You Might Be A Pharisee

*8 WARNING SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT BE A PHARISEE IF..."

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I. YOU ARE OUTWARDLY CLEAN BUT INWARDLY UNCLEAN (V39-41)

a) IN OTHER WORDS YOU TALK A GOOD TALK BUT YOUR INSIDES ARE UNCLEAN

1. From the outside a Pharisee looks good, but inwardly they are corrupt.

2. PRIVATE SINS THAT GOD KNOWS ABOUT - wicked heart, critical spirit, lying spirit, rebellious

3. HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE FOOLED, Jesus says He doesn’t want anyone else to be like you.

b) A PHARISEE CHURCH PREACHES RIGHTEOUSNESS WHILE THE INSIDES ARE FILLED WITH CORRUPTION

1. Staff members living immoral lifestyles.

2. Tolerance of unrighteousness within the membership.

3. Laity sleeping around.

4. Members laying out boozing it up, stealing, lying.

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II. YOU ARE A TITHER BUT YOU IGNORE LOVE (JUSTICE) (V42)

a) TITHING IS A COMMAND, BUT IT DOESN’T END THERE (IF GOD LOVES YOU, ISN’T IT JUST THAT WE LOVE)

1. Matt 5:44 Love your enemies and pray for them

2. Matt 19:19 Love your neighbor as yourself

3. Matt 22:37 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind (you can tithe and not love God)

4. I Cor. 13:4 Love Is: Patient, Kind, Doesn’t Envy, Boast, Is Not Proud, Not Rude, Not Self Seeking, Not Easily Angered, Keeps No Record Of Wrong, Doesn’t Delight In Evil, Rejoiced With the Truth, Always

Trusts, Always Hopes, Always Perseveres, Love Never Fails

5. 1 Cor 16:14 Do everything in Love

6. 1 John 4:16 Whoever lives in Love lives in God

b) WITHOUT LEAVING THE FORMER UNDONE

1. In other Words it takes both.

2. Welfare Christians (AT LEAST PAY FOR WHAT YOU USE)

Pay for the air conditioning you and your family suck up. Pay for the portion of the lights you used to see your Bible today. Christians put down government welfare recipients while we welfare off of the church.

3. To keep from being a Pharisee give your tithe, but also love everybody, all the time.

ILL- A family left church one morning and before they left the parking lot the dad said, "boy that preacher preached a long time today." The mom replied, "and he can be so dry." The dad said, "the music was so loud." Mom replied, "and it was hot in there too." There little 7 year old son spoke up from the back seat and said, "yea, but you got to admit that for a $1 it wasn’t so bad."

c) A PHARISEE CHURCH HAS MONEY IN THE BANK BUT UNWILLING TO USE IT TO MINISTER

1. I know of several churches that have 100,000 in the bank and do nothing with it. Spend that money on ministry. Give it to a struggling church. Donate it too a needy mission. God’s not impressed with how much money the church has in the bank. He is more concerned about what you’re going to do with it.

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III. YOU CRAVE RECOGNITION, POPULARITY AND HONOR (V43)

a) NOTICE HOW THE PHARISEE DIRECTLY CONFLICTS WITH THE TEACHING OF JESUS

1. Matt 6:5 And when you pray do not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth they have received their reward in full.

2. Jesus taught that we should be humble.

3. THE PHARISEE WANTS TO BE SEEN, WANTS TO BE POPULAR, WANTS TO BE HONORED

4. Colossians 3:3 For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

5. It should not be our desire to be popular or bring ourselves Glory, BUT RATHER GOD

b) THE PHARISEE NOT ONLY PREACHES POPULARITY BUT RICHES

1. DON’T SET AROUND ALL DAY AND WATCH TBN

2. SO MUCH UNTRUE TEACHING - ONE IS THE DESIRE RICHES TEACHING

3. I see a man on TV with a $600 suit on, telling his audience that if they had enough faith God would make them rich. And that if they ain’t getting rich, then they aren’t in the will of God.

4. Matt. 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and were thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.

5. JESUS WASN’T RICH, HE WAS SO POOR HE WAS BURIED IN A BORROWED TOMB

6. Don’t you listen to a PHARISEE tell you to be rich when Jesus says crave heaven not earth.

c) A PHARISEE CHURCH IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK RATHER THAN GOD

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IV. YOU CLAIM RELIGION BUT MISLEADS OTHERS (V44)

a) SIN IS BAD ENOUGH, BUT LEADING OTHERS INTO SIN IS A WOE!

1. Luke 17:1 Jesus said to his disciples; "things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to the that person through whom they come. 2) It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.