January 13, 2013

  Hypocrisy....Hypokrisis  

Luke 12: 1 - 12

Luke

Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and crushing each other.  Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees - beware of their hypocrisy.  The time is coming when everything will be revealed, all that is secret will be made public.  Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!

Dear friends, don't be afraid of those who want to kill you.   They can only kill the body; they cannot do any more to you.  But I'll tell you whom to fear.  Fear God, who has the power to kill people and then throw them into hell. 

"What is the price of five sparrows?  A couple of pennies?  Yet God does not forget a single one of them.  And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.

"And I assure you of this:  If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I, the Son of Man, will openly acknowledge that person in the presence of God's angels.  But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before God's angels.  Yet those who speak against the Son of Man, may be forgiven, but anyone who speaks blasphemies against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.

"And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don't worry about what to say in your defense, for the Holy Spirit will teach you what needs to be said even as you are standing there."

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Thoughts.....

Somewhere it is morning, so, good morning!

I mentioned recently that I was going to be more timely in having the weekly 'Thoughts' done by early morning by US time, but this seems to be the time that the Lord sets aside for me to be able to focus on the Word and what my/our Lord has to say.  I apologize that the current 'Thoughts' are not available at those times that most folks go to church.....in the United States.  Ah.  Holy Spirit just shared that little tidbit with me.  So for those outside of America, this may be very timely!  It is, after all, a print version that can be accessed at any time....even years after the fact.  Probably not in perpetuity....unless I go to book form.

At those moments when you need to see the Word and I have not transmitted the current weekly 'Thoughts' timely for you, maybe the message you need to hear, or a message that can touch your heart, at that time is in 'Scriptures....Archived'.  Or perhaps God wants you to rest in him first, so you can hear what he has to say when it is presented later in the day.  Either way, I will continue to trust that when I sit down, is when I am supposed to sit down...to present the Word of God.

This morning we will be talking about hypocrisy.  Even though each of the lessons Jesus presents can be about other things in today lesson, they can all be tied back to hypocrisy.  You'll note that I used the Greek word for hypocrisy in the title which is  'hypokrisis'.  Hypo means under or less than.  Krisis means jealous, play-acting, acting out, coward, disassembling.  If your life is disassembling, you are said to be under crisis.....hypokrisis.  Play-acting denotes a falsehood, can mean a lie that you are trying to present to the world....maybe even to yourself.  Hypo/under....handed? 

Hypocrisy is defined as 'pretending to have a virtuous character, moral or religious belief or principle, etc., that one does NOT really possess, have, live by and also guilty of violating.  Deception, of others, and therefore considered a lie'.  Presenting a false self in opposition to reality in other words.   

Let's see how all these thoughts play out in todays scripture lesson.

First I want you to note that there were thousands milling about Jesus to hear him.  That was a lot back then.  It would be a lot today were thousands to mill about me to hear the Gospel preached.  Oh....that thousands would find this website, or go to church, or listen to another Christian, or find another site to hear the Gospel preached, and choose to accept, or renew, a relationship with Jesus as Savior and make him Lord over their life!  Like Joyce Meyers says, "It's not about me, it's not about me, it's not about me."  It's all about him. 

Jesus turned first to his disciples to warn them about the yeast of the Pharisees - beware of their hypocrisy.  Let's talk about yeast for a moment.  Anyone who bakes breads knows the importance of yeast.  It is what makes the dough rise.  If you add water that is too cold, the yeast will not rise.  If you add water that is too hot, it will not rise.  In order for yeast to perform perfectly, to cause the dough to rise, it must have the perfect temperature of warm water.  Here we are taught to have temperance....be temperate.  Like tempered glass that can moderate safely when hot and cold is applied, we, too, must perform to our optimum temperately. 

This does not mean we should not know joy or sorrow.  It means we should not puff up too much, over inflate our attributes or gifts, or squash, deny, or even kill that which is within....us or others.  We also should not allow others to kill that which is within us, or cause others to make us want to choose to be more than what and who we truly are.  We should not say we are a Christian and then not help our family or friends, even strangers among us.  We should not talk Jesus and not walk and do as he would.  Live....your....faith.  Don't be like the people who go to church, tell you in who, about what, and how you should believe, and then go out and talk bad about others, not help others when they need help, get drunk, mock, gossip, judge, hurt, laugh at, or let your neighbor fail at or in life.  Or don't go to church, say they believe, and then act in the aforementioned negative manner.      

