"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his followers, 'The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the law of Moses says. So you should obey and follow whatever they tell you, but their lives are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they themselves don't do them. They make strict rules and try to force people to obey them, but they are unwilling to help those who struggle under the weight of their rules.
'They do good things so that other people will see them. They enlarge the little boxes holding Scriptures that they wear, and they make their special prayer clothes very long. Those Pharisees and teachers of the law love to have the most important seats at feasts and in the synagogues. They love people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces, and they love to have people call them 'Teacher.'
'But you must not be called 'Teacher,' because you have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters together. And don't call any person on earth 'Father,' because you have one Father, who is in heaven. And you should not be called 'Master,' because you have only one Master, the Christ. Whoever is your servant is the greatest among you. Whoever makes himself great will be made humble. Whoever makes himself humble will be made great.
'How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don't enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter. How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You take away widows' houses, and you say long prayers so that people will notice you. So you will have a worse punishment.
'How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to find one person who will change to your ways. When you find that person, you make him more fit for hell than you are."---Matthew 23:1-15 (NCV)
"Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing."---Edmund Burke
"Great hypocrites are the real atheists."---Francis Beacon
I'm a hard thinker. That's the way God made me and I accept it. I must admit that at times, it can be draining though because it seems that the older I get the harder it is to just "look" at something without seeing it multi-dimensionally.
For instance, just a few minutes ago, I heard a huge commotion outside of my house. I looked out of my bedroom window and about a half block away I saw about 20 kids yelling and laughing. As I looked harder, I noticed that it was because two girls were fighting.
I didn't know what was stranger to me: The fact that it took about fifteen minutes for an adult to come out to stop it even though half of them were in someone's front yard; the fact that some of these kids had babies hanging off of their hips as they ran up and down the street yelling, "Get her!" and other random phrases that probably wouldn't be appropriate to repeat in a devotional or, that so many people took pleasure in the pain (bookmark that) that these two young ladies were obviously experiencing because while they were screaming, they had one another by the hair---or weave...I'm not sure.
Yes adults. I know it's so easy to want to jump to conclusions about how "lost" this generation is, but as one of my friends, Adrian Granderson puts it, "They are not lost; they are just misunderstood" and it's probably because we are not making the time to understand them. As someone who currently works in the high school system and listens to the stories and experiences of various young men and women, I would like to take it one step further: In many instances, this generation is simply telling on their parents, guardians, teachers, pastors---revealing the secrets and issues of the people who are supposed to be their coverings and healthy influences in their lives. (This is why people need to seek if they are called to be parents, guardians, teachers, pastors and other people of high influence. There is a hefty responsibility that comes with that.---James 3:1)
There are oh so many parents who have so much pride. (Proverbs 16:18) They see the trouble, turmoil, heartache, generational curses that their children (both young and old) are in and it appears that, for many, it's so much easier to claim, "Train up a child in the way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6) and go about their merry way than take some direct and personal responsibility for the way things are. A wise man once said that many people mistake a clear conscience for a bad memory. Family, most of these children are not "bad", they are hurting. Remember, just as you want to hold, "Honor thy father and mother" over their heads, Ephesians 6:2-5 (NKJV) has a warning/reminder for you as well:
"Honor your father and mother,"which is the first commandment with promise: 'that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.' And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."
Provoke: to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex; to stir up, arouse, or call forth (feelings, desires, or activity); to give rise to, induce, or bring about.
Wrath: intense anger (usually on an epic scale); belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong (personified as one of the deadly sins)
You have to know the Lord personally, for yourself, before you can train anybody on how to follow him. (Bookmark that, too!)
Just today, in my teen moms class, we discussed generational curses (in parable form). I asked them to list for me how old they were when their moms became pregnant with them, how old they were when they got pregnant, things they like and dislike about their parents and things they like and dislike about themselves. I also asked them to tell me what their "babies' daddies" have in common with their own fathers. Oh, please believe that the parallels on all of these were strikingly disturbing (as I figured they would be).
