INTRODUCTION

The Bible-believing student rejects any notion of coincidences within scripture. He chooses rather to believe that every word of God was specifically chosen by the Lord to convey His intended message. In today’s passage, the Lord revealed the root of the hypocrite’s problems—he is likened to “all that forget God.” The hypocrite is a person who presents himself one way, when in reality, he is altogether something far different than the perception he imitates. For instance, he may fast to convey the message that he loves the Lord, but his spirituality is only a façade for men to see. He may pray, but does so to be heard by men. In the end, his greatest problem is that he has forgotten that the all-seeing, all-knowing God knows the difference between heartfelt actions and hypocrisy.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Whatever we do should be done for the Lord (Colossians 3:22-23 [22] Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God; [23] And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
  See All...). The Pharisees seemed religious but their hearts were not right because they simply desired the praise of men (Matthew 6:2Therefore 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.
  See All...; Matthew 23:5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
  See All...a). Jesus compared them to dirty cups (Luke 11:39And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
  See All...) and whited sepulchres (Matthew 23:27-28 [27] 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. [28] Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
  See All...).
• (For everyone): In what way does a hypocrite forget God? Who becomes the focus of the hypocrite’s attention rather than God? How does it ultimately cause him to fall?
• Whom should we seek to please? How would a desire to please God change how we live? How would it affect the parts of our lives not seen by men?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to help you seek to please Him.
• Ask God to guard you against forgetting Him.

HYMN

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

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