Podcasts about pharisaical

Sermon on the Mount Introduction (Life of Messiah 45) | Jesus, Moses, and True Righteousness Thomas Fretwell resumes his Life of Messiah series after reviewing the twelve apostles and Judas, returning to Luke 6 and introducing the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7 (with Luke 6 as the shorter parallel). He explains common misunderstandings of the sermon and argues it primarily addresses a correct interpretation of the Mosaic Law in its first-century Jewish context, repudiating Pharisaical externalism and calling for internal, heart-level righteousness for believers, not a works-based salvation or merely a future-kingdom constitution. He highlights Matthew's Jewish emphasis versus Luke's Gentile focus, and develops the “new Moses” theme by linking Jesus “going up the mountain” and “sitting down” to Exodus/Deuteronomy imagery and Deuteronomy 18's prophet-like-Moses promise. The episode ends at Matthew 5:2 as Jesus begins to teach. Become a supporter and get unlimited questions turned into podcasts at: www.patreon.com/theologyandapologetics YouTube Channel: Theology & Apologetics www.youtube.com/channel/UChoiZ46uyDZZY7W1K9UGAnw TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@dr.fretwell?_t=ZN-8w8NXIFTHkc&_r=1 Instagram: www.instagram.com/theology.apologetics Websites: www.ezrafoundation.org www.theologyandapologetics.com

In the narrative in John 5 we find a story which our Lord heals a paralytic who had been lying by the pool of Bethesda, and there is a detail there that I had missed in all the decades I had been reading that story. It is this: our Lord healed the man with a word, telling him to take up the pallet on which he had been lying and walk home. The man did so. It was, St. John informs us, a Sabbath when this miracle occurred. As he was walking home carrying his pallet, some Jews saw him and rebuked him for doing this, saying “It is the Sabbath and it is not allowed for you to carry your pallet.” The man replied that “He who made me well was the one who said to me ‘Take up your pallet and walk'”. The Jews responded with a question: “Who is the man who said to you ‘Take up your pallet and walk?'” Eventually of course all discovered that it was Jesus who had said that.

Read OnlineJesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all… Let your ‘Yes' mean ‘Yes,' and your ‘No' mean ‘No.' Anything more is from the Evil One.” Matthew 5:33–34, 37When someone's honesty is questioned, it is not uncommon to respond emphatically by saying, “I swear to God!” This instinct to invoke God's name is an attempt to lend credibility to one's words. Such a practice finds its roots in several Old Testament teachings, where the people of Israel were instructed not to profane God's name by swearing falsely (cf. Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12).The Old Testament teaching on oaths was not only a prohibition against profaning God's name but also a way of promoting trust and honesty among the Israelites: “When a man makes a vow to the LORD or binds himself under oath to a pledge, he shall not violate his word, but must fulfill exactly the promise he has uttered” (Numbers 30:3).Over time, however, the practice of swearing oaths began to shift. Instead of invoking God's name directly, people began to swear by created things, such as Heaven, Earth, Jerusalem, or even their own bodies or families. Jesus directly addresses these practices in today's Gospel. This shift often served as a way to avoid fully binding oneself to the truth and to avoid directly profaning God's name. By swearing upon lesser created things, oaths became tools of deception and manipulation, distorting their original purpose of truth-telling and reverence for God.In today's Gospel, Jesus responds to this misuse of oaths by elevating the moral principle behind them—Truthfulness—to a higher standard. He applies this teaching universally to all people and circumstances, calling His disciples to live with such profound integrity that their simple word is sufficient. Truthfulness must flow from a heart that is honest and upright, where a “Yes” means “Yes” and a “No” means “No,” without the need for sworn assurances. In doing so, Jesus invites His followers to a radical interior transformation. Their speech should be a natural expression of their union with God, who is, Himself, the fullness of Truth.This teaching aligns seamlessly with the other moral commandments Jesus offers in His Sermon on the Mount. One by one, He addresses elements of the Old Testament Law and reveals His mission to fulfill them. Rather than focusing solely on external observance, Jesus deepens the moral requirements of the Law, shifting the emphasis to the interior disposition of the heart. This teaching transcends the Pharisaical approach to the Law, which often reduced righteousness to external conformity. By grace, God now writes these laws on the hearts of His disciples, transforming their moral lives from one of outward compliance to one of sincere interior and exterior holiness.In the case of oaths, Jesus shows that true discipleship requires not just avoiding falsehood, but cultivating a radical honesty that mirrors the purity of God Who is Truth. This level of integrity is not achieved by human effort alone but through the transformative work of grace, which reshapes our hearts and enables us to live as credible witnesses to the Gospel in both word and deed.Reflect today on whether or not your ‘Yes' means ‘Yes,' and your ‘No' means ‘No.' Are you a person of radical honesty and integrity? Do you know the Truth, believe it, and profess it wholeheartedly? While external oaths still hold an important place in sacred moments—such as marriage vows and other Sacraments—they are not meant for casual use in daily life. Instead, strive to be a person of integrity in all your words and actions, ensuring that honesty flows naturally from your heart. By doing so, you allow God's New Covenant to be written on your heart, transforming your life and enabling you to live as a true disciple of Christ in every circumstance. Lord of Truth, dwell within my heart and make it pure and holy. Fill me with Your presence so that my words and deeds may always reflect Your light and truth. Help me to be a beacon of honesty and integrity, bringing glory to Your name in all that I say and do. Conform my will to Yours, and guide me to live in accord with Your divine plan. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Jesus´ sermon on the mount, graphic collage from engraving of Nazareene SchoolSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

A verse-by-verse Bible study class. This study is an introduction to the Epistle to the Romans, and will also cover Romans 1, verse 1. Topics: The central theme of Romans: justification by grace through faith -- Romans as a comprehensive summary of all Christian doctrines -- The historical context and value of the Epistle for the early church -- Contrasting true doctrine with works-based false teachings in the 1st century -- General outline and structure of the book of Romans -- The irony of the Gospel's simplicity versus its unknowable depths -- Paul's circumstances and his desire to visit the church in Rome -- Theological nuances of the Greek word for "servant" as "slave" or "bondservant" -- The obligation of servanthood resulting from Christ's redemption -- Paul's unique calling and direct instruction from Jesus Christ -- The transformative power of God illustrated by Paul's conversion -- Paul's educational background as a bridge between Jewish and Gentile worlds -- Paul's transition from Pharisaical "set-apartedness" to Christian sanctification.FYI, Scott Sperling hosts a bi-weekly, live, interactive, verse-by-verse Bible study via Zoom. If you're interested in attending, you can email me at ssper@scripturestudies.comFor more Bible studies, visit ScriptureStudies.com

In the final session of this Luke 15 series, we move beyond the surface of the parables and into the very heart of the Gospel: God wants you. Through the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, Jesus reveals not a distant God who merely tolerates people, but a loving Father who pursues, sacrifices, waits, welcomes, and restores.This lesson examines the compassion of Jesus toward sinners, the dangers of Pharisaical pride, and the invitation for believers to reflect the heart of the Father in how we respond to broken and wandering people today. Drawing connections to the woman caught in adultery, the sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet, and the open-ended conclusion of the prodigal son story, this class challenges us to move beyond intellectual religion into transformational love and grace.Luke 15 is not just about being lost and found—it is about a Father who runs toward His children, catches them before they fall, and never stops wanting them home.  

