#5 The “Stumbling Blocks To Spirituality”
Series
"WHITE STONES – DEAD BONES!"
TEXT: Matt.
23:27-28; 1 Sam.
16:1-13,18
INTRO: One of the
rulers of
In public he was warm and cordial; he
would send supplies to help a needy area of Africa. He would attend meetings of heads of
state and appear very concerned. He
would go to great lengths to appear as the perfect gentleman. He wore bright uniforms; medals of
Honor, bravery, valor, and of great service to humanity would adorn his
outfits. He gave his generals and
other leaders who served under him tremendous amounts of gifts as appreciation
for their work. He went to great
lengths to SHOW how wonderful he was and what a wonderful humanitarian he was,
to SHOW his supposed kindness and
gentleness.
The truth about Idi Amin was very
different from the image he tried to create. He had secret squads of men that would
periodically round up anyone that was outspoken against him and he would have
them tortured slowly! He committed
immorality that can't even be mentioned publicly. It was reported that he was a cannibal,
eating some of those he had had tortured!
At one point there were so many murdered and thrown into the
Nile that workers at one location had to continuously fish out the bodies to
stop the intake ducts at a nearby dam from becoming clogged. He hoarded wealth from his own
countrymen and squandered it away; leaving
The more the truth about the man became
known to the world, the more he tried outwardly to act as a great leader of
compassion, inviting more and more leaders of other countries to come and visit
Uganda. More uniforms, more medals
of Honor, more smiling faces before the world
audience.
The more evil he became, the more “whitewashed” he tried to be in public, to show
a gleaming, clean, wonderful image; while a true madman lurked
underneath!
ILLUS: The
measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never
be found out. -- Lord Macaulay, Christian Reader, Vol.
34.
PROP.
SENT: The Bible teaches that the more
someone tries to prove he/she is very spiritual by outward appearances, the
more likely he/she is NOT spiritual! Spirituality flows from the heart, there
is a difference between ACTING spiritual and BEING spiritual ... God wants us to
begin by BEING spiritual. When this is true we will also truly
ACT spiritual.
I. SURFACE HOLINESS Matt. 23:27-28; 1 Sam.
15:7-29
A. "Whitewashing" Surface Matt. 23:27a,
28a
1. Every year on the 15th
day of the Jewish month of Adar the Jews would go out into the graveyards and
take a special paint made out of white lime and paint tombstones. Some would go further and elaborately
decorate the stones after they were whitewashed.
2. The point of all this was to
protect themselves from ever walking over a dead body! To walk over a dead body according to
the Law was to become “unclean.”
3. The "whitewashing" thus made the tombstones stand
out very clearly and thus prevented any good Jew from accidentally
stepping over a dead body buried in the ground – preventing them from becoming
"unclean!"
a. The more elaborate the decorations,
the less chance of a dead body being walked over!
b. Where there was no dead body, no
whitewashing or decorations were required.
4. Tragically, it is too easy to
continue the outward appearances of being spiritual without the necessary
underlying “life” to real spirituality.
The appearance can be there long after we really have died or just
masking a real death!
ILLUS: When
elderly Adele Gaboury turned up missing four years ago, concerned neighbors in
When he opened the door, hundreds
of pieces of mail drifted out. He
notified police, and the deliveries were stopped. Gaboury's next-door neighbor, Eileen
Dugan, started paying her grandson $10 twice a month to mow Gaboury's lawn. Later Dugan's son noticed Gaboury's
pipes had frozen, spilling water out the door. The utility company was called to shut
off the water.
What no one guessed was that while
they'd been trying to help, Gaboury had been inside her home. When police finally investigated the
house as a health hazard, they were shocked to find her body. The
The respectable, external
appearance of Gaboury's house had hidden the reality of what was on the
inside. Something similar can
happen to people: We may appear outwardly proper while spiritually dead. All sorts of religious activity may be
happening outside, while the real problem is missed: spiritual death on the
inside. We need life, not a tidy
facade. --
B. Warning
Sounded! Matt. 23:27b, 28b; 1 Sam.
15:7-29
1. So the point was to warn others of the hidden dangers
beneath!
a. The more dressed up the
stones, the more intense the warning!
b. The "whitewash" was thus a warning of sorts to the
living that death lies beneath ... and so to stay clear of this unclean
situation!
2. S0 WHAT WAS JESUS' POINT
HERE?
a. The greater effort one goes to "look"
holy to others, the LESS holy that person probably is! The more someone tries to impress you
with their holiness, the less likely they are to truly be
holy!
b. A truly holy person doesn't try to
show everyone how wonderfully holy they are ... they just are wonderful and usually their
"holy" life JUST comes out in humble
and hidden ways!
