Exalted Abomination:

Context:

• Jesus had just explained that “...you cannot serve God and money...”
• Luke 16:14 then reveals something about the Pharisees - they were lovers of money.
• The Pharisees therefore ridiculed Jesus (NASB-scoffed at, NIV-sneered at).
• The word found no place in them.

Luke 16:15 “...And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God...”

What does it mean to justify yourself before men?

• Use words to make your actions appear to be legitimate.

Can anyone justify inappropriateness before God?

• God knows hearts.
• God knows underlying reality.
• God is not deceived by manipulative words.

What types of things are an abomination in the sight of God.

• Anything that is inconsistent with His created purpose.
• In this specific case, loving money and making it sound legitimate.

Luke 16:16-17 “...The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void...”

Matthew 11:13 “...For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,...”

What changed with the preaching of John the Baptist?

• John prepared the way for Jesus Christ.
• The good news of the kingdom of God was now the focus.

What did not change with the preaching of John the Baptist?

• The Law was not voided.

Can a person force their way into the kingdom of God?

• You can’t use a personal interpretation of the law and the prophets to work your way into the kingdom of God.
• Matthew 11:12 “...From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force...”
• Acts 4:11-12 “...This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved...”
• The Pharisees were resisting what was being established by Jesus.
• They wanted a kingdom, but not the one Jesus was introducing.

Will heaven and earth pass away?

• Matthew 24:35 “...Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away...”