The Difference Between True Christians and Fake Christians
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Read Titus 1:15–16 “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”
Intro
The phrase
‘face the music’
is a popular saying
but not truly understood.
The story goes like this:
There was a man
who wanted to play in the imperial orchestra
but could not play a single instrument.
However because he was very wealthy
and influential
the conductor allowed him
to sit in the second row of the orchestra
so the man could perform
in front of the king.
Even though he couldn’t read music
he was given sheet paper to read.
Even though
he couldn’t play an instrument
he was given a flute
and during the concert
would raise his instrument
pucker his lips
and make motions
as to be playing
but made no sound.
And this deception
of this fake musician
went on
for 2 years.
The issue of fakes
was also a problem
in Paul’s letter
to Titus.
In last week’s passage:
Paul focuses his attention
on false teachers
and their false doctrine.
He commands Titus
and the future elders
of the Cretan churches
to rebuke
error
and those who stray.
Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
But now in v.15-16
Paul now changes his focus.
Where in the previous verses
he focused on false teachers
in today’s verses
he exposes what false teachers
truly are:
fake Christians.
Paul’s goal
is to expose
the many fake Christians
in the church.
And to do this
Paul shines the light
not on the outside of a person
but the inside
of a person.
For those
who are pure on the inside
are true Christians
and those who are dirty
on the inside
are fake Christians.
So today’s title is:
The Difference Between True Christians and Fake Christians.
And our main point:
The main difference between true Christians and fake Christians is internal.
The main difference between true Christians and fake Christians is internal.
1. True Christians are pure because God has cleansed their insides (v.15a)
1. True Christians are pure because God has cleansed their insides (v.15a)
Let’s look at the first part of v.15
‘To the pure, all things are pure’.
Now in order to fully understand this
we need to look back at v.13-14.
In those verses
Paul was rebuking false teachers
and those who have went astray
because of their false teaching.
Look at v.13-14 in your Bibles
‘Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the command of people who turn away from the truth’.
The false teaching on Crete
was full
of fanciful myths
and
the command of people
who turn away from the truth.
Both of these things
had one thing in common
they were things
not found
in the Bible.
The false teaching added
new commands
or in other words
the commands of man
as opposed
to the commands of God.
They added rules
and customs to be followed
and if you did not follow the rules
of the false teachers
you were going to hell.
So what kind of rules
did this false teaching add?
The main theme
of this false teaching
was forcing Christians
to continue following
various OT laws.
These fake Christians
forced others
to follow laws
such as the dietary laws.
But although God
gave Israel
certain food restrictions
it was for the purpose
of separating Jews from Gentiles
And if Jews ate the same food as Gentiles
they would eat together with them
and be led astray by their false religions.
But food itself
was never inherently
evil
or impure.
This is why
Jesus said in Mark 7:18-19
And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
When Jesus’ disciples
asked him to explain this parable
Jesus explains
that things on the outside
such as food
does not make one defiled
because food
does not enter the heart
the spiritual core
of a person,
food enters the stomach.
And yet
the false teachers
believed
that whatever you touched
or whatever you ate
things that are on the outside
will defile you
on the inside.
And Paul
rebuked this
false teaching
in Colossians 2:20-23
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?
These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Paul
is teaching here
that if you are in Christ
why do you keep living by rules?
Rules such as:
Don’t handle or touch
an object that was used
in a pagan ritual.
Or don’t touch that thing over there
it’s cursed.
Don’t eat that food
it’s impure.
These are all man-made rules
which seem wise
and even look impressive.
At first when you see someone
who says
‘I don’t drink coffee’
you think ‘wow
if this guy doesn’t need coffee
what is he on?
That’s impressive!
I should do the same!’
And it’s the same reason
why certain diets
become really popular
such as these cleanse diets
because it’s human nature
to be amazed
when you see someone
restrict himself from something.
But false teaching
no matter how many rules they add
how many things they take away from you
that you can do
it still
cannot
stop you
from getting drunk
from smoking
from sexual immorality
and all sorts of things
that require self-control.
