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  PHARISEES IMAGINE THAT GOD IS THEIR FATHER WHEN ACTUALLY SATAN IS THEIR FATHER
  by Zac Poonen
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Summary: The Pharisees imagined God was their father, but in reality,
Satan was their father, and this false identity led to their
characteristics and actions.

Topics: "Spiritual Deception", "Fruit Of Faith"
Scripture References: Matthew 7:16, Matthew 12:33, John 8:42, 1 John 3:10

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DESCRIPTION
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Zac Poonen delivers a powerful sermon on the importance of truly knowing
God as our Father through our love for Jesus. He highlights how Jesus
confronted the Pharisees, revealing that their true father was the devil
due to their accusatory and condemning nature. Poonen emphasizes the
need for Christians to bear fruit in their lives as evidence of their
relationship with God, cautioning against mere lip service without
genuine transformation. He challenges church leaders to prioritize truth
over reputation and to earnestly seek the salvation of souls to avoid
the weight of unconverted hearts on their hands.

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CONTENT
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Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me....ou
are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your
father" (John 8:42, 44).

Jesus told the Pharisees to their faces that their father was the devil.
Some preachers believe that no human being is a child of the devil. But
Jesus stated otherwise; and He knew the truth about this better than any
of us do. Those Pharisees imagined that God was their father, when in
fact Satan was their father. It is the same with Pharisees today.
Children manifest the nature of their father; and Pharisees are
"accusers of the brothers", like their father the devil. It is simply
amazing that so many "Christians" keep on accusing and condemning other
believers and yet don't seem to realise that these are the
characteristics of Satan. So he must be their father! How can such
people imagine that their father is God? That is total blindness! The
Pharisees in the first century didn't believe what Jesus told them. And
today's Pharisees don't believe it either.

I have sometimes told people who have attended our church for many years
that I did not feel that they knew the Lord, despite their having
repeated the words, "Lord Jesus, come into my heart" at some time in the
past - because I did not see any fruit in their lives that indicated
that they knew the Lord. Many church leaders are not faithful (like
Jesus was) to tell people the truth. They are more interested in their
own reputation than in saving people from hell. Thus the blood of those
unconverted people is on the hands of such leaders.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/pharisees-imagine-that-god-is-their-father-when-actually-satan-is-their-father/
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