Discerning the
Last Days Delusion and Pharisee Spirit Part 6
The Leaven of the
Pharisees – False Doctrines, Sin, and Hypocrisy
Kato Mivule
November 12, 2007
In this sixth part of our series we take a look at a stern
warning that Jesus Christ gave His disciples. He warned then to
be careful of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. So, we
might ask ourselves what Jesus Christ meant by the Leaven of the
Pharisees and Sadducees just like the disciples wondered in
amazement when Jesus Christ gave this stern warning.
To get our answer, we will take a look at the term ‘Leaven’ and
also the historical Jewish side on how at one time The Lord
commanded that the Israelites eat bread with no leaven in it.
Leaven was Yeast, Balm, or Fermentation used to expand or make
dough big when making bread. The dough or Flour for that matter
does not expand by itself but with the use of yeast, balm, or
fermentation it expands. So, Leaven was an extra additive added
to the flour or dough to make the bread or cake bigger and
testier…
The Lord gave Moses instructions on the day that the Angel of
Death passed over Egypt that the Israelites were to observe The
Lord’s Passover and that they had to follow certain instructions
as recorded in Exodus 12…
-
They were to kill a lamb
without blemish and eat the whole lamb…
-
They were to smear the Blood
of the Lamb on their Door Posts…
-
They were to eat the whole
Lamb…
-
They were to eat Unleavened
Bread with the Lamb…
-
They were to eat Bitter Herbs
with the Lamb…
-
They were to keep this
Passover Feast as an ordinance forever…
-
They were to celebrate the
Passover Feast for Seven Days with Unleavened Bread…
-
Those who ate Leavened were to
be put out from among them…
Exodus Chapter 12 was a type and shadow, being symbolic of
things to come…
-
The Passover was and is a type
and shadow of the Perfect Passover which is Christ Jesus.
-
The Blameless Lamb is symbolic
of The Lamb of God without sin Jesus Christ…
-
The Killing of the Lamb is
symbolic of Jesus Christ offering His own sinless body for
the washing away of our sins by the Blood of The Lamb –
Jesus Christ…
-
The eating of the whole lamb
is symbolic of feeding on the whole council of the Word of
God , Jesus Christ being The Word of God…not just choosing
what tests good to your ears…
-
The Bitter Herbs would
represent feeding on the Words of Jesus Christ that are hard
and sound painful and bitter yet they are healing to our
souls… Today people choose only words that tickle their
itching ears…
-
The Unleavened Bread is
representative of feeding of the Whole Council of God’s Word
with no hypocrisy, sin or false doctrines and traditions of
men mixed in it…
Placing the historical review aside, let’s get back to the Word
of The Lord warning us to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees
and Sadducees. We know that leaven would represent additives
that can be added to dough or flour to make bread or cake grow
bigger than normal and also get testier.
Is it not surprising today that many of the sermons on pulpits
today sound testier, make you feel flattered? Many ministries
and churches preach messages that make them grow bigger than
normal, make their sermons none offensive and sound testier…
Always watch out for those bigger mega church ministries, always
there lies within them lots of leaven…
Beware of the Leaven of the
Pharisees and Sadducees…
Matthew 16:5-12
(5)
And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had
forgotten to take bread.
(6)
Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
(7)
And they reasoned among themselves, saying,
It is
because we have taken no bread.
(8)
Which
when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith,
why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no
bread?
(9)
Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of
the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
(10)
Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many
baskets ye took up?
(11)
How is it that ye do not understand that I spake
it
not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
(12)
Then understood they how that he bade
them
not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Jesus Christ warns His disciples to beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus Christ described this leaven not
as of bread but the DOCTRINE of the Pharisees and of the
Sadducees.
