Have you been to church this week for worship or "acts of service" in some manner? Perhaps you've done outstanding works for God through volunteering, giving or charitable deeds. I'm sure we can all add up our good works and even blew our own horn a few times. Shall I start my list? Of course not, that would be boasting and we know what God thinks about that, right?
Sadly, I'm sorry to admit, I've sometimes forgotten about His thoughts on the matter and most of the time it's usually right in the middle of my prideful act. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 6:2 where He discusses how even good deeds can be done for the wrong reasons, turning the act into nothing but rubbish and simply for show or the "apprearance" of being religious.
"So whenever you give to the poor and do acts of kindness, do not blow a trumpet before you (to advertise what you did), as the hypocrites do (like actors acting our a role) in the synagogues (or churches) and in the streets, so that they may be honored and recognized and praised by men, I assure you and most solemnly say to you, they (already) have their full reward." (from Matthew 6:2 AMP emphasis mine)
I remember a certain conversation from the film Flywheel. It took place as they were leaving the church parking lot when the wife asked her husband if they could go to the evening service as well.
"I wanna come back tonight for the evening service."
His response: "I'm not coming back tonight. I've got things to do at the (car) lot."
"On a Sunday, Jay?
He dug himself deeper: "I've already tithed my time to church this week."
Really? I've got things to do ... already tithed my time." Ouch!
Sometimes we think we’re honoring God by doing things we deem as “religious” to make people think we are godly, but trust me when I say, God knows our actions are only a front and aren’t from the heart.
To Jesus everything we do, even our worship, is in vain if we don’t really believe. In Matthew chapter 15 after the Lord finished speaking to the people, the disciples sensed His message didn’t go over big with the crowd.Speaking to Jesus they said, “Do You realize that what you said really offended the Pharisees?”(vs.12)
Of course the Master knew that figuratively calling a spade a spade would upset people, because no one wants to be referred to as a hypocrite. He was honest in telling it like it was and didn't hold back on being direct with His opinion, when they boldy declared their giving practices along with other so called religious activites.
Jesus said that anyone who isn’t truly His disciple/follower will be revealed and plucked out (pulled) by the roots. In other words, they are rotten like the tooth that decayed and had to be pulled out root and all.It was worthless, no good and needed to go.
God is looking for people to do the right thing, for the right reason, with a humble heart that isn't willing to take His glory. Sometimes that's a bit hard to do, when deep down we really want that praise.
Is there anything you are trying to keep secret that you know is sin? In the end it will be rooted up and Christ will reveal whether or not there is hypocrisy found.
Surely, no one (including me) wants to think of themselves as having anything rotten in them. Maybe a little dirt or a few dust bunnies in our spiritual closet, but certainly nothing that is "sin", or wrong?
Would you take a few moments to read my full teaching article on identifying and rooting out hypocrisy in our life and heart? I think you'll find it most helpful. You can find it by clicking here to read "Getting to the Root".
Until next time, favored blessings!
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Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
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How busy are you doing things for the Lord? Is your schedule filled to the brim with
charity work, volunteering, giving gifts, chiming in on the list of prayer
chains, feeding the poor and every other “work” you do in the name of Jesus?
The reason I’m asking this is because years ago I took on
that agenda for the sake of the cause … you know, doing God’s work and being
His “hands and feet”. So, I thought ... that is until the Holy Spirit revealed something I didn’t realize. I was stuck in tradition that
was designed and formed by mankind.
Sometimes we think we’re honoring God by doing things we
deem as “religious” to make people think we are godly, but God knows if our
actions are only a front and aren’t from the heart. In other words, He knows a hypocrite when He
sees one and taking on a form of “religiousness” doesn’t replace “righteousness”
in the life of a believer.
Matthew
chapter 15 of the Holy Bible describes how hypocrisy was running rampant in the
synagogues and things were about to hit the roof. The church leaders
(scribes, translators and Pharisees) were watching the ministry of Christ for
some time, and had followed Him from town to town looking for ways to discredit
the Master’s teachings.
At
that time in Jerusalem, the religious rulers felt there was something concrete
they could confront Jesus with concerning His illogical doctrine and methods in
teaching that disregarded the things that were carved in their stony hearts. They
questioned why His disciples disobeyed and continually broke “old tradition”
laws such as the custom of cleansing before they entered the temple or
eating.
Rather
than answering, Jesus said something they didn’t expect:
“Why
do you break God’s commands by your ridiculous manmade traditions? The
prophet Isaiah was right about you who give lip service, but your hearts are
far from Me. Your worship to God is a mockery because you teach
people that these manmade rules are really commandments from God.” (verses
3-9 emphasis mine)
Jesus explained that what they had been doing in the name
of “God”, was actually instilled by their leaders. Their form of
religion wasn’t righteous at all, nor was it ordained by God to receive His unmerited
favor on their “good works” and deeds.
