Chapter 96
THE PHARISEES
Part I – Spiritual Pride and Hypocrisy
Matthew 23:1-37
Before we begin this study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father as we read and study, Your Word, please open our eyes, ears and heart so we can truly see, hear and comprehend what You are teaching us. Holy Father, as we go through this study please reveal to us any areas of our lives that we may behaving as a Pharisee. For those areas that may be applicable to me, please grant us a true spirit of repentance and forgive me for engaging in these sins.
Amen
BACKGROUND
Since this study focuses upon a message Jesus gave to the Pharisees, it would be beneficial for us to refresh our memory as to exactly who and what was a Pharisee. The following brief description of the Pharisee was derived from Alfred Edersheim's book titled: "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah."1
1. The title Pharisee means "separated ones" or "pious ones."
2. They were composed of priests, scribes and lawyers and had a prominent presence in the Jewish religious and political ruling community.
3. They had two main objectives:
(a) Observe in the strictest manner all the ordinances concerning Levitical purity. In other words, to purify themselves they tried to strictly and rigorously follow the moral and ceremonial laws.
(b) Be extremely careful about following and complying with religious duties, such as tithes and other obligations. This also included various man- made rules and religious traditions.
4. They believed in the bodily resurrection of the dead.
5. They believed in spirits and angels.
6. They believed man has only a partial influence in God's pre-ordination for the events in their life.
INTRODUCTION
With this background let us now explore the message Jesus gave concerning the Pharisees. His message is recorded in Matthew 23:1-37.
Since Jesus’ message to the Pharisees is quite lengthy, this topic of the Pharisees is partitioned into the following two parts:
This chapter, which is Chapter 96, explores the warning Jesus gave the people concerning the pride and hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-12).
The next chapter, Chapter 97, reviews the rebuke Jesus gave to the Pharisees concerning their behavior and actions (Matthew 23:13-37).
With the above introduction in mind, we begin by reading from,
Matthew 23:1-12
[1] Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, [2] saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. [3] Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. [4] For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. [5] But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. [6] They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, [7] greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ [8] But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. [9] Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. [10] And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. [11] But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. [12] And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
As one considers the above instruction or warning one finds that Jesus revealed at least the following three characteristics of the Pharisees were and are not pleasing to God:
1. They did not practice what they preached.
2. They were unmerciful.
3. They loved being exalted, honored, and set apart.
With this introduction in mind, we begin our study by exploring the first characteristic of the Pharisees in that,
THEY DID NOT PRACTICE WHAT THEY PREACHED
To remind us of this characteristic let us reread,
Matthew 23:1-3
[1] Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, [2] saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. [3] Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.”
In other words, Jesus told the people to follow the good Biblical teachings of the Pharisees. However, He also said to not do the unrighteous things that they do. To expand upon this, let us read God the Holy Spirit’s rebuke to those who teach others what to do or not do and yet do not obey or whole heartily try to obey their own teachings. To do this we go to,
Romans 2:17-24
[17] Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, [18] and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, [19] and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, [20] an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. [21] You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? [22] You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? [23] You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? [24] For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.
To see how these rebukes would apply to the body of Christ, we will explore the following three areas of concern.
The first area of concern is identified in Romans 2:21 and is that of,
STEALING
In Chapter 84 of Volume IV we explored the type of stealing that was performed in and around the Old Testament Temple. During the various feasts the Jewish leadership sponsored: (1) the selling of “unblemished” animals to be sacrificed and (2) the exchange of common money for temple tax money. Of course, inflated fees/costs were imposed for these services. A short summary of this practice is found in,
Mark 11:15-17
[15] So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. [16] And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. [17] Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.”
Isn’t this also a similar type of stealing when a Christian author, publisher or merchant, especially around the time of various Christian holidays, sells Christian books, Bibles and or religious articles at inflated prices?
The second area of concern is identified in Romans 2:22a is that of,
ADULTERY
In addition to the physical act of adultery, this portion of the Holy Spirit’s rebuke also pertains to when a professing Christian might speak lewd commens to another individual about a person of the opposite sex. To see this let us read Jesus’ teaching with respect to this topic as recorded in,
Matthew 5:27-28
[27] “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ [28] But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
The third area of concern is identified in Romans 2:22b is the
ROBBING TEMPLES
To refresh our memories let is read from,
Romans 2:22b
“You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?”
The question arises as to; “What was Jesus referring to?” The answer to this question is twofold.
