GOING PUBLIC WITH OUR FAITH
“What if I am the Hypocrite?”
Luke 12:1-9
So the excitement is building and is all centered round Jesus—so much so that right out of the gate we read that there are literally thousands of people “milling about and stepping on each other.” ? That’s a pretty clear picture, right? Luke gives us that introduction to set the framework for the passage that follows. Everything we read after this is in red letters; in other words the words that follow are the words of Jesus. And this is the topic of his sermon: hypocrisy; hypocrites. Sounds exciting, right? I mean we don’t mind talking about hypocrisy because it’s always someone else who is the hypocrite, not us. Our favorite prayer is faults in others I can see, but praise the Lord there’s none in me.
But think about it… what if you … what if I am the hypocrite? Not everybody else. Me. I mean, it’s possible, right? Jesus begins with these words, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees. Would you write this down? The yeast of the Pharisees is their hypocrisy. We all know what yeast is and what it does but let me remind you.
1. Yeast is used in baking; to make bread.
2. Yeast adds flavor.
3. Yeast cells are tiny. One package of yeast contains 200 billion yeast cells. It is a leaving agent causing bread to rise.
So this is how this works. The people in that day had a choice of pleasing the authorities, OR they could please God. One or the other. Same for us today. It’s helpful here, I think to define the word hypocrite.
A hypocrite is a person who puts on a false appearance. A hypocrite acts in a way that is inconsistent with their beliefs. A hypocrite pretends to be something he is not.
Simply put--- a hypocrite talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. Ask someone why they don’t attend church and they are likely to say: too many hypocrites. I always want to say, you’re right, come on in one more won’t hurt a thing. ? This is what Jesus says: the yeast of the Pharisees is their hypocrisy. Your hypocrisy may seem small but it’s growing and it is the most noticeable thing about us. Nonbelievers can spot it a mile away. And here is why.
1. Hypocrisy will always be exposed. Verses 1b-3. It simply cannot be hidden. Jesus put it this way. There is nothing covered up which will not be unveiled and there is nothing secret which shall not be known. What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light and what you have whispered to someone behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops. The word hypocrite came into the English language from the Greek and it means to be an actor. In the first century one actor played more than one character by simply changing his mask again and again. It describes someone who pretends to be something they are not. It may work for a while but here is the problem: you will always be exposed. You will always be found out. The 2nd things Jesus tells us here is this.
2. Fear has a place/purpose in life. But we must put it into perspective. At this point Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He has been pushed in that direction ever since He went public. And Jesus knew all of this time where this was heading. It was headed in the direction of Judas betraying him---it was headed to his crucifixion. He knew it yet there was no turning back for Jesus. This was like an illustration of what Jesus was teaching here. “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body.” This his words are very blunt: “I’ll tell you who to fear. Fear God who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes he is the one to fear.”
So here it is. Fear has a place in God’s plan. All of us have some kind of fear… if I were to ask you might say you have a fear of spiders, snakes, flying; closed in spaces but this is not referring to those kinds of fears. All of those are really unhealthy. They’re real; just unhealthy. This is referring to a fear of God. So the Bible tells us here to fear God; the OT tells us to fear God---NT says fear not; in fact hundreds of times in scripture we are told to fear not so what we do with that? Fear is also translated as respect; that makes sense---God certainly doesn’t want us walking around in fear. Here is the key to this, I believe… the book of James tells us that Abraham believed God and because of his faith, God accepted him as righteous. And so Abraham was called God’s friend. And if you have received him as your Lord and savior, you are his friend. But until we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus and we are forgiven we are actually at odds with God. James also says “whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” In other words, you can’t be both. So until we come into this relationship with God, we are at odds with God. In a sense, we are enemies. But all of that changes when we come to Christ. We become best friends.
Now, Jesus knew what the future held for him. He would be crucified. By hypocrites by the way. Religious leaders. The disciples would also be called to take up their cross and follow him to death. And while we are in this life, Jesus must be our focus!
• Not fear
• Not people or their opinions
• Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you.
Why? Because they can’t do anything more to you, after that. Now, I’m not a mind reader but I know what you’re thinking. If all they can do is kill me, isn’t that enough? Jesus is making a couple of points here that really matters…
(1) Our bodies are temporary. Every one of us share this one thing in common. One day we will die and our bodies will no longer be useful to us. The Bible says we will get new ones.
(2) It is what happens after death that really matters. He says if you’re going to be afraid be afraid of the one who can throw you into hell. Let that sink in. It is your soul that has eternal value; not our bodies. This is why we must have a very healthy respect for the God who made us.
3. So fear as a place/purpose. We just need some perspective. Verses 6-7. Now, to get this perspective, he reminds us not to think of the most powerful force on earth; instead think of the weakest things on earth. The birds of the air. Jesus said in Matthew, look at the birds of the air; they don’t sow or reap; they don’t sow or reap or put up food. None of that yet God meets their every need. But you are more valuable. So how much more will he take care of us? God doesn’t forget about a single one of them---he will certainly not forget about us.
He says, I care about the sparrow but do not be afraid because you are more valuable than a whole flock of sparrows. I love them, care for them but they are nothing compared to you. We are his crowning achievement. Here is what this means. Fear God. Ignore everyone else. Put all of your focus on him.
4. Going Public will release us from our hypocrisy. Because we will no longer be hiding who we really are. Verses 8-9. At some point we all realize, if we’re being honest, that we are all hypocrites in one way or another. We have all at one time….
• Said one thing but done another
• Made a commitment in private that we never kept in public
• Said we believed something but never out it into practice.
Scripture is filled with individuals who did this.
• Peter said, even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you. Then, he did! And not just once.
• Following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, many saw him alive. Can you imagine how much faith they would now have? Jesus has done exactly what he told then he would do. I will be crucified, buried, but I’m coming back! Listen to the response of the disciples to all of this… “Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee to the mountain when Jesus told them to go. When the saw him, they worshipped him; but some of them doubted.” Matthew 28:16-17.
Listen, there is some element of doubt in all of us. Mark 9. In Marks’s gospel we come across Jesus in the midst of another crowd. That’s where he was many times---because so many were attracted to him. The Bible says when they (first) saw him, they were overwhelmed with awe and ran to greet him. A man had brought his son; we don’t know his age, but we learn that he had an evil spirit. Jesus asks the father how long he has been having these episodes. The response is since he was young. The man says to Jesus, have mercy on us and help us if you can. Jesus replies “what do you mean if I can?” Anything, if a person believes! At that point the Father
says “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.” So is it possible to say we believe and still have a level of unbelief? Apparently so. We want to be sure; we want to be completely certain but even the best of God’s people have doubts. Among the disciples there were doubters. Peter didn’t believe until after the resurrection. Thomas was called a doubter. So what do you do--- you go public ---you show others that you have faith---yes you have doubts but your faith is stronger.
