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Salvation, Obedience, and the Leading of the Spirit—Part 5: Self-Righteousness is a Prelude to Disaster
In Matthew 21: 31-32, Jesus said,
“…Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing (this,) did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.” Matthew 21: 31-32
Was Jesus condoning prostitution and thievery? Hardly. He was simply pointing out that the most despicable people in Israel (tax collectors and prostitutes) believed John the Baptist’s message; they repented; and they were saved by faith. The most religious people in Israel rejected John’s message. Why? Pay careful attention because the answer is very important. They thought they didn’t need to repent. They believed they were on the pathway that leads to Yahweh already and that John the Baptist was a lunatic.
Jesus’ point is simple. None of us is on the right path unless we receive Him by faith. Nothing else will do, so ignore the legalists and get on board with Yahweh’s plan.
Now, take a look at Jesus’ closing comments to the religious leaders. If you believe Him, these remarks will warm your heart. If you tend to be self-righteous, they should chill you to the bone:
“Jesus said to them, ‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner (stone); this came about from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” Matthew 21: 42-44
The stone that Jesus mentioned in these verses is the stumbling stone that I referred to earlier, so don’t take this message lightly. Yahweh doesn’t. In essence, He is the Stumbling Stone. Either you will fall on Him and be broken, or He will fall on you and you’ll be crushed to smithereens.
Please remember that I’m not saying or implying that the laws in the Bible are unimportant, and neither was Jesus. He was simply putting the laws into the proper perspective. We should study the Scriptures; we should do our best to be obedient to Yahweh’s Word; we should seek to do good deeds; but our goal, our quest, our mission must be to follow the leading of His Spirit. For that, there is no substitute.
Our good deeds, no matter how good we think they are, simply don’t stand up under close scrutiny. They could never earn us a spot in heaven. Remember what Isaiah said about our righteousness:
“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Isaiah 64: 6
By the same token, nothing we do can take away our spot in heaven once it’s been granted. Paul explained it this way: “(For I am) confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1: 6) That’s Yahweh’s job, and He’s good at it.
This SnyderTalk editorial is adapted from my book What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life. Click here to order a copy.
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Netanyahu says he would ‘consider’ meeting with Rouhani
Israel to run for UN Security Council seat for 2019-20
HRW: Thousands who protested peacefully languish in Syrian jails
Concerned by kidnap attempts, IDF stresses dangers to soldiers
Palestinians start farming on ruins of evacuated W. Bank settlement
Kotel rabbi urges haredi leaders not to stage protest against Women of Wall
Settler indicted for price-tag attack following tasering incident with police
Egyptian general says entering Gaza is a political decision
UN officials: Recent escalation in Syrian civil war could delay work to disable chemical weapons
Right not reassured by Livni on ‘interim accord’ (SnyderTalk Comment: It’s because they think the “interim accord” is …., see below.)
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Egypt Allows PA Pilgrims to Travel to Saudi Arabia
Bennett and Ariel Talking About Permanent Union
US Aid to Israel Delayed by Shutdown
September: Spike in Terror Attacks (SnyderTalk Comment: Why? Because they have been forced to engage in “peace talks”. It happens every time. There is no guesswork here.)
Family Escapes Lynch Mob, but Trauma Remains
Bennett: ‘Not Bothered By Angry Shouts’
Samaria: Jews Ready for Olive Season, Provocations
Syria: Rebels Seize Hundreds of Tanks
Hamas: We’re Avoiding Confrontation With Israel, But… (See below for SnyderTalk Comment.)
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Rise of ‘Jews of no religion’ most significant find of Pew study, says director
Woman raped, branded in Jerusalem forest
Top minister: Makes sense for Israel, Arabs to cooperate on Iran
Israel no longer certain Obama would ever use force against Iran, Likud MK indicates
Iran’s cyber chief killed in ‘internal dispute,’ Israel speculates
Syrian rebels call to end opposition infighting
UN urges immediate humanitarian access to Syria
Egypt Threatens Military Action Against Gaza
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood compares military to Hitler
A different view of Gaza’s smuggling tunnels
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Anais Avilez sings The LORD’s Prayer in Hebrew (Video)
Israelis supportive of PM’s go-it-alone attitude on Iran
Rouhani Boasts of Turning Down Five U.S. Attempts to Arrange a Meeting with Obama
Netanyahu: Bad Press Better than Good Eulogy
Lieberman derides NY Times for accusing PM of ‘sabotaging diplomacy’
Israel and Saudi Arabia are coordinating policies to counter US détente with Iran
Netanyahu to UN: A Nuclear-Armed Iran Would Be Like 50 North Koreas
Excavations reveal King Herod didn’t complete construction of Jerusalem’s Western Wall (Video)
Is there such a thing as an ‘Israeli’ people? Supreme Court says no
Air Force Homosexuals Go After Christians
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Liz Sly: Russia Seeks to Fill Vacuum in the Middle East—Two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union affirmed the U.S. as the dominant power in the Middle East, a resurgent Russia is seeking ways to fill the vacuum left by the departure of American troops from the region and the toppling of U.S. allies in the Arab Spring revolts. The recent diplomacy that averted a U.S. strike on Syria underscored the extent to which Russian President Vladimir Putin has emerged as the world leader with the single biggest influence over the outcome of the Syrian war.
