Hypocrisy - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ good company world microphone same as it is for me. I would love us to start discussing none of us of my none of us are there, it's okay.

It's a journey for every one of us. It's a journey going out 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 Pastor Bill Gebhardt.

Now once again he shows us how God's word our world and another characteristic of democracy 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 blind guides. Now I want to stop from Odysseus to what does a guy do you seem to be a guy you can be a guide to the Grand Canyon to be a got where you're the guy 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 why people need to be guided.

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 good ever swipe swears by the gold of the temple was obligated. This is just as funny as you want. What a Pharisee could do this if you say are you really sure he was telling swear by the temple, that means nothing.

See, I didn't say I swear by the gold with him. If you swear by the Goldman temple your 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 than gold, or 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 obligate.

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 of the altar that sanctifies the off the offering. Therefore whoever swears by the author swears both by the altar and everything 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 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 is not going my way in about you see is not the unpardonable sin but it is hypocrisy.

See that's why authenticity is so important to authentic to real about what it is you say Jesus says whoever swears by have been swears by both the throne of God and by him or sits on. 1/3 example lighting going to they had a whole system of swearing about things and things they had no idea of keeping it all you know someone once said that promises are like babies. They're easy to make, but they're hard to deliver. And I think we live in a culture where we don't have to do this kind of things you see hypocrisy runs all all of us are prone to these kind of things one way or another in our lives. He moves on into the next one. This one probably applies a lot of us making a big deal out of little things and ignoring the things of great importance. He says woe to you scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites you tithe cement the deal on the Coleman and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law of justice and mercy and faithfulness, but these are the things that should be done without neglecting the others. The Pharisee had a little herb garden and just one of those little things public. We had just a couple little plants but he was so religious you see he want to tell you that when I get a little mint leaf. I cut 10% of it off and give it to God or if I have 10 mint leaves. I take nine for me and I give one the God. That's how right I am before God, Jesus and wait a minute, what about justice, what about mercy, what about faithfulness, what about the big things. Where are you when it comes to the big things of your life. They ignore them. Micah chapter 6 and verse eight.

In the Old Testament love this verse. What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God. Jesus said you don't do any of those things you tithe cement you take some little thing and you tithe it, and you make it out to something else. He said you should be concerned about justice or doing what is right. Jesus wasn't saying there micro was wrong what he was saying is it's wrong. If there's no macro you see if there's nothing if you're not, for the most important thing that we would never do that would really that's not us over the last 20 years. I don't even know what the number would be, but is a very large number of churches that have split over music. They split is astounding when you think about it, they split. I just don't like the songs I want to go to prison. I like the songs other churches by the wave decided to solve in a different way.

If you come to the 8 o'clock will only do traditional hymns. If you come at 10 will do contemporary. That way you'll get what you want that's typing a minute didn't Paul tell us in Philippians to consider everybody else in the church is more important than ourselves. Tell said if everybody else in the church is more important than me. What am I upset about only fight we should have allowed Satan to have your music and it's a know you have your music and you have your music would end up fighting over that because nobody fight over. We type a minute I want to have my music. See that's what I want. We do the same thing.

Jesus says that's hypocritical. You see, that's hypocrisy from his point of view and we do those kind of things all the time. He's not done them.

In fact, notice what he says that in verse 24 he says you blind guides you strain out a gnat and you swallow the camel. You gotta love it up and that's what we do is people not secretive, but I never do that you live in a country we are free to come, assemble, and worship and up to your own the room and you hear her worshiping and we have in this church. We have both heat and air conditioning, and this is a place for you. Come congregation only to meet with God. I hope you understand that to meet with God.

That's a corporate worship is you meet God by way that's why never do understand. By the way, why anyone comes late on a consistent basis. Your meeting God worshiping God. See that's what you're doing, you come to meet him and you know what, inevitably, someone could say to me, not today. They won't, you know, I think it was just a little too warm in there. I think it was just a little too cold in there. You met God and you're worried about 72 versus 75 that's typing a mint you CMS the whole point of what you're here for hypocrisy touches all of us, not just some of us we do things just like this well moves on in verse 25 then says one thing about a hypocrite.

Is there faith is all for show. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites you clean out the inside of the cup and the dish, but inside they were full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup of the dish said the outside it may become clean. Also, we see all they cared about was how they look to people look religious. That man is earlier in Matthew six Jesus says whenever they fasted, they put charcoal on their face and eyes so look like there were just so emaciated, so that you would say how do you do that. I love the Lord so much. Look at me, Jesus, you hated that stuff just painted it to it's an interesting thing when you think about what it is they're actually doing here now once again we wouldn't do that would really, I think we would see. I think sometimes we say things like, you know what I I'm a teacher and that I'm a teacher. I teach in small group or I teach in the learning center. I teach people on Thursday night somewhere wherever it is I I'm a teacher or you know what I've been up for mission trips around the world. I would for mission trips around around the world, but I'm addicted to pornography say I gossip every chance I get. I can't wait to tell a bad story about someone else in this church or of full of envy and greed for what other people have seen what that is.

That's hypocrisy. That's not my words that the words of Jesus Christ. That's hypocrisy of what were doing were all face this kind of thing is not something just for the scribes and the Pharisees. We want our faith to show Jesus a look clean up the inside, the outside of take care of itself. That's the way this works.

Many says in verse 27 very much related to it. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites.

You said you are like whitewashed tombstones, which on the outside, appear beautiful, but inside full of dead men's bones and uncleanness so you to outwardly appear righteous.

