Am I a Pharisee, part seven.
Hi, welcome to today's Little Lesson.
We've been looking in Matthew chapter 23 at Jesus's criticisms, his denunciations of the
Pharisees.
And finding ourselves, in so many ways.
It has been an exercise in self-examination.
Today we're going to be about halfway through this entire chapter that is devoted to this
very topic, Jesus' criticism with the Pharisees.
We're looking at Matthew chapter 23, and verse number 15.
let me read it to you, and see if we can find application to our lives in some way.
"Whoa to you," Jesus says, "Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites."
And he repeatedly uses that phrase, hypocrites, which in the Greek is a word, it just means
actor.
You're a play actor.
You're pretending to be, what you really aren't.
Putting on a show for people, yet God knows what's really going on in your heart and your
life.
And that certainly is true with us.
Anytime we're putting on a show for people, that tries to leave the appearance that we're
more spiritual than we actually are, that's pharisaic.
It makes us like the Pharisees.
There's a lot of that.
And I'm sure I'm guilty.
I know I'm guilty.
"Hypocrites.
Because you travel around on sea and land, to make one proselyte and one convert, and
when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."
Now let's see if we can unpack that a little.
Because again, when you take the letter of the law, you can easily not find yourself
guilty.
"Well, I don't travel on land and sea so much.
I don't travel on the sea at all, for that matter.
I fly wherever I go in my ministry."
And we are often trying to impress people, and I think that is intimated here by the
extent to which we'll go, inconveniencing ourselves for the sake of the Gospel.
"Boy, I'll get on a jet, and I'll fly for 14 hours, or 32 hours."
And believe me, I know what that's like.
But not just that, not just your travel inconvenience, but just the efforts that people make.
"Oh, you must be so dedicated, because look at how much you're doing to reach people for
the Gospel.
I mean, you've built this huge building.
You've gotten yourself mortgaged, in debt for decades here.
You work 60 hours, or 70 hours a week do your pastoring.
Your family has been neglected because of that.
Oh, you'll drop everything to go," whatever.
We're happy for people to know how dedicated we are.
What a great extent we'll go to, to show how devoted we are.
But Jesus says, "But look at the fruit of what you're doing.
Look at the quality of the disciples that you're making, in light of all of your sacrifice
and devotion."
So in this case, it's quite plain.
"You make him twice the son of Hell as yourself."
Oh my goodness.
That's pretty pointed and plain.
We may or may not be guilty of that to such a degree.
But yet, there's an application here to modern ministers, and anyone who's claiming to be
a servant of God.
Look at the quality of your end result.
Jesus said, "Make disciples."
Well, you put together all these great sermons, and built this big program, multiple programs,
layers of programs.
Given the best years of your life, and so forth.
And all of these things that ministers and pastors often do.
But what have they got to show for it?
They've got a crowd.
A Sunday morning crowd, that's all they got to show for it.
I'm maybe exaggerating too far onto the side, there could be a little more fruit beyond
that.
Maybe a few people slip into Heaven, too.
But in reality, for so many in ministry, if they're honest, that's all they can show.
What do you got?
How's the quality of your people?
Are they gaining ground in loving God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength,
as proven by their obedience to His commandments?
Namely, his most important commandments.
Are they growing in love, and sacrifice and devotion?
Do they love their neighbor as themselves?
Do they share the Gospel with anybody?
Have they ever made any disciples themselves?
See, so I had to face up to this.
I'm not just being critical of other ministers.
I faced up to it, and I admitted it.
Not much to show for all your work, and all your devotion.
And a lot of people think you're devoted.
But look at the quality of the output.
Look at the fruit of what you're doing.
For those of us in ministry, it ought to be, you're looking at people, the disciples, the
ones who are under, some way or another, your ministry being impacted by it.
If the only thing has happened isn't that they're saying, "Well, we've got a great preacher
in our church.
He gives great sermons," you haven't got nothing.
As Stevie Wonder said in one of his songs, "You haven't done nothing."
The goal, the mandate is to, "Make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Christ commanded."
So, you've got a big church.
Great.
Are they obeying Christ, and keeping all His commandments?
Well, you know the answer to that, don't you?
If you invite a missionary, someone who is displaying their devotion to Christ in an
extraordinary way.
They've left their home, and left their families to go to a foreign country to reach people,
who have never had a chance to hear the gospel.
If you invite that missionary to speak at your church, will there be more or less people
that will show up for that service?
You know the answer to that.
Maybe more will in your church, I doubt it.
Because in most cases, it's much less.
Because people aren't interested, because they're not saved, they're not disciples of
Christ.
They're not really excited about the expansion of the Kingdom of God.
They don't want to be around, where there might be an offering received, to help promote
the Gospel and help another missionary.
They don't want that.
If that's the fruit of our ministry, then that's pharisaic.
You're putting in a lot of effort to show people how devoted you are, and very little
real fruit, real fruit disciples to show for it.
Okay.
Thank you so much for joining me on today's Little Lesson.
Hope to see you next time.