Woe to You Hypocrites

A common reason that's given for people not coming to church is that they say the church is full of hypocrites. Well, I'm a pastor. I know the kind of people who come to church. And I readily concede that there are hypocrites in churches.

And today we're going to learn about hypocrisy. It's a serious message, a serious passage, one of the most convicting, I think, in all of Scripture. So I invite you to open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 23. I'm going to attempt to go through this whole chapter this morning.

I know some of you think I can't do that, but we'll try that with God's help. Here, Jesus is condemning the hypocrisy of the scribes and the Pharisees. Matthew refers to hypocrisy much more than Mark and Luke. John in his Gospel never mentions it, but here in Matthew chapter 23, Jesus gives seven woes against hypocrites. Look at verse 13.

Now remember, here is our Savior speaking. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Verse 15, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.

Verse 16, woe to you, blind guides. Verse 23, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Verse 25, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Verse 27, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Verse 29, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Strong, strong words. Hypocrisy is a very serious sin. And here in Matthew chapter 23, we'll learn that Jesus sharply and strongly condemns hypocrisy.

Now none of us like hypocrites. We all say we like authenticity. We want reality.

We want honesty. And this Greek word hypocrite was first used, as some of you know, to describe someone who acted apart in a drama. An actor who spoke, as it were, under a mask. And so the word began to be used as someone who pretends, someone who is acting apart. Someone, in fact, who is putting on a false appearance. And here in Matthew chapter 23, hypocrite denotes a fraud, a pretender, especially one who pretends to be pious, spiritual, virtuous, and religious. Someone who pretends to be more spiritual than others. We would say that a hypocrite is a phony.

Any phonies here? Sad reality is that this kind of hypocrite is often blind to his or her hypocrisy. And as we will read, Jesus uses this word blind. These are blind men, blind fools, he says, blind guides.

You tell your children not to cheat at school, but do you cheat in business? You sing hymns and praise, we've done this morning, but what about your language at home? Is it profane? Is it vulgar at home, on the basketball court, when you're with your buddies, with your friends?

How do you speak then? Hypocrisy is very, very serious and we want to take a closer look at it and listen to the words of Jesus. I'm going to say that there are five characteristics of hypocrisy. Now, as we go through this, this is very, very convicting. I find it very convicting because it's specially written to those who are in spiritual leadership. So as we go through this, I want you not to think of others who you think are hypocrites. I found myself doing that. I thought, well, I know that person, that's a hypocrite.

That's not the point. The hypocrite always looks down on others. The hypocrite thanks God that he's not like so-and-so, so I don't want you to do that. I want you, all of us, as we go through this, as we go through this, to be praying to the Spirit of God to reveal any hypocrisy in my life.

And don't say there is none. First of all, one characteristic of the hypocrite is that there's a difference between telling and doing, a difference between what the hypocrite says and what he or she actually does. Let's read the first 12 verses. Matthew 23, verse 1. Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, the scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe what they tell you, but not the works they do, for they preach but do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others, for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplace and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher and you are all brothers, and call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

The difference between telling and doing. The scribes and the Pharisees considered themselves the custodians, the interpreters of the Mosaic law. They knew their Bible, they studied it, they memorized it, and they interpreted it.

But did you notice verse three? Do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do, for they preach, but do not practice. That's hypocrisy, isn't it? Telling people to do one thing, and then you yourself doing the other. Hypocrites, as Jesus explains, make life very difficult for others. They give heavy burdens to others, but they don't help.

Do what I say, but don't do what I do. And notice verse five, very key, they do all their deeds to be seen by others. They want others to look on them and say, here is a spiritual man, here is a spiritual woman. They make, verse five, their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. Some of you have been to Israel, you have seen this. I've got a picture of them here.

Some of us are going in Israel, and we'll see them. You see these little boxes? As if at Lachteri, you see the arm wrapping, little pieces of Scripture are in these boxes.

You say, why would they do that? Deuteronomy chapter six, we looked at it a couple of weeks ago as we thought of the great Jewish Shema, the confession of faith. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and your might, and so on. And then verse eight, you shall bind them, the commandments, as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. So here we call them the phylacteries. So here are these scribes and Pharisees. They've got huge boxes.

