If you have your Bible this morning,
turn back to the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 7. Ecclesiastes chapter
7. I'd like to read beginning with
verse 15 and read down through verse 18. Solomon, the wise preacher, says,
have I seen in the days of my vanity." In other words, I've
seen about everything there is, everything that could happen,
I've seen it. There is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness,
and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. Many mysteries connected with
life. Verse 16, Be not righteous over
much. neither make thyself overwise. Why shouldst thou destroy thyself? Be not overmuch wicked, neither
be thou foolish. Why shouldst thou die before
thy time? It is good that thou shouldst
take hold of this. It is good that thou shouldst
listen to what has been read and what shall be said today.
Yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand. For he that feareth
God shall come forth of them all. I trust the fear of the
Lord is upon all of our hearts. My text this morning is verse
16. Be not righteous over much. He says in verse 16, Be not righteous
over much. And then in verse 17, He said,
Be not over much wicked. Before we proceed any further,
I invite you to hold your finger there in the text and turn over
to the book of Luke chapter 18. And look at verse 9. The book
of Luke chapter 18 and verse 9. And the master spake this parable
unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous
and despised others. Two men went up into the temple
to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisees
stood and prayed thus with themselves, God, I thank Thee that I am not
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give
tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
I tell you, this man, this publican, went down to his house justified,
just as if he had never committed a sin, rather than the other
who thought himself to be righteous and despised others. For every one that exalteth himself
shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. I want you to keep that portion
of scripture in your mind as you're listening to our remarks
this morning on the subject of being not over much righteous. Certainly these words have to
do with how people think of themselves. Many, many people feel themselves
that they're righteous and they look down on other people. when
they have no real basis for believing that they are righteous. And
we will talk about that a little bit in a minute. Now these words
of Solomon may at first seem to be a little strange. Can you
imagine a writer in scripture saying, ìBe not overmuch righteous?î
Can you imagine that? We may wonder what is the scope
of such an expression as this, be not righteous over much. Is
there anything wrong with righteousness? Can a person be too good? Can
you do too much right? Is there anything wrong with
holiness? Now we realize that all Scripture
is given by the inspiration of God And he put in his proper
place, this text is for us. And it's up to us by the Spirit
of God to determine what it means. The Lord said, Be ye holy as
I am holy. Has any of us yet attained to
that level? of holiness? Has any of us walked
so closely to the Master, become so much like Him that we're in
danger of going overboard in being like the Lord Jesus Christ? Is any of us at that place? Would
it indeed be a fault if someone was so much like Jesus in their
conduct and in their walk and in their attitude, that people
on contact and acquaintance with them were immediately recognizing
it and saying, this person is a Christian. Now this person
is like the Lord Jesus Christ. That wouldn't be a fault, would
it? Certainly would not. Now the wonderful thing that
was observed about those followers of the Lord Jesus in the book
of Acts chapter 4 was in spite of the fact that they were considered
to be ignorant and unlearned men by the world's standards,
they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Jesus
had rubbed off on these men and they were like the Lord Jesus
Christ. The answer to these questions
should be very obvious. You cannot be too much like Jesus. Yet the scripture says in 1 John
2 verse 6, He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so
to walk, even as he walked. And is that not what we say?
Do we not say that we abide in Him? Then we ought to walk as
He walked. We cannot walk too close to the
Lord Jesus Christ. Nobody is in danger of going
overboard. in walking too close to Christ.
It would not be improper for us to so grow in grace and to
develop such Christian virtues that they were immediately observed
by others. There's nothing wrong with that.
