
Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Jesus is speaking very forcefully about the hypocrisy of His day. Who was He speaking too? The church people in fact, more specifically the scribes and Pharisees, they had become so entranced with the "letter of the law" they forgot the Giver of the law. They had created a new god, and was not serving the God of the Bible. They were so blind as to who God was, they missed His only begotten Son walking in their midst.
The scariest part is they thought they were right!
We see this blindness in Acts when Saul was persecuting the church and was very zealous for God in doing so. Think back to the Catholic Church and the Inquisition, they tortured and killed hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of people in the name of Christ all because others did not believe like they did. So with that being said, it is possible to think you are doing right and be blinded to the truth.
There is an alternative!
Acts 6:5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost,
There was a man who was not a sham! While others were filled with extortion and excess, he was full of faith. While others were addicted to man's applause, he was addicted to Heavenly congratulations. And while other's missed the Messiah, he seen Jesus standing at the right hand of God! Oh God, give us the eyes to see the true way and the strength to walk in it! Let us be full of faith and the Holy Ghost!
Pastor Luke,
Ashdown Holiness Church
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