The Pretender

Do you consider yourself a hypocrite?  Well, of course not.  I would guess that not many people would admit to being a hypocrite, because to admit to being a hypocrite is to admit to being fake.  By definition, a hypocrite is simply a pretender, so if you admit to being a hypocrite, you have to admit to pretending to be something other than what you are.  So, I’ll ask again, do you consider yourself a hypocrite?

In the closing verse of Matthew 5, Jesus gave His listeners this charge: “Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  In short, Jesus is telling these people, quit pretending!  He is not telling them to be perfect as without flaws or shortcomings.  No one can do that, because we are all sinners by our nature.  We will inevitably mess up, no matter how hard we try.  Rather, He is telling them to work to complete their faith.  They should strive to have a mature faith because they have learned the ways of God.  This verse references back to Leviticus 19:2, where God said, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

Holiness simply means that we are set apart and consecrated for a particular use or function.  God is set apart as Creator and Lord.  He is the King of kings who is able to set the standard for all to attain.  We are set apart from the world to be the people who honor God with our service and our witness.  Our level of holiness and maturity is reflective of the quality and depth of our relationship with God.  It is revealed in our attitude toward service to others, and in our attitude toward prayer, which is our communication with God.

Jesus warned us not to be a pretender like some of the religious leaders that came to the temple each day.  These people would give offerings of money and service, but their motivation was strictly to be seen and to be complemented by others.They didn’t really care about the work they were doing or the offerings they were giving.  They just wanted praise.  In the same way, they were not really sincere in their prayers.  They just wanted people to see them giving long prayers with colorful language so that people would think that they were very pious and godly.  Some people even thought that by constantly repeating the needs or the names of the gods they prayed to, that they would have more successful prayers.  Jesus simply said that this was not the way to do it.

Many people call the passage in Matthew 6:9-13 the Lord’s prayer.  It’s not really, because these words are not what Jesus prayed.  Instead, it is a pattern to follow when we pray.  He gave this pattern in response to the disciples asking Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-4).  Here is the simple pattern:

1.  Worship God.

2.  Pray for the provisions of your needs.

3.  Confess your sins.

4.  Pray for strength to live a God-honoring life.

Having a prayer life that consistently follows this pattern will draw you into a deeper relationship with God.  Being consistent in your prayer life will help you mature in your faith.  You will live a life that reflects the fact that you have been set apart from the world and consecrated to the service of God.  When you can do this, no one will wonder if you are pretending.  Your faith and trust in God will be obvious for all to see, and God will honor you in return.