Bobby Stafford Sincerity in the Christian’s Life

Sincerity in the Christian’s Life

Introduction:

In the ancient world, dishonest pottery dealers filled cracks in their inferior products with wax before glazing and painting them, making worthless pots difficult to distinguish from expensive ones.  The only way to avoid being defrauded was to hold the pot to the sun, making the wax-filled cracks obvious.  Dealers marked their fine pottery that could withstand “sun-testing” as cera – “without wax.”

Note:  Philippians 1:9-11.  “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” NKJV  Be able to recognize the highest and best; be sincere – “tested by light of the sun.”  Our character must be able to withstand the full glare of the light of day with nothing concealed or hidden.

Body:

I.  Sincerity – A Quality Possessed by God

·  Definition – Guileless without deceit, pure, genuine.  Used of Christ in I Peter 2:22  “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth.” NKJV

·  Associated with God  (II Corinthians 1:12) “For our boasting is this:  the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God and more abundantly toward you.” NKJV  (II Corinthians 2:17) “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.” NKJV  “like men of sincerity and purest motive, not like hucksters.”  Best of top, bad below.

·  Wisdom from God is pure and undefiled.  (James 3:13, 17) “Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” NKJV

·  As children of God, we must also live a genuine life, without the slightest trace of hypocrisy. 

II.  Hypocrisy – An Attribute of Satan

·  Definition – Pretense; trickery; “one who wears a mask.”  Noun:  hypocrite

·  Associated with Satan.  (II Corinthians 11:13-15) “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.  And no wonder!  For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” NKJV  “Great Deceiver”

·  Satan’s followers often try to appear very religious.

o  Old Testament  (Ezekiel 33:30-31) “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ ” NKJV

o  New Testament  (Matthew 23:1-3) “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.” NKJV

These are prime examples of hypocrisy; but we can learn many lessons from them. 

III.  Lessons for Christians Today

1.  Pride and hypocrisy often go hand-in-hand.

·  Read Matthew 23:5-7. “But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ ” NKJV  Hypocrites were full of vain pride; they loved titles and salutations.  “Look!  God’s special ones are passing by.”  They desired preeminence.  (III John 9-10) “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes,  who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.  Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words.  And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.” NKJV  He thought he was religious!  Note Christ’s words in Matthew 23:12.  “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” NKJV

One writer aptly put it.  These verses “should be enough to knock all the bigheadedness and arrogance out of any people with any degree of real honesty and integrity.”  God’s people must be humble!  (I Peter 5:5-6) “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.  Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” NKJV

2.  Hypocrisy indicates spiritual imbalance.

·  Read Matthew 23:23-24. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone, Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” NKJV  Pharisees neglected the more difficult matters – being just, showing mercy. . .

·  They were very careful about observing the outward things that men could see.  Therefore many people who saw them believed they were good, devoted men.  “Wearing a mask of righteousness”

·  These evil men would walk by someone who was sick or in need to pay title of garden herbs.  Then would walk away with a smug smile on his face.  He would show no mercy to the helpless or oppressed.

·  Christians today must follow the teaching of Psalm 82:3-4.  “Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.  Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.”  NKJV  Help the poor, needy and afflicted, fatherless. . .

3.  Hypocrisy is a Problem of the Heart.

·  Read Matthew 23:25-28.  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” NKJV  Pharisees thought what was on the inside didn’t matter, that attitude and spirit wasn’t important.  Needed to wash their hearts.

(Jeremiah 4:14) “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved.  How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?” NKJV

·  “Nothing more disgusting or harmful to cause of Christ than those who claim to be faithful Christians who are immoral, who lie or cheat, go back on their word, take advantage of others.”  Single greatest hindrance to church growth!  Must follow II Corinthians 4:2.  “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” NKJV

·  God’s rule:  First cleanse what’s on the inside.  Otherwise, you won’t be allowed to see God.  (Matthew 5:8) “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” NKJV  “The hope of the hypocrite shall perish.”  (Job 8:13)  “So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,” NKJV

·  Sometimes those who are not sincere are revealed in the Day of Judgment.  These pretenders can fool some people all their lives, but they can’t fool God!

·  So Christian, be real, be genuine, be sincere!  “Without Wax”

Invitation:

·  All desire to see God, to be forever in heaven with Him.  We must be pure – genuine.  Genuine faith comes from hearing/ knowing God’s Word.  (Romans 10:17) “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” NKJV  Faith is not from the teachings, traditions, and religions of men.

·  But a genuine faith “by itself” doesn’t clean one’s heart.  A genuine repentance is also essential.  (Acts 3:19) “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” NKJV  There must be a turning from following men’s teachings to following God and Him alone.

·  This turning involves/leads to a sincere confession of the Lord Jesus, which is also essential.  (Romans 10:9-10) “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” NKJV  “unto”

·  Finally, the sincere individual who desires to see God must have his sins washed away to purify his heart.  (Romans 6:1-6) “What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” NKJV

·  I urge you to follow Paul’s example.  (Acts 22:16) “And now why are you waiting?  Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” NKJV

 

Bobby Stafford 

August 5, 2018