Modern Pharisees

The sin of the Pharisees wasn't so much what they did. It was why they did it and what they didn't do.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Matthew 23:23

We behave like Pharisees when we:
(Full text of Scriptures at the bottom)
✔ Brag about our godly lifestyle and make sure everyone hears about our latest good deed (Matthew 23:5-7).
✔ Faithfully attend church but treat our spouse with disrespect (Matthew 23:28).
✔ Proudly talk about our evangelism efforts but live just like our unsaved neighbors (Matthew 23:15).
✔ Show concern for declining morals but excuse our personal sins (Matthew 23:25).
✔ Help with church programs but neglect our parents (Matthew 15: 4-9).

Let's be careful to do the right things for the right reasons. And let's not neglect the “more important matters.”
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Full Text Scripture passages:

Matthew 23:5-7: “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”

Matthew 23:28: on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Matthew 23:15: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”

Matthew 23:25: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

Matthew 15: 4-9: “…You say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. … You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”