There was a false teacher once
who was very presentable
and clean looking
and after teaching all the rules
and things you cannot do
in order to be holy
went outside
and smoked a cigarette.
And that just proves
what Paul just said here
they follow all these rules
and they still
cannot control
their own body.
Because follow rules
and doing works
cannot
make you
pure.
So back in v.15
where it says
‘to the pure’
who
then
is pure?
1 John 3:2-3 says
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
The children of God
who believe in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ
are pure
because the one who they believe in:
the Lord
is pure.
In other words
those who are pure
are True Christians.
Now if fake Christians
try to make themselves pure
with works
what do true Christians do
to be pure?
As 1 John said
hoping in the Lord
makes you pure
or in other words
believing in Christ
makes you
pure.
This is because
the only thing
that can make you pure
on the inside
is God himself.
This is why David says
when he sinned with Bathsheba
says
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
What does David do
to be pure on the inside?
Does he go take a bath?
Does he do some ritual and a dance?
No David
goes straight
to God
because he knows
only God
can cleanse him.
This is why he then says
in Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
David knows
that he needs a clean heart
and that only God
can give it to him.
He knows that only God
can give him a right spirit
and that only God
can address
the root of the problem in David’s life
his inner being.
This is why
God promised
the New Covenant
fulfilled in Jesus
in the OT
to deal with the root problem
in people:
the filth
inside
people’s souls.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Israel
was a nation
that kept straying from God
Why?
How could
a nation
that saw the seas split
and cared for
by God himself
stray from Him?
Because their insides
were unclean.
So God cleanses
all the dirt
in the inner being
with his perfect
and pure
goodness.
And not only does he clean
the filth
in our spirit
he gives us a new heart
so that we follow Him
not because
we are forced to
when we don’t actually
want to
like a forced labor camp worker:
that’s how the Israelites were
and that’s why they strayed.
But instead
God gives us a new heart
so that we actually want
to follow him
and gives us His Holy Spirit
so that we are able
to obey Him.
If you really want to know
if someone is a Christian or not
ask him
what he truly wants.
Because if he has been born again
and God has taken out the heart of stone
and given him a heart of flesh
then he will desire
he will want
Christ
above all.
But if he has not been cleansed on the inside
by God
and if he still has a heart of stone
then he will not want Christ
he will want sin.
The true difference
between a true Christian
and a fake Christian
is what
they
want.
Because what they want
is governed by the heart.
And if they have a new heart
from God
they will want Christ.
This does not mean
that a true Christian
will live a perfect life.
A true Christian’s life
is like a good stock
there’s a bunch of ups and downs
but over the long term
it is consistently
going up.
If you catch a true Christian
at his low point
you might think he’s no longer a Christian
when in reality
you just caught him at his low point.
But eventually
if he’s a true Christian
he will go back up.
This is why as Christians
we must be patient
and remember
that the Christian life
is not 1 month
1 year
but decades
and that when you see a Christian at a low point
just like the stocks
when it is low
you buy it.
When a Christian is at a low
you buy into him
and encourage him
so that he
would get
back
up.
But overall
because
you may
catch a Christian at his lowest
this shows you:
that works
are not the ultimate indicator
as to whether or not
one is a Christian
but his desires
what he wants is.
The thief on the cross
if you looked at his life alone
you would automatically think
this guy is going to hell
he’s not a Christian.
But because
at the very last moment
God did a late spiritual heart surgery in him
he began to want Jesus
above all
and asked Him
to remember him
when Jesus would enter his kingdom
and Jesus said
today
you will be with me in paradise.
This is a man who had little to no good works
in his life
to show you
what ultimately
matters
to God
is whether you have a new
clean heart
or not.
This is why Jesus said in Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus is saying
what you treasure
meaning what you find most valuable
what you want
the most in life
is determined
by your heart.
If sin
is what you want most
then it means you still have
a heart of stone.
But if what you want above all
is Christ
it means you have a heart of flesh.
And that is the true indicator
of a true Christian:
that he has
a heart
of flesh.