Just as the Messiah Loved Us Ephesians 4:25-5:2 by William Klock Fourth of July weekend in 1998 I had to go on a service call to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.  I did not want to brave the ferries for a one-day round trip to Friday Harbor on a holiday weekend, but this print shop was desperate, so the owner suggested I bring my wife and daughter—Alexandra wasn't even two months old at the time—and they'd put us up for the whole weekend.  That sounded a lot better.  And, conveniently, the Episcopal church was literally next door to the place we were staying.  Sunday morning we walked over for the service.  The second lesson was from Ephesians—the part of Ephesians we're just now getting into today with Chapter 4.  And their deacon got up to preach and said, “This morning's lesson was written by Paul.  I don't like Paul very much and I know that's true for all of us.  Paul says mean, nasty, bigoted things.”  He went on to pit Paul against Jesus as he described Paul as a “Pharisaical moralising Puritan”—like Paul had never really understood Jesus' gospel of grace and made it all about works instead—and a lot of “works” that are just plain offensive to modern sensibilities: stuff that comes up particularly in Chapter 5, like “don't let sexual immorality be named among you” or “wives, be subject to your husbands”. I bit my tongue after church as we filed past him.  I really wanted to say, “It's not Paul who never grasped the gospel; it's you!”  Because you can't separate the gospel from ethics as if living out the implications of the gospel is an optional add-on, or something less important that we'll work on later, or a body of “rules” from which we can arbitrarily pick and choose based on the sensibilities of current secular culture and values—which is exactly what that preacher was doing. That was the day I realised that even a lot of Christian don't understand the connection between ethics and the gospel.  In contrast to that deacon, lot of us want to be obedient and we are obedient, so we do what God tells us in the Bible, but we don't really understand—maybe we've never even thought about—why right is right and wrong is wrong.  We just think, “Well, God said so,” and we do our best to obey.  That's better than disobeying, but it would be better if we actually understood why.  The church has often unintentionally fostered this sort of moralism.  Back in 1560 Queen Elizabeth ordered that plaques be installed at the front of every church displaying the Ten Commandments.  Most churches also included plaques alongside with the Lord's Prayer and the Creed.  It sent a message: Do this, believe that, and pray this here.”  You could certainly do worse.  Elizabeth was trying to help a people who were largely biblically illiterate.  But then the local pastors need to do their part and show how what we believe—the gospel—makes sense of and ties together how we live and what we pray.  And that often doesn't happen—or it doesn't happen very well.  And people start to think that when Paul gives us a list of dos and don'ts, that this is just Paul, not Jesus, and, well, maybe his moralising isn't totally arbitrary, but it's probably culture-bound so we can feel free to pick and choose what seems right to us. A big part of the problem is that we've sometimes got the gospel—and the big story of God and his people—wrong.  Not totally wrong.  But enough that we no longer understand why right is right and wrong is wrong and why it matters.  I've talked before about two sorts of gospel worldviews that we find in the church today.  On the one hand is a view embodied by a famous quote from Dwight Moody.  After surviving a shipwreck he preached, “I look upon this world as a wrecked vessel.  God has given me a lifeboat and said to me, ‘Moody, save all you can.'”  The other is a quote by Abraham Kuyper.  It's worth noting that both these men were contemporaries, but came from very different church backgrounds.  Kuyper wrote, “There is not one square inch in the whole domain of our existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!'” Those are two very different understandings of God's plan.  Moody, shaped by 19th Century Revivalism and Dispensationalism saw the world as corrupted, evil, a problem that God would one day destroy.  The job of the church was to preach the good news and to save as many people as we can from the coming judgement so that we can go to heaven.  At least the good news about Jesus, crucified and risen, saviour and lord is still clearly here.  But Moody's thinking about the world and his vision of the future was basically gnostic—more pagan than biblical in many ways.  In contrast, Kuyper understood that because God created the world, it is good.  It's we who have fallen and put it in bondage to corruption and tears.  And because God loves what he has made, he won't throw it away.  To the contrary, God is very much in the process of redeeming and renewing it.  And so in Jesus he provided a new Adam to lead a redeemed and renewed humanity, washed clean by his blood and filled with his Spirit, a new humanity to pick up where Adam failed.  Kuyper knew that if Jesus has ascended and is now enthroned in heaven, he is the world's true lord and sovereign and he will not let one square inch of his beloved creation fall through his fingers. Brothers and Sisters, that is the good news.  It's about God reclaiming what he's created and what belongs to him.  We've seen already that this theme of new creation and the temple run all through Ephesians.  The church is the working model of God's new creation.  And the church is the temple in which God dwells.  And that just absolutely shouts “Genesis!” at us.  Go back to the beginning and make sure you've got the story right to start with.  Consider how the story begins.  God creates human beings, Adam and Eve, and he places them in his garden to live in his presence and to steward it.  The garden is God's temple.  Humans are his stewards, his image bearers who represent his sovereign rule there.  And not just that, but his only command to them—and it's more blessing than it is command—but he tells them to be fruitful and to multiply and to fill the earth.  In other words, keep having children who will have children who will have children who will steward the garden and grow that garden until it fills the whole earth.  Until, to use the language of the Prophet Habakkuk, the glory of the Lord fills the earth as the waters cover the sea.” That would have been an easy task for Adam and Eve.  All they had to do was steward the garden and have children.  There was no sin, no death, no tears, no brokenness, no opposition.  Just fellowship with God, take care of the garden, make babies and the mission takes care of itself. But no.  Humanity rebelled and broke everything.  Now the least of our difficulties in accomplishing the mission are weeds and pain in childbirth.  We've become sinful, rebellious, self-centred, angry, greedy, idolators.  We not only lost our knowledge of the mission, we even lost our knowledge of God.  So in he stepped, into the darkness, and called Abraham.  And through Abraham he created a people to be light in the darkness.  And he gave them a law.  Not arbitrary rules, but a way of life meant to teach the people his character and to keep them pure and holy so that he could live in their midst.  Preparing a people to become his temple.  God was taking the first steps toward creating a renewed humanity to whom he could restore Adam's vocation and mission to fill the earth with his presence and his glory.  And that's just what he's done in Jesus.  We've seen in Ephesians: In Jesus, God has taken on our flesh, he has died and been resurrected to be the new Adam, to be the firstborn of God's new creation.  And he calls us to himself and he purifies us with his blood and once we're clean and fit for God's presence, he fills us with God's Spirit.  And he makes us the temple: the place of God's presence, a people called to be stewards of God's wisdom—of his good and just plan to renew his creation. Brothers and Sisters, our vocation, our mission is Adam and Eve's vocation and mission: to serve as the priests and stewards of God's temple, to proclaim and to live out his wisdom, and to be fruitful and to multiply—through our own children and through the proclamation and living out of the good news—until God's presence and the knowledge of his glory cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.  Until that day when creation no longer groans under the weight of corruption, because the sons and daughters of God have accomplished the task entrusted to us and finally been fully renewed—resurrected—ourselves. Of course, the difference is that the mission should have been easy for Adam.  Ethics didn't matter.  Just steward the temple and have children.  It's so very, very hard for us.  We've filled the world with sin and corruption and they push back.  The false kings and the false gods we created will not go away easily.  And we ourselves, face the daily challenge to, as Paul put it in last week's lesson, to put off that old way of being human and to put on the new one that we've learned in Jesus. And all of this, Brothers and Sisters, is my long way of helping you to understand that ethics, that right and wrong, that how we live as Jesus' people is bound up in that mission and in our vocation as stewards of the gospel, of God's presence, of his new creation.  You know how architects build models so that people can see what the finished building will look like?  That's what the church is supposed to be: God's working model today of his coming new creation.  The world should be able to look at us and know—or least get a pretty good idea—of what God is planning for the future.  Ethics—the way of life in God's new world—is not an add-on to the gospel.  It's at the heart of the gospel.  And it's why we cannot pick and choose or cobble together our own ethical codes.  Because there's the fallen world, as Paul said in 4:17-18, cut off from the life of God, foolish-minded, ignorant, and darkened in understanding—the fallen world that cause all the pain and tears—and there's God's new creation, the world set to rights as God's wisdom and justice give it shape and direction.  The two aren't compatible.  It's light and wisdom or it's darkness and ignorance.  It's God's way which leads to life or it's pain and tears and ultimately death.  We will never accomplish the mission God has given us if we compromise with the dark foolishness and ignorance of a fallen world that does not know him.  This is why the church cannot take its moral cues from secular, unredeemed culture. So, now that I'm halfway through the sermon, let's pick up with our text in Ephesians 4, at verse 25.  [Page 1161 in the pew Bibles.]  Again, Paul's just said that if we have been renewed by the Spirit, we need to put off the old way of being human and to put on the new, displaying genuine justice and genuine holiness.  Showing the world what God's future looks like.  Now he goes on: “Put away lies, then.  ‘Each of you, speak the truth with your neighbour,' because we are members of one another.  ‘Be angry, but do not sin'; don't let the sun go down on you while you're angry, and do not leave any opportunity for the devil.  The thief shouldn't steal anymore, but should rather get on with some honest manual labour, so as to be able to share with anyone in need.  Don't let any unwholesome words escape your lips.  Instead, say whatever is good and will be useful in building people up, so that you will give grace to those who listen. “And don't disappoint God's holy Spirit—the Spirit who sealed you for the day of redemption. All bitterness and rage, all anger and yelling, and all blasphemy—put it all away from you, with all wickedness.  Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God forgave you in the Messiah.” Notice where Paul's going here.  He's going from old humanity to new humanity, from dark, fallen world full of sin and death to new creation full of light and life.  From lies and rage to kindness.  A lot of people, when they think about “ethics” or “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not”, they immediately think of some kind of moralising killjoy—like that deacon who said that Paul was just stuck in his Pharisaical puritanism and never got his head around the concept of grace.  I want to ask, “Did you even read what Paul wrote?”  Because I just can't figure how you get “killjoy” or “puritan” out of someone whose saying we need to leave behind anger and wrath to embrace kindness and tender-heartedness, to leave behind the darkness of sin and death and to embrace light and life—and grace—God's new creation. “Be angry, but don't sin.”  Paul quotes straight from Psalm 4:4.  He knows that we're all going to deal with anger from time to time—sometimes even righteous anger over sin and wrong and injustice.  But don't let it smoulder—righteous or not—because letting it fester like that leaves the door open for the devil to come in and do his work.  And don't steal.  I assume that if Paul's warning about something specific, that specific thing must have been a problem.  Maybe some of the very poor in the church or some who were recently freed slaves were stealing to get by.  No, says Paul, that's not what new creation looks like.  But he doesn't just say: Stop stealing.  He tells them to get an honest job, so that they can give to the poor.  Because, you see—and this is really important, Brothers and Sisters—new creation isn't just an absence of sin; it's also the positive presence of goodness and virtue. But what Paul has to say to start with is mostly about speech, about words.  He starts with telling the truth in verse 25 and then there's the bit about being angry but not sinning.  Being angry isn't always about words, but I bet for most of us it usually is.  That's the old humanity that Paul's told us we need to put off.  Instead, he's saying in verse 29, as someone redeemed by Jesus and full of God's holy Spirit, consider that every time you open your mouth it's an opportunity to speak grace to someone.  Again, just as with the bit about stealing, living out new creation isn't just the absence of sin.  Living out new creation is about positively stewarding God's grace to others.  So, he says, we shouldn't be squandering that chance to speak grace by wasting our breath on unwholesome words.  “Unwholesome words” is a broad category, but that's why he puts it that way.  You fill in the black with whatever kind of unwholesome words you're inclined to speak.  No, Paul goes on, don't disappoint, don't grieve the Holy Spirit who has marked you out as God's new creation.  Don't just leave unwholesome speech behind.  Put away—verse 31—put away all bitterness and rage, all anger and yelling, and all blasphemy.  Paul describes this crescendo of sinful speech that starts maybe with dirty jokes, casual jibes, or swearing through outbursts of rage, shouting matches, and finally blasphemy—blaspheming God or blaspheming a fellow human who bears his image—either way, that's the worst way you can abuse God's gift of speech.  Brothers and Sisters, if we're going to be living out and modelling God's new creation, we've got put away all behaviour—starting with speech—that hurts and destroys, that tears apart relationships, families, churches.  Put aside anything that makes the darkness around you darker, anything that's going to bring pain and tears to others, and instead use your God-given faculties of speech to build others up. Paul makes this point really dramatically.  Again, he works up this crescendo, from bitterness to rage to anger to yelling and finally to blasphemy.  You can feel the rage storm getting stronger.  Most of us have been there—sometimes more than we'd care to admit.  You get angry and then things get worse or someone says something that just throws gas on your rage and you explode.  But then in verse 31, the rage storm blows itself out and Paul shows us, in stark contrast, what new creation and the life of the Spirit are like.  The rage storm stops and everything is calm: Kindness, tender-heartedness, forgiveness.  I like how Tom Wright reflections on this.  “Feel the sigh of relief.  Then cherish that feeling.  Then reflect on what brings it about.  Then make a habit of it.” But why?  It's not just about the sigh of relief that comes with new creation.  Paul says to do these things—and here he zeroes in on forgiving others “just as God forgave you in the Messiah” And we might not realise it, but this idea of imitating God would have been absolutely radical to these gentile Ephesians.  Not quite so much to Jews.  God had been telling them for centuries through the Old Testament: Be holy, for I am holy.  That made the Jews unique.  But few if any pagans would ever have thought that the world might be a better place if we imitated the gods.  No way.  Because the pagans were just like us, but with unlimited power to unleash those rage storm, to abuse people for their whims, to kill and to destroy.  But the God of Israel, revealed in Jesus the Messiah is different.  A God who is himself holy and, even more radical, a God who gives himself for the sake of his people.  A God who gives his life that he might set sinners to rights.  Look at 5:1-2 and we'll close with this.  Paul writes, “So you should be imitators of God, like dear children.  Conduct yourselves in love, just as the Messiah loved us, and gave himself for us, as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.” Again, it can't be stressed strongly enough just how radical this idea was to First Century pagans.  Not only were their gods unworthy of imitation, the way the pagans viewed the world gave no hope.  Some saw everything as a never-ending and inescapable cycle.  Others saw the world as a shadowy and bleak existence from which death releases us into the “real” spirit world.  No one had a hope the world actually being set to rights, of a world without sin and sorrow, pain and tears, let alone a world delivered from death.  And no one would have dreamed that a god would love us so much that he would give his own life to do this.  Until the good news about Jesus began to spread.  Until the pagans began to see these little churches popping up around the world, churches full of people who not only believed in this Jesus and this God of redeeming love, but who lived out that love—who stopped the rage cycle with kindness and forgiveness; who refused to use and abuse other people; who weren't greedy and selfish, but instead gave generously to others; whose families and households were overflowing with love.  A people who lived in hope of a world set to rights full life and light instead of death and darkness.  And the pagans took note. Just before we moved here they tore down the Palace Theatre downtown.  I'm glad I had a chance to see it before it was just a vacant lot.  But for what, sixteen or seventeen years, there was just a vacant lot where a wonderful historic building had been.  And everyone knew that wasn't right.  And after a few years we all started to wonder, “Will this ever be made right?”  After a while you start to lose hope.  Will it be a vacant lot with a fence around it forever?  But then a big sign when up and on that sign was an architects rendering: a fancy new building full of businesses and homes.  And you'd see it as you walked past that corner on Fifth Street and it started to feel like things might get back to the way they're supposed to be in that spot. Maybe that's not the best illustration.  It's just a building.  A vacant lot isn't that big of a deal and neither is a new building—unless of course you live or work in it.  But it does highlight what Paul wants us to understand here.  In the midst of a world filled with darkness and death, the church is meant to be the sign showing the world that God is at work to set it all to rights.  We are the sign meant to show the world what the project will look like when it's finally done.  As we embody the gospel and God's new creation, we ought to be an attractive advertisement that draws the world in—making them constructively curious, showing them a God they never could have fathomed, and hope they never dreamed of.  To be God's temple.  Paul closes this part here with more temple language.  As Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was a sweet-smelling sacrifice and offering to God, so our life together imitating him should be too.  And, Brothers and Sisters, if our life together is a pleasing sacrifice to God, we can be sure that we're on mission to bring God's presence to the world, to carry his glory to the ends of the earth. Let's pray: Almighty God, you show to those who are in error the light of your truth, that they may return to the way of righteousness: Grant to all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ's religion, that they may reject those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

