Today’s Pharisee  

(Written on 05.14.2012)

I was going through the computer harddrive today, and I found this note I wrote back in May 2012.  I though I would share this with everyone.  I have left this one exactly as it was written then.  I know that I am convicted myself by reading this.  Please enjoy!!

-Kevin

So many times I see Christians say that they can do whatever they want, and be a Christen as well, that they are saved under grace, so that it no longer matters what they do, it’s covered by the Blood of Christ.   They will go watch that PG-13 (or R) movie with strong language, watch the sexually explicit TV shows, use speech that would earn them punishment if they were to talk to an authority person, and outwardly look like the rest of the world.  The sad thing, these ’Christians’ show up at church on Sunday, and praise God, like they are not doing anything different.  These people are Modern Day Pharisees

Jesus has the following words concerning the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23-28 

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.^{[f] 26} Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

1.       We can be Pharisee by how we give to God.

Let’s take a look at Verse 23 and 24.
 ²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

In Jesus’s time, the Pharisees were concerned with showing others that they gave their tithe to the temple.  They made sure that they were seen as servants of God, by tithing on their goods.  They were so focused on others seeing them perform the outward things, that they did this as a ritual, not as giving of a cheerful heart.  Many Christians give to God today, not because they have a cheerful heart, wanting to bless God with their gift, but because they feel like they have to give a gift to the church.  Many churches will guilt a attender to give to keep the church open, tugging at the person’s heart to give an emotional gift.  This type of gift is not honoring to God however. 

2 Corinthians 9:7 says: So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

We can see in Scripture that God does not want gifts from someone that is giving grudgingly, or out of necessity.  God wants us to give because we want to serve God with our tithes and offerings.  By focusing on this, they were placing a magnifying glass on this one area of serving God, while ignoring larger ways to honor God.  I’m not saying we should not tithe, or give offerings.  I’m saying that we need to give everything cheerfully.  I have given begrudgingly before, expecting God to honor the gift.  God did not honor my gift to Him, because I was not doing it cheerfully.  Other times I have given cheerfully, and God honored those gifts to Him.  God loves the heart of a cheerful giver.  Do not allow the TV preacher, the local preacher, or anyone else guilt you into giving to a particular ministry.  Pray to God, and ask Him where he wants you to plant the seeds of your tithe.  If a ministry is of God, He will meet their financial needs along with all other needs.  Do not allow yourself to be deceived.  If a churchis planted by God, then He will keep it open.

2.       We can become a Pharasee by having an outward appearance of Godliness, but be dead inside.

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.^{[f] 26} Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness

The Pharisees did a great job convincing others that they were doing well spiritually.  Someone who did not know a Pharisee very well, would see their outward actions, and think they were close to God.  However they were full of the works of the flesh.  Galatians 5:19-21 show those things:

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,^[c] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders,^[d] drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

            We can see the same thing today.  By looking at people who go to church on Sunday, we can think they are a ‘good Christian’ by how they talk, act, and look like a Christian. These modern Pharisees also believe that you have to read a particular Bible, worship a particular way, dress a certain way in order to be a Christian, and think someone is a heathen if they don’t pass their ‘spiritual’ tests. However the modern Pharisees fail the true test of being a Christian, the heart test.  Just because they can ‘go through the motions’ does not mean that they are a child of God.  Anyone who regularly practices the works of the flesh does not know God.  If you truly want to know someone is a Christian, look at their fruit.  If they are a Christian, their life will be showing the fruits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-25  ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

            My heart is to help my brethren to live out the Scripture above, to help encourage fellow Christians to produce spiritual fruit in their lives.  By producing the fruit, we can grow closer to Christ and live for Him wholeheartedly.