Taboo Topics: Hypocrisy

The Queen Mary was the largest ship to cross the oceans when it was launched in 1936. Through four decades and a World War she served until she was retired as a floating hotel and museum in Long Beach, California. During the conversion into a hotel her three massive smokestacks were taken off to be scraped down and repainted. But, on the dock they crumbled. Nothing was left of the 3/4 inch steel plate from which the stacks had been formed. All that remained were more than thirty coats of paint that had been applied over the years and beneath, the steel had rusted away.

Have you ever met anyone like that? People who, when the circumstances of life result in change it becomes clear that they aren’t exactly who they led you to believe they were? People who were empty on the inside but have put on such a show that you’d think they had it all together?

Today we’re going to discuss the issue of hypocrisy and before we dive in I want to ask you, When I say the word “hypocrisy”, what comes to mind? Is it someone who doesn’t practice what they preach? Like a friend who complains about gossips but turns around and gossips themselves?

The word, “Hypocrite” comes from the ancient Greek world where the would hold plays and a hypocrite was simply someone who would wear a mask depicting a different face while they acted. So, a hypocrite in the way we came to understand it today may be defined like this:

“Hypocrisy is caring more about what man thinks of you, rather than what God knows about you.” Or to put it this way, “Hypocrisy is falling in love with the mask your wear for the world to see, while knowing there is a different face behind it.”

And with that said, please turn with me to Acts 4:36-5:11 where we will see a textbook example of hypocrisy laid out for us.

Acts 4:36–5:11 (NKJV)

36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. 7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

As we look at this story together, we will see three things.

The Temptation of Hypocrisy.

The Travesty of Hypocrisy.

The Treatment of Hypocrisy.

The Temptation of Hypocrisy

Elias Keach

What we see in this story is that there is a man called Barnabas who sells his land and donates it all to the church. Well, after this a couple named Ananias a Sapphira decide they’re going to pledge to do the same thing. The reason I say they pledged or promised to do the same thing is because in verse 2-3 we see the phrase, “kept back”. In greek that is the term “nosphizomai” which describes embezzlement. Now, Peter makes it clear in verse 4 that they could have kept the funds of their selling of the land so it’s not that it’s a sin to keep money. The sin here is that they publically pledged to give everything and behaved as though they did while secretly keeping money for themselves.

Or we could put it this way, they wanted the prestige of being people who gave it all, without the pain of sacrifice.

John Stott said, “Their motive in giving was not to relieve the poor, but to fatten their own ego.” And this is a sin that Jesus warns about falling into in Matthew 6:1—4

Matthew 6:1–4 (NKJV)

1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

We live in an age that is obsessed with instant gratification, don’t we? I’m thrilled that there are people doing good out there, but it really bothers me when I see Christians on Facebook taking pictures with homeless people to brag about how they gave them food. Guys, we should be able to serve others for the glory of God without bragging about it on social media.

And so, as we look at the temptation of hypocrisy, we should take a moment to check our own hearts, shouldn’t we? Why do you do the things you do? And do you do them with sincerity?

You see, God is not as worried about your popularity as He is your sincerity.

Kevin DeYoung said, “Hypocrisy is not the gap between doing and feeling; it’s the gap between public persona and private character.” He goes on to say, “The sin is using the appearance of good to cloak the deeds of evil. The sin is thinking that who others think you are matters more than who God knows you to be.”

Are you afraid of being found out? Do you live a double life? This was the issue with Ananias and Sapphira.

The Travesty of Hypocrisy

The story is told of a zoo that was noted for their great collection of different animals. One day the gorilla died, and to keep up the appearance of a full range of animals, the zookeeper hired a man to wear a gorilla suit and fill in for the dead animal. It was his first day on the job, and the man didn’t know how to act like a gorilla very well. As he tried to move convincingly, he got too close to the wall of the enclosure and tripped and fell into the lion exhibit. He began to scream, convinced his life was over…until the lion spoke to him: “Be quiet, or you’re going to get us both fired!”

Sometimes hypocrisy lands us in hot water, especially when we’re discovered to be disingenuous. But far more serious than the story of the zookeeper is the story of Ananias and Sapphira where we learn that this isn’t just a sinless little white lie as society puts it. Instead, it is lying to God. Hypocrisy is so serious because it betrays the trust of the Christian community where we are held together by the love of the Spirit in the midst of progressive sanctification and instead builds a community on top of fake identities.

The words that are used here, like nosphizomai, or kept back in verse 2 and 3, and ekklesia or church in v11 are clearly connected to the story of Achan and his theft back in the book of Joshua. What Luke is picking up on here, as FF Bruce puts it, is that, “An act of deceit interrupts the victorious people of God.”

Is this not the case in our society today? How often do you hear people complain about hypocrites in the Church? You see, following Peter’s confrontation with them, the judgment of God falls on them and kills them. Hypocrisy is Satan’s promise of prestige without payment and the cost is bringing corruption into the Church. And God makes His feelings about that clear here.

Now today, God doesn’t frequently kill people like we see here. However, what we have now is Church Discipline as laid out by the Lord and emphasizes by Paul. Jesus explains that we should privately confront those in sin and if they won’t here us we should take witness and if they still won’t hear us we take it to the Church. This is further emphasized by Paul as he describes excommunication, or removing someone from the church, in 1 Corinthians 5:5

1 Corinthians 5:4–5 NKJV

4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Here Paul describes excommunication as thrusting an unrepentant believer back into the world on his own to face the affliction of Satan. This is God’s means by which He keeps His Church pure.

The Treatment of Hypocrisy

So what do we do? I want to read some things I got from a TableTalk magazine that I found really helpful

We Look To Christ.

“Godly simplicity naturally comes when we truly grasp the truth of the gospel—when we know our own unworthiness and are desperate for God’s grace; when we grasp the power of Christ’s death and resurrection to redeem us from sin’s condemnation and power; when we rest in our adoption and full acceptance before God; when we sense our ongoing need of His grace in order to resist temptation and to walk in obedience; when we know the regular cycles of repentance and faith. These are the sorts of thoughts that will make us simple-hearted as we seek God’s face. These are the truths that will liberate us to serve Him sincerely.5 And they will cause us to look to our Savior with eyes of faith and hearts full of loving gratitude.”

Christ was not disingenuous, He wasn’t two faced. Christ is the One we look to because He is the sinless, obedient, pure-hearted Son of God.

We Pray For Sanctification.

As Christians we should want to be more like Christ and in Christ’s sermon on the mount, He says, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” If you know that you’ve been only pretending or focusing on the outside rather than the inside. Ask God to forgive you, look to Christ, and pray for God to grant you a heart set on fire for Him.

Calvin said, “ “My heart I offer to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely.” Is that your prayer?