Don't Be A Hypocrite(From our 10-20-24 Worship)

West Side Church of Christ - Elkton Ky

Watch the Video Version Here: https://youtu.be/MnZSU9zA2rM

Transcript:
You know, they get some pretty strange names at times. On average, there's 12 a year, but some years there's more and some years there are less. When they're going on, they're the focus of attention, but, but usually after the fact, unless you were directly involved, they're just forgotten. But some of them, some of them are widely remembered because of how powerful they were. How destructive they were. Maybe they went through an area where it didn't normally happen before. Give you an example of what I'm talking about. If I say to you the word Katrina, what comes to mind? Hurricane Katrina. You see, hurricanes is something that had been at the forefront of everybody's mind with Helene and and Milton just come through almost back to back. But Hurricane Katrina was was one of those storms that just stands out for a lot of people. 2000 and five. Of course, every time there's a major natural disaster like this, one of the things that almost immediately begins to to be sounded out is calls for help. People lose everything. They lose their homes. Many lose their lives. And when those calls for help go out, many people answer them. People stop their lives and they load up all the supplies and equipment that they have and they, they basically put their own lives on hold and they go to an area for people that they have no idea who they are and they help. And it's a wonderful and beautiful thing. But not everybody has the ability to do that. For a lot of people, they can't uproot their lives. Or maybe they don't have a truck and an enclosed trailer and all the tools and equipment that it takes to do, you know, remove brush and lint and do these things. So the next best thing is what? Well, we'll donate money. We'll give money to a group of people with the idea and the intention that they're going to take that money, those funds, and they're going to go into an area and help. You see, in 2005, when Katrina hit millions and millions and millions of dollars was given to the United States, the American Red Cross. And of course, when you know how people are, If you go into an area, one of the things they did for, for disaster victims was is they would load money on to, on to like prepaid visas, debit cards, if you will, and they would give those out to people so that they could buy supplies and things that they need. And of course, human beings being what they are, if you go into an area and start handing out some form of cash, people are going to abuse that system, right? They're going to be the wanty as well as the needy. We kind of expect that. But what if I told you that it wasn't just people trying to play the system? What if I told you that people actually from the Red Cross itself took, took money that was donated to help Hurricane Katrina victims and they stole it and they put it in their own pockets? How would you feel about that? You'd be outraged. These people who who put on the vest and they go down there and they say, we're here to help. And in reality, some of them, not all of them. There's always a few bad apples in the bunch, right? But some of them turned around and said, instead of we're here to help you, they're here to what help themselves. This is a real story. Of all the millions of dollars that was given to Hurricane Katrina, about 200, 000 of it wound up in a few employees pockets. And you say, well, 200, 000 versus a couple million. That's that's not a lot of money, but it's not a money problem, is it? It's not a money problem. It's a principle problem. You're gonna go down there and you're gonna put on the vest and you're gonna pretend to help. And instead You're not only stealing money from donors, but you're stealing it also from what? From people who need it. You're stealing from both sides of the pot. It's manipulative. It's sorry. We could come up with all kind of words to say about it this morning. But in reality, there's there's one word that we kind of used to describe this. Someone who would take aid that's supposed to be given to hurricane victims. and stealing and put it in their own pockets. We call them what? Hypocrites. You see that word hypocrisy or hypocrite comes from a word that means to play a part. You put on the vest and say, I'm here to help. In reality, you're not. Of course, Halloween's almost among us. And, you know, some of us little kids and some of us big kids like to put on, put on mask and costumes and pretend to be somebody else. That's fun and all. I don't like to, I did Tin Man one time and that face paint nearly itched me to death. I don't ever see Tin Man making a resurrection if I can help it. I just said that and I'll have to do it this year. But it's one thing to pretend to be somebody else for a few minutes for Halloween. What happens when somebody wants to pretend to be somebody else indefinitely? What happens when somebody wants to pretend to be a Christian? in the middle of the church. That's a much more serious matter. And this morning, what I want us to do is I want us to look at one of the gospel accounts. I want to steal the book of Matthew, got your Bibles. Go ahead and be turning there with me. That's where we're going to go and spend the entirety of our time this morning. I didn't realize it until I did this study for this lesson. But Matthew says a lot about hypocrites. And I want us to look at what, what Matthew has to say. about about hypocrisy and hypocrites. And I hope that we can learn from these things. I hope that we can learn to be better. I know I need to be better. And I bet if I need to be better that you need to be better too. So that being said, we're gonna start out in Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six right here in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus in Chapter five starts out with the beatitudes. Blessed are those and go through that list of all those characteristics of how to be a Christian. And then as we get out into Chapter six, Jesus is going to begin to talk about people who perform religious acts and he's going to call them hypocrites and notice what makes them a hypocrite. All right, Matthew Chapter six beginning verse one. Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people. in order to be seen by them. For then you will have no reward from your father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received the reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that you're giving may be in secret in your father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, where they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners that they might be seen by others. Really, I said to you, they have received the reward. But when you pray, go in your room and shut the door and pray to the father who is in secret and your father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them. for your father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray them like this. Our father in heaven, how will be your name? Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day or daily bread and forgive us our debts as we're also forgiven our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, Your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive other their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces, that their fasting may be seen by others. ...