Hypocrisy, Part 4 Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Hypocrisy, Part 4 ------------------- Date: 12/17/2001 Keyword: "hypocrisy" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Matthew 23:23-26* 23. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law; justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24. "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26. "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Questions 1. Verse 23 describes a hypocrite known as a legalist. What three "weightier provisions of the law" has a legalist neglected to develop?   2. How would verses 25 and 26 read in your own words?   Practical help Hypocrisy is all about appearances. As long as you can "look good" in the eyes of other people, you can have your secret life of porn. Unfortunately, this will stunt your character development big time. You will not see justice because you will be busy defending your own wrong behavior. You will not be merciful because you will not have come out of hiding and learned the power of confession and forgiveness for yourself. And you certainly won’t develop faithfulness in relationships with the opposite sex if you are nightly cheating at your computer terminal. Until you take care of your own secret sins, you have no right to complain about the hypocrisy of others, do you? On the other hand, if you allow God to clean you from the inside out, you will be able to truly bless others. When the inside becomes clean, the outside behavior will automatically reflect your new depth of character. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Take it one day at a time, and find those who can help you on this very important journey toward the light. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 2001 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission." -