They've got a lot of strappings on their arm. The point, of course, of Deuteronomy 6 is that the Word of God should be central. Here, these scribes and these Pharisees take this very literally, and they want others to know how spiritual they are by having a broad phylactery and having long fringes, long tassels on their clothes. In Deuteronomy 15, the instruction was, you are to remember the commandments. And one way to do that was to put, as it were, a fringe on your garment so that the Word of God would be central. It wouldn't just be read in the synagogue, but it would be for you.

That's the point of it. But the hypocrites want people to admire, want people to applaud their spirituality. Look how spiritual I am. They want the best seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted for their spirituality. They love their titles.

Notice, a lot of people like the title. Here is the rabbi. Here is the father, and so on. They want to be the authority.

They want a personal following. Now, Jesus is not saying that we don't have respect for our teachers and our fathers. Obviously, we do. We know that.

But the point is, all of us are imperfect people. And we are, says Jesus, you are all brothers. I remember when I was 14 or 15, in a soccer team, we went to Málaga, southern Spain, beautiful city, and we were playing a team in Málaga. And before the game, we were told we were going to be presented to the bishop. He had ornate clothes on, and he had his ring. And the teams were presented to the bishop, who was going to watch this display of our great soccer prowess. And we were meant to kiss his ring. So I'm at the back of the line, watch the boys kissing the bishop's ring.

The best player in our team was a man called, was a boy called Solomon Garçon. Solomon suggested, you're right, he was Jewish. So I said to Saul, I don't know about you, but I'm not going to kiss the ring.

He said, no, neither am I. Here was the most reverent, your grace, your excellency, bowing and kissing a ring. No, we show respect to those who are authority, but we have only one father. We don't call someone father, so and so. Don't call me Father John in a spiritual sense.

No. We're all equal before God. God is our master. We serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We bow and we worship Him. And the reality of our faith is not demonstrated by titles, not by lording it over. Did you notice verses 11 and 12, Jesus says, the greatest among you. You want to be great in the kingdom of heaven.

We've seen this before. Be your servant. Don't have people kissing your ring, wearing some ornate clothes so people can admire you and bow to you. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled. Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Here's the first characteristic then of the hypocrite, the difference between telling and doing.

Second difference, verses 13 through 22, is the difference between the spiritual and the material, verse 13. But woe to you. Now Jesus is speaking.

This is strong, isn't it? But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces.

For you neither enter yourself nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte. And when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

The difference between the spiritual and the material. Verse 16, woe to you blind guides, who say if anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing. But if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he's bound by his oath, you blind fools.

For which is greater, the gold or the temple that is made the gold sacred? And you say, if anyone swears by the altar, it's nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he's bound by his oath, you blind men.

For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it."

That's tough, isn't it? Jesus is saying to these men, these religious men, you're hypocrites. Not only will you not enter the kingdom of heaven yourself, but through your hypocrisy, through your deceitful words and actions, you're shutting out others from the kingdom of heaven.

You're making it very difficult for others to come. Here's John the Baptist, here's the Lord, repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. And these men who should have been advising and helping people to understand that in their very midst was the Messiah, they reject it. They are spiritually blind. Jesus calls them blind fools, verse 17. Verse 19, you blind men. Blind to who is in your midst? The Messiah.

Spiritually blind. Notice what Jesus says in verse 15, you make that person twice as much a child of hell as yourself. Religion, impressing others, their actual fact, children of hell. Hypocrites concerned with the material trappings, the gold, the money, the offering, but they neglect the spiritual. One of the characteristics of the hypocrite, one of the characteristics of the false teacher is materialism, is love of money. And so one of the qualifications for the elder in the church is that he is not to be a lover of money, but the hypocrite loves money. And they use religion to exploit people for their own benefit, for their own material benefit. Paul refers to those who are peddlers of God's Word, 2 Corinthians 2.

They use religion, they use Christ, they use the church to manipulate people to get what they want. The difference between the spiritual and the material. Here is the third one, the difference between focusing on the minors and focusing on the majors. Just think of it, are you applying these things to yourself? Are you someone in your faith, in the Christian life, you're majoring on the minors and in so doing you're neglecting that which is major and that which is major and that which is important. You say, what do you mean? Verse 23, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness, these you ought to have done without neglecting the others, you blind guides straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.

