Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
When the term Reformed theology is used, it often refers to something less historical. Often it refers to a theology that acknowledges the doctrine of predestination and holds to a high view of the Bible as God’s inerrant Word. Sometimes it is also identified with the so-called five points of Calvinism: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. These are all important teachings of the Reformed tradition, but they do not fully encapsulate or describe Reformed theology.
A better starting place is five statements that have been called the five solas of the Reformation. These five solas (sola is the Latin word for “only” or “alone”) are sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), and soli Deo gloria (God’s glory alone). Put together, these solas clearly express the central concerns of the Protestant Reformation, which was about worship and authority within the church as much as it was about individual salvation. The “alone” in each is vital, and they emphasize the sufficiency of God’s Word and the gracious nature of salvation, received by faith alone, in Christ alone. The last of the five solas, soli Deo gloria, is the natural outworking of the first four. It reminds us that Reformed theology understands all of life in terms of the glory of God. To be Reformed in our thinking is to be God-centered. Salvation is from the Lord from beginning to end, and even our existence is a gift from Him.
Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
Sermon the Week, Philip Anthony Mitchell: (Don't Follow Them) Watch Your Spiritual Diet: Beware of Those Who Preach But Don't Practice
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The religious leaders were hypocrites. Instead of helping to relieve the burdens of others, they weighed them down with more burdens.
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Welcome to Biblical Talks. Sermon of the Week. In Matthew, chapter 23,. Matthew is talking about religious hypocrites denounced. The religion leaders were hypocrites. Instead of helping to relieve the burden of others, they weighed them down with more burdens. They weighed them down with more burdens.
Speaker 1:Listen, the only thing the Pharisees wanted is to be honored, to be looked up to. Now don't get me wrong. It's not wrong to honor others. Paul said to give honor to whom honor is owed and to give recognition to those who labor among you. First, that's Lonely Year 5 and 12. But listen, it's another thing altogether to love, be in honor and to seek it for yourself. The scribes and the Pharisees thought too highly of themselves. Please listen to me. There is to be no elitism in the family of God, and the cure for that is servitude. So let me ask a question when was the last time you served someone, someone who couldn't pay you back, who couldn't do anything for you in return? That's what Jesus did. The son of God became a servant to save those who couldn't save themselves and, as a result, god, the father, highly exalted him. And that's what Jesus promised his disciples. Whoever exalts himself will be humble. Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Beloved, let's humble ourselves. Beloved, let's humble ourselves. Here's Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell preaching a sermon called.
Speaker 2:Don't Follow them. I want to take this moment to say happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers and grandmothers and spiritual mothers who are in the room. I think y'all can do better than that. I want to take this moment to honor one of the greatest mothers I know personally, miss Lena Claire Mitchell. Lena is a great mom Loving, caring, discerning, tapped into the discipleship of our children, not just the raising of children, but the discipleship of our children. Not just the raising of children, but the discipleship of our children.
Speaker 2:And, uh, I want to honor my mom, who's watching right now in North Carolina, um, ms Sharon Mitchell, um, the mighty woman of faith who believed God for a son when the doctor said she could have no children. And I want to also honor just all of the mothers in our church and those who are pouring into people. And before we jump into the proclamation of God's word, I do want to acknowledge that I know that today is not joyful for everybody, that for some people today it is difficult, especially for those of you where there is an empty place at a table because your mom has passed away, or for those of you who have a very difficult relationship with your mom, or for those of you who was not raised with a mother, she was absent. I want to acknowledge that those feelings are present and our prayer is that the God of all comfort will minister to you if you find yourself any place on that spectrum. If you are guests sitting in this room in the overflow, we welcome you to 2819, where we are serious about the spread of the gospel and the multiplying of disciples. And to all of our digital disciples who are watching me live right now across the nation and around the world, we welcome you to 2819.