The men, but Emily, you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. One of the things that they would do once a year in Israel is in their graveyards or sometimes and just where the stone is on the front of the cave cut out of mudstone. There were different ways people were buried once a year, you would go to the gravestone and you would whitewashed you would take whitewashed and you will clean it all up and whitewashed to make it look really really nice. Jesus is not condemning that, but he is utilizing it. Here was this point, you know you can make. You could go to your headstone once a month of someone you love the departed and make it look perfect, like the day I was there the first time the first day they die again look perfect but you know what behind that are under it there.

Dad that's just a dead corpse decomposing that's that's what it is you can do anything to the tombstone you want, but you can't change the fact the dead inside. Jesus uses that analogy to describe a hypocrite whitewashed tombstones. They look great on the outside but inside there spiritually and they have no life whatsoever. That's what Jesus Christ is saying here of how this works for them. Then he goes on, and he says to them. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites. He says for you build tombs of the prophets and adorn monuments of the righteous and say if we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would have been partners with them in the shedding of blood of the prophets we would not of been partners with Jesus going to Grafton here in a very unique way any time they had up a tumor. Someone from a prophet.

They would celebrate it and decorate it and they would they would be the kind guys would say you know Isaiah was a wonderful wonderful meant he was a great prophet of Israel, not by the way, the people of the day of Isaiah saw them in half with a wooden so CNA said we would never do that. We we venerate Isaiah know they don't.

That's what Jesus saying just as the generation of hypocrites executed Isaiah, this generation of hypocrites is going to crucify Jesus Christ the son of God said you knew exactly the same thing they hate what he stands for. Hypocrites hate the truth. They hate grace all those kind of things and that's what Jesus is saying here.

He said so you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets, he says fill up then the measure of guilt.

He said of their fathers.

He said you serpents, you brood of vipers, how you can escape the sentence of hell. While that verse because some serpents and vipers.

And he tells them exactly an extremely important point. Hypocrisy will always bring the judgment of God always is and how will you escape the sentence of hell. That's what they were like he says he warns us from that. Then he goes on and says this.

Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes.

Some of them you will kill and crucify him some of them you will scourge in the synagogues, and persecute from city to city.

That's the whole story of the early church. That's what they did. It was the Jews chasing down every one of these men they could and persecuting them, he said, so that upon you may fall the guilt of the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Beare Kia, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. There's a lot of scholars trying to figure out who this Zachariah is were not really sure is a son of bribe Jesus nosily is the reason is there's a there's over 20 different Zachariah is in the Bible is a really common name so which Zachariah was the point that Jesus is making is you guys are murderers in your heart from able Genesis 2 Zachariah the end, the whole span of the Old Testament. It's always been the same murdered people of God. Those who are righteous and nothing's going to change here.

That's why he says that and then he says this he says truly I say to you, all these things will come upon you in this generation. That's his prophecy is an amazing statement. His parties provided care what he is telling them is this unit crucify me in God's going to do with you and Israel is not going to be in Babylon for 70 years.

It's going to be taken out of the land in A.D. 70, by the Romans, and you will be dispersed all over the world for 2000 years. That's what he saw. He said, and by the way, you wonder what's the motive why is Jesus telling him all these different things. Now you see the motive in verse 37 Jesus, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are center how often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen he says gathers her chicks under her wings. Jesus is an equal opportunity lover for God so loved the world he loves the Pharisee. You see, loves the scribe he says I want to gather you together but notice the last words of verse 37 and you were unwilling I wanted I wanted to but you wouldn't let me because you wouldn't believe. He says behold, your house is left to you desolate, and it's been desolate for a long long time.

I say to you, from now on you will not see me until you say Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. The second coming of Christ. You see, that's what hypocrisy means the Lord that's what he's talking about.

There is nothing in the New Testament gets Jesus more upset than hypocrisy. You see it's funny Jesus contracts all kinds of people were sitting overtly and he's nothing but gentle and kind with them. He offers them the grace of God, but the hypocrite Jesus goes after hypocrisy because the hypocrisy stopped other people from entering into a relationship with Christ.

Hypocrisy is contagious religiosity as part of who we are. Jesus says we got to do with it. In other words, whatever we are. We have to be leased. One thing we just have to be authentic. That's what he saying just be authentic just be who you are. Don't try to be somebody else. The hypocrite wants to make salvation as complicated as possible. Take advantage of people for their own personal gain. The hypocrite wants to squirm out of any promise, they can that they don't want to keep.

They want to make a big deal. Why the little things and ignore the most important things in life.

They want their faith. The show they want to look good to others, no matter what the cost is and is.

They pretend that they're better than other people, even when all the evidence is contrary to that's hypocrisy. That's what happens to us all.

The question is real simple and you only can answer for yourself because God already knows we want to be honest here, you hypocrite things in your life that are hypocritical at the reality of her life doesn't really match what's really on the inside. If you are, you're welcome to good company because were all hypocritical in a way. My prayer for you is the same as it is for me. I would love us to start something where we can become authentic just authentic hate.

None of us have arrived yet none of us are there, it's okay. It's a journey for every one of us. It's a journey. You know, it's pretty simple, but all we have to do is speak the truth and love each other. We just need to be truthful. Ask yourselves the question anytime you do anything for the Lord am I doing this so that other people can see and notice because I'm telling you that's evidence of hypocrisy in your lives. I need to find out what they think I want to know what they think of everything we need to become authentic people and hopefully will be able to make strides in that direction was spring father my prayer request is very very simple. I just asked each one of us to look around heart ask ourselves a hard question are the elements of hypocrisy in my life that I want to deal with that.

I want out of my life, and if there are father we want to acknowledge and confess those do you we know you're faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Father, we want to be authentic and what we really believe father that's the goal for this next year would begin to move the needle spiritually in our lives we begin the changes for our good and for your glory. Christ came in and pastor broke apart on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time.

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