Hypocrisy - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ stunned ourselves ever say something as a Christian marketplace is a will, that's business business you take advantage for yourself for joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Now once again he shows us how God's word are Laura last year and in the new year has begun. I is your pastor have been thinking and praying concerning you.

What is my desire for you in this upcoming year and the more I thought about it the more I prayed about it, the answer became clear and clear.

I wanted for you the same thing that I wanted for myself. I wanted you and me to be more authentic to great work authentic.

The original article the real thing, not a phony. Not a knockoff. Not a cheap imitation when something is authentic. We expected to be actually and exactly what it claims to be. That's what I wanted for you. I'm not talking at all about perfection. In fact, if I could sure to convey what I'm thinking. The apostle Paul told Timothy in first Timothy four. Practice these things immerse yourself in them so that all may see your progress.

Keep close watch on yourself and on your teaching so that all may see your progress.

Let me ask you this. How have you changed spiritually in the last year. In the last three years in the last five years, or even 10 years have people been able to see the progress that you have made. You have to ask yourself that question still want us to be authentic. But before we do that we must deal with the enemy of authenticity. That's what I want to do this morning. Authenticity has an enemy is a very famous word. It's a word you'll know when understand it's it's the kind of thing that touches all of us a little and some of us a lot.

The word is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy comes from the dramatic idea of the Greek stage of wearing a mask and so the character portrayed one thing on the outside but was something else completely behind the mask. That's what I want to talk about the problem will be clearly is it's very hard to see your own hypocrisy will disconnect the bear with that. It's easy to see hypocrisy and other people, but it's very hard to see it in yourself. Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 23 Matthew chapter 23 and virtually the whole chapter is simply the words of Jesus Christ, the very first verse gives us the context Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. That's the groups that there the crowd is there, the disciples of their in other words, whatever Jesus is going to say in Matthew 23. He wants to say to every body and that includes us as well. He says this, the scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses know what he means by that is, these are the people who leave you as a nation, the scribes and Pharisees are your leaders.

They have seated themselves.

In other words, just as Moses led the people. These are the people now lead you any Mixon interesting statement right after he says that he says therefore all that they tell you to do and observe. He says, but do not do their deeds, for they say things and they do not do them is starting to introduce us to hypocrisy. They are the leaders. They knew the Scriptures is that if you talk to a Pharisee. He'll tell you what the Bible says he's memorized and you could do what he says he's not saying that everything they taught was true you know better than that because all the way through his life.

Those 3 1/2 years of ministry that Jesus said he constantly argued with them about what the Scriptures really teach, but what you really want to say is look, listen to what they say about the word of God and you need to do it but don't ever look at their lives. Don't because they don't do anything. In other words, these people are what we will soon see to be hypocrites. He then says he says they tie heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. In other words, they take your backpack on your spiritual journey of life in a fill with rocks. The rocks that they fill it with her. The rocks of religion.

The Old Testament had 600 laws and ordinances, but that wasn't nearly enough for the Pharisees. They had hundreds and hundreds of other laws and ordinances in their view, was if you don't do all these things and you'll never get right with God, talk about them a little while. He says in verse six again getting to the heart of it verse five he says, but they do all their deeds to be noticed by men.

If you want a really short definition of hypocrisy. That's it. You want to know if your hypocrite yourself.

There is they do good things so other people will notice. In fact it absolutely paramount to the hypocrite that other people know what they're doing.

What a terrible motive in our day and age.

I recall those people obituary Christians. These are Christian to do certain things in her life so that when they write out there obituary. You and I can be so impressed by what they did.

These are all the things that they did. That's what they were like he said that's what they like to do. He said they do all their deeds to be noticed by men, for they broaden their phylacteries and a length in the tassels of their garments and we have no idea if you understand that what they mean by that what they took. Deuteronomy 6 and Deuteronomy 6 is about the idea of how important word of God is and they made phylacteries and a flat rate was a little leather pouch and it would put in it a really tiny scroll and then minutely I mean my it would write out a verse or two or three. They would write these verses out they would put in this leather pouch ahead and strap on the tagline ahead. So when you saw someone in public that have this little leather pouch write. Therefore, it and in it was the word of God. They took research literally instead of putting it in the hardest I can on their head. He said, but the Pharisees didn't just stick on their head. The Pharisees broadened theirs so you and I would walk around and see how you doing and we have these little ones. But when you saw someone with a big one really big one. That's a Pharisee, he will. Lots of verses in that's hypocritical now you and I said that's not even a problem for us about this.

