The Need to Address Alternative and New Religious Movements

  Text: Matthew 23:4 (NIV) "They tie up heavy loads and put them upon men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." "Jesus replied, "Are you expects in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." (Luk. 11:46) Introduction: In order to understand Matthew 23:4 is that as students of the Bible we must compare scripture with scripture. (1 Cor. 2:14)  It is true that there are some biblical passages of the Bible that are difficult to understand but there are other biblical passages that will shed light upon such obscure passages. For example: The main passage of scripture that is under study is Matthew 23:4 but for example Luke 11:46 is a comparsion where it says, "Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one...

 Text: Matthew 23:1-3, 4 "Then Jesus said to the crowds and his disciples: The teachers of the law and of the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." Introduction It is very important to understand the context of Matthew 23:1-4 where Jesus spoke unto the crowds and that of his dicsciples concerning religious leaders of his day. The scribes and Pharisees were vanguards of the law by which they sought Moses authority by which they sit in Moses seat. There are religious phonies in the professing church today who possess such self-imposed authority by which they did not have been sanction by God's authority. There is a difference between the self-imposed authority set by men as opposed to the authority sanctioned by God. The incons...