Warning Against Hypocrisy
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
In any great forest you will find many huge trees.
They tower above other trees and appear to be the very picture of strength and maturity.
However, loggers will sometimes not even bother to cut down these huge trees.
At first one wonders, “Why leave them?
After all, a tree that big must contain twice or thrice the amount of lumber as a smaller tree.”
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The reason is simple.
Huge trees are often rotten on the inside.
They are the hollow trees that children’s picture books show raccoons living in.
And they are the trees that are often blown over in a strong windstorm because, while they appear to be the picture of strength, in fact their hollowness makes them weak.
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This is the essence of hypocrisy—appearing strong on the outside but hollow and rotten on the inside...
And this will be our main focus today.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 12 and focus on verses 1 through 3.
Our message this morning is titled, “Warning Against Hypocrisy”
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As you are turning to our passage...
Keep this in mind...
The message today will focus on Jesus’ warning against imitating the religious elite of His day...
A theme we have been studying over the last two weeks.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Danger of Hypocrisy
2) The Futility of Hiding
And...
3) The Revelation of Truth
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the Sovereign One...
You are the creator of all things seen...
And You are the creator of all things unseen.
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Help us to remain committed to Your Word...
Help us to remain faithful ambassadors of Your truth...
And help us to to tell others about Your life saving message.
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Thank You for giving us the Scriptures as our ultimate authority...
Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us...
And thank You for sending the Son of God to this broken world to save Your children.
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Danger of Hypocrisy
1) The Danger of Hypocrisy
Verse 1: In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Let’s begin our study by starting with the phrase “In the meantime” which specifically connects this section with the preceding one...
And we covered that specific section over the last two weeks...
Jesus first declared His woes to the Pharisees in Luke 11:37-44 which says:
37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.
38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.
39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?
41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”
We covered this passage two weeks ago.
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Next, Jesus declared His woes to the Scribes in Luke 11:45-54 which says:
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”
46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.
48 So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.
49 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’
50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,
51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.
52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,
54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
We covered that last week.
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So, keep those texts in context and keep them in mind as we study our passage today...
For the following material in our passage is closely tied to the preceding woes we previously covered and just reread.
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Now, let’s take a look at our setting...
And to do that we need to first look at the term “many thousands” strictly means “ten thousands” but was used generally of any large number.
Additionally, this is the same Greek word from which we get the word “myriads.”
So, the crowd is so large that people are pressing over one another to see and hear Jesus.
As The Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“Jesus knows that his popularity is temporary.
Instead of optimism, Jesus responds with realism.
The popular crush of curiosity will not change the destiny of his movement, and so a warning is required.”
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Next, Luke records that Jesus “began to say to his disciples first.”
The reason Luke said this is to show that Jesus’ teaching is addressed primarily to His disciples first...
Although, the crowds would also hear Jesus words and profit from them.
You see Beloved, Jesus teaching that was intended primarily for the disciples is given in the presence of the crowds who are thus taught what is involved in true and faithful discipleship.
In other words, Jesus giving instruction to His disciples also serves to challenge and invite prospective followers.
We to, as the current 21st century audience, benefit form the original teaching in Scripture that were given to specific groups who lived in biblical times.
We know what is required of a disciple of Christ by what Christ said to His disciples...
And once we repent and believe we too are considered His disciples.
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Next Jesus says, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
Now, the picture here involves not yeast as we think of it today but sourdough.
You see, the Greek word “leaven” used here refers to fermented dough that was mixed in with new dough and used as a rising agent.
You see Beloved, in the ancient world yeast was uncommon so people used fermented dough.
The small amount used in baking would permeate the entire batch of new dough.
Leaven serves as an apt metaphor to describe the widespread effects of the Pharisees’ hypocritical teachings and actions.
As Jesus said to the religious elite in Matthew 15:7–9:
7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
So, as the Pharisees and Scribes practiced hypocrisy...
And in our day we can say the same to Catholics and Orthodox...
Just as those who honor God with lip service but in reality ignoring His commands by following their own made up doctrines not found in Scripture...
Jesus warns that we are to run away from false teachers like this!
And Jesus uses the illustration of leaven to make that point.
As the Reformation Study Bible says:
“People in the first century were familiar with the way a little leaven slowly permeates and transforms a large mass of dough.
Jesus elsewhere uses the figure of leaven to illustrate the hidden spread of God’s kingdom, but here it describes the negative influence of the Pharisees’ hypocritical example.
In this case, the association of leaven with defilement, implied in the requirement to remove leavened foods from homes during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, intensifies Jesus’ imagery.”
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So, Jesus made an explicit connection to hypocrisy and to what He previously said in Luke 11:37–54 against the religious elite of His day.
The word “hypocrisy” which in Koine Greek is “hypokrisis” was primarily a theatrical term, denoting the mask an actor wore to impersonate a given character.
