What Would Jesus Undo Week 3: Hypocrisy with Craig Groeschel

I am very thankful to have you with us a day at every single wife Church location before we dive into this week's message how many of you were with us last weekend all of our churches you with us last weekend did you notice last weekend felt like a really special kind of time anybody kind of noticed that we're going somewhere I hope you'll know that what I want to tell you something that's coming up starting on Easter weekend we're gonna do a message series I'm already working on it's called how sweet the sound how sweet the sound and what we're gonna do is we're going to take some of the classic hymns from our faith and we're to look at the story behind those hymns and then I'm gonna preach from Scripture along with the themes that we find in those hymns and we're gonna design our times so that we actually could worship at the end of our time in a response to God's Word like we did last week what I hope you'll understand is that we are going somewhere as a church that I cannot wait to share that message series with you how sweet the sound perhaps if you're new with us right now we're in a another message series maybe you've seen the bracelets on people over the years to say WWJD who's ever seen a bracelet like that ww-what does that stand for it stands for what would Jesus do what we're doing is we're trying to answer the question not what would Jesus do but what would Jesus undo what are the things that really grieve the heart of Jesus what is it when Jesus sees this in our lives he says I would undo this so you could have something better week number one we talked about spiritual apathy Jesus would undo a lukewarm spirit last week we talked about hollow worship Jesus wants all of our hearts worship isn't just the songs that we sing but worship is the life that we live to introduce today's theme I want to your story about something Jesus would undo this happened to me one day when I was actually driving to the office when I Drive then I have a right turn on to a four-lane highway two lanes going one way two lanes going the other way and one day I misjudged the speed of a vehicle that was coming in the inside lane in other words I thought he was going slow enough for me to pull out comfortably without him having to brake or go around me I misjudged how quickly this person who was probably significantly breaking the speed limit was actually driving so I pulled out in front of him and I realized very quickly that I'd made a mistake because he was approaching my backside really really fast unfortunately this person instead of having grace for me acknowledging my mistake chose to express his disappointment in my lack of judgment with a really loud horn coming up on the back of me with tremendous velocity so being the man of God that I am I decided to acknowledge my mistake humbly and I gave him the International sign of apology that is translated in my bat head goes down hand goes up my bad sorry bro I misjudged it I'm not gonna bring up the fact that you were probably going 85 and a 55 but I misjudged it my bat unfortunately he did not receive my signature of repentance instead with the horn on my tail he chose to go around me and give me the international symbol for one way to God you know what I'm talking about peel the banana read between the lines whatever you want to call it I was disappointed in his response but I chose to let it go being the man of grace that I am until I saw on the back of his vehicle a bumper sticker not just any bumpers to remind you but a live church bumper sticker immediately I transform from the repentant one back into my pastoral role deciding that God had uniquely called me to execute judgment upon this man who sin not only against God but against this pastor so I picked up the speed rather rapidly we both might have been speeding as I was trying to catch up with him only with the goal of bringing him to a place of right relationship with God and as faster I eventually caught up to him when he pulled into a stoplight I pulled up beside him he was still expressing creative dissatisfaction with my decision to pull out I rolled down the window he was yelling at me I looked over at him smiled and I said God is good he looked back at me and he said all the time as he gave me the International symbol my bad pastor my bad I feel like I shouldn't have to bring this up but if you do have a Life Church bumper sticker on your car let the spirit of God lead you to refrain from pointing directly to heaven at people when they make driving mistakes what would Jesus undo something that Jesus would undo is a behavior or an attitude that he despised with all of his heart Jesus would undo hypocrisy those who claim one thing but then live in another way Jesus would undo hypocrisy now I want it eased into the subject because hypocrisy is no fun to talk about it's not easy to see in our own lives it's very easy to see and other people's lives in fact how many of you would say I know a hypocrite raise your hand I know a hypocrite how many of you say I'm sitting by a hypocrite do not raise your hand because they could point right back at you it's really really easy to see hypocrisy in other people's lives but it's not so easy to see hypocrisy in our own lives in my opinion this is a subject that is sometimes mistakenly belittled by pastors like me for example there's the old past rural junk one of the most common things that we'll hear from people who have objections to Christianity in the church and they'll say I'm not going to church because they're all a bunch of what they're all a bunch of hypocrites they say this all the time I'm not in the other church because they're all a bunch of hypocrites and what pastors will often say is well you might as well join it we always have room for one more and we think that's kind of funny and it kind of is and there is a little bit of truth to it but in my opinion that really dismisses some very real pain that many people have when they are disappointed by the behavior or actions of those who claim to follow Christ some of you would know this firsthand there was someone