The Religion of the Scribes & Pharisees

Q: What does the Bible say about righteousness?

The Bible teaches that true righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). In Matthew 5:20, Jesus highlights the insufficiency of the holiness practiced by the scribes and Pharisees, implying that their righteousness was merely external and hypocritical. True righteousness is not based on outward compliance or personal merit but on the imputed righteousness of Christ through faith. This righteousness is essential for anyone wishing to enter the kingdom of heaven, as it reveals the need for a supernatural transformation that can only come from genuine faith in Christ.

Q: How do we know hypocrisy is a serious issue in Christianity?

Hypocrisy is condemned by Jesus as it leads to self-deception and a false sense of righteousness (Matthew 23:13). Jesus consistently denounced the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, referring to them as 'blind guides' and 'hypocrites' who draw near with their lips while their hearts remain far from Him (Matthew 15:8). This mindset leads to self-justification and a false understanding of righteousness, resulting in spiritual blindness. Hypocrisy denies the need for repentance and the transformative power of grace, ultimately placing individuals at odds with God's revealed truth. A true believer recognizes their need for humility and grace, steering clear of such hypocrisy.

Q: Why is humility important for Christians?

Humility is essential as it acknowledges our sinfulness and reliance on God's grace (Luke 18:14). Jesus taught that those who exalt themselves, like the Pharisee, will be humbled, while those who humble themselves will be exalted (Luke 18:14). True humility involves recognizing our sinful nature and our total dependence upon Christ for righteousness. By admitting our faults and shortcomings, we allow God's grace to work in our lives, enabling us to experience real transformation. Humility fosters a genuine love and compassion for others, as we understand our position before God and the grace we have received, which in turn compels us to extend that grace to others.

Q: What is the difference between Pharisaical religion and the gospel?

Pharisaical religion is characterized by hypocrisy and self-righteousness, while the gospel emphasizes grace and the need for true repentance (Matthew 5:20). The religion of the Pharisees focuses on outward appearances, ritualistic practices, and a superficial understanding of righteousness that leads to condemnation (Matthew 23:4). In contrast, the gospel reveals the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice and the necessity of relying on His righteousness. The gospel invites believers to recognize their sinfulness and embrace the grace offered through faith in Christ, which results in true righteousness before God. Where Pharisaical religion results in self-justification and spiritual pride, the gospel leads to humility, genuine worship, and ultimate acceptance before God.

Q: How should believers approach sin?

Believers should recognize their sinfulness and rely solely on Christ's righteousness for forgiveness and justification (Romans 3:23-24). In the eyes of God, all have sinned and fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23), underscoring the need for a savior. Believers are called to confess their sins, acknowledging their inherent need for grace. Unlike the Pharisees, who cloaked their shortcomings with self-righteousness, true Christians understand that they must continually look to Christ for cleansing and redemption. This acknowledgment leads to genuine repentance, allowing believers to rest in the assurance that Christ's righteousness covers their sin, thereby transforming their hearts and lives (Romans 3:24).

