I prefer the company of a confessed sinner to that of an unconfessed christian hypocrite.
No witness is more damaging to the church than the loud christian proclamation of a hypocrite. The world hates true followers of Christ and the church, but unbelievers use these self-appointed self-righteous spokesmen for the faith as excuse to continue their attacks against Christ.
Consider that since God has humbled Himself to come to us as a Son of Man in Christ Jesus, man must worship God in all humility. A hypocrite lifts him self or her self up for the witness of others, rather than bowing down to God and bowing down to the will of Christ Jesus as their Lord.
The word ‘Lord‘ is used 7,836 times in the KJV of the Bible. It must be key to our humility to bow down and submit to someone else: God our Father, Jesus Christ, Pastor of our church, a wife to her husband, a worker to his boss. A hypocrite fails in these, pridefully claiming to follow while following none but their own passions and ways.
In fact, Jesus hated the damage hypocrites do to the honor and reputation of God. Jesus spoke the truth of judgment against the hypocrites. To the crowds and multitudes who followed Him to hear His preaching, but did not show the fruit of repentance Jesus exhorted:
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? – Luke 6:46
It is Master to slave or servant relationship.
Followers of Jesus are slaves committed to do what Christ commands.
Do you realize that Jesus said: ” whoever would be first among you must be slave of all,” beloved Christian servant (doulos)?
A hypocrite does not live to serve, but seeks to be served, even by God!
This was the position of those Jesus called hypocrites. He challenged their authority and motives; not by His own authority, but by the uncovering of the nakedness of the many sins of their constant hypocrisy.
Matthew 23
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
The distinguishing mark of a hypocrite: “…for they say, and do not do.”
In fact, the hypocrite will say it for you, but will not do what they tell you.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’
19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
Jesus is asking about the truth of purpose of the sacrifice to God. The altar is nothing, says the Lord; but the sacrifice to God is everything. And note Jesus’ instruction that we MUST PERFORM it. We must bear the fruit of our sacrifice in humility before God.
Just because we swear by the place of God (or call ourself ‘christian’) does not mean that God will accept our sacrifice. (Remember the sacrifice of Cain?)
20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers!
How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
So you claim to be a christian, but will not do?
Then you will not obey Jesus Christ, as your Lord.
Are YOU a christian Pharisee? It is not a new problem for the church.
Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people… 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
Paul writes to Timothy warnings to be aware of those who will come into the church with false messages – a gospel of hypocrisy.
Look around you at 21st century ‘christians’ and see truth in these cautions:
2 Timothy 3
Godlessness in the Last Days
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
Does your ‘witness’ to the world ‘have the appearance of godliness?’
Do you ‘praise the lord’ in the holy place and kneel down only in church, while you bow only your head and fail to bow down your heart to the Lord?
Hypocrite!
And what are the instructions to the church for those who come among us CLAIMING worship, but false christians refusing to do what Jesus commands as our Lord? Paul’s letter to Timothy and the church continues:
Avoid such people.
6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
Later in his letter to Timothy Paul warns of another hypocrite who has turned from the true following of Christ:
2 Timothy 4
Preach the Word
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
The faith of a humble servant of Christ Jesus is an active faith.
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry…
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!
Are you aware of the hypocrites who claim to be christians who are part of Christ’s church? Are you, perhaps in some way, one of them?
Examine your own heart (for Jesus cautions that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees). Reprove, rebuke, and exhort your brother in Christ (or your sister in Christ, beloved sister in the Lord), with complete patience and teaching.
Let us make certain: in our marriages, in our families, in our workplaces and in the marketplaces of the city that we are not among those who witness against our Lord.
Matthew 7
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits…
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Truth! Required by the Lord of His servants, His church. Beware, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, of hypocrites among us.
A hypocrite fails to yield the fruit of truth.
Next: A light of truth on the covenant of Christian marriage.
Two debtors: one, a repentant prostitute; the other, an unrepentant believer (expecting a refund).
Luke 6:4 KJV