The Inside of the Cup | Matthew 23:25-26 | Noah Graves

In this message from our Summer in the Scriptures series, Noah Graves turns to Jesus’ warning in Matthew 23:25–26 about a cup that looks clean on the outside while remaining dirty within. From the Pharisees’ spiritual blindness to David’s devastating sin and repentance, we’re challenged to look beyond appearances and invite God to search what is actually happening in our hearts.But the answer isn’t simply trying harder to clean ourselves up. Through David’s prayer in Psalm 51 and Jesus’ journey to the cross, Noah points us toward the only One who can truly make us clean. Jesus took the judgment our sin deserved and offers us His righteousness in return. Instead of obsessing over the outside—or endlessly trying to fix the inside ourselves—we’re invited to lift our eyes to Christ, receive His mercy, and live from the new identity He gives us.