Yeast (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
The Lord warned His disciples to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herod. Even a small amount of yeast can affect the whole loaf of bread. The yeast displayed by the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herod had this characteristic, and they constantly cause trouble for the church today.
1. The yeast of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herod
The yeast of the Pharisees is false faith. Those who say that they are righteous have no room for Lord’s salvation, and they will continue to decay from the inside (since it is neglected). The yeast of the Sadducees is materialism. Since they did not believe in the immortality of the spirit and the important thing for them was the reality of this earth, their lives were completely led by the flesh. The yeast of the Herodians is opportunism, where they sold the sincerity of their faith to have power and strengthen their positions.
2. People who do not empathize with the Lord’s feelings
These yeasts are concealed as hypocrisy. They are displayed in people who do not empathize with the Lord’s feelings. People who overlook the sinfulness inside them become insensitive to the Lord’s grace (who saved them from their sins), and they do not feel the need to change themselves. Since they received love, they should share it. But because they only seek their own gain, they solve this gap with hypocrisy. When the time comes, they do not hesitate to attack the church.
3. A way of thinking through education in faith
Let’s build a church without yeast. Since the Lord wants to give us His love, let’s understand His motive by the Holy Spirit and empathize with His feelings. Let’s acknowledge our sinfulness and change ourselves by God’s word. Let’s throw away the way of thinking we had in the world, and rebuild it through education in faith. Let’s not pretend to be clean while we are filthy inside, but let’s uncover our nakedness before the Lord. Let’s understand His plan and build a church which shares His feelings with others.
August 22, 2021
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