To fully understand what Jesus Christ was
referring to here is when one takes a look at who the Pharisees
and Sadducees were and also to study the confrontations that
Jesus Christ had whenever He encountered the Pharisees and
Sadducees…
The Pharisees were group elite Jews who gave
themselves to study the Law and interpret the Law to the Jews,
kind of Priests. They did however, believe in the resurrection
while their counterparts the Sadducees did not believer in the
resurrection. However both groups did exercise a strict form of
legalism as we shall see in the scriptures and added their
traditions to the Laws of Moses thus burdening the people
further. It is interesting in light of today’s Political
Christianity and its leaders that Pharisees too were highly
political and though religious as noted by the ISBE
Encyclopedia…
“The name
means “separatists,” from
פּרשׁ,
pārash,
“to separate” - those who carefully kept themselves from any
legal contamination, distinguishing themselves by their care in
such matters from the common people, the ‛am hā-'ārec,
who had fewer scruples. Like the Puritans in England during the
17th century, and the Presbyterians in Scotland during the same
period, the Pharisees, although primarily a religious party,
became ere long energetically political.“ [1]
The Pharisees were not only politically and
militarily charged but participated in the rebellion against the
Romans in 66AD that led to the destruction of the Second Temple.
It is amazing to see similarities between politically charged
militaristic Pharisees then and Political Christian Zionist
Leaders of today who are calling for the USA to Bomb Iran in
order to defend Israel. Wikipedia describes well how the
Pharisees’ militaristic endeavors were futile, a lesson all
Christians should learn today…
“By 66 CE
Jewish discontent with Rome had escalated. At first, the priests
tried to suppress rebellion, even calling upon the Pharisees for
help. After the Roman garrison failed to stop Hellenists from
desecrating a synagogue in Caesarea, however, the high priest
suspended payment of tribute, inaugurating the Great Jewish
Revolt. The destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70
CE not only put an end to the revolt, it was a profoundly
traumatic experience for the Jews that marked the end of an
era.” [2]
Pharisees were so strict when it came to tithing
that Jesus Christ rebuked them for this hypocrisy. Another trait
of the Pharisees was that they were very big at pretending and
stage acting. They were professional hypocrites so to say. They
had piousness and outside appearance of righteousness and
holiness yet inside they were full of sin and evil.
Pharisees displayed a form of humility that was
always very religious and false. They pretended to be very
humble yet inside their hearts they only stage acted and played
the hypocrite. Their humility was a false humility. We need to
watch out against this type of Pharisee Leaven….false humility.
I know many Christians who think that they are so
righteous cause they pray all night, they tithe, they give to
the poor, they support their pastor, they are friendly, they are
none offensive, they are always loved and “favored” by the world
and held in high esteem….
Yet all this is just FALSE HUMILITY and Leaven of
the Pharisees in a believer… When one encounters such Christians
with the Teachings of Jesus Christ, they get offended and stick
to their rules and regulations often accusing the messenger as
not loving, and offensive. Such Christians display a pious
spirit and display of False Humility.
Pharisees and Sadducees heavily despised those
who did not keep the Law and Traditions as they did that at one
time Jesus Christ gave a parable of the Tax Collector who came
and repented before God confessing that he was a sinner while
the Pharisee spoke to God how he gave Tithes and was not a
sinner like the Tax collector next to him.
Pharisees heavily persecuted and resisted Jesus
Christ and during the ministry of Paul, the Apostle, Pharisees
heavily persecuted and resisted the message of Paul and Barnabas
that they had to hold the first Church Council in Acts 15 in
which interestingly, the Pharisees placed forward demands to
have the those who would be saved keep the Laws of Moses and Be
Circumcised…
Pharisees always objected to the Teachings of
Jesus Christ and resisted the Teachings of Paul concerning
Salvation by Grace and works of the Law. Today the Church has
been overtaken by a Pharisee spirit in which traditions of men,
denominations, churches, and so-called apostles are central and
taken as above the Teachings of Jesus Christ.
So, Jesus Christ warned His disciples to be
careful of the Doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Today
the Church has turned to Traditions of Men and some Christians
have resorted to keep the Laws of Moses. There is an elite group
of men and women who have usurped the True Authority of Jesus
Christ in the Church and are forcing the Christians to follow
after their Church Traditions, Laws of Moses that are
financially beneficial like Tithing.
So, Jesus Christ is warning us against any
teachings that contain Traditions of Men, Salvation by Law,
Hypocrisy, and sin. This is leaven and every believer must
beware of this. Hopefully as you read through this series of
article and study the Bible, you will be able to grow in
discernment and reject the Leaven of the Pharisees and
Sadducees.