3. When someone goes to great lengths
to sound and act spiritual they probably are not as spiritual as they sound or
act! This is Jesus'
point.
a. In fact, it would serve as a
warning to us that they aren't spiritual if in fact they do go to great lengths
to draw attention to themselves.
This is like the elaborate
decorations on the tombs warning of death below! The more “decorations” the greater the warning – and the
clearer the warning!
ILLUS: In his
book Modern Times, Paul Johnson notes that Stalin was short -- just five feet,
four inches tall. Furthermore, a
childhood accident had left his left arm stiff and his hand slightly
misshapen. So when the dictator
commissioned his portrait, he instructed the artist to paint him from his best
angle -- from below, a perspective that made Stalin seem to tower over the
artist.
To add to the image, Stalin folded
his hands over his stomach, making them appear firm and powerful more like the
pseudonym he had chosen: Stalin means "man of steel." It is human nature to put ourselves in
the best possible light. But
spiritual growth cannot come merely by adjusting the angle of view. God's Word is a mirror that shows our
true condition. -- Lew
Button
b. Jesus' call for us to be spiritual
is to do something if possible in "secret" ... then our heavenly Father will
reward us.
c. If it can't be done in secret then
the plan is to draw as much attention to Christ and not to
us!
4. If the tombstones were decorated as
well as whitewashed they could be spotted by anyone even at a great
distance!
a. The same is true when someone draws
excessive attention to himself.
b. They can be spotted, even a great
distance away!
5. There is much more to being
spiritual than just what is on the outside or the observable
surface!
ILLUS: The Queen
Mary was the largest ship to cross the oceans when it was launched in 1936. Through four decades and a world War she
served until she was retired, anchored as a floating hotel and museum in
During the conversion, her three
massive smoke-stacks were taken off to be scraped down and repainted. But on the dock they crumbled. Nothing was left of the 3/4-inch steel
plate from which the stacks had been formed. All that remained were more than thirty
coats of paint that had been applied over the years. The steel had rusted
away.
When Jesus called the Pharisees
"whitewashed tombs," he meant they had no substance, only an exterior
appearance. -- Robert Wenz,
a. It was here the Pharisees had lost
true religion!
b. They had gotten hung up on how they
appeared to others.
c. The result was that much of their
energy was spent on:
(1. Bigger borders on robes, and/or
larger robes
(2. Long prayers on the
street-corners
(3. Pieces of scripture worn on their
heads or arms
(4. Titles of
respect
(5. Best seats in the
house
(6. Special class, power positions
d. They depended on these things to
define their sense of spirituality!
Jesus longed for acts of compassion, justice, forgiveness, benevolence,
to show true spirituality however, the very things they were missing in
practice.
6. Spirituality is about
obeying God’s Word, not just wearing it … King Saul was good at
appearing to make a sacrifice to worship God … but he had disobeyed God’s word
given through the prophet Samuel … and no worship or sacrifice could make up for
this. 1 Sam.
15:7-29
a. King Saul tells Samuel that the
sheep will be used for sacrifices to God.
b. But the truth was that he failed to
obey God by killing everything as God had asked … God required obedience, not
sacrifice … hence the statement:
“To
obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
1 Sam
15:22b
c. How many will do this
today?
II. SPIRITUAL HEARTS 1 Sam. 16:1-13,
18
A. Worldly
Specs! 1 Sam.
16:1-13
1. The time came for a new king to be
anointed over Israel … Saul had appeared to act spiritual many times, but in
truth he had often been disobedient to God!
a. Thus God had rejected him as king
at this point. Tragically, God was
through with him even though he was still seated on the
throne.
b. It was time for a spiritual
replacement!
c. Who would be
chosen?
2. The great prophet Samuel was in
charge to find God's replacement.
3. The obvious answer seemed to be one
of the sons of Jesse, God had clearly indicated this to Samuel. (READ 16:3-6)
a. Ironically, Samuel could still be
fooled by looking for the spiritual in outward appearances
yet!
b. The perfect spiritual son to Samuel
seemed to be Jesse’ oldest son ELIAB! 1 Sam 16:6 Why?
c. Eliab was strong, tall, handsome, a
leader, as the firstborn son – responsible, certainly courageous – we find him
and the next two older brothers in the Israeli army in 1 Sam 17:13 “Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul
to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third,
Shammah.”
d. What a great king any of these 3
oldest boys would make!
4. BUT God told Samuel he
wasn't the one, nor were any of the other 7 sons of Jesse that showed up that
day!!! 1
Sam 16:10
a. God was looking at the heart!
b. Samuel was looking at-the hide!
