Hot Topic: Hypocrisy in the Church

Matthew 23:1–36 NIV

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

1. You don’t have to look very far to meet someone who has been hurt by the church. “In fact, one Barna study among unchurched adults shows that nearly four out of every ten non-churchgoing Americans (37%) said they avoid churches because of negative past experiences in churches or with church people”

Pastor who stole money from the Church.

Pastor who had an affair with the organist.

There are a lot of big names pastors and churches who have fallen lately.

So Let’s talk about Hypocrisy in the Church, What is it? And what can be done?

42 - Hypocrisy prioritizes the external.

Externals include

1. focusing on impressing people - Pastors can easily fall into this trap, and I find that church members often push for this…Keeping it real is a popular phrase, but not really all that popular. I keep hearing from Youth experts that Youth can tell when a leader is not being real. I go, were you ever a teenager. Teenagers are often obsessed with image and impression, etc...

2. Doing things to be honored and liked

3. Focusing on Following the Rules, but neglecting Character. - and it creates a whole bunch of wierd inconcistencies.

Using the rules for personal gain - We are often taught this in sports

Making up rules for personal gain - Making things up about oaths to get out of them - “Pledge and Donation same thing” - Jesus’ approach - Just do what you say your going to do.

4. Jesus is able to see their heart - though outwardly they are trying to present themselves as amazing law abiding citizens, really inside they are full of greed, self-indulgence, hypocricy and lawlessness.

- This really means all of us are hypocrites because we can not truly see each others hearts.

- The charge that Christians are hypocrites is pot calling the kettle black. - Humans have a hard time judging the heart.

43 - Hypocrisy neglects the internal.

Hypocrisy is a theatre term - It means playing a part. It is presenting to the world a character that you are not inside.

Why Jesus called the Religious leaders out for being “Clean on the outside,” but not on the inside.”

The church and her people are imperfect. One of the first things the Holy Spirit impresses upon us as we move toward salvation is that we are unrighteous. We are unholy, but we find hope in the holiness of Christ. His grace gives us the motivation to do the things that will honor him instead of dishonoring him.

Joanne Rogers tells a writer who is working on a magazine profile that Fred is not perfect but that he chooses his responses wisely and practices things like prayer, Bible reading, writing letters, and exercise that help him stay grounded in a challenging world

We too must practice following Jesus, in a community of faith, every day! Simple disciplines keep us rooted in faith so that we can follow Jesus instead of living as a hypocrite, and producing the fruit of the Spirit rather than the fruit of unhealth.

The Church then is called to be a group of imperfect people who help each other grow in heart towards Jesus.

Contrast Internal focus.

Jesus tells his listeners that we are all equal and that the only true teacher is the Messiah, the Christ (vv. 8–10). People who live a life of humility and service are the ones who deserve to be exalted (vv. 10–12).

- Instead of seaking titles of honor - attitude of equality - Jesus deserves all the titles of honor.

- Titles in themselves not bad to distinguish a role one plays in the community - It is not the title, but the status given to the Title. All the titles Jesus gives - Rabbi (root means “Great One.” Teacher, Father) were culturally titles that placed people as on a higher status than others.

- In the Church, Father, Dominee, Reverand, and Pastor can have the same issue. We need to see Pastor, Elder, Deacon, Ministry Leader not has higher status, but a role within the community. - Why I use Pastor - But I notice most just call me Gary (great with me), I only use Reverend when signing legal documents.

- Others focused

- Recognizing the level playing field we are all on.

In as much as Hypocricy focuses on the external in neglect of the internal

44 - Hypocrisy therefore misses the point.

45 - https://skitguys.com/videos/do-as-we-say

Hurt People, Hurt People

-Not always, sometimes people are just greedy so they hurt people.

-Sometimes hurt people find a way to rise above and not pass on the cycle - How, they focus on Jesus and how to respond in a healthy way to their hurt.

- 46 - Sometimes we miss the point because of our tendencies. - Healthy Community/Structure/Mission Ven-Diagram.

- 47 - The church is the people, not a building or a denomination, and through his people God has moved mightily in the modern world. Consider Christians like lawyer Bryan Stevenson (author of Just Mercy), whose work with the inequalities directed toward people on death row and in the criminal justice system might seem the definition of hopeless—yet Stevenson continues to have faith and to go on as a Micah 6:8 Christian (see Dominique DuBois Gilliard, “Bryan Stevenson Wants to Liberate People from the Lie That Their Life Doesn’t Matter,” Christianity Today, January 10, 2020, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/january-web-only/just-mercy-film-bryan-stevenson.html). And consider that organizations like the YMCA, Salvation Army, World Vision, Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, Save the Children, Amnesty International, Alcoholics Anonymous, and many more have Christian roots. Consider also the Christian impact on modern science. many of whom made enduring contributions to modern thought, mercy work, science, and the arts.

When we focus on the externals, and not the internals we can lose sight of keeping the main thing the main thing.

48 - The Antidote for Hypocrisy is Transformation by Jesus.

1. As evidenced in this passage, the letters to the churches in Revelation 2–3, the teachings of Galatians (legalism), Colossians (heresy), 2 Timothy (leadership transition tensions), Philippians (conflict and selfish ambition), and 1 and 2 Corinthians (pride and arrogance),

-God has high expectations of the church.

-It seems like we’ve always been kind of messed up! - We are called to the process of confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration in Jesus.

-Pretending we don’t need help keeps us from finding healing and wholeness in Jesus. It prevents the church from inviting Jesus to make it more like his image. We must face the church’s inadequacies with the hope that Jesus is the way toward holiness. We do this individually and corporately.

-I am a Hypocrite, I don’t always act like the Child of God I am called to be. On this Pentacost I pray that the Holy Spirit transform my heart.

1. It is good to be reminded that the church isn’t all bad. Greg Boyd writes, “Christianity isn’t a religion or an institution of any sort; it’s a relationship. Within the religion of Christianity there are, and have always been, genuine Christians—people who have a saving and transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. And this fact accounts for the tremendous good Christianity has brought to the world (in spite of the evils)” (Greg Boyd, Letters from a Skeptic [Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1994], 20).

Conclusion:

Only Jesus is the real deal 100% of the time.

Yes the Church is full of hypocrites and we know it.

We are in the Church so that we may be cleaned from the inside out.

And Keep the main thing the main thing.