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Matthew 16:6

Matthew 16:6

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

– Matthew 16:6

Main Thought: When Jesus speaks of leaven here, He is not speaking literally of leaven, the ingredient that makes bread rise, but He is speaking of leaven in a figurative way, in the spiritual sense that represents wickedness and sin (1 Cor. 5:8). Jesus is warning the apostles of the sinfulness and wickedness of the Pharisees and their teaching. The Pharisees had an outward appearance of religiosity and righteousness, but inwardly later on Jesus said concerning the Pharisees “You are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 23:28). They were extolled and held in high esteem by Jewish culture, but Jesus saw through their outward appearance and revealed their sin and wickedness. There is a warning here for us as Christians, to be discerning concerning those who appear religious outwardly but in reality are concerned first with the adoration and admiration of men, and are full of sin and hypocrisy. Their love is for self first, not God and the people of God. They are more concerned about appearance and success than being humble servants of God. They are more concerned with the opinions of men and pleasing the surrounding culture than they are about preaching the Gospel of Christ, seeing men and women repent of their sins, and equipping the church to advance the kingdom of God. They will be the ones who on the day of God’s judgment will say to Christ, “Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness'” (Matt. 7:22-23). The call of Christ here is for us to be discerning about who we listen to and who we follow as teachers of the things of God. Be sure that those you listen to extol the Gospel and the Word of God without apology, serve God humbly and do not brag about their own accomplishments, and demonstrate love for the kingdom of God and His people above themselves. May God give us more spiritual shepherds in this day who are not full of ‘leaven’, but are full of humility, a love for God and His Word, and love for the people of God.
David Webber

David Webber

David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.

Faith Baptist Church: Longview, Texas
More from David Webber
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill all your good pleasure for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Matthew 16:6
Matthew 16:6

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” – Matthew 16:6

Philemon 1:7
Philemon 1:7

“For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” – Philemon 1:7

Hebrews 12:5-7
Hebrews 12:5-7

“And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He flogs every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” – Hebrews 12:5-7

Isaiah 28:15-16
Isaiah 28:15-16

“Because you have said, ‘We have cut a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made a pact. The overflowing scourge will not reach us when it passes by. For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have hidden ourselves with lying. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” – Isaiah 28:15-16

Psalm 84:11-12
Psalm 84:11-12

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” – Psalm 84:11-12

Psalm 84:1
Psalm 84:1

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!” – Psalm 84:1

Hebrews 2:1
Hebrews 2:1

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” – Hebrews 2:1

John 4:13-14
John 4:13-14

“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'” – John 4:13-14

Matthew 4:17
Matthew 4:17

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17

Matthew 16:6

Matthew 4:17

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

– Matthew 4:17

Main Thought: This statement comes very soon after the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and right on the heels of his 40 days fasting in the wilderness, followed by the three temptations of Satan. The first thing then that we see Jesus doing in his ministry is to preach the Gospel. Many people who are only vaguely familiar with Jesus will extol the social aspects of His ministry, like healing the sick, feeding the thousands and washing the feet of His disciples. However, if they really understood the Jesus of the Bible and what His true initial ministry was, they wouldn’t be so fond of that Jesus. You see Jesus was not just a social example, but he was a preacher of The Gospel, a message that for the most part lost men and women do not want to hear, that identifies all as having sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Jesus knew perfectly well that the world He came to more than anything else needed to hear the Gospel, and part of that Gospel message was that men needed to repent of their sins. The truth is that a message of the Gospel without repentance is really not the Gospel at all, for men need to know of their sinfulness against God and then repent from it before being saved. When Peter and the apostles preached the Gospel following the ascension of Jesus back to the Father, they did not preach a Gospel without repentance, but the Gospel where repentance was necessary (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22), with Paul also later on proclaiming in Athens on Mars Hill to the pagan idolaters “the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). What Jesus was proclaiming, and what still must be proclaimed, is that repentance from sin is still necessary for salvation. As we look around us, as in Jesus’ day, we see a world of men and women who need to hear the Gospel and still must repent. May we be faithful as God’s people, out of love and compassion for the lost, to proclaim this Gospel to them, and may we pray earnestly that God will move upon many of them by His Holy Spirit to bring about repentance and salvation.

David Webber

David Webber

David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.

Faith Baptist Church: Longview, Texas
More from David Webber
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill all your good pleasure for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Matthew 16:6
Matthew 16:6

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” – Matthew 16:6

Philemon 1:7
Philemon 1:7

“For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” – Philemon 1:7

Hebrews 12:5-7
Hebrews 12:5-7

“And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He flogs every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” – Hebrews 12:5-7

Isaiah 28:15-16
Isaiah 28:15-16

“Because you have said, ‘We have cut a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made a pact. The overflowing scourge will not reach us when it passes by. For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have hidden ourselves with lying. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” – Isaiah 28:15-16

Psalm 84:11-12
Psalm 84:11-12

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” – Psalm 84:11-12

Psalm 84:1
Psalm 84:1

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!” – Psalm 84:1

Hebrews 2:1
Hebrews 2:1

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” – Hebrews 2:1

John 4:13-14
John 4:13-14

“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'” – John 4:13-14

Matthew 4:17
Matthew 4:17

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17

Matthew 16:6

Matthew 6:14-15

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

– Matthew 6:14-15

Main Thought: This statement of Christ to his disciples follows immediately after the Model Prayer, in which Jesus says for them to say “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). Forgiveness of others is difficult when we have been wronged by another. The tendency we have before salvation is that of desiring to get even, to see vengeance exacted upon those who have wronged us. But what Christ is speaking of here is not the heart or desire of the sinful man, but it is the heart and desire of a child of God, one who has been forgiven of his or her sins. The great forgiveness of our sins that we have experienced, Jesus is saying here, is that there is a willingness in our hearts to forgive others. It is not always easy, but think of the fact that we were forgiven of our sins eternally, and we should certainly be willing to forgive sins against us which are very temporary in nature. Our Lord demonstrated the example of this type of forgiveness on the Cross when he said in Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He suffered the greatest wrong ever done against anyone who has ever walked the earth, and yet he asked His Father to forgive them. Should we not do the same? Should we not manifest the forgiveness we have received by manifesting forgiveness toward others? A spirit of unforgiveness, and a refusal to forgive, indicates someone who has never experienced the forgiveness of God. Look at what Paul says in Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Perhaps even now you are struggling with forgiving some wrong done against you, even by a brother or sister in Christ. Our calling as a child of God is to forgive those who have sinned against us, and not to hold on to that unforgiveness. Forgive that trespass, and demonstrate to others the forgiveness that God has so greatly bestowed on you.

David Webber

David Webber

David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.

Faith Baptist Church: Longview, Texas
More from David Webber
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill all your good pleasure for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Matthew 16:6
Matthew 16:6

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” – Matthew 16:6

Philemon 1:7
Philemon 1:7

“For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” – Philemon 1:7

Hebrews 12:5-7
Hebrews 12:5-7

“And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He flogs every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” – Hebrews 12:5-7

Isaiah 28:15-16
Isaiah 28:15-16

“Because you have said, ‘We have cut a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made a pact. The overflowing scourge will not reach us when it passes by. For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have hidden ourselves with lying. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” – Isaiah 28:15-16

Psalm 84:11-12
Psalm 84:11-12

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” – Psalm 84:11-12

Psalm 84:1
Psalm 84:1

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!” – Psalm 84:1

Hebrews 2:1
Hebrews 2:1

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” – Hebrews 2:1

John 4:13-14
John 4:13-14

“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'” – John 4:13-14

Matthew 4:17
Matthew 4:17

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17