that you looked up to spiritually they said one thing they did something else and it was very very painful for you they represented one thing a youth pastor I could even be your mom or dad or mom or dad were one thing at church and then they would come home and they would act totally different at home and it can be incredibly painful in fact I don't think I've ever shared this publicly I have talked about when my sister was molested by her teacher I don't think I've ever shared this publicly but we had a family member very dear family member that was actually molested by a spiritual leader in the church years and years ago and thankfully by the grace of God we had good counsel and we were able to work through it and with lots of pain and lots of hurtful consequences we were able to forgive and to move forward not everybody does that some people see hypocrisy well you claimed this and you did this and it devastates them and they walk away from the church many people walk away from God because hypocrisy is a horrible sin what would Jesus undo Jesus would undo hypocrisy I like what the author and theologian Brennan Manning said about hypocrisy he said this he said the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny them with their lifestyle this is what the unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable what would Jesus undo Jesus would undo hypocrisy let's go ahead and build a foundation today and understanding what hypocrisy is but to understand what it is we also have to acknowledge what it is not let's start with what hypocrisy is not if you're taking notes hypocrisy is not the disparity between what we do and what we wish we did it's not the difference between how we behave and how we wish we behave like I wish I didn't have bad thoughts but I did I wish I didn't say that but I did what that is is that's just sin not hypocrisy there's a difference between sinning and being hypocritical hypocrisy if you're taking those is the gap between what we show and who we are it's the difference between what we say and how we live it's the difference between our public persona and our private character what would Jesus undo he would undo the show when the real life isn't consistent with what we show in fact whenever Jesus would rail against hypocrisy there was a Greek word that he used it's the word who poke ratings it even sounds like hypocrite who poke radies and what this word literally means is it means an actor or a stage player it means one who hides behind a mask in fact if you've ever seen the Greek place the Hoople cradies was very literally the mask that they would wear in fact I had a couple of range today Pastor Chris could I have let me give me the angry angry hypocrisy mask this is one now if I preach like this it would be very creepy for the rest of the day right but this is exactly what some so-called Christians will do I'm actually one person but I'll show a mask this is what I call angry hypocrite this is the was it hey you don't drink don't smoke don't you and don't cheer and with girls who do but then when the mask is off this person has secret addictions going on in the background but in a show one face but their behaviors are very very different this is what I call angry hypocrite there's also kind of what I call happy hypocrite happy hypocrite this one's much was still creepy they're all creepy but right this is the one that's like praise the Lord brother how do they yeah Oh glory to God so great to see you putting on a show acting oh I haven't really glad to see a church when they thought all the way to church with their spouse but all praise the Lord we're fine you know we need to build each other up and did you see what she wore to church who does she think she all praise the Lord brother and this is what Jesus hated it was when from the outside they would show one thing but from the inside there were something very very very different in fact Paul has one little verse to me that best represents what hypocrisy is he says this in Titus 1:16 he says they claim to know God they claim to know God they show it but by their actions the way they live they actually deny him Jesus hated this he talked very very directly about what hypocrisy was he said anytime you're giving to be seen hey I'm gonna be generous but I want everybody to know how generous I am that's hypocrisy whenever you're praying to be heard the Pharisees would literally stand on the street corners oh dear God we glorify you we pray for so-and-so and they were putting on this outward spiritual pride to impress other people Jesus said that is completely hypocrisy it sees if khakhra see whenever you fast to be noticed oh I'm so holy I'm so spiritual I'm denying myself physical food I want to be noticed it's hypocrisy whenever you you criticize someone for doing something Jesus would say and you do the same thing hypocrisy if the apocrypha Jesus would say whenever people are taking advantage of the poor he hated that Jesus never spoke more harshly than he did when people put on the mask one time whenever he entered the temple and people were selling animals as a sacrifice he didn't just come in and say now boy if I told you not to do that you guys need to be nice it needs me not to be about your personal profit no man Jesus came in and he said I'm not going to stand for this and he took the tables and he overturned the tables and he said this is my father's house and it will not become a den of thieves this is a place where we seek my father in prayer he never spoke more harshly than he did when people were who book ratings when they put the masks on in fact back in seminary I studied in detail what many theologians call the seven woes the seven woes in Matthew's Gospel Matthew 23 Jesus says again and again woe to you who live like this let me show you some of the lows and he says this in verse 27 he says woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees you hypocrites you play-actors these you're like whitewashed tombs who look beautiful on the outside but on the inside you're full of all sorts of ungodly stuff you're full your bones that of the dead and everything unclean in the