What happens when we let pride rule in our hearts? Pastor Nate explains from Jonah 4:1-4 that pride develops into bitter resentment and anger that destroys our relationships. Instead we need a steady of diet of God's mercy to help us think rightly of ourselves and others.

William Wallace, who fought for Scottish independence, recalls this quote his uncle used to tell him: “I tell you a truth: Liberty is the best of things, my son; never live under any slavish bond.”Teach your son to walk in freedom.  Many things in this life will seek to enslave him: twisted immorality, the pursuit of selfish ends and amassing wealth, or a life of ease and pleasure.  But it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Your son is free from the bondage of Pharisaical judgment, Corinthian licentiousness, and everything in between.  Whom the son sets free is free indeed.  So help him fight his battles, help free him from society's grip, and let him soar with eagle's wings so he, in turn, may reach out and help free others.For information about raising your son into a godly man, visit Trail Life USA or RaisingGodlyBoys.com.

Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee reviews the arguments commonly presented to support the traditional, Pharisaical method for counting the omer between Passover and Shavuot. Part 2 of 2 This is then followed by a review of important stories and issues from the past day or so, largely witnessed on social media.

Send us Fan MailIn the chaos and bustle of the Feast of Booths, with rumors running wild and Pharisaical schemes unfolding, Jesus stands up and declares that He alone is the One sent from God.God bless you today and I encourage you to spend time in God's Word https://www.instagram.com/biblicaltapestry/https://www.facebook.com/HyperNike12

Economic systems; Covetous practices; Utopia to dystopia; Survival of the fittest?; Values of skills; No self-interest in Communism; Past cost examples; Free trade?; Self-determination; Communism and socialism; Social security; Forfeiting a percentage of your labor; Inflation; "Capitalism"; "Dollar"; Value of labor, freedom, money (capital); Just weights and measures; Citizens of the United States; Evolution of the constitution; Hamilton economics; Kingdom individualism; Giving away your right to choose; "Debt"; National credit system; Tariffs; Dividing and weakening the people; Benefits at neighbors' expense; Taking back your responsibilities; Allowing choices of the people; Government of, for and by the people; Jesus' form of government; Sabbath; Working; Social welfare funded by charity; Actually helping people; Love and sacrifice; Laying down your life for others; Reasoning; "logos"; Inalienable rights and responsibilities; Nothing dies?; Monroe doctrine; Creating debt; "Not my will but thine"?; Invading Iraq; Seeking God; Using the young; Pharisaical interpretation; Fear not - love; Congregations = community of love; Meditation; Love your neighbor's life as much as your own.

This week we allow Jesus to confront the Pharisaical masks we wear and the hypocrisy we carry. Jesus reminds us that it is possible to look clean on the outside but be a mess on the inside. Jesus confronts the masks we wear which we hope will help us to appear holy while hiding what's broken. Every time Jesus confronts it is a move of grace and compassion. He invites is to honesty, confession, cleansing, reminding us that transformation always starts from the inside out.  

This week we allow Jesus to confront the Pharisaical masks we wear and the hypocrisy we carry. Jesus reminds us that it is possible to look clean on the outside but be a mess on the inside. Jesus confronts the masks we wear which we hope will help us to appear holy while hiding what's broken. Every time Jesus confronts it is a move of grace and compassion. He invites is to honesty, confession, cleansing, reminding us that transformation always starts from the inside out.  

Class #9 in our BOLD Course on Christian Discipling & Biblical Counseling. Adapted from Capitol Hill Baptist Church's Core Seminar on Christian Discipling: https://CapitolHillBaptist.org/sermon/class-8-using-christian-books-in-discipling Description from SermonAudio: This lesson presents a thoughtful, biblically grounded approach to using Christian books in discipleship — emphasizing humility, discernment, and Christ-centered growth. It begins with a call to self-examination, warning against pride and the Pharisaical attitude that can hinder genuine spiritual mentoring. While affirming the sufficiency of Scripture, it argues that well-chosen, faithfully biblical Christian books can serve as valuable tools for teaching, application, and discussion. The class offers practical guidance on selecting books for simplicity, clarity, and a focus on Christ. The method of engagement is relational and flexible, encouraging shared reading, open dialogue, and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit rather than rigid adherence to a prepared agenda. Ultimately, the lesson calls believers to actively seek opportunities to invest in others, recognizing that discipleship is a costly, grace-filled journey that deepens one's own dependence on Christ.

In Matthew 9:1–17, Jesus exposes the Kosmos, the world system built by man and energized by Satan, and shows why it inevitably rejects Him. Even after proving His divine authority by forgiving sins and healing the paralytic, the religious leaders respond with accusation rather than worship. Grace threatens their control. When Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector condemned by the religious elite, the system reacts with outrage instead of celebration. The Kosmos has no category for mercy, repentance, or redemption. It only knows exclusion and self-righteousness. Jesus then explains that He did not come to patch up Pharisaic Judaism or fit His teaching into a works-based religious mold. Using the imagery of garments and wine, He reveals that His mission cannot be mixed with man-made religion. The Torah is good, but the Pharisaical system had distorted it. He came to fulfill God's Law, not validate their traditions. This passage shows a timeless reality. The world system rejects Jesus because it cannot coexist with grace, and it will always reject those who follow Him as well. #Matthew9 #TheRejectionOfTheKosmos #JesusIsGod #GraceNotWorks #NewWineNewWineskins #Pharisaism #FulfillmentOfTorah #KingdomOfGod #BiblicalChristianity #GospelOfGrace #FollowJesus #FaithOverReligion

In Matthew 9:1–17, Jesus exposes the Kosmos, the world system built by man and energized by Satan, and shows why it inevitably rejects Him. Even after proving His divine authority by forgiving sins and healing the paralytic, the religious leaders respond with accusation rather than worship. Grace threatens their control. When Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector condemned by the religious elite, the system reacts with outrage instead of celebration. The Kosmos has no category for mercy, repentance, or redemption. It only knows exclusion and self-righteousness. Jesus then explains that He did not come to patch up Pharisaic Judaism or fit His teaching into a works-based religious mold. Using the imagery of garments and wine, He reveals that His mission cannot be mixed with man-made religion. The Torah is good, but the Pharisaical system had distorted it. He came to fulfill God's Law, not validate their traditions. This passage shows a timeless reality. The world system rejects Jesus because it cannot coexist with grace, and it will always reject those who follow Him as well. #Matthew9 #TheRejectionOfTheKosmos #JesusIsGod #GraceNotWorks #NewWineNewWineskins #Pharisaism #FulfillmentOfTorah #KingdomOfGod #BiblicalChristianity #GospelOfGrace #FollowJesus #FaithOverReligion

In this message, Mich turns our attention to how Jesus reveals Himself as the Great Physician. Walking through the story of Matthew's calling in Matthew 9, she shows us how Jesus, as the Great Physician, meets the spiritually sick right where they are and extends the  “medicine of salvation” to them.While He invites them to follow him, He also addresses Pharisaical self-righteousness. This ancient story still carries immense weight for us today.For up-to-date info, follow our socials: https://www.instagram.com/freedomchurchbenoni/https://www.facebook.com/FreedomChurchBenoniMore episodes on all podcast platforms and our YouTube channel:Follow the link below, or search "freedom church Benoni" on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, or YouTube Music! https://www.youtube.com/@freedomchurchbenoni/podcasts #freedomchurchbenoni #sundayfunday

The gentile-inclusion celebration is crashed by Pharisaical party-poopers who claim that the new converts need to be circumcised and submit to the entire law of Moses to be saved. How does the church respond to this gospel crisis? Will they come to a gospel clarification? How does Christ secure their unity in the truth? Listen to find out!Time:MorningMinister:Rev. Taylor KernTexts:Acts 14:27—15:35Series:Acts: The Church on Fire

