HYPOCRISY

It is not our doctrines the world laughs at;
it is not our faith the world mocks;
it is not our religion the world despises;
it is our hypocrisy that provokes their scorn.



The word hypocrisy is derived from the Greek term for “actor”—literally, “one who wears a mask”… to impersonate anyone, play a part, to simulate, feign, pretend, the acting of a stage player—in other words, someone who pretends to be what he is not.
The Lord says, “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” Isaiah 29:13
These rules are not only “taught by men” but they are also designed, created, invented, conceived, structured and controlled by men. We all know such strict “religions” that require a certain mode of dress, styles of hair and haircuts, what foods to eat and not to eat, even what days of the week to eat such and such…or not. Then there are those “religions” that go the opposite way in the extreme…do whatever you want, wear whatever you want, eat and drink whatever you want….if it’s not sin to you, well… it’s not sin.

I would say that one of the biggest hypocrisies is the “one man leadership” in the overwhelming majority of churches. They call themselves “pastors” and they have usurped the leadership and authority of the Holy Spirit. Of course they would say they are entirely led and guided by the Holy Spirit. And so, what…we, the LAY people, get the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit by proxy??? NO!!! Every true born again Christian man has the gift and authority to officiate and function as a priest.
Matt. 27:51... And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
God was indicating that the Old Testament priesthood was no longer necessary. Now people could come directly to the Holy of Holies, to God through the great High Priest, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). There are now no earthly mediators between God and man as existed in the Old Testament priesthood (1 Timothy 2:5).

Eph. 2:18... For through Him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Rev. 1:5-6... From Jesus Christ, Who is the Faithful Witness, and the First Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 2:5... Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:9... But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Eph. 4:8... Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph. 4:10-16... He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  (NOT pastors)
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

And what about the hypocrisy of “denominations” …are you kidding me? The accepted (approximate) number of denominations is 33,000+ …no one really knows exactly. The word denomination is from the Latin denominare …literally “to formally give a name to.” And so that is what we have all done. We've given names to Christ’s Church. We’ve named some after men (chiefly, Luther), one major denomination after doctrine (baptism), some after events (Pentecost, Advent), some after geography (Southern baptists, Eastern orthodox, Plymouth brethren, Roman catholic), some after “strategies” (methodism, evangelical), some are racial (African), some can’t make up their minds (African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church).

"So remember, you who profess to be followers of the Lord Jesus, that to you indifference is impossible! You must bless the church and the world by your holiness, or you will curse them both by your hypocrisy and inconsistency." 
~ C.H. Spurgeon

Hypocrisy deceives the hypocrite, damages unbelievers, and dishonors God.
The hypocrite is deceived because he knows theological fine points, not for the purpose of obedience, but to impress others.
Hypocrisy—presenting ourselves as something that we know we’re not—is one of the most subtle and dangerous of sins.
For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written. Romans 2:24

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6.
There is no place for hypocrites in that exposition.

Then there are those in the spiritual realm which KNOW of our doctrine and our faith. These are the devils and demons that KNOW Jesus the Christ, Who He Is, what He has done, and what He is doing. We are not mocked by them. We are attacked, persecuted, hindered, and impaired in our effectiveness for the Lord. Some, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck. 1 Tim. 1:19b …others become castaways.

Both scenarios because WE don’t live the life of the conquering Savior.

Jesus walked on water! We tread water.
Jesus silenced the crowd with His wisdom. We silence ourselves.
Jesus healed the leper. We pray for healing, as we should…but we pray, and pray, and pray… and have not because we ask amiss. James 4:3
It is not enough to ask for good things, but we must ask with a good spirit and intention. If you pray righteously...in His Will, ALL your proper wants would be supplied.
Verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Remove from here to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20

So we are attacked on all sides (even among ourselves) and we cower, we are silenced, we are defensive, or we totally ignore the world’s attitudes toward us, justifying ourselves in the belief that we must turn the other cheek. Well, methinks we totally misunderstand that lesson. Turning the other cheek does NOT mean “stop preaching Christ” or His Gospel. I know of a church that for 4 or 5 years had no new convert join the “flock.” I guess they must think they are separating themselves from the world waiting for the Lord’s return.

Our lives do not have the manifestation of power and authority that would shut the mouths of critics. We do not have the expression of Jesus the Christ.
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24.
[Christ, that is, Christ personally, is "the power of God and the wisdom of God;"
Christ, that is, Christ's gospel, is "the power of God and the wisdom of God;"
Christ, that is, Christ in the heart—true religion, is "the power of God and the wisdom of God."] ~C.H. Spurgeon (http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0132.htm)

When they had heard (His) words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. Matthew 22:22
“You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.” Matthew 22:29
And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. Matthew 22:46
“No man ever spoke like this Man!” John 7:46
Jesus left them speechless and revealed the treachery in their hearts.

[Christ's gospel is a thing of divine power. Do you want proofs of it? Ye shall not go far. How could Christ's gospel have been established in this world as it was, if it had not in itself intrinsic might? The more the church has been ill-treated, the more it has prospered.
See what vitality the gospel has. Plunge her under the wave, and she rises, the purer for her washing; thrust her in the fire, and she comes out, the more bright for her burning; cut her in sunder, and each piece shall make another church; behead her, and like the hydra of old, she shall have a hundred heads for every one you cut away. She can not die, she must live; for she has the power of God within her.
    Do you want another proof? I give you a better one than the last.
[I do not wonder that the church has outlived persecution so much as I wonder she has outlived the unfaithfulness of her professed teachers. Never was church so abused as the church of Christ has been, all through her history; even to these later times, we can read of proud, arrogant prelates, and supercilious, haughty lords over God's inheritance. Men of all sorts, have come into her ranks, and done all they could to kill her; and with their lordly priestcraft they have tried to turn her aside. And what shall we say to that huge apostasy of Rome? A thousand miracles that ever the church outlived that! When her pretended head became apostate, and all her bishops disciples of hell, and she had gone far away, wonder of wonders, that she should come out, in the days of the glorious Reformation, and should still live. And, even now, when I mark the supineness of many of my brethren in the ministry-when I mark their utter and entire inefficiency of doing aught for God—when I see their waste of time, preaching now and then on the Sunday, instead of going to the highways and hedges and preaching the gospel everywhere to the poor—when I see the want of unction in the church itself, the want of prayerfulness—when I see wars and fightings, factions and disunions—when I see hot blood and pride, even in the meetings of the saints; I say it is a thousand thousand miracles that the church of God should be alive at all, after the unfaithfulness of her members, her ministers, and her bishops. She has the power of God within her, or else she would have been destroyed; for she has got enough within her own loins to work her destruction.] ~C.H. Spurgeon http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0132.htm

God has given us a model to follow in order to be what He wants us to be, and that model is the person of Jesus the Christ. He has given us the absolute power to accomplish this in our lives, and that power is the Holy Spirit. He has communicated His guidance for every step of the way, His Word (scripture) and He has opened the very Holy of Holies to us to have direct access to Himself. There is only one explanation for NOT living this Holy life…. You don’t want to.