A lot of this Leaven of the Pharisees and
Sadducees is mixed in with messages of Jesus Christ…and that is
how deception works. You have a preacher stand on TBN TV and
preach a message with 50 per cent Truth yet the other 50 per
cent is hypocrisy, lies, sin, and traditions of men. So, that 50
per cent Leaven is enough to spoil your pure faith in Christ
Jesus. So, watch out!!!
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisee and Leaven
of Herod…
Mark 8:14-21
(14)
Now the
disciples
had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with
them more than one loaf.
(15)
And he charged them, saying, Take heed,
beware
of the
leaven
of the
Pharisees,
and
of
the
leaven of
Herod.
(16)
And they reasoned among themselves, saying,
It
is
because we have no bread.
(17)
And when Jesus knew
it,
he saith unto them, Why
reason
ye, because
ye have
no
bread? perceive
ye not
yet, neither
understand?
have ye
your
heart yet
hardened?
(18)
Having
eyes, see
ye not?
and
having ears,
hear ye
not?
and do
ye not
remember?
(19)
When I
broke
the five
loaves
among five thousand,
how many
baskets
full of
fragments
took ye up? They say unto him,
Twelve.
(20)
And
when the
seven
among four thousand,
how many
baskets
full of
fragments
took ye up? And they said,
Seven.
(21)
And he said unto them, How
is it
that ye
do not
understand?
Interestingly Jesus Christ warns us not just of
the Leaven of the Pharisees but now the Leaven of Herod. To
fully understand what the Leaven of Herod was we must know about
Herod. Herod was a political figure during the time when the
Romans ruled the Jews and the Time of Jesus Christ on earth all
the way to when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Herod was a title of rulers who ruled the Jews on
behalf of the Romans. The Herod Family is said to have been some
pseudo Jewish Dynasty that ruled the Jews on behalf of the
Romans. Historians largely doubt that the Herodian family was
Jewish…
“The
Herodians were not of Jewish stock. Herod the Great encouraged
the circulation of the legend of the family descent from an
illustrious Babylonian Jew (Ant., XIV, i, 3), but it has no
historic basis. It is true the Idumeans were at that time
nominal Jews, since they were subdued by John Hyrcanus in 125 bc,
and embodied in the Asmonean kingdom through an enforced
circumcision, but the old national antagonism remained
(Gen_27:41). The Herodian family sprang from Antipas (died 78 bc),
who was appointed governor of Idumaea by Alexander Janneus.” [3]
At one point in history the Judea under John
Hyrcanus conquered Edom and forced the inhabitants to convert to
Judaism. Ironically, the Edomites who were known by the Romans
as Idumeans became friendly to the Roman conquerors and ruled
the Jews on behalf of the Romans… As Historians rightly note,
the Herod dynasty were puppets of Rome…
“The
Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, who
ruled Iudaea Province between 37 BC - AD 92... During the time
of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus, Judea conquered Edom
(which the Romans called Idumea) and forced the Edomites to
convert to Judaism. The Edomites were integrated into the Jewish
people. In the days of Alexander Jannaeus one of them, Antipas
was appointed governor of Edom. His son Antipater was the head
adviser of Hyrcanus II and managed to establish a good
relationship with the Romans, who at that time (63 BC) had
conquered Judea. Julius Caesar appointed Antipater to be
procurator of Judea in 47 BC and he appointed his sons Phasael
and Herod to be governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively.
Antipater was murdered in 43 BC, however his sons managed to
hold the reins of powers and were elevated to the rank of
tetrarch in 41 BC by Mark Anthony.” [4]
The Herod Dynasty was infamous with the massacre
of hundreds of babies when Jesus Christ was born. Herod demanded
to know where the Messiah was born but the Wise Men did not
return to his palace to provide him with further information.
Matthew 2:16-18
(16)
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was
exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that
were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years
old and under, according to the time which he had diligently
inquired of the wise men.
