
50 CHARACTERISTICS Of PHARISEES – Zac Poonen [podcast]
Here is a list and some notes taken from the three sermon series from Zac Poonen title 50 Characteristics Of Pharisees. Even if you’ve listen to the sermon it is beneficial to read through the list and examine our own hearts. Zac Poonen, realizing that he being a holiness preacher was therefor in danger of falling into Pharisee-ism and legalism so he went through the entire New Testament and found ever characteristic of a Pharisee he could find. This is a list that we need to go through regularly to make sure we are not falling in to this terrible trap. Although all of the points may not apply to you specifically I think if we have a open heart we can all at very least see the tendencies we have to lean toward certain of these characteristics. I know I can see many in myself both past and present – may the Lord search our hearts.
Here are the three sermons from which the list and notes were compiled.
50 Characteristics of Pharisees Part 1 (below)
50 Characteristics of Pharisees Part 2 (below)
50 Characteristics of Pharisees Part 3 (below)
Here are the first 10
The list and notes:
We are going to be thinking of the same theme through these 3 days, led by the spirit and not by the law. Jesus was in conflict with the Pharisees most of the time. Pharisee-ism is one of the leavens Jesus warned about Mark 8 Matthew 16. The Pharisee had all their doctrine correct and talked of holiness. The Herodians were the opposite they were worldly like modern worldly Christian’s”. They can listen to sermons and go home and watch smut on TV. The third group was the Sadducees. They don’t believe in the miraculous. They didn’t believe in angels or the super-natural and spiritual. These are 3 groups of Christians. It is interesting to see he was always falling out with the Pharisees. They were the ones who crucified Jesus. Which group do you fall into. The Pharisees are the worst type of Christian on the earth. We need to understand the characteristics of the Pharisees. It must be that God wants us to know. I am personally in more danger of becoming a Pharisee than the others. We need God to open our eyes. I am going to go through the gospels. The spirit of the Pharisee is against the Holy Spirit. I have sought over the last few years to find the Pharisee in me. God gives you light on yourself. If you are not getting insight into the light in your life God is not blessing you. God wants to clean you.
Matthew 3v9
1. A Pharisee glorifies in his connections with Godly men. There are many who connect with someone as a form of Godliness. “We have so and so as our spiritual father.” They may have no holiness themselves. So think they are holy because they go to a good church or listen to the right preachers. I tell some of my church they will go to hell.
Matthew5v20
2. Glories in external righteousness. You must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. If you get angry and do not overcome it you will go to hell.
Matthew 9v11
3. A Pharisee does not mingle with unconverted people. That is not holiness. Jesus was a friend of sinners – not a condemner of them but a savior. Jesus would have gone to an unconverted relative’s wedding reception. He did not avoid sinners, His righteousness was inside. How will you win sinners if you do not seek to be friendly with them. How many converted people in your church have been bought by you? Probably zero after 20 years. You are a Pharisee.
Matthew 9v14
4. The Pharisee are ascetics. They boasted of their fasting. External self control. Jesus made so much wine. He was not afraid to eat with people. Jesus started His ministry by making wine. He did it to demolish religion. Many think they are holy but they are hypocrites.
Matthew12v2
5. The Pharisees are very critical of others in small matters. Why do you break the Sabbath. The church becomes like the elder brother. If the elder brother is legalistic the whole church will be. Do not follow a legalistic person. Matthew 15v1
Matthew 12v9-16
6. The Pharisees live by rules. In our church you can’t do that. “What does your rule book say.” Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath.” They live by accusation.
Don’t follow such elders, you will destroy yourself and others.
Matthew 12v14
7. The Pharisees are motivated by jealousy, hatred, murder. It is a progression. You may take only take step one. But it leads to others. It is Cain’s religion.
Matthew 12v24
8. Pharisee are suspicious and assume the worst of others. When you see someone doing something and you assume the worst you are a Pharisee. Pharisees are extremely suspicious always looking for the wrong.
Matthew 12v24
9. Pharisee are very careless in their speech. They said it about Jesus casting out demons. If you carelessly speak about God’s prophets you have the mark of a Pharisee.
