Mark 7:6 “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.” In this scripture Jesus was talking to the religious leaders of the Jewish people. He was point out the differences between Religion and Faith in God. You might ask, ‘Isn’t it the same thing?’ My answer is no, sorry. You might ask, ‘Are there hypocrites in the world today?’ My answer is yes, things have not changed since the time of Isaiah. Jesus quoted Isaiah (Elias) in Isaiah 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:” Today, is a time like all other times. Many, many people speak of God and our Lord Jesus Christ in familiar terms. Paul speaks of this just after the time Jesus walked on the earth in Titus 1:16 “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
People ‘talk a good ballgame’ as the old say-ing goes. They say all the right things, but a closer inspection of their lives reveals the truth. What is their life like when they aren’t in church?
In my past days in Rochester, New York, the small church we were helping build had reached a point that we began to look for our own building. A church was For Sale. Their membership had dropped to the point they could not afford the upkeep on the church and parsonage. I won’t bother mentioning what denomination it was, but I will say that I was embarrassed for the Pastor.
We toured the church building and grounds and we like it all, then we were shown into the parsonage where the Pastor lived. He had not chosen to leave and was openly hostile at our presence. His denomination was forcing the sale of the buildings. I said I was ashamed for him for he sat in the living room with a large screen television on. He had a bottle of whiskey beside him and a cigar in the ashtray on the coffee table.
I was shocked that he would not at least put on a good front when others in the ministry came to look over the property. The parsonage smelled of many things. Some of it was effectively covered by the smell of smoke, but the bathroom reeked of things and smells I will not bother to speak of. The kitchen was filthy and littered.
My mind immediately thought that I knew exactly what had happened to the church attendance. I might have the cart before the horse. Maybe the low attendance caused the Pastor to drink and smoke, but somehow I didn’t believe that at the time. Maybe he got his wish that day, for we did not put in an offer for their church buildings that day and maybe that was what he was angling for, but I doubt that as well. I believe he was exactly as Jesus worded the verse in Mark 7:6 “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.”
I have attended two services by that denomination, a wedding and a funeral. Both of those services mentioned God many times during the service. As I viewed those conducting the services, I compared them to the Pastor I had seen in his living room when we looked at the buildings For Sale.
To mention Hypocrites today, I am placing my reputation on the line, I know. Do I live up to the standards God has placed on His servants? Am I the Christian I need to be as I minister God’s Word? God’s standard is exact. Paul mentioned it in several places in the New Testament. I will only mention one of them.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
What we are and say when we are alone is true character. Do we have a Godly character when no one is looking?
