Am I a Pharisee?
Part Four.
Hey, welcome to today's little lesson.
And I was going to ... I was almost going to say my fellow Pharisees because we have
been looking at the Pharisees and we're seeing ourselves.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
But it's good.
It's good for us to be honest with ourselves, to see how we're like the Pharisees so that
we can not be like the Pharisees by repenting.
Right?
All right.
And so we're just working our way through Matthew Chapter 23 and Jesus criticized in
our last little lesson in Matthew 23, verse number five, "They do all their deeds to be
noticed by men."
So they're not ... A Pharisee is not the pleaser of God.
That's not his main drive.
It's pleasing men.
That makes you Pharisee.
If you're more interested in pleasing men than pleasing God.
And the Pharisees, Jesus specifically said, "They broaden their phylacteries and they
lengthen the tassels of their garments."
Well, these are not things any Christian's doing.
We're not wearing phylacteries and we don't got tassels on our garments, and so forth.
But I'm sure that if we thought about it, we could think of things that are basically
just symbolic things or things of small or little consequence that those become the big
things that we talk about.
Those are the big issues, those are what the sermons will preach about.
Meanwhile, Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself and go make disciples of all the
nations."
And those things become like optional, incidental commandments and the big commandments all
get wrapped up around the length of your hair, and a head covering, and the right translation
of the Bible to use, and so forth.
I mean, oh my goodness.
Christians have gone off on a million different ... Following a million different rabbit trails
and that's what Pharisees do.
So we need to repent.
Matthew 23, verse number six, "They love the places of honor at banquets, and the chief
seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the marketplace, and being called a rabbi
by men."
Now, how would you know this about somebody?
Because how do you know their inner thoughts?
Well, you don't.
But God does and Jesus was God.
And so we don't have to question his judgements here at all.
There's no doubt the Pharisees were like that and we don't need to be looking at anybody
else.
Let's just take time and look at ourselves.
Do I love the honor that comes with whatever it is that I do in the Lord's kingdom?
Does it get me special privilege, special place?
Does it get me a respectful greeting or a title?
Ooh, titles.
Oh my goodness.
Titles, titles, titles, titles, titles.
True servants of Christ aren't into the title thing and I hope I'm not guilty of this.
I'm sure I am to a degree because I'm the President of Heaven's Family and the founder.
I guess though to my small credit, anytime I say that, I inwardly have a resistance to
it because I realize that's absolutely meaningless.
And my preference is to be thought of as a servant
and that's the highest title that God could give you.
Even the great apostle Paul ... And think about it, he was the Uber Apostle, right?
He was beyond even just your average apostle.
He was a super apostle, if there was such a thing.
And yet he would write his letter and say, "Paul, called as an apostle."
So not, not the title Apostle Paul, but Paul ... Servant, sometimes he'd say.
Servant of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle.
And I get a little bit concerned when we see so many folks in "ministry" who are grasping
at titles and even little people.
I'm thinking of a guy I knew one time who had a church of about 15 people and he was
the senior pastor.
You know?
The senior pastor.
Well, the assistant pastor of that Church of 15 people.
See, he's trying to be something, leave an impression.
"I'm a senior pastor, so I must have a big congregation."
Senior pastor.
Well, I'm not just speaking to the senior pastors, I'm speaking to the pastors, period,
too.
And also all the "apostles", and prophets, and everyone else who's ... Bishops.
Boy that became popular.
Bishop So-and-So.
And you'd never see their name without the title.
Beware of those types of people.
There is a great danger that their motives are wrong.
That they're doing it because they love the praises of men and the honor that they get.
Jesus has some things to say about the whole title issue and he's speaking to his disciples
about how you ought to view people and you might want to give titles.
And then also speaking to those who might want titles for themselves.
Do not call anyone on your Earth father.
Wow ... Oh, I skipped over.
Chapter 23, verse three.
"But do not be called rabbi."
See, he said the Pharisees love being called rabbi.
"But do not be called rabbi," That is a teacher, "for one is your teacher and you are all brothers."
There it is right there.
Pharisees think themselves better, put themselves above.
They don't consider themselves equal and they're always conveying that aura of superiority.
Even if it's a humble superiority, it is definitely a superiority.
Jesus is trying to bring us down to realizing that we're just sinners saved by grace and
if anyone has anything, he got it from God.
We're all brothers, we're all in the same family.
We really only have one teacher.
That's God is our teacher.
And if we're learning through somebody else, it's because God has imparted something to
them that they're sharing or God has given them a gift that they're utilizing.
But it all stems from God.
This is important.
Are you a Pharisee?
Am I Pharisee?
Oh my goodness.
Big important questions, big important questions.
Do not be called Rabbi.
Now, you know ... So, that means it's okay to take any title besides rabbi?
Well, Jesus list some other titles here.
Is that the exclusive list?
Are there no other titles that Jesus would disapprove of if he came in our day and was
speaking these same things?
Would the title bishop be okay then?
You know?
Is that one all right?
The apostle title?
Is that okay?
All right.
Out of time.
Hope to see you next time.
God bless you.