I only 20 Bibles. I don't read any of but I own a whole bunch of Bibles same idea the same sense and they talk about the tassels in the book of numbers, the writer Moses wrote numbers. He said look what God speaking and he says what I want to do is in the four corners of your garment when it hangs I wanted to hassle to hang their just a tassel because I want those tassels to remind you to keep my commandments. The whole idea of the tassel was to keep the commandments of God. In fact, in Matthew chapter 9 the woman who was hemorrhaging when it says she touched Jesus.

She touched his tassel on his garment.

He wore tassels, but the Pharisees did want to tassel like this. They want to tassel like this. You see, the idea behind it is look at the loom I tassels so now you see a guy with a big phylacteries in long tassels you see in the idea of it is to draw attention to themselves of just how wonderful they really are.

So Jesus spoke out against that. He said in verse six they love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogue. They were always at the speakers table. They were always a kinda guy. They always said at the chief seat. I mean, how ridiculous is that I can remember after I first got saved as a layman in Pennsylvania is to speak and lots and lots of different churches and most them your older churches, old Protestant churches and they had the same kind of thing.

There write up here what we would do if they put an enormous seat here.

I mean it's like a enormous and then they would tell me to go up and sit there so I would sit there while we sang and all that stuff and that was a place of honor seat right up front it's the same thing. That's what they wanted. The chief seat at the synagogue.

He said they want to be seen by men. And then he says, and respectful greetings in the marketplaces and being called Rabbi by men. That was a very important thing if I could give you a modern equivalency to be called Rabbi, insisting that your called Dr. okay Dr. my name is not Bill my name is Dr. that's my name. Don't call me Bill call me Dr. you see there's a notoriety that goes with it.

Rabbi had that Ramona is the actual way of saying it, Ramon. I in other words, as my distinction. They love to be called Rabbi.

Notice what Jesus does with it. Jesus then says this, he says, but do not be called Rabbi for one is your teacher, urologist, brothers, Jesus saying this is insane.

The next verse as well and you have to remember this is a great way to start your own hypocrisy. There's only one celebrity in the universe and it's not you. It's Jesus Christ is the only one there are no others. We are just brothers and sisters in Christ all of us doesn't make any difference. There's only one that's what Jesus is saying.

Then he says this not by way depending on your tradition I would say I don't want to offend you but I'm going to anyway because that's what Jesus said. Jesus says do not call anyone on earth your father. Don't miss this Jesus clear is that he doesn't mean don't call your dad, your father is talking spiritually.

Don't you ever call anyone on earth father in that astounding that we have a 2000 year history of people calling people father. It's astounding what will you do with these words. How do you ignore these words do not call anyone father by the way, even in English if you took the word Abbott or the word Pope. There are derivations of the word father. That's what this is that your father.

Jesus says this is specifically as he can. Do not call anyone on earth your father for one is your father he's in heaven when it comes to spiritually. I have no spiritual father but my father, and neither do you.

Better Jesus saying there is no one else. Don't do that. Don't give notoriety to men. He says do not be called leaders for one is your leader.

That is, Christ. That's himself.

The crystals the Messiah. He is the only leader Jesus of me make my point is clear as I can. The greatest among you shall be your servant, think that Jesus said if you want to know how God sees humans the greatest among you is a certain the one who serves you. If you want to be first you have to be last. You realize how diametrically opposed our culture is in every culture has been human beings are like this know I'm first because I'm first. You see, that's the notoriety needs as know that sets the seed of hypocrisy in your life you start thinking, way more of yourselves, and whoever should, he said don't do that. Jesus says right there. He says the greatest among you shall be your servant whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. That's what Jesus is saying that's the point that he is wanting to make the way to be first is to be last. It's a very different thing. And that's creates a tremendous problem for a hypocrite.

Hypocrites do not like that hypocrites want to be first, and they want you to know the first hypocrites want to be seen. They want to get recognition from people all those kinds of things. So now for the rest of the chapter.

Jesus gives shows us seven habits of a hypocrite. One of the habits of a hypocrite how to hypocrites act.

The first one is not one is really directly. For most of you, I believe, but it certainly one it's been around the world for some time. Notice what he says. Verse 13 woe to you scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people for you. Do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in one of the first characteristic of a hypocrite is a hypocrite will make salvation as complicated as possible. That's hypocrisy.

That's what hypocrites do. They try to make it nuts what this Pharisees did the Pharisee says no, it's just not a matter of keeping the law Moses.

You also have to keep our law and they had all all kinds of Sabbath laws and things like that.

You have to keep all the laws. If you have any chance at all then exact opposite view of the law. The Godhead God gave us the law to show us that we could possibly do this on her own. They thought the law wasn't even attitude to show God that we can do that was the perspective of it and so they made it as complicated as it could possibly make it.

Salvation is not easy but it is simple. It cost a great deal, but is not complicated.