Matthew 15v1-9
10. A Pharisee is one who neglects his family responsibilities in the name of religion. Giving money to God when your family suffers. 1 Timothy 5v8
More Audio Messages Here for Your Edification
Abiding
LORD Please Prepare and Send Me! [podcast]

So you don’t do anything for anyone except yourself and yet you claim to be saved? Nah. Real repentance, will always, with no exception, bring for a new life, the life of Christ, full of fruit that bears witness to His lordship in that life (Matthew 3:7-10).
Of Isaiah’s repentance and preparation to be used of God, one writer notes:
“This phrase is a powerful, timeless prayer for spiritual readiness and a willing heart to serve. It echoes the beautiful biblical passage from Isaiah 6:8, where Isaiah responds to God’s call saying, “Here am I; send me.”
WHEN you ask God to use you, get ready, He’s going to do it. He’s going to prepare and launch you into His fields which are “white already to harvest” (John 4:34-38).
Sometimes I’ve been through seasons of testing, chastening, stripping, purging, etc., not remembering I had prayed for the LORD to prepare and send me. Then it would dawn on me and all began to make sense. God is able. Memorize 2 Timothy 2:21 KJB.
When the LORD appeared to him, the prophet Isaiah was shown his own depravity, his own wicked heart, his own unpreparedness. What was his response and how does this relate to us?
Are you ready this day to say “Jesus please prepare and use me mightily for Your eternal glory! I love You LORD. I am all Yours! Please do Your deeper work in this life You gave!”?
One must be prepared by God to be used by God.
“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21
To the degree that we allow God to prepare us, to that degree shall He powerfully use us. The cross. The only way up is down beloved.
Is today your day to surrender afresh? John 3:30, Colossians 3:3 anyone?
Prepared by God to be Used of God (category)
Regrettably, most professing Christians will never love Jesus enough to give up this fleeting world for Heaven’s coming King (Luke 14:33; 17:33).
Have you ever pondered why there is little or no Scripture being used when listening to someone pretending to be speaking about the LORD? You should wonder (Matthew 7:16, 20; 1 John 4:1).
“Preach the word” is the divine mandate, command, and also “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:2,5).
Let us cease to pretend that we represent the LORD when everything we say isn’t coming straight out of His Word. Read that again please. He didn’t instruct us to entertain or to tell stories. He commanded us to preach HIS Word. King James Bible.
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (written Word) of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11
Think God is calling you to serve? Good. If He has saved you, He has called you (Ephesians 2:8-10; 4:7). Get lost in His Word every day (Jeremiah 15:16). Read it (Revelation 1:3). Study it (2 Timothy 2:15). Memorize it (Proverbs 4:4). Meditate upon it day and night (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1). THAT’s your prep for ministry, not going to an antichrist seminary. Jesus inducted you into His school of the Holy Ghost and Word the moment He saved you.
Are you daily devouring God’s Word, OR are you backsliding?
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16
God Visits Isaiah
If we’re not talking about the holiness of the one true God—that He is “Holy, holy, holy” —what false god are we speaking of?
Isaiah 6
Isaiah’s Calling/Vision of the Lord
“1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Isaiah’s Commission from the Lord
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
In Your process of preparing this vessel, when needed, please “Let the righteous smite me….” (Psalms 141:5).
HAVE YOU ever prayed this prayer? Do you want to be a man after God’s own heart like David? (Acts 13:22) If so, you must emulate the beloved David and pray this prayer!
“There is no better test of a man’s ultimate chivalry and integrity than how he behaves when he is wrong.” — G.K. Chesterton
IF you are not a DOER of God’s Word, it proves you are not saved, and are a lukewarm hell bound rebel. Repent now and bring forth fruit to prove it (Matthew 3:7-10; 7:21; Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:4; Revelation 2:26, etc.).
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22
May I be a doer of Your Word dear LORD. Let it be, in Jesus’ name.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
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Abiding
Fruitful Life. Fruitful Evangelism. [podcast]

The Life God Blesses to Bear Fruit for His Eternal Glory
A fruitful life for God’s glory involves first being genuinely born again, abiding in Christ via the crucified life, bearing spiritual fruit—such as Christlikeness in character, good works, and evangelism—by remaining in vital union with Jesus, the true vine (John 15).
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15:16
JUST as Jesus multiplied the little with the boy who gave the loaves and fishes, so He does with our efforts. Jesus multiplied that little and fed 5,000 men, and that doesn’t count the women and children present. Try Him.
