Tuesday: The Hypocrite’s Heart
“Therefore the LORD said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men’” (Isa. 29:13, NKJV).
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
Though this was the Lord speaking to ancient Israel, what message is here for the church, today? What are the two main issues that the Lord is warning them about, and how can we be sure that we aren’t doing the same thing?
Many centuries after Isaiah wrote those words, Jesus quotes them while in a controversy with the religious leaders.
Read Matthew 15:1-20. What is the specific issue here, and how does Jesus address it?
At some point after He returns to Capernaum, Jesus gets into a debate with the Jewish teachers about what makes a person unclean. The teachers had added to the law all kinds of regulations about external uncleanliness. For example, you had to wash your hands in a certain way. But Jesus’ disciples weren’t bothering with this regulation, and when the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem pointed it out, Jesus responded as He did.
In short, Jesus strongly condemns what’s so easily a trap for anyone: hypocrisy. Who hasn’t at some point been guilty of this, condemning someone for an action (either verbally or in your own heart) even though you have done or were doing the same thing or worse? We all, if not careful, have a tendency to see the faults of others while being blind to our own. Hence, being a hypocrite tends to come naturally to us all.
| We all hate hypocrisy in others. It is always so easy to see hypocrisy in others too. How can we make sure that our ability to see hypocrisy in others isn’t just a manifestation of it in ourselves? |
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If we want to make sure we are not hypocrites judging other hypocrites we must have the character of Jesus by inviting His Holy Spirit to be the motivation of our thoughts and feelings like He did.
We have bad habit patterns of thinking and feeling so we need to be always watchful and prayerful lest we fall into our own temptations to think and feel with selfish motivation.
We must pray to give permission for God's Holy Spirit of Love to be our motivation to overcome selfishly motivated habit patterns of thinking and feeling.
The problem sometimes is we have I problem. Jesus in a parable, directs the way to help someone to remove that problem with an offending member. Luke6:39-42.
It is true, how can you tell words of lips and heart to God? To be real in words and heart now take practice yes?
may God help our feeble efforts to become more doers so that we May speak through good actions
In Matthew 15:1-20, we see two "mouth / heart" passages. In the first instance the hypocrite speaks from his mouth what he doesn't believe in his heart. In the second instance what goes in the mouth doesn't defile but words that come from the mouth because they come from the heart.
No wonder Peter was confused and asked for an explanation! (Matthew 15:15)
And no wonder the heart is deceptive above all things. (Jeremiah 17:9) Sometimes what comes from it makes us hypocrites and sometimes what comes from it shows who we really are.
Tuesday's Lesson reminds me of this quote by C.S. Lewis,
“Humans are very seldom either totally sincere or totally hypocritical. Their moods change, their motives are mixed, and they often themselves are quite mistaken as to what their motives are.” – C.S. Lewis
All the more reason not to judge other people's motives when we don't even know our own.
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” -Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT
We all have a hypocritical heart unless we ask God to come into our hearts. Believe me, when He comes in, His light leaves no room for darkness. Satan can't even take harbor in a dark corner, he is gone once we ask Christ into our heart.
Into my heart, shine into my heart Lord Jeus, Shine in today, shine in alway, shine into my heart Lord Jesus.
AMEN!!
A daily heart examination - "heart" referring to the mind - under the microscope of God's word, is a sure way to escape the ensnarement of hypocrisy, of the kind the pharisees and scribes exhibited. An honest application of the Psalmist's prayer "search me o God and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me" (Psalm 139:23,24), can give each of us a right perception of our own condition before the Holy and righteous God. It is only as we draw near to Christ each day, in prayer, bible study and meditation, contemplating His enormous sacrifice - a shameful death on a cross - for us, sinners, that we can truly appreciate God's plan of redemption for man. If our hearts are far from God, He won't be reflected in us.
When in humility we approach the mercy seat with "a broken and contrite heart" and ask, "search me o God" He answers in His word which acts like a "mirror" exposing our faults and character flaws in much the same way a mirror shows up the pimples and spots in our faces. Then we must ask Him, who is our Creator, to make us over as David did when he saw himself in heaven's eyes. "Create in me a clean heart o God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10,11). We must always be mindful that there is nothing we can hide from God. Our heavenly Father anxiously awaits our prayers for help in trial and temptation and for forgiveness whenever we fail: He has promised that "before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear" (Isa. 65:24).
The worst deceit, it is said, is self deceit. When we see ourselves in light of Calvary, as helpless sinners in need of a Savoir, we will have little need to point the finger at others. We we seek to remove the "plank" in our own eye instead of the "speck" in our brothers' or sisters' eyes, (Matt. 7:5). My prayer is:
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving (verse 2)
Lord, I want to be more holy (verse 3)
Lord, I want to be like Jesus (verse 4)
Didn't Jesus say we should get the plank out of our own eye so that we could see more plainly to get the speck out of our brother's eye? Does this mean we should help the brother with the speck or just leave it there for him to deal with alone?
Jesus was clear to remove the plank from your eye and then help your brother remove the speck from his eye. But even when helping him remove the speck we should not judge his motives. The Bible is clear about our duty to judge actions, but not motives. We can correct someone without speculating why they did what they did.
Yes, the Bible teaches that we should "not suffer sin" upon our brother (Lev 19:17). If somebody is "overtaken in a fault" then those that are spiritual are to "restore such an one in the spirit of meekness" (Gal 6:1). This "restoration" is, I would say, the removal of the proverbial "speck" from their eye.
