“For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?” (Job 27:8).

I’ve often wondered about actors and actresses. Do they really know who they are? So often, they will play a role of a person of high moral standards and integrity, but in reality, their own lifestyle is very different. The other side of that is when a Christian who is an actor or actress uses words and actions in a movie that denies their faith, how will God judge them? “It’s just a role,” they say. “It was the character who said the words and lived that lifestyle, not me.” I don’t see things that way. How can you justify pretending to be what you aren’t? Which is the pretend role? The one where you say you’re a Christian, or the one on stage that others see?

“For what shall it profit a man, he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

The word “hypocrite” is used many times in Scripture and never as a compliment. In Hebrew, the word is “hanep” and means “hypocritical, godless, profane, hypocrite, irreligious.” It denotes someone who acts pious as if they honor God, but their true character is just the opposite. It’s first used in Job by one of his “friends” who calls him a hypocrite.” In the first chapter of Job, we meet a man who is very religious. He goes through all the right rituals to show his godliness.

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1).

That sounds like a decent man. He had seven sons, three daughters, and much wealth. The sons and daughters liked to party together, and Job would call them after their party to sanctify them and offer burnt sacrifices for them.

“It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually” (Job 1:5b).

It seems as if Job had a true heart to honor God, but that always makes Satan unhappy, and those who try to do right in the eyes of the Lord become a target. So it was for Job. Satan asked God for permission to test Job, and God allowed it. Satan put Job through a very rough time. Job lost his wealth, and his sons and daughters all died in one day.

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:20-21).

Job seems like a very decent man who was a victim of Satan’s hatred. “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22).

How many times have you heard people, even Christians, blame God for their ill health or the death of a loved one? Have you ever blamed God for bad things that happen? There’s a big difference between God allowing things to happen and God making them happen. Everyone has trials and testing, but we need to honestly love God through it all.

Satan wasn’t done with his evil toward Job. Job’s health failed, and he was covered in boils. At this point, even Job’s wife began to mock his faith.

“Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die” (Job 2:9).

Job’s wife mocked him for remaining faithful to God and thought it would be better if he turned against God and died. It seems as if she was used of Satan to cause Job more suffering. The same is true of some of his friends who heard of his trouble and came to visit him.

“…for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort Him” (Job 2:11b).

They brought more hurt and sorrow to Job rather than comfort. They were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. Each man took his turn at explaining to Job just how bad of a person he was and why he deserved all the troubles he faced. By the time they came to visit, Job was already feeling that death would be the only answer to his sorrows.

Eliphaz spoke first and chided Job about encouraging others in their time of trials, but now that he was facing troubles, he was losing heart. Eliphaz pointed out that nobody who was innocent ever perished. Eliphaz accused Job of doing many ungodly things. Eliphaz didn’t cheer Job up at all and made him more depressed.

Then Bildad had a go. He pointed out that Job wasn’t as good and upright as he thought himself to be because God would protect him from the troubles if he were. Nowhere in Scripture do we find that people who love and honor God are exempt from trials and tribulations. In chapter 1, we saw that Job loved God and cared deeply about his children’s welfare, but Satan destroyed everything. Bildad was very pointed in telling Job that he was only acting as if he had faith and that he deserved all of the troubles and heartache he had been suffering through.

“Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water? Wilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb. So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s home shall perish:” (Job 8:11-13).

Does Job seem like a hypocrite? Was he just acting as if he honored God? Only God truly knew Job’s heart, but his friends judged him as a man who was just acting a part and not truly believing what he professed.

The pounding Job received from his friends caused him to look at his life. Were they right? Should he curse God and die, as his wife suggested? What Job found out about himself is that he trusted God.

“Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him” (Job 13:13-16).

Job was confident that he wasn’t a hypocrite and that even if God allowed him to die, he would trust in the Lord and keep serving Him as he always had.

As Christians, we need to be sure the faith we profess with our mouth isn’t hypocritical. Do you sacrifice an hour on Sunday morning to sit in a pew as a show to others? When you get home, what do you watch on television or google on the internet? Do your children hear you cussing and criticizing others? Jesus talked about criticizing others while ignoring our own shortcomings.

“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).

In Greek, the word “hypokrites” is translated hypocrite, and is an actor, stage player, a pretender. Are you acting like a Christian with no honesty in your faith? Do you go through the motions with no conviction in your heart? If so, then stop acting like a Christian and be one. Let Jesus into your heart, and let Him rule your words and actions.

What is a Christian? The Apostle Paul said, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

You may have said the right words, but God knows if you truly meant them. People around you will judge your Christian faith by how you behave…your actions and words. Every non-believer is an expert on how Christians should behave. They judge us more harshly than God does.

Our righteousness is through Jesus, not our own righteousness. God has forgiven our sins, but our actions can stumble people who have no faith or little faith. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and surrender your life to Him. Honor Him with all you do. Our life should be a testimony of our salvation, so if you’re a hypocrite and say “I’m a Christian” but act in a different way, then which is the truth? If you’re acting as if you serve Christ, then you’re just pretending you’re a Christian. Stop acting, take up your cross, and be a true follower of Christ. Give your heart to Christ and glorify Him in all you do. Stop acting.