That he has been cleansed
by God
on the inside.
So how does one receive
a heart of flesh from God?
Faith alone.
If you are here today
and you recognize this problem
that you want sin above all
then repent
meaning turn away from sin
and ask God
to give you a new heart
a heart of flesh
and he will give it to you.
Because no deed
no ritual
in the world
will cleanse
the filth
that’s inside you.
Only
God can
and if in faith
you ask Him
he will
give you a new heart
and cleanse your insides.
Have you ever been to a home
where the outside looks a bit messy
but the inside is spectacular?
It’s really a nice surprise.
At first when you see the home
you see the grass is a bit too long
the paint on certain areas are chipped
and is fading.
And you then think
‘aw man
I don’t really want to go in here.’
But when you go inside
you’re amazed.
It looks completely different!
The interior is beautifully renovated.
The walls are evenly painted.
The floors are sparkly clean.
The furniture is in good order
and every piece
is in the right spot.
The lighting is warm and beautiful.
And then you think
‘man!
I can stay here all day!
Who cares
what the outside looks like
when the inside
is so nice
and clean!’
Some of you listening
who are not Christian
are thinking
“well I’m not clean enough
to be saved.’
But that’s exactly the point!
You don’t go to the cleaners
with a clean shirt!
You go to the cleaners
with a dirty shirt!
And likewise with God
no one comes to him clean
we all come to God dirty
so that
He
would clean us!
People who think they are clean already
are self-righteous
they don’t come to God.
But if you realize
that you are not clean
but dirty
then come to Jesus!
Now for those
who already
are true Christians
even though you may not be perfectly clean yet
on the outside
what’s matters most
at the end of the day
is that God has
scrubbed the surfaces
and swept the floor clean
of your insides!
And eventually
those
who are clean
who are pure on the inside
also become pure
on the outside.
Look at v.15
‘To the pure, all things are pure’.
Understanding
that being pure
means to be pure on the inside
means that those
who are clean
also
want to live lives
that are clean
which then
makes
all things
pure.
This verse
does not mean
that if you are a Christian
that whatever you do
even if it’s sinful
such as doing drugs
engaging in sexual immorality
or being greedy
is no longer sinful
because you are pure
on the inside.
That if you are a Christian
you can do whatever sin you want now
it’s ok
because God will forgive you
that’s not what it means.
If that’s what you think
then you are not pure
on the inside.
That interpretation
defeats
the very point
of what the Bible teaches
on what it means
to be pure.
The idea here
is the same
as when you have dirty pipes
no matter what you do
even if you
put on a water filter
the water will still come out dirty.
But if the pipes are clean
then the water that comes out
is clean.
And if you have a new heart
a pure inside
then everything
that comes out
of that pure inside
will be pure too.
That’s what it means:
‘to the pure, all things are pure’.
To those who have been made pure
by God on the inside
everything
they want
to do
is pure.
What this means
is that true Christians
live lives
that do not contradict
the one that they want to please:
Christ.
It does not mean they are perfect
but their lives
and more and more
overtime
are marked by pure living
not sinful dirty living.
As you will see later in this sermon
fake Christians
say
they believe in God
but their actions
speak otherwise.
They’re hypocrites.
But not true Christians.
They say
they believe in God
and their actions
their lives
are in line
with what they believe.
By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
While a Christian’s desire
is the best way
to determine
if he is a Christian
it’s not the only way.
For example
if someone tells you
they want Christ above all
they could hypothetically
be lying.
Or if someone tells you they are a Christian
but you’ve known them for over a decade
and they’ve been living
in unrepentant sin
then how could you believe them?
So God gives us
another way
to tell
if someone is a true Christian
and that
is by seeing
a believers’ actions.
That’s why John says
we know we are in him:
by the way we walk.
If a person believes in Jesus
and
walks like Jesus
then we know
they are a true Christian.
They obey Him.
They follow Him.
When they are tempted
they overcome
not by their own strength
but because they are so amazed
by Christ’s love for them
that Christ
becomes their reason
to deny themselves and follow Him.
