The End Of Hypocrisy

Let me pray for us before we open that passage.

Father God, we want to thank you for your word,

and we want to ask that right now, as we have heard,

that we would be not mere hearers but doers.

We ask that you may enable us to be people who accurately reflect

the life that you have purchased for us with the blood of Jesus.

Amen.

One of the great struggles for those who call themselves a Christian

is that everyone thinks they know how Christians are supposed to live.

I'm sure that you have heard the phrase,

I thought you were a Christian,

or I thought Christians weren't supposed to smoke, drink, get tattoos, be fun,

stay up after 9.30, those sorts of things.

Even here in the car park, when we ask cars who are not here for anything to do with us

to park elsewhere during the week,

there is often abuse along the lines of,

I thought you guys were supposed to be Christian.

I'm not sure what that has to do with parking,

but they are sure.

And the sad reality is, even though the car park might not be a good example,

more often than not, when you hear a comment like that,

the critique is correct.

So many people who wear the badge Christian live lives that look nothing like what the Bible says.

And that's why so many people refuse to even hear the message of the Gospel.

Hypocrisy is one of the biggest barriers when it comes to telling people about Jesus.

I'm yet to meet a non-Christian who doesn't like Jesus.

I mean, he's loving, he's forgiving, he's generous, he's compassionate, he's powerful, he's great.

He'd be the perfect person to have in anyone's life.

But it's Christians.

And it's hypocritical lives that turn people off.

And so we need to address the gap between what we say we believe and how we live

if we're going to have any credibility in calling other people to follow Jesus.

But in fact, hypocrisy causes an even bigger issue.

An issue that strikes closer.

Where there is hypocrisy,

where there's inconsistency between the words that we speak or the faith that we profess

and the life that we live and the actions that we do and the way that we speak,

it's not just the world out there that is questioning the validity of what we believe.

It should make us stop and ask searching questions of ourselves.

About just how genuine our faith really is.

But the challenge is that nobody sets out to be a hypocrite.

Nobody's goal is to say their one thing and then do the other thing.

At the heart of hypocrisy is self-deception.

At the heart of that gap of the way that we live and the way that we speak

is a self-deception that's convinced itself

that actually we're living exactly how we claim to.

It's a self-deception that has convinced ourselves that we are hitting the mark,

that we are ticking the box.

But unfortunately, when there is hypocrisy,

when there's a gap between belief and action,

between faith and life,

there is deception.

Verse 22.

Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.

James is writing to early Christians

who have been scattered all throughout the world then in different corners.

They have different trials.

They have different temptations.

They're struggling as a religious minority.

And he wants to put a spotlight on them,

particularly those who claim to be Christians,

claim to be followers of Jesus,

but look nothing like it.

And the struggle is that this self-deception is hard to see

because we're deceived.

It's self-deception.

We're blinded to what we're really like

and instead we float along in this sort of false confidence.

See, verse 22 assumes that there's a level of engagement

because they're listening to the word.

The problem isn't that they're not listening.

The problem is that they're just listening.

This whole letter of James is written to Christian churches,

written to people who would have identified as followers of Jesus,

written to people who probably gathered to study the Bible

like we are now.

Maybe had study groups during the week.

Maybe did their quiet times.

Maybe even memorized verses.

And yet, because the churches then and now

had a reputation and have a reputation for hypocrisy,

James feels the need to warn them,

and us,

don't be deceived.

And he gives us two measures so that we can check

just how genuine we are.

So that we can check whether or not there is a gap

that we've lost sight of or ignored.

Two safeguards so that we can check

and not waste our energy

in a life of deluded hypocrisy.

Verse 22.

Do not merely listen to the word

and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.

First safeguard,

listen to the word.

Second,

do what it says.

It's tempting to skip over the first one.

Like that's the easy one of the two.

But it's still essential.

The verse says,

don't merely listen to the word.

Meaning you have to be at least listening to it.

I mean,

I know listening to it's not enough,

but if you're not listening,

then you have no hope of doing it.

Because you would not know

what it is that is required of you.

And it's not as easy as it sounds.

Listening is actually a lost art for many of us.

Not just when it comes to God and the Bible,

but with anyone.

Have you noticed that most of our conversations,

if we're really honest,

are not two people engaging with one another.

They're two people taking it in turns,

saying what they want to say.

We don't sit and carefully listen to one another.

We wait for our turn.

We're distracted,

focusing on what words it is that we will speak next.

Just last week,

we had Are You Okay Day.

It's a day designed to encourage people

to ask one another how we're doing.

In the hopes that those struggling

with feelings of hopelessness and suicide

might be cared for.

