From Ritual to Relationship: The True Heart of Worship
Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Jesus came to do for man what the law could not; He came to fix the heart of the matter! God said in Heb. 10:16, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” I would like to compare the law like unto a skeleton; there is structure, but there is no life. Jesus came to “flesh out” the law, or in other words, to put flesh on those bones, and to put within that body a beating heart, “…for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” In essence, that’s what Jesus came to address with this group of Pharisees. They had all the external, visible issues worked out, but they lacked the heart to comprehend what it was really all about. They were making a religion out of what they perceived to be fruit, when there was no vine attached.
Matthew said it this way, “…ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith…” They were not living for God; they were merely being a copy cat of just a few of the external evidences which should follow those who truly worship Him. They were careful to do the things which were easy, and the things which were measurable by other men, so as to make themselves appear righteous. You may fool man, but you will never fool God! To omit the weightier matters is to ignore or completely disregard the most important issues, which are judgment, mercy, faith, and the love of God. These are all matters of the heart.
You see, some are “doing” Christianity like an external exercise; others are “being” Christians from the inside out because their hearts have been touched and changed by the Gospel. Which are you? If the best you can offer God is feeble attempts to act like a Christian supposed to act, but your heart has never been converted, then your religion is vain. If God ever touches your heart, living for Him will no longer be a chore; it will come naturally (or should I say supernaturally) with the new nature He puts within you. Do not miss the whole point like these Pharisees did; check your heart for a pulse today!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
Jesus came to do for man what the law could not; He came to fix the heart of the matter! God said in Heb. 10:16, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” I would like to compare the law like unto a skeleton; there is structure, but there is no life. Jesus came to “flesh out” the law, or in other words, to put flesh on those bones, and to put within that body a beating heart, “…for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” In essence, that’s what Jesus came to address with this group of Pharisees. They had all the external, visible issues worked out, but they lacked the heart to comprehend what it was really all about. They were making a religion out of what they perceived to be fruit, when there was no vine attached.
Matthew said it this way, “…ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith…” They were not living for God; they were merely being a copy cat of just a few of the external evidences which should follow those who truly worship Him. They were careful to do the things which were easy, and the things which were measurable by other men, so as to make themselves appear righteous. You may fool man, but you will never fool God! To omit the weightier matters is to ignore or completely disregard the most important issues, which are judgment, mercy, faith, and the love of God. These are all matters of the heart.
You see, some are “doing” Christianity like an external exercise; others are “being” Christians from the inside out because their hearts have been touched and changed by the Gospel. Which are you? If the best you can offer God is feeble attempts to act like a Christian supposed to act, but your heart has never been converted, then your religion is vain. If God ever touches your heart, living for Him will no longer be a chore; it will come naturally (or should I say supernaturally) with the new nature He puts within you. Do not miss the whole point like these Pharisees did; check your heart for a pulse today!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill