Dirty Dishes & Dead Men's Bones

In this sermon, Cody dives into Jesus' words in Matthew 23, where he puts the Pharisees on blast for being all about appearances. Jesus uses the example of washing a cup to make his point clear. He's not saying the outside doesn’t matter at all; he's just saying that if you start by cleaning the inside, the outside will get clean in the process. This idea flips the script on how we think about spirituality. Most people think they can be more Christlike by just trying really hard, but the key is not trying, but training. Instead of just trying to look good or do the right things for show, we’re invited to connect with God in the secret place—especially in those quiet, personal moments of prayer. By doing that inner work with God, the rest will follow naturally. It’s our time in the secret place that makes our faith truly come alive—unlike the pharisees who looked good on the outside, but in reality amounted to little more than dirty dishes and dead men’s bones.