Speaker 2:And if you're sitting in this room or in the overflow, if you're watching me across that camera, which is amazing, if you're not a follower of Christ, we know that you're here. We're thankful that you're here and you can belong before you believe, you can be amongst us before you believe, and we are praying for you that a day is going to come when you would hear this glorious gospel and respond to the call of Christ, you would come into this spiritual family before time has run out. That is our prayer for you. You, we are in a series right now, week 12, of a series called Entry and End Times, in which we are walking through Matthew, chapter 21 through 25 together, and what we are doing in the series. We are unpacking, as a church, the final actions and the final teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ in the final week of his life. Our message this morning is coming from Matthew, chapter 23. Verses 1 through 12.
Speaker 1:For all of our note takers.
Speaker 2:Eternal God and ever wise father, we thank you for the opportunity we have to sit and hear the proclamation of your word. It is holy, it is alive and active. It is forever settled in heaven. I pray as your word is proclaimed, you would just minister to the sons and daughters and even trouble the one who's far away from you. I pray you give me strength in my human weakness to proclaim these eternal truths. We ask in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ and all of God's people said amen, family.
Speaker 2:A couple months ago I was sitting in my prayer room and as I was sitting in my prayer room, I felt this strong urge to run upstairs and check on my youngest son, josiah. But in full transparency, I did not move quick enough. And what happened next I would learn from my son later on that morning. And so, a couple months ago, my son Josiah. He took our dogs outside in the backyard for their morning walk. And while he was out there with the dogs for their morning walk, this wolf-type beast just emerged from the tree lines in the woods behind our house and was sizing up our two dogs to attack them. Josiah went into a panic and started yelling at our dogs to get inside, get inside, get inside. To which the dogs did not obey his voice when he first started yelling get inside. And this beast, whatever it was I mean it looked like a wolf he said. I don't know if it was a coyote or whatever, but this wolf-type beast was standing there getting ready to attack our two dogs and because they was not listening to his voice, he ran over to our smallest dog and he scooped up Chance, which is a Shih Tzu, and he ran towards the house zoo. And he ran towards the house and as he ran towards the house, he turned around and he started yelling at our larger dog, a poodle named Orlando get in the house, get in the house, get in the house. And Orlando at first would not move, he would not listen to the voice of Josiah and as he stood there, that wolf was maybe five feet from Orlando, getting ready to ravish him and tear him up, and he kept yelling at Orlando get inside, get inside. And finally Orlando took off and started running. And it was Joey, who went into a quick panic but was also very quick in his thinking, who cared about the life of our two dogs and saw that wolf that came out from the woods and did everything he could in that moment to protect the lives of our dogs from those from that wolf whatever that was that came out the tree line. Family. This went beyond that day. This would continue over the course of a few weeks and eventually it got so bad that we started walking the dogs in the morning with a flashlight and an air rifle to protect our dogs from that wolf. My daughter, abigail, who I've trained to shoot she's excellent with that rifle. She can. She'll snipe somebody from 50 yards away very easy, like abigail's a beast with that trigger and she would be out there with that rifle on her shoulder, with that flashlight, trying to protect our two dogs from this wolf that kept coming out every single morning. That was praying p-r-e-y-i-n-g on these two dogs, now family.
Speaker 2:It's with this imagery in mind and the seriousness of Josiah's call that Christ, our Savior, and the apostles and the prophets gave strong warnings about one of the most dangerous threats to the life of the believer your sins, your mistakes and your failures that you repent of. Something more nefarious, something more dangerous that they warn people of. It was the prophet Jeremiah in the 600 AD. He described this threat like this in Jeremiah, chapter 23 and verse 16. Thus says the Lord of hosts, describing this threat to your spiritual well-being.
