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Pastor
We're grateful to be here, man. I want to go to the Gospel of Mark, chapter eight, beginning at verse number 14. And I want to read just two verses. And this is an interesting Sunday to be teaching a lesson like this, especially in the building, because it's raining and it's kind of dreary. But I believe God's timing is God's kindness. And so he not only knows what we need to hear, He. He knows when we're ready to hear it and when we need to hear it. And so as your pastor, I'm just asking. I'm just asking, will you be open to me teaching this today? Okay. Will you be open to me teaching today? We got to teach today. Mark, chapter 8, verse 14 says the disciples had forgotten to bring bread except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. Be careful. Jesus warned. Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod. I want to stop the reading of scripture right there and talk from this subject. In our time together, family. Don't. Don't. Come on. I need you to be with me today. I need a baptistal church today. I want to talk to you. This is goaded when I go to Series, Volume 2. So all year, all year, we're allowing Jesus to teach us what it means to be human as God intended. The goat greatest human of all time was a lamb Jesus. He's not just a redeemer who gets us to heaven. He's a rabbi who teaches us how to live on earth. And many believers know how to die. They don't know how to live. And so in this series of sermons, the goat Jesus has been teaching us how to circumvent self sabotage. Because my claim is self sabotage is Satan's primary weapon of spiritual warfare. I need more Amens. Now. Come on. If we all look at some of the worst seasons of our life, we would say it wasn't caused by me being possessed by a demon. It was my decisions. The enemy used my decisions more than demons. It's really quiet over here. Come on. Am I making sense? All right. And so this is. This is really. I don't want us to just. I don't want to suggest. I don't want to look at this text. I mean, this series humanistically, it's really a strategic way of approaching spiritual warfare. So I want to talk from this subject today. Uh oh. I want to talk about the burden of bad religion. Because the enemy doesn't just want to use your storms. He doesn't just want to use Your standards. He doesn't just want to use your sadness. That's last week. He'll also use some saints. Where's my amen section? I'm. Maybe it's in Westampton. Ewing. Here it is. All right. I want to start this sermon with a statement that may be difficult to digest but is necessary for our development. The statements on the screens for our note takers. The devil doesn't just weaponize relationships. He also weaponizes religion. Satan actually doesn't use a pitchfork, but he does use pulpits. His schemes don't always show up looking like sin, but his schemes also show up looking like spirituality. In other words, part of Satan's strategy is to influence individuals to sanctify their self sabotage in the name of their spirituality. Consequently, abuse, exploitation, manipulation and self degradation have been delivered to the saints in the name of religion. It is self sabotage hidden in spiritual practices. And this is a crisis. We can trace back all the way to the book of beginnings. We can go back to the book of beginnings, the book of Genesis in Genesis, chapter three. And we see that the first time we are exposed to the activity activity of Satan in scripture. Before Satan weaponized Adam and Eve's relationship with each other, the first thing he did was weaponize their relationship with God. Did you hear what I just said? Because he convinced Eve that a spiritual standard was actually a personal restriction. And so he influenced her to eat and touch. What God said don't eat and touch because he fleshed frame the religious standard as a personal restriction. And so she saw rebellion as a act of spiritual liberation. And then she evangelized her husband to practice this distorted version of the faith. And as a consequence of this, the whole entire human race has been impacted with the impact of their activity in eating. Not just because he weaponized a relationship, he weaponized their religion. Did God not say. And not only was it are y' all talking about. See, if you was Baptist, you knew what to do Then. Not only was this an issue in Genesis, it's also an issue in the gospels, which is why Jesus specifically addresses this issue when he's dealing with his disciples. In Mark, chapter number eight. I want you to see what happens. This conversation happens after Jesus performs a miracle with fish and loaves. This isn't the two fish and five loaves. Text says after this miracle, there were seven loaves left over. So they just had a miraculous spiritual experience. They just saw a miracle of multiplication. And I just need to remind somebody, God still does those. By the way, I thought Ewing would have shouted Better than that. I said, I just need to remind somebody that God still works miracles of multiplication. I'm gonna say it one more time until you believe it. I said, God still works miracles of multiplication. What is a miracle of multiplication? It's when God orchestrates addition without adding. It's when he say, I don't have to give you more to give you more. I'll take what you give me and I'll multiply what you give me. Is there anybody in the room that can testify I've experienced some miracles of multiplication? He's taken the peace I had and multiplied it. He's taken the joy I had and multiplied it. Anybody ever been running out of strength, feeling like you were about to give up and to throw in the towel and to walk away