*8 WARNING SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT BE A PHARISEE IF..."
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I. YOU ARE OUTWARDLY CLEAN BUT INWARDLY UNCLEAN (V39-41)
a) IN OTHER WORDS YOU TALK A GOOD TALK BUT YOUR INSIDES ARE UNCLEAN
1. From the outside a Pharisee looks good, but inwardly they are corrupt.
2. PRIVATE SINS THAT GOD KNOWS ABOUT - wicked heart, critical spirit, lying spirit, rebellious
3. HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE FOOLED, Jesus says He doesn’t want anyone else to be like you.
b) A PHARISEE CHURCH PREACHES RIGHTEOUSNESS WHILE THE INSIDES ARE FILLED WITH CORRUPTION
1. Staff members living immoral lifestyles.
2. Tolerance of unrighteousness within the membership.
3. Laity sleeping around.
4. Members laying out boozing it up, stealing, lying.
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II. YOU ARE A TITHER BUT YOU IGNORE LOVE (JUSTICE) (V42)
a) TITHING IS A COMMAND, BUT IT DOESN’T END THERE (IF GOD LOVES YOU, ISN’T IT JUST THAT WE LOVE)
1. Matt 5:44 Love your enemies and pray for them
2. Matt 19:19 Love your neighbor as yourself
3. Matt 22:37 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind (you can tithe and not love God)
4. I Cor. 13:4 Love Is: Patient, Kind, Doesn’t Envy, Boast, Is Not Proud, Not Rude, Not Self Seeking, Not Easily Angered, Keeps No Record Of Wrong, Doesn’t Delight In Evil, Rejoiced With the Truth, Always
Trusts, Always Hopes, Always Perseveres, Love Never Fails
5. 1 Cor 16:14 Do everything in Love
6. 1 John 4:16 Whoever lives in Love lives in God
b) WITHOUT LEAVING THE FORMER UNDONE
1. In other Words it takes both.
2. Welfare Christians (AT LEAST PAY FOR WHAT YOU USE)
Pay for the air conditioning you and your family suck up. Pay for the portion of the lights you used to see your Bible today. Christians put down government welfare recipients while we welfare off of the church.
3. To keep from being a Pharisee give your tithe, but also love everybody, all the time.
ILL- A family left church one morning and before they left the parking lot the dad said, "boy that preacher preached a long time today." The mom replied, "and he can be so dry." The dad said, "the music was so loud." Mom replied, "and it was hot in there too." There little 7 year old son spoke up from the back seat and said, "yea, but you got to admit that for a $1 it wasn’t so bad."
c) A PHARISEE CHURCH HAS MONEY IN THE BANK BUT UNWILLING TO USE IT TO MINISTER
1. I know of several churches that have 100,000 in the bank and do nothing with it. Spend that money on ministry. Give it to a struggling church. Donate it too a needy mission. God’s not impressed with how much money the church has in the bank. He is more concerned about what you’re going to do with it.
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III. YOU CRAVE RECOGNITION, POPULARITY AND HONOR (V43)
a) NOTICE HOW THE PHARISEE DIRECTLY CONFLICTS WITH THE TEACHING OF JESUS
1. Matt 6:5 And when you pray do not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth they have received their reward in full.
2. Jesus taught that we should be humble.
3. THE PHARISEE WANTS TO BE SEEN, WANTS TO BE POPULAR, WANTS TO BE HONORED
4. Colossians 3:3 For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
5. It should not be our desire to be popular or bring ourselves Glory, BUT RATHER GOD
b) THE PHARISEE NOT ONLY PREACHES POPULARITY BUT RICHES
1. DON’T SET AROUND ALL DAY AND WATCH TBN
2. SO MUCH UNTRUE TEACHING - ONE IS THE DESIRE RICHES TEACHING
3. I see a man on TV with a $600 suit on, telling his audience that if they had enough faith God would make them rich. And that if they ain’t getting rich, then they aren’t in the will of God.
4. Matt. 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and were thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
5. JESUS WASN’T RICH, HE WAS SO POOR HE WAS BURIED IN A BORROWED TOMB
6. Don’t you listen to a PHARISEE tell you to be rich when Jesus says crave heaven not earth.
c) A PHARISEE CHURCH IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK RATHER THAN GOD
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IV. YOU CLAIM RELIGION BUT MISLEADS OTHERS (V44)
a) SIN IS BAD ENOUGH, BUT LEADING OTHERS INTO SIN IS A WOE!
