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Hypocrisy |
Dear Brethren,
“Jesus said unto [His disciples], Take heed
and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
(Matthew 16:6) “Then understood the [disciples] how that
He [Jesus] bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of
the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
(Matthew 16:12) The word Pharisee is a lot like the word
Saint. It means separated from the rest. The Pharisees
considered themselves to be a notch above everyone else – more
holy and more righteous in their keeping of the law.
"...Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is
hypocrisy." (Luke 12:1)
The Pharisees and Sadducees knew the Old
Testament well, but they did not live according to the will of
God. Their doctrinal sin went far beyond their over-emphasis on
prayer shawls, ritualistic washings, or their misunderstanding
of the resurrections and angels. The Pharisees would never
consider that they were not perfectly on track. Jesus called
them hypocrites over a dozen times in the Book
of Matthew alone.
In Greek theatre a “hypocrite” employed two faces
– comedy and tragedy. Hypocrisy then is being two-faced, and
maintaining a double standard. A hypocrite acts a feigned part,
with duplicity, that is – having it both ways. These are some
of the common traits of a hypocrite: disingenuous, pretentious,
insincere, untruthful, deceitful, devious, dishonest – these are
tools of Satan that divide the brethren. Anything other than a
straightforward, unfeigned, sincere, real, genuine, frank,
heartfelt, truthful and honest discourse is unacceptable.
In the face of so much recent church division and
scattering, the ministry should be humbly willing to closely
examine their doctrine and motivations. In almost every
case their written doctrine on paper is very nearly perfect – it
is the actual practice of that doctrine that must be considered
in the light of how Christ would have us live our lives. Please
distinguish between the doctrinal code of beliefs – on one hand
– and the performance of doctrine in a person’s life. Too many
people in God’s church think that if they do not eat and dress
like Pharisees – they are avoiding what Jesus warned against. "This
people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me
with their lips; but their heart is far from me."
(Matthew 15:8)
As a pastor of the flock of God, I have a
responsibility to guard Christ's sheep and to warn them whenever
I see danger looming. It was Jesus who warned us over and over
of ministers who preach one way and act another. He wasn't
speaking primarily of Protestant and Catholic ministers out in
the world – those men obviously do not know the Truth. Jesus
was warning us of men who would endanger brethren within
the Church of God. Therefore, I must speak out plainly. If
Jesus warned the disciples to take heed and beware – how
much more do Christ’s words apply to us in these last days? Do
we believe the Scripture, “For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears,”?
(2 Timothy 4:3) This is exactly what we are seeing today.
Today’s ministers must also heed Christ’s words
to take heed and beware. After all, their role as Church
leaders places them in an equivalent position as that of the
Pharisees and Sadducees of His day. After all, being a minister
is no guarantee of immunity from error. Church history is
replete with examples of ministers having gone doctrinally
astray – having deceived themselves and those who looked to them
for guidance.
The entire Church ministry should realize their
susceptibility to error and temptation – just as others are
vulnerable. As a warning to us, we should note that the
Pharisees and the Sadducees were wholly incapable of recognizing
their own pharisaical approach. They relished recognition of
their status and position. They could not even consider that
they were in any way deficient. The very word "Pharisaical,"
has come into common usage – because of the glaring deficiencies
in their conduct. Do the self-righteous realize that they are
self-righteous? Why couldn't the Pharisees see their
self-righteousness? What can we learn from the lessons of the
Pharisees? Is it possible that, we today, exhibit some of the
same weaknesses as the Pharisees of Jesus Christ's day?
The Pharisees were a very powerful force to
contend with. Notice the response of even the chief rulers
because of their fear of the control wielded by the Pharisees:
"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on
him [Jesus]; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess
him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue." (John
12:42) Do we sometimes neglect to do the right thing in order
that we may remain comfortable? Or, worse yet, do we lack the
ability to see where we are obviously coming short of God's
expectations - making it impossible to recognize when we are
wrong?
"[Jesus] spoke this parable unto certain
which trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others." (Luke 18:9) Let's not
assume that the Pharisaical characteristics were only an
exclusively first century problem. What does it mean to "trust
in ourselves?" These words of Christ are especially important
for the Children of God in this end time.
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Sermon: |
"Hypocrisy"
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