Which means
that the Christian life
is not all ‘sunshine and roses’
but there is hardship
there are trials.
But it is to be expected
because it is the cost of following Jesus.
But the cost of following Jesus
is so worth it
because at the end of they
we get Jesus
the only one
who is perfectly loving
perfectly righteous
and perfectly truthful.
He is the ultimate treasure
that one could ever attain
in life.
If you have Jesus
you have everything!
No amount of money
degrees
success
or relationships
can ever amount
to the infinite riches
that is in Christ!
And that is why
even if
on the road we walk with Him
there are trials
there are health problems
there are losses of loved ones
there is suffering
there is failure
there is rejection
there is denial of self
Christ is
worth it!
When you come across temptation
a temptation to give up
a temptation to trade Jesus
for sin
say
in your temptation
that ‘this seems good
but Jesus is better.’
If Jesus is better
than you will always choose what is better:
Jesus!
So remember when you are tempted
say
‘Jesus is better.’
In fact
I want everyone to say
‘Jesus is better’.
to the person next to you
on the count of 3.
Ready?
3
2
1.
Jesus
is
better!
This is what it means
that “to the pure
all things are pure”.
That your actions
become pure
because you realize
that Jesus is better
than everything
so that all you want
all things
is Jesus!
So church
rejoice
and praise God
that He has done the impossible work
of cleaning you
on the inside!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Whenever you’re tempted
or discouraged
look at the amazing work
God has done inside you
making you into a new creation
by giving you a new heart
and a clean
spotless spirit!
And when you realize
how glorious
the work the Lord has done in you
you will realize
that you can joyfully
confidently
and freely
live
for Him
because True Christians are pure
because God
has cleansed their insides.
2. Fake Christians are dirty on the inside (v.15b)
2. Fake Christians are dirty on the inside (v.15b)
We see this
in the rest of the phrase
in v.15
where it says
‘but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure’.
In contrast
to true Christians
who are pure on the inside
because of God’s
cleansing power
fake Christians
are filthy
they are dead
on the inside.
This is what it means
with the word defiled.
The picture
is something that is stained by another
that has become dirty.
Like soiled undergarments.
They are morally corrupt.
They are morally dirty.
The same idea
in sports
when you think of a dirty player.
They use underhanded techniques
doing things when the ref is not watching
to gain the upper hand.
They cheat
because they are dirty.
On the inside
their morals have been corrupted
where honor and fairness
no longer matter.
Fake Christians
are like that.
They do not have a clean heart
given to them by God
but a dirty
filthy heart.
They are also unbelieving.
The reason
why they are dirty on the inside
is because
they are not believing.
Either they are unbelieving
because they reject God
with their mouths
or they say
they believe in God
but are still unbelieving
because they reject him
with their actions.
They neither have the heart
to desire God
nor the heart
to believe in him
because of the dirt
on the inside.
And because
fake Christians are dirty on the inside
nothing they do
is pure.
Look at v.15
where it says
‘nothing is pure’.
This means all of their actions
are impure.
Where for true Christians
who are pure on the inside
which leads to a pure outside
fake Christians
because
they are dirty on the inside
everything they do
on the outside
is dirty.
Even the good they do
is dirty.
A fake Christian
living a life of sin
who serves in the church
such as for music
or who teaches
or for AV
or for hospitality
is doing it
not to please God
but to please people.
That is idolatry
and hypocrisy.
It even stumbles and hurts
true Christians
to see someone like that
serve
because everything they do
even if it should be good
is dirty.
What should be a blessing to others
becomes confusing
and damaging to others
because when true Christians
see fake Christians
living in sin
and then come to church on Sunday
like it’s no big deal
it upsets them.
True Christians
don’t think
‘wow it’s great that he is serving!’
But instead they will be thinking
‘why
is he serving?’
And they just become a distraction
rather
than a blessing.
This is because
everything
about them
is dirty.
Not just their heart
but their minds also.
Look at the next sentence in v.15
‘but both their minds and their consciences are defiled’.