The first area Jesus addressed pertained to the habit of some of the Old Testament priests who kept the best portion of the animal offerings for themselves and their family. An illustration of this practice is found during the days of Samuel. To read the rebuke God gave to the priest Eli, we go to,
1 Samuel 2:27-29
[27] Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? [28] Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? [29] Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’”
The second aspect of Jesus’ question was the mishandling of the tithes and the Census fees (The Temple Tax). In the Old Testament we find that the purpose of the tithe was to provide physical support to the Levites (non priests), foreigners, fatherless and widows (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). In addition, the monies from the Temple Tax were to be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the Temple of God (Exodus 20:11-16). However, there were those within the priesthood that skimmed or even kept these monies for themselves. An illustration of this practice is revealed when King Jehoash told the priests to use this money to repair the damages of the Temple of God. Unfortunately, the priests did not obey the king’s command. To see this let us read from,
2 Kings 12:4-6
[4] And Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord—each man’s census money, each man’s assessment money—and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord, [5] let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.” [6] Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple.
Because the Temple of God was still not being repaired, the king commanded that the money not to be given to the priests but be given directly for the Temple repairs. Consequently, a special chest was made for the people to directly deposit their offerings for the repair of the Temple (2Kings 12:7-15).
With the above practices in mind let us now read the exhortation God gave, through His prophet Malachi, to not only to the priests but also to those who neglected to give the required offerings. To do this we go to,
Malachi 3:6-10a
[6] “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. [7] Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’ [8] “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. [9] You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. [10a] Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts,”
As for the church, let us remember the church is not a physical building that needs to be built or maintained for God to dwell in. No, the church is the congregation of those who are the born-again believers (Ephesians 2:19-22). In fact, each and every born-again believer in Jesus Christ is a temple of God the Holy Spirit. This is recorded in,
1 Corinthians 3:16
[16] Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Consequently, the issue of financing for building, renting and/or upkeep of special buildings set aside for the gathering of the church is not Biblical. In other words, this activity was/is a man-made tradition for their comfort and convenience.
Thus, the financial contributions from its membership are to be used to:
(1) Provide food or financial support to help those temples of God who are in need (1 John 3:17) and (2) Provide financial or material assistance for those who provide spiritual nourishment for the congregation. (Galatians 6:6).
As for the gathering together, the Bible reveals to us that the born-again believers gathered within the various houses.
An example of this is given in,
Romans 16:3-5
[3] Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, [4] who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. [5] Likewise greet the church that is in their house…
In addition, the elders/leaders who utilize the finances provided by the congregation for their own luxurious life style are, as the priests of the Old Testament did, are robbing the temples of God the Holy Spirit.
THE MESSAGE
The message or point for this portion of our study is found by reading from,
Romans 2:23
[23] You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
Now we, the Christians, might say to ourselves I am under God’s Grace and Mercy. Consequently, the above statement concerning the law does not apply to me. Before we completely dismiss the above Scripture, let us not forget what Jesus told the scribe or lawyer about God’s commandments. To refresh our memories let us read from,
Matthew 22:37-40
[37] Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
To read Jesus is teaching in another light let us go to,
Galatians 5:14
[14] For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
With this as a foundation, let us now read the commandment Jesus gave to His disciples then and now to us. To do this we go to,
John 13:34-35
[34] “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35] By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Consequently, for the Christian and especially for the elders who are not allowing the love of the Holy Spirit lead their lives and ministries within the church as, the Scripture (Romans 2:23) says, they are dishonoring God.
Unfortunately, the consequence of this non-loving behavior is even more devastating. To see this let us reread,
Romans 2:24
[24] For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.
The second characteristic of the Pharisees was that,
THEY WERE UNMERCIFUL
To see this let us reread the following verse from Jesus’ message to the people concerning the Pharisees,
Matthew 23:4
[4] For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
An example that illustrates this characteristic of the Pharisees is when, on the Sabbath, they rebuked Jesus’ disciples for quenching their hunger by plucking and eating heads of grain. To read what occurred we go to,
Matthew 12:1-2
[1] At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. [2] When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, ”Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
Let us notice the following verses,
2 … The Pharisees, being strict interpreters and adherents to the letter of the Law of Moses, rebuked Jesus' disciples for laboring on the Sabbath.
After hearing the rebuke of the Pharisees, Jesus told them they were in error with respect to their strict interpretation and adherence to the letter of the ceremonial laws. He did this by providing them and now us two Old Testament examples of when an exemption from the observance of a ceremonial law was not only acceptable to God but also encouraged.
