Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
How many times have you told your child to clean up their room, and although they were very busy while in your presence, as soon as you walked away to do other things, you realized that things had suddenly become quiet. After a short period of time, you eventually peeked around the corner to see what they were up to, and instead of cleaning, you found them playing a game on their bed instead.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Sometimes people are only motivated to do things when somebody else is standing over them, but in order to get to Heaven someday we must do the will of God, especially when nobody is watching.
Philippians 2:12-13 (KJB) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Many years ago I was managing a retail store, and one day as I was preparing to leave on my lunch break, I gave the employees a short list of things that needed to be done. I was only gone for a few minutes and had to return early because I had forgotten something, but when I came around the corner, most of the employees were sitting around in chairs visiting with each other. But there was one employee who had taken upon himself the duties of cleaning and vacuuming the store. He had taken on the initiative all by himself to get things done, and he really didn’t need somebody to stand over him to get him to do it. The Apostle Paul commended the Philippian church because they were very obedient, even when he wasn’t there. Sometimes people only act a certain way when they are in the presence of others, but as soon as they are out of earshot, their morality goes right out the window. They can appear on the exterior as a very religious person, but on the inside, their hearts are far from God.
Matthew 15:8 (KJB) This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
This is the same type of hypocrisy for which Jesus rebuked many of the religious leaders of His day. They are the same kinds of people who dress up nice and are on their best behavior while attending a church service, but come Monday morning, they are the same wicked person that they have always been.
Matthew 23:25-28 (KJB) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
I’ve always referred to these types of people as weekend warriors who only desire to live the Christian Life for a few hours a week, but as soon as they go home, their behavior will change like a chameleon changes colors, completely forgetting about the faithful and obedient person that God wants them to become. That’s not faith, it’s insincerity.
James 1:21-25 (KJB) Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes children will obey a teacher as long as they are standing in front of the class, but as soon as they run off to the principal’s office, a lot of them will start to goof off? But this is the difference between outward religion and sincere faith deep inside of your heart. For example,……
Religion will go to a church service because your parents forced you to go, while sincere faith will cause you to show up because you truly believe in God with your heart. Religion will cause you to worship God only when people are watching, but sincere faith will praise the Lord even when there is no one else around. Genuine Faith does not need to preen in front of the cameras in order to display their faith to others. Genuine Faith really only needs the audience of one, the precious and invisible God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 6:1-8 (KJB) Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Just like 2,000 years ago we are still surrounded by people whose goal is to display their religion to others by wearing fancy robes and outfits and raising up ornate buildings that glorify men rather than God. But the Christian life is about a complete transformation inside of the heart, and it doesn’t need vain eye-candy or an audience to seek out the presence of God. Genuine faith will not require a preacher standing over you all day long in order to make sure that you do the right thing with your life. This is because sincere faith will seek to please and to do the will of God from the heart, even when,…..
……Nobody is Watching
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.♥️
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