same way he says on the outside you appear righteous to everybody else you put on this show but on the inside you're full of hypocrisy and wickedness now watch what Jesus calls them he says you snakes you brood of vipers Finney asks how will you escape being condemned to hell what is the hypocrite it's the one who wants to look good on the outside but on the inside were very far from God we want the illusion of public virtue while inwardly were full of private vices what's so interesting to me is this Jesus didn't say woe to you who say bad words he didn't say woe to you who watch bad shows on Netflix sometimes he didn't say woe to you who do bad things he said woe to you who do it but act like you don't vote of you who put on the show not whoa - you who are imperfect what are you who are imperfect but act like you're something different I would argue that today perhaps more than ever social media ground social media is the perfect breeding ground for hypocrisy how many of you might agree with me if this is the place where you can all day long show what you want other people to see when in reality you're so much different from that we see it all the time oh here's my perfect marriage I love my husband so much he's such a great man of God I'm so thankful for him here we are lovey www.and in reality you're not even sleeping in the same bed happens all the time here Here I am doing my devotion here's my coffee cup because he gives not godly without a coffee cup in your devotion Instagram picture here's my coffee and here's my Bible and I'm not gonna tell you actually spent more time getting the image just right that I did doing my Bible study but I'm gonna show you what I want you to see or there's what I call that the Lego life remember the movie Lego was how this was a song go everything is awesome that's the only line I remember I don't know the rest what's the next line everything is awesome that's the only line that matters everything is awesome that's what we do on social media every day of my life and I'm depressed I'm miserable I'm hurting I'm doubting everything and I'm would jesus undo he would undo a spirit of hypocrisy when what we show is so different than who we are woe to you Jesus says how will you escape being condemned to hell if you're a little bit uncomfortable right now it's probably a good thing because that means you have some self-awareness because let me tell you right now somebody oh I'm so glad so bytes here and then I'm so synonym this Ling Bing you see if that hypocrite hey it's so easy to see in other people but it's so difficult to see in yourself if you're feeling a little bit uncomfortable because you're recognizing some inconsistencies that's actually a good thing that means you're self-aware that means you're open to what the Spirit of God will show you and what I want you to see is there is hope for the hypocrite in all of us there's hope let me show you the hope Jesus shows it in in 25 and verse 26 of Matthew's Gospel he says this he says woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees you hypocrites you clean the outside of the cup and dish but inside they're full of greed and self-indulgence you're showing the show but you don't have the substance so what he says is this blind Pharisee first clean the inside of the cup and the dish then the outside will be clean first let the Spirit of God do a work internally for no one else sees and when internally you're being conformed to the image of Christ when the Spirit of God is working within you when God's Word is transforming you then out of an overflow of who you're becoming you will display the goodness of God as a reflection of his work internally not as an act to fool people on the outside but born within true spiritual work on the inside let me tell you my story of how this kind of came to be when I was in seminary I had a well-meaning seminary professor who taught us this and quite honestly this was kind of the the mindset of pastors for generations prior to mine the seminary professor taught us this that you have to always guard what he called the pastors mystique the pastors mystique there's an image that you must keep up you must be slightly above the people you must always dress the part look the look have the pastoral language you can never let them know if you doubt if you have questions you have to keep that to yourself if you have a bad day in your marriage to let anybody know and so I was 23 years old in seminary thought okay this is who I have to be I've got to keep up the pastoral mystique so here I was as a young United Methodist pastor would go into church put on the external robes that we had to wear and I learned to put on a very real show here's what I did I would tell people all the time rather I'll be praying for you praying for you and I almost never did I'm gonna be seeking God on your behalf I'm in there with you and I almost never ever was what was God showing you in the word Craig oh oh my goodness Oh too much to count I don't even know where to start because I wasn't really consistently and passionately in God's Word I would read it to preach but it wasn't real in me so here I was with his young guy playing a role I'm pastor I'm going to impress you and it became so exhausting and so dangerous I was so vulnerable to doing something really significantly wrong because sin grows best in the dark and everything that was wrong with me I kept hidden behind this pastoral mask there was one Sunday and there might even be two or three people in our church that were there that day I took what I consider to be a really really big risk and I stood up before the church and essentially metaphorically I took the mask off and I just told the church I need to come clean with you and I just repent the language I used is this that I think God had showed me I'd become a full time pastor and a part time follower of Christ some of you this will resonate with you you are your full-time mom part time follower of Christ full-time business person Christian maybe maybe not full-time student not really passionate about the things of Jesus and so I just explained on that day I've been