Do Pharisees Exist in the Modern Church? Part 2

Speaker: Scripture is up there on the board for you.

Speaker: Now, I'm going to apologize in

Speaker: advance because we're a little

Speaker: behind.

Speaker: So if anybody needs to go, feel free to get up and go.

Speaker: But, uh, I ain't going to skip on the sermon.

Speaker: No, no no no I can't, because God has laid this upon my heart.

Speaker: And if God lays something upon your heart, you better listen.

Speaker: Amen.

Speaker: Amen.

Speaker: Now, last week we started into a journey of the Pharisees.

Speaker: Self-righteous.

Speaker: Remember that, uh, them good old boys who knew the rules, knew

Speaker: them by heart.

Speaker: But the problem is, they didn't live it.

Speaker: And I challenge you.

Speaker: Last week, if you were brave

Speaker: enough to go home and look in

Speaker: the mirror.

Speaker: Sometimes.

Speaker: Sometimes?

Speaker: Do we become a little self-righteous?

Speaker: Do we become.

Speaker: Well, you know what I mean.

Speaker: A little high.

Speaker: Higher than others.

Speaker: So in case you didn't have an

Speaker: opportunity to look in the

Speaker: mirror, I brought one for you

Speaker: today.

Speaker: Now, Mr. Mirror asked me long ago.

Speaker: Please, Jim.

Speaker: Don't look.

Speaker: You scare me.

Speaker: Which is understandable.

Speaker: So. But today's title Do Pharisees exist in the Modern

Speaker: Church, part two.

Speaker: Now, if you got your Bibles, we're going to start right off.

Speaker: We're going to be in Matthew twenty three, the woes of the

Speaker: Pharisees, and we're going to start breaking them down.

Speaker: Matthew twenty three one to fourteen.

Speaker: This is out of the King James or New King James Version.

Speaker: Then Jesus spoke to his multitudes and to his disciples,

Speaker: saying, the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat.

Speaker: Therefore, whatever they tell

Speaker: you to observe that, observe and

Speaker: do, but do not according to

Speaker: their works.

Speaker: For they say, and do not do.

Speaker: For they bind heavy burdens hard

Speaker: to bear, and lay them on men's

Speaker: shoulder, but they themselves

Speaker: will not move them with one of

Speaker: their fingers.

Speaker: But all their works they do to be seen by men.

Speaker: They make their.

Speaker: Facilities far last.

Speaker: Hang on here.

Speaker: I wrote it out phylacteries broad and enlarged the borders

Speaker: of their garments.

Speaker: They love the best places at feasts.

Speaker: The best love.

Speaker: The best places at feasts.

Speaker: The best seats in the synagogues.

Speaker: Greetings and in the marketplace.

Speaker: And to be called by men.

Speaker: Rabbi.

Speaker: Rabbi.

Speaker: But you do not be called rabbi.

Speaker: For one is your teacher the

Speaker: Christ, and you are all

Speaker: brethren.

Speaker: Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one, is your father,

Speaker: he who is in heaven.

Speaker: And do not be called other, and do not be called teachers.

Speaker: For one is your teacher the Christ?

Speaker: But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant, and

Speaker: whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles

Speaker: himself will be exalted.

Speaker: Verse thirteen but woe to you,

Speaker: scribes and Pharisees,

Speaker: hypocrites!

Speaker: For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.

Speaker: For you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow

Speaker: those who are entering to go in.

Speaker: Woe to the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

Speaker: For you devour widows houses and

Speaker: for a pretense make long

Speaker: prayers.

Speaker: Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Speaker: The Word of God for the people of God.

Speaker: Amen.

Speaker: As you and I begin to explore Matthew twenty three one to

Speaker: fourteen, let us consider that this is a teaching from Jesus

Speaker: that can sting.

Speaker: Ever been stung before, my friends.

Speaker: It is not a pleasant thing, is it?

Speaker: At least not in my book.

Speaker: In this scripture, Jesus is publicly calling out religious

Speaker: hypocrisy, especially among those religious leaders that

Speaker: know the rules.

Speaker: Quite simply, they who look

Speaker: holy, but they sure do not live

Speaker: it.

Speaker: In plain English, that is what's

Speaker: going on in this scripture

Speaker: today.

