The Lord Jesus always spoke the truth. He cared for His disciples and wanted them to enjoy God’s best for them.

In the Jewish religion of the day, many of the religious leaders had grown cold toward God and what He wanted. They lacked love for God and for people – and sadly, did not know God. Jesus described their problem like this in Matthew 15:8: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”

Their love for God had been replaced by a desire to please men and to have men think highly of them for their pretended piety. This same problem is found in professing Christianity today. What makes it worse is that being a hypocrite is contagious – since others are watching you and some may follow your example.

While none of us is perfect, if you act different in church on Sunday than you do the rest of the week – there is a problem. When you want to please God and know that He sees all you do 24/7 – you will seek to be the same seven days a week.

Acting different on Sunday than other days is what Jesus warned the Apostles about in our text verse – hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is just as much a sin as any other – and God hates all sin.

May God help us to be real Christians. God’s help and grace to enable you to live right is as available on Monday as it is on Sunday. He is faithful to uphold you and give you genuine victory if you will follow Him.

If you know that you are less than what God desires, ask for His forgiveness and put off any shade of it that you may be a genuine Christian. When He sees a heart that desires to please Him alone – He will bless: “thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6).