Be Not A Pharisee! That means don’t be like the Pharisees that are mentioned in the New Testament. Pharisees were the scholars of the day. They were philosophers, the type of people who liked to sit around and ponder and discuss all kinds of topics but never do anything about them.
They liked to discuss things and then leave it at that. They were men of conversation rather than action. You no doubt know of people like this. Many so-called “intellectuals” of today are like this. They believe they are smarter than others but they really don’t understand. They don’t see the whole picture.
In short, they are hypocrites. They speak about things and don’t do them. They tell others what to do but don’t follow their own rules. Perhaps the saying “Do as I say, not as I do” originated with the Pharisees. Don’t be like them.
Referenced Verses:
Joshua 1:8
Matthew 23:1-15
John 13:17
James 1:22
Video Transcript
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Today we’re talking about a very important lesson that is really something that is more than talking about. You’re like, “What in the world does that even mean?” Well, maybe I am taking after Jesus and speaking in some little parables. We don’t know. But guess what, don’t be a pharisee, that’s what this is about. You probably got it from the title maybe, the image, wherever you’re watching or listening.
Be not a pharisee. What is a pharisee? Pharisees were people of the olden days of Jesus’ time. They were Jewish leaders, religious leaders, scholars, philosophers. They were educated and they thought of themselves as highly educated individuals. They knew the book of the law and they understood it supposedly, but they didn’t really do it. So that’s what I meant earlier when I said, what is he talking about?
Well, you have to do — we’ve talked about this in a sermon before. You have to be a doer. I am a little bit early in bringing this up, but you can check out this card if you want. It’s a great message on being a doer of the Word. You need to do so. If you believe in something, you believe in what you’re doing, you believe in a cause.
You say, “Hey these messages are really great or I really love that Bible verse or that TV show or the program of Adventures in Odyssey or creation story or some other series” or something, you really like it. Then guess what? Share it on your social media because other people will see it and that’s good. You’re bringing them toward a Godly principle. You’re leading them toward Christ instead.
You may be like “I was at the store today and someone cut in line and this and this,” — now you’re leading them away — you’re leading them toward negativity. That’s not good. Venting, ranting on your social media, and getting people to comment and follow and like and all this, they are following something not good. Lead them toward God.
Be a doer of what you believe. That being said, it is really great for you to study God’s Word. We’ve talked about this time and time again. “Using Your Bible, Understanding Your Bible.” That is a sermon series we had. You can check that out as well in a card here if you’re on YouTube or just navigate to our YouTube channel. You can find the playlist.
But it is very important. You need to meditate on the Word day and night. You got to study this. There are so many Bible study opportunities, devotionals out there, you can get the Bible app version. It’s really great. They have millions of devotionals and studies and resources. They’re good, but they’re a little bit one-sided in who they allow to be in there.
You gotta seek out small groups in your church. Seek other studies, it’s great. You’re here, this is like a church you go to. You’re seeing this on a regular basis. In addition to hopefully something else you’re doing, keep seeking out ways to learn more about God’s Word. It’s not only important to study and meditate on the Word but you must be careful not to develop that philosopher’s mind.
Joshua 1:8 says,”’Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Now we have read that verse many times in many of these sermons. Very key points.
Meditate on it day and night just like you’re doing. Get out there, study it, learn more about it, get involved with studies, small groups, life groups, whatever you call them, devotionals, learn more, talk about it with others, fellowship with others. That is great.
Then get out there and do what it says after that. Then what? Prosperous and successful. Now of course you’re not just doing it for the promise of prosperity and success, but it helps in this world. What is being cautioned here is you have to be careful not to develop that philosopher’s mind. It’s stereotypical.
I majored in philosophy. I cannot tell you how many times someone laughed or said, “What are you going to do with that?” Because they thought it was a joke. They are like, “You majored in nothing. What a worthless waste of time and money.” Well, I also majored in psychology, so now I double majored and did it all in two years.
Okay, the point is they think it’s a joke and a waste of time and so for those of you who are watching or listening, if you’re going through and you’re studying philosophy, guess what? You’re one of a kind because I guarantee you if you brought that material into a room full of 100 people, less than 10 would be able to really comprehend what’s going on.
Not everyone can understand philosophy, it is out there. It’s a different way of thinking. Does it have value in the world? You bet it does. You can now think in any different way possible. You could take on a role in any career you choose. Don’t let someone talk you out of it if it is your passion, but you must be careful not to get sucked into that mentality all the time.
You need to add action to that thought. You cannot develop that philosopher’s mind or be too intellectual. These types of intellectuals, they like to sit around and talk about things, really dig deep into the topic, and come up with all kinds of solutions and scenarios, and theories about the topic. Then guess what they do? They leave it at that and move on to the next. It’s like, “Okay, so we did all this, but now we’re not going to do anything about it?”
