When Jesus was asked by His disciples about the signs of the end of the age, the first thing He warned them about was deception. It was a jolt when He explained some would claim that He, Jesus, was indeed the Christ, as we see in Matthew 24:4-5: “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.”
Note that He said these deceivers would come in His name, saying that He, Jesus, was the Christ, but they would deceive many. Some have misunderstood this to say that these deceivers would come saying that they were the Christ, but that is not what Jesus said.
The enemy has sown tares in the field of the Lord. Tares look like wheat, but they are toxic. Since they look like wheat, it is difficult to distinguish them as tares, until they mature. At harvest time, wheat bows over, while tares remain upright. With true spiritual maturity comes increasing humility, not pride. Those who do not bow lower with maturity are the tares.
At the harvest, all the seeds which have been sown in man will come to full maturity. The false will mature in pride, while the true children of the King will grow in humility and the grace which God gives to the humble. Thus, it was difficult for the young church in Jerusalem to accept the apostle Paul’s conversion until they could clearly see the fruit of his conversion, which took time. The Pharisees gave the young church its greatest challenge by trying to subject the new church converts, who had not yet changed, to the law.
Always bear in mind that while pursuing “peace with all men,” we are also told in Hebrews 12:14 to seek the “sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” These two pursuits must be kept together. To “pursue peace with all men” requires us to relate to many unsanctified people, and in so doing, only a corresponding pursuit of sanctification will keep the “leaven of the Pharisees” out of our lives.
This is not easy to navigate, but it is not meant to be easy. The Lord Himself is the greatest example of how to do this: we walk in God’s love and compassion, which is quite different from human love and compassion. As we mature, we will learn the difference between these as well.
To pursue peace with others does not mean to pursue agreement. Consider how Jesus, the most sanctified, holy Person to ever walk the earth, attracted sinners, while repelling the Pharisees who were also devoted to living holy, sanctified lives, yet through their own works. Jesus, who had seemingly unlimited grace for sinners, had no grace for the self-righteous. Why? Because self-righteousness is the greatest and deadliest of deceptions, and the greatest enemy of the righteousness of God, which can only be attained through Christ and His sacrifice.
Many Christians seem devout yet place more confidence in their own righteousness and their own cross than in the righteousness and cross of Christ. Many have more faith in their own sacrifices to gain acceptance with God than they do in the cross of Jesus—the only thing that can reconcile them to God. Self-righteousness can appear as “holiness.” This is the fruit of the good side of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is rooted in human attempts at goodness, but not God’s provision for us. The good side of that tree is just as deadly as the evil side.
To be devout and zealous is not wrong and is to be greatly desired if done from a heart of love for God. However, seeking God’s acceptance, which we already have through Jesus, is not. The Laodicean church was instructed to repent of its lukewarm spirit and become zealous. Our motivation for zeal is what makes the difference. Are we zealous for the Lord and His glory, or zealous for what is ours? Are we putting our trust in our own righteousness and sacrifices, or in His? Guard yourself from the leaven of the Pharisees that would have you base your relationship with God on your own works.
© 2023 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved.
