WHAT DO YOU CALL PEOPLE WHO PRETEND TO BE SOMEONE THEY "KNOW" THEY ARE NOT?

                                                    

DO YOU KNOW ANY HYPOCRITES?

“…I KNOW THY WORKS, AND THY LABOR, AND THY PATIENCE, AND HOW THOU CANST NOT BEAR THEM WHICH ARE EVIL: AND THOU TRIED THEM WHICH SAY THEY ARE APOSTLES, AND ARE NOT, AND HAS FOUND THEM LAIRS…..” (REVELATION 2:2 KJV).

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What is a “hypocrite?” A hypocrite is someone who PRETENDS to be something they KNOW they are NOT! The term comes from an old Latin word that meant “play-acting.” In the bible is means basically the same thing: to pretend or play a role.

Jesus pointed out hypocrites all the time on their public fasting, long, drawn-out prayers, showing off their gifts, and their wanna-be-seem alms-giving. “… Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward…” (Matthew 6:2 KJV). “… When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward…” (Matthew 6:5 KJV). “… When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward…” (Matthew 6:16 KJV).

There was a group of Scribes and Pharisees, who were hypocrites and they play-acted their roles by pretending to be public examples of religious holiness, but Jesus KNEW they were NOT. He KNEW their hearts were TOTALLY opposite of their public pretense.

“…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?  Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.  And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:13-33 KJV).

Jesus did NOT call his true disciples hypocrites, but he called religious pretenders and misguided zealots play-acting the role of a disciple; hypocrites. “…And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you…” (Mark 7:20-23 NLT).

Hypocrisy or PRETENSE is a SIN. “…Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and HYPOCRISIES, and envies, and all evil speakings..” (1 PETER 2:1 KJV). “… So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, HYPOCRISY, jealousy, and all unkind speech…” (1 PETER 2:1 NLT).

It is obvious that hypocrisies are acts of insincerity. There are consequences to pretending, especially with God, to be something you are NOT. Remember Ananias and Sapphira, who pretended to GIVE more than they actually GAVE. “… There was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband…” (Acts 5:1-10 NLT). “…There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of DEATH...” (Proverbs  14:20 KJV). “…There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways DEATH ….” (Proverbs 16:25 KJV). “…and sin, when it is finished, BRINGETH FORTH DEATH…” (James 1:13-15 NLT).

Hypocrisy brings forth DEATH: physical or spiritual. Spiritually it can lead others AWAY from God and into hypocrisy too. “… I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile … But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.  When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy…” (Galatians 2:1-13 NLT).

Hypocrites have been among God’s people for years and will continue to exist, among them, until Jesus returns as told in the parable of the wheat and tares. “…The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’  “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn...’” (Matthew 13:24-30 NLT).

If Peter, the apostle, could FALL to hypocrisy; it is a WARNING that any of God’s people could do the same thing. The church of Ephesus in Revelation 2 kept guard against hypocrites and recognized them as the lairs or pretenders they were. Thus, “… If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall…” (1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT).

God’s people KNOW how to recognize spiritual fruit in order to avoid FALLING into the temptation of hypocrisy. “… [You will know God’s people]….by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:16 KJV). “…The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “… [They will]… bear much fruit, and …PROVE to be [God’s]… disciples…” (John 15:8 NIV).

God’s people will MIRROR his perspective on HOW to recognize HIS people. “…Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart…” (1 Samuel 16:7 NASB). God zooms in on the “…hidden man of the heart…” (1 Peter 3:4 KJV). “For from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts… wickedness...  All these evil things come from within, and defile a person…” (Mark 7:21-23 KJV). The heart “…is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked…who can know it [except God?” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV).

The church of Ephesus were well aware that EVERYONE who CLAIMS to be a follower of Christ was NOT! “…If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person IS A LIAR and is not living in the truth…” (1 John 2:4 NLT).  “…If we “SAY” that we have fellowship with him, and WALK IN DARKNESS (unChristian), WE LIE, and DO NOT THE TRUTH…” (1 John 1:6 KJV).  “ … the deeds of the flesh are evident…” (Galatians 5:20-22  NASB).

The GREATEST religious leaders of the day, the SCRIBES and PHARISEES, were among the most FAMOUS pretenders, liars, and hypocrites. “…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!...” (Matthew 23:13 KJV).

There are probably MORE liars, pretenders, and hypocrites, in the 21^st century, that EVER in history. FAMOUS scandals have plagued the Christian community and often STEM from those who CLAIMED to be true disciples. “…If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person IS A LIAR and is not living in the truth…” (1 John 2:4 NLT).

The LIES, PRETENSE, AND HYPOCRISY, of so-called, FAMOUS Christians has cast a negative shadow on ALL of the Christian community.

The WORLD accepts a person’s CLAIM and their FALSE PRESENTATION or APPEARANCE as validation they are so-called Christians. HOWEVER, God’s true disciples KNOW that God’s people are KNOWN, most importantly, BY their fruit! “… [You will know God’s people]….by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:16 KJV). “…The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “… [They will]… bear much fruit, and …PROVE to be [God’s]… disciples…” (John 15:8 NIV).

Jesus informs his true disciples that NOT all CLAIMS or PROFESSIONS of being a Christian is truth!  “… Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds:  The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Matthew 13: 18-23 NLT).

There is ONLY one ending for LIARS, PRETENDERS, and HYPOCRITES and it won’t be eternity with God.“…Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity…” (Matthew 7:22-23 KJV). “…For thou art Not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity…” (Psalms 5:4-5 KJV).

