Matthew 12:28-32 Sin in the Pulpit

"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.'  And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and went.  The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "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 21:28‭-‬32 NASB]

This is a follow up to the priests and elders challenge to Jesus' authority. Jesus had asked them, "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." [Matthew 21:25-27 NASB]

I was recently talking with my sister about heaven. We agreed with no doubt that our mother is in heaven now, enjoying the presence of Jesus. The fate of a certain other man we know is...less certain. The fruit of this man's life did not show any spiritual goodness. Nor did he ever acknowledge Jesus (that we know of). However, since we are both familiar with the Bible, we agreed that it is not our place to judge his eternal state. God's grace is enough to make a deathbed conversion wipe away a lifetime of sin, just as the thief on the cross was promised, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” [Luke 23:43 NASB]

I know another man who has spent his entire life carousing, drinking and using drugs. I have seen this man confess faith in Jesus. And, even now, I see evidence of the Holy Spirit strengthening him to overcome his addictions. I fully expect to meet him one day in heaven.

On the other hand, there are preachers and church leaders who think their status will guarantee them a place in heaven. But they preach lies and false doctrines, leading their followers astray. They teach that homosexuality is a normal and healthy lifestyle. Many engage in the lifestyle themselves, and teach others to do the same in the name Jesus. This in spite of the Biblical teaching that homosexuality is sin (see Romans 1:26,27).

Homosexuals should be welcomed in church, where they can meet Jesus, hear sound teaching, and turn from their sins. The Bible teaches that we have all sinned. None of us comes to Christ guilt-free. He calls us all to turn away from our sins. Just as the woman caught in adultery was told, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” [John 8:11 NASB]

There are others who teach a gospel of greed. "If you just do these things, God will make you rich". Funny how "these things" always seem to involve donating to the preacher or buying his books. Of course, Jesus never taught any such thing. If wealth was a measure of spirituality, why did he praise the poor widow who gave a penny, and condemn the wealthy who gave much more? Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." [Matthew 19:23 NASB]

Unfortunately, there are many more examples of heresies, of pastors using their church as a power base for their own little fiefdom, and of sin being practiced by the clergy and promoted from the pulpit. These are those of whom Jesus said, "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." [Matthew 15:14 NASB]

One day, it will be up to God to judge them. For now, we need to have our own relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. We need to study and know the Word of God, so that we will recognize error when we hear it. 

Most importantly, if we find ourselves being led by a blind guide, we need to open our eyes and get out of line.

If you recognize that your pastor or leader is teaching false doctrine, or that sin is being promoted as normal, then you need to get out of that church. Do not remain under that leadership, lest you be dragged down into hell with them.