Main Theme: The message continues the study of Joshua chapters 10–11, exploring how God led Israel to fully conquer their enemies. Pastor emphasized that these natural battles symbolize our spiritual warfare—the believer's call to finish battles of faith, destroy sin's influence, and walk in victory through obedience. Opening and Global Prayer The service began with intercession for Christians under persecution in Nigeria and Sudan, highlighting that while Western believers face spiritual battles, others face literal physical danger for their faith. Pastor led prayer for God's mercy, protection, and bold witness among the persecuted church. Israel's Battle and Spiritual Parallels (Joshua 10:16–43) Joshua commanded the army to seal the five kings in the cave at Makkedah, pursue the enemy, and finish the battle. After victory, Joshua had his captains place their feet on the necks of the kings—a prophetic act of dominion. This became a picture of spiritual warfare: “Sometimes we don't finish the battle. We let things live that God told us to destroy.” Believers must pursue sin and temptation until they are “dust under our feet.” Partial obedience leads to future bondage. Lesson: Don't leave sin alive. Whatever is not put to death will eventually come back to destroy. Just as Joshua completed every battle, we must close every spiritual door and cut off access to the enemy. God's Ways and the Danger of Presumption Pastor reminded the congregation that God moves in diverse ways: “Sometimes He fights supernaturally; other times He works through natural means or people—but it's always His hand.” He warned against putting God in a box or expecting Him to act the same way every time, which leads to a Pharisaical mindset. True faith trusts His sovereignty regardless of method. The Severity of Sin Joshua's command to destroy the Canaanite nations often troubles modern readers, but Pastor explained: God owns everything; He is perfectly just in judgment. Israel's destruction of wicked nations demonstrates the seriousness of sin, not cruelty. “We don't see how wicked sin really is… we've redefined it as conditions or sickness instead of rebellion against God.” Sin caused death, chaos, and even required the crucifixion of God's Son to be redeemed. God's judgment isn't biased—He later judged Israel the same way when they turned to idolatry. “He's long-suffering, but He's also holy.” God the Redeemer Pastor used the analogy of the pawn shop and Hosea's marriage: Humanity belonged to God but sold itself to sin. Yet God, though rightful owner, paid again with the blood of Christ to buy us back. “He walked into the spiritual pawn shop and paid for the whole store.” This is the picture of grace: redemption at a cost God didn't owe. Spiritual Warfare and Finishing the Fight (Joshua 11) The northern kings united against Israel, but God reassured Joshua: “Do not be afraid. I will deliver them into your hand.” God again fought for Israel, proving that obedience keeps God's presence active. Joshua's faithfulness to continue Moses' commands showed continuity—obedience to divine instruction brings sustained victory. Application: Romans 6 and the War Within Pastor connected Joshua's battles to Romans 6, explaining how believers must fight sin with the same intensity: “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid.” Through baptism, we are united with Christ's death and resurrection. Therefore, sin has no dominion over believers: “Even when you fail, your position in Christ overrides your condition.” Victory comes by renewing the mind with the Word, speaking God's truth over ourselves, and closing every door to sin. Believers must “cut off options” that lead back to bondage—relationships, habits, or influences that tempt the flesh. Becoming a Bondservant Paul called himself a bondslave of Christ—one who chooses to stay out of love, not compulsion. Pastor contrasted this with modern Christians who seek convenience: “Christianity isn't weakness—it's surrender. The greatest opportunity isn't success, it's becoming a man or woman of God.” Closing Exhortation God desires full victory for His people—no compromise, no partial obedience. The Christian walk is discipleship as a journey, not a destination. Every battle is an opportunity to grow stronger in faith and obedience. “Cut off what tempts you. Pursue your enemies until they're dust under your feet. You are dead to sin and alive to God. Finish the fight.” Core Message Don't leave sin alive—finish the battle. God's justice reveals the true horror of sin. You are redeemed at great cost—live as one who's been bought back. Renew your mind, close every door to the enemy, and walk in your position in Christ. The greatest victory is not survival—it's surrender.

Sermon Notes: 10/26/25 Luke 11:29-36 . Check us out at: https://citylightvicksburg.org/ Or check us out here: https://www.facebook.com/citylightvicksburg . "While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering. As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say." Luke 11:37-54 In the Christian life, we need more than a public facing cleanliness. We need a clean internal form to have a true relationship with the Lord. In these verses, Jesus explains what external cleanliness and internal dirtiness are. In the passage, Jesus does not wash His hands while eating a meal. Note that this wasn't about hygiene. Handwashing was all about ceremonial cleanliness in the Jewish community. But this wasn't a requirement; it was a Pharisaical tradition. To be “seen” as clean via things like this ritual, was to be “declared” as actually being clean. That’s what Jesus is calling out here. His point is that cleanliness flows from the heart. Those clean hands of the Pharisees won’t bless those outside of the temple. The surprise of this moment is that Jesus won’t participate in this ceremonial cleanliness. He, the One who made the handwashing, is the same One who sees the filth of the inside of a person's heart. Only the fool thinks he can dress up and fool his Creator like everyone else. God sees all, despite how much cleaning we do externally. . What does it look like to be concerned about the outside rather than the inside? A lack of love of neighbor, and lack of love for God. The Pharisees take the laws given by God to encourage love of neighbor above and beyond their requirements because they wanted to show how great they themselves were. This kind of person looks good on the outside, but fails to be an honest, loving person. Do we give in substance without a giving heart? Do we do a charitable act, but remain resentful of the objects of our giving? Do we mock or ridicule those who we help ,focusing on their shortcomings, rather than noticing the glimmer of light within them? If so, we care more about the outside than the inside A surplus of love of self and platform is an indicator of our internal filthliness. The desire for elevation is a quick way to become cold to those that are standing in your way for elevation. A religion mired in the external is a religion that is lacking a love of God. The next set of woes go to the lawyers in the room. Jesus points out that the lawyers create burdens rather than helping people work through those burdens. If you take more joy in showing how people are missing the mark rather than celebrating the wins of your fellow human, your religion is lacking a love of God. Cleaning the outside of the cup and NOT the inside, is to be given the tools to lift people up but not doing so. Cleaning the outside of the cup AND the inside is to see the humanity in those beside you, and walk through their burdens with them. The text shows two possible responses to this revelation - the Pharisees respond by getting angry. When Jesus uncovers their manipulation they don’t want their hearts addressed, but rather they just want to look good in front of others. However, Jesus invites us to have a second response - mercy. Jesus says we can give as alms what is in us. Instead of external cleanliness, we can offer our heart to God and change when God shows us how we’re failing Him. . When you invite God to search your heart, expect some pain. But that pain is mercy. He delights in healing the wounds within you.

Sermon Notes: 10/26/25 Luke 11:29-36 . Check us out at: https://citylightvicksburg.org/ Or check us out here: https://www.facebook.com/citylightvicksburg . "While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.” One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering. As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say." Luke 11:37-54 In the Christian life, we need more than a public facing cleanliness. We need a clean internal form to have a true relationship with the Lord. In these verses, Jesus explains what external cleanliness and internal dirtiness are. In the passage, Jesus does not wash His hands while eating a meal. Note that this wasn't about hygiene. Handwashing was all about ceremonial cleanliness in the Jewish community. But this wasn't a requirement; it was a Pharisaical tradition. To be “seen” as clean via things like this ritual, was to be “declared” as actually being clean. That’s what Jesus is calling out here. His point is that cleanliness flows from the heart. Those clean hands of the Pharisees won’t bless those outside of the temple. The surprise of this moment is that Jesus won’t participate in this ceremonial cleanliness. He, the One who made the handwashing, is the same One who sees the filth of the inside of a person's heart. Only the fool thinks he can dress up and fool his Creator like everyone else. God sees all, despite how much cleaning we do externally. . What does it look like to be concerned about the outside rather than the inside? A lack of love of neighbor, and lack of love for God. The Pharisees take the laws given by God to encourage love of neighbor above and beyond their requirements because they wanted to show how great they themselves were. This kind of person looks good on the outside, but fails to be an honest, loving person. Do we give in substance without a giving heart? Do we do a charitable act, but remain resentful of the objects of our giving? Do we mock or ridicule those who we help ,focusing on their shortcomings, rather than noticing the glimmer of light within them? If so, we care more about the outside than the inside A surplus of love of self and platform is an indicator of our internal filthliness. The desire for elevation is a quick way to become cold to those that are standing in your way for elevation. A religion mired in the external is a religion that is lacking a love of God. The next set of woes go to the lawyers in the room. Jesus points out that the lawyers create burdens rather than helping people work through those burdens. If you take more joy in showing how people are missing the mark rather than celebrating the wins of your fellow human, your religion is lacking a love of God. Cleaning the outside of the cup and NOT the inside, is to be given the tools to lift people up but not doing so. Cleaning the outside of the cup AND the inside is to see the humanity in those beside you, and walk through their burdens with them. The text shows two possible responses to this revelation - the Pharisees respond by getting angry. When Jesus uncovers their manipulation they don’t want their hearts addressed, but rather they just want to look good in front of others. However, Jesus invites us to have a second response - mercy. Jesus says we can give as alms what is in us. Instead of external cleanliness, we can offer our heart to God and change when God shows us how we’re failing Him. . When you invite God to search your heart, expect some pain. But that pain is mercy. He delights in healing the wounds within you.

Evangelist Will Geiseman preaches on the Pharisaical brother in the story of the prodigal son.

In this passage, Jesus exposes the Pharisaical error of majoring on minors that ultimately led them to miss the priority of Scripture.

This sermon on Matthew 23:13–39 exposes Jesus' fierce rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees while ultimately revealing the patience and mercy of God, warning believers against hypocrisy, pride, and legalism that block people from the Kingdom rather than leading them into it. Through a series of “woes,” Jesus confronts religious leaders who burden others with rules, focus on outward appearance over inward transformation, major on minor issues while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness, and condemn sins they themselves commit—showing that spiritual performance without humility leads to spiritual death. The message challenges listeners to examine their own hearts: whether they lead others to Christ or away from Him, live authentically across all areas of life, and remember the depth of forgiveness they themselves have received. In contrast to judgmental religion, Jesus' lament over Jerusalem reveals a Savior who longs to gather His people, offering grace, repentance, and life to all. The antidote to becoming Pharisaical is a humble, grateful heart that continually remembers salvation is by grace alone, resulting in genuine love for God and others and a life that reflects Christ rather than merely appearing religious.