Would you turn with me back to
Matthew chapter 5? Shirley Roseboom has gone back
to South Dakota. Her mom is in the hospital, so
everybody remember them. Matthew chapter 5, verse 20. For I say unto you, that except
your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and the Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom
of heaven." Now, what inspired this message is I was looking
at this verse and I'd never noticed before where righteousness is
in italics. The translators put it there
in order to make it Makes sense, and I guess in some respects
it does. I can see why they would do that, but I think it's interesting
that the Lord does not use the word righteousness when he refers
to the scribes and the Pharisees. The religion of the scribes and
the Pharisees. What would the New Testament
be without the scribes and the Pharisees? Most of the Gospels,
most of the Gospels is the Lord's dialogue with the scribes and
Pharisees. And the scribes and Pharisees
are not merely from the New Testament times. They're very alive today.
You don't have to look very far to find one. Let me tell you
two places you can always find a scribe and Pharisee, two places.
One, look within your own heart. That's the first place. And the
second place is that person sitting beside you. That's where you'll
always find a scribe and a Pharisee. This is the religion of the natural
man. I don't care if you're a Baptist
or a Buddhist. I don't care if you're an atheist or a Methodist
or a Catholic or whatever you are. That's the religion of the
natural man, that of the scribes and the Pharisees. The scribes
were the interpreters of the law. The Pharisees were the enforcers
of the law. You've read of the Sadducees
and the Pharisees. They were the fundamentalists
and liberals of those days. The Sadducees sought to allow
Greek or Hellenistic influences into the Jewish religion and
the Jewish culture. And the Pharisees were opposed
to that. They wanted to keep things pure. The word Pharisee
means separated one. And Brother Bob already preached
my message when he read that passage of scripture, because
that's the next thing I'm going to. I'm glad you did. We're going
to look at it again. This is the doctrine of the scribes and
the Pharisees. Turn back to Luke chapter 18. And he spake this parable unto
certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous. If you have any personal righteousness,
any, you're of the religion of the Pharisees. He spake this
parable to certain which trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and here's what always goes along with it, they despised
others. They looked down their nose at
others. A Pharisee can always find somebody
that he's better than. Verse two, two men went up into
the temple to pray. The one a Pharisee, a separated
one, and the other, a publican. The Pharisee stood, and he prayed
thus with himself. I know he thought he was praying
to God, but our Lord lets us know that God does not hear the
prayer of the Pharisee. He was praying thus with himself. God, I thank thee. He gives God the credit. For
what? that I am not as other men are. The religion of the Pharisee
is that of comparison. I'm comparing myself to you. And I can always find somebody
that I feel like I can look a little bit better than. That's the religion
of the Pharisee. I thank thee that I'm not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. I fast twice in the week, and
I give tithes of all that I possess." Now, what is conspicuously absent
from his prayer? No confession of sin, no need
of mercy, no need of grace. He didn't thank Him for Christ.
He didn't thank Him for the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
just thanked Him for all the things that He was, and He gave
God the credit. Let me ask you a question. Do you get any assurance before
God from the way you are? Any at all? As God is my witness, I get no
assurance from the way I am. My assurance comes from Him,
the Lord Jesus. His righteousness being my righteousness
before God. His precious blood having the
power to wash away all my sin. His intercession representing
me before God. When you were reading that passage
of scripture, let's go on reading. And the publican, and I was right
there with him. And the publican standing afar
off. He wouldn't come near. He would
not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smoked upon
his breast. That's where his problem was,
his heart saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I wonder if
the public had heard that prayer. Or I wonder if the Pharisee heard
that prayer and thought, yeah, that's what he is. That's the way you
ought to be praying. I can see that. Look what our Lord said. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified, without guilt, without sin, perfectly
righteous before God. Rather than the other, for everyone
that exalts himself shall be abased. And he that humbles himself
shall be exalted. Now that's the doctrine, that's
the theology of the Pharisee. Now the first time we hear of
the Pharisees is when they come to John the Baptist to be baptized. And I like the way the Lord spoke
to him. He said, I mean, the way John the Baptist spoke to
him, he said, you generation of vipers, who has warned you
to flee from the wrath to come? Paul called himself a Pharisee
of the Pharisees. He said, it was the straightest
sect of our religion. And he said, as touching the
law, I was a Pharisee. And it's very interesting that
the Lord saved the chief of Pharisees to make him an expounder of the