The difference between focusing on the minors and focusing on the majors. Here are these scribes and the Pharisees, they know their Bibles, they know they're to give a tithe of all they have and they are so meticulous that they in fact give a tithe of the herbs, the mint and dill and cumin. Was that wrong? No, that's not wrong, that's right. What's their problem? Not that they tithe, that's according to the Mosaic law, but they neglect the very essence of the law.

Oh, they are very pedantic, they're very particular, they're very meticulous. Notice, I'm even giving 10% of the herbs that I have. Jesus is saying, yeah, that's good. But in so doing, you're neglecting the weightier matters of the law.

What are these? Justice and mercy and faithfulness. That's the law, to be just, to be honest, to be authentic. Are you just? Are you a just person?

How about mercy? Are you someone who extends mercy to others? Dads, do these children see mercy in you?

Are you a hard taskmaster? Those employers here, do you show mercy to an employee who's messed up? In our relationships with others, in the church, people stumble, people mess up.

How do you respond? Justice, mercy, and faithfulness. That's it. Being a person of your word, person of commitment, you follow through, you're a faithful person. That's what's important in the law. And their legalistic and meticulous interpretation of the law demonstrates their hypocrisy.

See, the hypocritical legalist wants everyone to know how meticulously they observe the minor issues. Straining out an ad, no one wants to swallow an ad, that's a nasty little thing. No problem in straining out the ad, the problem is as you do that, you're swallowing the camel.

Do you get the point? The trivial becomes the most important. That's where you're focused, and when you're focusing on that, you're swallowing the camel. That being the smallest creature in Israel at the time, the camel being the largest.

Fred Bridges and I went on a missions trip to Kazakhstan, where they speak Russia, Russia. And we sat down for this meal, and we're eating. It's very dark meat, and we're chewing, and we're chewing, and we're chewing. And I said to Fred, what is this? He said, I think it's horse. I said, if you got a horse, I got the saddle, because I love meat, and we were chewing away. That wasn't the end of it. Then they said, would you like something to drink?

Absolutely. And they said, we have camel's fermented milk. Fred, who's not as spiritual as I am, he declined. I, being a pastor, trying to establish rapport with the people, said sure, I'll drink your camel's fermented milk. I don't advise it. I can down just about anything, and I took a few gulps of it, and that was that.

So, I've never actually swallowed a camel, but I have swallowed camel's milk. It's a brilliant illustration by Jesus, isn't it? And you know, and I know, in a Christian life, we sometimes are guilty of that, aren't we? You may be guilty of that in raising your children. We may be guilty of that as a church. It's very easy, isn't it, to get caught up with the outward legalistic practices and rituals and neglect, compassion and justice and love and righteousness. Rules and regulations and laws and rituals and policies must never become an end in themselves. Majoring on the minors without a living relationship with God in faith, that breeds hypocrisy. That's the third one, the difference between focusing on the minors and focusing on the majors.

Here's the fourth one, and they're all tied together. The difference between the outer and the inner person. Verse 25, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee.

First, clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you're full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Wow, is that direct teaching? You see, that doesn't sound very loving.

This is coming from the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the very essence of love. The difference between the external and the internal. The difference between the outer person and the inner person. Here is a cup. That cup could be clean on the outside, but dirty and nasty in the inside. We've all had that experience in the restaurant, haven't we? We get a glass, we get a cup, and it seems clean.

Well, you can sign and we realize there's dirt inside. That's the point, isn't it? The Pharisees and the scribes look the part. They've got their long robes, they've got their phylacteries, they've got their tassels. They're giving their tithes and their long prayers in public.

Very impressive. Ah, but there's a huge discrepancy, Jesus is saying, between who they are externally and what they are internally. Let me ask you, what's most important? Their long robes, their long prayers, their traditions and interpretations of the law. Outwardly they look very good, but inwardly, Jesus says, you notice how strong He speaks? He says, they're full of greed and self-indulgence. Whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. What a graphic picture of inner corruption and wickedness. Outwardly impressive, internally, unclean.

What about you? You know, social media, with social media it's very easy for people to present a certain image of them. People who go on these dating apps can look at someone, that'll look very nice. They can find out that you're a Christian and they say, oh, I'm a Christian, I read my Bible, I go to church. They can act the part, they can look the part, they can speak the part. But some of you have found out, haven't you? As you began to date someone like that, you realize, no, that's the outward shell.

Outwardly impressive, but internally they may be sleazy, deceitful, immoral, and dishonest hypocrites. What's God's concern for you? How you look? What you say?

