Saturday, August 19, 2006
The Hypocrisy Trap
Introduction:
When you read the New Testament, have you stopped to notice what topic brings out Jesus’ righteous anger more than any other? Well, we should notice, so that we can live lives that please the Lord, and avoid stepping in the same trap as those who drew His harshest words. The topic is hypocrisy, and the reason it is such a big deal is because it pushes people away from the Kingdom of God. Being a hypocrite is the opposite of being “salt and light” – sometimes I call it “pepper and darkness.” It is the opposite of having a real, personal, love relationship with God through Jesus. It is the opposite of outreach, because hypocrisy gives Christ and Christians a bad name. It is a horrible advertisement for what it means to be a Christian. Yet despite knowing all this, so many ‘Christians’ are content to settle for a lukewarm life of hypocrisy and spiritual mediocrity (or worse) – basically “religious pretense” (playing church) – instead of depending on God’s strength to strive to live obedient lives that please Him and fulfill His highest purposes. Why would so many people settle for “fool’s gold” when the real thing is ready accessible and available? NEVER SETTLE! This morning we are going to examine the words of Jesus for answers, and hopefully some insights on how to avoid falling into the hypocrisy trap that is plaguing the body of Christ. We must constantly check ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word…
(Read Matthew 23:23-28)
Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Hard words – but important words of Jesus to examine and take seriously. You know, no one ever sets out intentionally to become a hypocrite – so how does this happen so frequently? Today we’ll examine 4 key reasons that many Christians choose to settle for Hypocrisy… so we can check our own hearts and strive for better… we were created and designed and taught to be better than that!
1) It’s easier to change your image than to let God change your heart.
In our image-obsessed society, we grow up often confusing image with reality. Public relations firms know that the real truth doesn’t matter, as long as outward appearances can convince people of something. A presidential candidate doesn’t really have to be honest, they just have to be framed to look that way. A rapper doesn’t really have to be tough or have been born in South Central LA, the public just needs to believe that they are. Image is often seen as everything in the world – but definitely not so in the Kingdom of God! Often when we come to Jesus, we bring the worldly image-obsessed approach with us instead of letting God change us from the inside out. We clean up the outward part of our lives, we learn to look holy and pious, say and do the right things when others are around – but we never deal with the deeper issues of sin and selfishness that lurk on the inside. It’s like pulling the tops off of weeds in your yard – sure it looks good and gets the job done faster, but the results are not real or lasting. It is much easier to “appear” to be something than to really “be” something (we all know this from everyday life!). We learn how to look good, sit in church and listen to sermons, smile and nod – and then go home and keep living the same old selfish way that we always have. There has been no real change in the heart – only a superficial conforming to appearances. That’s why it is essential that we not only attend church and hear God’s Word, but APPLY it to our daily lives. That’s how the changes take place!
The Pharisees were very publicly giving money and spices to God, but not their hearts – the important thing to give. As Jesus said, when you take care of the inside, the outside will follow naturally – but if you just take care of the outside, all you have is a false man-made religion that is hollow and sinful to the core. You might fool people, but you can’t fool God. The good news is, when you let the Word of God break through your outer shell and truly give Jesus your EVERYTHING including your heart, you don’t have to play church anymore, because the changes that manifest on the outside will be real and lasting. That is something only God can do – PR firms can only change the outer image, and we should never settle for that. Taking care of the inside is God’s top priority, and should be ours too. It’s time to stop playing games, get real with God, expose your vulnerabilities and let God inside to begin transforming you. God has called us to go beyond “playing church” and to develop a real, personal, living, growing relationship with Him! What a privilege…
One of the reasons hypocrisy is so dangerous is because it lulls you into thinking you’re doing fine spiritually – since you look good on the outside, no one is concerned about your spiritual life or thinks anything is wrong. . We substitute what is superficial for what is real. Don’t ever settle for a cheap substitute. It is a dangerous thing when we become satisfied with having the “image” without the relationship. We should only be satisfied with the real thing.
2) Hypocrisy requires much less time and commitment.
“Commitment” today is a scary word in any arena – just look at the statistics of delayed marriages, and marriages that end in divorce. Look at the percentage of church members who actually obey God be actively using their gift to serve in the local church body. Hypocrisy is much easier on our schedules. Just like an actor who plays a role and then goes home to their normal life, hypocrisy only requires us to play a role for a few hours, a couple times a week (if even that), and then we can live according to our own priorities and our own, comfortable, selfish human nature the rest of the week without God “interfering” with our schedule, goals or dreams. We think we’ve given God a great sacrifice when we give Him an hour on Sunday and two hours on Wednesday night (we feel self-justified, like we’ve “done our duty” for the week), when really that should only be the start of our devotion to Him. Hypocrisy is so much easier and more comfortable, than a total transformation that would put God at the center of our heart and the top of our priorities (that would require us to rearrange a lot of things in our lives and to seriously question our current way of living – which is not always comfortable).
Being a hypocrite is easier – but you also miss out on the peace, joy, and power that comes from making a true commitment and having a genuine relationship with God. You get to do things your own way, but you also have to carry your own burdens and operate out of your own strength and your own limitations. You will never get the real results without having the real relationship with God! There are no shortcuts.
Being a Christian means giving control of your life to God. Being a hypocrite does not require such a yielding of control. When you are a hypocrite, you are your own “god.” You depend on yourself instead of Him. You pick and choose what you want to do and what you don’t feel like doing. You can be a hypocrite and still run your own life and do your own thing – just so when people are watching you conform to the outward image of a Christian. The problem is, this gives people a very false idea of what it means to be a follower of Christ. There is serious damage done to others by hypocritical examples.
(Read Matthew 23:15)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Hell as you are!”
If we are hypocrites, we can actually do spiritual damage to those we reach out to, by being such a poor example. Hypocrisy is like the opposite of being “salt and light.” We are “poisoning” instead of witnessing, because when we set a hypocritical example we are passing along our own twisted notion of Christianity instead of how it’s really supposed to be according to the Truth of God’s Word. We must live obediently according to the Truth if we want to sincerely guide others to the Truth. It’s so tempting though to be a hypocrite because it’s so much easier – narrow is the way to righteousness, wide is the path to destruction.
3) Judgment Day seems so far away.
Sometimes it’s easy to settle for hypocrisy because we feel like Judgment Day is never really going to come. We start feeling immortal and forget that one day we will die and come face to face with Jesus. Or, that He might even come back before our natural death. So, we just keep living apathetic spiritual lives (since it’s easier) thinking we have all the time in the world to fix things up and to “really” turn to God and get things right. It is true that He gives us many, many second chances, but we shouldn’t abuse that – and we need to remember that inevitably one day, all of those second chances will run out.
(Read Matthew 24:42-51)
Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
We must maintain a sense of urgency in our relationship with God, and a sense of urgency in obeying Him, to avoid falling into the all-too-easy hypocrisy trap! There is a reward for being a true and faithful servant of God, and make no mistake, there is a punishment for hypocrites. Stay urgent – He’s coming back!
4) Serving Jesus seems so intangible.
In this world we like things we can touch and see. If we could actually see Jesus, we would probably have an easier time turning away from the hypocrisy trap and serving Him face-to-face. Well, guess what? Jesus Himself told us in His Word that we do have opportunities to see Him and serve Him directly every day…
(Read Matthew 25:34-40)
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
Remember that whatever we do for others, we are doing for Jesus. We get these opportunities daily if we are looking for them – and by taking these opportunities it will help keep our relationship with God real and personal, rather than settling into a pattern of superficiality and hypocrisy. When you encourage someone, show hospitality or use your gift to help someone in this ministry, you are encouraging and helping Jesus Himself. Remember that! Be active in serving… we need it, and you do too!
Conclusion: If any of these characteristics of hypocrisy describe you, today is the day to examine your heart and truly give EVERYTHING to Jesus. Make Him Lord, not just a Sunday hobby. Clean up the inside, not just the parts that show. Dig out the roots, not just the tops of the “weeds.” Today is the day to get things right with God… don’t settle for the deceptive “comfort” of hypocrisy!