The very fact that we need a day

to force us to have those conversations

and ask those questions

says that we have lost the art of listening.

Says that we're much more interested

in what we have to say or what we think

rather than those around us.

It's not a new thing.

James challenges the Christians

in the first century as well.

Verse 19.

My dear brothers,

take note of this.

Every one of you should be quick to listen,

slow to speak,

and slow to become angry.

For man's anger does not bring about

the righteous life that God desires.

See, our inability to listen well

inhibits us in our relationships

with one another.

It reflects pride.

It reflects self-absorption

that exists in all of us.

And that pride draws us away

from the life that God desires for us.

From the life that God has designed for us.

A life lived self-seeking like that

lacks the capacity,

lacks the power to produce

the kind of life that God has designed.

And so we need another way.

And in verse 21 we find it.

Therefore,

given that, you know,

looking after ourselves,

worrying about ourselves,

speaking first,

listening second,

being quick to react,

given that that doesn't work,

therefore,

get rid of all moral filth

and the evil that is so prevalent

and humbly accept the word planted in you

which can save you.

That pride that shapes so much

of how we relate to one another

is not just a slight deviation

from God's design.

It's not just a sort of slight challenge

to what God has for us.

It's opposition to it.

It's moral filth.

Just like you can't have a relationship

with a friend or spouse

if you don't listen,

you can't expect to have one with God

if you don't listen either.

This passage has really strong echoes

of Jesus' teaching in Matthew chapter 7

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

where Jesus speaks about the wise

and the foolish builder

and people come to him

who have done miracles,

who have preached sermons,

who have driven out demons

and they are sent away

because God says,

I never knew you.

The Bible and the story of Jesus

is a relational word.

It's designed to help us get to know God.

And so if we come to it with a pride

where our first response is to speak

instead of listen,

we will be incapable

of having the relationship

that God wants.

The Bible is not some opinion column

in the paper.

It's not the wise musings

of some gurus.

It's God's word.

It's the creator

speaking to creatures.

And so we must listen

with humility.

This word has power.

Did you notice it gets a few different names

in these verses?

Listen to how it's described.

Go back one verse to verse 18.

It says,

He chose to give us birth

through the word of truth.

God's word has the power

to give life.

Or verse 21 again,

Get rid of all moral filth

and the evil that is so prevalent

and humbly accept

the word planted in you

which can save you.

God's word can save.

Verse 25,

The man who looks intently

into the perfect law

that gives freedom.

God's word gives life,

can save and gives freedom.

It is the word of truth.

It is unchanging.

It is reality defining.

By it,

we understand everything else

in existence.

We must listen to it.

And not just waiting to respond

and say what we think

or speak,

but hanging on

every life-giving word,

eager for this to be the thing

that defines who we are,

what we care about.

And so you need to ask yourself

the question,

are you putting yourself

in situations

where you can listen

to the word of God?

Are you making the most

of the opportunities

that God is placing

in front of you now?

Are you preparing well

for church when we gather?

Are you making sure

you get a good night's sleep?

Are you asking God

to take away the things

in your mind

that you know

will distract you

or make you anxious?

Are you sitting

in a good spot here

where you know

you can concentrate best?

Are you eager

to take notes?

Are you blocking out

time to read the Bible

for yourself?

Or is it just

one of many voices

that you're just

looking for a gap in

so that you can let us

know what you think

or how you see things?

verse 22

Do not merely listen

to the word

and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.

Don't be deceived.

Listen

to the word.

Don't merely listen

but listen

so that you can do

what it says.

One of the great

strengths for our church

is that we are

Bible people.

We love the Bible.

Darren's already

alluded to the fact

that here in Australia

and here in Sydney

especially

there is a saturation

of good Bible teachers

and good Bible teaching.

People who love

God's word

and seek to proclaim

it faithfully.

We love to read

the Bible.

We love to sing

bits of scripture

in our songs.

We love to declare

it in our creeds.

We love to preach

from it.

We do Bible studies

around it.

We learn memory verses.

But does all of that

make any difference

to the way that you

speak

or think

or act

or feel?

Imagine a scenario

in my house

with me

and my son Bailey.

I've just

put him to bed

and I've explained

that he has to

stay in his room

and go to sleep.

I've wandered out

to watch TV

for my moment

of solitude

in the day

and a few minutes

later he reappears

working his cheeky grin.

He always comes out

and asks a question

like he doesn't know.

Oh, what are you doing?

And leans around

and starts watching TV.

Oh, it's the TV.

What's on TV?

And then sort of

works his way

to sit on the lounge.