Speaker 2:Hear me, do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesied to you, filling you with vain hopes. Always talking about blessings, always talking about rosiness and clouds and candy, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord how do you speak? Blessings to people that dishonor God? This is American preaching. You preach blessings to people that don't respect Christ, like he's a genie in a bottle. They say continually to those who despise the Lord it shall be well with you lies. And to everyone, subordinately, who follows their own heart, they say no disaster shall come upon. You know what that is preaching, with no warnings. Man, come on, man, for who among them has stood in the counsel of the lord? They don't pray to see or hear his word. They don't read, or who has paid attention to his word and listen. They don't study. Behold, the storm of the lord wrath has gone out from the whistling templates. It will burst upon the head of the wicked. The angle of the lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days, you will understand this clearly. A day is coming when your eyes will be opened.
Speaker 2:I, the lord, said did not send the prophets, yet they ran. I didn't appoint you yet you started a church. I didn't send you yet you put yourself in the office. I did not speak to them yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council then they would have proclaimed my words to my people. If they had a prayer life, you would hear preaching of the scriptures and not preaching of opinions. It's not your mother's day, sermon we in a series through Matthew, and they would have turned from their evil way and from their evil deeds.
Speaker 2:Am I a god at hand, declares the lord, and not a god far away? He says listen, and not a god far away. Can a man hide himself in secret places so I cannot see him? That? Is they not going to escape me, declares the Lord. Do I not feel heaven and earth? Declares the Lord.
Speaker 2:Have I heard what the prophets have said? Who prophesy lies in my name saying I have a dream? I have a dream. How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies and who prophesy deceit with their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name. They exalt their name above Christ. Come on, man, even as their fathers forgot my name, let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has a word speak my word. How Faithfully. What straw, in common with leaves, declares the Lord, is not my word. Like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces, rock and pieces. Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from another, from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declared the Lord, who use their tongues and declares the Lord. Behold, I am against the prophecy who lie in dreams and declare in the Lord, who tell and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them so they do not profit this people, they're no good for you. They're no good for you, declares the Lord. A threat man, you swipe up and bump into them. You watch them on youtube, you go to their conferences, you read their books. This is who jeremiah is talking about.
Speaker 2:Listen to what peter said about them. The apostle peter in the first century ad. He said in second peter, chapter 2, verse 1 but false prophets also rose among the people, just as there were false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who brought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality and, because of their way of truth, will be blasphemed and in their greed they prophesy for profit. They will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation is from long ago. It is not idle and their destruction is not asleep. Listen to what jude, the biological brother of jesus, said about them. In jude, chapter 1 and verse 10 through 13. He said but these people listen to what he said about them. In Jude, chapter 1, in verse 10 through 13,. He said but these people listen to what he said about them?
Speaker 2:These people who you see on TikTok, these people who you see on Facebook, new Age apostles who try to build churches on Facebook, who have no authority from God, who try to come at real prophets. You have a Facebook church trying to come at real prophets. You have a Facebook church trying to come at real prophets who God has assigned over souls. Your only ministry is alive. No interaction with sheep. Don't smell like sheep, no wounds from sheep. Your only interaction with sheep is across the screen.
Speaker 2:But these people blaspheme all day. They do not understand. They are destroyed by all that they, like unreasonable animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them, for they walk in the way of Cain. Abandon themselves for the sake of C gain to Balaam's era. Perish in Korah's rebellion. These are hidden reefs that you love. Feasts as they feast with you, without fear, no fear of the Lord Shepherds feeding themselves. Waterless clouds swept along by the winds, fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted. Wild waves of the sea casting up the foam with their own shame, wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. Now that's not enough.
Speaker 2:Listen to what Jesus said about them In Matthew, chapter 7. I taught you this in the first year of the series, in verse 15. Beware of false prophets like that. Phone going off is an alarm going off right now. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing. They have Christian lingo, they have christian antics, they have christian programs, they write christian books, they do christian podcasts, they do christian conferences. For lack of discernment, we thumb them. Like them, support them, listen to them or led astray by them. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly a ravenous wolves, like that thing that came out after my dogs. You will recognize them by their all.
Speaker 2:Throughout the scripture is filled with these kind of warnings, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Why? Because the prophets and the apostles and your Lord knew that this would be the most dangerous threat to the church. When John is writing in the New Testament, he's not warning the people about the devil, only he's telling them I know, when we leave ravenous wolves, they're gonna come in behind us and they're gonna wreak havoc among the flock. That one of the most dangerous things you face, hear me. You swipe up and see it. You watch it on youtube. They're sitting in your churches.
Speaker 2:Listen are false prophets, false teachers with false messages, who have false authority, who are ravaging the church. You listen to them, you thumb them, you like them, you support them. You read their books and go to their conference. They rotten out your soul. You read their books and go to their conference. They rotting out your soul. This is what we deal with as we approach man, this powerful text of scripture.
Speaker 2:Hear me, it is this text that we're about to unpack, which is the beginning hear me of the last public message Jesus ever preached. If his first recorded sermon was the Sermon on the Mount, this is his last recorded sermon and of all the things the Lord could have said to us before he was executed publicly. He took this moment in history to warn his children and all future followers to protect themselves from men like this. He did not use his last public sermon to talk about love. He did not use his last public sermon to talk about love. He did not use his last public sermon to talk about grace man. He did not use his last public servant to pronounce blessings. No, this whole chapter 23, his last public sermon, is full of warnings and walls and damnations. Watch the Lord. Watch who called himself the good shepherd man this is powerful Used his last public sermon to try to protect those who have ears to hear, to guard your heart from false teachers, false messages, men who have false authority.
Speaker 2:He rose into Jerusalem. You remember the scene Confronted by the Pharisees, sadducees and Herodians. You remember that scene? He rocks them with his wisdom and his use of the word of God. Just a reminder to you that some of the battles in your mind, battles in your heart, battles in your life, follow the pattern of the Lord. You can defeat the devil with the word of God. You can back him down to your mind with the word of God. You can come against him in your house with the word of God. You give him the fire of the word of God. He comes for your marriage. Give him back the word of God. He comes for your heart, giving back the word of God. He lies to you about your past, giving back the word of God. And it was Christ right here, watch, after he backed them down, the religious elite, the corrupt Pharisees of the day. With the word of God, he will now begin his last public sermon. We'll look at the first half today. The second half next week Heat Next week, heat Next week.
Speaker 2:His last public message the first thing he exposes to protect you listen to me from men like this, hear me watch is false righteousness. God, this is so powerful to me. Chapter 23, verse 1. He exposes the false righteousness of false teachers who have false authority. Then Jesus said to the crowds and his disciples ie, he pivots away from the Pharisees, towards his followers, towards the crowd of thousands of people to preach. To people who have watched, maybe one last opportunity to repent and protect themselves from the Pharisees. He says about them watch publicly His last public sermon. He speaks with a loud voice.
Speaker 2:The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses's seat seat. So do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works that they do, for they preach but do not practice. So in the beginning of his sermon he says to his followers and to the crowd these pharisees, these hypocritical leaders, man, they sit on Moses' seat. Now listen to me carefully. Moses was a great man of God, a great prophet of God. He is the one through whom God wrote the first five books of the Bible Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers and Deuteronomy. Moses wrote those by the Spirit. Moses' hail is one of the greatest men in the history of the Christian faith. In the first century, the synagogues had a big stone seat at the front of the synagogue called Moses' seat. And watch this. It was a seat of authority.
Speaker 2:The literal Greek reading of this verse in its original language said the Pharisees sat themselves on Moses' seat. That is, they took that throne of authority that God did not give them. We see the same thing happening today, when you see people who call themselves apostles and God did not anoint them to be that. They call themselves prophets. God did not call them to be that. They call themselves pastors. God did not call them to be that they start churches. God did not call them to start that. Not just because you have a gift, that don't mean you need to start a church.
