Unmasking False Religion

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We live in a pluralistic and inclusive age. The great virtue of our times is tolerance. Tolerance has been elevated to the highest place. And by tolerance, I don't mean refusing to persecute another person and allowing him to live and to practice his faith. What our culture means by tolerance is that we're not allowed to say anything negative about another person's beliefs, to criticize or critique, evaluate what they stand for. That's the spirit of the times in which we live. You see it all around us. One of the pastors in our area made a comment about Mormonism and the news that was created, as a result of that, was really amazing. Across the country, you saw it unfold.

Although Jesus was meek and lowly, although He was exceptionally kind and gracious, He was never tolerant in that modern sense of the word. In fact, when it came to false religion, Jesus was blistering and excoriating. He reserved His sharpest and most condemning words, not for sinners, but for false religion.

When you come to the first century, understand this - and we've talked about this before as we've worked our way through the gospel of Mark - Judaism, as it was in the first century, had become a false religion. It was no longer the Old Testament faith. John the Baptist demanded proselyte baptism, even of the Jewish people. It was a recognition of just how far Judaism had come from its Old Testament roots.

Earlier in His ministry, Jesus addressed this issue as well. Go back to Mark 7. You remember what he had to say about what Judaism had become? Mark 7 and look at verse 6. He says to the leaders of the nation, to the Pharisees and the scribes, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'" Their faith wasn't genuine, and their source of authority was not the Bible. In fact, verse 8 says, "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men... You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition." Incredible! That's what Judaism had become.

That brings us to the text that we come to tonight, where Jesus comes back to this issue of false religion. Look at Mark 12. Let me read for you just three verses. Verse 38, Mark 12: "In His teaching He [Jesus] was saying: 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.'" Really an amazing paragraph of Scripture because in those three verses, Jesus unmasks all false religion and pronounces judgment on its leaders. He'd already warned His disciples to beware of the scribes and Pharisees back in chapter 8. I showed you Chapter 7. But in chapter 8:15, they were in the boat, "And He was giving orders to them, saying, 'Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.'" And they eventually got it that He meant their teaching.

But He comes back to that same issue here. In chapter 12, where on Tuesday of the Passion Week, Jesus is on the Temple Mount. He's teaching, remember, and there had been a number of questions that have come at Him, and He's responded to each one? And after those questions have ended, Jesus embarks on what was a long discourse. Mark says, "In his teaching He was saying..." The Greek language - the way Mark puts it in the Greek language - makes it clear that he's just recording a small excerpt of Jesus' teaching. Luke's account is almost identical to Mark's - very brief. But Matthew tells us that Jesus devoted a lot of time to it. In fact, Matthew devotes an entire chapter to this sermon - Matthew 23.

To whom was He teaching? Well, Matthew tells us that He spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, but Luke is the most definitive. Listen to what Luke writes. "And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples..." and then He begins to speak. So, these words, then, were addressed to His disciples with the crowd all around listening in.

Now in these three verses, Mark gives us an outline of Jesus' sermon that day. He tells us three things that Jesus taught. First of all, the danger of false religion; secondly, the character of false religion; and thirdly, the end false religion. We're going to look at each of those: the danger of false religion, the character of false religion, and the end of false religion.

So, let's begin with that in mind, with the danger of false religion. Verse 38 says, "In His teaching He was saying: 'Beware of the scribes...'" Beware means to keep your eye on a source of danger and intentionally avoid it. We understand this. We put up signs to this effect, right? If we have dangerous dogs, we can see a sign that says, "Beware of the Dog!" It means you better keep your eyes open. There's true danger. Intentionally avoid interaction with this ferocious beast. That's what Jesus was saying about the scribes. Beware! Keep your eye on them; they are a source of danger. Intentionally avoid them.

Who are these men that Jesus is so strongly warning us against? Well, the scribes were simply those who were expert in the law, in the Torah. They interpreted the Law of Moses, and their interpretations were considered binding. Then, they were teachers of the law. They took that interpretation, and they taught the people. They were honored by their disciples as rabbis. And then they took the law and, not only did they interpret it and did they teach it, but they were like judges. They applied the law to various circumstances that people brought them. And, again, their specific decisions, legal decisions about individual circumstances, were considered binding, because there were no experts in Israel about God's law above the scribes. By the time you come to the New Testament, the scribes were almost entirely Pharisees - the ultra conservatives of their day. There were Pharisees who weren't scribes, but there were practically no scribes who weren't Pharisees. You see, scribe was an occupation. It's what you did. Pharisee was like your theological persuasion.

