This week we talked about how deception can cause us who believe to become self-righteous and judgmental. We understood that being self-righteous makes us overlook our sins while making decisions about other people’s lives because of their sins. This way of thinking produces a very hypocritical lifestyle because it is always pointing out truth and making claims that are not personally lived by.
We realized that a lot of the deception that takes place in the body of Christ is due to the acceptance of traditions and worldly-focused teaching instead of revelation from God. Christ warned us on several occasions that we must pay attention to what we receive as truth, making sure we don’t accept things just because it tickles our ears or feeds personal desires. When we seek out the things that cater to how we feel or think, we become susceptible to deception.
The reason His warning was repetitive on this topic is because hypocrisy is a very contagious characteristic. If we accept certain messaging that comes from those who are not actually living what they share, then the message becomes contaminated, not being connected to a surrendered life. On the other hand, if we are walking hypocritically, what we share can spread and pollute the hearers of our words in the same way.
Humility is one of the most needed traits that will keep us from being hypocrites. When we are not humble and assume we are in a place that we are not, we become self-righteous never acknowledging our faults. However, when we are humble we realize that daily growth is a necessity for us to look more and more like Christ. This is what keeps us from being judgmental. Instead, we become understanding and willing to walk with others through their trying times. As a result, we find ourselves being more like Christ. As opposed to religious people filled with the same spirit that was in the Pharisees.
Too often people searching for truth have come to accept Christianity, the organized religion instead of the actual being who is alive, Christ Himself. That is the difference between relationship and religion.
This understanding lets us know that we cannot be more influenced by the traditions of man than we are by the Spirit of God. To be stuck in tradition limits God’s ability to move in our lives as He pleases because mentally we bind Him within the templates passed down through the generations. This makes it hard to receive true revelation from the Spirit because of faith in all that is carnal. We are called to worship in Spirit and in truth not in flesh and rituals.
We know that being lukewarm does not sit well with God because God is looking for a heart that is totally committed. If we find ourselves playing both sides of the fence, we are seen as unstable and unpredictable. Lukewarm is a life lived not committed to anything. It is a life that is carried by whatever current we fall in that day. If we say we believe, if we say He is Lord, and if our faith is really in Him; we must pick His side of the fence and stay there.
In the end, hypocrisy can be a character trait that is displayed in our lives knowingly or not. It can be due to us just blatantly being fake or because we’ve accepted things that cause us to believe we’re right when we’re not. Whatever the case may be, when God makes something plain to us it’s our job to acknowledge and confess it. Knowing that where we’ve been does not have to determine where we’re headed. We all need the mercy of God. For that reason, we should all be willing to show that same mercy to others. Confession is key. When we open up our mouths we also open the door to freedom. Yet if we keep our mouth shut so does the door to the shower where God is waiting to cleanse us.
**Audio for this recap can be listened to here
https://open.spotify.com/episode/027z4ima0X9pRR0CuIXov4
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hypocrisy/id1740279389?i=1000657630527
Scriptures for this week
Matthew 7:1-23
Mark 7:1-23
Luke 12:1-3
Matthew 7:1-6
Galatians 6:1-5
1 Corinthians 15:33-34
1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Galatians 5:7-9
Galatians 6:7-10
2 Peter 2:18-22
Matthew 16:5-12
Matthew 15:1-20
Matthew 23:15
Luke 18:9-14
Revelation 3:14-22
Jeremiah 17:5-10
1 John 1:9-10
Psalms 32:1-7
Matthew 5:7
Proverbs 28:13
