Dealingwithhypocrisy

Dealing With Hypocrisy

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Intro

If there is one thing that teens like to yell at Christian teens it is “hypocrite!”  Teens are desperately looking for something that is authentic and genuine.  The main problem is that nobody has any idea what it means to be a Christian anymore.  It has gotten so messed up, watered down, and twisted.  If I were to ask each of you what it meant to be a Christian I would probably get a million different answers. 

Hypocrite-a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion.

Hypocrisy-a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially : the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion.

!!! I. Causes of Hypocrisy

A.  Ignorance

*Kids saying they are Christians when they really have no idea what that means or how to live it.

*86% of teenagers claim that they are Christian.

*Only 1/3 describe themselves as "absolutely committed" to Christianity, half say they are "moderately committed" and the remaining one-fifth are less committed.

*One-third of all teenagers (34%) as born again. (classified as "born again" if they said they had made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life and if they believed that after they die they will go to Heaven solely because they have confessed their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.)

It is interesting to note that among those who deem themselves to be committed Christians, only half qualify as born again Christians, a categorization that includes having “made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in [their] life today.”

*Three out of five teens said they believe the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches.

* When asked about specific religious beliefs, though, many teenagers embraced views that are inconsistent with the Bible. For instance, two-thirds stated that Satan is not a living being but merely a symbol of evil. Six out of ten argued that a good person can earn eternal salvation through good deeds. A majority (53%) said that Jesus committed sins while He was on earth. The view that Jesus committed sins was endorsed by four out of ten born again teens (40%) and half of all teenagers (52%) who attend a Protestant church.

B.  Plankeye Mentality

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Matt 7:3 (NKJV) “And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank [is] in your own eye? "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”

*This verse identifies the ones yelling “hypocrites!,” as hypocrites.

*The life we should worry about most being like Jesus is ours.

!!! II.  The Cure for Hypocrisy

A.  Dealing with yourself

John 15:4-5 (NKJV) “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

The cure is “abiding in the vine” and understanding that fruit doesn’t come overnight.

*You are a work in progress!  Some might be ahead of you, but that doesn’t mean they are better.  Without Jesus all of us are nothing…so don’t compare yourself to others and get discouraged.

B.  Dealing with others

Extending grace to others so as to avoid being a “plankeye hypocrite.”  Instead of condemning someone as a hypocrite when they fall or get trapped in sin…or even willfully turn away in rebellion, why not be like Jesus and extend grace.  Not condoning it, but instead loving them and trying to be Jesus to them

Salvation not based on works anyway…on grace.  Not a license to go crazy, but a freedom to fail and not be condemned.   Don’t give up, get up!

!!! III.  Closing personal thoughts

Barna stats: no diff between Christian kids and secular.

My Philosophy of Ministry…making Champions not Chumps

Quest for authenticity