-Luke 12:1 Jesus said to his disciples first to beware of the leaven of the Pharisess. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but fear those who has the ability to cast you in hell.

-Luke 12:1-2 Pharisees are a sect separated from others and are held to be religious and holy. However Jesus regarded them as hypocrites as outward appearance they appeared holy but inwardly they are not.

-Similarly we are also separated as holy nation. However if we only do this outwardly and disregard our inwardself, we can be liken like the Pharisees as hypocrites and one can easily influence the rest of the congregation like leaven.

-Luke 7:36-39, 44-46 The actions of the sinful woman and Simon

-1John 3:18, 20 Today our love must not be based on words but must be in deed and truth. Only by our actions will manifest love.

-If we have actions that back out our love then we will not be hypocrites like Pharisees.

-Luke 11: 37-41 The Pharisees was astonished as JC did not wash before dinner.

-Mk 7:3-4,14-15, 20-23 There is nothing outside a man which can defile him but the things that come out of a man are what defile him.

-What defiles a man are evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, covering wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. These evil things come from within will defile a man.

-Everybody is serving God and no one is perfect. Everybody is working hard to build the church. So our words have to be careful to always edify rather than criticize. Some words spoken negatively can even destroy the body of the church.

-Jesus Christ warn the disciples about the Pharisees as they only observe the laws outwardly but not in spirit.

-Mt 23:2-3 The Pharisees do not practice what they instruct. They cannot carry the spirit or true meaning of the laws and commands.

-Mt 23:23-24 Although the Pharisees do well in tithes but they neglect the more important matters concerning the law, justice and mercy and faith.

-1 Sam 15:22 “Behold to obey is better than sacrifice” was the words spoken by Samuel to King Saul. King Saul was rejected by God for not obeying his instruction to totally eliminate the Amalekites.

-Eg observing the Sabbath day. Is it just attending services? It is more to remember God’s creation, salvation, his blessings, to remember the eternal rest.

-Eg Paying tithes. Does it mean it has to be with Holy Communion? If there is no Holy communion then we need not give tithes? Do we know the meaning of tithing?

-Eg Prayer. Do we just kneel down but in our hearts, we are not really praying God. Do we really draw near and pray in our hearts.

Conclusion Let us be watchful in our actions or we will be like the Pharisees whereby our actions are merely outward and these like leaven will spread. As such let us be vigilant to always examine ourselves that to look into the important matters in ensuring our inward self glorifies God and observe his laws, justice, mercy and faith.