Beginning of verse 35, and we'll go down to verse 40. Mark 12, beginning of verse 35, going to verse 40. Sorry, we'll go down to verse 44. Mark 12, beginning of verse 35, and going down to verse 44. Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, how say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, the Lord said to my Lord, sit down on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord. And whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. And he said unto them in his doctrine, beware of the scribes which love to go in long clothing and love salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues and the uppermost rooms at feasts, which devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. These shall receive greater damnation. Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much. There came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. The title of my message today is Beware of Hypocrisy, A Call to Authentic Faith. A Call to Authentic Faith. You'll remember as we've gone through, as we've made our way through this text, The questions have been coming to Jesus one after the other. But now, in Jesus addressing the ones who are gathered at the temple, he's asking the question. He's asking this question and challenging the common traditional views of the Messiah and spiritual authority. You know, in this passage, he says, how say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? This word Christ is the translation of the Old Testament word Messiah. This was a word that means anointed one and refers to the king that God had promised way back in the Old Testament. Hosea describes the Messiah as the son of David. Son of David was a common Messianic title. the Jews were convinced that he would indeed come of the lineage of David. They were so convinced of it that they thought that the title son of David was enough because they thought that he would be no more than just a mere mortal man, that he would be flesh and blood no more than David. And so Jesus quotes in verse 36, David himself said by the Holy Ghost, the Lord said to my Lord, sit down on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Indeed, the Psalms are a great source of comfort, but they're more than that. The Psalms speak of Jesus. And indeed, if we're not careful, we'll miss that. Even in the Psalm that was just read, there was prophecy of the coming Christ. And here in this text, we find Jesus as he brings up Psalms 110 in verse one, the 110th Psalm in verse one. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. We may miss it in our King James translations and many other translations follow suit. But you'll notice if you're carefully reading there that That first Lord there is in all capital letters, whereas the second Lord is not. That first Lord is Yahweh, God's covenant name. But if we're not careful, we miss that. It's one of the reasons why I like the Legacy Standard Bible. It says, Yahweh says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies as a footstool for your feet. And so it brings that out so much better for us to catch what is being said there. That second word, Lord there, is a different word. That's what the Jews used as a title for God. Now, this is what Jesus is bringing out here. David pictures God speaking to the Messiah, who David calls his Lord. The Jewish leaders of that day recognized this Psalm as Messianic. But Jesus, as he brought this text out at the temple, he is pointing out to them as he's expounding to them this text. He's showing that David would not have called one of his descendants Lord. Not if he was just another man. Thus, the son of David, must be, had to be the Son of God. Jesus was proclaiming there in the temple the deity of the Messiah and thus the deity of himself to that crowd. Jesus was emphasizing that he is Lord, not just some figure of history, not just some man. This is what's missing from their dead hypocritical worship. There must be an acknowledgment of the Messiah as being Lord. There must be an acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord. These folks thought they had the externals down pat. But they didn't. They missed the point. They missed the truth. And so it is today before anyone can rightly, can rightly worship Jesus in spirit and truth. The externals, yes, they're all important. but without a right relationship with Jesus, without dying to self, without being in Christ, still in your sins and on your way to an eternal punishment. Just to put it another way, These guys thought they had it all figured out. They were the scribes. There are some today who think they have it all figured out. And you may be a church member, but are you saved? You may, carry the word of God in your hand, but do you have the God of the word in your heart? You may sing hymns, but do you know him? Do you know about Christ intellectually, but do you know him personally? The question isn't so much about when did you profess him, Rather, do you possess him? They had read that song, no doubt, many, many times, but they'd missed what David was saying. The common people heard him gladly, the text says here. In verses 38 through 40, Jesus tells them to beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing and love salutations in the marketplaces, in the chief seats, in the synagogues, in the uppermost rooms at feasts, which devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. These shall receive greater damnation. There is a difference, beloved, outward religious practice and true heart-driven worship. And we see this here in our Lord's rebuke of the scribes. The scribes were known everywhere for their outward show of being religious. Jesus says to beware of them, this means to see or to watch out. Carries the idea of guarding against the evil influences of the scribes. They dressed to show off. They loved the greetings in the markets. They would go for the best seats in the house, synagogues rather. They devoured widows' houses. And what I read in one place is that the scribes were the estate planners, and so they were greedy, they would take advantage of the widows. They were big on prayers, long prayers, not because they loved the Lord, not because they loved God, but because they loved to be seen of men. And Jesus says, they'll receive the greater damnation. Jesus often had warned his disciples to beware of the teachings and the ways of the religious hypocrites over in Matthew chapter 16. Verses six through 12. Then Jesus said unto them, take heed and beware of the leaven, the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, it is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand I neither remember the five loaves of the 5,000, how many baskets you took up, neither the seven loaves of the 4,000, and how many baskets you took up. How is it that you do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. So he's telling them to beware of their doctrine. In Luke chapter 12, Luke chapter 12, verses one through three, In the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trove one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples, first of all, beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known. Therefore, whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light. and that what you have spoken in the ear and closet shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. He says, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing covered shall not be revealed. What's he saying here? Well, in the Greek, that hypocrisy, that word, comes from a word that is a masking, someone who pretends to be something they're not. And someday that mask is going to be pulled off. It'll either happen in this life or the next. But mark my words, as short as I'm standing here, everything, as he puts it, there's nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid, shall not be known. Whatever