Speaker 2:And what these men did? They sat sat, the greek says they sat themselves gosh on moses. See, that is watch. They took authority that god did not give them. Nowhere in the scriptures do you ever see god giving the pharisees authority over his people? But what we do see is a hypocritical, corrupt, darkened group of men. Watch who hijack authority for themselves. Watch and then they use that authority to exert watch, this dominance over god's people. Watch.
Speaker 2:Now the Lord said this is insane to me Do whatever they tell you, but don't do what they do, because they preach but don't practice. The Lord said about the Pharisees do what they tell you, but wasn't he going against them the whole chapter before? So some scholars believe he's being ironic, like, since they hijacked the authority, listen to them. Other scholars believe he's telling them watch as long as they're telling you the truth from the scriptures and that only you got to obey that. This is powerful to me because it shows us that God loves people so much He'll work through broken vessels, even evil vessels, to even get you the word, even through vessels he has rejected for himself. This is important for you to remember because not just because you hear truth from someone's mouth, that don't mean God has affirmed that person, because a prophet, a false prophet, is not just going to give you lies. Only they will mix in lies with truth. So you say, but they quoted that scripture, right? That doesn't mean God affirmed them, though God did not affirm the Pharisees, but yet Jesus says so long as they teach you from Moses' law, obey that and no further. But watch, but don't do what they do, don't follow after their behavior.
Speaker 2:Hear me, american Christians Don't be people that post and don't live that. Don't be people that preach come down and don don't live. That I can tell you from being up here. It's easy to preach and not live what you preach when you come down, it's very easy. That's why, man, the best thing that some false preachers can do is stay on the platform, because as soon as they come off. They have no virtue, or the best thing they can do is stay off the platform, because as soon as they come up here, this is the only virtue they have man, they can move a room and move a crowd and move an arena. Come off of the stage and don't do anything. They just preached. This is the Lord warning you and I Don't preach and not practice. Don't be like these men. We do this. Man, you got all these scriptures in your profile but you don't live them. And this is the Lord saying to his people don't act like these Pharisees, don't be people that have confession without a life to match. I'm trying to.
Speaker 2:So we see in these men watch a false righteousness. They have no righteousness from God. They create their own righteousness by taking over Moses' seat. They sat themselves in a position of authority and we see people do that all over this country, who God did not call, did not appoint, did not raise up, and they take their own authority and give themselves their own names. They start ministries outside of God's will and you flood those ministries. They start ministries outside of God's will and you flood those ministries and the Lord and his love for his people. He would then go on. Why is he being so serious about exposing their false righteousness? Two things After this, he would then expose their false ministry.
Speaker 2:Watch when he says to them I'm almost done, almost done, verse four. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their fingers. Okay, watch. So the people of god watch they. So the people of God watch. They have the word of God and at some point in time the Pharisees, spiritual leaders in Israel watch, begin to create oral laws to try to force people to be obedient to the written word of God. Over thousands of years they developed thousands of oral laws and they built a fence around the word of God. They took those oral laws and they codified them in a book called the Mishnah, and then what they did was exalt their man-made doctrines. Watch above the word of God. So by the time Christ in the tree is born, he's now alive in an era where the common people watch are underneath the heavy burdens of this oral law, thousands of them that robbed and choked out the life from serving God. So now every day is a burden filled with thousands of rules and regulations. I mean they had rules and regulations for everything. I mean, on the Sabbath you can't even go one mile. They had so many rules that people were grieved with all of these burdens.
Speaker 2:Watch and what the Lord said that these men see people's. Watch this see God's people suffering and will do nothing to ease their suffering. Watch this is like shepherds in our country who see the plight of God's people. They do not shed a tear in prayer for God's people, don't care about the socioeconomic status of God's people, don't care about the spiritual well-being of God's people. They only care about feeding themselves.
Speaker 2:I don't know about you. Let me talk for me. If I'm a sheep, I want to be on the shepherd that shed some tears for me. I want to be on the shepherd that prays for me. I want to be on the shepherd that cares about me. I want to be on the shepherd that reads the word to me. I want to be on the shepherd that will fight a devil for me. I don't want to be on their shepherd that reads the word to me. I want to be on their shepherd that will fight a devil for me. I don't want to be on their shepherd that hears me suffering.
