NOTE:
This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live presentation and that there was additional material in the live presentation that is not included in this manuscript.
ENGAGE
Many of you are probably familiar with Jeff Foxworthy, who is famous for his “You might be a redneck” sayings, like these:
You might be a redneck if…
• You own a home that is mobile and 5 cars that aren't.
• You consider the fifth grade your senior year.
• Taking your wife on a cruise means circling the Dairy Queen.
• You fish in your above-ground pool, especially if you catch something!
• You've ever made change in the offering plate.
As I went through that list, I did notice some of your reactions that lead me to believe that perhaps some of you have actually done some of those things. But that’s OK. We welcome rednecks here. In fact, if you are a redneck, you are in some very good company because Jesus and most of His disciples were pretty much the rednecks of their time.
But there is another group of people that Jesus often addressed much more critically – the Pharisees. Because of the way Jesus often rebuked them, we tend to look at the Pharisees very negatively. But in their culture, they were actually very highly respected and their love for God’s law is to be commended. It is the way that they tended to manifest their devotion to that law that Jesus took issue with.
TENSION
Unfortunately, while the Pharisees may not exist as a formal group today, the attitude of the Pharisees still exists, and Pastor Tim Keller writes about why this is potentially such a danger in the church:
We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did.
I know right now many of you are probably thinking that you would never be a “modern day Pharisee”. But I think that during the sermon series that we’re starting today, we’re all going to find that it is a lot easier to become one than we might think.
TRUTH
So for the next six weeks, we’re going to study Matthew chapter 23, which contains Jesus’ most scathing rebuke of the Pharisees. And we’re going to use what we learn there to accomplish two things:
• The first thing we want to do is to help all of us recognize the areas of our life where we may have developed some Pharisaical attitudes.
• And then secondly, we want to develop some practical ways that we can deal with those attitudes in a Biblical manner.
So, with deference to Jeff Foxworthy, here are six indications that you might be a “modern day Pharisee”:
You might be a “modern day Pharisee” if…
• You judge the Scriptures rather than being judged by them
• You think you’re better than other Christians
• You are more interested in making clones of yourself than disciples of Jesus
• You look for loopholes in God’s Word in order to excuse your sin
• You major in minors and minor in majors
• You work harder at looking good than being good
Today, we will deal with the first of these identifying characteristics:
You might be a “modern day Pharisee” if you
judge the Scriptures rather than being judged by them
Go ahead and open your Bibles to Matthew 23 and follow along as I read the first 4 verses this morning.
[Read Matthew 23:1-4]
This teaching takes place on Tuesday of the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. This has often been called the Great Day of Questions because beginning in chapter 21, the religious leaders have been peppering Jesus with questions. Beginning here in chapter 23 we find Jesus’ last sermon to the people of Israel and in that message He denounces the religious leaders and warns the people to stay away from them because of the damage they are doing.
The first 12 verses of the chapter are spoken to the crowd and the disciples, but Jesus’s words are obviously meant to be heard by the scribes and Pharisees as well. Then, as we’ll see in a couple weeks, in verse 13, Jesus turns and speaks directly to those religious leaders.
Although many of us are probably at least somewhat familiar with the two groups mentioned here – the scribes and the Pharisees – it’s probably worthwhile to take a moment to identify them.
The Pharisees were not priests or Temple officials. For the most part they were common Jews who sought to apply the Jewish Law to their everyday lives in order to live lives of holiness. That is actually to be admired and commended. So they were often looked to as experts in the Law. But the problem is that in addition to the Torah, or written Law, they also looked to oral tradition and developed their own rules that were added to the written Law.
The scribes were the ones who transcribed religious, legal and historical texts. In a largely illiterate culture with no printing presses, they were the only ones educated enough to carry out that task. So they also were considered to be “experts” on the texts that they had copied, which included the Jewish Law. Not all scribes were Pharisees and certainly not all Pharisees were scribes, but there was some overlap between the two groups.
APPLICATION
Each week in this series, we’re going to do two things. First we’re going to see what we can learn from the passage that might help us identify areas in our own lives were we have become “modern day Pharisees”. And then secondly, we’ll develop the remedy for those shortcomings.
HOW TO TELL IF I’M A “MODERN DAY PHARISEE”
1. I assume authority that is not rightfully mine
In verse 2 where Jesus says that “the scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat” the sense of the underlying grammar is that they sat themselves there. The point Jesus is making here is that the Pharisees had exalted themselves to a position even higher than Moses when it came to interpreting and teaching the Law. The Pharisees often boasted that they were disciples of Moses, which would have meant that they would have placed themselves under the authority of his teaching and doctrine. But instead, they had now promoted themselves to a place where their teaching and interpretation was more authoritative than that of Moses. And in that position, they were now judging the Scriptures rather than being judged by them.
