Exposing Religious Phoneys
In this sermon on Matthew 23:1-12, Pastor Chuck Swindoll teaches us about the deadly effects of hypocrisy and self-glory, so that we might walk humbly with the Lord, our God, and guard against religious fakes.
Sin isn’t a popular word. Most people think of sin as doing something really bad, like murder, assault, or robbery. But the word “sin” has the idea of missing the mark, not hitting the target.
The idea is that God has set a glorious standard and when we fail to live by it, we sin. We say, do, and think things that are contrary to God's standard, and the problem is that no matter how much we try and achieve change by ourselves, we just can't succeed.
The Bible teaches that our nature is imprisoned to sin. We miss the mark because we choose creation over the Creator. We look to succeed by our own strength, yet we never shake our own selfish sin. No matter what our education, religious heritage, ethnicity, or financial status, we cannot overcome the power of sin by ourselves. This is a problem.
In this sermon on Matthew 23:1-12, Pastor Chuck Swindoll teaches us about the deadly effects of hypocrisy and self-glory, so that we might walk humbly with the Lord, our God, and guard against religious fakes.
Many of us are fascinated with life after death which causes us to wonder about marriage in heaven. Did you know that Jesus addressed this question? In Matthew 22:23–33, the Sadducees tried to test Jesus with this very subject...even though they didn’t even believe in life after death. They simply wanted to trap Him.
Matthew 22:1–22 shows us what happened when Jesus publicly condemned Jerusalem’s ruling religious elite. Jesus’ accusations hit them straight in the heart—so forcibly that former religious opponents, like the Pharisees and Herodians, conspired together to trap Jesus with His words.
After riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and turning over tables in the temple, Jesus immediately had the city’s attention. Some accepted Him as sent by God, but only some. he religious authorities actually cranked up their hatred of Jesus from a simmer to a boil!
Matthew 21:12–22 provides a glimpse of Jesus’ righteous indignation, where we see Him at His angriest. But what drove Jesus to “lower the boom” on corruption?
In his sermon on Matthew 14:34–15:20, Pastor Chuck Swindoll goes deep into the topic of spiritual blindness. Learn how to overcome spiritual blindness with the light of God’s truth.
Matthew 14:1–13 contains one of the most shocking and gruesome stories in the pages of Scripture. Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores the events of Herod Antipas’ salacious and self-flattering birthday party, which led to the beheading of John the Baptizer.
Can you imagine a day when you are both fully conscious and free of worry? Pastor Chuck Swindoll shows you how to combat anxiety with biblical simplicity.
When you do something wrong, it is no one’s fault but yours. You can’t blame your parents, your friends, your co-workers, or anyone else. You are ultimately responsible for your actions.
God’s judgment isn’t something we like to think about—it’s much easier to focus on His other attributes like love, compassion, and grace. But the Bible has a lot to say about God's judgment. From the Old Testament to the New, God has never winked at sin.