So I say,

Bailey,

go back to your room,

get into bed

and stay there.

He continues

to watch TV

so thinking

that he wasn't listening

I say,

Bailey,

go back to your room,

get in bed

and stay there.

He looks at me.

Here's the seriousness

of my tone.

He says,

okay,

and wanders off,

stamping as loud

as he can

to wake Hudson up.

Now,

a little while later,

imagine I wander

down the hallway

to get something

out of my room

and I find Bailey

sitting in the hallway

reading books.

I'd be like,

Bailey,

didn't you listen to me?

Imagine if he was

to look up to me

and say,

yeah, dad,

I listened

and I've been

thinking about

what you said,

really studying it

and I think

that you were

talking about

me staying in my bed

and going to sleep.

In fact,

I think I've

memorised what you said.

I think you said,

Bailey,

go back to your room,

get in bed

and stay there.

You can imagine

how the rest

of the conversation

might go from my side.

That kind of listening

isn't okay

in any sphere

of our life.

That kind of listening

won't cut it

with your boss

when they give you

instructions.

In fact,

it completely defeats

the purpose

for me speaking

those words.

My goal wasn't

that Bailey knew

what I said.

my goal was

that Bailey did

what I said.

And yet,

often that's the way

we listen

to God's word.

We think about it,

we study it,

we have study groups

for it.

We write in our journals,

maybe we even

memorise it.

But does it

make any difference?

I've sat

in Bible studies

with people

who when confronted

with parts of the Bible

that were uncomfortable

or challenging,

maybe bits that

demanded some change

or some sacrifice,

and so those bits

were completely

pushed aside

and rejected.

And the issue

wasn't that they

thought the Bible

was saying something else,

it's that they

just didn't care.

we're happy

to read it

and understand it,

but the gap

is in our obedience.

In effect,

they were saying,

I've listened,

I know what you said,

but I disagree.

Maybe it's more subtle

than that for some of us.

We read what the Bible

says,

we agree with what it says,

but we either wrongly

think it doesn't

apply to us,

you know the classic,

I really hope that person's

listening today

because this is a message

for them.

If they want to be

as godly and humble

as me,

they've got some things

they need to adjust.

Or,

maybe we feel

that little twinge

of guilt,

we hear that little

challenge or rebuke,

but then we walk away

and do nothing.

verse 23 says,

anyone who listens

to the word

but does not do

what it says

is like a man

who looks at his face

in a mirror

and after looking

at himself

goes away

and immediately

forgets what he

looks like.

Now,

I don't know many

people who enjoy

looking at themselves

in the mirror.

Actually,

that's not entirely true.

Just about everyone

at the gym I go to

enjoys checking

themselves at the mirror.

But there are

a lot of people

for whom

a mirror

can be very

uncomfortable.

Because a mirror

shows all the bits

that you probably

spend time

trying to hide

or disguise

or trick yourself

into thinking

aren't there.

And so,

if you don't like

what you see

when you look

in the mirror,

it makes sense

that you probably

won't look that often

and even if you do,

you probably won't

work too hard

to remember

what you saw.

It's much

more pleasant

to delude

yourself into

thinking you

look how you

want to look.

So forget

about the rough

edges.

But pleasant

or not,

it's not

reality.

Looking in

the mirror

of God's

word will

at times

make you

uncomfortable.

It will

challenge you.

It will

demand things

from you.

It will

show you

parts of your

life and

parts of your

character that

are deeply

offensive to

God.

But pretending

that's not how

it is,

isn't going to

help you.

The point

of a mirror

is to see

what's there

so that you

can make

adjustments.

If I get up

in the morning

and I'm

looking in the

mirror and I'm

styling my

hair,

bit of product

in it,

little twist

here,

little pat

there,

if when I

look in the

mirror I'm

not happy

with what I

see,

I make

adjustments.

I deal

with the

little

alfalfa

that's

going on

at the

back.

I put it

where I was

trying to

put it so

it looks

how I

want it

to look.

I'm not

walking out

the door

looking

ridiculous.

The solution

isn't to

avoid the

mirror because

it makes me

uncomfortable,

it's to

deal with

what the

mirror shows

me.

And yet

again,

when it

comes to

our character,

when the

Bible shows

us the gap

between how

we're living

and what

we claim

to believe,

often our

first reaction

is to

pretend we

didn't see

it.

To trick

ourselves into

thinking that

we're actually

better than

we are.

We shrug

our shoulders

and we

live in

self-delusion

rather than

fixing the

issue.

To not do

what Scripture

calls you to

do, to not

obey what

you hear,

is to waste

the opportunity

given to you

by God.