In this episode, Peyton Jones and Pete Mitchell tackle the challenge of sharing the gospel in a world overloaded with noise and distraction. From the rise of short-form content to the temptation of controversy-driven clicks, they explore what it means to “do the work of an evangelist” today. Peyton unpacks the biblical distinction between being a witness and proclaiming the good news, while Pete draws parallels between evangelism and marketing—showing how principles of attention-grabbing can be leveraged without compromising the message.Together, they discuss how church planters can avoid the trap of Pharisaical call-outs, enter the conversations people are already having, and use digital tools wisely to connect real people with the hope of Jesus. If you've ever wondered how to cut through the noise with the gospel in today's distracted age, this conversation will give you clarity, conviction, and some practical next steps.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We're here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

Join Mark Masano and myself as we explore the unrestrained antics and the unbalanced rants of bible worshiping intellectuals. These fear-monger lukewarm Pharisaical vipers know that their theological position is so weak that they are forced to resort to bizarre fear-mongering in an effort to scare you into closing your heart to the ever-present dynamic ministry of the Holy Spirit.The fact that your Bible tells you that when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you shall receive power to be His witnesses seems to be unintelligible to large tracts of the body of Christ.For some strange reason, they find the strange and unusual nature of God's ways of interacting with His people abhorrent.But in order to do this, they are forced to ignore the obvious results of these interactions, which are healings, deliverances, joy unspeakable, conviction of sin, return to First Love, and many new souls being birthed into the kingdom.It's just like the scene in the New Testament where Jesus heals the man with the withered hand, and the religious leaders' hearts were so hard they couldn't rejoice in the fact that the man's hand was healed. They could only stand there and pound their BiblesPlease jump in and support the outreachMAIL CHECKS TO John Kirwin PO Box 78362 Charlotte NC 28271CREDIT CARD https://donorbox.org/wakeuporelsePAYPAL https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirwi...CASHAPP https://cash.app/$wakeuporelse$wakeuporelseVENMO https://bit.ly/4hvPBXK@wakeuporelseZELLE wakeuporelse@proton.meCRYPTO CURRENCIES https://www.wakeuporelse.com/donateGet both of my books FREE www.wakeuporelse.com / www.alteredbible.com1) "The Conspiracy Theorist Survival Guide"2) The Mandela effect Supernatural Bible Changes And The Doctrine Of The Preservation Of ScripturePurchase on AmazonMy 1st book: The Conspiracy Theorist Survival Guide: A Guidebook For Persecuted Truthers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C91X6K55Available on Audible & Itunes My 2nd book: The Mandela Effect Supernatural Bible Changes and the doctrine of the preservation of scripture https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DH51XBJ2Wakeupuporelse.comwww.rumble.com/c/wakeuporelsewww.twitter.com/wakeuporelse1www.facebook.com/wakeuporelse1Wakeuporelse is listener supported.Be a $10.00/month partner https://donorbox.org/wakeuporelseStay connected in case we get bannedSign up for newsletterhttps://bit.ly/wakeuporelse"The Conspiracy Theorist Survival Guide Podcast"Applehttps://bit.ly/49hXT1sSpotifyhttps://bit.ly/3vZSLAXAmazon Music (Podcast )https://bit.ly/3SEFne9iHearthttps://bit.ly/47ZgI8ASticherhttps://bit.ly/3SGrb4HPandorahttps://bit.ly/3UhIJFnDeezerhttps://bit.ly/4bxj55RRadio Publichttps://bit.ly/3HEiCAKContact John wakeuporelse@proton.meSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-conspiracy-theorist-survival-guide-podcast/donations

Psalm 96,Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12 let the field exult, and everything in it!Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness. You were made to worship God. That is true of every single human being that has ever existed. If you're here and you're a human, you were made for worship. Look around, most of us in this room would say that we were made for worship — so here's a question: What is worship? What is the meaning of true worship?You don't need to answer this out loud, but imagine for a minute that you're having a conversation with a friend or a co-worker — if they asked you to explain the meaning of worship, what would you say?See I wonder if worship might be the most important calling in our lives that we know the least about.So that's our topic this morning. We're gonna focus on the meaning of true worship because that's what Psalm 96 is all about. And I think we discover here at least two truths about what true worship is, and I can't wait to show you, but first let's pray again.Father in heaven, we recognize that there are countless things that could get in the way of our hearing you this morning. There are countless things inside us and outside us that would block our hearts from receiving what you have for us, and so right now, I ask that you would triumph over all those things. I ask that you break through every barrier to magnify your glory in the preaching of your word. In Jesus's name, amen.Here's the first truth we discover about true worship:1. True Worship is a vertical response to the greatness of God. In Psalm 96, there are 18 verbs spread across 12 verses and they're all about worship. Just listen to the verbs: It's … Sing, sing, singBless, tell, declareAscribe, ascribe, ascribeBring, worship, trembleSay, be glad, rejoice, Roar, exult, sing!This is most of the psalm.Now none of these verbs by themselves are true worship because you can sing, tell, and ascribe anything to anybody — and people do — so what makes this true worship, at the start, is that all of this is directed to God. And this makes sense. If it's true worship, of course, it must be to God, about God, and also because of God.This last part is really important. See, in the context of all these directives to worship God in Psalm 96, the psalmist grounds that worship in who God has revealed himself to be.We see this in verses 4–6 and in verse 13. And I want you to see it with me beginning in verse 4. Following the “For” in FourSo everybody find verse 4. This will be super easy. I want you to find the verse 4 and the word “for” — it's the very first word of the verse. Find verse 4, word “for” — if you see it, say Got it.Verses 1–3 has been sing, sing, sing, bless, tell, declare — here's why: 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Skip to verse 12: Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. Our worship of God is because of God — this means that worship is a response. Now think about this: a response is something that comes second. It doesn't happen unless something else happens first. It's like answering your phone — you answer your phone after it rings. Most people still answer their phone after it rings. But what nobody does is just pick up their phone at random and say ‘hello' — if you did that we'd be concerned. You answer your phone in response to the ring.Worship is kind of like that — it's not an original act. It's a secondary act — we can only worship God because he first has shown us who he is. Without him doing that, we'd still be in the dark. We're not smart enough or good enough to worship God on our own. True worship is vertical in direction and vertical in source. God first has to tell us who he is — and he has through his world and his word. This is God's grace to us.The Greatness of God DisplayedAnd in his word, Psalm 96, we see the revelation of his greatness.We can see the word “great” in verse 4 — the Lord, Yahweh, is great and therefore he is worthy of our praise. And then we see that his greatness is demonstrated in two facts about him. Here they are: God is Creator and God is Judge. Now where am I getting that? …God Is CreatorFor Creator, we see it in verse 5. The psalmist does a little comparative religion here. He says:“The gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but Yahweh made the heavens.”And that's why Yahweh is greater. See, back in the day — which has been most of human history before the last 300 years — people were much more aware of how enchanted our world is. People recognized little-g gods everywhere — tribal deities, geographic deities, all of that. The world is still as spiritual today as it was then, but people saw it then. They were awake to it. And that's what makes verse 5 so amazing. The psalmist was well aware of the competing deities of his day, and he calls them all “worthless idols.” He is radically unimpressed by them. They're pathetic. They're useless. They're powerless. But, in contrast, Yahweh made the heavens.Your ‘little-g' god is a block of wood, while Yahweh is the one who spoke trees into existence. See the difference? Yahweh is greater. He's the Creator.Now, in our day, in our society, most non-Christians are not bowing down to carved statues — some do, most don't — but our world is still full of idols. There are still countless things that people honor in the place of God. And there are dark spiritual forces at work here. The big three for a long time has been money, sex, and power. These are gods in America.I had a conversation yesterday with a neighbor — a great guy — we were talking and he said he wasn't religious and I explained to him that everybody is religious. Everybody has some god, the question is who. I told him the gods of our day, for a lot of people, are money, sex, and power and he was like totally. It made sense to him. And if we're honest, none of us are oblivious to their seduction…If I could just get more money, how much better life would be! …If I could just have a romantic relationship, then I'd be satisfied …If I could just get my way all the time, everything would be great …These are the idols of our day, and like the psalmist here, we should be passionately clear that God is greater than all of them. They will not deliver what they promise. And what we'll find if we chase these things is one dead-end road after the other. But Yahweh made the heavens! Yahweh is behind and before everything that is. Yahweh is greater, he's the Creator!God Is JudgeBut not only that, Yahweh is also the Judge. That's the concluding fact in verse 13:“The Lord [Yahweh], for he comes. For he comes to judge the earth.”You ever heard that before?God is going judge this world. We learn more about this judgment in the New Testament. It's carried out by God the Son, Jesus Christ. Paul says in Acts 17:31 that God has “fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed [that's Jesus]” 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…” One day, every human being will stand in front of Jesus and be judged by him. We don't think about this a lot, but the Day is coming. I remember the first time I met my friend Ray. He visited our church for the first time, and I was talking with him after the service, and he told me he wanted to be baptized and get plugged into the church because, he said, “Jesus is coming back to judge the world.” True story. That's what he said. He's right. God will judge the world.And that's why he's great. God is Creator and Judge. Which means he is first cause and final say. You've heard the phrase “you're about to meet your Maker.” That's a threat in action movies, but it's theologically on point. Every one of us will meet our Maker. The one who gave you life will one day call you to account for that life. The hands that formed you are the same hands that will judge you. And that's why God is great.God is great and greatly to be praised. True worship is a vertical response to the greatness of God.Here's the second truth we learn about worship …2. True worship is a horizontal declaration of the goodness of God.We see this in verses 2–3. We've already seen here that worship is the theme of Psalm 96, but notice what this worship includes. Verse 2: Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!Now the keyword here is that word “tell.” Do y'all see that in the second part of verse 2? I want you to circle that word with your eyes. This is a special word in the Old Testament. It shows up in some key places. One big one is Isaiah 52:7. You may have heard this verse before. Isaiah 52:7,How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”Now that phrase “brings good news” — that's the word translated as “tell” in Psalm 96:2. In the Greek Old Testament, it's word euangelizō. In English it means “preach the gospel.”Did you know that preaching the gospel is part of worship?According to Psalm 96, preaching the gospel (telling the good news) is part of worshiping God. Worship is a vertical response to God for his greatness and there's a horizontal declaration of his goodness.This means that true worship has a missionary character. We're singing and ascribing, and we're telling and declaring, because we want others to join us in the singing and ascribing. And if there is no telling and declaring it means that our worship is deformed. It's less than true. That's the implication here.And that's the danger of an ingrown church. I'll use that phrase “ingrown church” a lot these days because that's a real temptation for any church that's been around for a decade, and maybe especially for a church that has a nice building like this. Can't we just come here and worship, just us? Do we really need more people here? New people here? Can't we just keep it us?I want to be clear here: if our worship of God is not something we want others to be a part of, then it's broken. And I believe Jesus doesn't like it that way.True worship includes a horizontal declaration of the goodness of God. Because he is good. We have good news. We have a God who saves. He saves! I want to end like this: I want to give you three facts about God's salvation. This is what we get to declare.1. God's salvation is for all peoples.The psalm says it — we declare his glory among the nations and his marvelous works among all the peoples! We call all the families of the peoples to ascribe to God the glory due his name.This is amazing. It means that God is not just for one particular tribe, or one kind of people. He truly is for everyone from everywhere. To make it personal, think about your own life, your own story. There's nothing about your person or nothing about your past that excludes you from God. Listen: God can save you wherever you're from and whatever you've done — amen? If you're not moved by that it's because either you didn't hear what I just said or you're self-righteous.Seriously — the most literal Pharisaical thing someone could do is to despise or ignore the universal reach of God's salvation. Everybody gets to be saved if they would just come home. Come home to the love of God! That invitation goes to everyone. God's salvation is for all peoples.2. God's salvation is from his wrath. To be “saved” is a great Bible word, but it doesn't make sense to a lot of people. If we were to ask someone if they're saved, the first thing they might say is, “Saved from what?”This is where Psalm 96 is really helpful. The perspective here keeps in view the coming judgment of God. Again, remember Jesus is coming, as Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:8, Jesus is coming “with his mighty angels in flaming fire [to inflict] vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”What does it mean to obey the gospel? That's a phrase used in the New Testament. It has to do with the reign of God. That's part of what makes the good news good. It's that God reigns. We heard that in Isaiah 52:7; we see it in Psalm 96:10; and it was also how the apostles preached. The apostles didn't just say, “Your sins can be forgiven” — they said, “Jesus is Lord of all” (see Acts 10:36). They proclaimed that Jesus is risen from the dead and reigning. They preached the supremacy of Christ as good news because it is — and that is one way to divide the world. When we read in Psalm 96:10, “Say among the nations, ‘Yahweh reigns!”' — there are two kinds of people in the world. There are those who love the reign of God and those who hate the reign of God. No middle ground. And if you hate the reign of God, too bad, because it's coming anyway. And if you hate the reign of the King when the King comes, you will face the wrath of the King. That makes sense, right?Well, the good news is that you can be saved from that wrath if you bow to the King. That is the proclamation! That's what the herald says:Hear ye! Hear ye! The King is coming! He has conquered sin and death, and his victory is on the way! Receive it now while you can!And I mean that. In this room right now, I'm inviting you … Stop hating the reign of God. Bow to Jesus Christ and believe. Receive his salvation. Receive the goodness of his rule.3. God's salvation is awaiting final consummation. The salvation of God that we receive now is real. We receive it by faith in Jesus and it's effective. We become new creatures; we're filled with the Holy Spirit; our lives are changed. But also, it's a salvation not yet complete. There's a grand finale of our salvation that we're still waiting for at the return of Jesus.The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 3 that as Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it [from heaven] we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body…”And the theological word for this future transformation is consummation. It's the final and complete fulfillment of our salvation. When Jesus returns, every detail of brokenness will be restored and we will be made perfectly like him. The New Testament talks about this hope in several places, but Romans Chapter 8 is the go-to.Paul says in Romans 8:18 that we're waiting for a future glory that will be revealed to us … and then he says something that we didn't see coming. He says that all of creation is also waiting for our future glory. Romans 8:19, “the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” The whole creation will experience the freedom of the glory of the children of God, and so the whole creation is groaning (or sighing) for that future day.Can you imagine that?Back in July, my family and I spent a week at the beach in North Carolina, and one of my favorite things to do at the beach is get up early and watch the sunrise. You're watching the giant orange ball in the sky right here, and then the waves are crashing here, and it's music. It's beautiful. And you can hear the longing in it, if you use your imagination. To think that all of us together are waiting for a future day. The sun and the sea, the seagulls and the sky — we're all waiting for something. So we can say:11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.The day is coming. And we worship now in that hope.Two truths about worship:True worship is a vertical response to the greatness of God. True worship is a horizontal declaration of the goodness of God. And we come to the Table to do both. The TableAt this Table, we give thanks to Jesus for his death and we proclaim his death until he comes. Vertical response and horizontal declaration. It goes like this:If you're a Christian, if you have trusted in Jesus Christ to save you, let's eat and drink and give him thanks.If you're here and you're not yet a Christian, we proclaim him to you: Jesus is the Lord of all and he came to save you — put your faith in him. Come home.

