Pharisees were the religious leaders
In the days of Jesus
They were supposed to help
The people to understand God
To lead them in worship of God
And teach them how to obey God
By following and obeying
His commandments
The problem was that they
Loved the acclaim that came
With the position of being
A Pharisee more than
Following and obeying God
Themselves…
This obviously led to problems
When they encountered Jesus
The Son of God…
Messiah…
In Matthew 16:1 – 12
The Pharisees ask Jesus for a
“Sign from heaven”.
In response, Jesus goes on to
Warn the Disciples about the
“Leaven of the Pharisees”
But first He uses a very simple
Picture, one which most of us
Are familiar with…
Forecasting the weather!
Even this morning
As I looked out the window
At the back of my rectory
I noticed the high clouds
Moving from right to left
Across the sky
Because of the position of the house
I knew that the wind was blowing
From the North
As there was still frost on the ground
After a cold night
I surmised that the day should remain
Cold, even though it is early April
The point that Jesus was making
To the Pharisees was that if they
Could so easily predict the weather
As men of God, they should be able
To see the “hand of God” moving
In their day
As Christians today
NOTHING has changed
Although actually
EVERYTHING has changed
Since we have the Spirit of God
LIVING within us
(If indeed we have truly BELIEVED)
(1 Corinthians 15:1 – 2)
We should NOT be those who
Are “seeking a sign from heaven”
We KNOW what God wants as He
Lives inside us and we have a
Relationship with Him and are
Able to fellowship with Him
Day by day…
So as Jesus warned the Disciples
About the “Leaven of the Pharisees”
We too need to be our guard…
Just as leaven affects the whole loaf
So can the doctrines of men pervert
The faith of true believers who listen
More to men than to God
So as I have said before
Do listen to my Devotionals, Bible Study
And the teachings of others…
BUT check EVERYTHING in your spirit…
And if your spirit says something different
Then go with God and NOT with me
Or others you listen to
Your responsibility is to Jesus Christ
To the teachings of God
NOT to the teaching of Alan Capper
Always go with the leading of the
Holy Spirit in your spirit
He is our God…
I, or anyone else, am NOT