Category: Self-Righteous
Subject: Self-Righteousness
Sermon: Self-Righteousness
Self-Righteousness is sinful. It is the outgrowth of arrogance. However, what many believe to be self-righteousness is not. It is not carefully obeying God’s law. It is not zeal and dedication to the Lord. It is not reproving and rebuking sin, and refusing to fellowship it. We need to differentiate between self-righteousness, and the righteousness of God!
Sermon: The Older Son
Most lessons from Luke 15 deal primarily with the Prodigal son in the parable. However, this lesson discusses the failings of the older son who remained with his father.
In the News: On “Selective Preaching”
Occasionally I receive a bulletin called Preacher Talk written by Cecil May Jr. May is, I believe, the President of Faulkner University in Montgomery, AL, and a long time preacher among the institutional churches. He is a good writer, and wrote the following short article titled, Selective Preaching, in the May 2011 issue.
Sermon: Self-Righteousness
The Sermon uses the text of Isaiah 65:1-7 as a warning against Self-Righteousness. We must not trust in ourselves, do our work to be seen of men, or be guilty of hypocrisy, which often accompanies Self-Righteousness. Having said that, Self-Righteousness is NOT:
- Obeying God’s Law
- Zeal and Dedication
- Reproving and Rebuking Sin
- Believing God’s Word to be Authoritative and Absolute
Rather than being Self-Righteous, we must submit to the righteousness of God.
Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
Pharisaism
During Jesus’ ministry, there were three main sects of the Jews that influenced Jewish politics and culture. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.
Interestingly, the Essenes are not mentioned in the New Testament writings. Perhaps their tendencies toward asceticism and monasticism separated them from the common Jew, and limited their influence upon Jewish culture. (Note: It is believed that it was an Essene community, Qumran, that was responsible for the penning of the Dead Sea Scrolls).
The Sadducees were characteristically liberal and secular in their outlook. They were political animals, often affluent, and held the highest political offices among the Jews. “They were a political party, of priestly and aristocratic tendency, as against the more religious and democratic Pharisees” (ISBE, Vol. IV, pg. 2659).
The Pharisees were, as noted above, more religious. In fact, at least in outward form, the Pharisee seemed to mirror most closely the teaching and philosophy of our Lord. For example: 1) The Pharisee contended for the importance of separating himself from ungodly and worldly influences; 2) The Pharisee was very attentive to the Law of God, and careful in his exposition of its teaching; 3) The Pharisee emphasized the importance of diligent obedience to the Law of God; 4) The Pharisee was eager to convert others to his beliefs, and was active in proselytizing; 5) The Pharisee was very active religiously, and many saw the expressions of his faith.
Self-Righteousness
The Pharisees of Jesus’ time were guilty of many sins. They bound man-made tradition upon the Jewish people (cf. Matthew 15:1-6). They were often guilty of hypocrisy, putting on a great show of religion, while falling far short of God’s requirements of righteousness and love (cf. Matthew 15:1-9). They desired the praise of men, and designed their worship to be ostentatious displays of false piety (cf. Matthew 23). One of the common sins of the Pharisees’ was the prominent self-righteous attitude that characterized many in the party. Continue reading “Self-Righteousness”