The opportunity

to be changed,

to grow,

to be better

and even

to be blessed.

Did you

catch that

in verse 25?

Look there

with me now.

In contrast

to the

deluded,

forgetful

man,

religion that,

sorry,

verse 25,

the man who

looks intently

into the

perfect law

that gives

freedom and

continues to

do this,

not forgetting

what he has

heard but

doing it,

he will be

blessed in

what he

does.

The opposite

of looking

and forgetting

is continuing,

not forgetting,

doing,

grabbing hold

of the opportunity

presented by

the chance to

see the bits

that need

work.

I mean,

did you notice

what the mirror

became there?

This is an

opposing analogy.

These verses

are connected

but in one

half,

a man looks

into a mirror.

But in

verse 25,

a man looks

into the

perfect law

that gives

freedom.

The word of

God is so

much more

than rules.

It does so

much more

than show us

the standard

that God

has set

that we

are not

making.

It shows

us Jesus.

It shows

us a

saviour.

It is only

perfect and

it only brings

freedom because

of Jesus.

Jesus.

Jesus

himself says,

I came

to fulfil

the law.

When Jesus

comes to

earth,

he's

perfect,

perfectly

obedient in

every way,

in every

opportunity.

He obeys his

heavenly father,

even to the

point of

dying.

And then

when he

dies,

he dies as

a substitute

for every

person who's

failed to do

that in their

lives.

He dies to

offer forgiveness.

He dies to

pay debt.

He offers to

take shame

and guilt.

He offers to

take away that

moral filth and

that evil that

we need to

get rid of.

This is why

it's the

word that

saves.

Because it's

the word about

Jesus.

It's the word

about the one

who forgives

sinful people,

who loves

those who

don't deserve

it, who

exchanges his

life for our

life so that

we can be

acceptable to

God.

Jesus

satisfies the

law.

He perfects

it.

He transforms

it.

And then

he redeploys

it in our

lives.

Now the

mirror has

become a

map.

Before it

was uncomfortable,

but now it

shows us where

we are.

It shows us the

destination that

God has

prepared for

his people.

Last week

James showed

us in

James 1

and verse

4 about

the goal of

being mature

and complete

and not

lacking

anything.

The mirror

is now a

map that

shows us our

inadequacies and

failures,

shows us the

finish line,

but also

shows us in

Jesus how we

might get to

that finish

line.

And shows us

how we might

have as much

blessing as

possible every

step of the

way and

every day

between now

and then.

It's not

something to be

scared of or

intimidated by.

It's God's

guide on how

you might be

most blessed

in the life

that he's

given you.

It's not about

guilt anymore

because Jesus

has dealt with

that by dying

for guilty

people.

God's word

is about

pouring as

much blessing

as can

possibly be

squashed into

your life.

Will we still

get corrected

and rebuked

and challenged?

Will there

still be huge

sacrifices and

changes that are

demanded of us?

Will we still

feel guilty

sometimes when

we read it or

listen to sermons?

Yes.

But what's

different now

because of

Jesus is

what we do

with that

guilt.

I remember

my first job

quite distinctly.

I worked at

Kentucky Fried

Chicken.

It was my

dream job

after working

in a video

store because I

didn't think you

had to do

anything in a

video store.

But working

at KFC was

also a dream

job because I

figured you

could eat as

much chicken

as you wanted.

That was a

half-truth.

But it was

still a fun

job.

But I remember

working in there

I actually had a

lot to learn.

I was 15 and

so I'd never had

any other job

before trying to

figure out that I

had to wear my

uniform correctly

because I hadn't

learnt that in the

first however many

years of school.

So I had to wear

my uniform correctly.

I had to be there

on time.

I had to stay

until the right

time.

I had to keep

myself busy.

I had to always

be doing whatever

they asked me.

And so there was

kind of this fear

that drives you in

your job.

I need to tick the

boxes required of me

otherwise my boss

is going to turn

around and say

you're cut.

You're fired.

You're sacked.

I can get a

different 15 year

old who can do

your job.

And so when you're

at work there is

this motivation for

you to do what is

required of you.

And that is if you

don't do it you're

gone.

You're fired.

That's it.

Game over.

However growing up

living in my family

there was a different

motivation to do what

was required of me.

It wasn't that if I

didn't do it I was

cut.

That's not how

families work.

What do they say?

You can choose your

friends but you can't

choose your family.

You're stuck together.

And so I obeyed

secure that obey or

not obey I'm still

going to be my

parents' son but also

confident that

ultimately they loved

me even if I

disagreed with what

they thought was best

for me.