(17)
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the
prophet, saying,
(18)
In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and
great mourning, Rachel weeping
for
her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
The Herod Family was a Political puppet of Rome
yet pretended to work on behalf of the Jews; and Jews detested
them for this hypocrisy though at the same time some Jews were
party to this dynasty. Some Jews thought that possibly the
Herods would deliver them from the dominion of Rome. The Jews
who joined the Herods formed the Herodian party that came to
tempt Jesus Christ on the issue of if they should pay Taxes to
Caesar or not. Far and wide, the Pharisees were seen as being
political in their day as noted by this Jewish encyclopedia…
“Priestly
party under the reign of King Herod and his successors; called
by the Rabbis "Boethusians," as adherents of the family of
Boethus, whose daughter Mariamne was one of the wives of King
Herod, and whose sons were successively made high priests by
him. They followed the Sadducees in their opposition to the
Pharisees, and were therefore often identified with the former
(see Grätz, "Gesch." 4th ed., iii. 2, 693; Boethusians).
According to the Gospels, their plot against the life of Jesus
was supported by the Pharisees (Mark iii. 6, xii. 13; Matt. xii.
16); wherefore Jesus warned his disciples, saying "Beware of the
leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod" (Mark viii.
15; Matt. xvi. 6 has "Pharisees" and "Sadducees"). "Leaven" is
explained in Matt. xvi. 12 to mean "teaching," that is, "bad
teaching" (comp. "se'or sheba-'isah" = "the leaven in the
dough," corresponding to the "yeẓer ha-ra'"; Ber. 17a). This
shows that the Herodians represented a religious party. In Luke
xii. 1 the Herodians have been omitted altogether, and the
Pharisees alone are represented as the enemies of Jesus; and in
Luke xx. 19 the scribes and chief priests are mentioned in place
of the Pharisees and the Herodians (see also Mark xii. 13; Matt.
xxii. 15-16).” [5]
Jesus Christ rebuked them and gave made the
famous statement that we should give to Caesar what belongs to
Caesar and to God what belongs to God…
Mark 12:13-17
(13)
And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the
Herodians, to catch him in
his
words.
(14)
And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that
thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the
person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it
lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
(15)
Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their
hypocrisy, said unto them, Why
tempt
ye me?
bring
me a
penny,
that I
may see
it.
(16)
And they brought
it.
And he saith unto them, Whose
is
this
image and
superscription? And they said
unto him, Caesar's.
(17)
And Jesus answering said unto them,
Render to
Caesar
the things that
are
Caesar's, and
to God
the things
that
are God's. And they
marveled at him.
However, when the Jews rebelled against Rome in
66 AD to 70 AD, Herod warned the Jews against such a rebellion,
calling for the Jews to restrain. However, Historians record
that when the insurrection took place, Herod fought on the side
of the Romans and when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD the
Romans rewarded Herod and took him to serve in Rome with his
sister Bernice…
“Knowing
the futility of resistance, Agrippa warned the Jews not to rebel
against Rome, but in vain (BJ, II, xvi, 2-5; XVII, iv; XVIII,
ix; XIX, iii). When the war began he boldly sided with Rome and
fought under its banners, getting wounded by a sling-stone in
the siege of Gamala (BJ, IV, i, 3). The oration by which he
sought to persuade the Jews against the rebellion is a
masterpiece of its kind and became historical (BJ, II, xvi).
When the inevitable came and when with the Jewish nation also
the kingdom of Herod Agrippa II had been destroyed, the Romans
remembered his loyalty. With Bernice his sister he removed to
Rome, where he became a praetor and died in the year 100 ad, at
the age of 70 years, in the beginning of Trajan's reign.” [6]
It is attention-grabbing that Jesus Christ warns
about the Leaven of the Herod….it a warning we should take very
seriously. This should be a stern warning against political
Christianity. The Jews thought that they would be saved from
Roman rule by joining the Herodian Party. The Herod Dynasty was
one of political hypocrisy and had lots of innocent blood on
their hands yet some Jews thought that they could join the
Herods so they could use them to gain freedom from Roman Rule.
Today we have Christians who have joined hands
with politicians in thinking that they can make cities and
nations Christian by having Christian sympathizers and or
Christian elected officials in positions of power and as such
overturn the tide of moral decay in a particular geographical
area.