Let's look at yeast another way. Yeast is a 'small single celled fungus that ferments sugars and other carbohydrates and reproduces budding'.  The term 'budding' sounds positive and yet can be very negative.  Can't pride be considered to be a budding of sorts?  It can be the bud that wilts into rotten fruit such as selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except you and those in your own little group.  Certainly we know that lustful pleasure can bud to sexual immorality.  Desire can bud to jealousy.  Anger can bud to outbursts.  Budding can also be positive.  When Holy Spirit controls our lives, the result of budding can produce this kind of (delectable, good, precious) fruit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Interesting that Jesus knew enough about yeast to make this statement.  He could have paid attention when his Mom baked.  They did call him 'The Great Physician' though.  Jewish history tells us that Jesus went to school to learn to be a physician.  Perhaps that is why we don't have a lot of local history on him over a few years from childhood (besides being at the temple to study) to nearly middle adult age and why he did not start his ministry til later in life.  Maybe God needed for him to be more disciplined first.  School will do that for you.....especially medical school.  The Christian world attributes his healings to miracles, as well they should.  But, besides the miraculous, he also must have possessed a very healthy knowledge of medicine.  I'm not talking Big Pharma and the AMA stuff per US standards or similar outside the US....I'm talking hands on, naturopathic, holistic in nature....taking in/assessing the whole of the body, mind, spirit to evaluate, diagnose and treat....maybe even raise from the dead.

Does this make Jesus less of a miracle worker?  NO!  Less as the Messiah/Savior?  NO!  Two thousand years ago was not very long ago.  Had there been medical modalities that could make the blind see, the lame walk, limbs healed, the dead be brought to life, demons released from bodies, we would not be struggling now, nor would we have needed to for 2000 + years, in the understanding and performance of medicine.  Some things we know now.  Naturopathy through a holistic approach knows how to quicken the spirit unto life, maintain, restore and balance the body and mind.  Allopathy knows how to perform ocular surgery, straighten limbs, and start a heart.  Holy Spirit filled Christians know how to do all that and more.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can reach the spirit, heal the soul, fix the body, and release the mind of demons.  Why go to med school?  Ask Holy Spirit into your life! 

Gosh, and I thought today would be a short thought day.  Silly me.  We are not even past the first paragraph.  So....

Then Jesus says, "The time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public.  Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!"  This can refer to a couple things.  One, bad stuff.  Holy Spirit will show you that for every finger you point at others, more will be pointing back at you.  Look at what is happening in many churches today.  Holy Spirit is weeding out the bad.  Sex, lies, scandals.  Courts and prisons are overflowing.  But the worst prison is hell.  Two, good things.  Like the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  Once kept secreted and guarded due to the potential of eminent bodily harm, it was revealed and made public.  The truths were brought to light, closed rooms have become things of the past in the free nations, still to come in those not free, but believe for them and pray for them as well.  And the Gospel was finally preached from rooftops and is still shouted for all to hear.  Alleluia!

What about between friends?  Will your secrets be revealed?  Will God learn that you are not who you say you are?  Does your neighbor, friend, family member need help and you are too greedy, attitudinal, to help them....survive....live....have shelter, clothing, heating, cooling and food?  A telephone to apply for jobs?  Gasoline to get to an interview or apply for a job?  Shame on you.  God's gonna get ya.  Ok, so you say it's easy to say he'll forgive you, if you are wrong.  Someday he'll tell you he didn't know you.  Worth the risk? 

Jesus goes on to say, "Dear friends, don't be afraid of those who want to kill you.  They can only kill the body; they cannot do any more to you.  But I'll tell you whom to fear.  Fear God, who has the power to kill people and then throw them into hell."  Like I was sayin'......God is in control.   You can live, or you can die.  You can go to heaven, or you can be cast into hell.  You may lose your body, but your soul will be safe, IF, big IF, you are doing things in accord with God's will.  Your spirit may become broken through a crisis, your body may die, but even tho' you may die, yet shall you live as a TRUE Christian.  All others will see the sign 'Sorry, no room at the inn.'  No new births, no life, no future.  Be yeasty in a good way.  Be temperate in your choices based on the good, not the bad. 

