Pharisees Corrupt Others
Pharisaical leaders corrupt young people by shutting off the kingdom of heaven and living in luxury, hindering them from following Jesus.
Zac Poonen delivers a powerful message on the corrupting influence of Pharisaical leaders who hinder sincere young believers from truly following Jesus and entering the kingdom of God. He highlights how these leaders, by living lavish lifestyles and seeking fame, lead the youth astray from the humble path of Christ. Poonen emphasizes the importance of looking to Jesus as the ultimate role model and finding genuine followers of Christ to emulate, rather than being swayed by false shepherds in the church.
Text
"Woe to you, Pharisees, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in" (Matthew 23:13).
Sincere, young people who become believers are corrupted by Pharisaical leaders. These young people may have had great zeal to overcome sin and to live for God when they were first converted. But then they see their leaders standing on big platforms like film-actors and preaching and collecting plenty of money "in Jesus' Name" from people, and using that money to live like film-actors in their private lives. Thus these young people, who started out wanting to follow Jesus and to live like He did, now end up wanting to live like these famous preachers. And they imagine that if they are faithful, then one day they too will become famous and be able to live like film-actors. Thus these Pharisaical leaders corrupt them and hinder them from following Jesus and entering the kingdom of God.
Young people today lack good role models whom they can follow. Unfortunately, hardly any preacher today can say like Paul did, "Follow me as I follow Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 3:17). So I say to young people: Look at Jesus and follow His Example. And if you find someone who is following hard after Jesus, then look at him and follow his example as well.
Sermon Outline
- The Corruption of Pharisaical Leaders
- The Effect of Pharisaical Leaders on Young People
- The Need for Good Role Models
- Young people lack good role models today
- Preachers should follow Jesus and say 'Follow me as I follow Christ'
Key Quotes
“They shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” — Zac Poonen
“Follow me as I follow Christ” — Zac Poonen
“Look at Jesus and follow His Example” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- Young people should look to Jesus as their role model and follow His example.
- Preachers should follow Jesus and say 'Follow me as I follow Christ' to their followers.
- We should be careful not to be corrupted by the desire to be like our leaders and instead focus on following Jesus.