Jesus said even a child can understand it. Even a child understands what it is the belief I love the apostle Paul wrote. He said I fear that your minds may somehow be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ, it's that simple sin astounding thing. How simple salvation is it's a free gift and all we have to do was receive it better than many of you struggle with battery of hypocrisy.

The second area you might that is taking advantage of people for personal gain. He says woe to you scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites, because you devour widows houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers.

Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation while they devour widows houses.

What is that mean will the scribes and Pharisees could often act as a jurist, and they would act as jurist, for example on Estates planning and estate settling. And when somebody would die. The man would die they would become men and they would act as jurist to straighten everything out and what they would do is they would steal the estate from the widow, the exact opposite of what our responsibility should be to the widow is how they practiced it. Jesus said you did this for your own good. In other words, if you look at the .0 they took advantage of people.

They took advantage of people strictly for this idea of personal gain. Would you ever do that the poor and helpless. By the way on the earth, so the show we can show the love of Christ. Our responsibilities reach out to them to do you do that is how you respond see. He says that sometimes what people do is they end up at a personal gain. Trying to make this something else. Notice what he says in verse 15 woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, you travel around the sea, he says, and land to make one proselyte and one becomes one you make him twice as much. The son of hell was yourselves what is that what throughout their history, the Jews view of the Gentile most always with the same as Jonah with the Assyrians. The Jews loathe the Gentiles but about 50 years around the time of Jesus Christ about before then in one all of a sudden it became something very important to the secular Pharisees to make proselyte out of Gentiles met twice as you go anywhere to make proselyte when you read the Bible you'll find that there's two kinds of proselytes. There is one is called God-fearing, a God-fearing Gentile is one who worships with Jews to go to the synagogue to listen to the scrolls is called God-fearing, the other is a true proselyte that would mean if he's a Millie get circumcised and then once he is he's allowed to partake of the feast in the festivals of the Jewish nation, and he says you will go all around the world to get them the apparently the reason they did it would be able to brag how many proselytes I have in any system interesting. He said, and you will make him twice the son of how was your what they mean by that means this, they were already lost and you want another really lost. You see, they were already lost once and now you want to make sure their lost twice. How do they do that by tone of all of the complication ways in which you get right with God. That's what they did but if you look at it in the nature of it. They take advantage of people for personal gain that comes down to ourselves do that we ever say something as a Christian in the marketplace and say well that's business.

That's hypocrisy.

You see, that's hypocrisy, not business, it's hypocrisy you take advantage of people for yourself is not finished or even close. He then says this, starting in verse 16 and all the way through 22. Another characteristic of hypocrisy is squirming my way out of any promise. I don't want to keep squirming my way out of any promise. I don't want to keep the Pharisees turn this into an art.

What would Jesus says woe to you what great words are blind guides. Now I would stop from adjusting your stewards, what does a guy do you seem to be a guy you can be a guide to the Grand Canyon to be got wherever you the guide and you just happen to be blind you see that the one thing you can't be. If you're blind is likely a guide blind people need to be guy did. He says you're blind in your guide. He says woe to you blind guides who say whoever swears by the Temple that is nothing whoever swipes swears by the gold of the temple was obligated business disk is funny. He wants what a Pharisee could do this if you say are you really sure you wish to tell you I swear by the temple, that means nothing. See, I didn't say I swear by the gold that them if you swear by the Golden Temple or obligate men say that I just said I swear by the temple. They invented all these different phrases of swearing I swear by the temple. I'm telling you the truth, then I could get out of what I said what what Jesus does with this. He said you fools and blind men which is more important, the gold of the temple that sanctified the gold, the goal think but forget spiritually what about logically how good it be that you would say if you swear by the gold, the temple, your obligated if you only swear by the temple, you're not the gold is in the temple and what makes the gold specials the temple sanctifies or sets it apart. He says and whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing but whoever swears by the offering wanted he is obligated. He said you blind men which is more important the offering or the altar that sanctifies the. The offering.

Therefore whoever swears by the altar, swears, both by the alternate thing on it. He says and whoever swears by the temple, swears by the temple, and by him who dwells within it. Come on.

See what are they doing, what does a hypocrite do when a hypocrite really does is they squirm out of any promise that they've made. If it doesn't go the way that like now we we would never do that would bring.

No Christian is ever stood before God and people, and committed their life to another individual and then reneged on no Christian would've ever done that right.

We do that kind of thing all the time you see me do that kind of thing all the time. Member the files. Remember the call of my mother called vowels that was the volume made for the rest of my life. Well, it's two years and six months. Not on my way in about see the unpardonable sin but it is hypocrisy. That's why authenticity is then real about Pastor Bill give her the radio ministry of fellowship in the if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast so many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly fourth is the one time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that SBC 10 oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series you're looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the messenger looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon on listening and remembering all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org for pastor Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order