WOE TO THE HYPOCRITE
Is there anything quite as nauseating as the hypocrisy of celebrities, democrats, and leftists today? Does it not infuriate you as these hypocrites lecture us about wearing masks then go out to their fancy restaurants, or off on their vacation frolicking mask-less and free? Doesn’t it turn your stomach as congress passes one destructive bill after another, stealing more of our money, crushing the middle class, standing by as inflation crushes your budget, only to give themselves hefty pay raises at our expense? Doesn’t it sicken you as they pass insurance legislation, causing your out of pocket costs to skyrocket while they give themselves unlimited coverage on dental, vision, full health coverage for almost anything, again, by stealing more money from us in the form of punitive taxes, while you struggle just to provide minimal insurance, with huge out of pocket expenses for your family? Or when they demand we defund the police, while surrounding themselves with private security paid for by our tax dollars! I could go on and on as the list is endless.
Hypocrisy is repulsive, nauseating, infuriating, and destroys the credibility of the hypocritic politician or leader in any sphere of life.
Hypocrites make us all sick and we rebel against them. Jesus’ strongest warnings were to hypocrites. His scathing public indictment of them in Matthew 23, tore the pretentious flesh from their bones, exposed them for what they really were and they hated him for it. Immediately after his public rebuke to them for the hypocrites they were, he issued a strong warning to his disciples. Beware of the yeast of the Pharisee – Hypocrisy! Luke 12:1
Dads, moms, please listen very, very carefully to this. As our children become pre-teens and teenagers, their response to parental hypocrisy will be the same as we feel towards the democratic leftist in this nation right now. We despise it, and we despise them. We rebel against their edicts. For example, moms, when you tell your kids to obey you, but you are consistently unsubmissive and disrespectful to your husband, they see that, and it sickens them, it destroys your credibility. Dads, when you tell your kids to be kind to their siblings, yet they see you consistently unkind to your wife, inconsiderate, and uncaring, it sickens them and undermines your credibility.
When mom stubbornly refuses to follow her husband’s leadership, your kids see that, and in time they will refuse to follow your leadership. Your hypocrisy is sabotaging your life.
When dad continues to speak about his faith, pontificating to the family, but refuses to live it out in his relationship with his wife, and in the home, his children see that hypocrisy, and it secretly makes them sick and angry inside. Dad becomes a huge turn-off to his kids. They no longer take you seriously. In fact, they will rebel!
As a teenager, it was the hypocrisy I witnessed first hand in my father, and at church over and over again, that sent me veering off into rebellion. It corrupted my perception of faith and Christianity. The hypocrisy of others I looked up to, became a great stumbling block to me, and for a time really tripped me up.
This left a deep, lasting impression on me that was ever-present in my mind when I became a father and a Pastor. It put the fear of God in me in a huge way. It produced 2 very crucial things in me.
First, I was determined to walk with God, to tenaciously pursue God, and to develop and live a genuine, authentic faith that my kids could follow, one they would want to follow. I knew I needed to be desperate for God, to seek Him fervently, every single day of my life. I knew I must rigorously train and discipline myself for the purpose of godliness, or I would be corrupted by my sinful flesh.
Second, it worked in me, a deep humility of spirit to apologize and seek forgiveness each time I failed to live up to the Christianity I loved, professed, and taught to my kids. I cannot tell you how many times I apologized to my wife or my children with tears in my eyes, for something angry or unkind that I said. I recognized my own frailties and my own weaknesses. I knew it would hurt my children, and my wife, if I pretended I didn’t fail and lived as a hypocrite. I knew it would nauseate them, and bring about their rebellion and their disdain for me, and my precious faith in God.
This frightened me more than anything else. I took Jesus’ warning very seriously, I knew the yeast of hypocrisy would destroy all the good I was hoping to achieve.
Though we do not use the word woe very often in our modern language, it is very important you understand what it means, as Jesus used it in a very specific way. It literally means, how terrible, horrible, and deeply grievous things will eventually become for you. That is the fate of the hypocrite!
May God deliver us, dear friends, from hypocrisy!
Please listen to this profound message, Woe To The Hypocrite!
https://strongdisciple.com/
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