And it certainly isn't improper. But it could be possible for
us to deceive ourselves and come to the conclusion and think that
we have reached that level that we were like the Lord Jesus Christ,
that we were very much like the Lord Jesus Christ, and still
be quite a distance from this goal. We might develop some ideas
and attitudes of our own that we would feel had scriptural
foundation, and yet when those ideas and attitudes were examined
by the Word of God, it might be that we would find that we're
quite a distance from the truth. that we have not yet arrived
to the truth. Now, denominations. We know that within the realms
of various groups and churches, societies and sects that profess
Christianity, look how vastly they're different. Well, start
with doctrine itself. What a broad difference going
from one denomination to another as far as doctrine is concerned. It is now a controversial issue
even among some conservative groups, some who consider themselves
to be fundamentalists, as to whether or not the scripture
is actually the inspired Word of God. There are these denominations
where, these very denominations where that this was never an
issue years ago. Never an issue. The Southern
Baptists 50, 60 years ago would have reacted with horror if some
esteemed minister of theirs questioned the inspiration of the Word of
God. Yet that question is brought up very frequently at their conventions
now as to whether or not the Bible is actually and really
the inspired Word of God. Now all these people in these
various denominations are sincere. They all think they're right.
Everyone thinks they're right. That their teaching makes men
most like the Lord Jesus Christ. Our formula is the right formula. They all believe that. They all
believe it is possible to be deceived, for some to be deceived,
for others to be deceived, but not them. It is not possible,
we cannot be deceived. Now when Jesus said to his disciples,
one of you shall betray me, they did not all point to Judas and
say, we thought so. No, the scripture said they were
exceedingly sorrowful, and they said, Lord is it I? Is it I? So beloved, we ought to have
the idea that You know that be not righteous over much. Think
that we've got the only word and that wisdom is going to die
with us. There is a world of difference
in doctrine, especially on how God saves the sinner among the
various denominations of this world. Everybody thinks grace
is mixed up with us somewhere. that somewhere along the line,
grace enters into it. Some 25% grace, some 50%, some
75%, and some 95%, and we hold that it s all of grace. That it s all of grace. That
s what we hold to around here. For by grace are you saved, the
scripture says. We read in the book of Ephesians
chapter 2 Paul elaborated on this, that it's by grace through
faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. And then in
1 Timothy, Paul said, Who has saved us and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His
own purpose and grace, which was given us before the world
began, not by works of righteousness which we have done, But according
to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and
the renewal brought about by the Holy Ghost. In 2 Corinthians
5 and 17, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things become new. And verse 18 says, And all things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation. Sounds like
it's all of God. But all things are of God, all
things pertaining to the new creation. It's all of God. 1 Corinthians 1.30 But of him
are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that according
as it is written, He that glorieth Let him glory in the Lord. Salvation
is of the Lord from the beginning to the end. And we must believe
that salvation is altogether of grace. Altogether of grace. How could we be saved any other
way? Sounds like the scripture is clear on it. It's all of grace. Few believe this, and beloved,
somebody's wrong. There are few people that believe
that 100% salvation is by the free grace of God. That's got
nothing to do with what you do. It's got everything to do with
what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. And that salvation is His
work from the beginning to the end. It's not a human project.
It's a divine project. Has Christ saved you? Are you
saved by Him? It's Him. Christ is salvation. And if you have Him, if you're
in union with Him, you're saved. And if you're not in union with
Him, then you're not saved. Sounds like it's all of grace.
Have you ever took a position on the Scripture and found out
later that you were wrong? It is possible, my friend, to
be wrong. It's possible to be deceived.
The scripture talks about it all the way through, that you
can be deceived. Somebody said, well, I just believe
what my grandfather believed. Well, you better be careful believing
what your grandfather believed. I hope he believed the right
thing. Salvation is by grace regardless of whatever your grandfather
believed, or your grandmother, or your mother, or your father.