No. Your heart. Your heart.

That's also true when we meet someone, isn't it? We're concerned, how is their heart? What's the real person?

Is this person a phony or is there authenticity there? You see, when the heart is right, the outward conduct and the words follow. But if the heart is wrong, there may be impressive words, impressive actions, but they are hypocrites.

They're playing a part and sooner or later, the true person comes to light. Following external rules, but it's the supernatural life of the Spirit of God in us which makes the change. What about you? What about your heart?

Is it unclean? Are you a self-indulgent person? Jesus said these Pharisees were full of greed and self-indulgence. Any of that in your life? Here's the last one.

The difference between hard hearts and humble hearts. Verse 29, woe to you. You're saying, is Jesus never going to stop saying this?

Here it is. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous saying, if we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets. Thus, you witness against yourselves that your sons of those who murdered the prophets, fill up then the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore, I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town so that on you may come all of the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barakiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

Truly, I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation." So when it comes down to it, the hypocrite's heart is hard rather than humble and soft. Oh, these scribes and Pharisees, they knew their biblical history and they're saying, we understand, we know our Bibles and we know that God sent prophets and they were killed and murdered, but we would never have done that.

No. In fact, verse 29, they decorate the monuments of the righteous. But the reality is, Jesus is saying, they are murderous hypocrites and they hate the true prophets of God. In fact, even as Jesus is speaking to them, they are plotting his death. They hate the Messiah, Christ. They're plotting to destroy and kill him. They say, oh, we're not like the people in the Old Testament who persecuted and killed and stoned the prophets.

We wouldn't have done that. And Jesus is saying, you're exactly like them. Did you notice what he said? You serpents, verse 33, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? And as we know, they're going to continue their murderous rejection of God's messengers, even the Messiah.

What hypocrisy. Hard hearts. There's evidence in your life of a hard heart, resisting the truth, arguing with the truth. When you're approved by someone, instead of humbly listening to the word of God, you resent it, you get defensive.

Your heart, that's a bad sign, isn't it? We sang a beautiful song, Speak to Me. And God speaks to you. Do you listen?

Do you humbly respond? Scripture says over and over again, today, when you hear God's word, do not harden your heart. These men, in spite of the Messiah being in their midst, are hardening their heart, heating Him, so that soon they're going to say, crucify Him. You say, what's the answer to this repentance? Hypocrites must repent. Isn't it wonderful that when our Savior comes to earth, He comes not to condemn us?

Because within all of our hearts, every single one of us, there's hypocrisy, isn't there? Don't deny it. Don't say you're different from others. You have pretended to be so spiritual.

You put on that facade. Was necessary repentance. And that was a problem with the Pharisees and the scribes. They thought they were different from others.

They thought they were separate from the sinners and the tax collectors. And Jesus of course said, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Sick people go to the doctor, the righteous person, the healthy person doesn't do it. So when Jesus comes, He comes and He says, I didn't come to save those who think they're righteous, but rather I came to save those who recognize that they are sinners. What does the hypocrite do? He or she focuses on the failings and the faults of others. They deflect the truth.

They think they're immune. And as long as you continue in that attitude and you're blind to your own failings and sins, there can be no true salvation. Because in true salvation, there is a repentance of your sin. The essence of the Christian faith is not trying to become a better person.

The essence of the Christian faith is not going through the outward rituals. It begins by you as an individual and me as an individual confessing that I am sinful. Yes, Lord, there is hypocrisy. Yes, I sometimes have greed and self-indulgence and I need forgiveness which only you can give. And we acknowledge our sin and we look to our magnificent Savior who came to die for sinners, was buried and rose again.

Religion, hypocrisy is trying to get to God by our own efforts. I'll change my behavior. I'll go through some therapy. I'll adopt some religious rituals. I'll join a church. I'll do all of these good works, trying by yourself to achieve your salvation.

You'll never make it. Now, because it is coming up to St. Patrick's Day and to show I'm not totally prejudiced against Irish people, I want to put on the screen an Irishman. Have we got the slide? Is there someone up there awake? Or are they anti-Irish as well? There he is. He's an Irishman.

Probably very few of you know his name. Pelé, the great soccer player, said that this man, his name was George Best, was the greatest footballer in the world at the time. He played for Manchester United, which I happen to like, the greatest club in the world, and they won yesterday 3-2 against Spurs.