Matthew 23 makes it clear that Jesus' attacks were against both of these groups - they're closely related, a lot of overlap, but against both scribes and Pharisees. In fact, in Matthew 23, seven different times, Jesus says, "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees!" He was talking about the lot of them. If there were scribes...or excuse me...if there were Pharisees, who weren't scribes, He threw them in as well. And if there were a few scribes who weren't Pharisees, they're all in there together - the whole group, the religious leaders of the nation.

Together, understand this, these two groups represented the false religion that first century Judaism had become. It was not Old Testament true faith in the true God. You say, "Can you prove that?" Absolutely! In that same sermon that day, in Matthew 23, Jesus said this: "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees [now, remember these are the religious leaders of Judaism], hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." In other words, you have stopped the path of anyone who wants genuine salvation. You are not the teachers that will direct people to genuine faith. It was a false religion. So, Jesus tells His disciples to beware. There's danger.

The Old Testament warned about the danger of false religion. This kind of antipathy to false religion has always been the heart of God. You can see it in Deuteronomy 7:25: "The graven images [Moses said] of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God." In Deuteronomy 16:22 says, "You shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the LORD your God hates."

God is the only living in true God. In fact, read Isaiah. Read chapters 40 through about 48 and, over and over again, God compares Himself, the living and true God, to idols and idolatry. He hates idolatry. He hates false religion because it's false, because it dams people, because it is Satan's tool in their lives.

The New Testament is equally concerned about the dangers of false religion. In fact, turn over to Colossians 2. Colossians 2. Paul was concerned for the Christians in Colossae. "See to it [Colossians 2:8, see to it] that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." There were false teachers in Colossae who were skewing, perverting the true faith. Paul is very concerned about that reality. Look over in Philippians 3. Philippians 3, and notice verse 2. As Paul begins to talk about justification by faith, he says this: "Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision..." In other words, beware of false teachers, beware of the Judaizers who have made salvation by grace alone through faith alone, salvation by grace and faith plus works. Beware! It's a danger.

In fact, ultimately, all false religion is the product of demons. Scripture is very clear on this front. Let's take first, pagan religion - all the religions of the world that are in no way connected to the worship of the true God of the Bible and His Son Jesus Christ. Where do those come from? Where does Hinduism and Buddhism and all the other faiths that are a part of our world, where do they come from? Idolatry, animism? Moses puts it this way in Deuteronomy 32:17: "They sacrificed to demons who were not God, to gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, whom your fathers did not dread." What is Moses saying? He's saying that the gods of the world, the pretend gods, the false religions are, in fact, a front for Satan. And ultimately, when people fall down and worship those gods, they're really worshipping demons, the demons behind that are energizing those false religions.

This isn't the only place that's said. In 1 Corinthians 10:20, Paul says to the Corinthians, "No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice [in their idolatry], they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons." In Revelation 9:20 we're told that the rest of mankind, who were not killed by the plagues that come on the earth at that time, did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons. And, specifically by that, he means the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood which can neither see nor hear nor walk. Understand, that all pagan religion is the product of Satan and there are demonic forces who have energized that faith, that religion. And to worship those gods is, in reality, to worship demons.

But what about false religion, or I'm sorry, what about perversions, not of a false religion, but perversions of the true faith? What about that? What about those who have some connection like the scribes and Pharisees, or like Mormonism, or any other number of cults that you could describe, that are somehow connected to the true faith? What about those? Do they come from demons as well? Listen to Paul describing one such aberration in 1 Timothy 4:1: "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the [true] faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons..." Even the perversions of the true Christian faith are energized by Satan. Satan's plan is to corrupt as many people as he can, to turn as many people as he can from the true God. And his best and greatest tool is not lust, it's not pride, it's not covetousness. It's false religion.