Unfortunately, LIARS, PRETENDERS, and HYPOCRITES often give Christianity a bad rap. Many think God’s people or the body of Christ is made up of MOSTLY liars, pretenders, and hypocrites.

While it is TRUE that many of God’s people who CLAIM Jesus Christ, have been SAVED, and forgiven for their SINS, yet “PRETEND” to be Christians while still living a worldly existence. “…If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person IS A LIAR and is not living in the truth…” (1 John 2:4 NLT).  “…If we “SAY” that we have fellowship with him, and WALK IN DARKNESS (unChristian), WE LIE, and DO NOT THE TRUTH…” (1 John 1:6 KJV).  “ … the deeds of the flesh are evident…” (Galatians 5:20-22  NASB).

No Christian can constantly live up to the HOLY standards that God’s WORD teaches. God HELPS them. “…The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe…” (Proverbs 18:10 NASB). “…God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble…” (Psalms 46:1 NASB). “…God has said “Never will I leave you (physically); never will I forsake you (emotionally)…” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

Thus, true disciples depend entirely upon the indwelling Holy Spirit to EMPOWER them to live in a way that is pleasing to God. “…Now may the God of peace, … that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ,,,” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV).

God’s people are NOT perfect and they make human mistakes like anybody else, However, when God’s people make mistakes and THEY DO God’s grace is sufficient for them throughout their journey on earth. “…[God’s] grace is sufficient for you, for [his indwelling] power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV). “..Therefore come boldly unto the throne of GRACE, that [you]… may obtain mercy, and find GRACE to help in time of need…” (Hebrews 4:16 KJV).

They can depend upon his FIRST LOVE for them to remain the same. .  God already loves you “...with an everlasting love….” (Jeremiah 31:3 KJV). "...How precious...are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand..." (Psalms 139:16:17 KJV). “…There is no greater love than [this]…” (John 15:13 NLT).

They can confidently depend upon the indwelling Holy Spirit to do the WORK of faith “IN” and “THROUGH” them. “…It is the … GOD WHO “DOES” THE WORK IN AND THROUGH all of us who are his. The Holy Spirit “displays” God’s power THROUGH each of us… … (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT). ^“…it is God who works in you to will and to act  in order to fulfill his good purpose…” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). “…I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me…” (Philippians 4:13 KJV).  

The difference between a hypocrite and true disciple; a true disciple has a sincere heart towards God and CHOOSES to depend upon his indwelling Holy Spirit to manifest God’s WORKS and his PRESENCE “IN” and “THROUGH” their earthen vessels.^“…It is God who works in [his people]… to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose…” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). God causes them“…to be strengthened (empowered) with might by his Spirit in the inner man…” (Ephesians 3:16 KJV). THEY “…can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth (empowers) [THEM]….” (Philippians 4:13 KJV. “….Apart from [Jesus], [they]… can do nothing…” (John 15:5 NIV). “…[They can do anything]…according to the POWER that worketh IN [them]…” (Ephesians 3:20 KJV). “…HE [the indwelling Holy Spirit] WHICH HATH “BEGUN” A GOOD “WORK” IN [them]… “WILL” “PERFORM” (empower) IT “UNTIL” the day of Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 1:6 KJV).

A true disciple spends their life genuinely seeking to know God, depending upon his indwelling Holy Spirit, being empowered to manifest his presence upon the earth, and being enabled to do the laborious gift of his works.“…he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ,,,” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV). “…God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others…” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT). . ^“…God …works in you to will and to act…” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). “…I am the Lord, I change NOT…” (Malachi 3:6 KJV).

 “…The Spirit of God dwell[s]… in you…” (Romans 8:9 KJV). (Hebrews 1:9 NASB). “…My Presence will go with you…” (Exodus 33:14 NIV). “…I am with you always, to the very end…"(Matthew 28:20 NIV). God will “…Never leave nor forsake you…” (Hebrews 13:5 KJV).  “…Behold, I am with … [you] and will keep … [you] whithersoever [you]… goest…I will not leave [you] ..." (Genesis 28:15 ASV).

“…if Christ be in you… [then] …the Lord … [is] … in your presence (and “YOU” are ENGULFED in his presence) …” (Romans 8:10 KJV & Exodus 33:16-23 NIV).  “… [Jesus sets]… me in [god’s] … presence forever…” (Psalms 44:12 NASB).

However, God doesn’t want his people to forget why they cannot tolerate hypocrites or their lies and pretense. “…whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord (your FIRST LOVE)…” (Colossians 3:23 KJV). “…This people honoureth me…. but their heart is far from me…” (Mark 7:6 KJV).  “…thy heart is not right in the sight of God…” (Acts 8:21 KJV).

God knows your work. He knows the labor you exerted to do that work. He knows how patiently you have endured the laborious work he’s given you. He knows you hate evil just like he does. He also knows you don’t tolerate hypocrites. He commends you for ALL those things. However, “…. THOU HAST “LEFT” THY FIRST LOVE….” (REVELATION 2:4 KJV).

“… If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall…” (1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT).

“…Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity…” (Matthew 7:22-23 KJV).

“… This is life eternal, that they might KNOW thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent…” (John 17:3 KJV).
DON'T USE RELIGIOUS WORKS TO PRETEND TO BE DEVOTED TO GOD WHEN YOU "KNOW" IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU ARE NOT? THAT'S WHAT A HYPOCRITE DOES!