The Heart Of Hypocrisy

The heart of hypocrisy?  Biblically it's a lack of congruence between word and deed; translated:  being two-faced.   

It’s interesting:  the phrase two-faced originated with the Greek god Janus who literally was two-faced.  But in actuality, two-faced refers to any of us who live a life facing in two directions.  Exhibit A is Lot’s wife in Genesis 19 who claimed to face God and forsake evil.  But as she ran from evil, from wretched Sodom and Gomorrah, she was two-faced, looking not only to God, but also back to Sodom and Gomorrah.  And “the rest is history” as Lot’s wife became “…a pillar of salt…”  (Genesis 19:26).   

But God doesn’t want any of us pillars of salt; two-faced.  Rather God wants us dispensers of salt, one faced, in His direction.  For we’re destined, Jesus declares in the Sermon On The Mount, to be “…the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13) pouring out, spiritual seasoning, Godly flavor: to preserve life.   Well, how do that; how do you pour out spiritual seasoning, Godly flavor: to preserve life?

For starters, avoid "The Titanic Syndrome." Yes "The Titanic Syndrome,” a tendency to believe, we’re unsinkable, indestructible, no matter what.    Frankly such belief is at the heart of hypocrisy.  Why many of us live unsalty lives, two-faced lives, because we honestly believe our sins will never catch up with us; that we’ll never get caught.  But listen:  your sins will catch up with you; you will get caught!  Moses is so adamant about this in Numbers 32:23 – if you keep looking back to Sodom and Gomorrah, if you’re two-faced, if you keep sinning “…you may be sure your sin will find you out…”  (Numbers 32:23).  Notice Moses didn’t say your sin might find you out; no, Moses said:  surely your sin will find you out.

It’s interesting:  the builders of the actual Titanic built the hull of the Titanic with 16 watertight compartments.  The theory:  even if the Titanic had a bad episode, taking on water, the Titanic could compartmentalize, hide, the bad episode and not sink.  But the Titanic did sink because the compartments didn’t hold, giving way, messing up the balance of the boat, prompting the Titanic not only to sink, but to literally break in two.  We also break in two if we try to compartmentalize bad episodes; if we try to hide rough water, iniquity and sin.   

And so tear down the compartments of life; open up all the hiding places where secret sin flows, and come clean before the Lord!!   For as Peter reminds us, we are “…a  people belonging to God…who [has called us] out of darkness [out of hiding] into his wonderful light…”  (1 Peter 2:15).  And so with David pray:  “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me…Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit…O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise…” (Psalm 51:10, 12;15, ESV). For a non-compartmentalize life,  (Psalm 51: 10; 12; 15, ESV), open lips, produces a credible life.  

But frankly we're called to do more.  Yes, come clean before the Lord, but also deepen life in the Lord, seeking the deeper things of God, the fulness of Jesus.  Prior to Billy Graham, Billy Sunday was the greatest evangelist of his day.  Though a bit theatrical, Billy Sunday was effective in reaching thousands of people for the Savior.  Why in Columbia, S.C. alone, Billy Sunday reached over 479,000 persons in 70 different meeting during a 6 week crusade.  Not surprisingly, persons wondered what was the secret of Billy Sunday's success:  was it his athletic prowess as a former professional baseball player; his oratorical skill?  Actually, according to one biographer, Sunday's success was found in his first pulpit at the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago.  You see, shortly after beginning his ministry there, Billy Sunday insisted a plaque be installed the Mission's pulpit that only the preacher could see.  Frankly, it's a bold plaque that can't be missed; for Billy Sunday didn't want it missed, for the words on the plaque summarized not only the secret of any effective sermon or proclamation of the gospel -- but also -- the secret of integrity, of wholeness, of congruence in life.  The words:  the text of John 12:21:  "Sir, we would see Jesus."  And that's what Billy Sunday did; he preached -- and lived -- so that persons saw Jesus -- and that was the secret of his success.

Frankly, that's the secret of our success:  persons seeing Jesus.  For persons are so weary of conflicted/divided people, two-faced people, hypocritical people; they long for godly people, "salt of the earth people," who face in one direction:  God and God alone! 

Face in one direction:  God and God alone!  In a world with so much pretense, project so much disclosure, so much confession, so much honesty, that people wonder:  "how come?"  

And then just tell them:  its because of Jesus!