Exposing the Kingdom Blockers; Luke 16:14-18

Delivered during the Sunday Morning Worship Service, 7/28/2024. Even a casual reader of the Gospels must realize that the false teaching and "religiosity" of the leaders of Judaism were the subjects of Christ's most scathing condemnation. But at the same time, Jesus is teaching the church in all ages that the aggressive perpetrators of false doctrine and false religion are among the most dangerous people on earth! For not only do they block themselves from the Kingdom of God, but try desperately to block all others who would enter. In this passage, Jesus exposes some of the falsehoods, inconsistencies, and hypocrisies of the Pharisees and the utter failure of their feeble attempts at righteousness and self-justification. After briefly mapping out the progression of God's covenantal plan of redemption, Jesus surprisingly states that those who enter the Kingdom of God must do so with force. We will unravel this very enigmatic statement and discover the reason for the struggle is due to the persistent and nefarious work of the Kingdom blockers!