After we discussed that, I asked them to share the disciplinary tactics that were used in their homes. Spankings, beatings, swearing, yelling, the use of degrading words like "stupid", "bad, "triflin'" and "whore", and slaps in the face...these are just some of the methods they said were used.
"Did it work?" I asked.
"Naw," is what most of them said. "Most times it just made me act worse." (Probably because it provoked them to wrath, which we will get to in just a second.)
"So, what do you do with your children?"
I once heard a therapist say that we unconsciously repeat what was modeled to us in childhood. With that said, I guess you can guess what was on their lists, right? Spanking, beating, swearing, the use of degrading words like "stupid", "bad", "triflin'" and "whore", and slaps in the face have now been passed down from at least one generation to the next. The next question that I presented to them was, "If it didn't work before what would make it work now?" (Bookmark that, too!)
No one had a verbal response, but from the looks on their faces it was apparent that some of them had a light bulb moment. Now, this is not a devotional on methods of disciplining children and yes, I am very aware of what word says about "sparing the rod and spoiling the child" (Proverbs 13:24), but I am also very aware of what the Word says about anger, too:
"Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?"---Ecclesiastes 5:6 (NKJV)
"Be angry, and do not sin"---Ephesians 4:26(NKJV)
Sin: transgression of divine law; any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense.
Is there anything that you have done in your child's life that you regret? That you know you did in anger? Yes, there are many influences in a child's life from TV, radio and the Internet to their peers, other adults and even strangers that they come across on a daily basis when you are not in their presence, but many stats reflect that the main influence in a child's life is still their parents. If you don't like the way things are with this "lost generation", it may be time to pause, reflect, look within and repent---both to them and to God.
That thought led me to think about the current state of affairs on a grander scale. Earlier this morning, I was reading the "New York" magazine cover story for this week: "The Governor's Fall". Just like those kids whoopin' and hollerin' outside, I thought about how many people are relishing in this obviously broken and addicted man's fall from grace (or is it power?). But, as I read the expose, I saw what a lot of the "excited relief" was all about. One article listed the top ten reasons why Eliot Spitzer would not be able to "bounce back" from his sexual indiscretions like President Clinton did. Do you know what the #10 reason was?
Hypocrisy bites. Maybe most obvious, and perhaps the final nail in any hope of soldiering on for Spitzer, was the vast disparity between his public image and the reality revealed last week. For Clinton, the opposite was true. As one of his White House aides puts it, "Everyone had at least an inkling that something like Monica could happen." And, weird as it may sound, this was a great blessing---for nothing is more damaging to any politician than his unmasking as a fraud. Because we'd all known all along that Clinton was a dog, we had little choice but to forgive him, because we were complicit. But nobody felt complicit in Spitzer's fate. What they felt was duped. And in the end, that's why he's doomed.---"New York", "A Pants Down Primer", pg.20
What they felt was duped.
Oh, it appears that a lot of "theys" fell into the "duped" category, but there was one in particular that I found to be fascinating. It is a well-known NY pimp by the name of Jason Itzler:
"When I was in business, if you had someone like him, you'd comp him. You comp him and comp him again, all the while jumping for joy because a client like that is like having the ultimate 'get out of jail free' card. But, there's a point you can't comp him anymore. He's using too much. You've got to begin charging. So, if Spitzer was paying, and paying that much [thousands of dollars per hour], he had to be serious addicted."
However, after serving two years at Rikers Island, partially due to Spitzer's self-righteous attitude, Jason actually sees the former governor's fall as an act of vindication:
"Ordinarily, I would have a lot of sympathy for a guy like this. But this guy helped shut me down. Put me in jail. Put all of the girls out of work. Now he's caught in his own trap. The biggest Dudley-Do-Right becomes the King of Hypocrites."---"New York", "Secrets of the Megapimps", pgs. 26 and 28
Hypocrite. There goes that word again. As I did further research into why that seemed to be so synonymous with Spitzer's name, I discovered quotes about him like:
"There's definitely an element of self-destruction. There's complete 'the rules don't apply to me'; it's very arrogant...."