George Best, he played with Dennis Laws, Scotsman, Bobby Charlton, Englishman, front three. Absolutely magnificent. Fantastic player. But George Best had a problem, and ultimately it was a problem that was going to kill him.

He liked to drink, and he became an alcoholic. And one time after his career in football had ended, he was interviewed, and he said this. He said, I could beat every opponent apart from alcohol. Unstoppable on the field.

Absolutely brilliant. Fast, tremendous dribbler of the ball, the passer of the ball. If he wasn't the best in the world, he certainly was among the top two or three. Could beat every opponent apart from alcohol, and he was going to die from his alcoholism, even though he had a transplant liver. By yourself, you cannot beat your hypocrisy. By yourself, you cannot beat your alcoholism. By yourself, you can't beat that drug addiction. By yourself, you can't beat that greed and that immorality and whatever particular sin or sins you have.

By yourself, you can never beat them. See, the hypocrite thinks he can. The hypocrite thinks he or she doesn't have a problem. Can I tell you, as I've told you often, salvation is not something to be achieved, but rather freely received as an act of God's grace. By acknowledging that you can't save yourself, and to know that our Lord Jesus Christ has done it all. His work is perfect for my salvation and your salvation. You're to turn from your sin, and you're to embrace Christ as your Savior and Lord.

Yes, turn from your hypocrisy. Admit that you are the sinner. Remember the Pharisee in the temple who was praying and the tax collector was there, and the Pharisee is thanking God he's not like this man. The man who was saved, who was justified, he says, God be what? Merciful to me, the sinner. Have you ever said that? Or do you like the Pharisee? I've always been a Christian.

I come from a wonderful home. I've been baptized. I've joined the church.

I've done all of this. But I'm asking you, have you received Christ? And Jesus is saying, please listen, these are his words, not mine, that judgment is coming to those who reject Jesus. Verse 37, oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones, those who are sent to it, how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wing, and you were not willing.

See, your house has less left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Woe to you is a message of judgment. The scribes and the Pharisees are rejecting God's salvation. They're rejecting the Messiah, and judgment is coming, and Jesus is lamenting over Jerusalem.

He wants to gather them as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but they are unwilling. We see the wonderful love of Jesus as he stands and pleads with them, but they do not come. Jesus is about to leave the world. He says in verse 39, I tell you, you will not see me again.

This house, meaning the temple, verse 38, is going to be left to you, desolate. And just a few years later in AD 70, that's exactly what happens. The Roman army comes and besieges Jerusalem. They kill up to a million Jews. They set the temple on fire.

They scatter the name of Israel. They have rejected the Messiah, and judgment has come, and the temple in Jerusalem is left desolate to this very day. In chapter 24, verse 1, as we'll see next week, Jesus leaves the temple for the last time. No wonder he weeps over Jerusalem. They reject the Messiah.

They will not see him again. His earthly ministry is almost rejected, but did you notice in verse 39 the wonderful little word until? I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They reject the Messiah, but God never forgets his promises to his ancient people. And God has a future for Israel, and Jesus will return, and when he returns, Paul says in Romans 11, all Israel will be saved.

Then the nation will say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. A message of judgment, but today is a day of grace. Will you bow and examine your heart to see if there's any hypocrisy in you?

Don't say you're better than others. Look to Christ the Savior who comes to forgive and to transform. There's a tough passage, a tough message. I want you in this moment, and as we look to Christ and Christ alone, some of you have not yet come to Christ. Will you admit you're a sinner, deserving eternal separation from God? Admit your hypocrisy, your sin, and trust Jesus, the Son of God, who paid the penalty for your sins when he died on the cross and rose again, and say, Lord Jesus, I now trust you as my personal Savior. Save me.

Give me the gift of eternal life. Help me to live for you. In Jesus' name, our Father and our God. We thank you for this passage.

It's so convicting. It cuts right through some of our phoniness, and all of us here who are followers of Christ want to be authentic, and we pray now for your grace. We thank you that you're a merciful God, that you're a forgiving God, a God who shatters hard hearts. I pray for those here who have never yet trusted Christ, who are still unsaved. May they call upon the name of the Lord and be saved, and we thank you that salvation is found in Christ and Christ alone. As we sing of the wonder of salvation, touch and change their hearts, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.