gospel in it. Aren't you thankful the Lord
saves Pharisees? If he didn't save Pharisees,
it means you wouldn't be saved. You can write that down. Now,
turn with me to Luke chapter 12. Here's the very core of the
religion of the scribes and the Pharisees. Luke chapter 12. In the meantime, when they were
gathered together, an innumerable multitude of people, gathered
together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they
trod one upon another, he began saying to his disciples, first
of all, beware ye. of the leaven of the Pharisees,
which is hypocrisy. Now here is the very core and
being of the religion of the scribes and the Pharisees. It
is hypocrisy. You know what hypocrisy is? It's
acting. It's acting. That's all it means.
The movie stars back then were called hypocrites. They were
stage actors. It's acting. Now, when that Pharisee
was making all those claims to fame that we just read about,
it was all an act. There wasn't any truth to it. He was an extortioner. He was
unjust. He was an adulterer. Everything
he said he wasn't, he was. It was all an act. And that is
the religion of the scribes and Pharisees. It's all an act. Turn with me to Matthew 23. This
is the sermon that I think led to the, I don't think it, I know
it. This is the sermon that led to
the death of the Lord. After he preached this message,
they said, we're getting rid of him. But look here, now this,
verse one. Then spake Jesus to the multitude
and his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees, here
they are again, they sit in Moses' seat. All therefore whatsoever
they bid you observe, that observe and do, but do not ye after their
works. For they say, and do not. They have a different standard
for others than they have for themselves. This is the mark
of a scribe and a Pharisee. He always has a different standard
for others than he does himself. He's always a lot easier on himself
than he is anybody else. He says, for they bind heavy
burdens, and grievous to be born, and lay them on men's shoulders,
but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
But all their works they do for to be seen of men, They make
broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the boardings of their
gardens. They love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief
seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the market, and
to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. Oh, they love that kind of stuff.
They love human recognition. Look how our Lord addresses them
in verse 13. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. For you neither
go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in
to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you devour widows' houses and for pretense. Make long prayer,
therefore you shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass sea and land
to make one possolite, and when he's made, you make him twofold
more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, you blind guides,
which say, whosoever shall swear by the temple is nothing but
whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple. He's a debtor.
It's your gift that makes it count, not the temple itself.
You fools and blind, for whether it's greater the gold or the
temple that sanctifies the gold. And whosoever shall swear by
the altar, it's nothing, but whosoever sweareth by the gift
that's upon the altar, he's guilty. You fools and blind, for whether
it's greater the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift.
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and
all things thereon. Whosoever shall swear by the temple, sweareth
by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear
by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth
thereon. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cumin, and have omitted the
weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. These
ought you to have done, and not left the other undone." I turn
back to Matthew chapter 15. Now, we see this, how our Lord
deals with this hypocrisy, this acting. The next thing I'd say
about the religion of the scribes and Pharisees, it's not according
to Scriptures. Now they had the scriptures plastered on their
clothing. They made broad their phylacteries,
but look what the Lord says here in Matthew 15. Then came to Jesus,
scribes and Pharisees, which were Jerusalem, saying, Why did
thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For
they washed not their hands when they ate bread. You know, washing
your hands is a good practice, isn't it? I do it more and more
and more. It's good practice. But what's
it got to do with godliness? What's it got to do with what
the Word of God says? It's a good practice. I mean,
keep the germs off your hands. Good grief, you'll do it. But
to make a religious, this makes me clean. No, you're just as
filthy as ever. But he answered and said unto
them, verse three, why do you also transgress the commandment
of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, honor
thy father and mother, and he that cursed their father and
mother, let him die the death. But you say, Whosoever shall
say to his father or mother, what's a gift by whatsoever thou
mightest be profited by me, what that means is I'm leaving this
money to the religious institution or the church, therefore I can't
help you with it. That's what they were doing. And so, and
honor not his father or mother, he should be free. Thus have