I’m talking about crazy stuff sometimes. Why is the color blue, blue? Huh? Because that’s what it was named. We could have named it pink and we would have all identified it as pink, but we were taught that that’s what it is.
When I say stuff like that in class or when I said that, people would look at me like I had two heads. Why? Because it cut right through to the point and they’re like now we cannot spend all class period talking about why it’s blue, you just blew it out of the water. That’s because it does not make sense.
What about multiple worlds? What if we had five worlds and there were different versions of us in each world? We talked about this stuff 10 years ago and I’m sure they’ve talked about it for the last hundred. Guess what? Movies, TV shows, all kinds of stuff have multiple world theories, different dimensions. This all came from philosophy.
Philosophy, what are you gonna do with that? Guess what? All the philosophers grew up and started making millions in TV production, but they do these thought exercises, these theories, these existential experiments of the mind, and when they’re finished, they just move on to the next one.
People who did this thousands of years ago, in Jesus’ day were known as the Pharisees. They would sit around and talk and examine Scripture.
Why do you think Moses was around the burning bush? What do you think that bush was? These people still talk about this today. “I bet he was burning some marijuana in there. I bet that’s what the burning bush was. It wasn’t a bush on fire.” “Oh, I bet it was this.” “I bet you it was a red bush that had the leaves that turn red and now today in landscaping they are called burning bushes or fire bushes” or something like that.
It could’ve been anything, but that’s what they did. They sat around and talked about what they thought it was. Guess what? It was a bush, a shrub in the desert that God spoke to him through.
Wow, how can it just be that? You bet it can. God can speak to you however you want. He could make the wall start talking. He did it before. He had a hand appear out of nowhere and start writing on the wall. “Oh man, maybe they were just all drunk and seeing it.” No.
What the Pharisees did, they just started talking about this stuff and they would go on for hours and hours in the council. Picture Socrates way back when speaking, then he eventually got sentenced to execution for corrupting the youth. Well, guess what, though the youth that he corrupted, that is all of that, exactly what the Pharisees were doing.
Jesus was around saying, “Hey all you guys do is talk. Why don’t you do anything?” These were people who spent all their time discussing the Scriptures. They had so much knowledge, so much wisdom, but they did nothing with it. It’s like going to school all your life and then never using what you learned to do.
I learned, I went through apprenticeship, I became an electrician, I’m a master electrician, I went through all the union — whatever journey, apprentice, this, that, now you’re a master. Guess what I do? I flip burgers. Wait a minute.
Every day at five o’clock I go home and I talk about the principles of electricity with a bunch of other master electricians. Okay wait a minute, wait a minute, you spent all this time studying, you have all the knowledge, but you choose not to apply it. Instead, you go talk about it all with other people. Does that not sound stupid?
That’s what the Pharisees did. Jesus came along and He told all the people, “Hey these Pharisees do not practice what they preach. Stop listening to them.” He says, “They are telling you stuff that’s good, what they speak is of the law, so do what they say but not what they do.”
That is where we get the saying, do as I say, not as I do. How many of you heard that as a child? There is some truth in that. It’s in the Bible. Jesus said, “Do what the Pharisees say, but do not do what they do.” Why? Because they don’t practice what they preach.
Let’s go to Matthew 23. I am going to read a bunch of this. We are going to get into here. Matthew Chapter 23, start out at Verse 1, look at it with me. “Then Jesus said to the crowds and his disciples, ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat so you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do.’”
Well, do not do what they do. At this, the Pharisees were probably really mad. “For they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
“Everything they do is done for others to see. They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long. They love the places of honor at the banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi. For you have only one master and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth ‘Father.’ We all have one father and he is in Heaven.” Check out a sermon on “One Father” that we did on having one father. “And one teacher called the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
“Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You shut the Kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you teachers of the law, you Pharisees, you hypocrites. You travel over land and sea to win a single convert and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Hell as you are.”
Holy moly. The rest of this chapter Jesus just really cuts into them, telling them these things. They are like a brood of vipers. They are like white-washed tombs who look great on the outside but inside they are filled with rotten bones. I mean really just crazy crazy stuff.
You give a tenth of this, but you neglect to follow the law. You follow something, but not all of it. You tell people to do things and then you yourself do not do them. You travel over land and sea to win a single convert and then make them twice as much as son of Hell.
Why? Because they teach that person to just sit around and be intellectual. They searched to find the right person for the job. Really Jesus is saying everyone is fit for the Kingdom.
