It’s one of those uber-familiar texts:

Mt. 23:27 You’re like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they’re full of dead men’s bones.

But most people are not familiar with its Old Testament roots in the book of Ezekiel. Listen as Pastor Matt explains how Ezekiel used the analogy of whitewash to show the guilt of the prophets of his generation, and how Jesus picks up the image, escalating the blood-guilt of the scribes and Pharisees. If the lesser sins of that generation merited the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple, what would the outcome be for this generation?

From the outside looking in, the scribes and Pharisees  performed all the external shows of righteousness imaginable; with lengthened tassels, broadened phylacteries, scholarly robes, prominent seats, & respectful greetings in the marketplace. But they neglected the internal holiness that God requires; justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Listen as Pastor Matt warns against cleaning only the externals (the only part men can see), while neglecting the heart, which God sees perfectly and will surely judge.

You’ve probably heard the phrase: straining at a gnat, swallowing a camel. We use it to describe people who major on the minors and miss the point. But what if I told you Jesus said it first — and He used it to warn of judgment? In this message, Pastor Matt shows why that warning was the very reason Jerusalem fell in 70 AD.

How are we to understand swearing, vows, and oaths? Didn’t Jesus say not to swear at all? Yet Deuteronomy commands, “You shall fear only the Lord your God… and swear by His name.” How do we reconcile these texts?

The Scribes and Pharisees embraced a loophole-laden system of vows — silly as children crossing their fingers, but deadly in its power to defraud. Listen as Pastor Matt unmasks the absurd logic and damning consequences of blind guides in high places — and points us to the only Shepherd who swore truthfully, kept every vow, and bore the covenant curse so His people could live in the unshakable light of His Kingdom.

Pastor Carr gives a grave call toward the personal and corporate holiness that should mark the Church and her people.

Is. 49:6–7 I’ll also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Kings will see & arise, Princes will also bow down.

The scribes & Pharisees postured as those very messengers—God’s agents summoning the nations into covenant blessing through the coming Messianic King & royal conqueror. They came bearing the terrifying texts—of a King who would subdue the nations, break rebels with His rod, shattering them like clay pots. What a message—take the carrot, or get the stick. The combined fear, & prophetic expectation would make a man skip line at the circumcision booth!

But it only looked like evangelism.  Underneath the robes & rituals was hunger for influence—& income. Each convert meant another tither. Another disciple of the system. Another soul under the thumb of rabbinic control. They weren’t shepherds seeking the lost. They were salesmen securing revenue. The Great Commission was nowhere in sight—but the great commission check? That was cashed.

Listen as Pastor Matt unmasks the devil’s evangelists showing why Christ’s harshest words weren’t for pagans, but for false preachers.

Listen as Pastor Matt uncovers the horrifying irony of those who wore the robes of shepherds while devouring the most vulnerable sheep. Each of the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, reveals the same chilling indictment: religious hypocrisy dressed in pious theater, preying on widows and the weak.

Listen in as Jesus thunders judgment from Ezekiel and Zephaniah, declares covenantal divorce on a corrupt nation, and warns all who dare pose as Shepherds for personal gain: “You will receive greater condemnation.”May we all take refuge in the True Shepherd—the One who doesn’t devour His sheep, but lays down His life for them.

They claimed to be guides into God’s Kingdom — but they were standing on the outside, slamming the gate shut on those who would enter.

The hypocrisy of Israel’s false shepherds was undeniable — men who didn’t love the people, didn’t know the way, and yet presumed to speak for God. Jesus’ first woe in Matthew 23 isn’t mere condemnation; it’s the opening line of a covenantal divorce decree.

The light of the world would no longer shine through national Israel. But make no mistake — the Kingdom from heaven is still invading the earth. “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing the fruit of it” (Matthew 21:43).

With that transfer came new gatekeepers… and a new stewardship of the Keys.Christ has given those keys to His Church.

Listen as Pastor Matt Cooke traces this theme through the Old Testament and the Gospel of Matthew — and calls believers to stop bowing to those outside the gate.

Ephesians 1 fills the believer with awe for God’s glory in salvation. Listen as Pastor Carr shows how that awe produces deep gratitude and lasting unity in Christ’s church.

We hear it all the time from warmongering politicians: “God will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel.” They say it with conviction—rarely with context—and insist it’s self-evident, even axiomatic.

But what if I told you that Jesus cursed Israel? Cursed them to the point that He took the Kingdom from them and gave it to a new people, a people who would bear its fruit.

What if I told you that the “Israel of God” isn’t a modern political state, but a New Covenant community, gathered around the Risen King?

It’s not a hot take. It’s Bible—every word of it.

In this sermon, Pastor Matt walks through the covenantal logic behind Jesus’ seven woes on the Scribes and Pharisees, and shows how rightly understanding these judgments delivers a fatal blow to the modern cult of Zionism.