THE
MASK WEARER – GOD’S VIEW OF THE HYPOCRITE
BREAD
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By
their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or
figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good
tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV)
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside
but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the
same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside
you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Matthew 23:27-28 (NIV)
1 Meanwhile,
when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one
another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which
is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or
hidden that will not be made known. 3 What
you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have
whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”
Luke 12:1-3 (NIV)
1 Therefore,
rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of
every kind. 2 Like
newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in
your salvation, 3 now
that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Peter 2:1-3 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Seek,
O believer, that every good thing you have may be an abiding thing. May your
character not be a writing upon the sand, but an inscription upon the rock! May
your faith be no 'baseless fabric of a vision,' but may it be built of material
able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble
of the hypocrite. May you be rooted and
grounded in love. May your convictions be deep, your love real, your desire
earnest. May your whole life be so firm and strong, that all the blasts of hell
and the storms of earth shall never be able to remove you.” Charles
Spurgeon
“The
hypocrite soars like the kite, with his eye on the prey below. The true Christian soars like the lark,
higher and higher, forgetting the things that are beneath.” Matthew Henry
“It is the prerogative of him who searches the heart, and
knows what is in man, to pronounce who are hypocrites. The eye of man can perceive open
profaneness, but it is only the eye of Christ that can discern hypocrisy. And as it is a sin which his eye discovers,
so it is a sin which of all others his soul hates.” Matthew Henry
“Some
of Jesus’ strongest words were reserved for hypocrites – for people who claimed
to believe in God and follow His laws, but in reality lived only for
themselves. He compared them to
‘whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of
dead men’s bones and everything unclean’ (Matthew 23:27). None of us is perfect; even the most
dedicated Christian falls short. When we
do, we need to confess it and seek God’s help to live more consistently. But hypocrisy – living a deliberate lie – is
another matter. Be on guard; don’t let
hypocrisy take root in your soul.
Instead, make sure of your commitment to Christ, and walk close to Him
every day.” Billy Graham
“A man’s outward conduct is generally a little better than his heart. Very few men sell better goods than they put in the window. Therefore, do not misunderstand me. When I say we must attend more to the inward than the outward, I would not have you leave the outward to itself. ‘Make clean the outside of the cup and platter’—make it as clean as you can, but take care also that the inward is made clean. Look to that first. Ask yourself such questions as these—‘Have I been born again? Am I passed from darkness to light? Have I been brought out of the realms of Satan into the kingdom of God’s dear Son? Do I live by private communion near to the side of Jesus? Can I say that my heart panteth after the Lord, even as the hart does after the water-brooks?’ Charles H. Spurgeon
HEART SAVOR
·
The “outside
of the cup” will never remain clean if the inside is not. It is pretense to believe we can keep up the
charade without out true colors coming out at last. Tend to the inside which will manifest on the
outside.
·
God hates
hypocrisy. I am to rid myself of it. And
grow up in my salvation.
·
God alone
sees the heart – nothing is hidden from His sight. He is able to judge the thoughts and
attitudes of my inner being.