Now, I'm not saying that we ought not be bold and assertive, But
we are not to be presumptuous either, thinking we have the
last word and that wisdom, as we said, will die with us. We
must be careful about being presumptuous. Now, a man is not presumptuous
if he's got a clear statement of Scripture, Thus saith the
Lord. Thus saith the Lord. And we can be bold and assertive
when it comes to teaching that salvation is by grace. But as
to our own relationship to God, there are some people that may
feel that they are righteous in themselves. And they have
the idea that God is somewhere or another going to welcome them
into heaven because they haven't been like other people or they
haven't sinned like other people have sinned. But beloved, that
is presumption for you to believe that you're going to enter heaven
on your own works and your own righteousness based on what you've
done while you've been here in the world. No, beloved, we're
going to heaven if we know the Lord Jesus Christ. There's only
one way to heaven the scripture says, not John the Baptist. But there's one way to heaven.
And the Bible says that he is the way, the truth, and the life.
No man cometh unto the Father except by him. That's what the
Bible says. The Bible says this plainly.
Jesus said, I am the door. By Me, if any man enter in, he
shall be saved, shall go in and out and find pasture. Jesus said,
I'm the way. It's Christ in you that is the
hope of glory. And we need to understand that.
And if we're counting on anything else, God help us. God help us. If we're depending on anything
else, we're lost. And we're headed for a devil's
hell. And we need to wake up to the realization that salvation
is in a person, and that person is the Son of God, the Redeemer,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, also, that we're contending
for what is right as far as doctrine and moral principles are concerned.
We're contending for what is right. And we have the attitude
that Christ had. We're like Jesus. But then later we might discover
that our attitude is different from His dramatically. There
are some people who think that their attitude is exactly like
the Lord Jesus. And then they discover that it's
not like that. There's no question that we as
God's people should live righteously and hate iniquity in the world.
Where in the Scripture is sin justified or iniquity excused? Human nature is such that we're
always looking for an excuse. That started in the Garden of
Eden, you know. You know that Adam didn't own
up to his own sin immediately. He blamed it on God for giving
him the woman, and the woman for giving him the fruit. Did
Eve make a clean confession? No, she said the serpent did
it. How many times have we done this? Many people go to the psychiatrist
to be told weekly that it's really not their fault, but somebody
else's fault. That they're in the mess they're
in. That they have got all the problems and the difficulties.
And the most common idea is that it all has to do with our parents. It hasn't really got anything
to do with us. Or it's our environment, don't
you see? It really doesn't have anything
to do with our old wicked nature. And people are deceived on these
things. God holds us responsible for
our actions. Sin, the Bible says, is the transgression
of the law. Sin is sin and is to be avoided
and abhorred by God's people. Well, what was the attitude,
the real attitude of Christ towards sinners? I think if we are going
to understand this message, we must come to see that Jesus was
right, and His attitude toward sinners was the right attitude.
Now turn to John chapter 8, if you will. John chapter 8, there's
a few verses here I'd like to read to you, share with you a
story here. John chapter 8. Find out whether
or not your attitude is the attitude that Jesus had. John 8, beginning
with verse 3. And the scribes and the Pharisees
brought unto him a woman taken in adultery. And when they had
set her in the midst, they said unto him, Master, this woman
was taken in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law
commanded us that such should be stoned. But what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him
that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down,
and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard
them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself,
and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him
first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and
he wrote on the ground. And they which heard, being convicted
by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at
the eldest, even unto the last. And Jesus was left alone, and
the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself,
and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are
those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? And
she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither
do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. It was the Pharisees that brought
this woman to the Lord Jesus Christ and accused her of the
sin of adultery. That they were ready to take
her life right there on the spot. Now they might have said, and
this is what they were saying, I believe, that we're opposed
to sin. We're opposed to it. We're opposed
to that which is not right. And we're going to see that justice
is done in this case. We're going to see to it that
justice is meted out and that justice is done. And this woman, she is to be
executed because this is what the law requires. Now, beloved,
you can always count on a Pharisee to demand what the law requires. because they are professed law-keeping
people, and what the law requires is what they're going to demand.
