TEXT: Luke 12:1-12

SUBJECT: Luke #48: Two Kind of Hypocrisy

If you made up a list of the five worst sins, what would be on it? The sins would differ, of course, from person to person, but I bet nearly every one of you would put down the sin of hypocrisy. And with good reason: we’ve read our Bibles and we know that nothing is more abhorrent to God than pretending to be what you’re not. Both Testaments cry out against the it—and no one more than our Lord Jesus Christ. He went so far as to say that even Publicans and harlots are closer to God’s Kingdom than the hypocrites are. Though we all play the phony more than we’d care to admit, we know that hypocrisy is an appalling sin.

This is one of the few things on which unbelievers agree with us. If you read the paper or watch TV, you know that nearly every sin in the world has someone to defend it. Womanizing movie stars are applauded; drugged out rock stars are cheered; even a man who admits to sleeping with little boys remains an idol to millions. But no one stands up for the hypocrite. He’s the only outcast in a world that prides itself on tolerating diversity.

Hypocrisy is a very, very great sin.

But did you know that there are two kinds of hypocrisy? One you know very well: it was the sin of the scribes and Pharisees who pretended to be good men, when in fact, they were rotten to the core. The Lord likens them to painted tombs—antiseptic on the outside but full of rotting flesh on the inside.

In Chapter 11, the Lord tears into these men and makes them so mad that they start plotting to murder Him. He picks up on the theme in the first three verses of Chapter 12.

The setting has changed a little. Before, He was talking to several men, perhaps a dozen or two, at the home of a Pharisee who had invited Him to dinner.

It seems the word got out and before long, the whole town (and more) turned out to watch the fight. Luke says it was

(Think of a big prize fight in which only General Admission tickets are sold. The place is sold out—and everyone wants ringside seats!). The crowd rings the Pharisee’s home and everyone packs in as tightly as he can.

For their benefit, the Lord finishes His sermon against the Pharisees’ fake godliness. He says:

In short: Hypocrisy is stupid because, in the long run, you can’t get away with it. To impress other people, hypocrites pretend to be godly. But, over time, the people who know them best also know they’re phony. Hypocrisy is like a toupee’. At half a mile on a foggy night and without your glasses, it looks real. But if you look closer, you know the hair is only put on.

But just as there are masters of acting, so there are highly talented and convincing hypocrites. It’s not likely—but it is possible—to fool all the people all the time. Some hypocrites are so skilled that no one knows they’re phony—not even their wives or husbands, kids or parents or best friends. Everyone thinks they’re sincere—for now.

But this is an age of twilight. One Day, the Sun will rise on us all and everything we are will come into the light of high noon. This is the Day of Judgment. On that day—Solomon says—

Not most things, but every thing. Not all public acts, but all acts—public and private. Not just deeds, but also motives; not just words, but what lay behind them.

Hypocrisy seems very clever now. But it won’t then. It will be seen for what it always was—a shabby self-promotion, a pitiful stab at fooling God.

It’s no wonder the Lord cries,

If men can see through you, don’t you think God can? If your wife or kids know what you really are, why do you think you’ve got the Lord bamboozled?

If you won’t be true out of pure love for Christ, won’t you be honest in light of the Judgment to Come?

This is the first kind of hypocrisy—pretending to be godly when you’re not. Praying, fasting, giving to the poor—all for the praise of men.

True disciples of Christ are liable to this kind of phoniness. Every believer who is at all honest knows that he has done many things with an eye for man, rather than God. The one who says he hasn’t done this

In vv.4-12 we have a different kind of hypocrisy—a fakery that is the reverse of the one the Pharisees were guilty of. They were sinners who pretended to be saints. But the people in vv.4ff are saints who pretend to be sinners. They are disciples of Christ who—under pressure—pretend to not be His disciples.

The best known example is Peter. This dear man loved the Lord Jesus Christ. But around the bonfire that night, he said he did not. Three times he denied knowing Christ—the third time with an oath. While inside the courtroom, Caiaphas, Annas and the others were pretending to be saints, outside Peter was pretending to be a sinner.

That, too, is hypocrisy—a pretense that only believers can be guilty of.

This is a sin I’m guilty of. Not with the same boldness of Peter—yet—but how many times have I remain silent when I should have spoken up for Christ? And how many times have I pretended to be unsaved to get along with the unsaved? I’ve thought they way do; spoken their way; and acted like them more often than I care to admit.

Am I alone here? Or have you too tried to blend in with others. Maybe they’re not openly profane, but they’re still worldly. And, you want them to like you, and you don’t want to offend them and so you play along. Underline the word, play. You’re not being yourself—no less what Christ wants you to be—what you are is what they want you to be! There’s a word for this: conformity. And it’s wrong. Paul says

In the past, Christians have tried to stand out from the crowd in various ways. The Mennonites (whom I very much admire) dressed differently than others: they didn’t wear buttons, for example. Today—driven by advertising—believers wear wristbands bearing the letters WWJD. There’s nothing wrong with either one of these things, of course. But before long, they lose their original meaning and come to stand for themselves.

