Sunday 03/12/2017

Who Do You Say That I AM? A Journey with Jesus - Sermon 38 "The pharisees minded what God spoke, but not what He intended. They were busy in the outward work of the hand, but incurious of the affections and choice of the heart. So God was served in the letter, they did not much inquire into His purpose; and therefore they were curious to wash their hands, but cared not to purify their hearts." "The Pharisees broke Moses' tables into pieces, and, gathering up the fragments, took to themselves what part of duty they pleased, and left the rest alone." Luke 11:37-41 "A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself." - AW Tozer Pharisaic Problems 1. External righteous show 2. Greed Luke 11:42 3. Disregard for justice and righteousness 4. Hypocrisy They were so microscopically focused on what was right to them that they passed up what was right to God. Luke 11:43 5. Pride "My last. Some tears; yet I fear some like the messenger, not the message; and I fear I am so vain as to love that love. Lord, let it not be so. Perish my honor, but let thine be exalted forever." - McCheyen Prov. 1:5-7 Prov. 23:9 Luke 11:44 6. Self-righteous 7. Stumbling blocks Numbers 19:16 Luke 9:23-25 Luke 14:25-35 1 Cor. 6:19-20 Christian Characteristics 1. Internal righteousness (manifesting externally) 2. Sacrificial 3. Sincerity 4. Regard for justice and righteousness (obedience) 5. Humility 6. Humbleness 7. Stepping Stones When will Christ be enough for His own people? When will His program be more important than our own?