The American Christian Coalition is such a very
good example spearheaded by Pat Robertson and the late Jerry
Fowell of Liberty University. Another famous political Christian
group that has emerged and gained lots of publicity is the
Christians United For Israel – CUFI headed by Texas Based
Preacher John Hagee who of recent has written a book denying
that Jesus Christ said He was the Messiah… One does not fail to
see the Leaven of Herod in Christendom today…
The Leaven of Herod is certainly Political
Christianity today… The Church today has been turned into a
political football that politicians can come in and out and use
the Church to attain their political goals. On the other hand is
the leadership of the Church that thinks that they can use the
State to attain Christian Religious issues such as abolition of
Abortion, Anti Homosexuality Laws, and a range of Morality Laws
geared to make a city or state “Christian”.
The Lord has not called us to go legislate
morality, we are called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ
that the Kingdom of God is at Hand and Men must repent otherwise
they risk damnation to Hell. We are not called to legislate
morality… Such mentality of Political Christianity is the Leaven
of Herod and makes the church fall in love with the world and as
such commit Spiritual Fornication; this we must be very careful
of.
The Church in America has been deceived with
Political Christianity and the African Church especially here in
Uganda has fallen to such deceit that some church leaders are
now in bed with the State, committing spiritual fornication.
Warning Against Hypocrisy of
the Pharisees…
Luke 12:1-3
(1)
In the mean time, when there were gathered together an
innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trod one
upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all,
Beware
ye of
the
leaven of
the
Pharisees, which
is
hypocrisy.
(2)
For
there is
nothing
covered, that
shall
not be
revealed;
neither
hid, that
shall
not be
known.
(3)
Therefore
whatsoever
ye have
spoken
in darkness
shall
be heard
in the
light;
and that
which
ye have
spoken
in the
ear in
closets
shall be
proclaimed
upon
the
housetops.
Jesus Christ gives us another definition for the
Leaven of the Pharisees. He equates this to Hypocrisy. The
Pharisees were known stage actors. They put on a face of
humility and piousness yet within their hearts they rebelled
against the commands of The Lord and sought to destroy Jesus
Christ. Today we have lots of church leaders and Christians who
act like they are Christians but within them they are full of
evil.
Hypocrisy can come in very subtly into one’s
heart by someone assuming they are justified, holy, and right
with God because of the external Christian works they do like
praying, tithing, fasting, care for the poor etc; and it is
something that we are to watch out for. We are to check our
hearts daily in light of God’s Word and see if we still stand in
the Faith with no hypocrisy in us. Hypocrisy has a tendency to
paint people with humility outside and an appearance of
righteousness yet inside people are never transformed…this is
false humility.
So, since Jesus Christ equated the Leaven of The
Pharisees with Hypocrisy then one does well to find out more
about what the Bible says concerning Hypocrisy…
Warnings against Hypocrisy…
Isaiah 32:6
(6)
For the vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work
iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the
LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause
the drink of the thirsty to fail.
Hebrew word
for hypocrisy is ‘Choneph’ …
H2612
chôneph
kho'-nef
From H2610;
moral filth, that is, wickedness: - hypocrisy.
Interestingly the Hebrew word for ‘hypocrisy’ is
‘choneph’ with meanings of moral filth and wickedness.
In Isaiah The Lord warns that the vile person
will speak villainy and his heart works iniquity to practice
hypocrisy and interestingly utter error against The Lord.
Hypocrisy has to do with moral filth, wickedness, and uttering
error against The Lord. Why is it that many preachers today
utter error against The Lord? Why is it that they teach Error
about The Lord? They Teach doctrines that cause people to error
against The Lord.
False Teachers and False Prophets always teach
and prophesy ERROR against The Lord. They are filled with
hypocrisy and outwardly they show that they so holy and next to
The Lord, and very humble yet inside they are full of error
against The Lord…
I spoke to a Church Leader some time ago
concerning issue of The Doctrine and Teachings of Jesus Christ,
he seemed very humble and recipient yet afterwards he held to
his error and dismissed some of the Teachings of Jesus Christ as
false in order to hold to his Church Traditions…He displayed
perfect hypocrisy just like the Pharisees did, they stage acted
righteousness yet they rejected the Messiah…
Jesus Christ called the Pharisees Hypocrites…
Matthew 23:27
(27)
Woe
unto you,
scribes
and Pharisees,
hypocrites!
for ye
are like unto
whited
sepulchers, which
indeed
appear beautiful
outward,
but are
within full of
dead
men's
bones,
and of
all
uncleanness.
Greek word
for ‘Hypocrites’ = ‘Hupokrites’
G5273
hupokritēs
hoop-ok-ree-tace'
From G5271; an
actor under an assumed character (stage player), that is,
(figuratively) a dissembler (“hypocrite”): - hypocrite.
Jesus Christ always called Pharisees Hypocrites
and interestingly the Greek word for Hypocrites is ‘hupokrites’
with means of an actor under an assumed character, stage
player, and a dissembler…
Pharisees displayed an outside beauty of
righteousness yet inside were full of rottenness and filth.
Jesus likened them to white sepulchers which indeed appear
beautiful outward but inward are full of dead men’s bones and
all uncleanness.
Many Christians today and their leaders are so
pleased to put on a mask and pretend to be holy, righteous,
pure, loving, forgiving, embracing yet inside they are full of
dead men’s bones symbolic of dead works… Brethren, lets check
our hearts in light of God’s Holy Word that there be no seed of
hypocrisy in us…
Inside they are full of hypocrisy and iniquity…
Matthew 23:28
(28)
Even so
ye also
outwardly
appear
righteous unto
men,
but within
ye are
full of
hypocrisy
and
iniquity.
Greek word
for ‘Hypocrisy’ = ‘Hupokrisis’
G5272
hupokrisis
hoop-ok'-ree-sis
From G5271;
acting under a feigned part; that is, (figuratively) deceit
(“hypocrisy”): - condemnation, dissimulation, hypocrisy.
The Greek word for Hypocrisy again here is
‘hupokrisis’ and same as the Greek word for Hypocrite. The
meanings here are acting under a Feigned Part, Deceit,
Condemnation, and dissimilation…
The Pharisee Spirit makes one act as though they
are righteous before men but inside their hearts are full of
iniquity and deceit…
Jesus Christ knew Men’s Hearts that they were
hypocrites…
Mark 12:14-15
(14)
And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that
thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the
person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it
lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
(15)
Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their
hypocrisy, said unto them, Why
tempt
ye me?
bring
me a
penny,
that I
may see
it.
The Leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisy
always seeks to test The Lord in order to discredit His
teachings and His sayings…
In the Last Days, Folks will Speak Deception in
Hypocrisy…
1 Timothy 4:1-2
(1)
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils;
(2)
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with
a hot iron;
In the last days false preachers and false
teachers will speak lies and teach deception in hypocrisy… They
will teach and prophesy as though they were very holy and
righteous and full of humility yet they will be deceiving
people…lets watch out.
Just because someone comes in humbly and teach
with great softness and with no offensive words, and such
eloquence does not mean what they teach is true and of God. Most
of the time it is deception taught to you in hypocrisy…the guy
is just stage acting in order to deceive you…
The Wisdom from above is pure and without
hypocrisy…
James 3:17-18
(17)
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, and
easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality, and without hypocrisy.
(18)
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that
make peace.
The wisdom from The Lord is pure, then peaceable,
gentle and easy to be entreated for those who receive it.
However, those who reject the wisdom from above it is not so. So
people use this verse and take it out of context with all the
other bible scriptures and claim when confronted with Truth that
the confronter is ‘Hateful’, without wisdom, unloving, ungentle
etc…
Well, if you claim that, then the first person
you ought to condemn is Jesus Christ. Was He not full of Wisdom
from above when He sharply rebuked and confronted the Pharisees
by calling then Hypocrites and Vipers? Was he without wisdom
when He rebuked the Pharisees openly before the masses? So, to
the Pharisees, they would not enjoy this Peaceable Wisdom from
above because they rejected The True Commandments and Teachings
of Jesus Christ…
Others would also then condemn John the Baptist,
Paul the Apostle, Peter, Steven, and Jude…all these sharply
confronted and rebuked their detractors… Those who enjoy the
wisdom from above that is peaceable and pure are those who hold
no hypocrisy in them… Remember Hypocrisy involves people
outwardly appearing righteous yet inside they reject the
Teachings of Jesus Christ.
