Phariseeism and False Intimacy With God

"Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." John 7:24

I. WHAT IS "PHARISEEISM"?

II. WHAT CHARACTERIZES PHARISEEISM? Matt 6; 15; 23; Rom 14; Col 2

A. EXTERNALISM

1. Mt 23:5; 6:1-2, 5, 16

Mat 23:5  "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;

Mat 6:1  "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2  "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full … 5  "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full … 16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

2. Mt 23:6

Mat 23:6  they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;

3. Mt 23:23

Mat 23:23  "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

4. Mt 23:25-26

Mat 23:25  "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26  Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

5. Mt 23:27

Mat 23:27  "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.

6. Mt 23:28

Mat 23:28  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

B. SELF EXALTATION

1. Mt 23:6-7

Mat 23:6  they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7  they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'

2. Mt 23:11-12

Mat 23:11  The greatest among you will be your servant. 12  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

3. Col 2:18, 23

Col 2:18  Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions … 23  Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

C. ELEVATIONISM

1. Mt 23:16-17

Mat 23:16  "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17  You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

2. Mt 23:24

Mat 23:24  You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

D. FORMALISM

1. Mt 15:20

Mat 15:20  These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'"

2. Jn 7:22-23; Rom 14:5-6

John 7:22  Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath. 23  Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?

Rom 14:5  One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6  He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

3. Rom 14:6, 14, 17

Rom 14:6  He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God … 14  As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean … 17  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

4. Col 2:16, 21, 22

Col 2:16  Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day … 21  "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22  These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.

5. Gal 4:10; Is 1:13; 29:13

Gal 4:10  You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!

Isa 1:13  Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations-- I cannot bear your evil assemblies.

Isa 29:13  The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

E. TRADITIONALISM

1. Col 2:8

Col 2:8  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

2. Mt 15:3-6, 8

Mat 15:3  Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4  For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 5  But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' 6  he is not to 'honor his father ' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition … 8 "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

3. Mk 7:8

Mark 7:8  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

F. PIETISM

1. Mt 15:8

Mat 15:8  "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

2. Col 2:22

Col 2:22  These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.

G. JUDGMENTALISM

1. Rom 14:1,4,10,13

Rom 14:1  Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters … 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand … 10  You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat … 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

2. Col 2:16

Col 2:16  Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.