Hypocrites

You shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets. — Matthew 6:5

A hypocrite is a pretender. He is a person who does not act his real self but disguises himself to be another. God hates hypocrisy but love sinners. In all the records of the Gospels, Jesus spoke to sinners with sympathy, kindness, and forgiveness. But to the hypocritical religious leaders, He used the strongest possible language of condemnation. He called them blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and vipers (Matt. 23: 24,27, 33).

The biggest hypocrite of all, however, is the man or a woman who refuses to come to Christ because there are so many hypocrites in the church. Such a person is being inconsistent. Business is full of hypocrites, but that does not stop him from doing business. Society id full of them, but he does not decide to become a hermit. Hell is full of hypocrites, so if a person doesn’t like hypocrites he had better make sure he’s not going there.

If your excuse for not bowing before Christ and accepting Him as you Savior and Lord is that you don’t like hypocrites, will you let me show you the biggest hypocrite of all? I say this is in love, dear friend. Look in the mirror. Stop pretending. If you can’t think of a better excuse, you have no excuse!   — M. R. De Haan, MD

One day before God’s judgment bar

All sham and preens will take flight,

We’ll all be known for who we are —

There’ll be no hiding from His sight.         — D. De Haan

READ: Matthew 23:13-15

There’s no bigger hypocrite than the person who pretends he doesn’t need Jesus.

The Bible in one year

• 1 Chronicles 10-13