“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” (Matt. 23:13)
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)
“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24)
Is it any wonder that the ruling religious authorities did not like our Savior? All you need to do is think back on people you have spoken to who profess to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, those whom you have attempted to correct, reprove and even rebuke, even in the most loving manner, and recall their response.
“For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:” (Prov. 6:23)
No one who has been born-again receives every instruction from the Holy Spirit passes the test, so to speak, the first time every time, we are slow learners, make many mistakes and are unwilling to let go of what we have come to believe is correct, is right in the sight of the Lord. And you have probably learned by now that religious people are adamant about what they believe and most generally take offense when instructed in righteousness.
When, not if, we speak to those who are interpreting sections of the Scriptures incorrectly, we are to be as sure of the truths we are expounding upon as the Lord Jesus Christ was when He was speaking to the Pharisees and Scribes that day, and that speaking happens so rarely these days my friends for so many various reasons that my pen would run out of ink several times before they could all be written down.
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2nd Tim. 4:2)
To those of you who believe our Savior was speaking in a calm and reassuring voice in those several passages in the Book of Matthew that day, think again, He was more than upset with them, He was angry, there is no intonation or inflection of the voice that can be used to politely call someone a hypocrite, you will lose the supposed friendship of friends, the love professed for you by family members will lessen, those of your church family whom you correct, even in love, will grow cold, and those who adhere to the teachings of works-based religious cults that you reveal the truths of the Word of God to will hate you.
Very, very few people are going to say to you, “You are correct, I was wrong, thank you.”
But to put it in plain and simple words my friends, that’s your job.
“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Jude v.23)
But many, if not most, fear, they fear the loss of friendships, of family members, they fear personal reprisals and repercussions, they fear to be ostracized from those they sit in the pews with, from the community, and I cannot at this moment think of any other reason than the truth of this verse for them.
“For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:43)
“I wish I would have” echoes through the Kingdom of the Most High as well as the chambers of hell nearly constantly my friends.
Loving your neighbor means speaking the truth, even when it is uncomfortable to do so, even when it means the loss of everything that you hold dear in this life, countless men and women of God have lost their lives for speaking the truths of the Word of God.
Persecutions for speaking the truth have always been, what many are experiencing today because of the new laws being enacted in many nations is nothing new, but in the history of mankind, one thing has never changed, never been altered, the men and women of God do not stop speaking the truth, the truths of the Word of God are what our faith rests upon.
Where you stand is easily seen by the words you speak, in love, but always in firm truth.