Defender of the Faith – Vol. 1This study, Defender of the Faith, is designed to recognize and deprogram individuals from cults, including certain Christian-identifying groups. Rooted in John 8:32, the core message is that freedom comes from knowing and following the pure doctrine of Christ as revealed solely in Scripture. Any addition—man-made doctrines or extra-biblical revelations—creates "another gospel" and leads to deception.22 Signs of a CultBern identifies 22 characteristics common to cults, whether non-Christian, pseudo-Christian, or even within accepted denominations: Exclusive, unscriptural doctrines: Unique teachings not found in the Bible. Salvation by works: Grace is supplemented with human effort. Uncertain eternal future: Members lack assurance of salvation. Extra-biblical authority: Truth claimed from sources outside Scripture. Authoritarian leadership: Leaders assume roles meant for the Holy Spirit. False teachings accepted as truth. Syncretism: Mixing pagan elements with Christian worship. Scripture manipulation: Twisting verses to support specific beliefs. Mind control: Fear-based or doctrinal manipulation. Absurd lies taught as truth. Exploitation of members. Blind submission to human authority. Another gospel: A distorted salvation message. Religious spirit: Legalism disguised as holiness. Antichrist spirit: Denying Christ's true nature. Pharisaical spirit: Overemphasis on outward law. Jezebel spirit: Manipulative control. Control spirit: Excessive control over members' lives. Spirit of error: Leading others from biblical truth. Nicolaitanism: Clergy-layperson divide and domination. Fear-based control. Resistance to the Holy Spirit. Understanding Those in CultsTo effectively help someone out of a cult, it's essential to understand their mindset: Lack of "Sola Scriptura": They don't view Scripture as the final authority. Reliance on human interpretation: Trusting doctrines about God over God's word itself. Ingrained beliefs: Lifelong teachings make them resistant to new ideas. Deep investment: Their identity or career may be tied to the group. Tactics to avoid truth: They may redefine terms, dismiss Scripture, or claim subjective interpretation. Brainwashing: Indoctrination is gradual, persistent, and difficult to undo. Pre-programmed responses: Members are trained to deflect objections instinctively.

Choice of Rebekah; Virgin?; Pardons; Corruption; Civil government; "Ur"; Nimrod and Terah; Melchizedek - righteous king of peace; Tithing; Rebekah's entourage; Organizing the people; Providers; Lot's place in the gates of Sodom; Judging enemies; Learning to be Israel; Separation; "City"; Unrighteous sacrifice; Meekness of sheep; Willing sacrifices; Understanding Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - Israel; Entrusting power to the people; Covering beauty; Walking in faith; Possession; Becoming merchandise; Welfare snares; Tribute; Protection; Power corrupts; Exercising authority; Freewill contributions; "Tithes"; Love = Charity; Genesis 25 - Abraham's death; Katurah; "Leummim" ; Seeking Holy Spirit; Loving light; Incense?; Driving out evil; Pilate's incense; Tiberius; Living in bondage; Are you Israel?; Abraham's inheritance; "live" = chet-yod; Isaac's half-brothers; Temptation; Abraham's blessing; Importance of wives; Pure Religion; Nahor; Doers of His word; Well Lahairoi - revelation of Holy Spirit; Helping with unbelief; Thinking differently than the world; Effectual prayer; God's blessing to Isaac; Gen 17:20; "Before Egypt"; Rulers; Deceitful meats; The Christian way; Repentance; Covetous practices; Modern doctrines; Barren Rebekah; Twins!; Man/Woman differences; Ministry?; Gen 25:23; Lamad-aleph-mem-yod-mem = people(s); Esau and Jacob; Esau cunning "hunter" (provider); Considering the society; Allowing choice; Letting children grow; Roman and Pharisaical tribute; Forced offerings; vs Charity; "Manners" of people; Cain and Abel; Esau lacking provisions; Selling your birthright; Dependencies of Esau and Jacob; Pure Religion; Which manner of people are you?; Golden calf?; Temple of Ephesus?; Seeing the light of truth; Come to serve.

By Elvin Bridges

Justin Hibbard concludes our series on the Catholic approach to prayer by addressing the claim made by many Evangelicals: “Religion is man's way to get to God; Christianity is God's way to get to man.” Is that true? Is all religious practices Pharisaical and a distraction from a relationship with Jesus? Or does religion actually help us pursue the heart of God?Subscribe to Why Catholic? wherever you get your podcasts.Check out the Why Catholic Etsy shop (all proceeds support this podcast).Become a free subscriber or a patron of Why Catholic? and get the next episode and a discount code to the Why Catholic Etsy shop in your email inbox.Follow Why Catholic on Instagram.Subscribe to Why Catholic on YouTube.SHOW NOTES:* Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus by Jeff Bethke* Bishop Barron on "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"* Fr. Pontifex - Why I Love Religion, And Love Jesus* Episode 73: Faith Seeking Understanding* Episode 131: Why Prayer is so Hard* Episode 135: Intentional Prayer Get full access to Why Catholic? at whycatholic.substack.com/subscribe

In today's verses Paul shows a dramatic shift in how he viewed his credentials and accomplishments. Paul lists his “resume” of religious qualifications (his pure Jewish lineage, strict Pharisaical adherence to the law, and zealous persecution of the church), but then declares all of these achievements as “rubbish.” Rubbish is a polite translation of a crude Greek term. Our most fundamental need is righteousness, but our righteousness becomes our most profound problem when we rely on it instead of Christ. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Prophet Leon Du Preez addresses the wave of exposure and scandal in the church, challenging the common belief that it's God's judgment. Instead, he unpacks it as the consequence of preaching a mixed gospel—law and grace. He confronts legalism, rebukes exposure ministries for their Pharisaical spirit, and champions the liberating truth of the New Covenant. With bold statements and scriptural depth, this teaching calls the church back to the pure gospel of grace and unveils how true transformation comes through understanding our righteousness in Christ.

