What Would Jesus Undo Hypocrisy

What are we gonna talk about for the next four weeks? I don't know, did any of you ever have the bracelets that were really, really popular that said WWJD? All of our churches, WWJD. Let me tell you where this came from, if you don't know. In 1896, there was a pastor, I think he was from Topeka, named Charles Sheldon who wrote a book called In His Steps. This little book went on to sell over 30 million copies. And in the book, this pastor essentially talked about small town living where different people would be faced with life situations and would ask themself, in this situation, what would Jesus do? A hundred or so years later, there's a movement that's kind of birthed, I don't know, where the people wore these bracelets, what would Jesus do? What I wanna do in this message series is ask a question tied to it but one that's a little bit different. Not what would Jesus do, but what would Jesus undo?

What are the things, that as we look at the red letters in your Bible, those are the words of Jesus, what were the things that really broke his heart, bothered him, created a real sense of dissatisfaction? What was it that Jesus saw, that he could not stand that he would undo?

What is it when Jesus sees this in our lives he says I would undo this so you could have something better?

To introduce today's theme I want to tell you a story about something Jesus would undo. This happened just last week…

Tell Story of Easter Text Message and Responses

What would Jesus undo? Something that Jesus would undo is a behavior or an attitude that he despised with all of his heart. Jesus would undo hypocrisy, those who claim one thing but then live in another way. Jesus would undo hypocrisy.

Now I want to ease into this subject because hypocrisy's no fun to talk about. It's not easy to see in our own lives. It's very easy to see in other people's lives.

But did you know the #1 reason why people say they do not go to church? The number 1 reason… Church people are hypocrites.

In fact, how many of you would say I know a hypocrite? Raise your hand, I know a hypocrite. How many of you say I'm sitting by a hypocrite? Do not raise your hand because they could point right back at you.

In church especially this is a hard subject. There may have been someone that you looked up to spiritually. They said one thing, they did something else.

It was very, very painful for you. They represented one thing, a youth pastor. Could even be your mom or dad. Your mom or dad were one thing in church, then they would come home and they would act totally different at home.

It can be incredibly painful.

Some people see hypocrisy, well you claim this and you did this and it devastates them. They walk away from the church. Many people walk away from God because hypocrisy is a horrible sin.

What would Jesus undo? Jesus would undo hypocrisy. I like what the author and theologian Brennan Manning said about hypocrisy.

He said this, he said, "The single greatest cause "of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge "Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him "with their lifestyle. "This is what the unbelieving world "simply finds unbelievable."

What would Jesus undo? Jesus would undo hypocrisy.

Let's go ahead and build a foundation today in understanding what hypocrisy is.

But to understand what it is we also have to acknowledge what it is not.

Let's start with what hypocrisy is not.

If you're taking notes, hypocrisy is not the gap between what we do and what we wish we did.

It's not the difference between how we behave and how we wish we behave.

Like I wish I didn't have bad thoughts, but I did. I wish I didn't say that but I did. What that is, is that's regret, not hypocrisy. There's a difference between sinning and being hypocritical.

Hypocrisy, if you're taking notes, is the gap between what we show and who we are.

It's the difference between what we say and how we live. It's the difference between our public persona and our private character.

What would Jesus undo? When Jesus would go off about hypocrisy there was a Greek word that he used. It's the word hupokrites. It even sounds like hypocrite, hupokrites.

And what this word literally means is it means an actor or a stage player.

It means one who hides behind a mask. In fact, if you've ever seen the Greek plays, the hupokrites was very literally the masks that they would wear.

Church has these type of actors as well… Praise the Lord… Hallelujah… I’m blessed and highly favored. The cuss someone out because they have a texting error…

Paul has one little verse to me that best represents what hypocrisy is.

He says this in Titus 1:16. He says, "They claim to know God." "They show it. "But by their actions, the way they live, "they actually deny him."

Jesus hated this. He talked very, very directly about what hypocrisy was. He said anytime you're giving to be seen. Hey, I'm gonna be generous, but I want everybody to know how generous I am, that's hypocrisy.

Whenever you're praying to be heard. The Pharisees would literally stand on the street corners.

Jesus said that is completely hypocrisy. It's hypocrisy whenever you fast to be noticed.