you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition,
you hypocrites. Well, did Isaiah prophesied you
saying, this people draw nigh me with their mouth and they
honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But
in vain, they do worship me teaching for doctrines, the commandments
of men. Now that is the religion of the scribe and the Pharisee,
man-made, not God's doctrine, but his own doctrine. And stay
in that chapter, verse 10. And he called the multitudes
and said unto them, Hear and understand, not that which goeth
into the mouth defileth a man, but that which comes out of the
mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples and said
unto him, Don't you know that the Pharisees were offended after
they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every
plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted
up. Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the
blind, and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into
the ditch. Then answered Peter and said, And him will declare
unto us this parable. Jesus said, Are you also yet without understanding?
Don't you understand that whatsoever entereth into the mouth goeth
into the belly, and is cast out into the drop? But those things
which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart. They
defile the man. You see, the Pharisee has no
understanding of sin. No understanding of sin. He doesn't understand
that it just proceeds from the heart, that he's got a bad heart.
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from
the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceeds
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses,
blasphemies. These are the things which defile
a man. But to eat with unwashing hands, That doesn't defile a
man. There's no true grasp of sin
in the religion of the Pharisee. It's all outward. Turn with me
to Luke chapter 16. Here's another couple of things
about the Pharisee. Verse 13. The Lord said, no man can serve
two masters. Can't be done. For either he
will hate the one and love the other, or else he'll hold to
the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also who were
covetous. And here's something that is
always true about the Pharisee. He's covetous. He can't be content
with what he has. He can't be content with the
Lord Jesus Christ because he really doesn't have the Lord
Jesus Christ. He doesn't know what it is to trust Christ alone. He's always coveting. He's always
wanting something else. Something's missing. He knows
it. He's always wanting something more. He's a covetous man. Go on reading. And the Pharisees
also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided
him. And he said unto them, You are they which justify yourselves
before men. But God knows your hearts, for
that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in
the sight of God. The religion of the Pharisee
is the religion of self-justification. Moan on up before God and confess
their guilt. They're always justifying and
vindicating themselves. That's the part of the religion
of the Pharisees. They don't know what it is to
come clean with God and own up and confess their sin before
Him. There's always some kind of excuse, some kind of self-vindication. He said, you are they which justify
yourselves before men, but God knows your heart. Look in Luke
chapter 7, verse 29. And all the people that heard
him and the publicans justified God. Being baptized with the
baptism of John, they justified everything God said. They agreed
with what God said. If God said it, I agree with
it. Complete agreement. Whatever He says concerning Himself,
concerning me, how He saves sinners, they justified God. They agreed
with everything He said. But the Pharisees and lawyers,
Scribes rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being
not baptized of Him. They rejected the counsel of
God against themselves. And that's why the Lord said
to them, the publicans and the harlots enter the kingdom of
heaven before you. You know the story of Luke chapter
7 while you're in that chapter. Remember verse 36. And one of
the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And you
remember the story. While he's in there eating with him, this
woman comes up, an immoral woman. And she gets at the feet of the
Lord and she's crying. She's wiping His feet with her
tears. She loves Him. Simon says, if
he were real, he'd know what manner of woman that was that
was touching him. She's a sinner. She's an unclean,
evil person. He wouldn't be allowing this.
If there were anything to him, he wouldn't be allowing this.
And then he told that story about two debtors. One owed 500 pence. and one owed 50, and the master
forgave them both. He said, tell me, which one will
love him most? And he said, well, I suppose
him that was forgiven most. He said, thou hast rightly said.
See this woman? She hadn't stopped crying, and
you're laying there, you didn't give me any, you didn't wash
my feet, you didn't do anything for me. She hadn't ceased. She
said, her sins, which are many, they were, are forgiven. She
loved much, but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth
little. The Pharisee really doesn't have
all that much to be forgiven for. The Pharisee was the critic
of the Lord. Look in Luke 15. Then drew near unto him all the
publicans and sinners, for to hear him." I love to think about
this. They wanted to be in his presence. And they drew near
to hear him. They wanted to hear what he had
