TRUE STORY
I know of a preacher who was a nice enough person, but a little short on the smarts. He thought he would preach about the whited sepulchres, filled with dead men's bones (Mt. 23:27).
Sadly, our well meaning, but errant, preacher thought that the sepulrchres (white washed plaster burial vaults, pronounced, "sepəlkərs") were ravaging, carnivorous sea birds (which he thought were called Whited Sea Pulchers). He thought these buzzards of the ocean had devoured sailors and were filled with their bones. He preached enthusiastically about being attacked and eaten by them.
SERIOUSLY, I KID YOU NOT.
Well, his scholarship was off, but there is a great message in the passage he used.
Matthew 23:27-28
(27) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
(28) Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
THE GREAT COVER UP
People think that they can cover over (white wash) their spiritual DISEASE, DEATH and DECAY with education, financial success, elite social standing, talents, social accomplishments, religious involvements, humanitarian attainments. But the fact is, without faith in Christ that produces confession of sin, turning from sin, living in submission to God, we are whited sepulchres. We are not acceptable to God because of our own righteousnesses (which are as filthy rags), since that is only a cover for our inward corruption. God judges us by our inner man, our relationship with Christ, our life in the Holy Spirit, our obedience to His word.
Titus 3:3-7
(3) For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
(4) But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
(5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
(6) Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
(7) That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
BTW...
The person who believes in, and fears Whited Sea Pulchers is still smarter than the person who does not believe in, and fear the God of the Bible.
Psalms 14:1
(1) ...The fool has said in his heart, There is no God! They acted corruptly; they did hatefully in deeds; there is none doing good.
Romans 2:1-13
(1) Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
(2) But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
(3) And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
(4) Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
(5) But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
(6) Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
(7) To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
(8) But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
(9) Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
(10) But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
(11) For there is no respect of persons with God.
(12) For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
(13) (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
