Beware the Hypocrite that Dwells Within
Psalm 107: 1-9 read responsively and Matthew 23: 1-12
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ October 30, 2011
Reformation and All Saints Sunday
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 107: 1-9 read
responsively This is a great song of thanksgiving after a time of fear and loss. God’s saving grace saves the lost and hopeless throughout the ages. As it was an affirmation of faith of ancient Israel it is still an affirmation of faith for us.
1O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his
steadfast love endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed
from trouble3and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
Matthew 23: 1-12
Discipleship involves purity of heart not just of body. Jesus emphasizes that the heart is the wellspring
of good and evil actions. He criticizes acts of piety done with public pomp
motivated by a desire for others' approval as hypocrisy. As disciples our actions speak as loud as our
words. In our behavior we reveal what we
really believe. Not just the Pharisees have to confront hypocritical leanings.[1]
We all have to face our willingness to tell others to do what we say, not what
we do.
Then Jesus said to the crowds
and to his disciples,2“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’
seat;3therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do
not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.4They
tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others;
but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.5They
do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad
and their fringes long.6They love to have the place of honor at
banquets and the best seats in the synagogues,7and to be greeted
with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.8But
you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all
students.9And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the
one in heaven.10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have
one instructor, the Messiah.11The greatest among you will be your
servant.12All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who
humble themselves will be exalted.
SERMON
This is Reformation
Sunday. It celebrates Martin Luther’s
nailing 95 Theses to the Wittenberg door.
He was challenging his church to reform itself. The banners that are hanging around the
fellowship center are designed to represent eight of our historic confessions
of faith. The other banners represent
the great ends of the church: the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation
of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of
God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the
promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven
to the world. These visual images are
tools for us to grasp the journey believers have traveled to be reformed always
reforming.
Those of us who are using the
Horizon’s Bible Study on the Beatitudes have discussed that both inside and
outside the church confession is ordinarily associated with admission of
wrongdoing and guilt… But in Christian tradition, confession has an earlier and
more positive sense. To confess means openly to affirm or take a stand for what
one believes to be true… When Christians make a confession, they say, “This is
what we believe, regardless of what others may believe and regardless of the
opposition, rejection, or persecution that may come to us for taking this
stand.”[2] Luther
had no idea that what would come of his honest confession would be a radical
and often violent reshaping of the body of Christ. Each one of these confessional banners (on
cover of bulletin) represent a time when the church struggled to publicly
profess a shared conviction.
So what does Reformation have
to do with our scripture today? Jesus is laying it on pretty heavy with the
religious leaders. I think he is expecting
more from them because of their office than he would of most of his disciples
who were ordinary working people. I have
been asked by fellow believers, “How can Christians claim Christ as their Lord and
Savior yet demonstrate a hatred of the poor and refuse health care to those in
need?” I believe, we are living during a
time of reformation for our faith. It is
never a comfortable time to be challenged.
But looking at these banners we know we are not alone in facing times of
not just disagreement about the interpretation of scripture but real times of
persecution and the violence that often follows such conflict. Are we up to the challenge? This is an age that idolatrized public
figures. Let be honest, ff Peyton Manning could be come back healthy to
lead the Colts, trust me the reaction would boarder on worship. There is nothing new about this
behavior. I remember the madness over
the Beatles when they first came to this country and as far back as Julius Caesar
war heroes have come home to be made political leaders. We also like to tear our idols apart. Jesus was the man of the hour when he was
healing and feeding the hungry but when he challenged the status quo he became
persona non grata.
It
is our hypocritical nature that Jesus is forcing us to see. Not fun is it? We worship what we think will make us happy
or safer. But only God is owed our
worship. Every time we put anyone before
God we put someone or something on the throne of God. The Westminster Confession was born in the
fire of the English Civil War (1642-1649).
Here is a glimmer of a separation of Church and State, as each had a
province appointed by God but the leader of government also had a role in the
church:
The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the
administration of the Word and Sacraments, or the power of the keys of the
kingdom of heaven yet he hath authority, and it is his duty to take order, that
unity and peace be preserved in the Church, that the truth of God be kept pure
and entire, that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed, all corruptions
and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed, and all the
ordinances of God duly settled, administered, and observed. For the better
effecting whereof he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to
provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God.[3]
The
Barmen confession confronted the nationalism of Germany that put either nation
or Hitler himself on the throne of God.
We reject the false doctrine, as though the State,
over and beyond its special commission, should and could become the single and
totalitarian order of human life, thus fulfilling the Church's vocation as well… We reject the false doctrine, as though the
Church in human arrogance could place the Word and work of the Lord in the
service of any arbitrarily chosen desires, purposes, and plans. [4]
Every
communion Sunday we state the Apostle’s Creed, one of the oldest confessional
statements of the church. On the other
Sundays of the month as we will today we read from the “Brief Statement of
Faith” the newest edition to our Book of
Order.
So
what would be your confession of faith in this day and age? What is it you believe is true and beware the
hypocrite within that seeks favor for ourselves but not for the least of
these. Most confessions are written in
community, but The Second Helvetic Confession was written by Henry
Bullinger, a Swiss pastor as part of his last will and testament during a time
of plague. But before he died it became
a public witness of faith that churches all over the world have found value.
THE PREACHING OF THEWORD OF GOD IS THEWORD OF GOD.
Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe
that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that
neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from
heaven: and that now the Word itself which is preached is to be regarded, not
the minister that preaches; for even if he be evil and a sinner, nevertheless
the Word of God remains still true and good.
So
you could write your own confession of faith or work with a small group to
uncover what it is you believe. You may
be surprise where that search takes you. Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be
your servant.” So remember to do what you say! Amen.