The human tendency can lead us to approach an offender as though we were a "superior", but it is for this very reason that we are counseled to go to him "in the spirit of meekness" - not as a superior, not to cut and bite, but to "restore".
I also like what William says about not judging motives. We have no warrant to think, "that person did such and such BECAUSE..." - I very much agree - the motivation of others (whether it be good or bad) is none of our business.
(This suggests a great weakness of the world's justice system - it thinks that it must establish "motive". But the Christian has no business in that work.)
Hypocrites are nothing new in God's church. We just have to run to Christ and purpose in our heart that by the grace of God we will follow his leading
Please let someone answer the question -
What are the two main issues that the Lord is warning them about, and how can we be sure that we aren't doing the same thing?
It might be helpful to read the verse Isaiah 29:3 in a different translation.
The NLT states: "And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote."
The Holman CSB states: "The Lord said: Because these people approach Me with their mouths to honor Me with lip-service-- yet their hearts are far from Me, and their worship consists of man-made rules learned by rote . . ."
The NET states: "The sovereign master says, "These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual."
Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines rote:
1. the use of memory usually with little intelligence
2. mechanical or unthinking routine or repetition
So, I'm thinking the two things are:
1. For God to effect true change in man, man has to change inwardly: motives, thoughts, feelings, attitudes. The true inward change will effect an outward display of God's love b/c that man will have God's love in his heart. Without loving God for who He truly is, our obedience to church rules/guidelines are just mechanical (or for show) but our true selves will eventually be revealed by our actions and words. A sign may be: no lasting peace within ourselves.
2. The persons described in Isaiah have also withdrawn their heart from His changing love. They do not seek to love God but have put man before God. Whatever religious rules they follow serve their own endeavors and they have deceived themselves. To these, Christ will answer: "I never knew you; depart from Me." (Matt 7:22,23) "By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matt 7:16)
To keep ourselves from being mechanical worshipers who seek only our own goals, we must allow Christ to live through ourselves, (Gal 2:20).
"Go and learn what this means . . ." (Matt 9:13) "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind." (Luke 10:27)
AMEN, Dorothy!! By the work of His Holy Spirit God can change our motives and renew us into His Character.
These days , there are churchgoers who hear & believe ....
1. The once saved always saved (OSAS) doctrine.
2.Pastors or teachers who use 1 JN 5:13 for their listeners to think that they now have eternal life.
3. That humans can't stop sinning so the blood of Jesus will cover their sins while they still are on Earth. No mention on what kind of sins or how often they are committed.
It seems like what is essential or necessary for salvation is all over the map.
So how can anyone judge anybody since the "saved" criteria is up for grabs?
Hypocrite's heart indeed.
What is more saddening is that the leaders of Israel where more righteous and honorable than the rest, hence their critical stance on anyone who dared to question their profession with regard to 'what says the Lord.
This should be an eye opener to most of us Adventist. We always want to follow what our leading me say or do just because of their positions as opposed to what God says or requires. Let us be bible student on our own, not depending on man whose breath is in nostril or else we are lost.
Our church day has so many man made rules that has even brought lot of controversy among members. Let our words,profession match our actions.
Jesus had said to them over and over again "Hypocrisy is an evil which if unrepented of they would miss heaven."
But they hardly paid an attentive ear to acutely contemplate his warnings.
They infact despised that sweet word from the Lips of Jesus.
Not that he wasnt too clear to be heard but that they werent just too attentive to hear.
The irony of Hypocrisy lies in this condecession of Christs reaction towards the teachers of the law.
From the words of jesus ,it is undoubtedly true that they thought they were doing right yet it was all wrong.
Only Christ alone could see the secrets of their hearts.
So in love he yearned to help them consider what they thought right.
He really wanted them to know because they did not really know how far they had drifted away from Christ in their dealings.
I believe this same exact scenario is attacking our Church too.
We have become hypocritical unknowingly.
We have found comfort in our learning, wealth and position.Yet Jesus is talking but it seems we re too comfortable to hear him just as did the teachers of the law.
Hence even our hearing has dumbed our spiritual capacity to hear Jesus resounding these same exact warnings today.
Talking of our reaction towards hypocrisy as seen in false piety .
Mrs White wrote "He who is guilty is the first to see guilty. "
What is my position then ?
What is my solution?
It's all about Jesus.
Let's get down in humility and know for ourselves that whatever applied to the Teachers of the law is applicable to too.
Instead of talking much about them negatively let us listen to Jesus talking to us down the of introspection .
Otherwise,with the same esteem of mind as they we not any different from them.
And if any are saved amongst them,then it is those who did not think any better of themselves .
An indication that they needed Jesus to campus them into a right direction of the true righteousness of God.
We too need just that .
Anything short of that is but super hypocrisy in an inexpected place.
From the lesson.."In short, Jesus strongly condemns what’s so easily a trap for anyone: hypocrisy." (Tuesday near bottom)
When one reads Matt 15:1-9, they will note that Jesus condemns the Pharisees...not "a trap".
I make this point because of what is written in John 3:17 and used in a broad brush manner..by those in church who counter criticism for whatever reason.
John 3:17 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Matthew records, in at least 14 chapters, Jesus' critique, confrontation, condemnation, & conflict with human deceived & fanatic, life sabotaging, forces of evil..the clergy .. in chapters 5,7,9,12,15,16,19,20,21,22,23,26,27,28 (180+ verses-about 20% of Matthew)
99% of those in Christianity are victims of religious teachers who.."make of none effect the commandments of God by their tradition." Matt 15:6
We are in a spiritual war and Satan's chief target are those "which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev 12:17