Hypocrisy Series

INTRODUCTION

• In our new series, Hot Topics, we will dig into six tough topics that people inside and outside the church often think about (even if we don't ask about them out loud!):

• If Christians love Jesus, why is there so much hypocrisy in the church?

• How can we trust the Bible?

• What's the relationship between faith and science?

• Is abortion wrong?

• Is Jesus the only way?

• Why is there suffering and evil in the world?

• These are hard questions without easy answers, but Scripture helps us navigate them with wisdom, grace, and intelligence.

• Today's hot topic is one that many of us have had to answer questions about.

• If Christians love Jesus, why is there so much hypocrisy in the church?

• Hypocrisy manifests itself in many ways.

• Hypocrisy rears its ugly head when people who say they love Jesus habitually do not follow in the way they live or treat others.

• You don't have to look very far to meet someone who the church has hurt.

• "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" ("Millions of Unchurched Adults Are Christians Hurt by Churches but Can Be Healed of the Pain," The Barna Group, April 12, 2010, https://www.barna.com/research/millions-of-unchurched-adults-are-christians-hurt-by-churches-but-can-be-healed-of-the-pain/).

• From sexual abuse cover-ups to embezzled funds, the church is not without brokenness and sin.

• This makes sense: the church is, after all, full of imperfect people with the capacity to sin.

• As we exert our free will, we also exert our ability to inflict harm.

• But that sin hurts others.

• Jesus reserved some of his harshest critiques for the religious leaders of his day.

• His words still ring with truth for the modern Christian.

• The passage we will look at today, Matthew 23:1-36 takes place on Tuesday during the final week of Jesus' pre-crucifixion ministry.

• This day has been called the great day of questions.

• Jesus goes right after the religious leaders concerning their hypocrisy. He pulls no punches, hitting them head-on.

• This action took courage on the part of Jesus!

• Whenever we are put into a position to call out hypocrisy, it takes courage and love to call it out, to call it what it is.

• We are just a few days from the crucifixion of Jesus; why is He taking on this subject at this time?

• The work of construction and destruction must go together.

• Before the new house can be built, the old must be torn down.

• Before the nation can be won to the spiritual ideals of the Kingdom of God, the false teachers and worldly motives of the hypocritical leaders of the nation must be uncovered. (Gareth Reese, Life of Christ 3 class notes).

• How does one fall into the trap of hypocrisy?

• What does hypocrisy look like?

• Do you think the religious leaders saw themselves in the mirror as hypocrites?

• Probably not.

• That is no surprise because we can be blind to what we are doing while quickly seeing the faults of others.

• Today we will explore four actions that can lead one to follow the path of hypocrisy and one bad result allowing hypocrisy to mark our lives.

• We will cover a large chunk of Scripture, so hold on to your hat!

Matthew 23:1–4 (NET 2nd ed.)

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

2 “The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.

3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.

4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.

Matthew 23:13–15 (NET 2nd ed.)

13 “But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.

15 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!

SERMON

HYPOCRISY HAPPENS WHEN...

I. We are not willing to practice what we preach.

• In verses 1-4 as well as verses 13-15 (verse 14 is not in some bibles because it is not found in some of the most reliable manuscripts).

• The religious leaders were more than willing to tell people how to live, but they did not live the life they tried to get others to live.