to say. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This
man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. They were the Lord's
critics, continually criticizing the Lord. And whenever someone
becomes a critic, They're trying to make somebody else look darker
so they look lighter and better. That's the reason behind it.
It's the religion of criticism. Look in John chapter 9. It's
a religion of intimidation. Religious intimidation. John
chapter 9. This is after the Lord had given
sight to that one who was born blind. Verse 13, they brought to the
Pharisees him that aforetime was blind, and it was the Sabbath
day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then again
the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.
He said unto them, He had put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed
and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, this man's
not of God because he keeps not the Sabbath day. Others said,
how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was
a division among them. They say unto the blind man again,
what sayest thou of him that he opened thine eyes? He said,
he's a prophet. But the Jews did not believe
concerning him that he'd been blind and received a sight, till
they called the parents of him that had received a sight. And
they asked them, saying, is this your son whom you say was born
blind? How then doth he now see? His parents answered them and
said, we know that this is our son, and that he was born blind,
but by what means he now seeth, we know not, or who hath opened
his eyes, we know not. He's of age, ask him. He'll speak
for himself. These words spake his parents
because they feared the Jews. They were intimidated, for the
Jews had already agreed that if any man did confess that he
was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. It's the
religion of intimidation and fear. There's no true freedom
in it. And finally, as that passage
of scripture I read in Matthew chapter 520, there is no righteousness
in the religion of the scribes and Pharisees. There's no righteousness
before God. It's all a sham. It's all hypocrisy. There's no truth in it. Now there we have it. It's the
religion of hypocrisy. It has a different standard for
self and others. It loves recognition. It's not scriptural. There's
no true grasp of sin. It's always self-justifying and
vindicating. It is covetous. It rejects the
counsel of God. It thinks It has little to be
forgiven. It's the religion of intimidation,
no freedom or liberty. And it's the religion of criticism. There were the Lord's critics
and there's no righteousness in it. Now, who is the Lord most
severe with in scriptures? You know the answer to that.
He was so severe. with the scribes and pharisees.
He called them a generation of vipers. He said, how can you
escape the damnation of hell? That's the way the Lord spoke
of the religion of the scribes and pharisees when he was the
friend of sinners. Humanly speaking, who is the
most responsible for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? His
scribes and pharisees, wasn't it? That's exactly who did it.
Now let me say three things about the religion of the scribes and
pharisees. One, it's the religion of the natural man. Number two,
it's evil. It's disgusting. It's obnoxious. Number three, I see it in me. Now what I'd like to do in our
closing moments is show how the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
is the direct opposite of the religion of the scribes and Pharisees. It's the direct opposite. It's not the religion, first
of all, of hypocrisy. You know, most people who take
the title of sinner don't really believe it. It's an act. It's an act. They're using the
term because they know they should. But the believer is a real sinner. He has broken God's holy law
every breath he's taken. His prayer is the prayer of the
publican, God be merciful to me, the sinner, the worst man
to ever live. And it's not an act. He's not
saying it just because he knows he's supposed to. He really believes
that about himself. You know, the scripture speaks
of unfeigned faith, unfaked faith. This man really believes that
the righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only righteousness he
has. He really believes that. He really believes the only thing
that can be done about his sin is for Christ to wash it away
by the power of His blood. He's got an unfeigned faith. And He's got an unfeigned love.
The Scripture also speaks of unacted out love. He loves God
as He is. He loves the Lord Jesus Christ.
He sees Christ as altogether lovely. He loves His people. He loves His gospel. It's not
an act. It's real. The believer, the religion of
the gospel, is one where he is harder on himself than others. And that's what grace does. It
makes you harder on yourself than others. You look at yourself
first of all. I'm the problem. That's what
the religion of the gospel does. It causes you to take the lowest
seat in the house. And it causes you to esteem others
not merely as equal to you, but as better than you. You really
believe that about every believer. You believe yourself to be the
chief of sinners. And that's what happens when
God does something for you. Now, you just know because if
you see the Lord Jesus Christ, if you see who He is, you can't
help but see yourself that way. A true view of sin comes from
seeing who He is. You know, I was talking to somebody
recently and they said, I just feel like sin has such dominion
over me. I do too, but I'll tell you when