We must always be on our guard. You know, today, Christians are way too accepting of the goodness of other religions. They are equally accepting of aberrations of the true Christian faith. Don't forget that the scribes claimed to believe the true Scriptures. They claimed to worship the true God just as, today, Catholicism claims to, Mormonism claims to, Jehovah's Witnesses claim to. Jesus says, "Beware!"

But Jesus doesn't stop here with a generic warning about the danger of false religion. He actually unmasks its true character. What does false religion really look like? Let's move from the danger of false religion to the character of false religion. Whether it was first century Judaism or whether it's some false religion in our day, what does it look like? Look at verse 38: "Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers..." Stop there.

Ironically, the character of false religion is the same whether it's idolatry and paganism, or whether it's some false form of Christianity. But, by far, the most dangerous kind of false religion and where Scripture spends most of its time warning us, is about those aberrations that are linked to the worship of the true God. That's what first century Judaism had become, an aberration of the Old Testament true faith in the true God.

So, what does false religion look like? What is the character of all false religion? Jesus here identifies several common traits that they all share. First of all, false religion always panders to human pride. It always panders to human pride. Notice the scribes. They "like". The Greek word for like means to desire something or to take delight in something. Matthew even uses the word "loves". They love this. What is it they love? It's all about social recognition. It's all about social prominence. It's all about elevating me.

Notice what they love. First of all, "to walk around in long robes". The scribes typically wore these long flowing robes that reach to the feet and attached to the bottom of that robe, was a long fringe that was added on. Their robes were typically made of wool or linen - often linen. But what really distinguished their robes from other robes, were that they were usually white - a color typically reserved for people of position and prominence, people who wish to parade their importance. The hoi polloi, the normal people, wore duller colors or, if they were a little wealthier, they wore some color. But the scribes, they wore white which symbolized their closeness and connection to God, their special piety and purity. It was a way to make themselves stand out, to be seen.

According to Matthew, Jesus also talked about what was attached to their robes. In Matthew 23:5 Jesus says, "lengthen the tassels of their garments". The Old Testament had demanded that tassels be added to the bottom corners of a man's outer garment. Even Jesus, the New Testament tells us, complied with that command. These tassels were to remind people to follow God's commandments, according to Numbers 15. But by making their tassels bigger than everybody else's, the Pharisees made sure everybody knew that they took God's commands more seriously than everyone else. They were more spiritual. They loved wearing these long robes with their long tassels that distinguished them from the less spiritual.

Notice what else they loved. They love respectful greetings in the marketplaces. The marketplaces were where business was done in the ancient world. It was like a combination of our town square and a mall all wrapped into one. It's where everything happened. They were always crowded. And when the scribes went into the marketplace, they wanted to be acknowledged for just how important they really were. They were highly respected because of their knowledge of the Old Testament law. They were highly respected by all the people, and they loved that respect, and they loved its signs. When the scribe walked past, the Jewish law said people were to stand. The only exception was a tradesman who was involved in the middle of a delicate operation, in the middle of his trade. They were sometimes greeted by people kissing their hands - that sound familiar? They were always greeted with a title - "Rabbi", "Father", or "Master". In fact, look at Matthew 23. Matthew 23 Jesus addresses this specifically, this loving these titles. Verse 7: "[they love] respectful greetings in the marketplaces [and here's what I mean by that, Jesus said], and being called Rabbi by men. But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher [Me, Jesus says], and you are all brothers." They were called "fathers". "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders [their ruler]; for One is your Leader [or ruler], that is, Christ." He wasn't saying there's never a place for the proper use of titles. He was saying that those in leadership are not to seek to be called by those titles and they're not to love being called by those titles; they're not to be preoccupied with titles. And that's exactly where the scribes and Pharisees were.

Now, go back to Mark's gospel because Jesus continues to unmask their character here. In verse 39 He says, "[they love the] chief seats in the synagogues..." We don't know a great deal about first century synagogues, but we do know that there was a raised platform, like the one in which I'm standing, where the Scripture was read and where the sermons were preached. And behind that platform, or on the back of that platform, there was a seat, a seat for those who were leading the service and a seat for very important people. And it faced the congregation. To its back, was the chest where the scrolls of the law were kept. It was the most honored seat in the house and the Pharisees liked to be seen in those most important seats.