5. Hence God's response, "MAN LOOKS AT THE
OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART! 1 Sam
16:7b
a. How often do we do
this?
b. God would rather have someone whose
heart was right and didn't yet have all the skills than to have someone who had
the skills but didn't have the right heart! God can teach someone skills that have
the right heart!
c. Skills however without heart are only
mechanical skills!
6. The world judges success records
and experience in considering someone for a position ... God judges the heart
when considering giving someone a position ... a
wrong heart will produce a failure by God's standards, even if they have success
by worldly standards!
7. How true this is in church
ministries ... you can have someone who is capable with the mechanics of
ministry and yet their heart may not be right with God or with others – they may
accomplish a lot outwardly and even appear successful to others but be
considered a failure by God’s standards!
ILLUS: TO: Jesus,
Son of Joseph
Woodcrafters
Carpenter Shop
FROM:
Jordan Management
Consultants
Dear
Sir:
Thank you for submitting the
“r‚sum‚s” of the twelve men you have picked for management positions in your new
organization. All of them have
taken our battery of tests; and we have not only run the results through our
computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our
psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.
The profiles of all tests are
included, and you will want to study each of them
carefully.
As part of
our service and for your guidance, we make some general comments, much as an
auditor will include some general statements. This is given as a result of staff
consultation and comes without any additional fee.
It is the staff opinion that most
of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude
for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have team concept. We
recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial
ability and proven capability.
Simon Peter is emotionally
unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of
leadership. The two brothers, James
and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty.
Thomas demonstrates a questioning
attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you
that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater
One of the candidates, however,
shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people
well, has a keen business mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and
responsible. We recommend Judas
Iscariot as your comptroller and right-hand man. All the other profiles are
self-explanatory.
We wish you every success in your
new venture.
Sincerely
Yours,
8. By the same token, you can have
someone whose heart is right, and yet they haven't yet learned all the
mechanical skills, they may not “succeed”
greatly by worldly standards but in God’s eyes be a huge
success!
a. This is why leadership is judged by
the fruit of the Spirit as the top qualification, and not judged by the skills
one has or the gifts they possess.
b. The greatest qualifications are
those of the spirit and the heart!
B. Wonderful
Spirit! 1
Sam. 16:18
1. Samuel then had a dilemma ... who
is to be king if these 7 great specimens of manliness are not the
ones!?
a. Jesus' disciples faced this same
kind of thinking when Jesus told them the rich had a difficult time entering the
kingdom of heaven, their reply showed the same kind of thinking, "If these
successful guys can't make it who can?"
b. They were using the same kind
understanding of "success!"
2. There was a son however of Jesse
who was the right kind of man for God!
1 Sam 16:18
a. The 8th and youngest
son, DAVID ... he would be the new
king!
b. His outward qualities were similar
to his older brothers, just somewhat underdeveloped because of
age!
(1. Brave
(2. Handsome
(3. Warrior – He showed up to fight
Goliath when his soldier brothers in the army failed to volunteer and fight
Goliath!
c. His heart was right before
God!
d. His heart condition was the quality
that God was looking for!
3. In fact, David's became known as "THE MAN AFTER
GOD'S OWN HEART!"
a. David made mistakes ... some very
serious!
b. Yet he also knew how to get his
heart back into right relationship to God!
c. This is the quality God looks for
in the leaders of His church!
4. Don't underestimate the man or
woman with a "wonderful spirit!"
a. They will be the back-bone of the
church and its ministries!
b. God hasn't changed as to what He
looks for in a man or woman!
5. Those that therefore must “prove”
how spiritual they are by various outward shows are probably like “whitewashed
tombstones” ... inside they are “full of
death!”
ILLUS: When Sir
Charles Cockerel built a home in
6. The man or woman of God who is
truly spiritual doesn't walk around trying to sell themselves as spiritual or
advertise their spiritual prowess ... they are just solid, faithful, God
honoring people, usually behind the scenes faithfully serving and with the right
heart!
a. They are faith builders, servants,
humble.
b. They are more interested in seeing
people saved than what style of music is being used in the worship service, or
what color the church carpet is, etc.
c. They are the ones who are quick to
encourage, and slow to anger or judge.
7. Be on guard for those who “advertise” their great spirituality …
the greater the “whitewash” and the
more “decorations” they have … the
greater the warning you have received that “death” lies beneath! Don’t pollute yourself by stepping near
them!
CONCLUSION:
The Pharisees went to great
lengths to whitewash tombstones so they were clearly visible ... this warned of
a dead body buried beneath which to a strict Jew warned to be on guard to not
walk over it lest they become "unclean!"
So the whitewash was to warn of "uncleanness" inside! The point: the more we try to prove how
spiritual we are with an external emphasis, the more likely our inside is
unclean! Real spirituality begins
in the heart ... "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at
the heart." (1 Sam.
16:7b)