Deception of the Hypocrite.

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: Deception of the Hypocrite.

Hypocrisy deceives the hypocrite because he knows the truth but doesn’t obey it.

James 1:22 states the principle: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers, who delude themselves” (emphasis added). These Jews that Paul confronts felt secure before God because of their religious heritage as Jews. They had God’s Law; they could confidently teach it to others. But they were deluded because they were hearers of the Law, but not doers of it.

At the outset, we need to understand that this is not a racial attack on the Jews. Paul was not being anti-Semitic. He himself was a Jew. He loved the Jewish people so much that he said that he would be willing to spend eternity in hell if it meant the salvation of the Jews (Rom. 9:1-3)! Any form of racism against any race is sinful. If we’re honest, as we read Paul’s indictment of the Jews here, we will see ourselves, because we’re all prone to hypocrisy. We all easily fall into the trap of trying to impress others with how spiritual we are, while our hearts are far from God. So we need to apply these verses carefully to our own hearts! Paul shows five ways that the hypocrite is deceived:

A. THE HYPOCRITE IS DECEIVED BECAUSE HE MAY KNOW THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION, BUT HE MISAPPLIES IT.

B. THE HYPOCRITE IS DECEIVED BECAUSE HE KNOWS GOD’S COMMANDMENTS, BUT DOES NOT OBEY THEM ON THE HEART LEVEL.

C. THE HYPOCRITE IS DECEIVED BECAUSE HE BOASTS IN GOD, NOT TO HONOR GOD, BUT TO HONOR HIMSELF.

D. THE HYPOCRITE IS DECEIVED BECAUSE HE KNOWS THEOLOGICAL FINE POINTS, NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBEDIENCE, BUT TO IMPRESS OTHERS.

E. THE HYPOCRITE IS DECEIVED BECAUSE HE CONFIDENTLY TEACHES OTHERS, BUT DOES NOT APPLY THE WORD TO HIMSELF.

LET US PRAY
May God deliver us from every spirit of Hypocrisy in our life in Jesus name. Amen

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