Respectable Sins: Hypocrisy

 
Introduction
 I remember, with much embarrassment, when I was a young child, I would dress up and pretend I was one of the members in the rock group ‘Kiss’.  I used to paint my face (like the members of the band did), set up a miniature stage in the family dining room, get out my guitar (a Wilson tennis racket) and spend hours in front of the record player and speakers pretending I playing to thousands of screaming fans in my house. 
 
I didn’t realize it at the time that I was playing a hypocrite at such a young age.  The Greek word for Hypocrite, in ancient Grecian times, meant an interpreter from underneath and referred to actors or stage players.  Hypocrites weremen in plays who acted a part or pretended to be someone they were not.  They were counterfeit, and men who assumed and spoke and acted under a feigned character, usually by disguising themselves by wearing a mask.  Over the centuries this word has been used to describe people who acted morally upright, pious, and good on the outside but were just the opposite.  
  
I’m sure many, if not all of you, have heard someone say, “Christians are a bunch of hypocrites!”  Maybe you havebeen called one yourself.  I remember vividly in Junior College hearing that all the time.  As a Christian in a secular college, I would hear this phrase from students with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths and belching out secondhand smoke into the while wearing a Take Care of Mother Earth...Stop Pollution T-shirt (talk about hypocrisy) .  
 
In the many conversations I had with people I would never deny that Christianity was full of hypocrites and hypocrisy.  I would respond, “Yes, there are a bunch of hypocrites in Christianity, but many of us acknowledge it and try to do something to make this change.”   I would also hear some Christians become defensive by responding, “Well the whole world is also full of hypocrites, not just Christians.”  This is true, but this truth does not justify or give us the license to be hypocrites as well.  The Christian attitude should never be since the world is full of hypocrites so I can be one as well.  No, our attitude should be one of genuiness, authenticity, and uprightness.  We should strive to live as people who breaks the cycle of hypocrisy in Christianity and live by the power of the Spirit an authentic Christian life.  
 
Matthew 23:13 – 36
 
Jesus uses the word hypocrite seven times in this passage and not once does he use the word in a positive manner, nor does He anywhere else in the Gospels.  Jesus used the word “hypocrite” to describe the inconsistent and sinful lifestyles of the religious leaders of His time.  In this passage Jesus says, “Do not listen to these leaders and whatever you do, do not do as they do.”  This is a harsh and bold statement made against the leaders of his time and as you can guess was not received so well by the leaders.  In verses 25 - 28 Jesus compares the Pharisee’s to a cup and a bowl that are clean on the outside and filthy on the inside.  These leaders acted religious, pious, and said the right words in public but inside they were sinful, decrepit, and dead.  They had no relationship with God, and they didn’t intend on having one. Pharisee was their “job” it was not their calling.  

Unfortunately, in the past 2,000 years things have not changed much.  Christians and the Church are still battling hypocrisy in their midst. This should not be the case.  Jesus calls his followers to a different life.  He calls us to a life of authenticity and not hypocrisy.  I believe one of the ways we can start to live authentic lives is by identifying the areas where we are failing in our hypocrisy.  I have identified Five ways the church practices hypocrisy, and by identifying these practices we can commit to reversing this downward trend and start being genuine followers of Jesus Christ.
 
5 Ways the Church Practices Hypocrisy

1. Being only hearers of the Word and not doers
   1. James warns in his Epistle that it is not enough to only know the Word of God we must put it into practice. Can you imagine what Christianity would look like if we would practice loving God, loving others, and making disciples instead of just talking about it? Our failure to practice what we preach is unfortunately one of the biggest reasons why Christians are known as hypocrites. If we only preached about forgiveness, judgmentalism, and love and not practice them then we would be one sorry bunch of followers of Jesus.  Unfortunately, this is a common practice. God didn’t speak to Moses and the Prophets to write down His Words so we could have a nice book of rules to read and learn from intellectually. Jesus did not come to the so we could reflect on his wisdom and tell people how they should live all the while not living the way the word tells us. 

No!   says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Do you hear those words? The Bible is LIVING and it is ACTIVE. The Bible we read, love, and know is intended to be lived out.
The NET Bible translates  “But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does.” I love how it reads… “The one who peers… and fixes his attention… does not become a forgetful listener BUT one who lives it out.” I believe this is precisely what God desires from his followers. The one who hears the Word of God, applies it to his life and lives his life according to it will be blessed in all he does.

1. Always doing and never being
   1. On the other hand, many Christians put much of their hope and holiness in what they do.  There are many who devote their whole lives to doing good deeds, going to church regularly, and living a moralistic lifestyle but have zero commitment to Jesus.  
   2. They may believe they are committed to Jesus because they are always doing good things, but they have never become a committed follower of Jesus Christ.  
   3. Mary and Martha.  One sister was busy doing (cleaning, preparing, cooking), while the other was being (sitting at the feet of the savior worshiping).  We are called to be doers of the Word, but our doing is a result of our being.  When we are fully committed believers in Jesus Christ, we will first put our energy and efforts into being a person of Christ and this will ultimately affect and/or dictate what we do in response.
2. Preaching love and mercy and not showing it
   1. One of Jesus’ primary messages was love…  John 13:35… He says that in loving each other with a sacrificial and self-less love people will know you belong to Him
   2. Ironic that one of the characteristics the world identifies Christians with is their animosity, anger, and hatred.
   3. We have become known for what we are against and not who we are for.
   4. 1 John 4:19 - We love because first loved us.

 

1. Judging others while teaching not to judge others
   1. Harry Talked about judgmentalism last week
   2. Church should be safe place for people to not feel judged.
   3. We are all sinners
   4. Should not tolerate sin but shouldn’t condemn because of sin.
   5. Only God has the right judge

 

1. Changing theological convictions to fit our political convictions
   1. We are Christians first and foremost.
   2. Our political convictions should never define our theological position.
   3. Our theological or Biblical positions should determine our political positions.
   4. Jesus was neither democrat nor republican… He was not American.
   5. We treat all people with respect and dignity no matter what their political position, social status, race, ethnicity, etc.  

 
Christians all over the world today are sitting in their pews and standing behind the pulpits with a nice smile face and an “everything is alright” look to them.  When on the inside they are festering with anger, jealousy, pride, lust etc.  They have on, what I like to call, their Church face.   What God wants from us is to come into His presence with our true faces on no matter what is going on in our lives.  We must bring our problems and burdens in with us and leave them at the altar so we may leave the building free from our bondage or weakness.     
 
Conclusion
 
Now is the time to check your own heart.  Do you feel like a cup or bowl that is clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside?  Do you feel as though you are living a life of hypocrisy?  I know I do sometimes.  I put my Church face on and act as though everything is just great!  But in fact, it is not.    
 
How can we live an authentic, genuine Christian life?  We need to be honest with God and with ourselves.  Nobody has his life completely together.  This is the truth plain and simple.  We all need help, and our help comes from God.  Psalms 33:20 states, “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.”  It’s time to get real with God.  Quit living the life of a hypocrite and start living out your faith as an authentic Christian.