Verse 39 goes on to say they like, or they love, they delight in "the places of honor at banquets". At significant meals in the first century, the tables were usually arranged in a U- shape. And the chief place was at the center of the head table, which was usually reserved for the host. The most honored guests would sit on either side of the host - the most honored on his right hand, but the second place of honor would be next to him on his left. Everyone else, that was invited, would take their places in descending order of importance (kind of a pecking order) down the rest of the U. And if you were sort of near the top of the U, that showed you really weren't very important at all. The scribes were typically seated in the most honored seats. In fact, history tells us, they were even given precedence, at these banquets that were held, over the elderly and even over the host's parents which, in Jewish culture, was unthinkable. And the Pharisees and scribes loved the place of honor because they wanted to be thought important.

Now what's Jesus' point here? Jesus' point is that false religion always appeals to human pride - whether it's at the leadership level, as He's describing here, or whether it's in the rank-and-file membership. Because without exception all false religions, without exception, are works-based. There's something that you contribute. And without the work of the Spirit, those accomplishments become a source of pride. It cannot be helped. They will become a source of pride. It's true of the rank-and-file member and it's equally true of the leader or the priests or the minister. False religion always panders to human pride. It's the true faith that says you offer God absolutely nothing. You are a beggar in spirit and that's all you can do. False religion always makes me feel better about myself and what I've done and how I've contributed.

There's another part, another trait, that's common in all false religion. Not only does it always pander to human pride but, secondly, it's always financially driven. Look at verse 40: "who devour widows' houses..." Both Matthew and Luke refer to this characteristic. The Greek word for devour is an interesting word. It literally means to completely consume, to eat entirely. It's an expression like our English expression "to eat someone out of house and home" - like my kids do. What's going on here? Why does Jesus say this?

Well, you need a little bit of history to understand because in the first century, the Sadducees were the wealthy aristocracy. They were the high priests, the high priestly families. They were the blue bloods - lots of money, big houses, the best real estate in Jerusalem. Those were the Sadducees. They were largely secular. They went along with the whole temple deal because it kept the money rolling in, but they didn't really care about that. But then you had the Pharisees, most of whom were scribes, and most of them were teachers of the law, scholars, and they were not largely wealthy. In fact, according to Jewish law, most of them were forbidden from receiving a salary for their duties. They had to rely on the generosity of others. And in many cases - remember that great respect people held them in? In many cases, they not only used the respect that they enjoyed to gain financial support, but they abused it. One author, Jeremias, writes this: "This passage refers to the scribes' habit of sponging on the hospitality of people of limited means." They often took advantage of the most vulnerable in the society. Widows were an especially easy mark.

How did they do this? How did they eat up, completely consume, widows' houses? Well, there were a number of ways. They could ask widows to contribute more to their own salary than the widows could really afford. And that happened. They could take advantage of them while claiming to help them settle the estates that their husbands left. That happened as well. They could take their homes as collateral against debts that they knew the widows could never repay with the expectation of getting their property. That happened. In context, and we're going to see this next week or very soon (it won't be next week because the annual meeting, but shortly we will see this). They also took advantage by so promoting the importance of giving to support the temple, at all costs, but often it took everything these poor widows had to live on. They devoured their houses.

God absolutely hates this. He made provision in both testaments to care for these women, for these widows. In Isaiah, the prophet, in chapter 10, Isaiah writes, "Woe to those who enact evil statutes and to those who constantly record unjust decisions, so as to deprive the needy of justice and rob the poor of My people of their rights, so that widows may be their spoil and that they may plunder the orphans." God absolutely hates taking advantage of those who are needy. And He made every possible provision to care for them in both testaments, as we will see when we come to the next passage in a couple of weeks.

But that wasn't true and isn't true of false religion. It builds its great temples, its great cathedrals, on the backs of people who can't afford to give. The leaders of false religions are always financially driven. I read, recently, a little report about the worth of the Mormon church. I don't know if you realize how much property Mormonism holds. It's incredible! Much of the...much property in Hawaii. In fact, they use Hawaii as a marketing strategy for their church. People come and visit their Polynesian village there and come visit their temple. And then they come back and a few weeks later they get a knock on the door from a Mormon missionary eager to convert them. In an article in Time magazine, some time ago now, they reported that the church even then - this is about 20 years ago - that the church, the Mormon church, was about an $8 billion a year conglomerate, employing more than 10,000 people. In other words, even then, it was one of the wealthiest churches per capita in the world. Some have estimated that the Mormon church is the second largest financial institution west of the Mississippi River. And so, it goes with all false religion.