Speaker: Let us start with the setting of where this is taking place.

Speaker: Jesus is speaking to crowds.

Speaker: People like you and I and his

Speaker: disciples, not just the

Speaker: Pharisees.

Speaker: So he's got a whole mob of people there.

Speaker: And that, my friends, is very important.

Speaker: Why, you might ask?

Speaker: Jesus is warning how to

Speaker: recognize unhealthy spiritual

Speaker: leadership to recognize

Speaker: unhealthy leadership, which this

Speaker: just helps reinforce what I have

Speaker: been led in my heart to bring

Speaker: you on a Sunday morning as a

Speaker: shepherd to a flock, I need to

Speaker: make sure you that I am being

Speaker: accountable to my brothers and

Speaker: sisters, that you can recognize

Speaker: an individual who is speaking

Speaker: lies and unhealthy nonsense

Speaker: gibberish.

Speaker: When it comes to God and His Word and let you and I be

Speaker: honest, it's always been there.

Speaker: And guess what?

Speaker: It's not going away.

Speaker: True, it ain't going to go away.

Speaker: But again, we need to be able to recognize now if we go to.

Speaker: Let's go from Matthew twenty three one to three.

Speaker: Then Jesus spoke to multitudes and to his disciples, saying,

Speaker: the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat.

Speaker: Therefore, whatever they tell

Speaker: you to observe that, observe and

Speaker: do, but do not according to

Speaker: their works.

Speaker: For they say, and they do not.

Speaker: You and I need to understand that these scribes, these

Speaker: Pharisees, have legitimate they do they have legitimate

Speaker: authority to teach God's law.

Speaker: And Jesus does acknowledge this as well.

Speaker: From the Scripture he says, they sit in Moses's seat.

Speaker: So if the Pharisees are doing

Speaker: what they are supposed to be

Speaker: doing, which is obedience to the

Speaker: law, they are in good standing,

Speaker: right?

Speaker: If they're doing what they're called to do, if they are

Speaker: obedient, they are in good standing, just like us.

Speaker: You and I can say this.

Speaker: What they are teaching.

Speaker: Yeah, it is God's law which is right.

Speaker: But there's that big old.

Speaker: But Bob Armstrong.

Speaker: How these old boys, these

Speaker: Pharisees are living is the real

Speaker: problem.

Speaker: They do not practice what they preach.

Speaker: You ever hear that one before?

Speaker: Oh, baby.

Speaker: So in other words, you and I can

Speaker: say this is the situation at

Speaker: hand.

Speaker: Correct words, corrupt example, correct words.

Speaker: Corrupt example.

Speaker: So let me ask you, church, if we look in this handy dandy mirror

Speaker: up here, could that perhaps represent you and I in our walk

Speaker: with Christ at times?

Speaker: Be honest with yourself this morning.

Speaker: What if I were to say mirror, mirror on the wall?

Speaker: Who in this church is the biggest hypocrite of all?

Speaker: Who?

Speaker: I wonder where I'd be ranked.

Speaker: How about out there in the world, my friends?

Speaker: From politics to religion to Religion, the Hollywood stars

Speaker: and Grammy Award winners from the rich and famous to the

Speaker: average Joe, to the homeless guy walking the street who is

Speaker: walking the walk and who is just talking the talk.

Speaker: When it comes to living for God and what he has called us to do.

Speaker: And yes, that includes his commandments and his law.

Speaker: Now, if we look at verse four,

Speaker: for they bind heavy burdens hard

Speaker: to bear, and lay them on men's

Speaker: shoulders, but they themselves

Speaker: will not move them with one of

Speaker: their fingers.

Speaker: Could it be that the Pharisees

Speaker: perhaps took some pleasure in

Speaker: piling on religious laws rules

Speaker: unto the people, the average

Speaker: folks?

Speaker: Basically, you have heavy

Speaker: burdens in your life with no

Speaker: help coming from these very

Speaker: religious leaders, these

Speaker: individuals, they have made a

Speaker: choice.

Speaker: And again, they have made a choice not to lift one finger,

Speaker: to give out a helping hand to those who have.

Speaker: They piled up these rules on their back.

Speaker: How many of us can say that today?

Speaker: What is the church doing?

Speaker: What is the pastor doing?

Speaker: And what are the people of the church doing and helping?