Think about it a little bit. If you decided that you have
the attitude about righteousness and sin that Jesus had, that
you have the attitude about sinners that Jesus had, what would have
been your approach here at this time in this situation? What
would you have done? What would you have said? Where
would you have stood? Now, he wrote something in the
sand. I don't know what he wrote in the sand, but he wrote something
in the sand. But he was listening all the
time to what was going on, and he had made the statement. He
said, now, if there be one here that is without sin, let him
cast the first stone. And their conscience got the
best of them, and so they had to turn and walk away, the Bible
says, from the greatest to the least. They had to walk away
and leave the situation in the hands of the master. What would
have been your approach? Would you have demanded that
what the law said be fulfilled? And that this woman be stoned
on the spot? Would you have demanded that?
What would be your approach? Now, beloved, the Lord Jesus
said to this woman when He asked, Where are thine accusers? And
she said, No man, Lord, there's none here. They've all left.
They all come to realize through your preaching that they all
were sinners, wicked in heart, and that they all had the old
Adam nature stamped on them, and that they're all wicked sinners
by nature and choice and practice, and so they all left us to ourselves. And Jesus said, No man condemns
thee. No. And He says, Neither do I
condemn you. Go and sin no more. Now, I wondered
what your attitude would be. Now, he did not justify her sin. He did not. The Lord Jesus Christ,
you can't find it in this passage that he justified this woman. What he did was he condemned
those who thought they were righteous and justified themselves and
despised others and looked down on others. That's what he was
doing. He did the very thing. Scripture says, Be not righteous
over much. And that's exactly what the Lord
Jesus Christ... These people thought they were
righteous, but they were not really righteous. So He did not
justify her sin. He did not say that adultery
and fornication is alright. The Word will tell you that.
He did not say that. The Lord Jesus did not teach
that. God said in Hebrews 13 verse
4, Marriage is honorable and all, and the bed undefiled, but
whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. That's what the Bible
says. What was Jesus' attitude? His
attitude was, Go and sin no more. Go and sin no more. And I ask you again, what would
your attitude have been? in this matter. You say, well,
I'd stood for the word of God. I'd have stood for the law. I would have stood for what I
believe was right. Well, but we're talking about
whether or not our attitude is like the Lord Jesus or not. That's
the question. Now I want to say at this time
that I thank God for the fellowship of the New Covenant Baptist Church,
and I thank God for the people here, and for your attitudes,
and for your understanding of human depravity, human nature,
and that you have an understanding of your own heart and mind. Most
of you do. Your own nature. You understand
something about the warfare going on between the two natures in
a Christian. You understand these things.
And your approach here to handling matters that have to do with
the lives of your brethren and sisters in Christ, I admire you
very much. Rejoice at your attitude, because
I think your attitude is like the attitude of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Can you condemn the sin and love
the sinner? That's often been the question.
Can you condemn the sin and love the sinner? Well, that's what
the Lord Jesus did. Most of us have a lot of trouble
with this. Somewhere along the line, it's
going to cross your path, and you're going to have to ask yourself
the question, is my attitude really that of the Lord Jesus
Christ? Now, some of this may date back
to our childhood. Though it doesn't excuse us,
of course. When we were corrected, we got the idea that they not
only didn't approve of what we did, but that they also didn't
approve of us either. Just get out of my way. And this
is hard for a child to take. And we need to put this in the
proper place and perspective. When parents discipline a child,
punish a child, they do not do it because they reject the child,
disapprove of the child, and don't love the child, but because
they disapprove of the conduct of the child. And they need to
get that message across somewhere or another in their discipline. They need to make sure that that
child didn't come up with the idea that their parent's attitude
is, I can't stand you, get out of my sight, I don't want anything
to do with you. Now, we don't quit loving our
children even when they mess up, do we? No, we don't. Does God quit loving His children
when they mess up? Well, if He does, what is your
status this morning? Where are you? Where's your situation? How do you measure up? Has the Lord cast you away? Well, we know the Scripture says
that that He's given us eternal life, and we shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck us out of His hand, and certainly we cannot be plucked
out of His hand. We belong to Him, and having