I saw this firsthand in India, when I was there at a pagan temple in Hinduism. And I watched the bickering between and bargaining between a priest and some people who were there to make a sacrifice. And my host interpreted for me so I could understand what was happening. And it was a racket! Basically, this priest is bargaining with them for how much he's going to charge them for the animal that they can only buy from him. They can't get it anywhere else so that they can sacrifice it. And then how much it's going to cost them for him to actually do the sacrifice. And then how much it was going to cost them for him to do the curse that they wanted to pronounce on somebody. And then, oh by the way, he kept some of the meat of the sacrifice. It's a racket! And false religion always is.

The true faith is sustained by the freewill offerings of its people. There's no compulsion. There's no extortion. There are no demands for certain amounts to be given. The leaders of false religion, on the other hand, are often consumed with the financial.

Let me show you a couple of passages. Look at 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy 6. Paul says to Timothy that false teachers, chapter 6:5 - false teachers "suppose that godliness is a means of gain." They use false religion, they use religion period, as a means of personal gain.

Look over Titus 1:11. Speaking again of false teachers, he says, "[they] must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach [why?] for the sake of sordid gain."

Look over at 2 Peter 2:1: "false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." Notice verse 3: "and in their greed they will exploit you with false words..." If you doubt this, just turn on the religious broadcasting channels.

Go over to Jude 11. Jude makes the same point. Speaking of, again, of false teachers: "Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam..." It's all about the money. It's all about financial advantage. That's why, by the way why Paul, although he could have charged rightly expected salary from the churches he served, decided not to, because it was so rampant in the ancient world that he didn't want to characterize his ministry in that way.

So, it always panders to human pride. It's always financially driven. There's a third characteristic of false religion, and that is, its spirituality is always a fraud. Look at verse 40 again: "...and for appearance's sake offer long prayers..." The Greek word that translated "for appearance's sake" means in pretense. That's just pretend. They're not really praying. They're not talking to God so that God hears. They're talking so that people hear and are impressed with their spirituality. Jesus is not here criticizing long prayers. He himself often prayed through the night - at least we know of several occasions when He did. Nor is He criticizing public prayers; He often did that as well. He's confronting long prayers that are a facade, offered solely in pretense, for the sake of appearance. Look over the Matthew 6. Matthew 6:5. We're going to get here shortly. And He's warning His followers: "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites [i.e., the scribes and Pharisees]; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men."

It's a facade. Those who were engaged in false religion put up a facade. Matthew 23:5, Jesus says of the scribes and Pharisees...and remember now, everybody thought they were really spiritual. He says, "But they do all their deeds [what?] to be noticed by men..." That's a shocking statement. They do all their deeds to be noticed by men. Those who are engaged in false religion... Listen carefully to me, because this is very misleading. Those who are engaged in false religion often give every appearance of being deeply spiritual people. Whether we're talking about the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa or the health, wealth, and prosperity preachers, there is often an appearance of genuineness and piety. But understand what our Lord is saying. It is a facade! They are hypocrites and spiritual frauds.

I was reminded of this even during Christmas time. Perhaps you saw the article in the BBC about the fight in the Church of the Nativity that broke out December 28 between two groups of priests. This is one snapshot. They're fighting with brooms. Yes, they were cleaning the Church of the Nativity after the celebration of the birth of Christ. And this is probably the legitimate site, by the way, where Christ was actually born. And these two groups control it. The Orthodox and the Armenians control it. And when they were cleaning it, they got into a fight. Here's what the article said, "Bemused tourists looked on as about 100 priests fought with brooms (I must say, I would love to have been there to see that), while cleaning the church in preparation for orthodox Christmas on January 7th. Palestinian police, armed with batons and shields, broke up the clashes. Groups of priests have clashed before in the church, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born. No one was arrested because (I love this) all those involved were men of God. The head of the Bethlehem police said, 'It was a trivial problem that occurs every year. No one was arrested because all those involved were men of God', he said. Nobody was seriously injured in the scuffles according to police. Previous clashes between the denominations, which share the administration of the church, have been sparked (you ready for this) by perceived encroachments on one group's territory by another." They're like kids - young, immature kids. "The 17-year-old church... 1700-year-old church, one of the holiest sites in Christianity, is in a bad state of repair", the BBC says, "largely because the priests cannot agree on who should pay for its upkeep."