Even “secret things” people do that are hidden from
the world, may also make them hypocrites and not true followers if their reason
for doing a specific thing is for personal gain. True followers and
disciples believe Jesus and the scriptures. They don't go against
God with religious tradition or self-made rules that permit them to sin because
they have regarded it okay in their own eyes.
To Jesus everything we do, even our worship, is in vain if
we don’t really believe in Him or His teachings. (vs.19) After the Lord
finished speaking to the people the disciples sensed His message didn’t go over
big with the crowd. I have that same sense ...
Speaking to Jesus the disciples said, “Do You realize that what you said
really offended the Pharisees?” (vs.12) Of
course, the Master knew that calling a spade a spade would upset people,
because no one wants to be referred to as a hypocrite.
Jesus said that anyone who isn’t truly His
disciple/follower will be revealed and plucked out (pulled) by the roots. They
are rotten like a tooth that decayed and had to be pulled out root and all. It
was worthless, no good and needed to go. He went on to say for us not to waste our time on people
who would rather keep tradition (“this is the way we do it around here”) over
serving Him, calling them the blind leading the blind and both will fall into
the ditch of hell. (vs.13-14)
Is there anything you are trying to keep secret that you
know is sin? I agree that no one likes to think of themselves as
having anything rotten in them. Maybe there’s a little spiritual
dirt or a few dust bunnies in the closet, but surely nothing that is “sin”
lurking around the heart.
Plotting to get someone back for the way they hurt us, sending
nasty text messages, posting unkind comments on social media, lying, name
calling, cheating on a spouse, having sex or living with someone before
marriage, snagging supplies from the company, stealing (especially from
your parents) or spreading gossip are only a few things “believers” may do and
still think of themselves as being “righteous” followers of Christ.
Okay, it may be easy to see how these add up to false
discipleship with a form of religiosity or hypocrisy, but following after traditions
of man and saying it’s all done for Jesus is no different in the eyes of God.
Maybe you don’t fall into any of those situations and
that’s great. However, you still judge people who aren’t in your
denomination or follow certain methods set in your church doctrine. Ask
yourself, do the traditions or practices violate the commandments of God in any
way?
Have you fallen into the category of thinking religious
traditions outrank righteousness? If so, there’s something you can do about it
right now. Repent.
You are probably wondering where God’s favor comes into all
of this, especially since I haven’t mentioned it so far. Something
that is wonderful about being a disciple/follower/believer in Christ is that He
gives us grace – unmerited favor to repent (ask for forgiveness) and get rid of
sin at the root.
“If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9 NKJV)
Being followers of Jesus also gives us permission to ask
the Lord anything without being fearful of being ridiculed or embarrassed. James
1:5 reminds us that if we lack wisdom or answers, all we need to do is ask the
Lord and He will tell us what we need to know.
When Peter approached Jesus with his question the Lord
didn’t tell him he was stupid or should have known what He meant. He
answered the question which helped the disciples understand what it means to be
a hypocrite as a believer.
Although it may be embarrassing it’s time to get honest
with God, others and yourself by getting to the root of some behaviors. Go
before the Lord in prayer and ask God to reveal the unhealthy part of your
spiritual journey and continue to be discipled by Jesus. Don’t
worry about your unclean hands or heart, Jesus will supply the sanitizer!
If this
article has encouraged or helped you, please consider sharing it by using the
social media icons provided at the end of this post.
Until next time, embrace God’s unmerited favor!
“Repent
and receive favor for a clean heart towards Me.” Jesus
Christ
*Unless noted, the names
in articles are changed to protect the individual(s) privacy. Note: Emphasis is given in
some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and is not to take away from
the inspirited Word of God.
When used, the words satan
or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we give him no place in our
lives.
Disclaimer: Article
information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical issues,
but geared toward spiritual awareness.
Teaching Pick of the Week:Click on the Amazon link below.
4-part series from
Ephesians 5:8-21. 4 CDs. Approx. 2 hours and 55 minutes.
In
This Series: Why We All Hate Hypocrisy
(Ephesians 5:1-6) How to Overcome Hypocrisy in
Your Heart (Ephesians 5:17-18) How to Overcome Hypocrisy in
Your Public Life (Ephesians 5:19-20) How to Overcome Hypocrisy in
Your Private Life (Ephesians 5:19-20)
Maybe you don’t know the
Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life
also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image
Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy. Excerpt from Getting to the Root
October 7, 2016Scripture reference was
taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway.
Image credit: Hypocrite Sign Google Images Creative
Common License if not specified. Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to
lack of belief.
