PREACH WATER AND TAKE WINE?

Word@Work from BeaconLight

 

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

 

TALKING BIG WITHOUT WALKING RIGHT IS WORSE THAN HYPOCRISY

 

Romans 2:21b-24  You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonour God by breaking the law? As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." (NIV)

---

You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages

---

Preaching is dangerous; most of all for the preachers. There is a moral expectation that what they say is what they do. Yet Paul uses this to prove that even the most religious teacher cannot live up to their own rules, for all have sinned (James 3:1-2).

By asking these four searching questions, Paul agrees with Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28). Pleasing God is not just about actions but attitudes as well, even the hidden things of the heart. Jewish believers, who boasted about their Bible knowledge, despised the Gentile Christians. But they should have been ashamed: even the unbelievers knew their lifestyles were inconsistent.

What is worse than hypocrisy? Blasphemy! Hypocrisy shows up the fraud as a cheating and self-deceiving liar; but blasphemy shows that the person also has little care about the character of God, and that they have no fear of God. Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; ..." and those with no wisdom or understanding are quite unsuitable to be teachers. Every leader, teacher, spouse and parent reading this (as well as the one writing), feels the shame of past sin. Despite all our knowledge we are as bad as those we lead ... proving that we are all in desperate need of our Saviour Jesus.

Prayer:  Dear Holy Lord. Thank You for Your Law which tells us what pleases You and what does not. Thank You for the change in my life since I received Your mercy. May I never give in to the temptation to blaspheme, to say that You are other than You are, by failing to practise what I preach. I am sorry when those who refuse to love Jesus criticise Him because of my behaviour. Please forgive me and help me to change so that I will honour You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.