Summing Up Spiritual Snakes | Matthew 23:1-12

Scripture

• Matthew 23:1–12

About this sermon

Introduction: Our Lord has answered their questions. He has silenced them with questions of His own. And now, in chapter 23, He does something vital for the souls of all who hear Him. He does something vital for OUR souls. He sums up the character of the men who seek to examine Him, who seek to entrap Him, who seek to destroy Him. What makes His diagnosis so important and necessary is that what HE SEES AND SAYS is NOT APPARENT to most. These religious leaders are HYPOCRITES. This will be the constant refrain later in the chapter as Jesus denounces them. HYPOCRITES! They wear a mask. They DO NOT simply fail — they PRETEND. They DECEIVE. What Jesus says here, He says IN THE HEARING OF THE PHARISEES AND THE SCRIBES, but FOR THE BENEFIT of the crowds and His disciples (vs.1). What He gives us is a summing up of snakes. He tells us what characterizes FALSE RELIGIOUS LEADERS. John the Baptist had referred to many of the Pharisees and Sadducees as snakes. ESV Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Jesus, when accused of having a demon, described them as a brood of vipers. ESV Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. And later in this chapter He will denounce them as serpents — a brood of vipers. ESV Matthew 23:33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? What does Jesus teach us about spiritual vipers? Tonight, we will see seven lessons about spiritual snakes. • ARE TO BE RECOGNIZED (vs.1) As we noted, what Jesus says He says to the crowds and to His disciples. This is the great shepherd of the sheep warning about false shepherds. This is the love of the Savior for the souls of men. This is still the work of those undershepherds who serve Christ. We are called to protect Christ’s sheep by making the people of God aware of what characterizes false spiritual leaders. Note: This is something to be done with maturity. THIS IS THE WORK OF LOCAL CHURCH SHEPHERDS — NOT YOUTUBE PUGILISTS OR DISCERNMENT BLOGGERS. Mature men are careful men. We are not to live our lives in sinful suspicion. We are not to live our lives engaging in reckless accusations. We are not to live our lives with ungenerous estimations of others. But we ARE to live our lives with a mature discernment that protects the people of God from wolves in sheep’s clothing. ESV Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.