Sermon Outlines

By Frederick F. Schwindt, Evangelist

DEFECTIVE WORSHIP

1. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees:
   1. Was superficial or outward only.
   2. It consisted of long public prayers.
   3. And many other man-made rituals - Compare Matt. 15:1-7 with Mark 7:1-13; Matt. 23:1-36
2. They left out of their worship the heart religion: Isa. 29:13
   1. They omitted the weightier matters -- judgment, mercy, and faith - Isa. 59:8; Amos 5:7; Jer. 6:23; Deut. 32:20; Rom. 3:3
   2. They sought to parade their own goodness instead of seeking the glory of God - Rom. 10:1-6

1. We shall do well to heed this warning:
   1. Externalism as seen amongst Christians today will be fatal - 2 Tim. 3:1-5
   2. One may have a semblance of truth, paying tithe on mint and anise.
   3. Their lives may be outwardly correct - Luke 18:11, 12
   4. One may be punctual in attendance at the church services - "having a form of godliness."
2. But externalism is insufficient for Christ; He frowns upon it:
   1. He despises pharisaical righteousness - Matt. 23:1-36
   2. He saw too much among the professed leaders of His people - Matt. 6:2-11
   3. He sees too much of this superficial lip service among His people today - Rev. 3:14-17; Matt. 24:12, 13
   4. He wants the pure gold of our Christian experience - Rev. 3:18; 1 Pet. 2:9-11
3. External form is a part of the worship of God's people:
   1. We must know how to conduct ourselves in the house of the Lord - 1 Tim. 3:15
   2. Posture in prayer is perfectly proper.
   3. Reverence in God's house is a must.
   4. But all these are minor when we think of the condition of the heart; when we think of our everyday lives.

1. It leaves the heart unchanged:
   1. The scribes and Pharisees were very particular in their outward performance of their religious duties.
   2. But their hearts were full of murder and other crimes - Matt. 23:27, 28; Jer. 17:9
2. Such a religion blunts the conscience:
   1. There is no mercy or compassion.
   2. There is no desire to be patient and long-suffering.
3. Such a religion feeds on human egotism and neglects the needs of the soul:
   1. That is how sin began in heaven - Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:12-18
   2. That was the downfall of Adam and Eve - Gen. 3:1-6
   3. It was the downfall of Nebuchadnezzar - Dan. 4:30
4. Such a religion leads to:
   1. The neglect of secret prayer - Jas. 4:1-3
   2. The neglect of the study of the Word of God.
   3. It makes us indifferent to the needs of others.
   4. It breeds faultfinding and other damnable sins - Matt. 7:1-
5. Faultfinding is one of the plagues of the church today.
   1. All this shows that external religion, by itself, is harmful to the soul and to the worship of the Lord.
   2. We shall do well to heed the warning of our opening text.