Of Hypocrites and Saints

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on All Saints Day, Sunday morning the 1st of November, 2020, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service, also streamed live, due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

Today is known in the Christian church as All Saints Day, when we celebrate and commemorate the lives of saints of the past.  We could spend hours listing all the Biblical saints, most of whom were martyred for their belief.  And I think each of us could come up with a few names of folks we’ve known and loved that we consider saints.  Because really, any true believer and follower of Jesus can be called a saint.

Of course, anyone can call themselves a saint, but sitting in a church on Sunday mornings doesn’t make a person a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes them a car.  God knows what is in our heart and where our belief and faith actually lie.  So what about those people who say they believe, who claim they serve God, but in their heart of hearts do not follow Jesus?  Jesus called them hypocrites right to their faces, and warns us how to avoid their fate.

Please listen and follow along as I read from the 23rd chapter of the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel account, verses 1 through 13, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the places of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."

--Matthew 23:1-13 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for choosing us and giving us faith to believe in Jesus as Your Son and our Lord.  You sent Him to us, as one of us, to offer us salvation, to forgive us of our sins so we could be seen as clean in Your eyes.  Thank You, Father, for so great a gift.  Please help us to honor the sacrifice Jesus made for us by living our lives in service to Him.  And Father, please protect us from all the disease and craziness that’s going on in the world right now.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us for this day.  Give us clearer insight into what You would have us do with our lives.  Help us be saints, and not be seen as hypocrites.  This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Francois Fenelon was the court preacher for King Louis the 14th of France in the 17th century.  One Sunday when the king and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service, no one else was there but the preacher.  King Louis demanded, "What does this mean?"  Fenelon replied, "I had published that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in truth and who merely flatters the king."

And then there was this rather pompous-looking deacon trying to impress upon a class of boys the importance of living the Christian life.  "Why do people call me a Christian?", the man asked.  After a moment's pause, one youngster said, "Maybe it's because they don't know you."

Who serves God in truth?  I’m sure the pompous deacon thought he did, although the child may have possessed clearer insight into the heart of the man.

And King Louis’ preacher was bold in his little experiment.  Apparently he discovered, to Louis’ consternation, that his entire congregation was only interested in being in church when their earthly king was in attendance.  I guess they weren’t as concerned about their true King, the King above all kings.

Hypocrites!  That’s what Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees.  And I’m sure that’s what He would have called King Louis’ court congregation.  Hypocrites!  Saying one thing but doing another.  Acting like something they’re not.  Shutting off the kingdom of heaven to other people.

I may have mentioned this before, but the origin of the word “hypocrite” comes from the ancient Greek word for “actor”.  What is an actor, after all, but a person who pretends to be someone or something that they’re not.  They may be doing it solely for our entertainment, and may sometimes start to believe it themselves, but they’re just pretending to be someone or something other than their true self.  Remember that Greek was a common language in Jesus’ day and geographic area, with the New Testament having been written in Greek.  So Jesus would have been quite familiar with the word hypocrite and its application.

The scribes and Pharisees claimed to be doing God’s work, yet we know they weren’t.  They gave the people strict interpretations of the Law of Moses to follow, that they themselves failed to observe.  They laid heavy burdens on the people, both spiritual and financial, that they wouldn’t even try to shoulder.  They wanted to be seen as pious and important, not to glorify God but to their own glory.  They said one thing and did another.  Jesus told the people something we sometimes say ourselves.  He told them to do as the Pharisees said, not as they did, when it comes to obeying God.

Hypocrites!  Neither will they be granted entry into heaven, but by their teachings and actions, they keep others out of heaven as well.  And that is one of the greatest problems with hypocrites: they can cause other people to innocently do wrong just by following and believing in them.

But that’s about the hypocrites.  There is a flip side to that coin and this is All Saints Day so let’s look at the saints, those who believe in and follow Jesus, those who come to Him.

The Apostle John, while in exile on the prison island of Patmos, was spiritually taken on a grand tour where Jesus revealed what lies in our future.  John took these visions of what must happen and recorded them in a book as he was instructed to do.  Let me read to you part of what John saw, from the book of Revelation, chapter 7, verses 9 through 17…

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,

Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,

Be to our God forever and ever.

Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”

So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

--Revelation 7:9-17 (NKJV)

I mentioned that on All Saints Day we remember the saints of the past.  Well, what John witnessed were the saints that are yet to come.  These are the believers that will come out of the great tribulation with their faith intact.  A multitude so large than no one can count them, from all nations and peoples and tongues.  And all standing before the throne of God worshiping Him and serving Him and singing praises to our Lord.

So many saints, and just from the tribulation, not even counting all those who went before, all the saints of the past.  From this we should take strength and encouragement.  This should help us keep our faith and service vibrant and alive.  The author of the letter to the Hebrews heartens us when he wrote in chapter 12 verses 1 through 3…

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

--Hebrews 12:1-3 (NKJV)

Family, we are spiritually surrounded by so great a cloud of saints, of witnesses for Jesus.  All these saints – past, present, and future – are cheering us on in our race through this life.  All of this can steel us for the battles that lie ahead.

It won’t be easy, neither physically nor spiritually.  Jesus knew it wouldn’t be easy; that’s why He told us to take up our own cross, to bear this burden.  But consider all the pain and hostility He endured.  We mustn’t let ourselves become weary or discouraged, nor let our spirits or faith weaken.

Jesus once said we’re either for Him or against Him.  So are we going to be saints, or hypocrites?  Jesus used the scribes and Pharisees as bad examples to show us how not to live.  And He uses the saints as good examples to show how we should live.  Let’s make sure that if Jesus ever uses us as an example, He can instruct someone to do as we say and as we do.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, our Savior, the one true Son of God.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You yet again for this wonderful Bible You’ve given us!  In it we can read of our past and our future, of the things that have happened and what will happen, what must happen before Your Son returns.  Thank You for the lessons and examples it contains.  Help us, please Father, to spend more time in our Bibles and to understand the messages You have for us there.  Show us more of Your will for our daily life and for encouragement to get through each day.  And Father, help us be more loving, more trusting, more merciful, and more kindhearted toward others in our daily walk.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You straight from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, in Your own life, You exemplified how we should live.  And in addition to that, You gave us both bad and good examples of how others lived for us to use as models and patterns.  It is so important for us to choose the right models to follow.  Please help us remain faithful and true in service to You so that we will be counted among the saints and not be seen as hypocrites.  Forgive us, Jesus, for not always being good examples ourselves, for not always doing as we say.  Forgive us when we let all the current madness of the world cause us to act and speak in ways we shouldn’t.  Help us be more like You in our Father’s eyes.  Help us to be more loving, more caring, more responsive to the needs of others.  Strengthen us, Jesus, through these dark times.  And Lord, please heal those divisions between us, that separate us, even within Your church family.  Help us remain faithful and obedient no matter what we face.  May our focus be more on the needs of others rather than our own wants and desires.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.