Speaker: The lost, the broken?

Speaker: The ones who are surviving.

Speaker: The ones who are just barely surviving.

Speaker: The ones who are fighting just to be able to take another step

Speaker: forward in the right direction.

Speaker: How many of our children are doing at this very moment?

Speaker: Now, this allows me to introduce a word to you dealing with the

Speaker: Pharisees and their beliefs.

Speaker: The word legalism.

Speaker: The word legalism does not occur in the Bible.

Speaker: It is a Christian term, a term

Speaker: used to describe a doctrinal

Speaker: position emphasizing a system of

Speaker: rules and regulations for

Speaker: achieving both salvation and

Speaker: spiritual growth.

Speaker: Legalists believe in and demand a strict literal adherence to

Speaker: rules and regulations.

Speaker: Again, a strict literal adherence.

Speaker: Doctrinally, it is a position essential.

Speaker: Opposed to what?

Speaker: Opposed to grace.

Speaker: That's a beautiful word, is it not grace?

Speaker: Those who held a legalistic position often fail to see the

Speaker: real purpose for law, especially the purpose of the Old Testament

Speaker: law of Moses, which is our schoolmaster or tutor to bring

Speaker: us to Christ.

Speaker: If you go to Galatians three twenty four.

Speaker: I've got it up there for you.

Speaker: Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we

Speaker: might be justified by faith.

Speaker: So what can we take from this verse?

Speaker: More rules than grace.

Speaker: Control instead of compassion.

Speaker: Religion.

Speaker: And that's one of my favorite words.

Speaker: Religion that exhausts people instead of healing them.

Speaker: Exhaust instead of healing them.

Speaker: Can we find that in religion today?

Speaker: Church.

Speaker: Oh, yes.

Speaker: Oh, yes.

Speaker: Again I ask, can a pastor, a church, a religious person steal

Speaker: that hope from an individual, especially one who feels they

Speaker: have no hope or is lost?

Speaker: They are so far gone off the

Speaker: reservation that there's no

Speaker: coming back.

Speaker: Anybody ever been there?

Speaker: There ain't no saving me no matter what, Lord.

Speaker: And how wrong that is.

Speaker: How false that is.

Speaker: the damage that can be done by self righteous individuals.

Speaker: You want to look at verse five to seven, but all their works

Speaker: they do to be seen by men.

Speaker: To be seen by men.

Speaker: That is so true.

Speaker: They make their phylacteries

Speaker: broad and enlarge the borders of

Speaker: their garments.

Speaker: They love the best places at

Speaker: feasts, the best seats in the

Speaker: synagogue, greetings in the

Speaker: marketplace, and to be called by

Speaker: men.

Speaker: Rabbi.

Speaker: Rabbi.

Speaker: Now, let me ask you something, folks.

Speaker: What would you think if I came in this big old gown, got some

Speaker: robes on some big old.

Speaker: Remember?

Speaker: Happy days.

Speaker: Uh oh.

Speaker: I just had a lost a the dad, uh, of Richie Howard.

Speaker: Remember, Howard belonged to Papa Club or whatever.

Speaker: He had that big.

Speaker: The lodge, you know, with the tassel.

Speaker: If I walked in with that, what would you think might have had

Speaker: something sipping before the hand or, you know, before the

Speaker: service or who's dressing you?

Speaker: Jim.

Speaker: And then all eyes would be on Miss Carrie.

Speaker: What are you allowing him to do?

Speaker: But think about it.

Speaker: Now, I can kind of agree with this one.

Speaker: The best seats at feast.

Speaker: I don't really see anything wrong with that.

Speaker: But again, these guys were

Speaker: taking advantage of their

Speaker: position.

Speaker: True.

Speaker: And as we look at verses five to

Speaker: seven, do we not all enjoy a

Speaker: good performance from time to

Speaker: time?

Speaker: Oh yeah.

Speaker: We enjoy a good performance.

Speaker: Let us take a moment and think about what tickles our fancy

Speaker: when it comes to a grand performance, a show, an

Speaker: entertainer, someone or something who holds a fondness

Speaker: and appreciation for the person or situation, or even an idea.

Speaker: We enjoy that, do we not?

Speaker: Especially when we come up with it.

Speaker: But could verses five to seven

Speaker: speak of this Religion as

Speaker: performance.

