Sand Mountain Sermonette 53
Matthew 6:1; Matthew 23:27; Numbers 19:11
“Signs, Inc.”
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 6:1
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness (ungodliness). Matthew 23:27
I have always been fascinated with signs: large, small, neon, flat, three-dimensional, on the highway, in the restaurant window, etc. But there is one sign my mom told me of when she was a young girl I will never forget. Mother’s family home was positioned just beyond a hill on a road leading down to a two-lane bridge which crossed a creek adjacent to an old grist mill and country store. At the time mother and her siblings were riding the school bus, as the bus topped the hill, you could see their home, which was the next stop, and you could also see their outhouse which stood next to their home in plain view. Well, one afternoon as the bus reached the top of the hill, everyone on the bus not only saw the Floyd Family home, they also saw a sign they had never seen before printed in large letters whitewashed on the side of the outhouse facing the road which read:
“R-E-S-T-R-O-O-M!” And mother said they were so surprised that the youngest daughter, my Aunt Gail, began to cry because she was so embarrassed as to their home having not yet received in-door plumbing. The culprit was their youngest sibling, their brother Jerry, who had secretly printed that sign on the side of the outhouse while they were away at school that day.
Recent studies have shown that many people leave the church because they think of Christians as hypocrites. Sometimes a referral to all Christians as being hypocrites is simply an excuse for not wanting to go to church, but the fact is, we are all human, we all make mistakes, and each one of us engages in hypocrisy from time to time. Hypocrisy at its core can be defined as saying one thing and doing another.
The good news is that out of His love and desire for people to enter into a relationship with His Father through His work on the cross, and then, to enjoy living the abundant life now and forever, Jesus chose to confront hypocrisy head on! Therefore, Christian youth or adult, do you base your daily Christian walk on show-on performance, so as to receive the applause of men or are you desirous of God and His grace and mercy alone, to direct and empower your life? Do you behave differently before different audiences? Perhaps you went to church this past Sunday but gossiped on Monday or the browser history on your computer would tell a different story than your profession of purity before your adult Sunday School class or youth group.
In Jesus’ day they would often whitewash above-the-ground-tombs positioned near the side of the roads so Jews passing by could easily see them and avoid touching them so as not to be defiled according to Mosaic law (See Numbers 19:11). Are there any signs of hypocrisy in your life; places that look good on the outside but are void of substance on the inside for decay and destruction lies within? Remember, you can go to Jesus. He loves you. Be honest with Him and let Him begin to replace your hypocrisy with authenticity; your pride with repentance and humility through the power of the Holy Spirit.
SONG: “Father hypocrite had many sons, many sons had Father hypocrite. I am one of them and so are you, instead let’s be like Him (Jesus).”
Pastor Louie