As theatrical masks created false impressions by producing exterior appearances that were different from the actual actors themselves...
So, too a hypocrite presents themselves in a way that is contrary to who they really are.
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Now, consider this statement by pastor John MacArthur:
“In a pompous, self-serving display of their supposed spirituality, the religious hypocrites of Jesus’ day sounded trumpets to call attention to their giving, prayed on the street corners for all to see, made it obvious that they were fasting by having a mournful expression on their faces and neglecting their appearance, enlarged their phylacteries and the tassels on their garments, sought out the most important seats at banquets and in the synagogue, and craved respectful public greetings and the honored title Rabbi.”
So, the Pharisees and Scribes may have looked like wise and honorable religious leaders...
But the reality is that they were ravenous wolves...
They were liars...
They cared more about their man-made traditions that the commands of God.
They cared more about outside appearances than what was truly on the inside.
They cared more about the praise of men than the praise of God.
This brings to mind passages like Matthew 6:2 which says:
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
You see Beloved, the religious leaders in Jesus’ time they would give to the needy...
But they did not do it out of love...
They did not do it in obedience to God’s commands...
Unfortunately, they did it for the applause of men.
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We see this same attitude in our culture today...
And it is a poison.
How many people jump to social media to post photos and videos of their own personal good deeds...
With one hand they give a beggar a dollar and with the other hand they hold their selfie stick to document for all to see how generous they are.
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Another passage that comes to mind is Matthew 6:5 which says:
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
The Scribes and Pharisees loved to have the spotlight on them all the time...
Even in prayer...
So, the love to stand in front of everyone...
And they love to stand in the street corners...
Anywhere will they will be seen...
And they will pray long and elaborate prayers filled with many words....
But they are not really focused on speaking to God...
They just want others to see a performance.
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However, when we pray we need to have the opposite attitude...
We need to keep our public prayers at reasonable length...
For God know what we need before we even ask Him...
And our private prayers should be often and should be hidden from others seeing us...
For our only goal in prayer should be to speak to God and lift up our praises and our requests.
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Likewise, when we fast, we should also have the same attitude of keep it private...
In Matthew 6:16 Jesus says:
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
You should not make it obvious to everyone that you are fasting...
The religious hypocrites of Jesus day actually made themselves look all gloomy so all could see they were fasting...
And they disfigured their faces to so all could see they were fasting...
But by doing that then the praise of men will be the only reward they get...
For that kind of fasting is not blessed by God...
And many such things did the Scribes and Pharisees participate in.
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Now, let us not look only to the religious elite of Jesus’ day...
And let us not only look at the modern day religious elite in the form of Catholics and Orthodox who all love their man-made traditions...
But let us also look to ourselves to make sure we are not being unfaithful in our actions.
Remember, just because we are born-again does not make us immune to hypocrisy...
We need to be always on guard of this destructive sin...
And a sobering reminder is found in Galatians 2:11–14 which involved a Holy Spirit filled (that’s post Pentecost) Peter:
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
So, even with the Holy Spirit now in Peter...
Even as an apostle and leader of the apostles...
Peter fell in the temptation of hypocrisy and even lead others to also act as hypocrites.
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So, make sure to always evaluate yourself and kill any hypocrisy in you...
As theologian James R. Edwards says in his commentary on Luke:
“We should not imagine that hypocrisy was unique to Pharisees—or even in a degree not present in other people of faith.
Hypocrisy is an ever-present danger in all religious traditions.
It is perhaps most perilous in a religion like Christianity, which calls for radical discipleship and transformation.
Pharisees imagined that the privilege of election was due to merit, that the gift of Torah implied worthiness rather than responsibility, and that, in following a higher rule, Pharisees were in fact better people.
Jesus condemned no malignancy, whether spiritual or moral, more severely than he condemned hypocrisy.
He taught—and he expected his disciples to demonstrate—that call and election were not pretexts for pride but admonitions to humility.”
As Luke 12:48 says:
48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Likewise, Luke 6:43–45 makes a great point that we need to understand which says:
43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Despite the best efforts of hypocrites, who they truly are will come out in the fruit they produce...
For those faithful to the Lord will produce good fruit...
And those faithful to the traditions and ways of man will produce rotten fruit.
For nothing will remain hidden...
And that fact takes us to our next point.
2) The Futility of Hiding
2) The Futility of Hiding
Verse 2: Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
Everything...
Including hypocrisy will be revealed...
Everything...
Including hypocrisy will be made known...
Because, all truth will be manifest in the judgment...
And all hypocrisy will be unmasked...
For God’s ultimate purpose is not to hide the truth, but to make it known.
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So, there is not point in hiding our sin...
For even if we manage to get away with it while alive...
On the Day of Judgement everything comes to light!
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Now, although Jesus started this section by talking about hypocrisy does not mean this proverb is limited to just that one sin...
Jesus here is talking about every sin...
