Do the hypocrites rattle your faith?
MAY 1
Jesus answered and said unto them, “Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites. As it is written, “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Mark 7:6
Every now and then we hear the sorry tale of some charlatan in the ministry or some church leader who’s committed a moral or financial failure. People see this and say, "See there? That’s what they all are!" That’s a lie, and you know it. It’s not what all Christians are.
You say, "Well, there are hypocrites in the church." Do tell. One of Jesus’ 12 disciples was a hypocrite. Thank God the other 11 didn’t up and quit. There always have been hypocrites. There always will be. The Lord Jesus devoted Matthew chapter 6 to the problem of hypocrites.
You know why it doesn’t shake me when I learn of some hypocrite? Because I know one person who’s not. And you ought to know one who’s not. No hypocrite on earth is going to shake you if you know what you have is absolutely real. The damage hypocrites cause for the name of Jesus Christ will bring you heartache and righteous indignation, but it shouldn’t shake your faith because you know God personally.
If you say, “I don’t want to go to church because of all those hypocrites down there….” Friend, it would be better to spend a few years in church with some of them than to spend eternity in hell with all of them! And if you’re hiding behind a hypocrite, you’re smaller than he is or you couldn’t hide behind him. If you’re behind him, he’s closer to God than you are.
Oh, how wonderful it is to know Jesus Christ, to serve Him and love Him genuinely in your heart and life.
For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.
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