loved His own which are in the world, He loved them unto the
end. Now God will put the rod on the
backs of His children, But it's out of love. Scripture says,
Whom the Lord loveth, He chastens. And He chastens whom He loves. And God does that and corrects
His children. But He doesn't leave us with
the attitude that He's cast us away. Or that He has ceased to
have anything to do with us and the relationship is over. No,
no, no. The Bible says that if we confess
our sin, He's faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And if we say we've not sinned,
we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. Be not righteous
over much, then concerning our attitude toward others. I'd like
for you to turn to Matthew chapter 7. If you would, and I'd like to
share a few verses here with you. Matthew chapter 7, the Lord Jesus
said, Judge not that you be not judged. For with what judgment
you judge, you shall be judged. And with what measure you meet,
it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the molt
that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam
that is in thine own eye? Shalt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the molt out of thine eye, and behold, a beam
is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out
the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly
to cast out the molt out of thy brother's eye. plain teaching
of our Lord. We may decide that with our righteous
indignation, and with our righteous point of view, with our over-righteous
stance on things, that we're able to look into the lives of
other people and judge what they're doing that they shouldn't do,
what they're thinking that they shouldn't think. And beloved,
this is a grave mistake. A grave mistake. We become very
critical of others, and we're trying to get the molt out of
their eye, When we have a beam or a rafter in our own eye, we're
trying to get a splinter out of their eye. And we've got a
rafter in our own eye. We've got a great sin or fault
in our own life, and we meticulously try to take the moat, little
fault, out of other people's eye. And our Lord condemned this. That, my friend, is being righteous
over much. when we're busy trying to straighten
everybody out, when we've gotten the idea that we're so much on
the track of truth, and our lives are so much in order, and that
we're the pattern that everybody else ought to conform to. The
way we think and the way we do is to be imitated by all. When
we get that kind of an attitude, then my friend, we're in trouble.
Now I'm not leaving room for compromise here when it comes
to the moral principles of God's Word. There could be no question
about these things, but I'm talking about being righteous over much
like the Pharisees were, who justified themselves and despised
others. Let me ask, who really was righteous? Jesus or the Pharisees? That's an easy question, isn't
it? Who was righteous? I'm sure that you would answer
correctly that it was the Lord Jesus himself. Jesus was actually
righteous and the Pharisees thought they were. Well, what did the Pharisees
think of Jesus? Well, they said he was a wine-bibber
and a gluttonous man. That's what they said about him.
They were glad to circumvent the law, add to the law, add
to it, improve, and impose great and heavy burdens on others.
But when Jesus turned the water into wine, they said he's a wine-bibber,
and they couldn't handle it. They couldn't cope with that,
that the Lord Jesus Christ would turn water into wine and provide
it for the guest at a wedding. Well, it's because they had a
very narrow view of things, that things must be according to our
standards, not necessarily according to God's standards, but theirs,
what they added to God's standards. They thought that's the way it's
got to be. It is so easy. All must think
like we do. All must conform to our standard. Now, beloved, we're headed for
a fall. This can have a boomerang effect.
And if we turn out to be legalists, we'll fall apart nine times out
of ten before we get out of this world because we've set standards
that we cannot even live up to ourselves. Sometimes the person
who will go the furthest away from God and the furthest away
from the church and the truth is the person that has been the
most self-righteous religionist that ever walked down the road.
That individual will sometime or other in their lifetime turn
away and go away. That Pharisee who said, I thank
God I'm not like other men. He was the best candidate for
a fall. We're all cut out of the same
piece of cloth. Every one of us. And the seed
of every sin is in you. That's in anybody else. You're
just as capable of falling and committing sin as anyone else. Just as capable. Thought he was
on better footing with God, was more righteous. Had more to commend
him to God. Because he had, you know, he
was not like other men. And he didn't do things, and
he did some things. But anytime you meet someone
who thinks that their standard of spirituality, if everybody's
not spiritual like I am, that they're the standard, And if
everybody's not spiritual like I am, and if everybody don't
have the deep inside in things like I have, if your thinking
is not like mine is, that person is walking on dangerous ground.