If you only study God’s Word, you will gain knowledge, you will gain wisdom but then that is only half of it you have to do. You have to use what you’re getting. You’re only following half of what God says.
He says you have to do what the Bible says. He just went through this. Do you want to be like a pharisee? Read the rest of Chapter 23 and you will say, “No way. A son of Hell? Twice as much as son of Hell? No way. A whitewashed tomb? No. A brood of vipers? No. A hypocrite? No.”
Do not be a pharisee. You don’t want to do this. How about this one — “you strain at a gnat but swallow a camel”. I mean He just cuts into these Pharisees. Jesus had humor and He really laid it out. Whitewashed tombs. It’s just incredible. You don’t want to be a Pharisee. What do Pharisees do? They talk about everything and there’s no action, all talk, no action. You gotta follow through.
This is very important. Honoring your word, following through, making good on your promises, all of these things kind of go with this. Specifically with what the Bible says, you study the Bible, you go to your small groups, you go to church, you listen, you hear all this stuff. What are you doing in your life? Are you applying what you learned? Seriously, are you?
When you go to church and then you go home, what was the sermon about? Did you take away anything that you can do in your life? If he didn’t give you or she, if the pastor or preacher did not give you a way to apply what they taught, something is off. You should take away something from it.
Whether it’s something — I need to read my Bible more, I need to study more, I need to do this, I need to tell others about God. I need to do whatever. There has to be some course of action. You must do what the Bible says.
John 13:17 says, “Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them.” This is when Jesus was telling His disciples about stuff while He was washing their feet. He was their master. Masters didn’t wash other’s feet. But He said, “No, I came to serve.” So He washed their feet and He told them all this stuff.
Then He says, “Hey now these things, you will be blessed if you do them” — not because you know them, you are not going to be blessed because you have all this knowledge. The Pharisees thought,
“Oh we have all this knowledge. Come on, call me a teacher, call me Rabbi, greet me, give me the best seat.” No, they thought that was their blessing. That’s nothing, that is of this Earth, that is worldly.
Jesus says, “Hey you will be blessed if you do the things that you know.” Get out there and do them. Get out there and do. James is a great book in the Bible. James hits it hard. He is very straight and to the point, no-nonsense, I love it.
James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Do what it says. We had a whole sermon on this. “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do is like someone who looks in the mirror and then goes away and forgets what they look like.”
Check it out. It’s called “Remember Your Face.” It’s a great sermon on this verse. Do what the Word says. Practice what you preach. Jesus said to do it, John said to do it, the Apostle Paul said to do it, James said to do it, all throughout the Bible says do it. Practice what you preach. Take that knowledge and apply it to your life. Turn thought into action according to the Bible and according to God.
Obviously, you don’t want to exercise the sinful desires and bring those thoughts into manifestation and into action. That is wrong. You want to do what the Bible says, get out there and do what the Bible says. Share it with others. What are you sharing? What are you putting out there for others to see?
Ranting and raving? Complaining about whatever happened in your day when someone cut you off in traffic? What are you doing? Someone cuts you off, are you cursing them out? What is happening in your life?
What are you doing? Are you doing what the Bible says? Are you living your life as a reflection of the knowledge and the Scripture and everything that you study? You should be. Take a look at your life.
Catch yourself when those things happen. The next time you start typing out a Facebook or a Twitter or an Instagram post complaining about someone in line or complaining about traffic or talking about how this person was so rude to me, stop and instead post a verse about that action or that behavior. Share Jesus. Share life rather than leading others astray.
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus thank you very much for this powerful message, really that hopefully it is inspiring. Lord, I pray that it is inspirational for those watching and listening. That they would be inspired to take all that knowledge that they have of you and that they would put it to use and get out there and do it somehow.
Whether it’s sharing or whether it is serving or getting involved or mission work. Something that they would put to use, even in their everyday life. Maybe it is teaching others or guiding them or sharing the wisdom that they have learned. Get out there and do. I ask that you would inspire each and every one of them to do that. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now if you’ve watched this and you haven’t made that decision to follow Christ, to let Him lead your life, I hope that you do that. Consider it right now. We read some of Jesus’ words. He was an awesome person, my favorite person ever, and I hope He is yours too.
You can choose to have Him lead your life. He can lead your life. You can just say, “Lord Jesus, forgive me, forgive me of my sins, come into my life. I want to live for you” and He will do it. He will change your life.
If you need to do that, you can contact us, you can ask your pastors or someone. Go to that Bible friend who never stops telling you about Jesus who you thought was a freak, he is a Jesus freak, or she. Go there, ask them, comment below if you’re thinking about it. Or if you need prayer or if you want us to pray with you or for you, you can reach out to us as well. God bless.