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalms 34:8
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:40-46
God blesses the lives of His faithful saints. His faithful saints seek His face continually.
“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11
God prospers us according as we seek His face and stay upon Him. Of king Uzziah king of Judah, God’s Word says:
“As long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.” 2 Chronicles 26:5
At times in this life there are season of uncertainty, where our vision may not be clear. We must “stay upon” the LORD.
“Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” Jeremiah 29:11-14
“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Ephesians 3:20
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
We’ve never been so reminded of this as of the miraculous events of late where beloved brother Juan dropped some plastic water bottles that hit me in the feet. Only God could have orchestrated this collision of Juan’s life and mine.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalms 37:23
Ask Him.
Recently brother Stacy Strother reminded me that God simply wants us, His people to be available, to pray and watch Him work!
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:15-20
It has been wisely stated:
“Show me a man’s prayer life, his life of prayer or lack thereof, and I will show you who that man truly is and who and what he loves most.”
All who are zealous for the LORD are zealous about His work, to do it. Not build a church, but to see Christ work in the hearts of men—to strengthen and equip His body and convict and save lost souls to Himself.
One source notes:
“Evangelism is the act of sharing the Christian gospel—the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection—with the aim of inviting others into a relationship with God. It is considered a core mission for believers to spread this message of salvation, hope, and love, often stemming from Jesus’s command in the Great Commission.”
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30
YOUR PRAYER: Holy Father, in Jesus’ name, unite my heart to fear Thy name. Do your work in and through my life. I am all Yours. Maximize the fruit produced to Your eternal glory. You must increase but I must decrease. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Abiding
Washed. Sanctified. Glorified. [podcast]

“Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” John 13:8
Jesus’ true bride is known in that she is making herself ready for Him.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” Revelation 19:7-8
“This morning I read Psalm 45. Titled the Kings marriage. The story of the King and His bride. This is a beautiful picture of the marriage supper of the Lamb in Rev 19:7-9. The Bridegroom is adorned in glory, majesty, righteousness and truth. Sitting in His royal throne. Then enters the Bride. Holy, without spot or wrinkle. Wearing the righteousness of Christ. And Jesus says, you are in thy Father’s house and He desires thy beauty and worship. Wow! Because she is wearing the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). His attributes. And she is wearing gold. Fine gold because she has been tried in the fire of affliction. And she is one of the five wise virgins who is invited to enter into the King’s palace. What a glorious picture of all who make themselves ready and are clean and white before their King Jesus! Alleluia!” Karen Cochran
The person who repents, puts their faith in Jesus Christ, and is saved, and continues rooted in Christ, continuing/abiding in Him, will confess any sin committed and be perpetually transformed by Him (Proverbs 28:13; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 John 1:7, 9; 3:4-10).
Many have been misled. Jesus invented the term “FALL AWAY” (Luke 8:13). The Son of God does not lie. If falling away isn’t possible, why did Jesus say it is possible? Jesus is returning for those who are looking for Him by the way they live.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25-27
Only those hearing and obeying God’s Word are being washed by it.
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto THEM THAT LOOK FOR HIM shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:28
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are WASHED, but ye are SANCTIFIED, but ye are JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
The explanation below is modified from another source and notes the following:
“‘Washed, sanctified, and justified’ (often replacing glorified with justified) describes the comprehensive spiritual transformation of a believer in 1 Corinthians 6:11. It signifies being cleansed from sin, set apart for God’s purpose, and declared righteous through Christ, moving from a past life of disobedience to a new identity and a life of obedience to God (2 Corinthians 5:15).
- Washed: Refers to being cleansed of the defilement and stain of sin, often linked to baptism and the washing of regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
- Sanctified: Means being set apart to God for His holy purpose. It involves both a position of holiness in Christ and a progressive, lifelong process of becoming more like Him.
- Justified (Glorified/Righteous): Means being acquitted of all guilt and declared righteous before God on the basis of Christ’s finished work.
- Transformation: The Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians that while they once lived in sin, their identity changed upon following Jesus.
- The Power Source: These changes are accomplished in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God, not by personal merit.
- Living the New Life: This transformation signifies that believers are no longer defined by their past sins, but by their new, holy standing.”
Prayer: Jesus, I know You are going to return for a Bride that is without spot, wrinkle, or sin of any kind. Purify this life LORD Jesus which I now submit to You without reserve. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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