The mind
refers to their thoughts.
Their thoughts are impure
and dirty.
When a fake Christian
prays
realize
no matter how nice
and flowy
their words sound
what’s actually going on
in their mind
and thoughts
is impure.
They do not think about
pleasing Christ
or contemplating
on His Word
instead
all they think about
is themselves
and how they can enjoy sin
later today.
And finally
it’s not just
their hearts
and minds
that are dirty
but their conscience.
While the heart
governs your desires
what you want
and the mind
your thoughts
the conscience
is where you make judgements
and decisions.
A person
with a dirty conscience
means
that their judgement
is clouded.
They are unable
to determine
whether what they are doing
is right or wrong.
And the problem with this
is that they don’t know
that their conscience
is dirty.
Usually your conscience
will tell you
if what you are doing
is right or wrong.
And everyone
has a conscience
including unbelievers.
They may not be able to explain it
but they know for example
that stealing is wrong.
But when their conscience
no longer works
that feeling
of guilt
or wrongdoing
is gone
so when they steal the next time
they no longer feel wrong for doing it.
You see the more
you ignore your burning conscience
the more and more seared
it gets
until it’s bunt to a crisp
and you can no longer tell
what’s right or wrong
anymore.
Fake Christians
have a conscience
that is broken.
They cannot make correct
moral judgements.
Fake Christians
are so dirty on the inside
that every aspect
of their inner being
their heart
their mind
their conscience
is defiled.
They are totally and completely
dirty
on the inside.
Not a single
clean spot.
They are so dirty
that sometimes
the truth
gets confused
with their filthiness.
They go to church
and constantly complain
because people are not
treating them exactly
how they want it.
They think
oh everyone is so mean and weird!
But when a true Christian
goes to a church
they have the opposite experience!
they think,
‘everyone is so kind
and loving!’
This is because
fake Christians
no matter how much love
and truth
is poured into them
they always take it
in a negative way.
They will feel nothing.
They will hear the gospel
and liken it to poison.
They will say
‘this honey is bitter!’
But it’s not the honey that is bitter
it’s their tongue
that’s bitter.
When light that shines on a bed of flowers
it makes the flowers
even more lovely
releasing the sweet smelling aroma.
But light that shines
on a trash dump
just makes it the stench
even stronger.
So it is with fake Christians.
They are so dirty on the inside
that whatever good things they receive
they ruin it.
Jesus addresses
people like this
in Luke 11:39-41:
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. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
The Pharisees
were the fake Christians
of Jesus’ day.
While they appeared to be holy and righteous
on the outside
with all the rules they followed
the Bible verses they memorized
even going to temple consistently
they were absolutely filthy
on the inside.
Now ironically in this passage
when a Pharisee
invited Jesus to eat with him
the Pharisee
was astonished to see
that Jesus did not wash
before dinner.
So Jesus
takes this moment
to call out
this Pharisee’s hypocrisy
of being so obsessed
with cleaning the external:
cleaning the cup
cleaning the dish
and cleaning their appearance
to appear righteous
in reality on the inside
they are full of greed
and wickedness, Jesus says.
They are so obsessed
with cleaning the outside
but they completely ignore
about being clean
on the inside.
But Jesus’s rebuke here
is so clear
when he says
‘didn’t God who made the outside
also make
the inside?’
How could you just completely ignore
the inside?
Jesus is saying.
And then Jesus says
‘give as alms those things that are within’
What he means
is if their attitude
towards God was generous
meaning
if their heart
was clean
then everything they do
would be clean.
Or in other words
Jesus is pointing
to same exact truth
that Paul was
when he said
‘to the pure, all things are pure’
if you are clean on the inside
then everything you do on the outside
is clean
not
the other way around.
What fake Christians do
is they go to church
they participate in church activities throughout the week
they pray
even read their Bible
but because
they are still dirty on the inside
they are like the Pharisees.
They do all these things
to show off
their so-called righteousness.
Some times they even make it
into a competition
‘my bible reading is better than yours’
‘my prayers are better and longer than yours’.