It's incredible, isn't it? But that's how false religion is. If you go into the Church of the Nativity, if you've gone in on Christmas, whether the western Christmas or the Orthodox Christmas, they would have been very spiritual. They would have looked really spiritual. But this is always the reality. I saw the same thing about Mother Teresa. I had a chance, actually, to meet her and be over there when I was in India. But when her diary was published after her death, maybe you read this, she spoke in her diary how, for many years, she had put up a front, a facade, but inwardly she was "barren and dry and without faith" (her own words). It's always this way with false religion. Because the only way to be truly spiritual, is to have the Spirit. And the only way to have the Spirit is to be regenerated. And the only way to be regenerated is to understand and embrace the true gospel, the very thing that all false religion refuses to do. So, it's impossible.

Now, that's all that Mark tells us about the characteristics of false religion. And I'm not going to have you turn to Matthew's gospel, because we don't have the time this evening, but I just want to take you through what Matthew records. He records an entire chapter. In the first 12 verses, He addresses His disciples. OK, turn there. I'm not going to go through it in detail though. I promise you. I just want you to see this - the breakdown. In the first 12 verses, He addresses His disciples. He's talking to His disciples while the crowd is there, the Pharisees and scribes are there. And He says to His disciples, "Don't be like those guys." And He goes through a list of how they shouldn't be. By the way, those of you who are in ministry, thinking about ministry, it's a wonderful place to learn what true leadership is and is not.

But then Jesus changes. And notice, beginning in verse 13, He's now talking directly to the scribes and Pharisees: "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees..." So, He turns, there on the Temple Mount with a large crowd gathered for Passover on Tuesday the Passion Week. He turns from His disciples to the scribes and Pharisees who are standing right there, and He says to them, "Woe!" And, specifically, He addresses to them a series of seven woes. And let me just outline them for you and you can look at them at your leisure and in some point in the future.

He pronounces a woe on them for teaching a false gospel and this is the key. He says, "What you're teaching, bars people from entering the kingdom of heaven". It's a false gospel. He pronounces as a woe on them for their aggressive proselytism. They'll leave no stone unturned, according to verse 15, to make a proselyte. And when they make him, he becomes "twice as much a son of hell as yourselves". This is true, by the way, not of only first century Judaism, but of all false religion. Compare this to the JW's and the Mormons. Compare that with Jesus' own approach. Jesus discouraged those who were overeager to become His disciples. He insisted that they count the cost. That's not the way false religion works. He chastises them for accepting dishonesty.

Verses 16 to 22: they're all about semantics. It's all about whether you swear by this or you swear by that. And it was a way for them to dodge living up to their word. It's like saying something as a kid with your fingers crossed. And it was accepted. It's true in all false religion - a misplaced emphasis.

Verses 23 and 24: they missed the important things in the law, the important things in Scripture, and they majored on the minors. It's always how it is with false religion. A fifth woe is for intentional externalism. It's all about the outside. False religion never focuses on the heart. It focuses on the external behavior. He chastises them and pronounces a woe on them for a false spirituality; says you're like "tombs" - you look great on the outside, like even a whitewashed tomb, but inside you're full of dead men's bones. There's no reality; spiritual death rains.

And the seventh woe is for being the true faith's enemy. Mark it down, false religion is always marked by a hatred and persecution of the true faith. So, Jesus in this sermon that we have an outline of in Mark and the fullness is here in Matthew 23, Jesus completely unmasks the false religion first century Judaism had become, and all false religion as well. Whether it's pagan idolatry or whether it's perversions of the true faith, they all look the same. They all share most, if not all, of these qualities.

Now there's one more issue about false religion that Jesus unmasks. We've seen the danger of false religion, the character of false religion. But Jesus also deals with the end of false religion. Look at the end of verse 40: "...these will receive greater condemnation." It's interesting, if we were to turn to Revelation, in Revelation 17 and 18, you remember the description of the destruction of mystery Babylon representing false religion and all of its glory? That's the end of false religion in human history. Someday God, in the person of Jesus Christ, will bring an end to all false religion. He will destroy it. In Revelation 20, you have a record of the end of all false religion embodied in Satan and his false prophet, when they are thrown in the Lake of Fire.

