Don't Become A Pharisee

Antonio Thomas

Sermon On The Mount • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

Matthew 7:1–23

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1. Judgement Begins with self

Matthew 7:1–6 (NIV)

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 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? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

There is an abrupt break between chapter 6 and chapter 7. It does not seem to follow a continual flow.

Matthew is capturing in three chapters what is essentially hours of Jesus preaching to to crowd. I believe that the apostles develop a more robust theological stand as they write their letters to the churches having understood Jesus’ oratory teachings in its entirety, However,

We have some thematic connections here:

The Demand For Higher Righteousness (5:17-20)

Warnings Against Hypocrisy (6:1-18)

Warnings Against Judgmentalism (7:1-5)

The Use of Discernment (7:6)

Chapter 6 dealt with negative attitudes regarding your own business which is worry and chapter 7 deals with negative attitudes concerning other people which is judging.

Although Jesus has said some pretty strong things up to this point concerning righteousness. In the beginning of this chapter there is a strong emphasis in not becoming like the very people I am talking about.

Jesus states here do not judge. What does Jesus mean by this? This is a favorite saying of many especially the unbeliever in order to justify their sinful behaviors before others.

But we are to make judgement calls as it refers to people. Jesus called us to judge:

Matthew 7:15 (NASB95)

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

False prophets are people who claim to speak for God but do not.

People whose teaching does not conform to what Jesus taught.

People teach and practice a false understanding of God’s will.

You have to judge these and act accordingly.

But also we have a situation happening at the Corinthian church which the leadership there was not addressing properly. A man was engaging in a sexual relationship with his father’s wife

1 Corinthians 5:2–3 (NIV)

2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.

Jesus is not saying that we are not to discern between right and wrong in spiritual or moral matters. These judgments must be made.

The moral distinctions that appear in this very sermon show that decisive judgments must be made.

Jesus Himself commands:

John 7:24 (NIV)

24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

So what does Jesus mean when he commands not to judge and warns that if you do, the measure you use will be applied to you?

He is prohibiting the censorious, hypocritical, self-righteous, or other kinds of unfair judgments

An Exegetical Summary of Matthew 1–16 7:2

By not being forgiving and loving, the judgmental person testifies to his own arrogance and impenitence, and thus shuts himself out from God’s forgiveness

And so, God and other people will judge you by that same ridiculous standard.

Society as bad as it is will not tolerate a critical person who exempts himself from the standards to which he expects others to conform.

This is why, telling your children to do what you say and not what you do, does not work.

But more importantly is the judgment of God in such things as Jesus at this very moment through this very sermon is passing this very judgement upon the Pharisees.

The clause basically means this:

GOD WILL BE AS HARD ON YOU AS YOU ARE ON OTHERS

Matthew 7:3–5 (NIV)

The verb here is “to look at” Gr. blepō the present active indicative denoting a continuative force “why do you keep looking at”

Then he uses a small insignificant minor annoyance analogy “speck of dust” and compares it in hyperbole in true Jesus style sarcasm and irony with the plank, or log, or beam, it is basically a tree trunk in your eye.

The irony here is that once the log in your eye has been removed you will well find that there is no speck of dust in your brothers eye.

The point here is do not be like the Pharisees, they do this. The danger is to go from a permissive “we ignore sin because we do not want judge” to “we are overly critical and legalistic”.

An Exegetical Summary of The Sermon on the Mount 7:5

Jesus did not intend to forbid mutual discipline in which a brother would be restored in a spirit of gentleness. In fact, this addition encourages both self-discipline and mutual discipline [NTC]. After one’s own faults have been remedied, a person may turn to help with the shortcomings of another. There is the implication that being aware of one’s own faults will make a more charitable judgment of others

But then Jesus expresses some words that seem a bit disjointed from the passages we have been studying. But that is not the case

Matthew 7:6 (NIV)

6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

This is Jesus balancing the extremes. Dogs and pigs were considered unclean animals. They could not be made to act differently than what they were.

The command not to judge should be extended too far. Although they were not to be hypocrites, He also did not expect then to be endlessly patient such that they lose discernment.

In sacred matters, critical thinking must still be exercised.