and you surprised you hadn't quit because you've been experiencing a miracle of multiplication? He said, I'm gonna take the education you have and I'm gonna take the experience you have and I'm gonna multiply it and I'm gonna do what eyes hadn't seen and ears hadn't heard. If you believe he still works miracles of multiplication, take 18 seconds and tell him thank you. Now I need somebody to give him a prophetic praise right here. Cuz some people are praising him because. Because he has worked one. But do I have anybody at any location that says, I'm getting ready to praise him because he's getting ready to give me one and I'm not going to wait until I get it to thank him for it? But when I think of the goodness of Jesus, he worked a miracle multiplication. Y' all with me? I said, are you with me? So they had seven. See, this is different. It's not 12 baskets left over in Mark 8, it's seven loaves left over. So after the miracle, Jesus and disciples, they get in the boat because they're getting ready to go to a different destination on the journey. They get hungry and one disciple say, give me. Get the bread out so we can eat. It's 12 of us, we got seven loaves. We can share the seven loaves and everybody can be full. Somebody goes back to the bag and they look in the bag and it's not seven loaves, it's one loaf. Now they mad, they hangry and they're probably fussing at each other. Text says they're arguing because they're like, why did. Who forgot the loss? How did you pick up one and not pick up the other six? I'm not gonna bother this, but they left provision in one season that they needed for the next one, y' all missed it. Y' all missed it. So, so, so, so. So in one season, they had seven. And then come on. In one destination, they had seven. In one place, they had seven. And then when they get on the boat to go to a different place, they realize they left six in the past when they should have brought six into the future. Y' all missed it. Am I making sense here? And this, this, this. I'm not going to bother this too much, but this reveals something very important. Whenever you hit a season and God gives you seven and you're not hungry, you need to ask God, what is this seven for? Because if you consume your seven when you're not hungry, you're only going to have one when you get hungry. Don't waste the loaves on something you don't need, because you may hit a season when it is something, something you do need, and you've left the lows in a past season. So here's a question that I would encourage every believer to ask. Whenever God, in his generosity and benevolence, blesses us with more than enough, when you get overflow unexpectedly, just ask God the question now, what is this for? Because if this is for what I want to do with it, I know what to do. But if this is something I'm a need on the boat, give me wisdom not to consume in my now, something I'm a need in my later, I want to. Okay, where's my honest. Where's my honest congregation? Is there anybody that can look back over your life and say, I wish I had some loaves back? I spent some loaves on some dates. I spent some loaves on some. Where's my church? On some anniversaries, I spent some loaves. Come on, church you. On some vacations you like. I. I want them loaves back. I want that bread back. Come on here. I want that bread back. Give me my bread back. So watch what happens. They're arguing with each other about the lows, naturally. And Jesus uses the argument as an opportunity to address something spiritually. It's super important that you notice the sequence of the conversation. They had just experienced a supernatural miracle because they had to watch the miracle of multiplication. And immediately after the miracle, Jesus warns them of the danger of spiritual error. They just had a supernatural experience. And then Jesus warns them immediately of the danger of spiritual error. They had just had a move of God. And after they move of God, Jesus said, watch out now. Come on here. They. They had just had an encounter with the power of God. And after the encounter, Jesus said, now watch out now, because your spiritual experiences don't exempt you from spiritual error. He says, I can be right about this, but that doesn't mean you wrong about that. You right about that. Watch what he says. He says. He says, all right, y' all arguing about bread. He says, but here's what I want you to do. I want you to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod. He uses yeast as a metaphor to describe ideologies and theology that infiltrates and influences a person's faith in a destructive way. Jesus is telling them, I know you just had a spiritual experience, but I want you to be aware what's influencing you. Did you hear what I just said? He says, watch out for yeast. Watch this. It starts small, but then it rises and spreads. So he says, now you just had this spiritual experience. I need you to watch what start rising in you. I need a Baptista church here. He says, you just had an encounter with God, but I need you to watch what starts rising in you. You just been used by God, but I need you to watch what starts rising in you. You've just been blessed by God, but I need you to watch what starts rising in you. A door has been opened for you by God, but I need you to watch what starts rising in you. You just been protected by God, but I need you to watch what starts rising in you. He says, be careful. He calls them to consciousness about this issue because it can happen unconsciously, cuz yeast can be rising and you not feel it rising. Pride can be rising and you not feel it rising. Arrogance can be rising and you not feel it rising. And he not only uses the metaphor of yeast, but he attaches