OUTWARDLY APPEARED RIGHTEOUS TO MEN
27 "WOE TO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 EVEN SO YOU ALSO OUTWARDLY APPEAR RIGHTEOUS TO MEN, BUT INSIDE YOU ARE FULL OF HYPOCRISY AND LAWLESSNESS."
Matthew 23:27,28 (NKJV)
The title of this teaching is one of the things Jesus corrected about the scribes and the Pharisees. They wanted to present themselves as righteous people but they were inwardly full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matthew 23:28).
There are many so-called believers who want to appear righteous to people but they are not sincere and truthful about whatever they are doing—they live a false life, a feign life or pretentious life.
This type of life or living is also common among the politicians. They want people to believe that they are good and credible and thus worthy of people's votes, but when they get to power they become another thing.
If unbelievers are doing it, Why are we having It in the house of God. There are lots of believers, even ministers, who are full of pretense which has no other name than hypocrisy. You would need to see how some believers or ministers fabricate lies. They deceive, tell lies and feign things that are not true or real. Yet these same people would climb pulpits to preach to others. A number of people's conscience is already callous or hardened or seared. It is surely a manifestation of deceiving spirit and the spirit of the last days:
1 NOW THE SPIRIT EXPRESSLY SAYS THAT IN LATTER TIMES SOME WILL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, GIVING HEED TO DECEIVING SPIRITS AND DOCTRINES OF DEMONS, 2 SPEAKING LIES IN HYPOCRISY, HAVING THEIR OWN CONSCIENCE SEARED WITH A HOT IRON" (1 Timothy 4:1,2 NKJV).
The believers being talked about without doubt outwardly look or appear righteous, look sanctimonious; but their hearts are far away from God: "HE [Jesus] ANSWERED AND SAID TO THEM, “WELL DID ISAIAH PROPHESY OF YOU HYPOCRITES, AS IT IS WRITTEN: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONOURS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME" (Mark 7:6 NKJV).
What is disturbing about the issue is how some so-called believers or ministers who deceive themselves, thinking they are deceiving others, equate their outward look to holiness or holy living. The truth is, you may dress and outwardly look like a believer in Christ Jesus, that was what the scribes and the Pharisees were doing, but what is on your inside is what matters most to God: "BUT THE LORD SAID TO SAMUEL, “DO NOT LOOK AT HIS APPEARANCE OR AT HIS PHYSICAL STATURE, BECAUSE I HAVE REFUSED HIM. FOR THE LORD DOES NOT SEE AS MAN SEES; FOR MAN LOOKS AT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART" " (1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV).
You may succeed in deceiving people through your dressing or outward look or appearance but what matters most to God is what you have on your inside—your heart.
I was in a church to minister, the first night of the meeting, because of what God did, someone came to challenge me in my sleep and this happened to be one of the leaders' wives. Through the woman's outlook one would not presume she has such a thing, nor would one believe If one was told that she has a demonic spirit to do harm. Yet she was there presenting herself as a holy person. Holiness is not all about outward appearance, If it were, the scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus days would have been declared the most holy people.
Any number of believers and ministers have given heed to deceiving spirits. In fact, they deceive and tell lies at will without any remorse, yet they claim to be believers in Christ Jesus. Remember, the Bible passage calls deception a spirit (1 Timothy 4:1). There are deceiving spirits. If you are under the influence or control of a deceiving spirit; you tell lies at will, you deceive and fabricate lies. How you get to do that would not even be known to you because you are under an influence of a demon—deceiving spirit.
If you are caught in what is being described in this piece; you would do well to retrace your steps back to God, have a change of heart and genuinely repent. You will not fail in Jesus' name. Peace.
Note:
a. I want you to follow us for more edifying content.
b. Endeavour to share this message. God bless you.