That authority had certainly not been given to them by God and it hadn’t even been vested in them by the priests or even a vote of their local synagogue. They had just assumed that authority on their own. And one of the results of assuming authority that was not rightfully theirs is they ended up creating a set of 613 additional man-made laws claiming that they had erected a “fence” around the Law so that no one would ever come close to violating the Law. But, as we’ll see, all they did was create an unbearable burden for their disciples.
We’re not immune to doing the same thing today are we? I want you to think for a moment about how you have observed churches or individuals in those churches take on authority that is not rightfully theirs and, often with good intentions, and made up their own set of rules for Christians to follow. I’ve even given you some space on your sermon outline to jot down what comes to mind.
Modern day examples of man-made rules in the church:
I won’t be surprised at all if some of the ones that came to mind for me aren’t on your list as well:
• Rules about what I have to wear to church. I know that a church where I was the pastor certainly had some very strong expectations about how I was to dress on Sunday mornings. And many of us have probably been at churches that would frown upon people wearing shorts or jeans or flip flops to church. But God is a lot more concerned about our hearts than what we wear.
• Rules about drinking or smoking or dancing. While the Bible does prohibit drunkenness, it doesn’t prohibit the use of alcohol. And smoking isn’t addressed at all in the Bible. And in at least some places, dancing is actually painted in a positive light in the Bible.
• Rules about tattoos or piercings.
• Rules about mothers working outside the home. While some of us might have personal convictions about that, the Bible does not either promote nor prohibit mothers having a job outside the home.
• Rules about where to send your kids to school.
• Rules about the kinds of worship music that is acceptable to God. Obviously music that does not line up with the Bible should not be used, but the Bible gives a wide degree of latitude when it comes to the kind of instruments that can be used and the types of songs we should sing.
If you have established those kinds of rules in areas where God has not given us clear direction in the Bible, even if you only do that mentally, then you have essentially assumed authority that is not rightfully yours and you might be a “modern day Pharisee”.
2. I expect others to do what I will not do myself
Although the Pharisees had established this complicated set of rules for everyone else to follow, they ingeniously found ways to circumvent their own rules. So it’s not surprising that Jesus would command His disciples not to model their lives after those of the Pharisees.
But what does seem a bit surprising is that Jesus instructs His disciples to do and observe what the Pharisees were teaching. We know He can’t be saying that His followers were to do everything the Pharisees commanded because Jesus condemns a good deal of their teaching.
I think the key to understanding what Jesus means is His reference to “Moses’ seat”. When these Pharisees got up in the synagogue and read from the Law given to Moses by God, those who heard it were obligated to obey it even though it may have been communicated to them by those who also engaged in false teaching. Truth, even if it comes from a questionable source, is still to be obeyed.
It’s also important to be reminded that, because we are all sinners, there will always be some degree of disconnect between our words and our actions. So that means that I am going to sin and there will be times when my actions are not going to be consistent with what I’m teaching.
There have been times in my life when I wasn’t reading the Bible on a regular basis, other than just for the purpose of preparing a sermon, when I’ve encouraged you to do that. And I know I’ve talked about the importance of prayer when my own prayer life was not what it should be. But that doesn’t mean that you are ignore my teaching to the extent it is consistent with God’s Word.
What Jesus was addressing here was the lifestyle of the Pharisees in which their actions consistently did not line up with their teaching. And certainly if I were to consistently live a lifestyle that was inconsistent with what I’m teaching then you should not do what I do and it’s also time to look for a new pastor.
If you expect others to live in a way that you are not willing to live yourself, you might be a “modern day Pharisee”.
3. I make being a disciple of Jesus a burden
As we saw in our study of the book of Romans, the purpose of the Law is to help us understand our need for the gospel where we find grace and find strength to live a life of obedience. Without that understanding the Law becomes an unbearable yoke and a heavy burden. The Pharisees had made the Law a burden with their lack of grace and they had added to that burden with all the additional man made rules that they had piled on top of the Law. Instead of seeking to help their fellow Jews live in a way that was pleasing to God, they actually made that much more difficult.
Living as a disciple of Jesus is not always easy. But it should never be a burden. I’m reminded here of the words of Jesus:
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:30 ESV)
One of the most common ways that we make the gospel a burden to people is by expecting them to act like disciples of Jesus before they become His disciples. As we’ve talked about frequently, Jesus does not require us to “clean up” our lives before we put our faith and trust in Him. I know I am thankful for that every day because I know how incapable I was of cleaning up my life on my own before I committed my life to Jesus. And I’m pretty sure that all of you feel the same way. So why we would ever want to make the gospel a burden for others by expecting them to live righteous lives before they become disciples of Jesus?
If you make being a disciple of Jesus a burden, you might be a “modern day Pharisee”.