"What is the price of five sparrows?  A couple of pennies?  Yet God does not forget a single one of them.  And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows."  Are your hairs numbered?  This is not a B rated movie where the bad guy is going to 'take you out'....kill you.  But it could get pretty hair raising in life....know that God sees and cares.  If life kills you, he will take you home to be with him....if you are a child of his who loves him, and obeys him out of love and gratitude, not abusive mandates.  So for those who are bad yeast hurting good yeast that is budding, whether by accident or choice, the bad yeast person/people will not win in the B rated movie or in life.  The good yeast folks may not win in this life, but will win life everlasting.   "Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God."  Phil 3:14

Next Jesus says, "And I assure you of this:  If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I, the Son of Man will openly acknowledge that person in the presence of God's angels.  But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before God's angels."  If God is in us, and we need help, and our neighbor, friend, family does not help us as themselves, then they are not helping God in us.  They are not giving to God....and he will say when the trumpet sounds on their last day...."Go away.  I knew you not."  Do not be bad yeast.  Do not take from, deny, not help, not give, walk away from, turn your back on those who need help.  So what....you donated to Goodwill....or you gave to the latest tornado/hurricane/sunami victim?  Look around you.  Do you know someone in need and choose not to help them?  God is not in you.  Pride, arrogance, greed, selfishness is in you.  Bad yeast.  False living.  HypEr (great, large) crisis is then met with hypocrisy.  You say your are good.  God says you are not, if you don't give to those in need.  If you don't give to the person in need who has Jesus within, you will be denied by Jesus. 

So here is a tricky question.  Will God deny you, if you don't give to the person in need who is not a Christian?  Yup.  God made every person on earth.  Outside of earth, too, if there are any....and there seems to be.  Someone is making those fast moving sky sightings.  Anyway, God is in everybody.  Deny anybody, and God will deny you.  Do you realize how painful it must be for God to hear you talk about him, say you believe in him, pray to himc strut your stuff, want to be important expecting others to look up to you and follow YOU, look down your nose at someone in crisis, and then, deny someone in need?  Someone who has God in them because they live and breathe?  Someone like you?  Paybacks can be....well painful. 

Have you helped your friend, the stray animals, the creatures in nature, the trees and flowers that bloom for him?  No?  Shame on you.  How sad that he will 'know you not' because you chose to NOT prevent suffering.  Not only will Jesus deny you before God's angels, God will deny you when the final trumpet sounds.  There will be no room for you at the inn.  Furthermore, you will have to suffer the negative emotions when you learn of the suffering and or a death you had the power to prevent.  Or maybe you won't even care then.  You are not good yeast rising into a bud of anything good.  You are like the Pharisees who are still filthy - full of greed and wickedness!  Fools! 

The only way for you to be clean, forgiven, have the possibility of eternal life is to give to the needy what you greedily possess, Jesus said.  Luke 11:39-44   

Are you loving, giving, caring, helping, choosing to obey God when someone calls saying, "Can you help me?"  Alleluia!  You are one of his Promise Children!  The Kingdom of God is near you now!  YOU will be openly acknowledged in the presence of God's angels.  God loves you!

"Yet those who speak against the Son of Man may be forgiven, but anyone who speaks blasphemies against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven."  That would be deliberate and on going rejection of Holy Spirit's work and God's.  A person that commits this sin, has shut their self off from God so thoroughly that they are unaware of any sin at all.  However, a person who fears they may have committed this shows, by their concern, that they have not sinned or will not sin in this way again knowing the risk of being cast into hell, and will beg forgiveness.  No guarantees folks.  The unpardonable sin is the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God's power in Christ, acting in a way that is not consistent with good yeast for positive budding, and not following God's rules and regs, if you will, some of which are outlined in Galatians 5:16-26....the rest throughout the whole of the NEW Testament, and also attributing miracles to Satan.  It indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart.  Jesus said these folks can't be forgiven.  Whoever rejects the prompting of the Holy Spirit removes themselves from the only force that can lead him or her to repenctance and restoration to God.  What are your attitudes and motives?  Are you falling short of the glory of God?  Are you intentionally or unintentionally killing others in the process?  Some of this paragraph comes from notes from the Life Application Bible NIV 1991.