Speaker 2:See me suffering, see me going through, and all they care about is getting out of sermon, going home and going to sleep. You won't catch them on their knees during the week, won't catch them shedding a tear during the year. They do not care about the well-being of God's people. Man. There's American shepherds like that all across this landscape. The only thing they care about is their next sermon, their next honorarium and where they're going to eat on Sunday. They do not shed tears for the people they preach to, don't care about them, don't pray for them, don't fight for for them, don't stand in the gap for them. This is false ministry. Watch, where you preach laws to people and you do not ease their suffering by caring for them, praying for them, loving on, loving on them, trying to help them. This is for you. Don't smell like sheep, not in community, don't know nothing going on in the church. Don't smell like sheep.
Speaker 2:The back half of his sermon woes and damnation. This first half, warning his children stay away from men like this. So he exposes their false righteousness. He exposes their false ministry. And the last so he exposes their false righteousness. He exposes their false ministry. And the last one he exposes he exposes their false greatness. Verse 5 through 7,.
Speaker 2:Look what he says, verse 5 through 7, they do all their deeds to be seen. Everything they do is for a show To be seen by others. Man, look, you're going to read this, you're going to start watching YouTube, you're going to start picking up on them. They do all their deeds to be seen. They bring attention to themselves to eclipse the glory of god gosh. They do all their deeds to be seen for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long and they love the places of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplace, being called rabbi by others. Watch this. So he says about these pharisees. They love doing ministry just for a show. They preach to be seen. They do ministry to be seen, they dress to be seen, they post to be seen. They do stuff just to bring attention to themselves. How did the ph, the Pharisees, do that? Two ways. They made their phylacteries broad. They said preacher, what is the phylactery? Philip, what is the phylactery Watch?
Speaker 2:In the book of Deuteronomy, god told his people in Deuteronomy, chapter 6, or eight, six, six. In Deuteronomy, chapter six. Thank God for men that know their Bible. Come on, kenny. Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verse 8. God told his people I want you to take my word. Bind it on your hand and on your forehead.
Speaker 2:These Pharisees took that literally. So they created a little box, a leather box, called a phylactery, and inside that they put scriptures in the box. Then they would get a strap and tie the box to their forehead, and another box they would tied to their left hand and they would walk around the street with the box on their forehead and the box on their left hand watch, to show everybody I'm holy, I'm righteous. I got the word. So they're walking around with this box on their forehead or left hand and to get attention from people, they made the box even bigger and they made the box on their arm bigger. So now they're walking around with this giant box on their forehead, watch, just so everybody see them like oh, they're righteous, they're righteous, they're righteous. Right, you see, people do this today. Right, they do all this stuff on the outside to try to prove to people oh you're, you're righteous. They do everything for a show. Listen, man, god, man.
Speaker 2:When I first read this man, when I first read this this week, I wept. Now hear me, I just want to be honest, when I first read this this week and studied, I cried at my desk. And I cried at my desk because their behavior reminds me of what we see in this country. We see from my camp pastors and leaders who have made Christianity man a celebrity culture, and we're fighting about who got the best buildings and who got the best shoes and who got a private jet, and we turn christianity man into a celebrity culture and we do things on purpose to put ourselves in positions to be worshipped by men, and so everything we do is for a show. We post for attention and we preach for attention and we dress for it. We do everything just to be seen. It happens all across this country and when I see it I cry. You see them when we walk through airports with all of this fancy garb, and we do all of this stuff just for somebody to notice you. You You're so insecure, you need to be noticed all the time, so desperate to be worshipped, and in our preaching we eclipse the word of God and in our behavior we eclipse the character of God. Why are y'all not fed up with this kind of behavior? You see this all the time Men of God on social media, doing all these stunts to just bring attention to themselves.