sin has dominion over you and you don't see that. When you
don't see that, sin has complete control over you. You're under
its dominion like that. A believer truly is harder on
himself than anybody else. And a believer does not want
to be seen. And a believer hates himself
when he recognizes in his flesh the raising up of wanting to
be seen and wanting to exalt himself. He wants Christ only
to get all the glory and salvation. He really wants that. And he
shuns the spotlight. All glory goes to him and none
comes to me. And it makes him sick to think
of people looking at him in a fleshly way and thinking, boy, he's something. No, we know better than that. The believer believes what the
Lord said about sin, how it comes from the heart. And he knows
that he's got a heart that belches out evil, and that's why he cries
out, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit
within me, because mine's filthy. I need a new one. I don't want
to give you this one. I want to get rid of it, and
I want a new one that comes from you. He understands that sin
comes from the heart, and that's what makes him realize that everything
he does is sinful because of his heart. A believer doesn't
care a thing about man's traditions. I just want to know what the
Bible says. I could care less about anything
else. I want to know what God's infallible Word says, and I don't
care anything about human traditions. I could get rid of all of them.
I want the Word of God only. Desire the sincere, the pure
milk of the Word that you may grow thereby. That's what a believer
desires and longs for. And listen to this. A believer
is not somebody who justifies himself. Job said, if I justified
myself, my own mouth would condemn me. He takes his place as guilty
before God. He doesn't justify himself. He
doesn't commend himself. He doesn't vindicate himself.
That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world stand guilty
before God. He doesn't justify himself, and
a believer does not covet. Now, what do I mean by that?
What do I mean by that? The writer of the Hebrews said,
be content, be satisfied with such things as you have. Now,
he's not talking about material things there, although we got
Plenty of reason to be satisfied with everything we got materially.
I mean, we live like kings, every one of us. I don't see anybody
here hurting too much. Everybody had a meal today, didn't they?
Everybody's got a place to go to tonight. You got a roof over
your head. But that's really not referring just to being content
with what you have materially, although you should. But when
he says, let your conversation be without covetousness and be
content with such things as you have, what do you have? I am
my beloved's, and he is mine. Is there anything else to want?
I have the very righteousness of Jesus Christ. Is there anything
I want to add to that? I have the peace of God that
passes all understanding. I have His grace. I have His
love. God loves me. I have God for
me. I have the mercy of God in Christ
Jesus. I have His Spirit. I have a new
heart. He's given me faith in Christ.
He's given me love to Christ. I'm not looking for anything
else. I'm plumb satisfied to be saved
the way I am. And I'm not looking for anything
else. I'm really not coveting anything else. You see, his gospel
is incapable of improvement. There's nothing to covet. If
you have everything, there's nothing to covet. Christ is And
if you got all, there's nothing to covet. I don't know how many
times people have said, there's gotta be something else. You
just haven't seen. You haven't seen. Blind as a
bat, because if you ever see, you'll know that Christ is all. The religion of the gospel is
not a religion of covetousness. And in the gospel, the believer
does not reject the counsel of God against himself. He agrees
with it. He agrees with it. Whatever God
says, I agree with. I'm in complete agreement. Whatever
he says about me, yes, Lord. I agree. It's not right to take
the children's bread. It's not fit to take the children's
bread and cast it to dogs. Truth, Lord. Yes, Lord. That's
me. But the dogs eat of the crumbs
that fall from their master's table. I agree with everything
he says about me. Whether I see it or not, I agree
with it. And I agree with everything he says about his son. I agree
with everything he says about himself. We receive the counsel
of God. We don't reject it. And a believer
hates a religion of intimidation. You know, I can't tell you how
much it irritates me to be around a religious person who's looking
me over. trying to intimidate with their
supposed godliness and holiness and devotion when I know it's
all a sham. My only problem is I have a tendency,
I'd like to give them something to really, you know, get upset
with, you know, I shouldn't and I'm not going to, but I just
despise that kind of thinking, this religion of intimidation.
No, stand fast in the liberty, in the freedom wherewith Christ
hath made us free, and don't you be entangled in that yoke
of bondage. And a believer does not sit in
judgment on the Lord. The way the Pharisees, they murmured
at him, this man's been, he's the friend of publicans and sinners.
I think of what, I love that passage of scripture in Romans
9, where Paul is talking about the different objections people
would make. And one is, who has resisted his will? If he's sovereign,
I can't resist it. How can he hold me responsible
for what I do if he's absolutely sovereign? Who has resisted his
will? I love what Paul says. Nay, but