The first example Jesus gave was:
THE TIME WHEN KING DAVID WAS FLEEING FROM KING SAUL
The incident of interest is recorded for us in,
Matthew 12:3-4
[3] He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? [4] He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests."
To expand upon this example, let us read from the Old Testament where this incident is described in more depth. To do this we go to,
1 Samuel 21:1-6
[1] David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?" [2] David answered Ahimelech the priest, "The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, 'No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.' As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. [3] Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find." [4] But the priest answered David, "I don't have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here--provided the men have kept themselves from women." [5] David replied, "Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men's things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!" [6] So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.
Let us notice the following verses,
1-3 … During one of the times when David and his men were fleeing from the wrath of King Saul they became hungry. As a result, David went to the priest, Ahimelech, to get some loaves of bread for his men.
4 … The only available bread was the consecrated bread, also called the showbread. This bread resided inside the Temple in front of the Holiest of Holies. Thus, as Ahimelech said, the consecrated bread was not to be eaten by anyone other than a priest. However, if the men had kept themselves apart from women, out of compassion, Ahimelech was willing to make an exception.
5 … David told Ahimelech that his men had abstained from women and while on their mission their things were considered to be holy or set apart.
6 … Consequently, Ahimelech gave them the Lord's showbread to eat. In other words, Ahimelech knew that extending mercy to David's men was more important to God than strict adherence to the ceremonial laws of the Temple.
The second example Jesus gave was that,
DURING THE SABBATH THE PRIESTS LABORED
To read what Jesus said on this subject let us go to,
Matthew 12:5
[5] ”Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent?"
To gain some insight into what Jesus was referring to in the above verse, it is noted that first of all, on the Sabbath, the showbread had to be baked and placed inside the Temple in front of the Holiest of Holies (Leviticus 24:4-9).
In addition, the priests were to perform the sacrifices (Numbers 28:9-10).
To see how the strict legalistic ceremonial observance of the Sabbath relates to the born-again Christian, we begin by reading from,
Mark 2:27
[27] Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Thus, God did not institute the Sabbath so we would be enslaved to it or its observances. He also did not institute the Sabbath for us to erroneously think that by observing it, we would make ourselves holy and righteous in His eyes. Instead, it was a foreshadowing of the rest we can have in Jesus Christ.
To see this, let us read from,
Ephesians 2:4-9
"[4] But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. [6] And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, [7] in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. [8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- [9] not by works, so that no one can boast.
Let us notice the following verses,
4 ... God is rich in mercy with great love for us.
8(a) ... By Grace, that is unmerited favor, we have been saved. There is no work we did or can do; it is God's free gift. In other words, it is a work that God has already done and is available to each one of us through faith.
8(b) ... Even the faith we have in Jesus is not ours ... it is God's gift to us.
9 ... No one can boast of the work they did to earn their salvation.
Thus, when, through faith, we have received Jesus Christ and the work He did for our salvation, the born again-believer has now entered into God's rest. To see this, let us read from,
Hebrews 4:9-10
"[9] There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; [10] for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his."
The second point Jesus made is recorded in,
Matthew 12:7
[7] “If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent."
In other words, even though at times, it may interfere with our religious or church commitments, it is more important for the born-again believer to extend mercy towards others. To illustrate this issue, let us consider the following example:
Mr. & Mrs. Christian is about to leave their home to attend a church meeting. Before they get out the door a neighbor arrives stating that their car will not start and asks for a ride to help them take their elderly mother to an urgent care facility. Unfortunately, Mr. & Mrs. Christian told their neighbor they cannot take them right now because they are on their way to a church gathering. However, they did tell their neighbor that if they can be of any assistance after they returned home, please let them know. Ironically, the message for the meeting was taken from the following passage of Scripture:
Proverbs 3:27-28
[27] “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. [28] Do not say to your neighbor, "’Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow’"-- when you now have it with you."
In addition to not practicing what they preached and being unmerciful, the third characteristic of the Pharisees that was not pleasing to God was that,
THEY LOVED BEING EXALTED, HONORED AND SET APART
To see this let us reread what Jesus said as recorded in,
Matthew 23:5-7
[5] “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. [6] They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, [7] greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’”
We begin this portion of our study by first reviewing,
THE MANNER IN WHICH THE PHARISEES CLOTHED THEMSELVES
To do this let us reread,
Matthew 23:5
[5] But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
We begin by exploring the wearing of,
Phylacteries
According to Matthew Henry2 and Alfred Edersheim’s book titled; “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah”3, Phylacteries or frontlets were square capsules, covered with leather that contained four sections of the Law. The Phylacteries were fastened by long leather straps around the forehead and around the left arm near the heart. The wearing of phylacteries or frontlets came from the literal interpretation of the following command from God.