Speaker: Now think about it.

Speaker: Today, as the church grows, technology grows.

Speaker: Some churches.

Speaker: Oh my goodness again, what would

Speaker: you think if we had lasers, fog,

Speaker: smoke?

Speaker: And David was introducing me as I was coming down the aisle like

Speaker: a pro wrestler.

Speaker: You know, a performance

Speaker: entertainment has entered our

Speaker: churches today.

Speaker: Would you agree with me?

Speaker: Some churches, it has become like a three ring circus.

Speaker: Now, in saying that, brothers and sisters, have you ever done

Speaker: a good deed just to be seen?

Speaker: Or did you do a good deed

Speaker: because it needed done and you

Speaker: were glad that you could help

Speaker: someone out?

Speaker: Now I know there's a lot of good deed people good deeds in here,

Speaker: if you will, that do things because they need done.

Speaker: People need help.

Speaker: And you know what?

Speaker: I don't hear about a lot of it.

Speaker: And that is so good.

Speaker: But also people that inform you,

Speaker: hey, this is what's going on

Speaker: too.

Speaker: So it's kind of a healthy balance.

Speaker: You got to know what's going on.

Speaker: But also people are doing without saying a word that is

Speaker: healthy, that is good.

Speaker: Not looking for an applause.

Speaker: A person who does a good deed just to be seen so they can post

Speaker: about it on social media.

Speaker: Now just think about it.

Speaker: If the Pharisees had social media back then, who?

Speaker: Hey, Jim, you want to take a picture of me here as I'm

Speaker: praying for Jennifer, you know.

Speaker: Wait a minute.

Speaker: Let me get this good side.

Speaker: Think about it.

Speaker: They'd be blowing it up, would they?

Speaker: Not with how they work, most of them.

Speaker: How they work, how they were.

Speaker: When you and I do acts of

Speaker: kindness, who are we doing it

Speaker: for?

Speaker: And that is a very simple question, my friends, which

Speaker: might require a deep answer from us to take a good look inside.

Speaker: Now let us throw in for these

Speaker: Pharisees and enlarged

Speaker: phylacteries phylacteries which

Speaker: are I'm stumbling on that word

Speaker: which are.

Speaker: I'll give you the definition

Speaker: better something worn out or

Speaker: kept to bring good luck or keep

Speaker: away evil.

Speaker: Now, that doesn't sound like good.

Speaker: You know, a good, godly person right there.

Speaker: Anybody carrying a rabbit's foot today?

Speaker: Lord, I hope not.

Speaker: Of course.

Speaker: One trip through the washer.

Speaker: You ever have that, mom?

Speaker: You know, what is this, Harold?

Speaker: Manbeck.

Speaker: You knew you were in trouble.

Speaker: Something to be seen to show the outside world.

Speaker: Look how holy I am, how righteous I am.

Speaker: And while we're at it, let us add some long tassels to the

Speaker: gear, which all shows who look upon these great men.

Speaker: These long tassels that

Speaker: represent symbols of devotion,

Speaker: devotion.

Speaker: Now, here's a good question for you all today.

Speaker: Is it not human nature for a craving, a desire of titles,

Speaker: honor, and public recognition from every walks of life?

Speaker: And yes, maybe for some they do desire that.

Speaker: Yeah, maybe if you got it, flaunt it right.

Speaker: Carl James with the whole hair situation right there.

Speaker: News alert.

Speaker: Jesus is exposing ego driven faith.

Speaker: Those using God to do what?

Speaker: To boast their status.

Speaker: To boast.

Speaker: To boost their status.

Speaker: One for example, in our times.

Speaker: Now think about it.

Speaker: How many social media

Speaker: influencers do we have out

Speaker: there?

Speaker: Still trying to understand that.

Speaker: How many followers you got there, Miss Joanna?

Speaker: But that's become a thing of our time.

Speaker: We want to see our status.

Speaker: We want to see how many likes we have, how many people with their

Speaker: little emojis, you know.

Speaker: It's what we've come to in so many cases.

Speaker: Now, for a quick personal example here.

Speaker: When I accepted this calling here at Rockford Church, the

Speaker: question came up and it was it was a legit question.

Speaker: What do I dress myself as?

