https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/08\/ShouldWeBePicky.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Psalms 50:7-23<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Jesus’ condemnation of the Jews, especially the Pharisees and the Sadducees, is well-known<\/p>\n A. Many Christians are rightly concerned that they not fall into the same trap that\nsnared the Pharisees.\n 1. Often when it is pointed out that we should do things one way and not\nanother, the response is “That is being legalistic, like the Pharisees”\n
2. The Pharisees, we are told, failed by being too picky about the law.<\/p>\n 3. They emphasize the small unimportant things and ignored the importance\nthings like love, justice, and mercy.\n
B. Is this what the Pharisees were guilty of ?<\/p>\n
II. The Pharisees<\/p>\n
A. “Interpreted” God’s commands, adding rules and regulations that did not exist<\/p>\n
1. Matthew 15:1-11 <\/p>\n
a. Using the law to avoid responsibility<\/p>\n
b. Modifying the law and using it as a weapon against others<\/p>\n
B. Emphasized the physical over the spiritual<\/p>\n 1. Matthew 23:23-24 – Careful about tithing to the smallest part, but they\nmiss greater meaning of the law – justice, mercy, and love\n
2. Matthew 23:25-31 – Look good on the outside, but corrupt on the inside.<\/p>\n
C. Misapplied God’s laws<\/p>\n
1. Matthew 12:1-8<\/p>\n a. Stated that the disciples could not pluck grain from the fields they\nwere passing.\n b. Not that they were farming or even gathering enough for a whole\nmeal. Allowed by the law – Deuteronomy 23:25\n
c. The question was what was the purpose of the Law?<\/p>\n
(1) Do you follow it so blindly that someone goes hungry? <\/p>\n (2) In other words do you put aside the law of love your\nneighbor – pitting one law against another.\n
(3) As Jesus points out, God never intended this interpretation.<\/p>\n (4) David ate the showbread when starving. God showed\nDavid mercy, though Jesus points out that David broke the\nlaw.\n d. But the real point is that the Pharisees condemned those who had\nnot broken the law, while claiming to understand the mercy shown\nto David who had broke the law.\n e. There were number of examples that show that “no work” did not\nmean a total abstinence:\n (1) The Sabbath is not violated, even though the Priests\nperform their duties\n f. They should have known that the Messiah (and they had proof that\nJesus was the Messiah) would not violate the Law\n
III. God does expect pickiness<\/p>\n
A. Notice that Jesus never said they should not keep the Law<\/p>\n
1. Matthew 23:3 – Do the law as taught, but don’t follow their example<\/p>\n 2. Matthew 23:23 – These you ought to have done without neglecting the\nother\n
B. Moses and the rock – Numbers 20:1-13<\/p>\n 1. Moses was expected to follow God’s word precisely; without any\nalterations.\n 2. Even though God said to strike the rock earlier, Moses was not to do it this\ntime.\n
C. Saul and the Amalekites – I Samuel 15:13-26<\/p>\n
1. Saul was expected to follow God’s word precisely; without any alterations<\/p>\n
2. Even minor changes were not allowed.<\/p>\n
D. Even in reading His word<\/p>\n
1. Seed versus Seeds in Galatians 3:16<\/p>\n
IV. But keeping His word isn’t an excuse to do unrighteousness<\/p>\n A. Matthew 23:23 – Some parts of God’s will are more important – Mercy, justice,\nand love are weightier matters.\n
1. Matthew 12:7 – Learn what it means “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”<\/p>\n a. Some of God’s law are for men. God doesn’t need the sacrifices,\nmen do – Psalms 50:7-23\n
b. God wants righteousness from men<\/p>\n c. God’s laws were never meant to be an excuse to avoid doing the\nimportant things\n d. Which is more important, keeping a Sabbath rule or letting\nsomeone go hungry?\n 2. Proverbs 21:3 – Justice and righteousness is more acceptable to God than\nsacrifices\n
3. Hosea 6:6 – God desires mercy and knowledge of God<\/p>\n
B. Jeremiah 7:21-23 – God’s first priority is obedience, not sacrifices<\/p>\n
1. This is Saul’s problem.<\/p>\n a. He altered God’s word to fulfill a technicality of the law. But it\nwas not something God wanted.\n
2. Similarly, we cannot alter God’s will to suit our desires.<\/p>\n 3. But they can be altered to suit God’s desires, we can’t hide behind the\nrules.\n
a. Too often people “lock up” when faced with a conflict. <\/p>\n b. Someone needs help, but they don’t want to violate how God tells\nus to help, so no one gets help.\n c. What happened to mercy? This is like the Pharisees of Matthew\n15.\n
C. Precise keeping of God’s law will not save us in and of itself – Micah 6:6-8<\/p>\n
D. Putting God first is most important – Mark 12:33-34<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 50:7-23 I. Jesus’ condemnation of the Jews, especially the Pharisees and the Sadducees, is well-known A. Many Christians are rightly concerned that they not fall into the same trap that snared the Pharisees. 1. Often when it is pointed out that we should do things one way and not another, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[78,843,54],"class_list":["post-7071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-authority","tag-legalism","tag-obedience"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":69089,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jewish-sects-pharisees\/","url_meta":{"origin":7071,"position":0},"title":"Jewish Sects: Pharisees","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Fred A. Shewmaker Proselytes and Traditions via Truth Magazine, XVI: 7, pp. 8-9 December 16, 1971 The Pharisees were by far the largest sect among the Jews. They are mentioned in the New Testament more often than other Jewish sects. The origin of this sect is somewhat obscure. Peloubet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61499,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-learned-why-the-pharisees-and-scribes-hated-jesus-from-your-site\/","url_meta":{"origin":7071,"position":1},"title":"I learned why the Pharisees and Scribes hated Jesus from your site","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I tried to check why the Pharisees and scribes hated Jesus and treated him as their enemy. The truth is in your articles (Jesus and the Pharisees). God will help to share more of the words of life so that everyone will reach the level of understanding of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67916,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/woe-to-you-scribes-and-pharisees-hypocrites\/","url_meta":{"origin":7071,"position":2},"title":"Woe to You, Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Allen Dvorak Biblical Insights, 14(9), September 2014 There is no uncertainty about the compassion of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Various individuals and groups were the objects of His compassion (e.g., Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 7:11-15). But Jesus was also frequently involved in controversy and sometimes handed out sharp rebukes.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53563,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-could-the-pharisee-be-guilty-of-the-unforgivable-sin-with-just-a-few-words\/","url_meta":{"origin":7071,"position":3},"title":"How could the Pharisee be guilty of the unforgivable sin with just a few words?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm scared, for I've been wondering whether the Pharisees commit the unforgivable sin by just once saying blasphemous things about the Holy Spirit. I know it's said that the unforgivable sin isn't any single act from which there's no more turning back, but how does it seem that only\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69073,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jewish-sects-some-terms-considered\/","url_meta":{"origin":7071,"position":4},"title":"Jewish Sects: Some Terms Considered","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Fred A. Shewmaker via Truth Magazine XVI: 6, pp. 9-11 December 9, 1971 Available sources of information on this subject are quite limited, and much of the information available is questionable regarding its accuracy. Nevertheless, I believe that studying this subject will be profitable. Those who pursue such a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84033,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/balance\/","url_meta":{"origin":7071,"position":5},"title":"Balance","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores Now, there's a concept. The more we need it, the more out of reach it appears. For instance, our political views have become more extreme and polarized. People on one end of the spectrum scream and holler for their side, while those on the other end scream\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7071\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}