...Plenty of Spitzer targets, particularly in the financial industry, have long complained that he was a hypocrite whose ethical righteousness did not apply to his own tactics and behavior...
...The ironies are obvious and abundant. Covert operations made him, and they destroyed him. Humiliation was his weapon and his punishment. Last week, no one even attempted to defend him.---"New Yorker", "The End", pgs. 24-25
Humiliation was his weapon and his punishment. Now, I am a firm believer that God is not into humiliating any of his children and yes, I do have scripture to back me up (Proverbs 10:12). But I also believe that if it gets to a point that you experience humiliation, it's because you did not heed another verse in scripture:
"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."---Luke 14:11(NKJV)
However, I don't think God's brand of "humbling" is the same kind that man wants to make it out to be. Everything that God does is for a purpose and because you can only serve God in a state of humility, sometimes he will allow something to happen to remind you of your need for him in your life. Besides, there are great benefits to eating great slices of humble pie:
"Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble."---Proverbs 3:34(NKJV)
"When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom."---Proverbs 11:12(NKJV)
"A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor."---Proverbs 29:23 (NKJV)
"Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."---Matthew 18:4 (NKJV)
"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."---James 4:10(NKJV)
I think this is why we have to be careful in how we respond to people when their "sins" are revealed. First of all, because we need to remember that all of us commit them (I John 1:10). Secondly, it takes a very mature person to be able to judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24). And thirdly, because God's ways are not our own (Isaiah 55:7-8), when he says he will repay and vengeance is his, again, because he loves all of his children, his purpose in "humbling" them isn't to see them fry or so he can send them through countless rounds of "I told you so" (like humans do), but so he can rightly "...judge and determine and solve and settle the cause and the cases of His people." (Hebrews 10:30)
The children enjoying the fight outside and the media enjoying the demise of Spitzer got me to thinking about how the "Church" tends to deal with people (both in and out of the Church) as well. There are so many of us who claim to be Christ-like and yet we are just like the Pharisees that Christ rebuked in the lead verses for today. We always want to cast judgment on everyone but ourselves. (I Corinthians 2:15)
Now, don't get it twisted. I tell people all of the time that folks don't have a problem with judgment; they have a problem with rebuke. If I said, "Your dress is cute", guess what? I just judged you. So, if I tell you that you gossip too much, don't try and play the "judgment card" then! As someone who has assigned rebukers in my life, I can tell you that "getting told about yourself" does a body (mind and soul) good and if heeded, can spare you the need for humiliation. (Proverbs 9:8)
But, where I feel that we have gone astray in our dealings with those around us is that we daily overlook the following scripture/promise:
"For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you."---Matthew 7:2 (AMP)
This is why I believe Christ was so frustrated with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. This is why I also believe God is not pleased with the state of the Church today (I can't even remember the last time I heard a sermon on the Pharisees. Hmm, I wonder why!)
Why?
"They [we] tell you to do things, but they [we] themselves don't do them. They [we] make strict rules and try to force people to obey them, but they [we] are unwilling to help those who struggle under the weight of their rules."---Matthew 23:3-4 (NCV)
"You close the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don't enter, and you stop others who are trying to enter."---Matthew 23:13(NCV)
"You travel across land and sea to find one person who will change to your ways. When you find that person, you make him more fit for hell than you are."---Matthew 23:15(NCV)
What did Christ call these kinds of people? HYPOCRITES. And what is a hypocrite?
Hypocrite: a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs; a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives.
A woman who talks about someone in a physical affair in the midst of having an emotional one? That is a hypocrite.
A man who talks down to people about their irresponsible children when their own are spoiled, manipulative and childish? That is a hypocrite.
A person who preaches to people about not going to church while raising hell in it? That is a hypocrite.