1. Luke 17:1 Jesus said to his disciples; "things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to the that person through whom they come. 2) It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
b) A PHARISEE IS THE ONE THAT LOST PEOPLE THINK OF WHEN YOU INVITE THEM TO YOUR CHURCH
1. I have literally had people say to me, "Doesn’t so and so go to your church?" HMMM!
2. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the reason somebody doesn’t go to church.
c) A PHARISEE CHURCH IS ONE THAT IS DEAD AND LEADS PEOPLE TO BELIEVE ALL CHURCHES R DEAD
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V. YOU BURDEN OTHERS WITH RULES AND REGULATIONS (V45-46)
a) SAVED BY GRACE
1. Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.
2. YOU CAN’T DO ENOUGH GOOD TO BE BETTER IN THE EYES OF GOD.
3. CAN’T KEEP ENOUGH RULES TO SECURE YOUR SALVATION
4. If you think people have to do and keep your rules, then you might be a Pharisee.
b) A PHARISEE CHURCH IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT IT’S RULES THAN PEOPLE
1. This church has by-laws and rules that primarily deal with leadership.
2. Churches who say you have to:
CLOTHES - MUSIC - WHERE EAT - KJV -
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VI. YOU HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THE PROPHET (PASTOR) OF GOD (V47-51)
a) A LACK OF RESPECT FOR ANY AUTHORITY
1. People who disrespect leadership - disrespect it at all levels - it bleeds right into the church.
2. Disrespect parents, boss, spouse, law enforcement.
b) PHARISEES DON’T WANT TO HEAR THE TRUTH
1. TOO MANY PEOPLE DON’T WANT A MAN OF GOD THAT WILL PREACH THE TRUTH
2. Had a leader once who I asked on three seperate occassions for some AFFIRMATION - "oh yes I agree!"
A few days later he said, "Well, I talked it over with my wife and we think you’re wrong." After the third time I just kindly told him, "It looks like I just need to start going to your wife cut out middle man."
That was the truth. Many people want pastors to dilly daddle around with the truth.
3. TRUTH HURTS
4. GET MAD AND POUT, GET MAD AND QUIT
c) PHARISEES CAUSE DIVISIONS AGAINST THE MAN OF GOD
1. Gossip about pastors
2. Have secret meetings
d) A PHARISEE CHURCH GOES THROUGH PASTORS LIKE MOST PEOPLE GO THROUGH UNDERWEAR
1. Usually churches who have strongholds of family members. PASTOR, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
2. DEACON RAN CHURCHES - God didn’t ordain deacons to lead churches. I KNOW CHURCHES.....
3. GOD APPOINTED PASTORS TO LEAD BUT YOU’VE GOT A BUNCH OF PHARISEES WHO WOULD RATHER ARGUE AND BICKER THAN SUBMIT TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE PASTOR
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VII. YOU ARE WILLING TO TURN FROM THE TRUTH FOR YOUR OWN BELIEFS (V52)
a) ANYTHING GOES - ABOVE THE LAW
1. Some people teach that you can LIVE AS YOU PLEASE - YOUR UNDER GRACE
2. Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound all the more? By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?
3. CHRISTIANS SHOULD LIVE A LIFE OF INTEGRITY AND DISCIPLINE
b) IF YOU LIVE DIFFERENT ON SUNDAY FROM 10-12 THAN YOU DO THE REST OF THE WEEK
1. As far as we know you here you are a solid believer, but what the world sees is another story.
2. IS IT ALL AN ACT?
3. MANY ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN THE WORLD
- finances - language - lies - hatred - division - gossip - drinking - sex - attitudes
c) A PHARISEE CHURCH IS ONE THAT DOESN’T TEACH TRUTH AND DISCIPLINE
1. If I’m not going to live it, I’m not going to lead you.
2. If I CAN’T PREACH THE WORD I DON’T NEED TO BE HERE
3. IF WE’RE GOING TO ALLOW SIN TO PREVAIL WE ARE A PHARISEE CHURCH
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VIII. YOU WATCH AND WAIT FOR OTHERS TO MESS UP MORE THAN CONCERN FOR YOUR OWN CONDITION (V53-54)
a) A PLANK IN YOUR EYE
1. Matt 7:4 How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
2. It isn’t up to us to judge. WE ARE ALL SINNERS AND NONE OF US ARE ANY BETTER THAN THE OTHER
3. ONE PERSON MAY SIN ONE WAY BUT YOU SIN ANOTHER - you just see theirs more
b) TAKE A GOOD HARD LOOK
1. Examine yourself - ARE YOU ALLOWING THE PHARISEE TO COME OUT IN YOU
2. Are you doing a spiritual inventory each day or do you just see everyone elses faults?
c) A PHARISEE CHURCH SEES WHAT OTHER CHURCHES ARE DOING WRONG BUT UNWILLING TO SEE ITSELF
