Pharisees Say They Would Never Have Done the Evil That Others Did
The sermon highlights the Pharisees' error of denying corruption in their own flesh and the importance of acknowledging our vulnerability to sin, thanking God for His restraining grace.
Zac Poonen emphasizes the danger of self-righteousness among Pharisees, who claim they would never commit the sins of others while failing to recognize their own sinful nature. He points out that even the most devout Christians share the same corrupt flesh as everyone else and that it is only by God's grace that they are kept from sin. Poonen highlights the importance of humility and self-awareness, urging believers to acknowledge their potential for wrongdoing and to rely on God's restraining grace. The sermon serves as a reminder that true godliness involves recognizing one's own vulnerabilities rather than judging others.
Text
"You Pharisees build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'" (Matthew 23:29, 30).
Pharisees look at the sins and failures of others and say, "We would never have done that. We would never dress like that. We would never have behaved like that. We would never have spoken like that", etc.
We need to recognise, even as the best of Christians, that we have the same corrupt flesh that every child of Adam has. Pharisees do not recognise the corruption in their own flesh. A godly man would acknowledge that he is capable of committing any sin that anyone has ever committed. He will acknowledge that it is only God's restraining grace that has kept him from committing many sins. An old saint of God, when he saw a criminal being led to his execution, said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I". That saint recognised that he was capable of committing every crime that the criminal had committed, if it were not for the restraining power of God's grace that he had opened his heart to receive. Every godly man will acknowledge that. But a Pharisee will never admit it.
Sermon Outline
- The Pharisees' Hypocrisy
- The Corruption in Our Flesh
- Recognizing Our Vulnerability
- The Pharisee's Error
- Pharisees deny corruption in their own flesh
- They fail to acknowledge God's restraining grace
- It's God's restraining grace that keeps us from sin
Key Quotes
“If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” — Zac Poonen
“There, but for the grace of God, go I.” — Zac Poonen
“A godly man would acknowledge that he is capable of committing any sin that anyone has ever committed.” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We should acknowledge our capacity for every sin and thank God for His restraining grace.
- Humility is essential in recognizing our own corruption and vulnerability to sin.
- We should not deny corruption in our own flesh like the Pharisees do, but rather acknowledge it and thank God for His grace.