Someone who wants to ridicule someone else for getting drunk off of alcohol while they get high on gossip, slander and drama? That is a hypocrite.
Married people who want to ridicule singles for being sexually active when they can't even remember the last time they slept with their own spouse? That is a hypocrite.
See, the interesting thing about a hypocrite is that often what they say is right, but when Christ came to this earth it was to SET AN EXAMPLE. He didn't just want us to talk about it, but be about it:
"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the law of Moses says. So you should obey and follow whatever they tell you, but their lives are not good examples for you to follow."---Matthew 23:2 (NCV)
Many of us are looking down on "the world" for not being influenced by our witness all the while not realizing that there's a great chance that God is protecting them from us until our witnesses are authentic. Many of us don't want to accept that they are probably unresponsive because they can sense a level of "acting", "pretending", "conning", "deception", "phoniness" and "fraudulence". How interesting that the pimp was able to discern that Governor Spitzer had "caught himself in his own trap"; that he had made himself King of the Hypocrites. How did he know this? Because he was aware that while Spitzer said one thing, he was doing something else all along.
This is just one more reason why our words should be few (Ecclesiastes 5:2). I'll speak from personal experience when I say that trying to live in a way that pleases God is a full-time job. I talk less now than I ever have, not because I'm not a natural conversationalist, but because I just don't have the time or energy to speak on things and do them like I used to. I think God wants it to be that way for a reason. Exodus 20:16 (NKJV) tells us that we should not bear a false witness against our neighbor. Two of the seven things that God hates is a proud look and a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:17).
When I am busy talking about someone who does the same things that I do (whether anyone knows it or not, whether I am willing to accept it or not), I am not being a good witness to those around me and not only that but it makes me out to be a liar; something that God detests. Some of us are praying for our ministries to grow and blaming the devil for its lack of progress when the truth (John 8:32) is that it's God's mercy that's putting things on hold. Some of us don't need to have not one more person to "witness to" or "influence" until we get (and keep) our own selves in check. Instead of praying for increase of souls, what we need to be praying is a change in our hearts:
"Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me."---Psalm 51:8-11 (NKJV)
Why? Well, you know a funny thing happens when you take the focus off of how tall everyone else's grass is and decide to mow your own backyard; when you realize the love, compassion and patience (Psalm 86:15, I Corinthians 13:4) that God gave you so that you could effectively clean up your mess. Suddenly, you are more loving, compassionate and patient with those who are in their own struggles because you have walked the talk and you know the price that had to be paid. You don't feel the need to condemn because you know firsthand that it didn't prove to be beneficial in your journey and besides, if you're bringing people to Christ, condemnation is not something that he's real big on anyway (Romans 8:1). It's actually the Enemy who enjoys beating people down and when we do it, it's his character not Christ's that we're reflecting (Luke 11:34-36).
And besides, who really has time to look pull someone down in the midst of climbing out of their own struggle? I don't know about you, but the minute I get one thing squared away another issues presents itself, which these days is keeping me in the mindset to be more loving, compassionate and patient than I used to be because I have accepted that I will always have something that I can improve on just as much as the next fella. So whatever it is, even if their "it" is not my own, I can love them through it because I understand that it's so much easier to talk about deliverance than actually being delivered. (If you don't agree then I would question if you've ever fully been delivered of anything. It ain't no joke!)
As we come to the end of another week, I encourage you to think about the areas in which you have been hypocritical; not because what you said wasn't "right" but because in how you presented it, you were all wrong:
"Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend's eye, but you don't notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? How can you say to your friend, 'Let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye'?? Look at yourself! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend's eye."---Matthew 7:3-5 (NCV)
You can see things far more clearly when your own obstacles are out of the way and besides, being the message that you are trying to present to someone else is far more effective than your gift of gab.
Just ask your children, just ask Spitzer, just ask the pimp...just ask Christ.
©Shellie R. Warren/2008
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Comments: 3
You do ask a lot of a person, though. No wonder it's hard to get to heaven. :-)