2005-12-04 Communion Dedication – Baldwin Christian Church 

In this sermon, Jesus has already instructed us to, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”, but there are two kinds of light.  The Bible tells us that even Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14-15).  His proper name is Lucifer, which means “the shining one, the morning star, the light bearer”, so it’s not a big deal for him to change appearances.  He can make the truth appear to be a lie, or lies appear to be the truth, and by that very same power to transform, it’s no great thing for his servants to appear righteous.  If our light is to glorify the Father, it has to be the Light of Truth. 

Matthew 6:5-8

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

Again, as with alms giving, Jesus is warning us against pretending to be holy.  Call me a hypocrite whenever I pretend to be something that I’m not, or whenever I leave out part of the truth because it suits me.  

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 

This verse should be the cause of many sleepless nights for those who promote the Rosary. 

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 

There are many dangers in hypocrisy.  It’s not just about pretending to be something I’m not.  It’s not just about drawing attention to myself, in effect begging the praises of men.  Hypocrisy is dangerous because eventually I will come to the point where I believe my own play-acting, even if nobody else does, and my whole life will revolve around lies.  This leads to an even greater danger.  The greatest danger in hypocrisy, in play-acting, is that even though I might deceive others (and myself) to think it’s a show of God’s light, in reality I’m shining the light of Lucifer, the light that pretends to be God’s light, but is darkness. 

It all starts with your motivation.  Do you pour out your soul in repentant prayer while you receive this communion, or is it play-acting?  If my heart isn’t completely motivated to glorify Jesus, all my good works do is insult Him.  In this act of remembering Him, we proclaim our dependence on Him, and to Him alone. 

Let’s leave no room for the Lord Jesus to say about us, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me. (Matthew 15:8) 

Let’s “provide for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.” (2 Cor 8:21) 

Additional reading: Luke 18:1-8