who are you, O man, to reply against God? Who are you to stand
in judgment, to sit in judgment of God? Shall the thing formed
say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? We don't
judge God, we bow to whatever he says because we really believe
it's all right. A believer is someone who's been
forgiven much. Now I know this for a fact. You know, a lot of times religious
people, they like to have powerful testimonies. It's almost like,
you know, you're almost more saved if you did more wicked
things in the past. You know, they love to talk about how all
the great wicked things they do, but look at me now, God's
really saved me from all that. They've got a powerful testimony.
You know, you've got a more powerful testimony if you've been in prison
or if you've been to some kind of, you know, all that foolishness
and that's all it is. But I have been forgiven much. because every breath I've taken
has been self, sinful, every thought I've ever thunk, if that's
a word, every motive I've ever had, has had flesh in it, I have
been forgiven much. However many sins I can commit
in the 53, almost 53 years of my existence, there's been a
lot of them, billions I suppose, I've been forgiven much. And that one who's forgiven much,
what's he do? He loves much. And here's the thing about the
believer. He's righteous. He is righteous. He doesn't merely
have righteousness charged to his account. He is righteous,
the very righteousness of God. When we talked about that Pharisee,
remember that righteousness was in italics. The believer's righteousness
is not in italics. For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. The believer is righteous. That's the religion of the gospel.
It's the direct opposite of the religion of the scribes and the
Pharisees. Now, all the religion of the
scribes and Pharisees, all it does is condemn. And the religion
of the gospel, all it does is save. Isn't that wonderful? Thank God for the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. All it does is save. Now, we're
getting ready to observe the Lord's table. Who should take the Lord's table?
You know, the Lord gave some very dire warnings. To eat and drink unworthily is
to drink to yourself damnation. Who should take the Lord's table?
And there's been so many different views of this. And I remember
when I was young, I used to always dread the Lord's table. Because
I always felt, I was scared I'd eat it unworthily. People say
that if you have known sin in your life, you shouldn't take
the Lord's table. Well, what sin do you not know?
I mean, that's ridiculous. I mean, I've heard so many weird
things like that. Who should take the Lord's table? Anybody and everybody. who sees the Lord Jesus Christ
as everything in their salvation, that person should take the Lord's
table. Now, I've heard people say, well,
you need to be baptized before you take the Lord's table. Now,
if you're a believer and you haven't been baptized, that's
shameful. You ought to confess Christ and believers baptism.
Why in the world would you not do that? That's your confession
of Him. And what a blessing it is to confess Him in believer's
baptism. That's an act of obedience to
Him. And you ought to confess Christ in believer's baptism.
Quit waiting. Quit waiting, confessing in believer's
baptism. But that's not what gives you
the right to take the Lord's table. The only thing that gives
you the right to take the Lord's table is you believe that Christ
is your only righteousness before God. that you believe that Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness. And you actually are trusting
Him as your righteousness before God. You're trusting His sacrifice
as the only way your sin can be dealt with and put away. You're
trusting His intercession as the only reason you'll persevere. You're looking to Him. That person
is to take the Lord's table. And remember, it's the Lord's
table. Some churches practice what they
call closed community. Only members of that church can
partake of the Lord's table. But I like what somebody, somebody
came into one of those churches and they started passing out.
They said, no, you can't. You're a member here. They said, oh, I'm sorry.
I thought it was the Lord's table. I didn't know it was this church's
table. I thought it was the Lord's table. It's the Lord's table.
And every believer is called upon to take of the Lord's table,
eat the bread, drink the wine in remembrance of Him. He said,
this do in remembrance of Me. And when we do this, we're all
preaching a sermon. We're showing forth the Lord's
death. That's what we do. We're showing
forth the Lord's death, His complete salvation. until he comes. So let's pass out the bread and
wine.

The Religion of the Scribes & Pharisees

What does the Bible say about righteousness?

How do we know hypocrisy is a serious issue in Christianity?

Why is humility important for Christians?

What is the difference between Pharisaical religion and the gospel?

How should believers approach sin?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

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The Religion of the Scribes & Pharisees

What does the Bible say about righteousness?

How do we know hypocrisy is a serious issue in Christianity?

Why is humility important for Christians?

What is the difference between Pharisaical religion and the gospel?

How should believers approach sin?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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