Thursday, November 13, 2008

Beware Of The Leaven Of The Pharisees And Sadducees!

Leaven- a substance (as yeast) used to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid. This stuff, once added to a batch of dough, will thoroughly permeate the whole batch. It is the same in our Christian walk. If we allow just a little bit of sin into our life, it eventually will spread all through our being.
Galatians; 5:9
(A little leaven leavens the whole lump.)
We are instructed not to dabble the least bit in any form of sinful living. It will put a wedge in our relationship with God. We might not think that He sees the little sins we have allowed into our life, but He does and He hates all sin. Every time we let in a little sin, it continues to grow. It doesn't just stop there because it needs to be fed and we add a little more. That's why God said do not sin.

In Scripture, leaven is used to represent influence, in most cases evil influence such as sin. If we allow leaven or sin into our church to go unchecked, our church becomes useless and corrupt. We have seen this over the years with some highly regarded ministries. No one is immune to sin and if we let our guard down for a moment, we fall.

When Jesus was talking with the disciples, He told them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. He wasn't talking about bread but their corrupt doctrine. We also must beware of bad doctrine that can creep into our lives. If we are not studying the Word of God daily, then we can be influenced without even realizing the error. Someone can introduce a new teaching and we can succumb to it. Everything needs to be filtered through the Word of God to see if it from God or not.
1Thessalonians; 5:20-22
(Do not despised prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from all forms of evil.)

"Test all things" is a call for careful examination and discernment. Discern if what is being taught is Biblical or not. What is found to be good is to be wholeheartedly embraced. What is evil or unbiblical is to be shunned.

God Bless You!

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