Lying, stealing, sexual immorality, murder, etc.
You name it!
Big or small...
A white lie or a heartless murder...
Each and every deed will come into judgement...
Every secret will be made known...
As Romans 2:16 says:
16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
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That Judgement is the Great White Throne Judgement...
And it is described vividly in Revelation 20:11–15:
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
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For the believer, we know as Romans 8:1 says:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
But for the unbeliever...
For those who will not repent even until the very end...
Well, they will find that there name is missing from the Book of Life...
And if there name is missing from the Book of Life then they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
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No deception...
No hiding...
No secrets...
Nothing will work except if one puts their trust in Jesus alone...
For every thing will be revealed on day...
And that takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Revelation of Truth
3) The Revelation of Truth
Verse 3: Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
Let’s start this final section of our passage by looking at the term “private rooms” of which Jesus spoke which were also known as inner rooms or storerooms...
They were built in the middle of houses away from the exterior walls, which were more easily dug through by thieves.
Such inner rooms were used to store valuables, but could also serve as a location for private conversations, or prayer.
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So, the things we say in private...
And the things we think about in our head...
Our most hidden and secret of secrets will be proclaimed publically from the rooftops one day...
And that could be a bad thing like with hypocrisy and other deadly sins...
But it could also be good things...
Like a selfless act done in secret will be rewarded one day.
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In fact, Jesus even uses the same type of language to describe sharing the Gospel...
Just take a look with me at Matthew 10:27 which says:
27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
Here, we see that Jesus’ teaching was never intended to be just for an inner circle of followers.
It would be the responsibility of the disciples to communicate the gospel of the kingdom to the world at large.
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What you hear about God’s Word in church...
What you hear about God’s commands in Sunday School...
What you hear about God’s message in a Bible Study...
Even what you hear about God’s Good News from a believer sharing the truth with you in a private conversation...
All of it need should not be hidden and kept within...
Instead, we are to proclaim the Gospel message of Jesus Christ with the whole world at large!
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In order to reach the whole world...
You need to first reach your inner circle...
Your spouse...
Your children...
Your family...
Your friends.
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And then you need to expand that circle...
You need to reach your greater network...
Your neighbors...
Your community.
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And then we go even further out...
Our state...
Our country...
Our world.
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However, we need to start with the ones closest to us...
For if everyone does that then our world would be a better place for it would be filled with Gospel-believing followers of Christ.
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Just like we are not to keep sin hidden...
Likewise, we are not to keep God’s truth hidden...
Just consider this...
A recent survey found this regarding why people start attending church...
2% of people started attending due to advertising from the church...
6% of people were part of an organized visit...
Another 6% of people started to attend church due to an invitation from a pastor...
But guess what?
If a friend...
If a friend invites a person to church the survey found something remarkable...
For 86% of people started attending church due to an invite from a friend!
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Beloved, you have a major responsibility...
If you want to see these pews filled they you are going to have to be bold...
You are going to have to start sharing God’s truth...
As the survey says...
Only 6% of people start coming to church if I invite them...
But you Beloved...
If you invite a friend then you are 80% more likely to see that friend right here on Sunday morning!
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So, let the truth go out!
If you have sins don’t hide them...
Confess them!
If you have heard the Good News don’t hide it...
Proclaim it!
For as Ecclesiastes 12:14 says:
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Whatever you do will one day be made known...
So, do good, Beloved!
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I like how theologian Darrell L. Bock say it regarding this passage:
“If a person has things to hide, it is a warning.
But if a person acts admirably, the passage is a motivation.
The Pharisees have much to fear.
True disciples, by their contrastive behavior, have little.”
Don’t follow after the hypocrites like the Pharisees, Scribes, Catholics and Orthodox...
They will lead you off the ledge of a cliff...
Instead, put you FAITH ALONE in CHRIST ALONE because He saved you by GRACE ALONE according to SCRIPTURE ALONE all for the GLORY OF GOD ALONE.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
When Howard Carter and his associates found the tomb of King Tut, they opened up his casket and found another within it.
They opened up the second, which was covered with gold leaf, and found a third.
Inside the third casket was a fourth made of pure gold.
The pharaoh’s body was in the fourth, wrapped in gold cloth with a gold face mask.
But when the body was unwrapped, it was leathery and shriveled.
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Whether we are trying to cloak a dead spiritual life, or something else, in caskets of gold to impress others, the beauty of the exterior does not change the absence of life on the interior.
So, let me leave you with these words of pure wisdom found in 1 Peter 2:1-5:
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Then allow that veil to be torn down...
Allow their eyes to see...
Allow their ears to hear...
Allow their minds to understand...
And allow their hearts to believe!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Remind us that you torn down the veil so we could look unto You...
Remind us You opened our eyes...
Remind us You opened our ears...
Remind us You opened our minds...
Remind us You opened our hearts!
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
