Transforming Faith: Lessons from the Pharisees

Summary

### Summary

Today, we delved into the lives and actions of the Pharisees as depicted in the Gospel of Matthew. The Pharisees were the religious leaders of their time, known for their strict adherence to the law and their outward displays of piety. However, Jesus often rebuked them for their hypocrisy and legalism. They created additional rules not found in the Old Testament and criticized Jesus and His disciples for not following these man-made regulations. Despite witnessing Jesus' miracles, they refused to believe in Him, attributing His works to demonic powers instead.

Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees reveal several key lessons for us. First, He emphasized the importance of inner transformation over outward religious acts. The Pharisees were more concerned with appearances and the praise of people than with genuine righteousness and a relationship with God. Jesus called them "brood of vipers" and "hypocrites," highlighting their deceitful nature and their role in leading others astray.

We also explored the concept of spiritual leadership and the dangers of blindly following leaders who do not practice what they preach. Jesus warned against imitating the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and stressed that our faith should be rooted in Him, not in human leaders. He also pointed out that true greatness in God's kingdom comes from humility and servanthood, not from seeking honor and recognition.

Furthermore, we discussed the importance of loving sinners while hating sin. Jesus associated with sinners to bring them to repentance, a stark contrast to the Pharisees who shunned them. This teaches us to extend grace and love to those who are lost, just as Jesus did.

Finally, we reflected on the Apostle Paul's transformation from a Pharisee to a follower of Christ. Paul, once zealous for the law, came to understand that righteousness comes through faith in Jesus, not through legalistic adherence to rules. His life serves as a powerful testimony that no one is beyond God's reach and that true transformation comes from a relationship with Christ.

### Key Takeaways

1. Inner Transformation Over Outward Acts: Jesus emphasized that true righteousness comes from a transformed heart, not merely from outward religious acts. The Pharisees focused on appearances and the praise of people, but Jesus called for genuine inner change. This teaches us that our faith should be rooted in a sincere relationship with God, not in external displays of piety. [03:38]

2. Beware of Hypocrisy in Leadership: Jesus warned against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who preached the law but did not practice it. He stressed that our faith should not be dependent on human leaders but on Christ Himself. This reminds us to discern and follow leaders who live out their teachings and to ensure our faith is grounded in Jesus. [12:51]

3. Humility and Servanthood: True greatness in God's kingdom comes from humility and servanthood, not from seeking honor and recognition. Jesus taught that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. This calls us to live for God's approval rather than the applause of people. [18:15]

4. Loving Sinners, Hating Sin: Jesus associated with sinners to bring them to repentance, unlike the Pharisees who shunned them. This teaches us to extend grace and love to those who are lost, while still hating the sin. We are called to follow Jesus' example in reaching out to sinners with compassion and truth. [32:59]

5. Transformation Through Faith in Christ: The Apostle Paul's transformation from a Pharisee to a follower of Christ illustrates that true righteousness comes through faith in Jesus, not through legalistic adherence to rules. Paul's life serves as a powerful testimony that no one is beyond God's reach and that true transformation comes from a relationship with Christ. [42:46]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[01:17] - Introduction: The Pharisees and a New Boss
[02:12] - Jesus Confronts the Pharisees
[03:38] - Pharisees' Man-Made Rules
[04:48] - Pharisees Plot Against Jesus
[06:24] - Pharisees Demand Signs
[07:51] - Jesus' Popularity and Pharisees' Jealousy
[09:40] - The Unbelief of the Pharisees
[11:13] - Lessons from the Pharisees
[12:51] - Hypocrisy in Leadership
[14:45] - Personal Responsibility in Faith
[16:42] - The Importance of Humility
[18:15] - Living for God's Approval
[19:40] - The Danger of Hypocrisy
[22:22] - Passion Without Relationship
[26:51] - Prioritizing the Spiritual Over the Physical
[29:44] - True Heart Condition
[31:23] - Inward vs. Outward Righteousness
[32:59] - Loving Sinners, Hating Sin
[34:37] - The Transformative Power of Faith
[39:40] - Reaching the Unreachable
[41:12] - Paul's Testimony and True Righteousness
[45:55] - Prayer and Evangelism

Study Guide

### Bible Reading
1. Matthew 12:2-14 - The Pharisees' legalism and Jesus' response.
2. Matthew 23:1-36 - Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees' hypocrisy.
3. Philippians 3:3-16 - Apostle Paul's transformation and emphasis on faith in Christ.