But here in Mark 12, Jesus describes what it will be like for the leaders of false religion on the Day of Judgment. Okay? The leaders of false religion - here's what it will be like for them. Jesus says these will receive greater condemnation, greater punishment. Scripture is very clear that there are degrees of punishment in hell. We've talked about that before. And Jesus here says that hell will be hottest and the punishment most severe for those who have led false religion. I remember thinking when, at the same period of time Mother Teresa and Princess Diana died, I remember thinking about the reality that it's very likely neither of them truly knew the saving gospel and had embraced it. And at the time I was studying something pertaining to eternal punishment, and I remember thinking in my mind, what is the truth of Scripture saying? What...which one will receive the most severe punishment? The one who's lived a basically secular, sinful life or the one who's been involved in false religion? Jesus' answer here is very clear. Those who lead false religion will receive greater judgment.

Now how should what our Lord has taught us tonight affect us? How should we respond personally to it? Well, first of all, beware personally of false religion. Beware of embracing it. Jesus was talking here to His disciples, His true disciples. He told them to beware of false religion because it was a danger to their souls. Now, of course, we know that no true Christian can ever abandon the faith. But one way that God keeps us from abandoning the true faith, is through warnings like this. So, take it seriously. Beware of false religion, of embracing it. Keep on your guard. Be always alert to the danger. And also, beware of being unwittingly influenced by it, by its aberrations. So easy in a culture to unthinkingly, unwittingly...We were talking about influence this morning - to be influenced by what's going on around us.

Number two: think clearly and speak directly about false religion and its leaders. Of course, be kind, be gracious to those who are entrapped in false religion. But, at the same time, don't be afraid to speak truthfully and accurately about false religion. Don't be silenced by the pluralistic culture in which we live. Listen to John. See if this is politically correct. John the Baptist, when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of snakes, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore, bear fruit in keeping with repentance." I'm not suggesting that you tell every leader of false religion you see, "He's a snake!" I'm just saying, don't be afraid to say, "That's wrong, that's error, that doesn't connect with what the Scripture teaches." Jesus Himself is very clear in Matthew 23:15. He says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." In that same chapter, He says, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?" I know that absolutely cuts contrary to the grain of our culture. But either the worship of the true God is the true gospel and the true faith, or it's not. And either false religion is damning or it's not. Don't be afraid when it comes to false religion to say the emperor has no clothes. Don't go along with the crowd and talk about how wonderful they are. They're enslaving and damning.

A third response is: try to rescue those who are enslaved to false religion. Jude makes this clear. After he talks about false teachers, he says we are to make every effort, every effort, to see those who were enslaved in false religion, set free and come to the genuine faith that we have embraced.

And, finally, and this is very personal for us all: everybody there that day, except Jesus, looked around at the scribes and Pharisees and said, "Now there are some spiritual people". You and I better remember that Jesus always knows our hearts and He always knows the true nature of our faith. Jesus' laser eyes cut through their pretense, through their hypocrisy, and saw the reality. And if that is true for us, His eyes do the same in our case as well. Nothing is hidden from the eyes of Him with whom we have to do, Hebrews says. He knows. He sees. And what He's looking for is a genuineness. "Beware!", Jesus says. Beware of false religion.

Let's pray together.

Father help us to think and live, as it were, outside of our times and not be the product of our times. Father thank You for Your Word that helps us do that, that corrects our thinking. And thank You even for tonight, for reminding us that if we're going to love You, the true God, and we're going to love Your Son, and we're going to love the true gospel, then we have to hate everything that stands opposed to You and to Your Son and to the true gospel. Father may we hate it as Your Son hated it and as You, Yourself, hate it. Lord help us to be on guard. Lord we've seen, even in our own church family, how people who are a part of this congregation and have professed faith in Christ, can be sucked off into false religion. Lord may none of us ever succumb. May we continue by Your grace and through the warnings You give us in Scripture, faithful to the end. Thank You for our faith. Thank You that You're the One who holds us in Your hands. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen!