Fighting Pharisees
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Pharisees (Φαρισαῖος, Pharisaios). Members of a Jewish party that exercised strict piety according to Mosaic law. The Pharisees were a sect within early Judaism, becoming active around 150 bc and enduring as a distinct party until being subsumed into the Rabbinic movement around ad 135.
Introduction
Although the origin of the Pharisees is disputed (they may date as far back as the period of resettlement in Palestine following Babylonian exile), the group appears to have become the primary voice of Judaism following the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in ad 70. The Pharisees developed a tradition of strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, developing an extensive set of oral extensions of the law designed to maintain religious identity and purity.
The origin of the term “Pharisee” comes from the Aramaic word פרשׁ (prsh), which means “to separate,” “divide,” or “distinguish.”
This a battle of a mindset. It will become bondage if not curbed and dealt with quickly. it will cause you to be judgmental, critical, presumptuous, fault finding, arrogant,
The first mention and introduction.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
A family of venomous snakes.
Those of us who have been attending church for some time will eventually fight this mindset. The mindset of a Pharisee.
Judgmental, fault finding, Accusing, self-righteous,
A Pharisee spirit hates the word that gives life.
It thrives on control.
Despises God’s presence because they can’t control it.
Zeal for tradition. They value their traditions more than the life of God.
It determines the process that’s needed for redemption.
Will kill the prophet.
Pharisee spirit will judge people according to good and evil and whether they deserve the grace of God or not. The truth is none of us deserve his grace. It’s a free gift nothing that’s earned.
The Pharisees spirit is racist at heart. Their purity is not towards God but towards their national identity and traditions. It’s not about being pure of heart but being pure in their traditions and ideologies.
Jesus called them;
Blind guides Matt 23:16
Fools Matt 23:17
White washed tombs
White washed tombs
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
The religious leaders have the appearance of good, but without spiritual life in the inner man (27–28)
a. You are like whitewashed tombs: It was the custom of the Jews of that time to whitewash the tombs in the city of Jerusalem before Passover so that no one would touch one accidentally, thus making themselves ceremonially unclean. Jesus said these religious leaders were like these whitewashed tombs—pretty on the outside, but dead on the inside.
Serpents Matt 23:33
Vipers Matt 23:33
Unmarked Graves
Unmarked Graves
“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”
For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them: These religious leaders loved giving the impression that they were ever so spiritual, but they actually defiled everyone they came in contact with. Walking over a grave ceremonially defiled a Jewish person, even if they didn’t know it was there.
i. According to Numbers 19:16, everyone who touched a grave was ceremonially unclean for seven days. For this reason, the Jews sought to mark graves clearly, usually using whitewash, so everyone would know where they were and would avoid them.
Hypocrites - one who plays a part on the stage, actor
Hypocrites - one who plays a part on the stage, actor
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
You shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: The religious leaders kept people from the kingdom of heaven by making human traditions and human religious rules more important than God’s Word.
Redneck Jokes
Self evaluation. How do I know? The same way you know if your a Redneck.
If The dog catcher calls for a backup unit when visiting your house. you might be a Redneck.
If The dog catcher calls for a backup unit when visiting your house. you might be a Redneck.
If you prefer to continually notice the splinter in someone else’s eye rather the log in your own...you might be a Pharisee!
“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?
If you prefer car keys to Q-tips. you might be a redneck.
If you prefer car keys to Q-tips. you might be a redneck.
If your easily offended over someone’s social life; what they drink & where they’re at....
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
If your brother-in-law is also your uncle....
If your brother-in-law is also your uncle....
If you obsess over house rules more than God’s rules.....
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
Their tithing was meticulous and noteworthy; but hypocritical because it served to sooth the guilt of their neglect of the weightier matters of the law. It is both possible and common to be distracted with relatively trivial matters while a lost world perishes.
If You own a home that is mobile and 5 cars that aren't.....
If You own a home that is mobile and 5 cars that aren't.....
If your always looking to accuse someone about something....
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
The general rule of observance was not to do any work on the Sabbath that was not absolutely necessary—by “necessary,” meaning life-threatening. Such scrupulousness inevitably resulted in silly man-made rules in their attempt to cover every conceivable Sabbath question that could arise: For example, it was forbidden to set a dislocated foot or hand on the Sabbath, or to repair a fallen roof (though it could temporarily be propped up). If a building fell down on the Sabbath, enough rubble could be removed to discover if any victims were dead or alive; if alive, they could be rescued, but if dead, the corpses had to be left until sunset.
First was the rule of travel on the Sabbath. – Walking more than 1,999 paces, or about 800 meters, was considered a journey, something forbidden in the Law of Moses on the Sabbath. How they came up with exactly the number of paces is anybody’s guess.
Second, plucking a head of grain was considered the equivalent of reaping.
And finally, rubbing away the husk to eat it was the same as threshing.
If You think "loading the dishwasher" means getting your wife drunk.....
If You think "loading the dishwasher" means getting your wife drunk.....
If your place in church is a competition to you....
Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—
The Pharisee spirit is competitive. It will cause you to measure yourself against what others are doing rather than who God has called you to be and do. We should be encouraged by what others are doing but not threatened or condemned by it. Your energy will be spent on competition rather seeking God.
If You come home from the garbage dump with more than you went with.....
If You come home from the garbage dump with more than you went with.....
If you continually put Christ back on the cross forbidding him to give life.....
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’
“But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.
You’ll crucify people that Gods using to bring change.
He makes life funner although it’s not a word. It’s like joy unspeakable!
Here’s three steps to take for self-prevention.
When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
If Jesus is telling the disciple to watch out for the Pharisee yeast we too must do all we can to keep it out!
1. It’s about faith.
1. It’s about faith.
This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
2. It’s about understanding.
2. It’s about understanding.
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
3. It’s about remembering.
3. It’s about remembering.
Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”