Leaving Hypocrisy
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord
Isaiah 48:1-11 (ESV)
1 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel,
and who came from the waters of Judah,
who swear by the name of the Lord
and confess the God of Israel,
but not in truth or right.
2 For they call themselves after the holy city,
and stay themselves on the God of Israel;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
3 “The former things I declared of old;
they went out from my mouth, and I announced them;
then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
4 Because I know that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew
and your forehead brass,
5 I declared them to you from of old,
before they came to pass I announced them to you,
lest you should say, ‘My idol did them,
my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’
6 “You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forth I announce to you new things,
hidden things that you have not known.
7 They are created now, not long ago;
before today you have never heard of them,
lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8 You have never heard, you have never known,
from of old your ear has not been opened.
For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously,
and that from before birth you were called a rebel.
9 “For my name's sake I defer my anger;
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
that I may not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
Sermon Outline
How can you get out of the trap of hypocrisy?
1. The Inner Turmoil of Hypocrisy
v1 “who… confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right”
2. The Lure of Relief with Idolatry
v4 “Because I know that you are obstinate”
v5 “before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, ‘My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’”
3. The Integrity of the Way of Christ
v6 “I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known.”
v7 ‘before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’”
v9 “For my name’s sake I defer my anger”
v11 “My glory I will not give to another”
Prayer of Confession
Our merciful God, you are so patient with us. We are guilty of hypocrisy. We have hidden our sins and exaggerated our gifts. We have been more concerned for our name and glory than yours. We have turned to idols when we should have turned to you in our time of need. Forgive us all of our sins. May your Holy Spirit cleanse and soften our hard hearts. We turn to you in the name of Jesus, who is full of truth and grace. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What bothers you about hypocrites?
How are you affected by your own hypocrisy? What can you expect will result if hypocrisy goes unchecked?
Are you particularly attuned to things around you that you yourself struggle with? Do you get angry with others for things you are trying to fix in yourself?
Why are you more prone to instant gratification when you are experiencing inner turmoil? Why are idols more appealing and deceptive when you are feeling bad about yourself?
Why are superficial people drawn to idols? What do hypocrites and idols have in common?
What are your convictions about the integrity of God?
Are you aware of any flaws in Jesus? Is there anything to indicate Jesus is untrustworthy?
How does the sacrificial love of Jesus soften hard hearts?
What challenges will you face if you commit to a life of integrity? What will be hard? What habits will you have to change?
What are differences between Jesus, who shows you how to discern right from wrong, and cynics who train you to spot what is flawed? As you learn to discern right from wrong, how can you know if you are maturing (gaining discernment) or if you are moving down a destructive path?
Where can you apply or practice the pattern of beginning with the prayer “help me Jesus” and finishing with the commitment “to God alone be the glory”?
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