What if everything we thought about leadership was backward? In this thought-provoking exploration of "The Genius of Jesus," we unpack how Christ established the most effective leadership development movement in history—not through controlling hierarchies but through radical trust and empowerment.• Jesus exemplifies genius by seeing connections others couldn't see and establishing an upside-down kingdom• The Pharisaical tendency in leadership seeks identity in power over others rather than empowerment• Healthy organizations foster innovation through teams rather than bureaucratic hierarchy• Trust functions as currency—when present, it propels ministry forward; when absent, it creates resistance• Effective leadership balances high trust with high accountability through transparency• Decentralized decision-making requires clear values and principles that guide but don't restrict• Leadership thrives when principles rather than rigid rules govern behavior• Effective leaders instill thirst for mission rather than merely creating manuals and proceduresSupport the showJoin the Lead Time Newsletter! (Weekly Updates and Upcoming Episodes)https://www.uniteleadership.org/lead-time-podcast#newsletterVisit uniteleadership.org

Holy Week Reflection by Rev. Renaldo McKenzie:1/Isn't it ironic, duplicitous and Pharisaical that our President Mr. Donald Trump expects compliance with executive orders… yet POTUS struggles to comply with court rulings and our Constitution?2/We can arrange prisoner swaps like Kseniya Karelina from Russia…But we can't bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador?3/Trump is not a Jew, but he moves like the Pharisees did in the #NewTestament.Jesus said:“Woe to you, scribes & Pharisees, hypocrites!”4/He condemned their hypocrisy, legalism, and failure to uphold justice, mercy & faithfulness.And that's exactly what we're witnessing in this “Neoliberal age”.5/These thoughts are the foundation of my upcoming book w/ Martin Oppenheimer:Neoliberal Globalization Reconsidered: Unfair Competition & the Death of Nations.By Rev. Renaldo McKenzie,Renaldo is Author of “Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance”, available worldwide and at https://store.theneoliberal.comPresidentThe Neoliberal CorporationHttps://theneoliberal.com and https://renaldocmckenzie.comSubscribe on any stream: https://anchor.fm/theneoliberalDonate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=USSJLFU2HRVAQ

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Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comMatthew 23In the final week before Christ's crucifixion, He tells His disciples about the dangers of the scribes and Pharisees. After three years of patiently teaching these men, it is time to tell the world about them. Jesus first tells disciples to observe what the scribes teach if it is from God. But Christ warns them not to do what the Pharisees do. They seek to be noticed by men and to have places of honor because they lack humility. Jesus calls them hypocrites repeatedly, speaking about their lack of mercy and the underlying desire of their hearts to serve themselves. He addresses them openly and directly as “serpents”! And yet, as Jesus looks at them and all of Jerusalem, He is sorrowful that they will not repent and be gathered to Him and saved.  It is easy to read this chapter and think about other people. But it is wiser to use this list of the Pharisees' failures as a test for our own lives. In Matthew 5, Jesus told His disciples their righteousness must exceed the Pharisees if they are to be in His kingdom. These men were self-righteous. Jesus calls us to be humble servants. They were hypocritical. Jesus asks us to live out our faith. They were legalistic. We must be led to obey from a God-like heart of mercy. They were superficial. We must be honest about what's happening in our hearts. They became obstacles for others. We must live and speak to draw people to Christ.  Dear Father, we call upon Your help today, to be honest with ourselves and willing to evaluate our motives. Jesus taught so diligently to soften the hearts of the Pharisees, and they fought Him at every turn. Glorious Lord, help us to listen and to learn. May we be humble servants. Empower us to live out our faith with integrity. Build in us compassion and mercy for others. Will You create opportunities for us to help people and show them the way to Jesus? Most of all, reveal to us how much Jesus loves and yearns to save everyone.  Thought Questions:  -       Will you do the hard thing today of looking for Pharisaical tendencies in your own life? How can this be incredibly healthy and needful? -       How would you define “legalism”? Can you see how some focus so intensely on the letter of the law that they miss the love that encircles it? -       What does it feel like to realize that Jesus is always yearning to gather you to Him, no matter what you have done? How will you respond?

It's Mailbag Friday! You've got questions, we've got answers! Segment 1 • How can I pursue good works without falling into Pharisaical tendencies? • What's the right way to interpret and apply the Song of Solomon as Christians? • Should we join a church we're leaving soon just to serve and take communion? • How should Christians, especially women, approach weight loss biblically? Segment 2 • How can I strike up Gospel conversations without feeling awkward or forced? Segment 3 • Is it sinful to decline a baby shower gift if I feel it celebrates past sin? • How do I lead as a husband without making my wife feel forced to follow? • Is it better for a baby to be raised by a same-sex couple or stay in foster care? Segment 4 • Who should select church elders—members, pastors, or Scripture? • Did Muhammad and Joseph Smith encounter demons—or is it all fabricated? • Am I beyond salvation if I'm stuck in habitual sin? ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!

This week, live from the Evangelical Theological Society Conference in San Diego, Scott & Sean discuss: West Virginia amends its constitution to ban physician-assisted suicide, sparking a larger discussion on bioethics and cultural trends.Harvard's controversial "Sex Week" and a student's bold critique highlight the cultural longing for deeper meaning in human relationships.The Texas Board of Education backs an elementary school curriculum incorporating biblical content, raising questions about the role of faith in public education.Listener question: Follow up on discussion of genetic privacy and its implications in healthcare and insurance.Listener question: How to give generously without Pharisaical tendencies.Listener question: Recommendations for Bible study tools include the new NIV Application Commentary and Logos Bible Software for deeper scriptural engagement. ==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.

After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. The events in this passage probably took place shortly after Jesus healed the paralyzed man, for the "official Pharisaical committee" was still there (Luke 5:17). When Jesus called Levi, He accomplished three things: He saved a lost soul; He added a new disciple to His band; and He created an opportunity to explain His ministry to Levi's friends and to the scribes and Pharisees. And it is likely that Jesus at this time gave Levi his new name, "Matthew, the gift of God" (Luke 6:15; Matthew 9:9-12; Mark 2:13-17).   Matthew sat at the toll booth and levied duty on the merchandise that was brought through. Since the tax rates were not always clear, it was easy for an unscrupulous man to make extra money for himself. But even if a tax collector served honestly, the Jews still despised him for defiling himself by working for the Gentiles. John the Baptist had made it clear that there was nothing innately sinful in collecting taxes (Luke 3:12-13), and we have no evidence that Matthew was a thief. But to the Jews, Levi was a sinner, and Jesus was suspect for having anything to do with him and his sinner friends.   We wonder how much Matthew knew about Jesus. Our Lord's friendship with Peter and his partners would put Him in touch with the businessmen of Capernaum, and certainly Matthew had heard Jesus preach by the seaside. Matthew instantly obeyed the Lord's call, left everything, and followed Jesus. He was so overjoyed at his salvation experience that he invited many of his friends to rejoice with him (see Luke 15:6, 9, 23).   The scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus because they did not understand either His message or His ministry. Jesus simply did not fit into their traditional religious life. It is unfortunate when leaders resist change and refuse to try to understand the new things that God is doing. In order to help them understand, Jesus gave the illustration of a sick person going to a physician.   The scribes and Pharisees saw Matthew and his friends as condemned sinners, but Jesus saw them as spiritually sick "patients" who needed the help of a physician. In fact, He had illustrated this when He cleansed the leper and healed the paralytic. Sin is like a disease: it starts in a small and hidden way; it grows secretly; it saps our strength; and if it is not cured, it kills. It is tragic when sickness kills the body, but it is even more tragic when sin condemns the soul to hell.   The scribes and Pharisees were quick to diagnose the needs of others, but they were blind to their own needs, for they were sinners like everyone else. They appeared righteous on the outside but were corrupt within (Matt. 23:25-28). They may not have been "prodigal sons" who were guilty of sins of the flesh, but they were certainly "elder brothers" who were guilty of sins of the spirit (Luke 15:11-32; 2 Cor. 7:1).   The first step toward healing sin sickness is admitting that we have a need and that we must do something about it. False prophets give a false diagnosis that leads to a false hope (Jer. 6:14); but the servant of God tells the truth about sin, death, and hell, and offers the only remedy: faith in Jesus Christ. The religion of the scribes and Pharisees could offer no hope to Matthew's friends, but Jesus could.   What a wonderful Physician Jesus is! He comes to us in love; He calls us; He saves us when we trust Him; and He "pays the bill." His diagnosis is always accurate, and His cure is perfect and complete. No wonder Matthew was so happy and wanted to share the Good News with his friends!   Are you sharing the Good News of your salvation with your friends?   God bless!

17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. Today we will begin looking at the next section of verses in Luke 5:17-26 as Jesus and His disciples continue to minister in the dark region of Galilee. From the other Gospels, it appears that on this particular occasion that Jesus in in the little town of Capernaum. This was Peter's hometown and most likely they were at Peter's house. And on this “certain day, the crowd gathered to see Jesus heal and to hear Him teach.   But a new element was added: some of the official religious leaders from Jerusalem were present to investigate what He was doing. They had every right to do this since it was the responsibility of the elders to prevent false prophets from leading the people astray (Deut. 13; 18:15-22). They had interrogated John the Baptist (John 1:19-34) and now they would examine Jesus of Nazareth.   The rulers in Jerusalem had already been in conflict with the Lord. John's gospel shows an early developing hostility toward Him. The time had come for them to confront this country preacher on His own ground. Members of the religious elite arrived from all parts of the country. Especially visible were the Pharisees, who took the lead throughout the Gospels in opposing Christ. Their very presence and the presence of learned doctors of the Law from Jerusalem itself would, it was hoped, intimidate this man from Nazareth. Nazareth! "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).   Since this is the first time the scribes, the teachers of the law, and the Pharisees are mentioned in Luke's Gospel, it would be good for us to get acquainted with them. The word Pharisee comes from a Hebrew word that means "to divide, to separate." The scribes and Pharisees probably developed out of the ministry of Ezra, the priest, who taught the Jewish people to obey the Law of Moses and be separate from the heathen nations around them (Ezra 9-10; Neh. 8-9). The great desire of the scribes and Pharisees was to understand and magnify God's Law and apply it in their daily lives.   However, the movement soon became quite legalistic, and its leaders laid so many burdens on the people that it was impossible to "serve the Lord with gladness" (Ps. 100:2). Furthermore, many of the Pharisees were proud arrogant hypocrites and did not practice what they preached (see Matt. 15:1-20; 23:1-36). In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), Jesus exposed the shallowness of Pharisaical religion. He explained that true righteousness is a matter of the heart and not external religious practices alone.   The scribes and Pharisees picked a good time to attend one of our Lord's meetings, because God's power was present in a special way and Jesus would heal a man who had the palsy, meaning he was paralyzed. If leprosy illustrates the corruption and defilement of sin, then palsy is a picture of the paralysis that sin produces in a life. But Jesus would do more than heal the man; He would also forgive his sins and teach the crowd a lesson in forgiveness.   The first thing I notice from this passage is that it says, “Now it happened on a certain day”. Remember the healing of the leper in the previous verses happened “in a certain city”. This reminds me that God is always at work in certain places and certain days!   Today, wherever you might be, is that special certain day for you to trust the Lord and find forgiveness of your sins and to have your life forever changed!   God bless!