And then Jesus closes out these thoughts with , "And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don't worry about what to say in your defense, for the Holy Spirit will teach you what needs to be said even as you are standing there."  Jesus knew that those who followed him would walk a mile...and more....in his shoes of being persecuted, attacked, jailed, sentenced to death, would undergo a baptism of suffering.  For those who were/are IN Christ, Holy Spirit would/will intervene giving one utterance.  For those NOT IN Christ, you will not have Holy Spirit to intervene on your behalf, especially not when brought to judgment before God, before he gives the edict:  hell.  There will be no room at the inn for you. 

For those of you who are hypocrites, you are expressing hypokrisis....falseness, living a lie, deceptive before God and others.  You are bad yeast who will not, cannot produce good fruit for God or get into heaven.  You are not temperate.  You are not even on the fence, you've fallen far below.  Be not a hypocrite to God...."Turn from your sins and turn to God because the Kingdom of God is near."  YOUR end time will come before THE end times.  Be ready.  Be NOT a hypocrite to those in hypEr crisis....help them.  "The Scriptures also say, 'Do not test the Lord your God.'"  "Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.  And love your neighbor as yourself."   Quotes from Jesus speaking, also Jesus quoting Moses from what Matthew heard and recorded in Matthew Chapter 4 and elsewhere.

Part of the bottom line:  "Do for others what you would like them to do for you.  This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.  The Golden Rule.  Matthew 7:12

For those who are temperate, are not hypocrites, who fear God, produce good fruit for God, God will reward you in heaven.  Your spirit may get broken, you may lose your life, but you will not lose your soul. 

Jesus said, "God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.  God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them.  God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will receive it in full.  God blesses those who are merciful for they will be shown mercy.  God blesses those who hearts are pure, for they will see God.  God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.  God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  God blesses you when you are mocked persecuted and lied about because you are my followers.  Be happy about it!  Be very glad!  For a great reward awaits you in heaven.  And remember the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.  Matthew 5: 3-12.     

Correlating, or commonly called synoptic, references:  Matt 16:5-12; Matt 10:26-33; Matt 25:40; Matt 10: 19-20; Luke 11:5-9, 23, 39-41; Mark 4:22-25, Mark 2: 28-29, Matthew 10:40-42.

After praying the prayer, or one of your own, scroll down to read the Benediction and Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving, the Unforced Rhythms of Grace.

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Let Us Pray

Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world...please forgive me of my sins.  Thank you.  God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, help me to not be a hypocrite....help me walk the walk, while I talk the talk.  Help me not lord over anyone, but introduce them to you, and help them learn more about you, Lord God.  Help me always be able to help others, and be willing to receive the help I need.  Lord, you know I am in need now.  Please send people to help me onward with my load.  Let not the road ahead be unbearable to travel.  Protect me in all ways.  Heal my heart of the sorrows.  Help me, Lord, so that everyone will see you and your glory.  Let my life be a glowing example of how to live as a Christian to bring you honor and glory.  Raise me to new heights here on earth, that I may be able to always know the burdens of others are not heavy, and be able to help others as I have in the past.  Lord God, I know the pain you feel, I feel it, for both of us.  When I asked to follow you, to know your path, I had no idea it would be so painful, so frightening at times, so empty.  But I guess that is what is meant by the solitary life.  I am honored that you have been willing to show me your journey.  Lord, have I learned enough now, that I can experience less pain in my life, less sorrow, fear, trauma, suffering in my future?  Please God, help me get through the trials in my life.  I know, that I know, that I know, that you are with me and will not forsake me.  I pray I am worthy of you in my life and on this journey.  Save me, Father God, Jesus....and my family.  Protect us with your arms of grace and mercy, shelter us in your wings Holy Spirit.  Keep us safe....please.  Thank you.  I love you.  My family loves you.  Amen.            

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  Benediction....Blessing

Let us hear from Paul as he prays:  

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

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Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'.

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It is time to reach into the community and the world around you to see wherein lies the greatest need.  As you choose to focus on these areas, do so with a servant's heart.  Whether the need is for children, adults, or animals, or any cause in between that will help those in need, ask God how you can best serve his needs, what path you must take, and how long you should persevere.  Sometimes we are to be in the lives of others merely as stepping stones.  Sometimes we are to touch those lives forever.  Whatever journey you are called to take, whatever team you will be a member, know this:  God is with you always...even til the end of time.  He loves you, is grateful for you, and will help you along life's way, especially if you are helping others along theirs, persevering with a servant's heart.  

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    One last thing....

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'

"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

   Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

And the people said,

"Amen."

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I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God.  Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided. 

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  Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

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