Speaker: I mean, I'm just Jim Manbeck Jim or Manbeck, you know, simply

Speaker: pick from one.

Speaker: But it was asked, how do you want to be referred to pastor,

Speaker: reverend, preacher, minister.

Speaker: Oh, great Holy one.

Speaker: Now, I'm not a priest.

Speaker: I'm not Friar Jim.

Speaker: I'm just me.

Speaker: And it kind of put me in a pickle because, again, people

Speaker: were actually asking this.

Speaker: Never thought about that, huh?

Speaker: And it made me squirm from the get go.

Speaker: Thus Brother Jim came to light.

Speaker: It sounds good.

Speaker: It's practical.

Speaker: It's humbling to me and most of all.

Speaker: And here it is the name for me, Brother Jim.

Speaker: Jim.

Speaker: It represents service to God and his people.

Speaker: Puts me right there with you and the lost.

Speaker: It's not a glamorous title in my book.

Speaker: Hopefully expressing and showing

Speaker: I'm not up here to preach

Speaker: Anybody down?

Speaker: I am there with you.

Speaker: And I have to be let it known.

Speaker: And I know some of you know I got a mouth on me.

Speaker: My wife especially knows.

Speaker: And anybody ever noticed?

Speaker: The older you get, your filter seems to kind of dwindle.

Speaker: And I'm amazed I'm still here

Speaker: because I let it be known to a

Speaker: couple higher ups on the pecking

Speaker: order of the global Methodists

Speaker: that I don't put much stock in

Speaker: the titles.

Speaker: And I said it respectfully.

Speaker: Respect to what they've done in their hard work.

Speaker: But again, when it comes to titles, names or labels, when it

Speaker: comes to God, that's not me.

Speaker: It's not me.

Speaker: A sinner who was lost through God's mercy, love and grace was

Speaker: found and transformed into a follower of Jesus Christ and now

Speaker: called to spread the gospel to all who will listen.

Speaker: That's me, Brother Jim.

Speaker: No more, no less.

Speaker: Warts and issues all.

Speaker: I don't have the robe.

Speaker: You don't have to have the tassels.

Speaker: Right.

Speaker: And I'm going to guess many of you can relate to that.

Speaker: You are simply who you are, who God made you.

Speaker: And that is good enough when you're serving God.

Speaker: So that's just my opinion here.

Speaker: So take it for what it's worth.

Speaker: And you know, when you're

Speaker: walking around again, you don't

Speaker: need the fancy robe with the

Speaker: decorations in a rule book to go

Speaker: out and spread the gospel and

Speaker: what Jesus Christ has done in

Speaker: your life and what he can do in

Speaker: your life.

Speaker: True.

Speaker: Now you got the Bible.

Speaker: Yes, that's the book.

Speaker: But you don't need to be

Speaker: carrying around all these rule

Speaker: books imposing rules upon

Speaker: people.

Speaker: How about we try to meet them where they're at?

Speaker: How about we try to show them some love and compassion?

Speaker: And how about most of all, we tell them what Jesus did in your

Speaker: life and he can do it for you.

Speaker: I think a good testimony in God's Word, in your hand, in

Speaker: your heart, being led by the Holy Spirit and very important

Speaker: here a willingness to serve God and His people.

Speaker: You can do anything for his kingdom and the glory of God and

Speaker: His people, and most importantly, the lost.

Speaker: True.

Speaker: Keep it simple, my friends.

Speaker: Why do we complicate things so many times in the church?

Speaker: If you go to verse eight to ten,

Speaker: but you do not be called rabbi,

Speaker: for one is your teacher the

Speaker: Christ, and you are all

Speaker: brethren.

Speaker: Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your father,

Speaker: he who is in heaven.

Speaker: And do not be called teachers,

Speaker: for one is your teacher the

Speaker: Christ.

Speaker: And if we look at this, you have

Speaker: one teacher and you have one

Speaker: father.

Speaker: Jesus is not banning job titles.

Speaker: Jesus is confronting spiritual pride.

Speaker: Again, Rockford church news alert.

Speaker: No one is spiritually superior.

Speaker: All believers are equals before God.

Speaker: Authority exists to serve, not to damage.

Speaker: Let me say that again.

Speaker: Authority serves.

Speaker: Not to hurt, not to damage, but to serve.