So now that we’ve identified some traits that might indicate that we are “modern day Pharisees”, let’s close by talking about what we can do to prevent us from becoming one in the first place or to get ourselves out of that rut if we are already there.
THE REMEDY
1. Don’t make my own rules
If I were to ask you if you make your own rules when it comes to what it takes to be a disciple of Jesus, I’m pretty sure most of you would immediately answer “no”. And I doubt that any of you have done like the Pharisees and established your own set of written rules that are intended to further explain what the Bible teaches.
But it’s also likely that in your mind, you have established some unwritten rules that you use to evaluate how good of a Christian someone else is. It might be some of the rules we talked about earlier about how people dress or where they send their kids to school, or it might be something else that you think you do pretty well that you think others should also do if they want to be a “good Christian”.
When you find yourself dong that, please stop. While you might be doing that with the very best intentions, you are guilty of judging the Scriptures rather than being judged by them.
This first remedy is obvious, clear and simple, so I won’t spend a lot more time here. But it’s also true that taking this step may not be as easy as it seems, either.
Before we leave this point, let me make it clear that there are times when a brother or sister in Christ is violating the clear teaching of Scripture and the loving thing to do is to gently and humbly point out that sin and help restore the other person. Here is what the apostle Paul wrote about that:
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
(Galatians 6:1–2 ESV)
The idea here is that we are to help our fellow disciples get out from under the burden of their sin, not pile an even greater burden on them with our own rules.
2. Be more concerned about my own actions than those of others
This was the biggest problem with the Pharisees. They expected others to hold to a standard of conduct that they themselves weren’t willing to uphold. So instead of evaluating their own lives, they were always busy looking for and pointing out the faults in the lives of others. Jesus addressed this problem directly:
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
(Matthew 7:3–5 ESV)
The Pharisees were so busy looking for the specks in the eyes of others that they missed the logs in their own eyes. And it’s very easy for us to do the same thing.
Again, we might not do that intentionally or overtly, but let me suggest a few ways that we might fall into that very same trap:
• Have you ever read a passage or listened to a sermon and thought to yourself, “Boy, I know just the person who needs to hear this.”?
• When you pray, do you rarely confess sin because you think you don’t have much to confess?
• Do you gossip? I’ve even seen gossip that is disguised in the form of a prayer request.
As I’ve already pointed out, there are appropriate times to help others deal with their sins, but never until we have made a sober judgment and evaluation of our own lives and dealt with our own sin first.
3. Be a “grace dispenser”
The one characteristic of the Pharisees that Jesus addressed most frequently was their “gracelessness”. To them, religion was nothing more than an unending string of impossible demands. And instead of coming alongside their fellow Jews to help them meet those demands, they just kept piling new demands on top of the ones that already existed.
But the gospel of Jesus Christ is not to be a burden. In fact, it is just the opposite. It is designed to remove the burdens of the Law through the grace offered by Jesus. Through His death on the cross and His resurrection, Jesus has provided a way for us to be considered right before God in spite of our inability to meet the demands of the Law in our own strength and power. And it is only through that grace that it is possible for any of us to be here today worshiping a holy God.
So, as I’ve said before, that means that we need to have a mindset that says that if I’m going to err at all, I’ll err on the side of grace. I’ll look for ways to take that same grace that God has extended to me through Jesus and dispense that to others. Instead of a container that just captures all the grace for my own benefit, I’ll be a channel or a conduit that will let that grace flow through me and into the lives of others.
As we’ve seen this morning…
You might be a “modern day Pharisee” if you
judge the Scriptures rather than being judged by them
INSPIRATION
I began this morning with a quote from Pastor Tim Keller and I’m going to put that up on the screen one more time:
We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did.
Do you want to reach the licentious and the liberated? Do you want to reach the broken and the marginal? I know I do and I’m confident that you do, too. And I believe that we can do that together. But we’re only going to be able to do that if we quit being “modern day Pharisees”.
ACTION
So as we close this morning, will you join me in praying this prayer:
Father, help me see myself as You see me, as a sinner who desperately needs Your grace.
Help me to evaluate my life daily in the light of Your Word and to recognize the sin in my life so that I might confess it and repent.
Allow me to see people as you see them: as sinners in need of a Savior.
Help me in my journey to treat others as You have treated me – with grace and mercy.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Discussion questions for Bible Roundtable
1. What kinds of problems do “modern day Pharisees” cause both within the church and in the way outsiders view the church?
2. Why do many Christians have a natural tendency toward the kind of legalism that the Pharisees exhibited? How do we guard against that?
3. While we’ve focused on the potential dangers of man-made rules in the church today, what are some of the dangers of going to the other extreme and throwing off rules altogether?
4. What are some examples of some things that have been implemented in the church with good intentions that end up being a burden for disciples of Jesus? How do we guard against doing that in the future?