One time, whenever he entered the temple and people were selling animals as a sacrifice he didn't just come in and say now boys I told you not to do that. You guys need to be nice, you need not to be about your personal profit. No man, Jesus came in and he said I am not going to stand for this. He took the tables and he overturned the tables and he said this is my Father's house, and it will not become a den of thieves.

This is a place where we seek my Father in prayer. He never spoke more harshly than he did when people were hupokrites, when they put the mask on.

In Matthew's gospel, Matthew 23, 25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Now watch what Jesus calls them. He says, "You snakes. "You brood of vipers." Then he asks, "How will you escape being condemned "to hell?"

What is the hypocrite? It's the one who wants to look good on the outside, but on the inside we've very far from God.

We want the illusion of public virtue, but inwardly we're full of private vices.

What's so interesting to me is this. Jesus didn't say woe to you who say bad words. He didn't say woe to you who watch bad shows on Netflix sometimes. He didn't say woe to you who do bad things. He said woe to you who do it but act like you don't. Woe to you who put on the show. Not woe to you who are imperfect. Woe to you who are imperfect, but act like you're something different.

What would Jesus undo? He would undo a spirit of hypocrisy when what we show is so different than who we are.

Listen: Jesus was not calling out sin… He was calling out the show…!

Woe to you, Jesus says. How will you escape being condemned to hell? If you're a little bit uncomfortable right now that's probably a good thing.

Because that means you have some self-awareness. Because let me tell you right now some of you are going oh, I'm so glad somebody's hearing this. I'm so sending them this link, they need to see it. The hypocrite.

This message isn’t for someone else… Its for you!

It's so easy to see in other people. But it's so difficult to see in yourself. If you're feeling a little bit uncomfortable because you're recognizing some inconsistencies, that's actually a good thing. That means you're self- aware. That means you're open to what the spirit of God will show you.

And I think we can all struggle with this at times… Looking at someone else judging them for doing something and all though we don’t deal with that exact things, do something just as bad in our lives…. Hypocrites

What I want you to see is there is hope for the hypocrite in all of us. There is hope. Let me show you the hope. Jesus shows it, in verse 26 of Matthew's gospel.

"Blind Pharisee, "first clean the inside of the cup and the dish. "Then the outside will be clean."

First let the spirit of God do a work internally where no one else sees. When internally you're being conformed to the image of Christ, when the spirit of God is working within you, when God's word is transforming you, then out of an overflow of who you're becoming you will display the goodness of God as a reflection of his work internally, not as an act to fool people on the outside.

Jesus has zero tolerance for hypocrisy. But he has unlimited grace for a sinner in need of forgiveness.

Jesus cannot stomach the show, but when anyone who's hurting drops the mask and says forgive me, heal me, redeem me, save me, change me, Jesus' answer is always yes. Because he did not come for those who appear to be righteous, but he came for sinners.

He didn't come for those who are healthy on the outside, he came for those who knew they were sick. He has no tolerance for the show, but he has unlimited grace for a sinner in need of grace and repentance.

When we really started the final talks of me taking over the church I knew that I could not in anyway wear masks in the pulpit… I could not say one thing and live differently…

For me it became a conviction, that I would always lead from the position of Paul… I have NOT arrived…But I will instruct you in the direction God is leading us…

I knew I needed to be the same person on stage as I am at home… You know my greatest fear? What will people think of me if they know I’m not perfect…

Maybe you feel the same way… What if others know about me? What if they know that I'm not perfect? What if they know that I have faults? What if they know that I'm showing one thing and I'm not? Listen to me, you have nothing to fear when you have nothing to hide.

You have absolutely nothing to fear when in the community of grace you ask for help. This is what Proverbs says.

Proverbs 28, verse 13, "Whoever conceals their sins "doesn't prosper." Whoever lives like this behind the mask never finds the blessings of God. Whoever conceals their sins shows the false life on the outside, hiding the truth on the inside. "Whoever conceals their sins doesn't prosper. "But the one who confesses and renounces them "finds mercy."

The one who asks for help finds mercy. Here's what I hope you'll understand. Some of you, you're gonna recognize right now you're hiding behind a mask.

When you drop the mask, when you are honest there is power. You are only as strong as you are honest.

What is hypocrisy - Its the gap between what we show and who we are.