Speaker 2:These Pharisees walking around with phylacteries on their head and on their arm, and then the tassels of their garment. They made long numbers and numbers. God told his people for all your clothing, put tassels at the bottom and each tassel will represent the commands that I gave you. And put a blue cord on it. That's why we like. The color blue is what god gave israel. But what the pharisees would do is take their cords and they make it real long, so that when people see those long fringes, man, they will say, oh, these people are really holy. Remember, jesus was wearing one of those. That's why the woman who had the issue of blood she grabbed hold of that thing, because the scripture says when the Messiah came, he would have healing in his wings and since she was a Jew, she must have knew the word of God. So she didn't even try to grab his body, she just grabbed his wings. But she kept saying to herself if I only grab the hem of his garment, I know that I shall be healed. She believed what she read.
Speaker 2:Some of you want deliverance, but you don't believe what you read. You need a marriage change, but you don't read what you believe. You don't believe what you read. You want God to move in some area, but you don't read what you believe. You don't believe what you read. You want god to move in some area, but you don't believe what you read I believe.
Speaker 2:Do I got anybody else that believe I believe? Watch. And they love the best seats in the synagogue. They love sitting in the high seats where everybody can see them, and greetings in the marketplace. Now hear me, the lord is not against front court seats at the hogs game. He's not against a special seat in a gown. He's not against that. The operative word here is love. They love special seating. They love special seating. They love special greeting. They love to be in public, in the marketplace, the busiest place in the city, and people say, oh Pharisees, oh rabbi, they love that stuff, they love to be called rabbi. I'm about to land a plane, which means in Greek watch master, lord, lord, lord. They love watch this.
Speaker 2:Titles that gave them glory. Who called you an apostle? You gave that title to yourself. Who called you a prophet? You gave that title to yourself. Who called you a pastor with no church? You gave that title to yourself All across this nation, even in this room, we got people you gave that title to yourself. All across this nation, even in this room, we got people. You're so title struck I'm not, I'm, I don't care.
Speaker 2:Especially in the church is one of the only places where insecure people can come in, take a title to stroke their ego and build their insecurities. That's why we especially black people we love titles. We introduce ourselves with titles. We get mad if somebody don't use your title. It's dangerous to find your identity in your title. What happens if it changes? What happens if you lose it? You lose yourself.
Speaker 2:I am a pastor by divine calling, a calling I ran away from for four years. I don't throw that title around. I don't even introduce people with the name pastor philip. You don't even see it in my name on the introduction slide. My name is philip. I'm only pastor philip by god's divine assignment. My identity cannot be found in that, for god takes me out the past. I still have to be a disciple. I still have to be a disciple of Christ, apart from my title.
Speaker 2:Did you stop having a love affair with titles? Especially all you who look like me. We love titles. The church is the platform for the insecure To build a monument for themselves, to stroke their ego with titles God help us. We bump into you in the airport and we don't call you by your title. So after the Lord exposes their false righteousness, he says don't act like them, their false ministry. Don't behave like them, their false glory. Don't act like them. They're false ministry. Don't behave like them. They're false glory. Don't act like them. Stop looking for glory. He will now protect his followers with these last verses, verse 8 but you that's a transitional word don't act like them.
Speaker 2:American christians, but you are not to be called master, you're not to be called rabbi, for you have only one teacher, which is Christ, and you are all what Brothers and sisters, and call no man your father on earth. Gosh, I don't want to even start trouble right there, let me just keep moving. I get in too much trouble. Let me just keep moving. Who is in heaven? You only got one father who is in heaven. We're not calling a bunch of men father, only got one father who is in heaven. We're not calling a bunch of men father, we got one father who is in heaven. Man, I really want to say something, but I don't want to get in trouble. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'll let you figure it out for yourself. Nope, nope, nope nope, nope.
Speaker 2:I'm going to let you figure it out for yourself. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Titles, titles, titles for false authority over people, titles that they use for false authority over people. Oh my God.