Their motive to go to church
is not to worship Jesus
it’s to look righteous
in front of others.
They are the biggest hypocrites
of them all.
And the reality
is that they are in every church
including this church.
But do not be deceived by them
and their appearance of righteousness.
It’s all a farce.
Because fake Christians
are dirty
on the inside.
3. Fake Christians are dirty on the outside (v.16)
3. Fake Christians are dirty on the outside (v.16)
Look at v.16
‘They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.’
Let’s focus on
‘they profess to know God’.
False teachers
because they are fake Christians
claim
to believe in God.
They claim
to have a relationship with God.
This is no different
than true Christians.
Both true and fake Christians
claim
to be Christian.
The definition
of being fake
means
you have to claim
to be something you are not
and in this case
to be a fake Christian
you have to claim
to be a Christian
when you are not.
Why do they do this?
Sometimes it’s just cultural.
Especially
if you grown up in a Christian family
and the culture around you
has a Christian flavor.
In this scenario
the fake Christian
does not actually know
what it means
to be a Christian.
They think
that a Christian
is one who just goes to church.
And when they go to church
it’s really no different
than a social club.
Hang out
then go home.
But another reason
why a fake Christian
proclaims to be Christian
is because
they know the definition
of being a Christian
but they intentionally
lie.
This is why back in v.13
describing false tachers
‘That they are always liars’.
They say they are Christian
but they are lying to your face.
Now
whatever the reason
that a fake Christian
may claim to know God
since both true and fake Christians
profess faith in God
what’s the differentiating factor?
The answer is in the second part of the phrase:
‘They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works’.
This is what it means here
for fake Christians to be dirty on the outside:
They claim faith in God
but ultimately
they reject God
with their actions
that their very lives
reject Jesus Christ.
The saying
‘actions speak louder than words’
is true here.
Now what’s ironic
about this
is that
the false teachers
and fake Christians
believed
that doing works
is what makes you pure
on the inside.
But here
actually
their works
did the complete opposite:
it denied God.
By claiming
that you must do these works
follow these certain rules
in essence
they are saying
that Jesus is not enough.
That Jesus’ work on the cross
is not enough to save you
you must also add your works
on top of Jesus’ work
to be saved.
In other words
instead of relying on Jesus
to save them
fake Christians
rely on themselves
their own works
to save them.
And that
is a denial of the gospel
a denial of God himself.
This is a public denial of God.
By following this false teaching
in the church
fake Christians
are making a public denial of God
to the church.
And because
they deny God
they cannot please God.
Look at the rest of v.16,
‘They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work’.
This is a continued description
of how fake Chrisitans
are dirty on the outside.
The first word
is ‘detestable’.
This is a similar idea
when Paul called them ‘defiled’
in v.15.
Because fake Christians
are defiled on the inside
they are then detestable on the outside.
They have become an abomination
that when God looks at them
he looks in disgust.
Ironically
fake Christians
claim
to be pure on the inside
because of their fake righteousness:
their works
but in reality
they are an abhorrence
to God:
absolutely disgusting.
Such is the Lord’s reaction
to people
when they reject
the good news
of his Son
it makes him want to vomit.
This is what he says
in Revelation 3:15-16
“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
No wonder then
in Revelation 3
when God addresses the church in Laodicea
who have become indifferent to God
because they claimed to know God
but did not truly belong to Him
the definition of a fake Church
God says he will spit
them
out.
Because they are detestable.
Now the next description of their dirty outside
back in v.16
is ‘disobedient’.
After hearing the gospel
they reject it
either with their words
or their actions
or both.
Many churches today
especially the fake ones
do not teach obedience.
‘Oh that bible verse over there
you don’t have
to follow it.
Just follow your heart.’
Because they do not obey God
the only thing they obey
is themselves.
And because
they are detestable
and disobedient
they are
in the last part of v.16
‘unfit for any good work.’
The word unfit
means to have failed the test.
Fake Christians
unlike qualified elders
are disqualified.
