A Matter of the Heart

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. The Hebrew and Greek meaning of the words mentioned are from Strong's Hebrew Greek Dictionary.

The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 15:7-9 , "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Are we guilty of the same thing the Jews were guilty of? If so, The Lord Jesus calls us, "...hypocrites..." Yes it is hypocritical for any to draw near to God with their lips only and their heart be in another place. According to Dr. Strong the Greek meaning of the word hypocrite is as follows, "ὑποκριτής hupokritēs (pronounced) hoop-ok-ree-tace' From G5271; an actor under an assumed character (stage player), that is, (figuratively) a dissembler (“hypocrite”): - hypocrite."  Not a very nice thing to call someone but the Lord had the right to do so. You and I may fool other people with our words, but not God. My prayer has been that I might draw near the Lord Jesus with a true heart!

I wonder how many people in the world want that very thing. Recently I posted about the words of the Lord found in Matthew 7:21-23 in which Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." I never want to hear the words from the mouth of the Lord Jesus, "...depart from me, ye that work iniquity." It need not happen if we will draw near to the Lord with our hearts right with Him.

The God of love hates unrighteousness. If you draw near to the Lord while condoning any kind of unrighteous acts, you are a hypocrite. That is not my judgment, but the Lord Jesus' statement of fact. No one who professes any form of Christianity would consciously consider facing God with that kind of record. The Lord told another parable of the man who appeared at the wedding supper without a wedding garment. In Matthew 22:11-14 the Lord said, "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." How he got there is beside the point. It doesn't have to end this way!

Whoever you are, whoever you may be, whether you call yourself a priest, prophet, or a preacher, a somebody or a nobody. Whether in an organization or out of one. Whether in the United Pentecostal Church International or the Roman Catholic Church, or no church at all, it really doesn't matter. You may be a noted scientist or the most ignorant person alive, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ will be what you will face at judgment. I urge you to repent of your sins, turn the rest of your life over to God, putting your faith in Jesus Christ alone. (see Acts 20:21) Find someone who will baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ, the only name "...under heaven given among men..." (see Acts 2:38 and 4:12) that God will recognize for salvation. And God has promised you the gift of His Spirit, then remain humbly obedient for the rest of your life.