NTDS
(7): Beware of Hypocrisy
Matt
6:1 "Beware of practicing your
righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward
with your Father who is in heaven. NASU
Have
you ever noticed that Christians get called hypocrites a lot? People can be
quick to point out hypocrisy, especially in someone other than himself or
herself. Well, Jesus did not care for
hypocrisy either and in Matthew, chapter 6, He points out four examples of
hypocrisy practiced by the Jewish religious leaders of His day.
In
verse 1, Jesus outlines the general definition of religious hypocrisy. He says
it is practicing righteousness (doing good deeds), with the motivation of being
noticed by other people. He then gives four specific examples of this
hypocrisy.
1.
Announcing
their generous giving to the needy (verse 2)
2.
Praying
in public for the expressed purpose of being noticed for their piety (verse 5)
3.
Praying
long prayers, with repetitive phrases so as to appear spiritual (verse 7)
4.
Purposely
looking sad or gloomy so that people noticed that they were fasting (v 16)
All
these things were done for one reason. They desired to be looked upon as more
Godly than those around them. We might think that Jesus was just speaking out
against this hypocrisy but He was also giving a warning to His followers. DO
NOT DO THESE THINGS! DO NOT BE LIKE THEM!
Jesus
knew that all people, including His closest followers, could face the
temptation to be hypocritical. Let’s be honest. We like it when other people
look at us as “devout” don’t we? It can tickle our ears to hear someone say,
“Oh, I wish I were as close to the Lord as that person,” after they have seen
us do something appearing “Godly.” It makes us feel good.
Well
according to verses 1 and 5, that “feel good” moment better be really good
because that is all you will be getting. This passage teaches us that it is of
no spiritual value when we do what appears to be good works with the motivation
of looking good to others. So how do we deal with this?
The
great thing about this section of scripture is that Jesus also teaches us how
it should be done.
1.
When
we give, do it quietly and secretly so that no one notices.
2.
When
we pray, do it mostly in private. That does not mean we never pray in public
but when we do, it should never be with the motivation of being noticed for our
“piety.”
3.
When
we pray, keep it short and to the point. God already knows what we need. Follow
the model that Jesus gives in verses 9-13.
4.
When
you fast (notice it says when, not if), make your appearance look good and
healthy so that no one asks you if something is wrong.
These
are specific examples, but ultimately we just want to have the right motivation
for any good works that we do. That motivation should be to glorify God and to
show Him our gratitude for His love for us! When we do things with that
motivation, we need not worry what the world thinks of us. As long as what we
do pleases our Father in heaven, that is all that should matter to us. The
awesome thing is that when we do these things with that proper motivation, we
will receive rewards from the Father. What could be better than that?
Let
all of us take inventory of our own selves.
Let’s check our motivation for doing
what we do and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any hypocritical ways in us. Then
let’s be led by Him to do our good works for His glory! Amen?
God
bless you
Coach
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