Warning to the Hypocrites…
The Congregation of Hypocrites shall be desolate…
Job 15:34-35
(34)
For the congregation of hypocrites
shall
be
desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
(35)
They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly
prepareth deceit.
There is a clear prophetic warning against
congregations of the hypocrites, they shall be desolate.
Desolate means ‘left empty’, deserted, none to dwell in. Today
that would mean such congregations would be left void of the
Holy Spirit and spiritually dry with no Presence of God in them
at all. They would be with award written on then ‘ICHABOD’ – The
Glory of The Lord has departed…
Do you pray with a Congregation of the
Hypocrites? Get out and look for True and Sincere Christians and
Fellowship with those Christians who will challenge you to walk
according to the Teachings o Jesus Christ and live a life of
holiness and not religiosity…
Hypocrites in heart heap up wrath…
Job 36:13-14
(13)
But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he
bindeth them.
(14)
They die in youth, and their life
is
among the unclean.
Hypocrites stage play that they are righteous but
store up wrath against the righteous and those who speak Truth.
We see that the Pharisees and Chief Priests always sought out
ways to Murder Jesus Christ until the day they handed Him over
to be killed by the Romans…
We see Herod put John the Baptist to Death
because John the Baptist confronted him with Truth Concerning a
wife that Herod had stolen from his brother… We see the
Pharisees in the Book of Acts heavily persecuted Paul the
Apostle and sought to have him killed because taught against the
False Teachings of the Pharisees.
Persecution in this day and age will start in the
Churches by Leaders of Christian Denominations against those who
proclaim Truth in Jesus Christ as Jesus Christ clearly warned…
Luke 21:12-13
(12)
But
before all
these,
they shall
lay
their hands
on you,
and
persecute
you,
delivering
you
up to
the
synagogues, and
into
prisons, being
brought
before kings
and
rulers
for
my name's sake.
(13)
And it
shall
turn to
you for
a
testimony.
Hypocrites always caught up in fear…
Isaiah 33:14
(14)
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the
hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Hypocrites are always caught up in the fear that
somehow somewhat they will be discovered for whom they really
are. They are afraid that somehow their masks will be removed
and people will see their nakedness. For sure that fear is well
founded as Jesus Christ will expose all hypocrites for their
evil, iniquity, and real venomous vipers they really are…
Hypocrites give to be seen before men…
Matthew 6:1-4
(1)
Take heed
that ye
do not
your
alms before
men, to
be seen
of
them: otherwise
ye have
no
reward of
your
Father which
is in
heaven.
(2)
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.
(3)
But
when thou
doest
alms, let
not thy
left hand
know
what thy
right hand
doeth:
(4)
That
thine alms
may be
in
secret: and
thy
Father which seeth
in
secret himself
shall
reward thee
openly.
The Leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisy
causes men to act in such ways that they do works of godliness
such as giving to the poor to be seen by men and for trumpets to
sound that they are such humble, loving, and caring to the poor
yet all this they do to be seen by men.
Today Powerful Christian Denominations of the
West give alms to the poor in Africa but with disguise in their
hearts to expand their denominations and also collect more money
from their Western Constituents. Their giving has strings
attached to it that if the recipients fail to comply with the
attached strings, the donations are cut off… This behavior is
hypocrisy as Jesus Christ described it above…
Jesus Christ commands that our giving and taking
care of the poor should be done in secret and true humility not
to gain anything out of it but as a ministry to The Father in
Heaven who sees in secret and will reward openly…
Pray NOT as the Hypocrites do…The Pharisee Prayer
Model…
Matthew 6:5-6
(5)
And
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.
(6)
But
thou, when
thou
prayest, enter
into
thy closet,
and
when thou
hast
shut thy
door,
pray to
thy
Father which
is in
secret;
and thy
Father
which seeth in
secret
shall reward
thee
openly.
