We are now entering Luke chapter 12 and we discover a very somber and serious truth addressed by Jesus. Jesus gives a warning and response. Jesus warns about many things in his ministry, including sin, pride, materialism, false messiahs, and much more. Here Jesus warns about hypocrisy.
As a Christian, most of us have been called a hypocrite at some point in our lives. Sometimes those accusations are true. It’s unavoidable as sinners. Jesus knew that the church would face hypocrisy and warned all of us. Being called a hypocrite is one of the greatest hindrances to our testimony and the world’s willingness to hear the gospel.
The Pharisees were trying to catch Jesus in something He might say after He had rebuked them with six woes. Amazingly, there was a huge crowd gathered around Jesus, so huge that they were trampling each other. This crowd was attracted to Jesus’ miracles but also His teachings without a hint of hypocrisy. Jesus was the sinless Son of God.
So Jesus sees the crowd and speaks to His disciples (Matthew 13:10-11). He warns them to beware of hypocrisy. People post signs on their gates to “Beware of dog”. To avoid a grave danger, we must beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. Leaven means yeast. Spiritually speaking, we must watch out for the teaching of false teachers such as the Pharisees and Scribes. False teaching is so powerful and dangerous. The Pharisees didn’t for the pursuit of God’s glory
Why is false teaching so bad? First because, like yeast, it is very pervasive. It affects the entire dough. Also, it changes gradually like cancer. It starts small in the beginning but eventually spreads everywhere. It changes imperceptibly. It seems good at first and even beneficial so it’s hard to notice its harm.
Hypocrisy might not seem so bad in the beginning. Everyone does it. No one is perfect. It’s natural to be a hypocrite to some degree. Hypocrisy comes from the concept of stage acting where actors wore masks of emotions to hide the truth behind them. Hypocrisy is being two-faced, pretending to be something you’re not. It is a face of virtue with a life of vice behind it. “It is a sad thing to be Christians at a supper, heathens in our shops, and devils in our closets.” (Stephen Charnock) This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect at home but there should not be a significant difference between how you present yourself and how you are inside. The Pharisees claimed they wanted the Messiah to come but when He came they crucified Him! They claimed to seek the truth and light and when Jesus came, who is the truth incarnate and the light of the world, they murdered Him! Are we not the same? Do we claim to love Jesus but hate it when we are confronted with the truth? How can we avoid hypocrisy? Be a true Christian.
Hypocrisy is attractive but the end is tragic. It is an excellent counterfeit. So many profess faith but do not possess it. We are like Judas who follow Jesus diligently but ultimately betray. This is the danger of false religion and hypocrisy. It pretends to offer life but leads to death. Hypocrisy in the church is damaging to the church’s reputation. It hinders the ministry and influence of believers. We all have friends or family who have rejected the church because of the reputation of hypocritical pastors. Hypocrisy harms both Christians and unbelievers alike. It blinds people from the light. This is the damage of hypocrisy.
Therefore God judges hypocrisy in the last judgement. “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed”. Everything we have said in secret will be proclaimed publicly. What is in the dark will be brought to light. All will be made known. This is truly terrifying to the hypocrite. In the future, God will judge and His judgment is sure (Isaiah 33:2). There is no doubt that His judgment will come to pass.
He is omniscient and knows everything without the need to research (Psalm 147:5). Hypocrisy does not fool God at all because He knows everything plainly. The hypocrite cannot hide. For the believer, God’s omniscience is wonderful because Romans 5:8 declares that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. He knows all our sins and yet He loves us and cleansed us. This is peace and freedom to those who believe and have been saved.
God is omnipresent. He is not contained to any space or time but He is in all places at all times in a mysterious and unknowable way. Whatever we do is always before God. He is the eyewitness on the day of judgment. Without Jesus, we would all be doomed because God has always been there. On the other hand, where God is, He is there with His love. God is always with us with His love!
The unrepentant sinner is the hypocrite. They act as if everything is fine when they are doomed. They act as if their life belongs to them when it will be judged by God. Gandhi followed Hinduism his whole life but when faced with death, he had no joy or hope because he realized all his beliefs were hypocritical. Only the true religion of Jesus Christ can save us from hypocrisy. We are all sinners therefore we are all hypocrites. Only Jesus the light of the world can give us the light of life (John 8:12). If we are believers, then the Holy Spirit dwells in us and convicts us to repent of our hypocrisy.
Christians will also go through God’s judgment. It is not the judgment of heaven and hell, but the judgment of our works. Christians can still be hypocritical like Peter who was confronted by Paul (Galatians 2:11-14). Fighting and avoiding hypocrisy is a great work that will be rewarded in God’s judgment.
What are some ways Christians are hypocritical? We are all members of this church and church membership comes with many benefits and blessings. Church members also had duties to attend and serve. To only want the benefits without performing your duties is hypocrisy. Another hypocrisy that happens often is how we treat corporate worship. How do you enter into God’s presence when you worship on Sunday? Have you prayed and repented? The greatest commandment is to love God and the second is to love our neighbors. Do you love God most and practice love for another? Jesus has given us a great commission, to make disciples and teach them. Have you shared the gospel? Are you an ambassador of Jesus Christ? Many Christians have not done these things because they are too busy or too distracted. So think about how you live your life and how you can live without hypocrisy. Let’s finish well in our spiritual race and receive the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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