Welcome to the Excel Stillmore podcast. I'm your host, Chris Emerson, and I'm thrilled to introduce once again a great sponsor for the program, Tyler Kane, a close friend and fellow believer. He serves as the senior loan officer at statewide mortgage, based in Louisville, Kentucky.

Statewide mortgage is a company founded by a brother in Christ.

Tyler brings 20 years of expertise to the table, making him a trusted advisor for numerous families navigating the complexities of the mortgage industry.

Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, considering refinancing,

or dreaming about future homeownership goals, Tyler and his team stand ready to assist you

every step of the way. For more information, you can find a link to their website in our show

notes or feel free to reach out directly to Tyler at 813-3-380-8487. And on his behalf and mine, thanks for listening.

Hey, welcome. I'm really glad you're here and you're listening in today. So you may look at today's

content as particularly challenging or even a little bit uncomfortable, but I think if our

attitude is right,

and we're looking to self first and then the way that we influence the environment around us,

a study together of Jesus' teaching and interaction with the Pharisees and Matthews' gospel

could actually be really great for us and perhaps even transformational. And transformational in a very

practical outcome kind of way. I mean, if I had one minute to talk to you about this, here's what I would

say. The way that the Pharisees approached the law kept more people out of heaven than it invited in.

And if we are careful to keep their kind of thinking out of our reverence for

the law, then we can invite many, many more people into a relationship with Jesus. The last thing

that we want to be is an obstacle for people seeking Christ. So there are a few things I really need

you to agree to before we move any farther in today's episode. Number one, as we are looking at

the Pharisees in Scripture, please start with self-evaluation. Ask yourself questions like, is that the way

I see God's law and other people? Am I behaving like that? And how do I give myself over to what Jesus is

teaching so I can walk away

...