Dr. Benjamin Laird, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Liberty University and co-author of the book 40 Questions about the Apostle Paul, joins the Bible and Theology Matters podcast to discuss the life of the Apostle Paul. What do we know for sure? What do we deduce from the biblical, and extra-biblical evidence? And, what is simply conjecture, regarding the life of the most influential theologian and writer of the 1st century? We will discuss this, and much more in this episode!

Where's The Pharisee #NormanKissinger #NK #RTTBROS #Nightlight Where's the Pharisee? A Mirror of Self-Righteousness "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 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." - Luke 18:10-13 (KJV) In the days of our youth, many of us recall the popular "Where's Waldo?" puzzles adorning cereal boxes and children's books. We'd eagerly scan crowded scenes, searching for that distinctive figure in his red-and-white striped shirt and round glasses. Today, I invite you to embark on a different, more introspective search: "Where's the Pharisee?" Once upon a time, being labeled a Pharisee was one of the worst accusations in Christian circles. It implied hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and a judgmental spirit. We were all on high alert, quick to identify these traits in others while assuring ourselves we were nothing like those biblical figures Jesus so often rebuked. But in our eagerness to avoid the Pharisee label, did we miss a crucial point? The heart of being a Pharisee isn't about adhering to religious practices or following a set of rules. At its core, it's about believing that our own righteousness makes us acceptable to God, apart from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It's a subtle trap that ensnares not only the overtly religious but anyone who trusts in their own goodness or moral standing. Consider this challenging scenario: a kind, cookie-baking grandmother who's an atheist, versus a convicted serial killer who genuinely repents and accepts Christ at the end of his life. Our natural inclination might be to favor the "good" nonbeliever over the "evil" convert. But this inclination reveals the Pharisee within us, valuing human standards of goodness over God's ultimate judgment and mercy. The offense of the Gospel lies in its radical equality. It declares that both the outwardly righteous and the openly sinful stand in equal need of God's grace. Neither the grandmother's good deeds nor the criminal's heinous acts can tip the scales of divine justice. Only faith in Christ's righteousness can bridge the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God. This truth should humble us profoundly. It strips away our pretenses and lays bare our desperate need for a Savior. We cannot rely on our acts of kindness, our religious observances, or our moral superiority. In God's eyes, the rebellion in our hearts is just as repugnant as the most shocking crimes that make headlines. The Pharisee test, then, is not about how well we follow religious rules or how "good" we appear to others. It's about our reaction to the idea that God's grace can reach even those we deem unforgivable, while those we consider "good people" might reject that same grace to their eternal peril. If we bristle at this thought, we've uncovered a streak of Pharisaical thinking in our own hearts. So where is the Pharisee? We need look no further than the nearest mirror. Our own self-righteousness, our subtle belief that we're "not as bad" as others, our shock at the extent of God's grace – these all reveal the Pharisee within. Recognizing this is the first step toward true humility and a deeper appreciation of God's mercy. As we minister to others, whether in formal settings or in our daily lives, let's remember our own need for grace. Let's be quick to extend mercy, slow to judge, and always pointing to the righteousness of Christ as our only hope. In doing so, we combat the Pharisee within and embrace the transformative power of the Gospel. Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out. https://linktr.ee/rttbros

As the evangelical world rediscovers the Jewishness of Jesus, we enrich our understanding of His full human identity. But it can be difficult to understand his "Jewishness" in contrast to his contemporaries, most notably among the Pharisees. When we find him accused of breaking Torah (Mark 2), and when he criticizes Pharisaical practices in turn, we are thrown into the same confusing debate alongside his disciples: what kind of Jewish rabbi is Jesus? Readings: Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Psalm 81:1-10; Mark 2:23-3:6

Episode 166 Alistair Begg is a well-known and well-respected pastor and Bible teacher who inadvertently set the world of Christian netizens ablaze when he revealed that he encouraged a Christian grandmother to not only attend an LGBTQ wedding, but to also bring a gift. While he had some supporters in this matter, the majority were shocked and appalled by this stance so uncharacteristic of a man who had proven himself to be a faithful man of God for well over 40 years. Responding to the critics, Begg doubled down, rejected calls for repentance, and dismissed them as Pharisaical legalists incapable of nuance and lacking compassion. In this episode of the Removing Barriers podcast, we will address the obvious questions as to whether or not his counsel was biblically sound and whether his response to criticism was right. However, there is another question to ponder: does social media use complicate obedience to Matthew 18:15-20? Join us on this episode to discuss these questions and more.  Listen to the Removing Barriers Podcast here: Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cutt.ly/Ega8YeI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cutt.ly/Vga2SVd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Edifi: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cutt.ly/Meec7nsv⁠⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cutt.ly/mga8A77⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podnews: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podnews.net/podcast/i4jxo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ See all our platforms: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://removingbarriers.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Contact us: Leave us a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/removingbarriers/message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://removingbarriers.net/contact⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Financially support the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://removingbarriers.net/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Affiliates: Book Shop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bookshop.org/shop/removingbarriers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Answers in Genesis Bookstore: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shrsl.com/2tu8i⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Design It Yourself Gift Baskets: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shrsl.com/2m64o⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ BulbHead: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shrsl.com/4ft37⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Share a Sale: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shrsl.com/2jz4f⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ See all our affiliates: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://removingbarriers.net/affiliates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Notes: Does Alistair Begg have a point: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/does-alistair-begg-have-a-point-about-gay-weddings.html --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/removingbarriers/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/removingbarriers/support

Terry Crist is a husband, father, pastor, and the author of the new book, “Loving Samaritans: Radical Kindness in an Us vs. Them World“. He has a heart for inspiring people to follow Jesus and love others well, and that comes through really well in our conversation today.   What We Chat about in Today's Episode: ~Terry's new book, what led him to write it, and what readers can expect ~How a love for the church does not negate our passion to call the church up to be her best - that that is actually an important part of loving the church well ~Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4 and what we can glean from it ~How Jesus' whimsical, loving, gracious interaction with the woman at the well enabled Him to touch on the tricky topics of sexuality, religion, politics, power, cultural identity, and more in a way that caused her to open up to Him in conversation; how this is a model for us for cultural engagement ~The folly of making assumptions about people as opposed to asking them questions and getting to know them and why they do what they do; getting to know them as individual persons as opposed to groups; the wrong decisions we make when we fail to do this ~Jesus' model for us that all people are worthy of love and respect, time and attention, of being heard, and of hearing truth without insult ~Asking the question of who the samaritans are in our world and what we may have gotten wrong about them ~Divisiveness now being viewed as a virtue in our day; what our call is instead - to love people on both ends of the ideological spectrum ~Fear and the Pharisaical problem of a “fragile righteousness” and how it can lead to the dangerous desire of eradicating the “other”; understanding that our righteousness is not our own but rather the gift of Jesus' own righteousness and will not be tarnished when we go into the world as He has called us to ~Asking “Where does the Spirit want me to go today?” as a way to model the way and ministry of Jesus; walking through your day with your heart and eyes wide open to where Jesus is already at work and joining Him there instead of thinking it's all on us ~Going from religious, dogmatic strangers to compassionate, understanding neighbors and why this change is so important ~Being in it for the long game and understanding that people are worthy of love and affection even if they never come to Christ ~The importance of having both biblical orthodoxy (truth) and biblical orthopraxy (how we're living out that truth) ~What Pastor Terry would say to those who are afraid that their children will become corrupted by the culture ~The power of the ministry of “withness” ~The problem with being a culture warrior and how it keeps us from from being kingdom ambassadors sent on a mission with a message of peace ~Daniel as a model for cultural engagement ~And more! For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast

On today's episode, your host Niqueea brings on another special guest, Dr. Latisha Lewis, to talk about all things worldly success vs godly success in entrepreneurship. Dr. Lewis is the founder and pastor of Kingdom Living International Ministries, founder of Kingdom Living Entertainment (a Christian entertainment streaming service), and the author behind her newest book "Too Fly For God" in which she talks about her inspiring journey from worldly glamour to spiritual surrender. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/niqueea/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/niqueea/support

Today's Topics: 1, 2) The Pharisaical word-games of U.S. Bishops https://www.complicitclergy.com/2023/12/22/the-pharisaical-word-games-of-u-s-bishops/ 2, 3) The West would put Jesus in jail today for His teaching on marriage - Cardinal Müller: "I believe that today Jesus would not be condemned only because He is the Messiah, but He would, in the USA and European countries, go to prison because He spoke out the truth about marriage between a man and a woman" https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/cardinal-muller-the-west-would-throw-jesus-in-jail-today-for-his-teaching-on-marriage/ 3, 4) Retired Brazilian Bishop who criticized the "Amazon Synod" experiences Bergoglio's "mercy" https://www.complicitclergy.com/2023/12/14/retired-brazilian-bishop-who-criticized-amazon-synod-experiences-bergoglios-mercy/

The guys are in the “dog days” of summer with several questionable pooch interactions, and Jase manages to turn his booth at a trade show into a church service. The guys discuss the Pharisaical persecution of Jesus over his ability to cast out demons. Phil explores the meaning of the word “perfection,” and Jase supposes Jesus is truly the Great Physician — able to diagnose and cure the source and symptoms of our ailments. In this episode: Luke 11, verses 14–28; Exodus 8, verses 17–19 https://www.patriotmobile.com/phil — Get FREE activation today when you use code PHIL or call 878-PATRIOT https://philmerch.com — Get your "Unashamed" mugs, shirts, hats & hoodies! "The Blind" hits theaters Sept. 28. Get your tickets TODAY before theaters start to sell out! https://www.fathomevents.com/theblind — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices