Category: Hypocrisy
Subject: Hypocrisy
The Discerner of Hearts
John 2:23-25 shows us an interesting side to Jesus’ deity, His ability to read our hearts! “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25). This is evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, because men aren’t capable of knowing the hearts of anyone save themselves (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:11).
He knows the hearts of men, so He could safely avoid being misled by hypocrisy. Jesus did not commit to those who did not commit to him – an attribute of Deity, as God Himself noted in Jeremiah 17:10, “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
We need to recognize that things have not changed. Jesus will judge us in the last day, and there is nothing we can hide from him. Any hypocrisy or falseness is exposed to the Son of God. It is possible to fool men, it is even possible to fool yourself, which is extremely dangerous! It is not possible to fool our Lord.
Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
Sermon: Tradition
As Christians we must reject the traditions of men as they opposed God’s will for us. God’s traditions are the one’s that are binding!
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Beware of Hypocrisy
There is no doubt that hypocrisy is one of the greatest dangers to the spiritual welfare of God’s people. The devil is working hard to tempt Christians to sin. When such desire is conceived, and God’s children sin, a natural desire arises to hide that sin. That is hypocrisy.
For some, hypocrisy is a way of life. For others, it can be a weak response to shame and guilt. Regardless, it is certainly something Christians should avoid. God expects true righteousness from His children. Feigned righteousness may fool men, but not Him.
Jesus said as much to his disciples in Luke 12, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops” (1-3).
This passage is not teaching that a hypocrite will always be uncovered by men. It is possible (though difficult) to successfully fool men into thinking that feigned righteousness is genuine. The point is, our lives and hearts are open to God.
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). So, heed the words of our Lord, “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
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Sermon: Healing on the Sabbath Day
Jesus’ questions to the Pharisees in our text reveal two important points. We must always handle the word of truth with honesty, and our appeal to God’s word must never be an excuse to ignore the suffering of men.
Sermon: Are You a Hypocrite?
The accusation of Hypocrite is commonly made to just about anyone who is religious. Often it is not legitimate, but it is certainly possible that a child of God can be guilty of Hypocrisy. For this reason, we need to examine our heart and practice to ensure we are not guilty of that sin.
Sermon: Gaining the Father’s Reward
Sermon: Do You Steal?
In Romans 2:21-22 Paul pointed out the hypocrisy of his Jewish readers. Hypocrisy is a vulgar sin that the Christian must avoid at all cost.
The Patternists: Hypocrisy, Inconsistency and Inadequacy
The call for authority is objectionable to many. It sometimes elicits a defensive response. When scripture can not be used to answer the admonition, some resort to ad hominem attacks. This creates a logical fallacy. The idea that my inadequacy excuses your activity is simply not true.
One of the first times I heard such an argument was in high school. I was discussing the church support of orphan homes with a friend who attended an institutional church. While he was willing to admit there was no Bible authority for a congregation to use money from the treasury to support an orphan home, he nevertheless maintained it was acceptable because individual Christians were not doing enough to alleviate the suffering of the homeless.
More recently a pro-abortion Catholic nun argued for the practice of abortion based upon the contention that pro-life advocates were not sufficiently caring for the poor and abused children of the world.
A sexually promiscuous person might resist an admonition because he knows of some hypocrite in the church who was caught having an affair. It is a bit like a child responding to a parent’s admonition by crying out that his sibling, “did it too!”
Simply put, my hypocrisy, inconsistency or inadequacy, whether perceived or real, does not excuse your disobedience of God’s command! Nor yours, mine. Paul wrote, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12).
God’s word is the standard. It is His word that will judge us in the last day (cf. John 12:48)
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Invitation: Examining the Model Prayer
Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox
Matthew 6:9-13 contains a model prayer given by Christ to His disciples.
Trademarking “Tebowing”
The New York Jets backup quarterback has been a bit of a public relations sensation since entering the NFL. Most agree that the hype surrounding him is probably greater than his actual talent. But, that being said, he is extremely popular, in part because he is a very religious individual and is very forthcoming about his faith.
After touchdowns and on other occasions each game, Tebow drops down to a knee, and in front of tens of thousands of fans, and millions of viewers on television, says a short prayer. Some wag coined his practice “Tebowing” (the name is pronounced with a long ‘o’, like an archer’s bow).
Tragically Ironic
Irony is defined as follows:
(1) Incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result. (2) An event or result marked by such an incongruity. (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1977 edition)
One tragic example of real-life irony about which I recently read concerns a motorcyclist in New York last July. The helmetless man was riding his motorcycle as a part of a large group of cyclists staging an organized protest over the state’s mandatory helmet law. The 55 year old man crashed, hitting his head on the road, and suffering a fatal skull fracture. A state trooper was quoted, “The doctor felt that the death could have been prevented if he simply had been wearing a helmet.” (Reuters)
Sermon: Concepts of Authority (2) – Those Terrible Pharisees
Faithful Christians who contend for truth, and claim authority for religious practices are often unfairly called Pharisees, or referred to with derision as legalists and patternists. This sermon describes the sins of the Pharisees, and defends the concept of obedience to God’s authority.
Sermon Powerpoint: Click Here .
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Sermon: Self-Righteousness
The Sermon uses the text of Isaiah 65:1-7 as a warning against Self-Righteousness. We must not trust in ourselves, do our work to be seen of men, or be guilty of hypocrisy, which often accompanies Self-Righteousness. Having said that, Self-Righteousness is NOT:
- Obeying God’s Law
- Zeal and Dedication
- Reproving and Rebuking Sin
- Believing God’s Word to be Authoritative and Absolute
Rather than being Self-Righteous, we must submit to the righteousness of God.
Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .
Sermon Audio: Click Here .
Sermon: Playing the Hypocrite
The New Testament well documents the serious nature of the sin of Hypocrisy, and God’s attitude towards it. Jesus condemned in harsh terms the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders of his day. We must be aware of the sin, and avoid it.
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AOTS: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
AOTS Number 16
Some people will turn to God only when desperate, only when they are forced to by circumstance. To think that such an attitude will be acceptable to God is to be mistaken!
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