When you read the New Testament, have you stopped to notice what topic brings out Jesus’ righteous anger more than any other? Well, we should notice, so that we can live lives that please the Lord, and avoid stepping in the same trap as those who drew His harshest words. The topic is hypocrisy, and the reason it is such a big deal is because it pushes people away from the Kingdom of God. Being a hypocrite is the opposite of being “salt and light” – sometimes I call it “pepper and darkness.” It is the opposite of having a real, personal, love relationship with God through Jesus. It is the opposite of outreach, because hypocrisy gives Christ and Christians a bad name. It is a horrible advertisement for what it means to be a Christian. Yet despite knowing all this, so many ‘Christians’ are content to settle for a lukewarm life of hypocrisy and spiritual mediocrity (or worse) – basically “religious pretense” (playing church) – instead of depending on God’s strength to strive to live obedient lives that please Him and fulfill His highest purposes. Why would so many people settle for “fool’s gold” when the real thing is ready accessible and available? NEVER SETTLE! This morning we are going to examine the words of Jesus for answers, and hopefully some insights on how to avoid falling into the hypocrisy trap that is plaguing the body of Christ. We must constantly check ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word…
(Read Matthew 23:23-28)
Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Hard words – but important words of Jesus to examine and take seriously. You know, no one ever sets out intentionally to become a hypocrite – so how does this happen so frequently? Today we’ll examine 4 key reasons that many Christians choose to settle for Hypocrisy… so we can check our own hearts and strive for better… we were created and designed and taught to be better than that!
1) It’s easier to change your image than to let God change your heart.
In our image-obsessed society, we grow up often confusing image with reality. Public relations firms know that the real truth doesn’t matter, as long as outward appearances can convince people of something. A presidential candidate doesn’t really have to be honest, they just have to be framed to look that way. A rapper doesn’t really have to be tough or have been born in South Central LA, the public just needs to believe that they are. Image is often seen as everything in the world – but definitely not so in the Kingdom of God! Often when we come to Jesus, we bring the worldly image-obsessed approach with us instead of letting God change us from the inside out. We clean up the outward part of our lives, we learn to look holy and pious, say and do the right things when others are around – but we never deal with the deeper issues of sin and selfishness that lurk on the inside. It’s like pulling the tops off of weeds in your yard – sure it looks good and gets the job done faster, but the results are not real or lasting. It is much easier to “appear” to be something than to really “be” something (we all know this from everyday life!). We learn how to look good, sit in church and listen to sermons, smile and nod – and then go home and keep living the same old selfish way that we always have. There has been no real change in the heart – only a superficial conforming to appearances. That’s why it is essential that we not only attend church and hear God’s Word, but APPLY it to our daily lives. That’s how the changes take place!
The Pharisees were very publicly giving money and spices to God, but not their hearts – the important thing to give. As Jesus said, when you take care of the inside, the outside will follow naturally – but if you just take care of the outside, all you have is a false man-made religion that is hollow and sinful to the core. You might fool people, but you can’t fool God. The good news is, when you let the Word of God break through your outer shell and truly give Jesus your EVERYTHING including your heart, you don’t have to play church anymore, because the changes that manifest on the outside will be real and lasting. That is something only God can do – PR firms can only change the outer image, and we should never settle for that. Taking care of the inside is God’s top priority, and should be ours too. It’s time to stop playing games, get real with God, expose your vulnerabilities and let God inside to begin transforming you. God has called us to go beyond “playing church” and to develop a real, personal, living, growing relationship with Him! What a privilege…
One of the reasons hypocrisy is so dangerous is because it lulls you into thinking you’re doing fine spiritually – since you look good on the outside, no one is concerned about your spiritual life or thinks anything is wrong. . We substitute what is superficial for what is real. Don’t ever settle for a cheap substitute. It is a dangerous thing when we become satisfied with having the “image” without the relationship. We should only be satisfied with the real thing.
2) Hypocrisy requires much less time and commitment.
“Commitment” today is a scary word in any arena – just look at the statistics of delayed marriages, and marriages that end in divorce. Look at the percentage of church members who actually obey God be actively using their gift to serve in the local church body. Hypocrisy is much easier on our schedules. Just like an actor who plays a role and then goes home to their normal life, hypocrisy only requires us to play a role for a few hours, a couple times a week (if even that), and then we can live according to our own priorities and our own, comfortable, selfish human nature the rest of the week without God “interfering” with our schedule, goals or dreams. We think we’ve given God a great sacrifice when we give Him an hour on Sunday and two hours on Wednesday night (we feel self-justified, like we’ve “done our duty” for the week), when really that should only be the start of our devotion to Him. Hypocrisy is so much easier and more comfortable, than a total transformation that would put God at the center of our heart and the top of our priorities (that would require us to rearrange a lot of things in our lives and to seriously question our current way of living – which is not always comfortable).
Being a hypocrite is easier – but you also miss out on the peace, joy, and power that comes from making a true commitment and having a genuine relationship with God. You get to do things your own way, but you also have to carry your own burdens and operate out of your own strength and your own limitations. You will never get the real results without having the real relationship with God! There are no shortcuts.
Being a Christian means giving control of your life to God. Being a hypocrite does not require such a yielding of control. When you are a hypocrite, you are your own “god.” You depend on yourself instead of Him. You pick and choose what you want to do and what you don’t feel like doing. You can be a hypocrite and still run your own life and do your own thing – just so when people are watching you conform to the outward image of a Christian. The problem is, this gives people a very false idea of what it means to be a follower of Christ. There is serious damage done to others by hypocritical examples.
(Read Matthew 23:15)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Hell as you are!”
If we are hypocrites, we can actually do spiritual damage to those we reach out to, by being such a poor example. Hypocrisy is like the opposite of being “salt and light.” We are “poisoning” instead of witnessing, because when we set a hypocritical example we are passing along our own twisted notion of Christianity instead of how it’s really supposed to be according to the Truth of God’s Word. We must live obediently according to the Truth if we want to sincerely guide others to the Truth. It’s so tempting though to be a hypocrite because it’s so much easier – narrow is the way to righteousness, wide is the path to destruction.
3) Judgment Day seems so far away.
Sometimes it’s easy to settle for hypocrisy because we feel like Judgment Day is never really going to come. We start feeling immortal and forget that one day we will die and come face to face with Jesus. Or, that He might even come back before our natural death. So, we just keep living apathetic spiritual lives (since it’s easier) thinking we have all the time in the world to fix things up and to “really” turn to God and get things right. It is true that He gives us many, many second chances, but we shouldn’t abuse that – and we need to remember that inevitably one day, all of those second chances will run out.
(Read Matthew 24:42-51)
Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
We must maintain a sense of urgency in our relationship with God, and a sense of urgency in obeying Him, to avoid falling into the all-too-easy hypocrisy trap! There is a reward for being a true and faithful servant of God, and make no mistake, there is a punishment for hypocrites. Stay urgent – He’s coming back!
4) Serving Jesus seems so intangible.
In this world we like things we can touch and see. If we could actually see Jesus, we would probably have an easier time turning away from the hypocrisy trap and serving Him face-to-face. Well, guess what? Jesus Himself told us in His Word that we do have opportunities to see Him and serve Him directly every day…
(Read Matthew 25:34-40)
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
Remember that whatever we do for others, we are doing for Jesus. We get these opportunities daily if we are looking for them – and by taking these opportunities it will help keep our relationship with God real and personal, rather than settling into a pattern of superficiality and hypocrisy. When you encourage someone, show hospitality or use your gift to help someone in this ministry, you are encouraging and helping Jesus Himself. Remember that! Be active in serving… we need it, and you do too!
Conclusion: If any of these characteristics of hypocrisy describe you, today is the day to examine your heart and truly give EVERYTHING to Jesus. Make Him Lord, not just a Sunday hobby. Clean up the inside, not just the parts that show. Dig out the roots, not just the tops of the “weeds.” Today is the day to get things right with God… don’t settle for the deceptive “comfort” of hypocrisy!