Recently here in Uganda, some Evangelical
Christian Leaders confronted Leaders of the Ugandan Government
over the issue of praying for the government in public and state
functions. The Evangelical Christian Leaders argued that they
are always neglected at State functions and also Public
Occasions when they are not invited to pray for the President
and State along side other religious leaders of the Catholic,
Episcopal (Anglican), and Moslem Faith who are always invited to
grace such occasions.
What was interesting was the fact that these
evangelical leaders wanted to be seen in public saying prayers
for the President and the State so as to be appreciated by men.
They eventually got their requests answered and recently at the
Uganda Independence National Celebration Day, they were given
front row seats next to the President and they graced the
occasions with their “Evangelical” prayers…
The issue was not the prayers for the President
but to be seen before men as people of authority and piousness.
Jesus Christ sharply rebuked the Pharisees for such behavior in
Matthew 23… Many Christians and Christian Leaders today are
caught up in this kind of hypocrisy and we MUST check ourselves
that we don’t fall to such lies of Satan. Our prayers are part
of acts of our righteousness and we are NOT to do them so as
people to see us as holy or righteous but rather do them in
secret, in true humility to be seen and approved of our Heavenly
Father Alone…
Fast NOT as the Pharisees Do in Hypocrisy…
Matthew 6:16-18
(16)
Moreover
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.
(17)
But
thou, when
thou
fastest, anoint
thine
head, and
wash
thy face;
(18)
That
thou appear
not
unto men
to
fast, but
unto
thy Father
which
is in
secret:
and thy
Father,
which seeth in
secret,
shall reward
thee
openly.
Our Fasting just like prayers are part of our
acts of righteousness and should not be done so as to be seen
and approved by men. Christianity today has become so much Man
oriented that Christians get their approval not from God but
from Men. Jesus Christ clearly tells us that even when we fast;
let it not be done to be seen by men but by our Father in
Heaven…
This is one of the major problems Paul the
Apostle addressed in the Book of Galatians, when Men though they
could attain God’s approval through works of the Law by
circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses. The Galatians were
deceived by hypocrites that they could attain justification and
approval by their works of the Law and legalism rather than
Grace through Jesus Christ.
Today many Christians have been deceived that
they can attain God’s Blessing only if they Give Tithes to
God…so many are caught up in this deception that they think they
are more righteous than everybody else because they tithe…
Brethren, lets not be deceived by thinking that we can gain
God’s Approval by being justified by Man.
Pharisee Hypocrites and False Worship of God…
Matthew 15:6-9
(6)
And
honor not
his
father or
his
mother,
he
shall
be
free.
Thus
have ye
made the commandment of God of none
effect by
your
tradition.
(7)
Ye
hypocrites,
well
did Isaiah
prophesy
of you,
saying,
(8)
This
people draweth nigh
unto me
with
their mouth,
and
honoreth me
with
their
lips;
but their
heart
is far
from
me.
(9)
But in
vain they
do
worship me,
teaching
for
doctrines
the
commandments of men.
Is it not interesting that today’s mega churches
place huge emphasis of worship and actually spend thousands of
dollars in purchase of state of the art multi media equipment
for what they call corporate worship sessions. They record lots
of worship sessions and sell the DVDs and CDs which has actually
become a multi million dollar enterprise. Worship to such
fellows is money generating.
They go further and stress the fact how the
Christians can be united “Just for the purpose of worship”…
These same fellows neglect the Teachings and Doctrine of Jesus
Christ for the sake of “unity” and “fellowship” which is a false
unity.
Today Christians have fallen into the same trap
as the Pharisees did. They worship The Lord with their mouth but
their hearts are far away from The Lord. They neglect the New
Testament Teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles while
teaching their Church Denomination Regulations as the Commands
of God…this is hypocrisy.
I had an argument with a Church Leader who told
me how “important” it is to keep the “fellowship” and “unity”
despite the fact that he continued to hold and teach doctrines
that was contrary to the Bible.
Many Christians have fallen for this trap of
false worship, thinking that | |