faking some stuff haven't been real and I just want to confess that before you the decision I made was this I would rather be an honest sinner then a lying and deceptive hypocrite I'd rather just drop the mask and be honest about it and what I did on that day there's a little bit like last week at church last week for some people as a breakthroughs kind of like a ah ha ha moment spiritually and that's what happened in our little church people just other people said I can drop the mask I've been pretending I've been faking it I've been showing one thing and I'm really not I've been portraying to you that I've got it all together spiritually but I'm kind of a mess and what I learned is a principle that if you remember one thing I hope you'll remember this Jesus has zero tolerance for hypocrisy he can't stomach it he can't stand it it turns him he hates it with everything in Jesus has zero tolerance for hypocrisy but he has unlimited grace for a sinner in need of forgiveness Jesus cannot stomach the show but when anyone who's hurting drops the mask and says forgive me heal me redeem me save me change me Jesus's answer is always yes because he did not come for those who appear to be righteous but he came for sinners he didn't come for those who are healthy on the outside he came for those who knew they were sick he has no tolerance for the show but he's at limited grace for a sinner in need of grace and repentance and so I simply dropped the mask on that day and there are those of you you're gonna drop the mask as well but you may say what do they find out what if they know what if they know that I'm not perfect what do they know that I have Falls what do they know that I'm showing one thing and I'm not listen to me you have nothing to fear when you have nothing to hide you have absolutely nothing to fear when in the community of grace you ask for help this is what proverbs says brothers 28 verse 13 whoever conceals their sins doesn't prosper whoever lives like this behind the mask never finds the blessings of God whoever conceals their sins shows the false life on the outside hiding the truth on the inside whoever conceals their sins doesn't prosper but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy the one who asks for help finds mercy here's what I hope to understand some of you you're gonna recognize right now you're hiding behind a mask when you drop the mask when you're honest there is power you are only as strong as you are honest you are only as strong as you are honest and many of you as you're in life groups that we're even forming life groups right now this is the perfect week to step in by faith into a community a consistent group of other believers and joined one another an open confession of our need for God we're not perfect people living a perfect life pleasing God in a perfect way we're sinners were strugglers we've messed up we fall short we have battles we have struggles we're afraid sometimes we're inconsistent we want to do one thing then we do something else we don't want to have those thoughts than we do we don't want to go back to that old life but we do but we come together with other people and we open up and say I'm about to tell you something I've never told anybody before and suddenly in that moment of truth the truth will set you free we're always in bondage when we hide whoever hides their sins conceals their sins doesn't prosper but whoever drops the mask and renounces that we find mercy in the presence of God because Jesus has zero tolerance for hypocrisy but he has unlimited grace for a sinner in need of forgiveness David prayed this prayer in Psalm 139 I would ask you invite you to join me in praying this prayer it's so easy to point out hypocrisy and other people but it's so difficult to see in ourselves David Price searched me God and know my heart tests me and know my anxious thoughts see if there's any offensive way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting search me God search me God in preparation for this message this is what I prayed this week search me God show me God show me where I'm wearing the mask and don't even know it because listen to me if you wear this thing long enough you hide behind the lie long enough you often start to believe your own why you don't even know you're wearing the mask and this week God showed me one very specific area in my life very specific that's gonna become business before God every single day god help cleanse me in this help me drop the mask help me be real search me God know my heart tests me see if there's any offensive way in me lead me in the way of everlasting what is hypocrisy it is the gap between what we show and who we are what do we do with that gap what do we do with the gap here's what I hope you'll understand is we don't close the gap with profession what do we do we close the gaps with Christ we don't close the gap with our outward behavior now I'm pleasing to God we closed the gap with Christ he is our righteousness he is our source he is our healing he is our Redemption he is the one who brings forgiveness we don't close the gap with outward behavior we let Jesus do an inward work and then inwardly as we're transformed over time our outward behavior is a reflection of the inward healing work of the grace of Jesus what would Jesus undo listen to me church he was absolutely undo hypocrisy and in our culture today we all ripe with it this is who we are we're not hurting there are some of you you will have a breakthrough moment when you drop the mask I need help I'm addicted and I need someone to pray and strength to help me out of this addiction my marriage is not where it should be we need some people to support us to pray for us to counsel us we're not there we're showing that it's all good look at the bling look at the life look at the car look at the house and we're drowning in debt we're showing you one thing but we're hurting on the other side I'm looking like I'm all great today I'm smiling but you have no idea I am scared to death at this medical report and I don't have faith right now whoever conceals our sin does not prosper but whoever drops the mask and renounced