HYPOCRITICAL? Sunday February 26th 2017
Memorise: But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Matthew 22:18
37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 And
the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of
the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and
wickedness.
40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
42 But
woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of
herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to
have done, and not to leave the other undone.
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which
appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
Bible in one year: Genesis 21:23, Isaiah 45:14-25, Hymn: Sing hymn 9
MESSAGE:
One of the characteristics which the Holy Spirit warns us will be rife in the last days is hypocrisy (1st Timothy 4:2).
No wonder the Lord Jesus Christ made it very clear that many who expect
to be granted access through the pearly gates will be turned back on
the last day (Luke 13:24-27).
Do you know that many bishops, pastors, general overseers, apostles,
etc who are professing Christ today will not make it on the day of
judgement? May that not be your lot in Jesus’ Name. To prevent this from
happening to you, you need to periodically examine yourself to see if
you are still in the faith, as received from the Lord. 2nd Corinthians 13:5 says,
“Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye
not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be
reprobates?”
Ask
yourself if your name is still written in the Book of Life. Does the
Spirit of God still bear witness with your spirit that you are a bona
fide child of God? Is your conscience free from guilt and dead works?
Can the devil and his agents testify that truly, you are no longer in
their camp? Don’t pretend to be a child of God when you know you are on
your way to perdition.
The
greatest challenges Jesus had with the Pharisees was the issue of their
mindset. They appeared to have good intentions, but it was all a lie.
Open Heavens Devotional 2017 Sunday 26 February 2017:-Hypocritical?
Jesus knew the state of their hearts. The human heart is like a
computer. Whatever you feed it with will determine what comes out of it.
The heart of a man is what shapes his destiny. The reason why some
people come to church and are still not blessed is the state of their
heart. Their hypocritical hearts are hardened, and so they cannot
receive anything from God. If the Pharisees had allowed the message of
Jesus Christ to penetrate their hearts, their perception would have been
different. If you allow God to work on your heart, your breakthrough
will be immeasurable. Our heart is a reflection of who we are. Every
time Jesus performed a miracle, instead of being happy that someone in
need had received help from God, the Scribes and Pharisees would rather
question by what authority He did it (John 9:13-27, Luke 20:1-2).
That is what a hypocritical heart looks like. I wish we all knew that
God is watching not just our actions but also our motives. Open Heavens
2017. He hears and watches everything we do behind closed doors. There
is nothing hidden from Him that will not be exposed on the last day.
Hypocrites know how to find faults in the lives of others, but their own
lives are like sepulchres which appear beautiful on the outside but are
full of dead men’s bones (Matthew 23:27).
God wants us to reflect a life of righteousness and transparency, a
life that radiates the glory of God, a life of virtue and of good works.
Prayer point
Father, deliver me from all forms of self-deception.
Open Heaven Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A Adeboye,
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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