two specific adjectives to it. He says, first of all, I want you to be aware of the yeast of the Pharisees. Now this isn't significant unless we're clear on who the Pharisees were. Can I tell you who the Pharisees were? They were a strict influential sect of Judaism, known for their devotion to the law of Moses as well as their interpretations and oral traditions that expanded upon that law. They were pit against a group called Sadducees. And one of the distinguishing factors is the belief in. In the miraculous. And this group was deeply respected by people. I don't know if y' all can handle this. Deeply respected by people, but deeply despised by Jesus. Yeah. His most harsh rebukes was to this group when he says in John 8 you are of your father, the devil. He is talking about this group. When he says, you brood of vipers. He is talking about this group when he says, you hypocrites who love to stand in the synagogue praying so that you may be seen and heard of men. He is talking about this group. It is not them per se that he despises, but it is what rise in them. See, here it is. They were known for their legalism, elitism, judgmentalism, and sectarianism. Legalism, elitism, judgmentalism and sectarianism. Legalism, elitism, judgmentalism, sectarianism, legalism, elitism, judgmentalism, sectarianism, legalism. They held their personal practices at the same standard as scriptural truth, so they treated the oral tradition with the same amount of authority as the written law. Did you hear what I just said? And so when you. So the oral tradition, I mean, the written law is a scriptural standard that everyone should have universally followed. The oral tradition was their commentary on scripture. So the scripture trustworthy. Your commentary and your interpretation is suspect. So I'm obligated to do what the scriptures say, but I'm not obligated to do what you think they mean. And so this legalism. Are y' all hearing what I'm saying? This. This legalism produced this elitism because it's like, if you are not carrying out my interpretation of what the scriptures say, then you don't take the scriptures as seriously as I do not realize. I don't know if y' all ready for this. I said, I don't know if y' all ready for this. Not. Not. Not realizing. Not. Not realizing. Oh. Not realizing. Oh. That sometimes their personal practice wasn't a reflection of their love for God, but their personal practice is sometimes a reflection of their love for sin. So they're acting like they're doing this because they're running into Jesus, but they're really trying to run out of that. Did you hear what I just said? All right, here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Pastor, what do you mean? Okay, whatever the Bible says, every believer should be universally held to that. But the application of scriptural standards is based on your wiring your spiritual journey and the unique temptations you've been exposed to. So the boundaries you need to set may be right for you. But if. If. But if someone's activity doesn't violate a scriptural standard, you have no right to impose those boundaries on other people. Can I go here? Okay, so for me, I can listen to JoJo Casey say, take my money, my House and my car. And I not want to give anybody my money, my house, or my car, but my wife. Now, if you hear take my money, my house, and my car, and you want to give your money, house, and car to somebody else's wife, then you don't need to listen to JoJo and Casey. But don't you impose that on me. I got issues. Not that one. And the Pharisee projects their own issues on everyone else and assumes that if you don't have to do this to stay right, you don't love him like I love him. And it may mean I didn't expose myself to what you exposed yourself to. So I'm not fighting that. I'm fighting something. Not that. But you're assuming your fight is everybody's fight when what you need to do is hold a. Hold a line for you if your eye offend you. I got to go. This is teach the Bible scriptural standard. Everybody should adhere to the way that is applied. It's based on your wiring, your past, your temptations, where you are in your spiritual journey. And the yeast becomes a thief. I'm done telling you. What does it do? It's a thief. It's a thief. Number one. That rids you a balance. And so when you're robbed of balance, it undermines your ability to be a Christian witness. Now this grown folk talk, y' all okay? Today, okay? We'll come back next week. Your breakthrough's coming. But come on. This week. So. And this is why Christians always create these culture wars against the world. You mad at the world? Cause you're not doing your job. The world out here, that's because you not influential. So you want to pick fights with the world instead of wondering, why don't they want what we got? Why aren't they coming to us at night like Nicodemus came to Jesus at night? Why aren't they climbing the tree to be with us the way Zacchaeus climbed the tree to be with Jesus? Maybe because we not like Jesus. I'm on it. So it robs you of your witness, because to properly represent Jesus, you have to be full of grace and truth. Not half grace, not half truth. Standing ten toes down on God's standard and then meeting you with grace when you miss it. But the Pharisee, because they abuse grace because they're moral and not Christian. You do know that's not the same, right? You do know if I don't steal, that just means I'm not a thief. It don't mean I'm Like Jesus, they feel like he loves it. Lower is a standard when grace is a better motivator for meeting robs. Your balance, not only balance in terms of your witness, balance in terms of your life. I feel like this is almost like some healthy