Elliott Abrams: Are the U.S. and Israel Playing Good Cop/Bad Cop with Iran?—In his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reminded the world that the Iranians have lied before, warned that they may well be lying still, and claimed that they have done nothing to earn credibility. He said that Iran should first be made to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency and UN resolutions, which it has defied for decades – most notably by developing clandestine, unsafeguarded sites and by continuing the enrichment of uranium. Netanyahu is setting forth standards for a nuclear agreement that are far tougher than the Obama administration believes can be negotiated.
Eli Hazan: The West will wake up, the question is when— Netanyahu may soon find himself in the shoes of Winston Churchill or Menachem Begin.
Zvi Magen: New Winds Blowing from Russia?— The tenth annual conference of the Valdai Discussion Club, which took place on September 16-19, 2013, was attended by experts and media professionals who focus on Russia, as well as senior Russian establishment figures and policymakers. The international gathering traditionally serves as a national forum of sorts for discussing a range of topics that lead Russia’s national agenda. Since its inception, the project has been under the direct sponsorship of President Putin, who views it as an important channel for Russia’s leadership to relay significant messages to the international community. The leading foreign policy goals defined at the conference reflect Russia’s overt intention of reconstructing a Russian empire. As for the Middle East, considered a region critical to Russian interests, the discussion centered primarily on Syria.
Dan Margalit: Economic Sanctions on Iran Will Not Be Lifted Prematurely—Israel does not need to re-examine Iran’s words to know that the ayatollahs still seek its destruction, while the U.S. and Europe are ready to give Iranian President Hassan Rouhani another chance. Despite their divergent outlooks, Obama and Netanyahu were able to formulate a common position on two issues. First, the siege of economic sanctions on Iran will not be lifted prematurely. The sanctions effort is key to increasing the chances that Iran will agree to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
David E. Sanger: Big Challenges Remain on Iran—Is Iran’s leadership really willing to dismantle vast parts of the multibillion-dollar atomic infrastructure it has amassed over the past decade as part of the price for ridding the country of the sanctions that have crippled daily life? On the list is dismantling a multibillion-dollar heavy-water reactor nearing completion at Arak – a potential source of plutonium – and halting production at a deep underground site called Fordo.
Robert Menendez and Lindsey O. Graham: Iran’s Messenger Has Changed; Its Message Has Not—We remain skeptical about Tehran’s intentions. Iranian leaders are skilled negotiators with expertise in delay tactics and obfuscation. As Rouhani returns home, diplomacy remains our hope and goal. But our resolve to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons capability remains unchanged.
Jennifer Rubin: What Netanyahu Said, and Didn’t—What is so refreshing about Netanyahu is that he leaves no wiggle room, no equivocation. He will not, he is saying, be the prime minister on whose watch the Jewish state let down its guard. As he said, “The last century has taught us that when a radical regime with global ambitions gets awesome power, sooner or later its appetite for aggression knows no bounds. That’s the central lesson of the 20th century. And we cannot forget it. The world may have forgotten this lesson. The Jewish people have not.”
Dennis Ross and David Makovsky: Trust, But Clarify—Economic pressures have given Tehran an incentive to resolve the international impasse over its nuclear program. But it cannot gain the economic relief it seeks unless it is willing to take meaningful steps. Soothing words and smiles will not provide such reassurance; only tangible steps that remove Iran’s break-out capability – a verifiable method that guarantees early detection of any effort to move from reactor-grade to weapons-grade enriched uranium – can do so. Rouhani’s speech at the UN gave little indication that Iran is prepared to alter its nuclear program.
Emily B. Landau: Iran Tries to Reframe the Nuclear Issue—For all the talk of getting to a deal in a matter of months, Iran has shown no indication that it intends to change course in the nuclear realm. Rouhani has rejected any suspension of uranium enrichment, and the August IAEA report on Iran has shown that it is moving forward toward its goal of a military nuclear capability.
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The scripture below is from the New American Standard Bible, and the hyperlinks associated with each word are from Strong’s Concordance for the New American Standard Bible.
Amos 3: 9-11
Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria and see [the] great tumults within her and [the] oppressions in her midst. But they do not know how to do what is right,” declares Yahweh, “these who hoard up violence and devastation in their citadels.” Therefore, thus says Adonai Yahweh, “An enemy, even one surrounding the land, will pull down your strength from you and your citadels will be looted.”
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback. It’s also available for free in PDF format.
- God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
- “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
- “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)
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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now. There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Other Books by Neil Snyder
- Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days. Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall. Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace. With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