If you think you stand, you're ready for a fall, my friend.
That is being righteous over much. I've seen those who were
trying to convince others of how spiritual and deeply committed
they were that fell into the trap of Pharisee-ism. They were constantly talking
about how late they stood up or stayed up at night, how they
prayed all night without sleep. They looked like they'd been
run over with a truck because they had been up and been at
an all-night prayer vigil. And they just had to let you
know about it. Well, you know, the Word of God is against that.
The Scripture talks about those who fasted needs to appear as
if they were not fasting. And that when you give your alms,
don't let one hand know what the other hand's doing. You're
to be very careful about that. They wanted everybody to know
what they were doing. And beloved, is that not Phariseeism? They prayed on the street corner,
you know. Made pretense. They were pretending. They were
praying because they wanted the applause of men. And when they
got that, they got all they're going to get. That's it. That's
all of it. Scripture said you go into your
closet and pray. Go in and shut yourself into
the closet and pray. And your Heavenly Father which
seeth in secret, will what? Reward you openly. Might we say that any time we're
trying to impress somebody, We don't sit down and think this
through like we ought to, beloved. This is the deceitfulness of
the wicked heart when we're trying to impress somebody with our
religiosity, with how straight and narrow we are by what we
do and don't do. We just got to let everybody
know. Everybody's got to know that we're the standard. This is the deceitfulness of
the wicked heart. We don't sit down and say, I'm
a Pharisee. Satan doesn't help convince any
man that he's a Pharisee. He will not help you. He'll just
let you go on and be one. He instills in our minds that
your insides are a little deeper than anybody else. That you're
a hyper-Christian. and that you're not just an ordinary
washed-in-the-blood child of God, sins atoned for and put
away. You're a super, super Christian,
and you've got insight that everybody else don't have. You're a little
deeper than everybody else. We look around us and say, my,
these people are carnal and worldly that I know, in the church. I'm deep. And that judgmental
attitude sets in. And if ever a kind thing is said
about anybody, you always come up with but. Something's wrong with them.
They're not what they ought to be. It's just some way to cut
down the other person. Judging. Judging. Now, I realize
this does not thrive under sovereign grace preaching like it does
in other places, but don't you ever get the idea that there's
not Pharisees in the Calvinistic church. Don't ever get the idea,
because there's plenty of them. Deiotrophes loved to have the
preeminence, and he still loves to have the preeminence. Every one of us needs to do a
little soul searching to find to what degree the Spirit of
the Pharisee is in us. Every one of us. To see whether
we have set an unrealistic standard. Now I'm not talking about the
Lord and the standard of the Word of God. The Pharisee had
their own standard and tradition. Justified their faults, condemned
others, including the only perfect man that ever lived, the Son
of God Himself. He healed on the Sabbath, and
instead of them being glad, They did what? Condemned him. He plucked
grain as he went through the field of grain on the Sabbath
day and they condemned him. Pride and self-righteousness
condemning the only man, the only perfect man that ever lived
in this world. Be not righteous over much, brother.
Be not righteous over much. Now in things that is morally
condemned in the word of God, there is no question about that.
But when it comes to individual application of where you should
go and what you should do, it is not a matter for the preacher
to make that decision. It requires prayer on your own
part, seeking out the will of God for yourselves. That while
you are in this world and not a part of it, but you are living
in such a way that your testimony shines light And instead of people
being irritated with you because of your manner and attitude and
your ridiculous observed positions, which you cannot substantiate
anyway, that if you're going to be persecuted, let it be for
righteousness sake and not because you're a pain in the neck. There is a difference. Be not
righteous over much, brethren. You cannot go too far in being
like Christ, but you can easily be an extremist in thinking you
are like Christ. It is not easy to be on the right
track. It's not easy to keep your mind
and heart right, and free attitude to be right toward people around
you. It takes prayer. It takes knowing
yourself, really, being honest with yourself. Being real with
yourself. Knowing your own self. Now beloved,
I don't want to be ungodly. I don't want to be wicked over
much. But I don't want to be over-righteous
either. I don't want to be a Pharisee.
