Hypocrisy Warning

June 6

(Luke 12:1-3 NIV) “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.”

(1 Peter 2:1 NIV) “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”

Although the religious establishment criticized Him, Christ’s popularity continued to grow. His message was not always positive, but people felt genuine love coming from the Savior. Jesus despised hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is representing yourself as someone you are not. Hypocrites pretend to have virtues, or religious beliefs they do not actually possess. They display attitudes in public that they do not hold in their private lives. This may well be the church’s biggest problem today. Our showy religion often conceals a heart contaminated by sin. We look Christian on the outside, but inside, we harbor darkness. We champion moral causes, but live immorally. We decry murder, but kill reputations with our slander. And the world sees it. Hypocritical Christians have probably turned more people away from Jesus than the devil ever could. There’s an old hymn of the church called “Standin in the Need of Prayer”. It goes like this: Not my mother, not my father, not my brother, not my sister -- not my elder, not my leader, not the preacher, not the sinner -- But it's me… It’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer. Pray against hypocrisy in your heart. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day