Do You Ever Think You Have Done This?

Matt 23:13 - "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. NIV

• Hindered Others From Entering God's Kingdom 

Matt 18:7 - "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!
 
What a severe warning we have been given in this text. We are to live are lives in such a way that we would not cause anyone to stumble. We are not to be hypocrites. In other words, we are not to speak one way and live another.
 
All one has to do is look at the priests and pastors of certain churches who been found to be hypocrites and we have our answer. Is it any wonder people have no faith in Christianity?
 
The teachers of the law (aka - scribes) and Pharisees were called hypocrites by Jesus. A hypocrite was simply a person who played a part. They acted a certain way but the real person was being hidden.
 
Jesus called them out for their double standard way of living. We need to make sure that we live in such a way that if someone calls us a hypocrite they would be lying.
 
Do we ever think we have been a hypocrite? The answer is probably yes.
 
What we need to do is repent and be the real deal. Be the Christian God wants us to be and not the hypocrite the devil wants us to be. 

• Have You Known A Hypocrite? 

When I was in the ministry I have had some people tell me they wouldn't come to worship where I preached because they knew someone who attended the congregation and they informed me that so and so is nothing but a hypocrite.
 
I always wanted to say I know and there are plenty of others that attend that are hypocrites also.
 
I never did say it. I only thought it.
 
I would always say don't let a hypocrite keep you from making it to heaven. There are hypocrites where we shop but that doesn't stop us from buying our groceries there.
 
Jesus' reprimand is a very harsh one. Look at what He says, "… You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter,…"
 
The hypocrite is not going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
 
Therefore, it is up to us to live the Christian life the best way we can. We have to try not to be the hypocrite and the reason why is simple "Hypocrites" are not going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

• Hypocrisy Can Topple Anyone

We don't set out to be a hypocrite but it comes on us very diabolically. It even came upon the apostle Peter and Barnabas and Paul called Peter out on his behavior.
 
Galatians 2:11-13 - When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from

the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. NIV
 
As Christians, we are to live in such a way that we don't hinder any one from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. We don't want to be an obstacle or a stumbling block. We are to help people enter the Kingdom not flee from it.
 
Romans 14:13 - Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this —  not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word