### Observation Questions
1. What were the Pharisees' main criticisms of Jesus and His disciples according to Matthew 12:2-14? ([03:38])
2. In Matthew 23:1-36, what specific behaviors of the Pharisees does Jesus condemn? ([11:13])
3. How does Apostle Paul describe his past life as a Pharisee in Philippians 3:3-16? ([42:46])
4. What does Jesus mean when He calls the Pharisees "brood of vipers" in Matthew 12:34? ([04:48])

### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think the Pharisees were so resistant to Jesus' teachings and miracles despite witnessing them firsthand? ([06:24])
2. How does Jesus' emphasis on inner transformation challenge the Pharisees' focus on outward religious acts? ([31:23])
3. What does Apostle Paul's transformation from a Pharisee to a follower of Christ teach us about the nature of true righteousness? ([42:46])
4. How can the Pharisees' behavior serve as a warning for modern-day spiritual leaders and believers? ([12:51])

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there areas where you might be focusing more on outward religious acts rather than inner transformation? How can you shift your focus? ([31:23])
2. Have you ever experienced or witnessed hypocrisy in spiritual leadership? How did it affect your faith, and how can you ensure your faith remains grounded in Christ? ([12:51])
3. Jesus taught that true greatness comes from humility and servanthood. What are some practical ways you can practice humility and servanthood in your daily life? ([18:15])
4. How can you extend grace and love to those who are lost, following Jesus' example of associating with sinners to bring them to repentance? ([32:59])
5. Apostle Paul's life shows that no one is beyond God's reach. Is there someone in your life who seems far from God? How can you pray for and reach out to them this week? ([42:46])
6. Jesus warned against living for the applause of people. Are there areas in your life where you seek human approval over God's approval? How can you change this? ([19:01])
7. How can you ensure that your passion for God is rooted in a genuine relationship with Him rather than just religious activities? ([26:12])

Devotional

Day 1: True Righteousness Comes from a Transformed Heart
Description: Jesus emphasized that true righteousness is not about outward religious acts but about a transformed heart. The Pharisees were known for their strict adherence to the law and their outward displays of piety, but Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy and legalism. They were more concerned with appearances and the praise of people than with genuine righteousness and a relationship with God. Jesus called them "brood of vipers" and "hypocrites," highlighting their deceitful nature and their role in leading others astray. This teaches us that our faith should be rooted in a sincere relationship with God, not in external displays of piety. [03:38]

Matthew 23:25-26 (ESV): "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean."

Reflection: Think about an area of your life where you may be focusing more on outward appearances than on inner transformation. How can you invite God to work on your heart in this area today?

Day 2: Discern and Follow Leaders Who Live Out Their Teachings
Description: Jesus warned against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who preached the law but did not practice it. He stressed that our faith should not be dependent on human leaders but on Christ Himself. The Pharisees created additional rules not found in the Old Testament and criticized Jesus and His disciples for not following these man-made regulations. Despite witnessing Jesus' miracles, they refused to believe in Him, attributing His works to demonic powers instead. This reminds us to discern and follow leaders who live out their teachings and to ensure our faith is grounded in Jesus. [12:51]

Matthew 23:2-3 (ESV): "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice."

Reflection: Reflect on the leaders you follow in your spiritual journey. Are they living out the teachings of Christ? How can you ensure that your faith is rooted in Jesus and not in human leaders?

Day 3: Humility and Servanthood in God's Kingdom
Description: True greatness in God's kingdom comes from humility and servanthood, not from seeking honor and recognition. Jesus taught that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. The Pharisees sought the praise of people and the best seats in the synagogues, but Jesus called for a different kind of greatness—one that is marked by humility and a servant's heart. This calls us to live for God's approval rather than the applause of people. [18:15]

Matthew 23:11-12 (ESV): "The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Reflection: Consider a situation where you have sought recognition or honor. How can you approach this situation with a heart of humility and servanthood instead?

Day 4: Extending Grace and Love to Sinners
Description: Jesus associated with sinners to bring them to repentance, unlike the Pharisees who shunned them. This teaches us to extend grace and love to those who are lost, while still hating the sin. Jesus' interactions with sinners were marked by compassion and a desire to lead them to repentance. This stands in stark contrast to the Pharisees, who were more concerned with maintaining their own perceived righteousness. We are called to follow Jesus' example in reaching out to sinners with compassion and truth. [32:59]

Luke 5:30-32 (ESV): "And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' And Jesus answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'"

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who may be struggling with sin. How can you extend grace and love to them while still standing firm in the truth of God's Word?