I obeyed from a

place of security

not hoping to meet a

standard not hoping to

get something back from

them as a result.

Doing the word

obeying God's word

isn't about being

perfect.

It's not about

achieving a level so

that God might think

you're great or might

love you more.

It's about being

honest.

Obeying the word

about Jesus means

seeing in the map and

recognizing that you're

not good enough.

It means trusting him

to fix the issue.

Trusting that his

forgiveness is

sufficient.

Trusting that no

failure is too big for

his love to cover it.

And then secure in his

love chasing with every

bit of energy the

blessing that he has

designed in obeying

him.

In making the hard

choices.

In sacrificing.

In changing.

True hypocrisy

comes when we delude

ourselves into thinking

that we've made it.

When we start convincing

ourselves that there are

no faults or adjustments

required and instead are

very quick to point out the

adjustments required in

others.

It's a delusion that we

have invented because we

want to be secure.

But the security that God's

word offers is far better.

At the beginning we talked

briefly about how the world

around us is quick to let us

know when there's a gap

between what we claim to

believe and the way that we

live.

The issue isn't that we're

not perfect.

That's not the expectation in

God's word.

It's not even the expectation

in the world.

The issue is that we claim to

be perfect.

Whereas God's word tells us

over and over we are far from

it.

The issue is that we put a

standard here and then live

here.

When in actual fact this is all

God's word requires from us.

That we would be distinct.

That we would be different.

That we would stand out.

But not that we would be

perfect.

That's a work that God is

doing in us.

That's a job that won't be

finished until Jesus comes

back or we get called home.

And so what it means to have

integrity.

To be genuine.

To be authentic.

Is to actually say what the

Bible says.

I'm not there yet.

I'm still sinful.

What it means is to have the

humility talked about in verse

21 where our starting point

when we open the Bible is I

know there's something that

needs to change even if I'm not

sure what it is yet.

To be so secure in God's

love that it's okay.

In fact it's even exciting to

admit mistake.

Because that's the step towards

the growth that God wants to

bring.

That's the step towards the

blessing that God has designed

for us.

Authentic faith is so secure in

what Jesus has done and in the

unconditional love of God that

it is honest and real about

failure.

And it delights to confess sin.

Even publicly.

Because that just shows how

amazing Jesus is.

But none of this lets us off

the hook.

The end point is not sweet.

All I've got to do is admit that

I'm not good enough and I can

relax a bit.

The word still does demand

change.

It does demand that we are

distinct from the world.

It does show us what God wants.

It does expect us to be on a

journey towards that perfection

that God is working in us.

And if anything the freedom that

we have because of Jesus, the

security we have in his love

should increase our urgency.

Should grow our desire to obey

because it's not something we're not

being chased with a naughty stick

anymore.

God has laid out in front of us the

promise of blessing and motivated

us to pursue obedience because of

his goodness.

Verse 26 gives us a scary warning.

If anyone considers himself

religious and yet does not keep a

tight rein on his tongue, he

deceives himself and his religion is

worthless.

There is still the warning here from

James having pointed us to Jesus

that if we claim one thing and live

differently, we run the risk of having

a worthless religion.

But 27, religion that God our

Father accepts as pure and faultless

is this, to look after orphans and

widows in their distress and to keep

oneself from being polluted by the

world.

Three quick opportunities to put into

practice what James has challenged us

on.

Our conversations, our compassion and

our character.

It's not an exhaustive list.

This is not everything that it is to be

a Christian but I'm sure it's a

sufficient amount to make us feel

uncomfortable.

Do your words reflect God's design for

them?

Are you encouraging?

Are your words life-giving?

Or is your mouth full of gossip and

slander and coarseness?

Second one, are you actively engaged in

caring for those who are less fortunate,

those in need?

How do you respond to pictures of a

three-year-old Syrian boy washed up on a

beach?

And third, can your friends and family and

colleagues and neighbours see something

different in you compared to those

around you?

Or have you been diluted with the world

that you live in?

Are you just like everyone else?

Now we're going to unpack those three

things more as we go through this

series.

But if just those couple of verses, just

those three examples have made you

uncomfortable or made you see something

that you know needs to change, don't

just listen.

Do what it says.

Confess your failure.

Admit your inadequacy.

And trust Jesus to forgive you.

Trust him to be the one who will work in

you to change you.

And secure in his perfect love, work with

everything you've got to try and live in

the blessing of obedience to his word.

Hear this, verse 22 again.

Do not merely listen to the word and so

deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.

The man who looks intently into the

perfect law that gives freedom and

continues to do this, not forgetting what

he has heard but doing it, he will be

blessed in what he does.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

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