Lessons Of A Lifetime

HINDERING – BURDEN CREATING LAWYERS
OR
A BLOODY HISTORY LESSON
Sept. 12, 2021

Scripture To Consider:
“Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, by saying these things you reproach us also.’ And Jesus said, ‘Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.’”

“Therefore, the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.”

“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

“And as He said these things to them, the scribes and Pharisees began to assail Him, vehemently, and to cross-examine Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.” Luke 11.45-54

Something To Consider:
The word lawyer was another name for scribe in that day and culture. Lawyers or scribes had charge of writing out and expounding the law of God to the people. One of them had become offended by Jesus’ words. By the time Jesus was finished responding to his comment, he probably wished he had not said a word.

In response, Jesus said, “Woe to you also, lawyers!” Jesus charged them with loading men with heavy burdens while exempting themselves. Sounds a little like American religion and politics. Jesus was not in favor of the method of teaching that stated, “Do as I say, not as I do.” This mentality shamefully still exists today in both religious and political circles just as it did then. In time Jesus will deal with this injustice also!

Jesus had addressed these religious hypocrites in the past, and will do so again in the future. In Matthew 23.25, Jesus warned, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” Could the same be said today of many religious leaders? And if so, how shameful that accusation would be and actually is. But there is coming a great judgment of all who have acted as these religious hypocritical leaders.

Something Else To Consider:
In our Scripture to consider, Jesus proceeded to give these religious hypocrites a bloody history lesson, by reminding them of the prophets their fathers had killed, from Abel to Zechariah. The account of the killing of Abel is found in Genesis 4.8. The killing account of the prophet Zechariah can be found in 2 Chronicles 24.20. And standing in their presence at that very moment was a greater prophet than all the prophets, of whom they would conspire against and eventually kill.

Again, in Matthew 23.27, Jesus proclaimed, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” That is quite an indictment of religious leaders in any generation!

Something More To Consider:
Jesus’ final charge against them was that as so-called religious leaders they had taken away the key of knowledge from the people who were seeking God. They had transformed the simplicity of the truth of the Scriptures into a complicated catalog of ritualistic religious rules. Thereby, they hindered others who sought to enter into the kingdom of God. Does this sound familiar in our own 21st century generation? And if so, it is clear and outright deception!

Peter, writing in 2 Peter 3.17-18, spoke to this deception, by saying; “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Therefore, let us not be led away or hindered in our following Jesus and remaining obedient to His Word in any way and not by anyone!

One form of our being hindered in our walking faithfully with Jesus is our being led away from the truth of Scripture by the error of false doctrines. Solomon declared in Proverbs 14.25, “A true witness delivers souls; but a deceitful witness speaks lies.”

Satan, we are told, is the father of lies and has many lying offspring-like tares sown in among the wheat in every generation who are seeking to cause true believers to fall from their steadfastness in Christ. Therefore, how can religious groups and whole denominations proclaim and protect the deceitfulness and continue in their lie concerning false doctrines such as Once Saved Always Saved? Let us rather believe and defend the truth of Scripture!

A Few Final Words:
In Peter admonishing us against falling from our steadfastness, he also instructs us in our growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is exactly the reason for the existence of this website and for the content of these lessons of a lifetime messages, according to Jesus.

Our prayer is that these lessons do increase our knowledge of Jesus and of His Word which He declares we are to observe all that He taught. We also pray that as we study together the life of Christ we are also prevented from falling away from our steadfastness in Christ and in the Word of God. Focusing on the Word of God and the life of Christ will prove to be extremely helpful when the flame and fire of end time persecution is ignited in America as is already burning around the globe.

Christ-like leaders have the responsibility to lead others to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, rather than hindering their entrance into the kingdom of God because of pride and arrogance and the teaching and preaching of false doctrine and evil man-made traditions that are in total opposition to the Word of God.

For according to Jesus, “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” 

Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, create in us a passion for the simplistic teaching of the Word of God. May we never be guilty of hindering others or proclaiming deceptive false doctrines of man or of demons. Let Jesus’ Word be our guide. In Him Always, Amen!