Mat_23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Hypocrisy is one of my pet peeves as it is Jesus s. It must have been one of Matthews pet peeves as well since he recorded Jesus s "woes" against it more than any other writer. Out of the 17 New Testament verses against hypocrisy 14 of them are in Matthew.
This shouldn't surprise anyone as Matthew was a hatted tax collector for the Roman Government, as such, the religious leaders and any pious men would have shunned Matthew and treated him with less dignity than a pig. The very fact that Matthew was called by Jesus to be a disciple testify s that Matthew had a heart towards God and in my opinion would have eventually left his life as a tax collector or at least would have been an honest one had he not been shunned from the church of his time.
So, why am I writing about this today?
The answer is simple. I am what the world and the modern day pious men would call a hypocrite.
I claim to follow Jesus yet to the causal observer my life does not resemble what they have come to believe is what a Christian life should look like. That image that the world and some pious men have and promote is one of perfection. We should never get mad, be in fear, use foul language, smoke, drink or do anything but pray and read the gospel and evangelize, in other words we should be saints.
What a crock! Who can live up to such an image? Not even the apostles did.
Peter was impetuous. Paul had his thorn in the flesh. The sons of Zebedee had egos that suffered from pride. Thomas had weak faith. Jesus was criticized for eating with publicans and prostitutes.
Get real people!
We are all sinners and need His grace and forgiveness, not just on the day we first believe but everyday we breath air.
Quit being phonies when you come to church We are told to confess our faults to one-another, Jas_5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. ... , yet you come to church and pretend all is well, it's no wonder the lost don't want anything to do with us or our Lord.
If we were perfect the day we are saved, half our New Testament would not have needed to be written.
It's our heart that God sees, just as he did the day he called Matthew to follow him.
Jesus told Peter when he asked about Johns future, "what's that to you follow me"(Joh 21:22). I am not your business unless I make it so. Stop your gossip, it's hurtful to me, you and the Kingdom of God.
Same with your judgments. You don't know where I have come from. You don't know what work God has done in my heart and life unless I have told you.
Do you take inventory of your life, thoughts and actions daily? Do you confess your evil thoughts and actions to God and ask Him to change you. Do you thank God for the blessings He has given you every day? Do you trust God and what he has said in His word? Do you read His word daily? In short do you have a heart for God? If you do then when will you have time to worry about mine or anyone else s faults.
Now I am being a hypocrite aren't I.
Father God forgive me for my hypocrisy, and the fear, imagined or real, that I am being judged by fellow believers, help me to be more loving in my everyday walk that I might demonstrate Your Love, Your Power, and Your Way of Life to all who come in contact with me. God I know I am not perfect, that I have many faults still, but through your Holly Spirit living within me I can and will overcome as we have already overcome much and I am grateful for the progress made so far. I Love You much.
Amen
By the way I quoted only part of that verse in James, it finishes this way:
Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Jas 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
Jas 5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Jas 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
So, what do you think?
Please let me know by posting a comment.
I will publish all non-hostile comments even if you have an opposing belief.
Hypocrisy is one of my pet peeves as it is Jesus s. It must have been one of Matthews pet peeves as well since he recorded Jesus s "woes" against it more than any other writer. Out of the 17 New Testament verses against hypocrisy 14 of them are in Matthew.
This shouldn't surprise anyone as Matthew was a hatted tax collector for the Roman Government, as such, the religious leaders and any pious men would have shunned Matthew and treated him with less dignity than a pig. The very fact that Matthew was called by Jesus to be a disciple testify s that Matthew had a heart towards God and in my opinion would have eventually left his life as a tax collector or at least would have been an honest one had he not been shunned from the church of his time.
So, why am I writing about this today?
The answer is simple. I am what the world and the modern day pious men would call a hypocrite.
I claim to follow Jesus yet to the causal observer my life does not resemble what they have come to believe is what a Christian life should look like. That image that the world and some pious men have and promote is one of perfection. We should never get mad, be in fear, use foul language, smoke, drink or do anything but pray and read the gospel and evangelize, in other words we should be saints.
What a crock! Who can live up to such an image? Not even the apostles did.
Peter was impetuous. Paul had his thorn in the flesh. The sons of Zebedee had egos that suffered from pride. Thomas had weak faith. Jesus was criticized for eating with publicans and prostitutes.
Get real people!
We are all sinners and need His grace and forgiveness, not just on the day we first believe but everyday we breath air.
Quit being phonies when you come to church We are told to confess our faults to one-another, Jas_5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. ... , yet you come to church and pretend all is well, it's no wonder the lost don't want anything to do with us or our Lord.
If we were perfect the day we are saved, half our New Testament would not have needed to be written.
It's our heart that God sees, just as he did the day he called Matthew to follow him.
Jesus told Peter when he asked about Johns future, "what's that to you follow me"(Joh 21:22). I am not your business unless I make it so. Stop your gossip, it's hurtful to me, you and the Kingdom of God.
Same with your judgments. You don't know where I have come from. You don't know what work God has done in my heart and life unless I have told you.
Do you take inventory of your life, thoughts and actions daily? Do you confess your evil thoughts and actions to God and ask Him to change you. Do you thank God for the blessings He has given you every day? Do you trust God and what he has said in His word? Do you read His word daily? In short do you have a heart for God? If you do then when will you have time to worry about mine or anyone else s faults.
Now I am being a hypocrite aren't I.
Father God forgive me for my hypocrisy, and the fear, imagined or real, that I am being judged by fellow believers, help me to be more loving in my everyday walk that I might demonstrate Your Love, Your Power, and Your Way of Life to all who come in contact with me. God I know I am not perfect, that I have many faults still, but through your Holly Spirit living within me I can and will overcome as we have already overcome much and I am grateful for the progress made so far. I Love You much.
Amen
By the way I quoted only part of that verse in James, it finishes this way:
Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Jas 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
Jas 5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Jas 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
So, what do you think?
Please let me know by posting a comment.
I will publish all non-hostile comments even if you have an opposing belief.
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