You
might as well know it … to tell the “tooth and nothing but the tooth” … I don’t
like going to the dentist.Oh it’s
nothing personal, but I have a low tolerance when it comes to mouth pain.
Having
to return for a second time within a month was no picnic, so I was quite
apprehensive on a recent visit, especially after my last appointment.
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB –Whakatane, Bay
of Plenty Region, NewZealand; Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria; Faisalabad, Punjab,
Pakistan; Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines; Whakatane, Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand; Panama; Hong
Kong; Egypt; Belgium; Mussina, Veliko Tarnovo Province, Bulgaria; Paspebiac,
QC, Canada; South Africa; Tanzania; Vietnam.
USA –Lake Havasu
City, AZ; Fallbrook, CA; Deltona, Ocala & Summerfiled, FL; Waipahu, HI; Yeoman,
IN; Reisterstown, MD; Independence & Pottersville, MO; Glenola, Laurinburg
& High Point, NC; Hillside, NJ; Milford, NY; Fort McKinley &
Northridge, OH; Mustang, OK; Seagoville, TX; Saint George, UT.
I am so happy for your visit and hope that you come back
each week to participate in the weekly challenges.God has been faithful and we expect His favor
to abound in the lives of those who chose to be Discipled by Jesus on Daily
Favor Blog.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Don't miss out on this week's challenge
(below).
Subscribe and visit the Q & A or other sections. Tell Me
Shakin’
in My Shoes
I
was acting like a “big” girl waiting for the doctor to inject Novocain into my gums
to numb my mouth.After a few minutes my
body began doing things unbecoming to a proper lady as it reacted to the super caffeine
laced medication.
Without
giving me notice as to what it was about to do, the entire left part of my body
began shaking uncontrollably.While I
was doing a lateral jig I literally shook out of my shoes. My husband had to
pick them up and put them back on my feet.
Preparing
for the next round of injections left me somewhat hesitant to say the least.Unlike last time at the dentist’s office this
visit (Why do we call it that?It’s not
like we are actually “visiting”, however they did give me a muffin once!) went
really quickly and I even got a little souvenir - my tooth!
When
it was all over I asked the doctor if I could have the tooth thinking it was an
unusual request.Apparently not so; I
merely wanted it because I figured there was a story in it somewhere.I was right.
Getting
to the Root
Thought it was pretty clever using my hair thingy!
Propping
myself up on the bed that night, I took my tooth out of the little manila package
the dental technician gave me.
At first
glance I couldn’t figure out why it was pulled.To me it looked pretty good and only needed a little polishing on the
front.It was smooth, the top was fine …
hmm, why did this need to go?Then I
heard in my spirit, “Turn it over.”
To
my surprise the back of the tooth had a black hole where you could see it
was rotting.It wasn’t visible from the
front, but sure enough, it was there.
Even though I couldn’t see it, the doctor and everyone else in that room
did.What was hidden was now revealed
and I couldn’t do a thing about it, but to submit to the truth.
I
understood why the dentist made the decision to remove that tooth. It took some
time, but finally the doctor extracted it including the root.Although it was painful, it had to be done in
order to prevent anything that could possibly do harm to the rest of my mouth.
Answers
They Didn’t Expect
When
I was studying for this week’s post God showed me something that tied my
experience at the dentist in with the Body of Christ.It’s not a new subject, but one that has
always been in play.Hypocrisy.
In
picking up from last week’s study if the people following Jesus didn’t
get offended yet, wait for it … calling them hypocrites would do it for sure.
Matthew
chapter 15 describes how hypocrisy was running rampant in the synagogues and things were
about to hit the roof.The church
leaders (scribes, translators and Pharisees) were watching the ministry of
Christ for some time, and had followed Him from town to town looking for ways
to discredit the Master’s teachings.
Now
back in Jerusalem the religious rulers finally felt there was something concrete
they could confront Jesus with concerning His doctrine and methods in teaching.They questioned why His disciples disobeyed
and continually broke old tradition laws in the custom of cleansing before they
entered the temple or eating.
Rather than answering, Jesus said
something they didn’t expect:
“Why do you break God’s commands
by your ridiculous manmade traditions?The prophet Isaiah was right about you who give lip service, but your
hearts are far from Me.Your worship to
God is a mockery because you teach people that these manmade rules are really commandments
from God.” (verses 3-9 emphasis mine)
Does
Religion Outrank Righteousness?
Jesus
then turned to explain to the rest of the crowd that was gathered the list of
things that they had been doing in the name of “God”, but were actually
instilled by their leaders.Their form
of religion isn’t righteous at all, nor is it ordained by God.
Sometimes
we think we’re honoring God by doing things we deem as “religious” to make
people think we are godly, but God knows our actions are only a front and aren’t
from the heart.