Deuteronomy 6:4-8
[4] “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! [5] You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. [6] “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. [7] You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. [8] you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
By enlarging these phylacteries, the Pharisees were showing they were to be considered as being more holy and zealous for the law than the others.
Let now explore the use of,
Tassels or Fringes
God told the Israelites they were to make tassels, which was a border or fringe for the corners of their garments. To see this let us read from,
Numbers 15:37-41
[37] Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, [38] “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. [39] And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, [40] and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. [41] I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”
Thus, as it was with the phylacteries, by enlarging these tassels or border the Pharisees were again showing that they were to be considered more spiritual or special than all the rest of the Israelites.
Unfortunately, we see a similar activity in the type of clothes worn by some of today’s Christian leaders. For example, to be set apart when presiding over a Christian congregation, some may wear a flowing robe or a special garment/attire or may even wear a copy of the clothing worn by the Old Testament priest. By doing this, they are nullifying or not accepting the following Scripture,
1 Peter 2:5
[5] you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
In addition to the manner in which the Pharisees dressed,
THEY LOVED TO BE IN THE PLACES OF HONOR
To refresh our memory of this characteristic of the Pharisee let us reread the following portion of Jesus’ instruction as it is recorded in,
Matthew 23:6-7
[6] They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, [7] greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, “’Rabbi, Rabbi.’”
The Pharisees’ love for the best seats and places was so strong that, according to Alfred Edersheim in his book titled; “The life and Times of Jesus the Messiah”4, in the rabbinic writings there were specific directions for what place in the synagogue was to be assigned for the Rabbi.
However, the last and most offensive thing the Pharisees did was that,
THEY DEMANDED TO BE ADDRESSED AS RABBI
In his book “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” Alfred Edersheim also notes, that according to rabbinic writings, to neglect giving the Pharisee the respectful salutation or greeting by the title “Rabbi” would bring upon that individual a heavy punishment.
Unfortunately, by loving to be called Rabbi and insisting to be called or identified by this title, the Pharisees assumed a spiritual or religious position that was reserved for God. To see this let us explore,
JESUS’ COMMAND TO HIS DISCIPLES
To do this we return to Matthew and reread the following,
Matthew 23:8-10
[8] “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. [9] Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. [10] And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.”
Within the above command there are at least two points to be made.
The first point to be learned is that,
ONLY GOD IS OUR FATHER
To see this let us reread,
Matthew 23:9
[9] Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
In this context our Lord is not saying we are not to recognize our physical or natural fathers to be our father. However, He is teaching us that we are not to call or look to any man as our Spiritual Father. We must never forget that all of us who have accepted and received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior have been-born again by God. This is recorded in,
John 1:12-13
[12] But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: [13] who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Thus, God is our Father who created us, loves us, and saved us.
This brings us to the second point to be made. Specifically,
GOD IS OUR TEACHER NOT MAN
To see this we begin by rereading Jesus’ instruction in,
Matthew 23:8
[8] “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.”
Let us now return to Matthew and reread,
Matthew 23:10
[10] And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
Jesus’ statements raise the question of; “What about those who teach the Word of God within His church? As we read the New Testament we discover that one of the spiritual gifts God the Holy Spirit gives to the body of Christ is the spiritual gift of teaching. To see this we go to,
1 Corinthians 12:27-28
[27] Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. [28] And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
Let us now read why spiritual gifts were given to the within the body of Christ. To do this we go to,
Ephesians 4:11-16
[11] And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, [12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, [13] till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; [14] that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, [15] but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—[16] from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
However, we must never forget that it is God the Holy Spirit speaking, teaching and working through these people. To see this, let us read what the Holy Spirit once said through the Apostle Paul as recorded in,
1 Corinthians 2:4-5
[4] And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, [5] that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The Spirit and power that is referred to is best described in,
Hebrews 4:12
[12] For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
To help clarify the above verse, we go to the 1958 “Amplified Bible” and read from,
I Corinthians 4:20
[20] For the Kingdom of God consists of and is based on not talk but power – moral power and excellence of soul.
CLOSING
Let us close this study by rereading Jesus closing instruction for this subject of spiritual pride and self importance. To we go to,
Matthew 23:11-12
[11] But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. [12] And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Shall We Pray?