Christians Beware!
Christian people discredit themselves and their message if they do not live by what they claim to believe. Such hypocrisy not only discredits the believer but brings great damage to the Lord’s reputation. It is no surprise that he finds so-called faith repugnant. When we claim to be followers of Jesus, and we look no different than the rest of the world, we dishonour the Lord Jesus and the message of Christianity. Casual Christianity is counterfeit Christianity.
600 BC
In Jeremiah’s day, God’s people were in as a bad way as much western Christianity is today. Outwardly they appeared successful but in God’s eyes what really mattered was missing. They had in practice turned their backs on God. This was not just a transient problem, it was deep seated in their hearts.
“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point on the tablets of their hearts.” Jeremiah 17:1
Their children were no longer being taught the Word of God, their religious education was centred on what others believed!
“Even their children remember their altars and the Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills.” Jeremiah 17:2
The children’s experiences had been much more of pagan worship than of serving the living God. The people were materially prosperous but this did not impress God who would remove their wealth because of their sin.
“My mountain in the land and your wealth and all your treasures I will give away as plunder, together with your high places, because of sin throughout your country.” Jeremiah 17:3
Even that which was good in the land would be lost. ‘My mountain’ was Mount Zion with its temple, these would be taken from God’s so-called people along with the high places, where other gods were worshipped. Syncretism was abhorrent to God and could not be compensated for by continued formal religious worship.
But, as God’s people, are they not protected by God’s covenant with them. Haven’t those sacrifices, offered regularly, covered their sin? No, says the Lord, the relationship I want with people must be reciprocal, I do not require outward religion but a heart felt devotion to me and an obedience to my wishes. The people had turned away from their Saviour and so had rejected their only hope.
“Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled my anger, and it will burn forever.” Jeremiah 17:4
30 AD
Jesus had much to say about religious people who refused to acknowledge him and his rule. He warned the religious priests of his day:
“Everything they do is done for people to see: . . .”
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”
“You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
“You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:5, 13, 25, 27-28
Jesus not only warned the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, he went on to warn ordinary people. In the parable of the ‘Ten Virgins’ he warned people that they must keep being ready for his return. Those unprepared had the door to heaven permanently closed to them. What an awful sentence was pronounced:
“I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Matthew 25:1-13
The lesson is simple:
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:13
This lesson is again emphasised in the ‘Parable of the Talents’ in which the master gave three servants a loan to use wisely in his service. One was given 5 talents of money, one three and one one. He person with one talent did nothing for his Lord. When the master returned this man was condemnend,
“You wicked, lazy servant! . . . And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:26,30
In the next parable Jesus tells us that at the final judgement the sheep, God’s true people, will be separated from the goats. Those who are God’s people will have demonstrated this by the way they care for othe Christians who were in trouble. Those who faith was only nominal will be told,
“ ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these (my brethren), you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:45-46
This concern of Jesus that some of his followers would become half-hearted and even selfish in their so-called discipleship is a repeated theme. Jesus told the parable of a landowner who had planted a vineyard on his land. He then hires vine-growers to work His vineyard while He is away. When the harvest comes, the vineyard owner sends some slaves to collect its produce, but instead of paying the landowner what was His, the vine-growers beat and kill them. They do the same to the landowner’s son. Jesus asks the priests and elders what will happen to the evil vine-growers when the landowner returns. They reply that he will bring them to a wretched end. In the subsequent section, Jesus applied the parable to the Jewish leaders as being like those evil slaves (Matthew 21:33-41). It can similarly be applied to those who claim to be christians but are not working for the benefit and reputation of the Lord Jesus.
50 AD
Some of the early churches were having similar problems, the Christians were living lives that were very similar to the non-Christians.
“But among you there should not even be a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking – which are out of place but rather thanksgiving.” Ephesians 5:4
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is an idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming.” Colossians 3:5
If we enjoy something and hanker after this, it is very hard to stop. Ask an alcoholic or longterm smoker if they find it easy to change! The difficulty many of us have is that we are fixed in our ways and deep down we don’t want to change and so constantly indulge in what damages both us and the gospel. We have to make hard choices, to have a fresh way of thinking, but isn’t that exactly what ‘repentance’ means. If a person is ‘pensive’ they are ‘thinking’, and in a similar way to ‘repent’ is to ‘re-think’ the direction of my life. Will I allow the Lord to rule over all I am and do? John warned us:
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-18
Christians have to decide which road we are on, we cannot stay straddling between two boats for long, we have to board one or be lost. John is very clear: don’t love this world or the things it offers board the only boat that can save you.
There is much confusion about what it means to be ‘free from law’. It certainly doesn’t mean we are free to behave as we want. When the Corinthian Christians suggested this Paul replied,
“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-12
To get involved in anything that the Lord does not approve of is damaging both to us and to the standing of our Lord in our society. Do we care about that? In the end, if we refuse to obey God our fate will be the same as Adam who was excluded from God’s presence, or the Jews in Jeremiah’s time whose hearts were not in tune with the Lord.
Many people make the fatal mistake that just because they once made a decision for Christ or were baptised or confirmed or even ordained that they are therefore right with Go. What is necessary is to remain in the Lord Jesus. The apostolic gospel has never changed,
“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” Colossians 1:22-23
A covenant is always two-sided. The Lord has done everything necessary to save us and to enable us to become like Jesus but we have our part to play, ‘If you continue in the faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope help out in the gospel.’ To continue in the faith is not just to keep accepting the doctrines of the church, it is to be ‘in christ’ to live grateful ives for him, drawing others to him.
2023 AD
Are we warning those involved in churches of the serious responsibilities they have as Christians? Are we living the life as well as ensuring that the message about Jesus, and the salvation he alone can give us, is as widely known as possible?
Many years ago a devout king was disturbed by the ingratitude of his royal court. He prepared a large banquet for them. When the king and his royal guests were seated, by prearrangement, a beggar shuffled into the hall, sat down at the king's table, and gorged himself with food. Without saying a word, he then left the room. The guests were furious and asked permission to seize the tramp and tear him limb from limb for his ingratitude.
The king replied,
“That beggar has done only once to an earthly king what each of you does three times each day to God. You sit there at the table and eat until you are satisfied. Then you walk away without recognising God, or expressing one word of thanks to Him.”
To be in a state where we trifle with God and his purposes is a deadly situation to be in.
BVP