deconstruction, isn't it? It's like, we need some weeks, because here's what's my calling, what it is, here's what I want you to see. I could take you to a scripture where Paul literally addresses people in Corinth who don't understand biblical balance. And he's like, sir, ma' am, you married now, so you got to pray, but you can't pray all day. Well, not pray a certain way all day. Who's read the Bible? He's like. He said, hey, you got a spouse now. Is that the book? Say you got kids now you got to pray at the soccer game. So here's what happens. Some people who either the yeast of the Pharisee has risen up in you, or it spread to you from others, you rob your life of a biblical balance. So in the name of working for the Lord, you actually disobey the principle of the Sabbath. No balance. I'm running for Jesus, and Jesus took naps. Jesus, like, you're not running from me. You running for who? They told you I was two. It robs you of blessing. Now, I could take you to Luke, where Jesus talks about, give and it shall be given unto you. We can take that principle and apply it to everything. But he speaks very specifically there to judgment, judge not. Is that what he says? And says for the same. Come on, King James. For the same measure that ye meteor, it shall be measured back to you. So when judgmentalism rises up in me, when legalism rises up in me, that's a seed I sow, and that determines a harvest. I'm a reap. So if you don't learn how to live grace, how to give grace, you're going to learn what it feels like to live without it when you need it. And then, number three, it restricts you from becoming. See, Phariseeism creates this illogical elitism. And I call it illogical because it is actually a religion that is theologically inferior to the ways of Jesus. But you couldn't tell them that. They thought they were so theologically astute. And Jesus would be like, bro, you don't even understand the purpose of the Sabbath. Like, you come in hard at the disciples. Why are they picking corn on the Sabbath? He's like, the man wasn't made for The Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man. Just like there's this elitism that they carry. That's illogical because it's inferior. But when a person operates with elitism, they already think they are who God's calling them to be. So they never. And here's the thing. Here's the danger of Phariseeism. Listen, I've been. I've been reading my Bible now. I probably got serious about Jesus about 1915. You had to pray for me. I had a Walkman. I had a Bible in my backpack going to the games. But then I had a Walkman playing all eyes on me. I wasn't. I was in my journey. But I've been around for a long time. I've been reading my Bible now, three, 30 years regularly. Listen to me. I seen a lot. I'm not that I'm older, but I'm not old, but I seen a lot because I've been locked into this a long time. Phariseeism always popularizes itself in waves. I've seen the waves. And the waves sweep up two groups of people, One newer Christians, who are zealous spiritually but not anchored theologically. So all of a sudden, they have this zeal. But as the Apostle Paul says to believers in Rome, it's not according to knowledge. So you just learned the difference between Corinthians and Chronicles, but you think you qualified to identify a false teacher? You just got saved last week. I know I'm right about it. So may that not rise up in us in this house. That's second way. That's not. Am I making sense, guys? All right, I'm done. So he says, we have the yeast of the Pharisees. Am I making sense? But then he also says, the yeast of Herod, Pharisees. That's legalism, Herod. That's syncretism. So you go from one extreme, where you can't do nothing, and then you go to the other extreme where people think, I can do anything. So syncretism is the blending of beliefs with the faith that don't complement each other. And Jesus said, you got to watch because that'll spread to you from others, and you'll be operating in divine rebellion, thinking you spiritually awakened. Isn't that crazy how some people, like, lead a church and then all the rest of us dumb. Y' all just don't. So none of us have sense. It doesn't work for you. It only works if you work it right. So there's a yeast of the Pharisee, and then there's a yeast of syncretism. And Jesus told people that literally walk with him. Watch out for both, because both can rise up in you or spread to you. And this is not a problem to be solved, it's attention to be managed. It means that if you're really trying to live a third way life, you got to be aware of when you slide into Phariseeism and pull yourself out. And then you got to be aware when you lean into a syncretism and pull yourself out. Because full of grace and truth requires tension. Who's here to condemn you? No one. Neither do I. Grace, but go and sin no more. Truth. I'm not going to kill you for doing it, but stop. Legalism. I'mma kill you for doing it. Syncretism. Do it as much as you want. Third way. I'm not going to kill you from doing it, but stop Go and sin no more. Let say worse thing come up on you. Stop. What God is leading this house into is actually the ways of Jesus. Deliverance is happening through this series, but it's deliverance from religion. It is deliverance from second way. And some of us need healing because that yeast that spread from the Pharisee has made you sick. You have no balance. You're not becoming and is robbing you of blessing. And if you're here today and you've never met the Jesus of the Bible, I want to introduce you to him. Not an American Jesus, but a Jesus of the Bible. Not the Jesus in our head, but the Jesus in the Bible. I want you to get to know him because he already knows and loves you.