He
spoke of the “secret things” people do that are hidden from the world, which
makes them hypocrites and not true followers.True followers and disciples believe Jesus and the scriptures. They don't go against God with religious
tradition or self-made rules that permit them to sin because they have regarded
it okay in their own eyes.
To
Jesus everything we do, even our worship, is in vain if we don’t really
believe. (vs.19)After the Lord
finished speaking to the people the disciples sensed His message didn’t go over
big with the crowd.Speaking to Jesus
they said, “Do You realize that what you
said really offended the Pharisees?”(vs.12)Of course the Master
knew that calling a spade a spade would upset people, because no one wants to
be referred to as a hypocrite.
Jesus
said that anyone who isn’t truly His disciple/follower will be revealed and
plucked out (pulled) by the roots.They
are rotten like the tooth that decayed and had to be pulled out root and all.It was worthless, no good and needed to go.He went on to say for us not to waste our
time on people who would rather keep tradition over serving Him, calling them
the blind leading the blind and both will fall into the ditch of hell. (vs.13-14)
It
Begins in the Heart
Just
after Jesus gave that information to the crowd, Peter asked for Him to explain
how people aren’t sinning by what they eat. Clearly he felt that Jesus really didn’t mean
what He said, and perhaps they missed the actual meaning of the discipleship
lesson.Still amazed by their uncertainty
of His teachings, He answered Peter’s question.
Everything
we do in life has a seed that starts in the hearts of men.If we water that seed with evil thoughts,
eventually our actions and words will be revealed as wickedness.Our actions defile man, not what we eat or
the church’s “this is the way we do it around here” practices.
All sin begins with a thought in
the heart before it manifests into our behavior.Like that tooth, we may try to hide it or
think it’s hidden but eventually all will see our sin and hypocrisy.
“… But the words you speak come from the heart — that’s
what defiles you.For from the heart come evil
thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.
These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands
will never defile you." (vs. 18-20)
Is
there anything you are trying to keep secret that you know is sin?In the end it will be rooted up and Christ
will reveal the hypocrite.
This Week’s Challenge:
Rooting Out Hypocrisy
No
one likes to think of themselves as having anything rotten in them.Maybe there’s a little spiritual dirt or a
few dust bunnies in the closet, but surely nothing that is “sin” lurking around
our hearts.
Our
challenge this week will not be a pretty one, because it will have us looking
deeper into our hearts to root out the nastys … things that defile and cause
Christians to be hypocrites of faith.
Plotting
to get someone back for the way they hurt us, lying, cheating on a spouse, having sex
or living with someone before marriage, snagging supplies from the company, stealing (especially from your parents) or spreading gossip are
only of few things “believers” are doing and they all add up to false
discipleship.I didn’t call it a spade
of hypocrisy, Jesus did.
Maybe
you don’t fall into any of those situations and that’s great.However, you still judge people who aren’t in
your denomination or follow certain methods set in your church doctrine.Ask yourself, do the traditions or practices
violate the commandments of God in any way?If so, there’s something you can do about it
right now. Repent.
You
are probably wondering where God’s favor comes into all of this, especially
since I haven’t mentioned it so far.Something that is wonderful about being a disciple/follower/believer in
Christ is that He gives us grace – unmerited favor to repent (ask for
forgiveness) and get rid of sin at the root.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
(1 John 1:9 NKJV)
Being
followers of Jesus also gives us permission to ask the Lord anything without
being fearful of being ridiculed or embarrassed.James 1:5 reminds us that if we lack wisdom
or answers, all we need to do is ask the Lord and He will tell us what we need
to know.
When
Peter approached Jesus with his question the Lord didn’t tell him he was stupid
or should have known what He meant.He
answered the question which helped the disciples understand what it means to be
a hypocrite as a believer.
It’s
pretty embarrassing showing you that tooth, but sometimes life gets a bit ugly
doesn’t it?Right now my mouth is a
little uncomfortable because of having a tooth pulled, but my heart is feeling
pretty good after getting rid of things that may have been rotting away at my
spirit.
Now it’s your turn to get honest
with God, others and yourself by getting to the root of some behaviors.Go before the Lord in prayer and ask God to “turn
your tooth around” so to speak, revealing the unhealthy part of your spiritual
journey and continue to be discipled by Jesus.Don’t worry about your unclean hands or heart, Jesus will supply the sanitizer!
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture
reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway.
Image credit: Google ImagesCreative Common License if not specified.
Image: Nothing but the ToothHypocrite SignMatthew 15:18Lying Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief. Dentist, Forgiveness, Daily Favor Blog, Favored1, Favor, Hypocrisy, Christian Living, Salvation, Chip Ingram, Repent
