Religious People Going to Hell [Family Worship lesson in Mathew 23:13–33]

What does a Pharisee need? Matthew 23:13–33 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-one verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the children of the first Adam need a new nature from, union with, and to be conformed to the last Adam. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary from the transcript: The devotional lesson delivers a sobering indictment of religious hypocrisy, drawing from Jesus’ scathing critique of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:13–33. It exposes the anatomy of a condemned person: one who outwardly appears righteous yet is inwardly corrupt, prioritizing ritualistic obedience over justice, mercy, and faith, while exploiting the vulnerable and manipulating religious practices for self-gain. The passage emphasizes that true righteousness is not achieved through external conformity or impressive displays of piety, but through inner transformation—cleansing the heart by union with Christ, the last Adam, and receiving a new nature by the Holy Spirit. The warning is clear: even the most active, doctrinally sound, and outwardly righteous individuals can be headed toward hell if they remain in themselves and dead in sin. The ultimate call is to repentance, faith in Christ, and a radical inward renewal that reorients all religious life around relationship with God, not merely outward displays.