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Masking Your Heart (2)
Masking Your Heart (2)
To continue the message from last week, read Mark 7:1-23. Then consider one of hypocrisy’s first signs is complaining (v.1-4).
One of the next signs of hypocrisy is putting forth the effort at misusing scripture. Four things were done to the law of God by the Pharisees and scribes.
(1) They replaced the word (v.7) by “teaching as their doctrine the commandment of men”. The Pharisees took a law from the Mishnah, a list of Jewish oral laws, and made a law about washing hands before eating and washing pots, pans, plates, etc. before eating from those. There were 30 chapters on cleansing of vessels. It was a ceremonial cleansing not ordained of God.
(2) They neglected the word (v.8). “Ye leave the commandment of God….” Hypocrisy is when people have in their mind they can do it better. They do whatever they choose. They set aside the commandment of God out of their life and practice what makes most sense to them.
(3) They reject word (v.9). “ye reject the commandment of God”. Whoever pushes aside God’s perfect word, their next step is to find a way to do something else. Whether it is a matter of inconvenience, timing, busyness, laziness, or apathy, they will reject the word. Rejecting the word is NO light thing. The consequences are severe. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shall be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I slow will forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6).
(4) They made void the word (v.13). The dishonor the Pharisees gave with their lips from an empty spiritual heart made the word of God of no effect. Scripture became useless to others because of the lives of the Pharisees were not transformed. How then could this be of value to the world? It demonstrates a person cannot “act” their way into heaven. Neither can you think your way into the kingdom of God. It will always be important to have your whole heart involved in serving God (Matthew 22:37). Which means, the word of God is not just good on paper. Its value is witnessed in life. A person cannot observe what man allows while avoiding responsibility to God.
The impact of these signs of hypocrisy kept others from entering the kingdom in the days of the New Testament and will have similar effects today (Matthew 23:13). If these actions of hypocrisy make the word of God void, the question is what will convert people? For some the answer is secular activities, social programs, and worldly endeavors. As result, few things if any will be handed to the next generation about God, Jesus, and the church. It may smell religious, flavor what is spiritual with a form of honor, but hearts will be far from God. Be sober-minded and pass on the WORD. Remove the forms of traditions. Create a greater desire to worship. Let the hearts of the people fully serve God. Teach the word. Obey the voice of God. Let’s turn back the tide of hypocrisy and its serious soul-damning consequences…