Speaker: Not to dominate someone's mind.

Speaker: Their heart.

Speaker: In verse eleven.

Speaker: But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Speaker: And whoever exalts himself will be humbled.

Speaker: And he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Speaker: And here comes the great reversal.

Speaker: My friends, the greatest among you will be your servant.

Speaker: That's that flips the script.

Speaker: The world's values upside down.

Speaker: God exalts the humble.

Speaker: God humbles the self-exalting exalting.

Speaker: You ask her one.

Speaker: A core theme for Jesus and His teaching.

Speaker: That is it.

Speaker: Right there.

Speaker: The core of Jesus is teaching humble.

Speaker: Exalt God.

Speaker: Keep yourself humble.

Speaker: If you turn to verse thirteen to fourteen here.

Speaker: But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

Speaker: For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.

Speaker: For you neither go in yourselves.

Speaker: You, you not, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Speaker: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

Speaker: For you devour widows houses and

Speaker: for a pretense make long

Speaker: prayers.

Speaker: Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Speaker: How many people throughout time have had the door shut on them

Speaker: to heaven and to God, because someone felt themselves superior

Speaker: to others and unloaded a whole bunch of self-righteousness?

Speaker: Hoo ha!

Speaker: From the barn.

Speaker: And you know what I'm talking

Speaker: about when I say hoo ha from the

Speaker: barn.

Speaker: That hoo ha stinks.

Speaker: And at times when you spread it

Speaker: too heavy in areas that can

Speaker: smother something that is

Speaker: growing.

Speaker: Think about that.

Speaker: How many people that were just

Speaker: little bitty plants starting to

Speaker: grow in?

Speaker: Jesus got a bunch of junk from

Speaker: somebody and it just smothered

Speaker: them.

Speaker: Rules.

Speaker: This is how you gotta be.

Speaker: Oh, you're going to hell.

Speaker: The Mount Rushmore sin.

Speaker: That's another one coming up.

Speaker: Our Mount Rushmore of sin.

Speaker: How we love to categorize sin as Christians.

Speaker: But it can destroy instead of nurturing, it destroys people.

Speaker: The person who was lost was hungry, who was in need of love,

Speaker: God's love, and walked away because of the actions and words

Speaker: from a hypocrite of the church and the word.

Speaker: And maybe some of you today,

Speaker: thank God you're sitting here,

Speaker: have went through that where

Speaker: somebody almost burned you out,

Speaker: destroyed you.

Speaker: And here's another newsflash.

Speaker: As we come to an end, Jesus condemns leaders who keep people

Speaker: from meeting God's kingdom.

Speaker: Exploit the vulnerable, especially widows.

Speaker: Use long prayers as a cover for injustice.

Speaker: That is why the judgment is severe.

Speaker: Those people.

Speaker: These people who harm others in God's name.

Speaker: So if we break it all down this Sunday morning from Matthew

Speaker: twenty three one to fourteen, it is a warning against hypocrisy,

Speaker: spiritual arrogance, artistic.

Speaker: I was going to do a little dance

Speaker: for you, but I'm not going to do

Speaker: that.

Speaker: Artistic performance of religion.

Speaker: Leadership.

Speaker: Without what?

Speaker: Without love, without love,

Speaker: without compassion, without

Speaker: Jesus.

Speaker: Reverse all this and Jesus is calling for what my friends?

Speaker: He is calling for humility, integrity, servant, leadership.

Speaker: And here's the big one baby faith that matches actions.

Speaker: Faith that matches actions.

Speaker: Now, why is this message so important in our lives today?

Speaker: This message, this scripture, is

Speaker: not just about ancient

Speaker: Pharisees.

Speaker: It should ask hard questions for

Speaker: any individual with spiritual

Speaker: influence.

Speaker: And I pray we all got spiritual

Speaker: influence in our lives that

Speaker: affects other people or

Speaker: honestly, anyone who claims they

Speaker: have faith.

Speaker: Brothers and sisters, do my actions words match my beliefs?

Speaker: Am I using religion to serve others or serve myself?

Speaker: And here's the mirror.

Speaker: Take a look and see for yourself.

Speaker: Does my faith bring people

Speaker: closer to God or does it push

Speaker: them away?

Speaker: Only you can answer that question.

Speaker: Amen.