as it finds mercy I would rather be honest sinner the lying hypocrite because Jesus has zero tolerance for hypocrisy but he has unlimited drinks for a sinner like me in need of forgiveness and a savior and all of our churches today there are those of you you walked in this way but today you drop the mask today you drop the mask and when you know the truth the truth will set you free what would Jesus undo Jesus would undo the show he's not asking for perfection Jesus was perfect the perfect one lives in us and over time conforms us and then lives through us don't forget it no tolerance for the show but unlimited grace for the honest one who needs help so father today please do a work at all of our churches those of you who would say I will pray it it's a dangerous prayer to search me God know my heart tests me show me there's any offensive way in me if you'll pray that be open to what God will show you would you lift up your hands right now just flip them up put them up father I thank you today and I believe by faith that God you're gonna do the very same thing for your other kids that you did for this one of your kids you spoke to me God and rather than being hurt or afraid of what you show us God we thank you that on the other side there's freedom and there's healing and there's grace and there's mercy I pray God especially for those who are lacking in a real community to support them I pray God they'd have the courage to take a step forward even if there's a fear what if they find out what do they know but they recognize there is only healing in a true grace filled Christian community God I just thought pray that they would have the courage to step forward and find others know when the life is always better together we need one another I've got to pray for the conversations that are gonna happen today I think the one who's gonna talk to another one I'm addicted and I need help I can't stop I know this is gonna shock you but I've been doing this I'm in trouble I'm hurting I'm afraid I need someone there with me gotta pray that in those conversations we recognize there are holy moments that you are with us and you will bring healing for those who confess their need we thank you for the grace of Jesus we understand he does not tolerate hypocrisy but we thank you that he came for sinners we rejoice in that today as you keep praying at all of our churches there are those of you you're gonna recognize right now you need Jesus Jesus the Son of God the sinless one the Lamb of God who was slain for the forgiveness of sins I grew up the perfect hypocrite going to church playing the part I was president of the youth group and I did not know Jesus I was wearing the mask and I didn't even know the mask was on I had no idea some of you you're gonna recognize that you've been showing the show other people think yeah obviously or Chris and you're in church but you're not there is no real intimacy you haven't been transformed you're no different you've never been made new by God and you're here today because today is the day that he's gonna make you new others if you say nobody gonna question for a Christian because you're not even close to a Christian but something's happening right now you're being drawn into the things of God you recognize there must be something more you've tried it all you're still empty you're still hurting the problem is that you're a soul you are a soul and there is no physical thing that meets the empty needs of our soul only thing that will ever satisfy is the grace filled truth of the love of God through His Son Jesus and you're starting to sense that you're not here today by accident you're here today because God brought you here why because he is reaching out to you so you can say yes to the unlimited grace of Jesus for a sinner in need of a savior to all of our churches those who say yes I've sinned against God yes I need his forgiveness I'm empty on the inside I turn away from all the things of this world I turn away from my own set I call on the name of Jesus when you call on his name he'll hear your prayer you'll forgive every sin that you've ever committed he will make you brand new you don't become better you become different you're not here by accident and you know it all of our churches those who say yes I need the grace of Jesus I turned to him today by faith I'd give my life to him that's your prayer lift your hands high now although the place lift them up right back here leave them up if you will my goodness all three of you both five of you right here here in this middle section all three of you back there leave them up if you will lift them up right back here in this section others of you today saying yes right back over here praise God for you right back over here Church I hope somebody is a little bit more excited about what we're seeing right here about you in this section oh my goodness God is worked in God is working God is working church online you just click right below me Church we are going somewhere the Spirit of God is moving in this house would you play today with those around you with great anticipation pray Heavenly Father I surrender my whole life I'd give it to you forgive me of all of my sins change me make me new fill me with your spirit so I could know you and so I could live for you every single day my life is not my own I give it to you thank you for a new life now you have mine in Jesus name I pray Church would you celebrate physical worship welcome those born into God's family [Applause] as a church it's our honor to play a small part and all that God is doing in and through your life to find out what your next steps could be check us out at Life Church slash next and to stay connected throughout your week and everywhere you go download The Life Church app available anywhere you download apps it's our mission to become fully devoted followers of Christ because we know that whoever finds God finds lights [Applause] you

Channel: Life.Church

Views: 18,696

Rating: 4.9335179 out of 5

Keywords: Craig, Groeschel, lifechurch

Id: 25pPr45VBJ4

Length: 37min 24sec (2244 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 26 2018