Speaker 2:Verse 10, neither be called instructors for you have one instructor who is christ. Oh my gosh, in heaven, heaven, nah, they're going to mean me to death. I'm done. Now hear me.
Speaker 2:The Lord is not against you calling your biological father father, or calling a man a spiritual father. He's not against you calling somebody a teacher, because even Paul taught us in the book of Ephesians that God calls some people to be teachers, and all throughout the New Testament we see people called teachers. What the Lord was saying is don't allow people who use titles to be God to you. Gosh, you're going to fill in all these blanks when you get home. Don't allow people who use titles to become God to you, that they cannot use titles to replace God in your life. There is only one true father. There is only one true instructor. There is only one true master. There is only one who forgives sins. There is only one who died on a cross, only one who shed his blood for you, only one. This is false greatness, false. This is false greatness, false glory. That's why the Lord said those of you who will be great, he said the greatest among you should be what your servants. And whoever exalts himself will be humble, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Why is favor on that man? Why is favor on that ministry?
Speaker 2:He don't look like a preacher. He don't look like no pastor. He can't put together a good sentence. You think a fancy garb makes a man holy? Is a man with a robe any more holier than me With ripped jeans on and a chain around my neck than me with ripped jeans on and a chain around my neck? Too many false teachers, false messages, false authority.
Speaker 2:But there is one who deserves all of the homage, all of the honor, all of the praise, all of your worship the man who came from glory and humbled himself to become a servant, even unto death, and who was raised and highly exalted, who laid an example for us of humility and true righteousness, which does not come from behavior, it comes from the cross. But Christ died, taking his perfect righteousness and imputing that to the sinner. Who taught us real ministry is about service unto others and not being served, not lording on ourselves glory. Who taught us real greatness is down Humility, not trying to be a show, and you will know them, them by their fruit. May the Lord protect your ears and protect your eyes and protect the one soul that you have from these false preachers, false authorities, false teachers running rampant in this country. May your soul be purged from the lies and the filth that you have taken in, may you be washed in the word and in the blood of the lamb, and may you have watch this a ministry that is authentic and a righteousness that comes from Christ and a greatness born in the fire of humility.
Speaker 2:How about that for a sermon? And of a wise father, I feel the spirit of God. I pray you will tear down every stronghold that has been built up in the minds of your sons and daughters by false preachers who taught them false messages, exercising false authority. I pray they would hear your invitation saying come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I, jesus, will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, for my burden is easy and it is light. I pray that you would anoint our ears to discern the wolves among the sheep and that we would hurl ourselves on the altar of authentic ministry and humility and, as a result, our nation would see a revival. One church, one city, one state, one region at a time. Save the one under the sound of my voice, who's far away. Rescue them right now. I pray this over your people in the mighty. I feel the spirit and the majestic In the matchless name of our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ. Now, if you receive that, give your rabbi praise.
Speaker 3:Hello, my name is Michelle Tolliver and Biblical Talks book offer for the month of July is Saints, sufferers and Sinners Loving Others as God Loves Us. Helping the Helpers by Michael Emlett. A friend feels rejected. A counselee is angry. A church member's child is ill. You want to help, but where do you begin? Author and counselor, michael B Emlett outlines a lot of one another ministry based on how God sees and loves His people, primarily as saints, while bringing comfort to the sufferers and faithfully speaking truth to the sinner. Filled with everyday illustrations as well as counseling examples, emlitt demonstrates what it looks like to approach fellow believers simultaneously as saints, sufferers and sinners. As saints, sufferers and sinners, emlett unpacks scripture and draws on his many years of counseling experience to help counselors, pastors and friends. Love others wisely and well. This book is scripture saturated. Michael Emlett has given us a treasure in this book. For any amount of donation to Biblical Talks, we will send you the book. Please go to biblicaltalkscom and click the Donate here tab. Thank you for listening to Biblical Talks.