I don't want to be a Pharisee. I want to have the same spirit
of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't want to be a Pharisee.
I hate Phariseeism. Just think, if you will, of the
elder brother of the prodigal son, how unforgiving he was. He was a Pharisee. The prophet
Jonas, you remember what his attitude was? Quit them sinners,
Lord. Just do away with them. I'm not going down there and
preach to them sinners. Just take care of them. Deal with them. Well, are we
glad over sinners who repent? Are we glad? Are we glad? We never get through learning,
do we? Now there's something I want
to share with you before we close here, and we're just about done.
I want you to turn to the book of Matthew. When we were talking about our attitude, the proper attitude
about I thought of these verses in Matthew chapter 25. And in
verse 41, Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart
from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil.
and his angels. For I was a hungred, and you
gave me no meat. I was thirst, and you gave me
no drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in. Naked, and
you clothed me not. Sick and in prison, and you visited
me not. Then shall they also answer him,
saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, or a thirst, or a
stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister
unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying,
Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the
least of these, ye did it not to me. Now if you were to look
back at verse 33, you would find that our Lord commends His people
and those that were faithful with exactly the opposite words. And this is very important to
see. Then shall the king say in verse 34 unto them on his
right hand, Come, you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred,
and you gave me meat. I was thirst, and you gave me
drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. Naked, and you
clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me.
I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the righteous
answer him. Now you listen to this. Then
shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when? saw we thee
a-hungered, and fed thee, or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and
clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or
in prison, and came unto thee? And the king shall answer and
say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done
it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me. But I want you to see here that
the righteous Hadn't kept any records. They said, when Lord,
saw we thee a-hungered, fed thee a-thirsty. They hadn't kept no
records. They couldn't call somebody and say, you know I told you
about how I gave something to so and so one time. No, no, no,
that was all, wasn't in their mind. Wasn't in their mind at
all. What the righteous do, They do
it before God, and they do it as unto the Lord. And they don't
keep books. No, no, the Lord does. The Lord
keeps books. But what I'm trying to say is,
Phariseeism, this is one of the, I think a very good verse against
it. That you see nothing of Phariseeism
here. Lord, when did we do all these
things? And Jesus said, well, Inasmuch
as you've done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
you've done it unto me. So all the time you were living
and serving and giving out of your hand to others that were
in need and doing those things that were becoming to a believer
in this world, you were doing it to me. You were actually serving
me and glorifying me. And brethren, I've seen some,
like Solomon said, He said in the days of his vanity, he'd
seen a lot of things. I saw a lot of things too in
my time. I've seen people make a show
about everything they do. And I so praise God for this
church. You don't have it here. People
here, they give. We've been asked numerous times,
why don't you pass a collection plate? We don't need to pass
no collection plate. Why we need to do that? God's
people always give, they give. God's people are their giving
people. You don't have to mention it every week. God's people are
a giving people. And this little group here, my
soul, they would put a lot of groups to shame with what is
going around here. But we don't make no show of
it. We don't believe you ought to be making a show of it. We
believe that you just ought to do what you do before the Lord.
And honor the Lord in your heart by being faithful to Him. And
we believe that God's children, that they love each other and
that they will look after each other. I do hope that this has
shed a little light on an unusual text. Be not righteous over much. I don't think any of you get
the wrong attitude and go out here and say the preacher thinks
you can be too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. I don't
think you're going to go out here with that attitude, because
I think we try to deal with it as lovingly and graciously and
clearly as we're able at our age. There were times when I'm
sure that we could have maybe done a little better than this
morning, but I hope that God alone what was said. The Lord
bless you.