you've spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light. That you've spoken in the ear in closet shall be proclaimed upon housetops." You see, he was going after Not necessarily the slums on the street, the prostitutes and so on and so forth. Yeah, those are people who needed their lives straightened up too. But in these passages, he was going after the religious people who were pretending to be something when they were nothing. The kind of religion that elevated themselves to a point that they said they were going to heaven when they were on their way to hell. To a point when they deceived themselves and others. The kind of religion that elevated tradition above scripture. The kind of religion that was cold on the inside but showing outwardly. He called them whited sepulchers, whitewashed tombs. Look really nice on the outside, but what's inside of them? Dead men's bones, you see. Jesus is warning his hearers, and through the inspired word of God, he's warning us. Beware of it. Examine your own hearts, your motives, your thoughts. Make your calling and election sure, whether you are really in the faith or not. Beware of this sort of religion. In Mark chapter 12, verses 41 through 44, it says, and Jesus sat over against the treasury. Beheld how the people cast money into the treasury. Many that were rich cast in much. Beheld how the people cast money in the treasury. Many that were rich cast in much. Many that were rich cast in much. He's watching this, he's seeing. And then there came a widow, a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mints to make a farthing. Most people wouldn't have paid her any attention. Some might have even mocked and laughed and said, what's her little bit going to do? I'm told that what she dropped in were two lepta, which amounts to a quadrants. Remember when we talked about the denarius coin? The denarius was a day's wage. What this widow dropped in was the smallest of coins. It was about 1 64th of the denarius. So if you were to take your day's work and divide it into 64 parts and take off that one of those 64s, that's what she dropped in. Very small amount. Very little, some would say even insignificant. But mark well that Jesus saw not just the rich, but also the poor. Nothing, nothing goes by his eye. He sees it all. Even the smallest amount of work, The smallest amount of labor, the smallest gift is seen by our Lord. He notices even when other people don't. Also, I want you to notice Verse 43, and he called unto him his disciples and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all that they did cast in of their abundance, she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Notice that God values the heart of giving rather than the outward. In all of this, we see Jesus being opposite of what man is. The world would have gotten all excited by the scribes with their long clothing, their salutations in the marketplace, their chief seats in the synagogue, all the attention would have gone to them. Jesus says, beware of that. Beware of that. Why? Because they're going to get the greater damnation. And in walks this widow, not wanting to be seen of men, not wanting to make a name for herself. And she threw in two mites, which make a farthing into the treasury. And Jesus calls his disciples and say, look at that. Luke chapter 11, verse 42. He says, but woe unto you Pharisees, for you tithe mint, rue, and all manner of herbs, pass over judgment in the love of God. These ought ye to have done, not to leave the other unto. Jesus told the Pharisees here, as they were tithing, that they ought to be doing this sort of thing, but they passed over judgment and the love of God, which they should not have left undone. You see, God loves, God's not just looking at the outward. 2 Corinthians chapter nine, 2 Corinthians chapter nine, Verses six and seven. This I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. God loves the cheerful giver, you see. That widow woman was on, she knew something. You go over to Acts chapter 20, Acts chapter 20, verses 33 through 35, Paul says, I have coveted, I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities to them that were with me. I've showed you all things, how they so laboring you ought to support the weak, to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. It is more blessed to give than to receive, even if it's little. So you see why this widow was the one who Jesus focused in on and not the scribes, not the Pharisees, not the Sadducees. He's not like men who focus on the outside. You ever been around somebody who is so entitled that their focus is on the cost, and only the most expensive will do. Why is it you're only giving this? I'm glad God's not like that. Some preachers are like that. Some preachers, oh, you gotta give this, and you gotta give this much, and you gotta do this, and you gotta do that. In fact, I have it written out beside of Mark chapter 12 and verse 43. A reminder, don't use verse 43 to devour widows' houses. We can't take this out of context to pressure people to the point that we're no different than the scribes. But those TV preachers and those guys on, sometimes, I mean, it's all they preach about, it seems like, is give, give, give, and give some more. And it's never enough. And there's people like that. Give me, give me, give me. It's never enough. You can't satisfy it. They're never satisfied. You give them a gift and it's not good enough because it wasn't expensive enough. It's terrible. If you don't know anybody like that, then examine your own heart. Check to make sure it's not you. There's people, sometimes even in churches, are worried about what everybody else is giving instead of looking at what they're doing. What was Jesus doing? He was taking notice of what was happening. But he wasn't looking at it like man looks. In fact, God doesn't look at things like man does. Look over at 1 Samuel 16. 1 Samuel 16. Verse seven, he says, but the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance, on the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance. The Lord looketh on the heart. God does not judge as man does. Man looks on the outward. And man says, wow, look at those scribes. Look at those Pharisees. Look at that expensive bunch of guys as they put their lot of money in the treasure. Man says, that widow woman is insignificant. How's she ever gonna make it to heaven? But God sees inwardly. He sees the heart. And where David would have been unnoticed or tossed aside, where the widow would have been unnoticed, pushed aside, we know that they were doing great things for the Lord, that they would go on to to do great things for the Lord, that they would be mentioned in great ways, even now, today. Why? Why? Because they love the Lord. May we be more like this widow, like Paul, like David, but no, no, that's not the point of any of this, is it? The point is for us to be more like Jesus. That's the point. That we'd be more like Jesus, conformed to his image, that we would love him so much that we'd trust him and obey him regardless of our circumstances. and that we would not fear men, that we'd beware of the hypocrisy, that we would follow an authentic faith. In this passage, as we bring this to a close, we see this warning against the scribe's practices, with the example that's given. Beware of prioritizing appearance over substance. Jesus condemned such hypocrisy. A faith that we ought to look for is one that thrives on sincerity and humility. A faith in Jesus, that's what he's looking for. So I ask you, are you saved? Have you been born again? Today is the day. Repent. Believe in Jesus. He died, was buried, rose again so that we can have eternal life. The only way that we can ever avoid this hypocritical type of religion that he's warning against is to trust in Jesus. Let's be dismissed with the word prayer. I'll ask Isaiah, would you please pray for us?