronomy 13:1-10 “If a prophet or ^aa dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,

² and ^athe sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’

³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God ^ais testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

⁴ You shall ^awalk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and ^bhold fast to him.

⁵ But ^athat prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. ^bSo you shall purge the evil¹ from your midst.

^{6 a}“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or ^bthe wife you embrace¹ or your friend ^cwho is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ ^dwhich neither you nor your fathers have known,

⁷ some ^aof the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,

⁸ you shall ^anot yield to him or listen to him, nor ^bshall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.

⁹ But you shall kill him. ^aYour hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.

^{10 a}You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Deu 13:1-10 ESV)

 

• 2 Timothy 2:17-18 says leaving false teaching alone in church, creates a spreading problem like gangrene

^ESV  2 Timothy 2:17-18 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are upsets whole families ^aHymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have swerved from the truth, ^asaying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. (2Ti 2:17-18 ESV)

• Factious men are to be rejected after the second warning.

^ESV  Titus 3:10 As for a person who stirs up division, ^aafter warning him once and then twice, ^bhave nothing more to do with him, (Tit 3:10 ESV)

• It is the qualification of elders to refute false doctrine according to Titus 1.

^ESV  Titus 1:9-11 He must ^ahold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in ^bsound¹ doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

¹⁰ For there are many who are insubordinate, ^aempty talkers and deceivers, especially those of ^bthe circumcision party.

¹¹ They must be silenced, since ^athey are upsetting whole families by teaching ^bfor shameful gain what they ought not to teach. (Tit 1:9-11 ESV)

 

Deacons:

 

^ESV  1 Timothy 3:9 They must ^ahold the mystery of the faith with ^ba clear conscience. (1Ti 3:9 ESV)

 

• The health, witness, and unity of the church is won or lost on the battle front of the single issue: Discerning Truth from Error.

[KEY] Satan’s lies are subtle, and creep in.

• Satan, the angel of light.
  • “If he looked evil on the face, spiritual discernment is unnecessary.”

 

• If you saw an unmasked, Satan.
  • You would run.
  • From a monster running after you down your hallway.

[KEY] Difference between being judgmental and being discerning, comes down to the basis of evaluation.

• “Is your basis for evaluation, you? Or, is it Truth?”
  • No single Christian has the corner on every Truth.
    • Answer to ever hard theological question.
    • Does not cancel the believer’s ability to know Truth.
      • Illumination of the Spirit.
      • Priesthood of the believer.
      • The mind of Christ.

[Appl] Fielded question on if “Apostatic signs gifts are for today?”

• Accusation is whether the church quibbling about what does not matter.
• Unnecessarily dividing the church on lesser matters.
  • “So sad.”
  • “Why can’t we just all get along?”
  • “Why can’t we be friends!”

 

• Understand the sentiment, but flags go up when I am put in this kind of corner.
  • “I do not break fellowship over secondary and tertiary matters.”
    • Continuationism vs. Cessationism.
    • Mode of baptism, end times positions.

 

• But I will break fellowship when the debate is over whether someone equates anything on the same level as Scripture.
  • When teacher’s experience, tradition, sacred book.
  • Personality or even life-coaching tips are equal to Bible.
  • I cut it off.

 

• When “miracles” become the key to the Bible’s meaning, it is a problem.

 

• Satan slips in behind the curtain to undermine, Truth.

 

• Quotes: “Your God is too small!” “You keep Him in your little box, the Bible!”

[Question] “Secondary matters really threatening when not basic Gospel?”

• Augustine’s famous quote: “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”
  • I understand rallying around Gospel.
    • Essentials for unity.
      • Be warned of subtle attacks of Satan.
      • He leverages non-essential liberties and non-core doctrines to take your security fences down.
        • You believe all you are talking about are lesser things.
        • When it imperceptibly rises to an essential matter.

 

• Back to the signs and wonders debate.
  • Holding to the sufficiency and authority of Scripture makes you talk in terms of either being a cessationist or open but cautious, continuationist.

 

• Lose the sufficiency of Scripture and risk trading Scripture for experiences.
  • Experience becomes your point of reference.
    • “NOW debunking everyone’s Ghost story.”
    • “Your word against his.”

 

• “No way to interpret Scripture.”

 

• “Could not someone come to Christ through hearing from God in a dream?”
  • Romans 10:14 clearly asks, “How will they hear without a preacher?”

^ESV  Romans 10:14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^aof whom they have never heard?¹ And how are they to hear ^bwithout someone preaching?

(Rom 10:14 ESV)

• “Call the missionary’s home!”
  • When Romans 10 isn’t your starting point.
  • Every dream (unverifiable) eats at the sufficiency and authority of Scripture.

 

• “What about do-gooding with RCC?
  • Fighting same cultural battles?
    • Maybe but at what cost?
      • When RCC believes their works they are keeping themselves inside of grace.
      • And the Gospel clearly says you are saved by grace and NOT by works.

 

• Over time, cultural victories blur the lines and undo “by grace alone” Gospel.

 

• Extreme version when Liberty University was hosting Glenn Beck.
  • Different now with new leadership.
  • I spoke to LU’s president about this before he knew he would be LU’s president! He agreed with me!
    • Beck the outspoken Mormon as their champion in the culture war.
    • He would say, “We share the same atonement!”
      • In Convocation and Graduation speeches.
      • To the cheers of thousands!

[KEY] The Holy Spirit equips believers with infra-red goggles for any Satanic schemes.

• One more thing before going into our text.
  • “Why do false teachers promote false doctrines?”

 

• “What is their motive?”
  • 2 Peter and Jude clearly state it is to feed their lusts and greed.

^ESV  2 Peter 2:1-3 But ^afalse prophets also arose among the people, ^bjust as there will be false teachers among you, who will ^csecretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master ^dwho bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth ^awill be blasphemed.

³ And ^ain their greed they will exploit you ^bwith false words. ^cTheir condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2Pe 2:1-3 ESV)

 

• Paul said, “their god is their belly” (cf. Phil. 3:19).

 

• People driven to feed their flesh that will say or do anything to get fed.

 

• Lust for power and sex is the coal furnace fueling a locomotive.

 

• The false teaching is their skin.
  • Look harmless and even ridiculous.
  • People dismiss as harmless and accommodate them.
    • Defenses down.
    • Driving motivations are the tell!

[Illus] Man from church told me years ago in Texas, he and his family were down in their church service of about 300. Snakes (garter snakes) were the norm in the area (under every rock, in every corner). He and his family were seated in the middle of their crowded church sanctuary on a Sunday, and he looked down an noticed a snake had crawled right under his feet. He supposed it had somehow made its way in through the back doors, imperceptibly slithering toward the front.

The man did what any good citizen would do and stomped its head, killing it instantly. After the sermon, he brought the snake to present it to the pastor. What surprised the pastor was how the snake of that size could get so far inside the church without being noticed! It had blending into this unnatural environment, while nobody was paying attention.

[Point] False teachers remain unnoticed, blending into what is their unnatural environment in need of exposure. Without discernment to strip back their veneer, a false teacher remains hidden where he is most dangerous to steal souls away. We must exercise discernment.

 

Prop: Stripping back the layers of hypocritical skin: Exercising discernment.

[KEY] Jesus’ flips the script, turning the Pharisee’s accusation back on them.

• From his accusation to their exposure.
  • He’s no hypocrite.
  • They are.

 

• Usually, this text is titled: A tree known by its fruit.
  • Sermons promoting, “Fruit inspectors.”
  • “I am not judgmental; I am a fruit inspector!”
    • Okay, I guess.
    • Jesus is stripping away layers of lying.
      • On an ultimate scale.
      • With eternal consequences.

 

• Not simply holding the mirror up over a cup of coffee.
  • Steering someone back on course.
  • Though, necessary work.

 

• Fighting Satan in warfare, on a nuclear scale.
  • Peering behind the curtain.

 

• Reversing the Pharisees’ accusation:
  • Like a wrestlers move!
    • Jesus, “You’re Satanic!”
    • Pharisees, “You’re Satanic!”

 

• Eternal judgment is coming!

[KEY] Not stripping layers for Pharisees but for the Crowds.

 

[Question] “Why put yourself out there like this?”

• For the sake of others!
  • Exposing sins, the motivations, wolves!

 

• Why? To spare “the people” (v. 23)
  • Yes, Nicodemus was saved!
  • Yes, Paul was saved!
    • Shepherds are called to make disciples.
    • To protect and guard the flock of God at all cost!

 

• This is not winning a contest.
  • Not protecting your denomination’s positions.
  • Not winning a theological debate.
  • Not being satisfied with being right.

 

• Battling for Truth is never an end in and of itself.
  • You contend for the faith.
  • For someone’s eternity.

[Appl] Jesus’ steps for using discernment:

1. Jesus sets the diagnostic (v. 33)

[KEY] Jesus uses the tree metaphor once in what he says here.

• More to this than being a fruit inspector.
  • Deep work requires several metaphors.

“Do not miss the forest for the trees!”

Verse 33 makes a practical either/or.

• The diagnostic.
  • The responsibility to produce fruit is on the person to produces it.
    • The person is the “tree” (v. 33).

 

• BTW: John 15 makes a different point.
  • The vine and branches parable, the person is the branch.
  • Fruit is produced (or not) based on the person’s connection (or not) to the vine.
    • Appear attached and nourished by vine and not be.
    • Only way to tell is the fruit (i.e. my apple trees!).
      • Either produce fruit or not, either comes passively.
      • Focus is on Jesus, not working the fruit out in your life.

 

• Jesus uses, “make” as action for what the “tree” does or does not do (v. 33).
  • You are the tree in this analogy.
    • Responsibility is active in terms of what you do or do not do.
      • The character is under the proverbial glass!

 

• Claiming, “Jesus is Satanic”, should be examined in terms of character of the one who says this!

 

• What do you actually do or not do, “fruit” is what you are “known”

 

2. Jesus confronts people with the diagnostic (v. 34)

[Note] “You brood of vipers!”

• BTW, this is Jesus’ second analogy.
  • In our modern day this is 100% hate speech?

 

• Really though?
  • Jesus is not being hateful and certainly is not in sin.
  • I do not even think this is Jesus being derogatory or provocative in the classic sense.

 

• All because Jesus is sinless in motive and action.

[Note] Jesus calls them a “brood of vipers” by way of explanation.

• John the Baptist used this same description for Pharisees coming for baptism of repentance.
  • Used same analogies of snakes and fruit.

^ESV  Matthew 3:7-8 But when he saw many of ^athe Pharisees and ^bSadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ^c“You brood of ^dvipers! Who warned you to flee from ^ethe wrath to come?⁸ Bear fruit ^ain keeping with repentance. (Mat 3:8 ESV) (Mat 3:7 ESV)

• No animal I hate more than a snake and why I love Alaska.
  • So much so, I am fascinated by them.
    • Could not stop watching a video of snake trying to eat an electric eel.
    • Wriggled and squirmed but couldn’t keep its bite on.
    • Cheered for the eel’s escape.

 

• They represent unpredictable evil.
  • Difficult to calm, strike without warning.
  • Watch Steve Irwin clips to see that.

 

• Reason snakes represent evil and Jesus’ calls them a “brood of vipers” (v. 34).
  • Progeny or offspring of an evil parent.
  • Satan came taking the form of a serpent.
  • “You’re a bad family with a bad dad.”

[KEY] Jesus is always moving from the inside to the outside.

• Inside out.
  • Plausible the Pharisees could be correct in calling Jesus “Satanic.”
  • Warning the “People” (v. 23) to keep them safe.
    • What this looked like to them.
    • Jesus is saying, before you believe what they said, look at their life!

 

[Appl] People ignore lifestyle, especially when they are talented.

• “Inspiration Trumps Character” (Pun intended!).

[KEY] The principle is clearly stated at the end of verse 34.

• Jesus invites you to look under the hood in the life of an individual.

 

• “How do you see what is inside someone’s heart?”
• “Listen to what that someone says.”

 

• People without fail always talk about what they love.
  • Who, what, where, and why comes out of their mouths!

 

• Because hearts are functionally connected to what people say.
  • God made people this way by design.
  • God made people worshippers by design.
    • Made in God’s image.
    • People bow to God or make an image to bow to.
      • Either speak of Jesus’ worth!
      • Or will speak of the worth of…fill in the blank.