Day 5: Transformation Through Faith in Jesus
Description: The Apostle Paul's transformation from a Pharisee to a follower of Christ illustrates that true righteousness comes through faith in Jesus, not through legalistic adherence to rules. Paul, once zealous for the law, came to understand that righteousness comes through faith in Jesus. His life serves as a powerful testimony that no one is beyond God's reach and that true transformation comes from a relationship with Christ. This reminds us that our own transformation is rooted in faith and a personal relationship with Jesus. [42:46]

Philippians 3:7-9 (ESV): "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith."

Reflection: Reflect on your own journey of faith. How has your relationship with Jesus transformed your life? What steps can you take to deepen this relationship and experience further transformation?

Quotes

### Quotes for outreach

1. "So a lot of people think, oh, if it's easy, if the boss is easy and super kind, oh, that's the best thing. Not always. Not always. For many companies, many businesses, actually being strict is the best thing. Why? Because it makes sure that the products are being done and completed. And so a lot of the workers, they didn't understand that. So to them, it seemed like she was a bad boss." [02:12] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "And so the question we ask, we want to ask today for ourselves is, are we living for God or fame? Are we living for God or to receive some kind of praise from people? Oh, you did great today. And then tomorrow, these same people will tell you, oh, you did terrible, right? So are we living for the applause of the public or the applause of God? That is the question we want to ask today." [19:40] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "And so what can we learn from this? Is there something we can learn from this? Yes, we can learn their passion. They were passionate for God. They really were passionate for God. And that's a good thing. But first, that passion needs to come from the inside. So what Jesus is going after is he's saying, you guys don't have a relationship with God, a proper relationship with God. You try to do these things. That's not good." [25:35] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "And so the problem with the pharisees was that they tried to live for God, love God without a relationship with God. And that's what we should try to stay away from. They were prideful in their hearts. It is impossible to fulfill God's law, anything that God gives us without the Holy Spirit, without his help." [39:40] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "So apostle paul now that he's no longer a pharisee now he's a christian he says this i don't trust in my own flesh in my own ability in my own mind i only trust in what though i myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also if i were to talk about how i served god before being a christian this is it if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh i have more circumcised on the eighth days according to the law of the people of israel of the tribe of benjamin a hebrew of hebrew i'm a true israel light as to the law of pharisee as to zeal as to my passion i persecuted the church i'm the best pharisee out there as to righteousness under the law blameless remember we talked about there are 600 something laws in the old testament and then there's about 1300 if i remember correctly that pharisees created thousand something laws little tiny laws apostle paul says i made sure i did each one of these laws perfectly blameless no sin no sin no sin no sin no sin no sin no sin at all but whatever gain i had i count it as lost whatever i did in the past i count it as as lost for the sake of christ for jesus indeed i count everything as lost because of the surpassing worth of knowing christ jesus my lord knowing jesus is way better than all these things i did" [42:46] (89 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for members

1. "And so the lesson from that is that we should not stick to a preacher or pastor so much so that when if they fall we also fall with them our faith is not based on how they live okay our faith is based on Jesus Christ and the truth of the Bible all right why because when you get to the judgment seat of Jesus Christ and Jesus is judging the world right and you will not be able to say God I became a sinner because that pastor was a sinner I was going to that church and that pastor fell became sinful that's why I became sinful you cannot say that to Jesus God will judge each one of us according to our faith we are supposed to listen and follow pastors and spiritual leaders we're supposed to do that yes we're supposed to look at them and try to follow imitate them right but if they are found to be evil it should not influence your spiritual health it should not influence who you are okay" [12:51] (78 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "And so the question for us today is are we christians who are only outwardly christian or are we christians who are inwardly christian who are changed inside and we want to see god lifted high and glorified or are we just doing things so that people can praise us oh good job you're such a good christian which ones are we" [31:23] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "And the question for us today is do you love sinners and that's a big question i think for christians nowadays everywhere do you love sinners do you love sinners can you love sinners like jesus loved i'm not saying love sin sin is always wrong sin is always bad but do you love sinners" [32:59] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "And the question for us today is do you let god to speak to you you're doing wrong or you're doing good do you allow god to tell you you're wrong change do you let god to tell you that and i want to finish with this not everything is lost if we find ourselves actually someone like these pharisees we're not lost just as apostle paul who was persecuting the church he was changed there's an open invitation to all of us to become god's disciples there's no one beyond god's reach the kingdom of heaven is open to everyone" [37:52] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "So paul he's saying hey no one's beyond reach i was saved too and he was one of the best apostles but he says i don't put confidence i don't rely on my own works what i do is i just believe in jesus and day by day i put my faith in jesus only by the grace of god only by faith am i able to live this christian life so let us take time and pray together" [45:55] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?