They should attain a balance between being too severe in judgment and too lax in discernment. Avoiding haughty judgment shouldn’t lead to throwing sacred things to dogs.

giving consecrated bread to dogs

dogs and pigs ceremonially unclean

contrast between brother 7:3 and both jew and gentile who is obstinately unreceptive to spiritual truth.

John 10:24–26 (NIV)

24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

There is discrimination when it comes to the kingdom. None citizens are simply not allowed

2. Ask For What You Need

Matthew 7:7–12 (NIV)

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Present imperative aiteō ask, implies ongoing or continuous asking

perseverance in the asking

persistence in asking

Paul, 1 Thess 5 (pray without ceasing)

James 5:16 (the effectual fervent prayer)

Ask, seek, knock would have been recognized as metaphors for prayer

stones are everywhere in Israel

bread and fish were the most common foods

“You though evil” meaning all mankind (total depravity)

Good and not evil.. it would be cruel and evil to give your kind a stone and dangerous to give him a snake.

So (therefore) this is the culmination of what he started in 5:20

Your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees when thought, and in deed you treat others as you would want to be treated.

Provided that what you want from others is also righteous which becomes a problem too

The Eurythmics:

Sweet Dreams are made of this who am I to disagree? I travelled the world and the seven seas everybody is looking for something.

Some of them want to use you; some of them want to get used by you; some of them want to abuse you; some of them want to be abused

You are to do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but if what you would have others do to you is to use you and abuse you, what is it that you will do to other people?

This is an impossible situation if my righteousness that is from the inside out must surpass that of the Pharisees.

3. Use The Narrow Gate

Matthew 7:13–14 (NIV)

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The righteousness that Jesus demands is found only through the narrow gate. What is the narrow gate? The better question is Who is the narrow gate, the small gate, the narrow road?

Jesus is that gate and that road consider:

John 14:6 (NIV)

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The wide gate and the broad door is everything else

The narrow gate is by faith, only through Christ, constricted and precise. It represents true salvation in God’s way that leads to life eternal. The wide gate includes all religions of works and self-righteousness, with no single way (cf. Acts 4:12), but leads to hell, not heaven.

John F. MacArthur

Acts 4:12 refers to the passage that explains that salvation is found in no one else. There is no other name under heaven given to humanity by which they can be saved

There is only one way and that way is Jesus Christ transforming your heart from the inside and producing the only kind of righteousness that gives access to the kingdom. That is why He bids you to come to Him

Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

An echo of the first beatitude. Those who know they are sinful and in need of a Savior.

There is the assurance of safety and rest. But only through Jesus.

Salvation is by grace alone, but it is not easy. It calls for knowledge of the truth, repentance, submission to Christ as Lord and being willing to obey His Word.

This is the reason why proper true biblical teaching and preaching is essential. Many think that Muhammad of Buddha are false prophets and they are but many, many more are preaching and teaching a Jesus that is foreign to the Scriptures. And so we enter point 4.

4. Beware Of The False Prophets

Matthew 7:15–20 (NIV)

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

These people deceive the multitudes by impersonating true shepherds. They actually promote the wide gate and the wide way that Jesus is speaking against, and they do it in His Name

Sheep’s clothing refers to what shepherds wore. They wore wool attire from their sheep.

But they are actually ferocious wolves who are destroying the sheep. You can tell they are false by the fruit they produce. Bad doctrine cannot restrain the flesh.

Having you chase after selfish desires, you best life now…money cometh, name it and claim it… your own fleshly desires in the name of Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:5 (NIV)

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

Teaching and preaching a false understanding of God’s will and not in accord with how Jesus illuminates the Law and the Prophets.

Their teaching is destructive.

In Matt 23:13 Jesus accuses the Pharisees of not only keeping themselves out of the kingdom but blocking the way for others to enter.

In today’s world the false teacher goes around telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear.

Finally do not Be a Fake Disciple

5. Do Not Be A False Disciple

Matthew 7:21–23 (NIV)

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Faith without works is dead. But works that come from somewhere other that legitimate reliance on Jesus is birthed out of iniquity

The fact that these wanna be disciples whole confidence was in these works as spectacular as they may have appeared proved a lack of true faith and dependency in Jesus.

No one who lacks true faith can produce true good works… they only wear masks.