And in combination
with the phrase
‘for any good works’
it means they are unable
to do anything good.
The good they do
is contaminated
by their impure motives.
Which ultimately means this:
that fake Christians
cannot
please God.
Nothing they do
can
or will
please God.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Do you notice
what pleases God
according to this verse?
Sacrifice
and burnt offerings
are done
on the outside.
But steadfast love
and the knowledge of God
happen
on the inside.
For God
to be pleased
by steadfast love and the knowledge of God
not
sacrifice and burnt offerings
means what pleases God
is ultimately determined
by the intention of the heart
not the action of the hand.
This does not mean
that as long as you have good intentions
you don’t need
to do good things.
No
good intentions
will lead to good actions.
When good intentions
don’t lead to good actions
it’s because we are still growing:
we lack full knowledge.
But the point here
is that God
is ultimately pleased
by the inside
and because fake Christians
are dirty on the inside
and outside
they can never
please God.
And nothing that they will ever do
will please God
unless
they repent.
Some of you
may have wondered
whatever happened
to the story
of the fake musician
in the imperial orchestra?
The fake musician got away
with his fake flute playing
for 2 years
But one day
a new conductor
took over
and he wanted to personally audition
every player
to see how well they could play.
His goal
was to weed out any player
that did not meet his standards.
In a panic
the fake musician
pretended to be sick
but the doctor told him
he was perfectly fine.
So with no choice
the phony musician
had to appear
in front of the new conductor.
And full of shame
he confessed to the conductor
that he was a fake
and had to “face the music”.
He was then reprimanded
and removed
from the imperial orchestra
for being
a fake.
And Christ
will do the same thing
to fake Christians
when he returns.
Look at Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
In this passage
Jesus describe the fate
of fake Christians.
That not everyone
who claims to be Christian
will enter his kingdom.
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
These are people who call
Jesus, ‘Lord’
but don’t truly believe in Him.
They may even
do miracles
just like how the anti-Christ
will do miracles
in the end times!
But to both
the anti-Christ
and fake Christians
Jesus says
‘I never
knew you;
depart from me,
you workers of lawlessness.’
Jesus does not say
I knew you before
or I knew you once
but I never
knew you
meaning that fake Christians
weren’t saved
but then lost it
but that they were never
saved
to begin with.
And although to people
they may have seemed righteous
they went to church every Sunday
they did some good deeds here and there
maybe they even did some miracles!
But Jesus
just like the conductor
who exposed
the fake musician
Jesus
will expose
fake Christians
for who they truly are
‘workers of lawlessness.’
Some of you listening today
are fake Christians.
You may or may not knew that before
but today
you know it now.
Jesus is warning you
that if you do not repent from your sins
and put your faith in Him
not in your works
you will be punished
in eternity.
Just as Paul told Titus
in v.10 in Titus
that there are many
false teachers
Jesus says
here in Matthew
that on judgement day
there will be many
fake Christians
cast out of His sight
and into
the lake of fire.
And the true Christians
are telling you today
we do not want that for you.
We want you to be saved
and to know Christ!
So repent and believe in Him today!
Put your faith in Christ
that God sent Him
to die on the cross
and take the punishment for our sins
in his own body
and rose again offering all
who believe in Him:
eternal life.
And if you don’t want to put your faith in Him
because you still have a heart of stone
ask God to give you
a heart of flesh
and to cleanse you on the inside.
God cleanses people
who do not
try to clean themselves
with deeds or rituals
but those who simply
by faith alone
ask Him.
And if you are a true Christian
listening today
then remember
that your life
must match your profession of faith.
And if there is anything in your life
that does not match up
with God’s Word
then you must get rid of it
and continue
to walk with Jesus
and relying on Him
and Him alone
whose faithfulness
and steadfast love
is always with you.
So in conclusion:
True Christians are pure on the outside because they are pure on the inside (v.15a)
Fake Christians are dirty on the inside (v.15b)
Fake Christians are dirty on the outside (v.16)
Main point: The main difference between true Christians and fake Christians is internal.
Let’s pray.