What separates believers from the world is discipleship. Not going to church on Sunday, but in being a follower of Christ at work, at school, at home, and sitting in a restaurant.

I know you’re a nice person—polite, maybe conservative, and so on. But are you distinctly Christian? If you’re not, the Lord has some bracing advice for us. Like an ice-cold shower, they’re not pleasant, but maybe, they’ll wake us up.

If you want to be true to Christ you must not fear men.

Most societies insist on conformity; in Saudi Arabia, for example, everyone is expected to be a Muslim, all women must dress a certain way, and so on. But our society is a lot more tolerant. Most people don’t care much what you are or do—as long as you’re not distinctly Christian. To disapprove of sin is intolerant; to witness is intrusive; to teach your kids is forcing your values on them. Any self-image is okay as long as it is not Christian!

Thus, even in a society without official persecution, we have a great deal to fear from men. Laughter, exclusion, anger, and others things are to be expected. They create real fear in believers—and not just sissy boy Christians—but real ones who are otherwise firm and manly. This is no new thing. Charles Bridges was an English pastor who lived at a time when nearly everyone in society professed faith in Christ. Yet even then, believers felt funny about speaking up for the Lord. Here’s a quote from his commentary on Proverbs 29:25:

The fear of man is the most common weakness we have. But it’s also one of the most foolish. What can people do to us? They can laugh and exclude and get mad, but what are these sufferings compared to the sufferings of Christ or of the glory that must follow persecution for His sake?

The disciples who first heard the charge would suffer much more than a snicker now and then. They would stand before tribunals, be thrown in jails, suffering beatings, and even death for Christ’s sake. Yet for all their weaknesses, they stood firm for Christ: they didn’t fear men because they…

Note the contrast: Do not fear man because he cannot do you much harm, but fear God because He can destroy both body and soul forever!

What would you think of a man who was terrified of mosquitoes? One day, a mosquito landed on his ear, and to get rid of it, he pulled out a gun and shot it dead! Thereby killing himself too?

You’d say he was a fool. The danger of gun fire is far, far greater than the danger of a little bug! Yet that is what we do when we tremble before some neighbor or colleague: we fear a man more than God.

This fear of God, however, does not stand alone. It is linked to trusting Him. Does the Lord care when a sparrow falls to the ground? Yes He does! And, aren’t you worth more to Him than a bird? Yes you are. So, if God cares for birds, why do you suppose He doesn’t care for you?

It is He who put you into the difficult situation and He who will keep you in it—if He wants to—or get you out of it if that’s best. In either event, you Father can be trusted. You trust your eternal soul to Him, and then you wonder if He’s up to taking care of your reputation.

Look to the future.

People who live the Christian life before ungodly men will one day stand before the same ungodly men and be publicly approved of by God! They laugh at you now, but what will they say when they hear God say—

Preoccupation with the right now is our problem. We think the Lord will be happy with us some day, but we know that if we don’t go along with the world, it will make us unhappy. There is a word for this kind of thinking: unbelief.

Believers have to look to the reward! Moses did when he quit Egypt to follow the promise of God. Paul did too, becoming the laughing stock of the world to find a better resurrection. The promise is hard to believe—but very easy to understand:

The reward is a sure as God’s promise. "Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief!"

But there is not just a reward out there. There is also a punishment that is every bit as sure. Those who consistently deny Christ in their words and hide their discipleship from others will one day be disowned by the Lord Jesus.

This kind of life—He says—(not an act now and then, but a life lived this way, "secretly for fear of the Jews" you might say) blasphemes the Holy Spirit who wants to make you stand out from the crowd and give voice to your witness. Lived in (note the constancy of the word), this becomes a sin that will never be pardoned—not in this life and not in the life to come.

Don’t worry about what you’ll say.

You want to witness for Christ, but you don’t know what to say—who does? This uncertainty often hinders a good word that would otherwise be spoken. The Lord says Don’t worry about that—the Holy Spirit will give you a word when you need it.

There are two kinds of hypocrites: sinners who pretend to be saints and saints who pretend to be sinners. The Lord is unhappy with both and calls both to repentance with the sure knowledge that he who confesses his sin will find plenty of mercy in Him.

If you fit either profile (and who doesn’t at times, at least?), the Lord calls you to repent. But not only to repent, but to believe in His mercy. Even lifelong hypocrites find favor with Him if they want it.

Don’t you want that favor? If you do, ask for it, and you’ll have it.

The love of God be with you all. For Christ’s sake. Amen.