Born-Again Christians know that we are no better than other sinners, but we are sinners saved by grace. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; And that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto Good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Because the grace of God has brought salvation, that grace needs to rule our life. “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?… For as the body without spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead” (James 2:20 & 26).

If you think good works make you a Christian, and you haven’t truly given your heart to Christ, you’re just acting like a Christian, and your works are all wood, hay, and stubble which will be burned on the day you stand before Christ.

Job’s friends saw him as a man who was going through the motions of faith but not truly loving God. “For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit” (Job 15:34-35).

Eliphaz just couldn’t stop calling Job a hypocrite. I wonder how Job acted to make his friends see a hypocrite rather than a man who loved God. What do your friends see in you? An actor…a hypocrite? Or someone who truly loves Jesus with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength? If you sit in a pew on Sunday and act like a Christian, but come Monday, you act like the world, which act shows your heart? Living for Jesus or living for the world? What jokes do you laugh at? What words do you use? What movies do you watch? Stop embracing a worldly life and truly give your life to Christ.

People around you are watching. Your children, your friends, and your family have heard you profess Christ with your mouth, but do they see your actions and hear your words and perceive you to be a hypocrite? If so, it’s time to stop acting like a Christian and be one.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

The most important question of all time is, “Where will you spend eternity?” People have come up with various answers to that question, and most are wrong. “I’m a good person, so I’ll go to Heaven.” Wrong. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Nobody can be “good enough” to earn the right to abide in Heaven. Heaven is waiting only for people who have accepted the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

People usually judge “good” people and “bad” people based on human standards, and we usually excuse our own sins. Eternity is judged by God’s standards. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10).

We are only made righteous by the blood of Jesus. By God’s standards, nobody is “good enough,” and that’s why Jesus had to shed His blood for us. Jesus was God incarnate, and only His blood was pure enough to be the once for all sacrifice to take sin away. Gratitude for what He did should make you do good works in His name, but those good works won’t bring salvation. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Only God’s blood, untainted by sin, can bring salvation. Nobody can work hard enough nor do enough good things to earn salvation. Another goofy idea is people are reincarnated. Wrong again. We live this life, make our choices, then upon death, we either go directly to be with the Lord or we wait for the final judgment, depending upon whether or not you accepted Christ’s shed blood for salvation. You don’t recycle through life, nor do you become an angel upon death, which is another erroneous human idea. Angels were created by God prior to when He laid the foundations of the world.

Other questions you should seek answers for are, is there an afterlife? Is Hell real? Is Heaven real? The answer to those questions is yes. The Old Testament uses the word “Sheol,” which means “the abode of the dead.” It was the place where souls went after death. It’s translated variously as “grave,” “hell,” and “pit.”

The first place the word is used is in Genesis when Jacob’s sons lied and told him that Joseph had been killed, when in fact they sold him to a group of Midianites, who sold him to Potiphar in Egypt. Jacob’s grief was deep. “And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him” (Genesis 37:35).

Jacob said “grave,” but he wasn’t talking about where his body would be placed upon death. The word “grave” is Sheol, the abode of the dead where souls would rest while awaiting their final destination… peace in Heaven or the flames of Hell-fire.

Jesus told a story that is recorded in the New Testament and gives us a peek into life after death prior to the cross. In it, He tells of a place of comfort and a place of flames and torment. The story is found in Luke chapter 16. There was a poor man named Lazarus. He didn’t have money for food and was in poor health. A rich man often walked past Lazarus with no concern about his condition. The inevitable happened, and both died. “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:22-23).

There’s a lot to learn from this verse. The Greek word translated “hell” is “Hades” and is the Greek equivalent of Sheol. The abode of the dead had two sides. One side was where those who honored God went. It was a place of comfort often called Abraham’s Bosom. The other side wasn’t at all comforting and was called “torments.” In both places, those who awaited their final destination could feel comfort or pain. The rich man was in torments feeling pain and suffering. “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Luke 16:24).

The rich man should have made better choices while living on this side of eternity. Abraham explained that fact to him. “But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented” (Luke 16:25). Many times, people interpret this story to prove it’s better to suffer in this life than it is to be rich. It’s actually telling us that what we do with what we have is what matters. We hear about many very wealthy people who run the internet and computer companies but aren’t using their wealth to honor God. If we are given much but are selfish with it, we have put our wealth on the throne rather than Jesus.

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). The money isn’t evil, but the love of it causes the problem. The rich man loved his wealth more than he loved God.

There was a gulf between torments and Abraham’s Bosom that could not be crossed. They could see each other but not pass from one side to the other. We also learn that those who have gone on remember those of us who still have a choice of where to spend eternity. “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment” (Luke 16:27-28). Although the rich man remembered his family, he couldn’t contact them, nor could anyone be sent to them from the other side.

If you think you’ve had a message from your Uncle Charlie or Grandma, you haven’t. God warns against trying to contact the dead. We have Scripture to guide us to eternity and the Holy Spirit to show us the paths of righteousness of God.

After the cross, all was changed. Those who inhabited Abraham’s Bosom were led to their reward by Jesus. And today, if we have accepted Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, death is not to be feared. Christ conquered death, and the grave has no hold upon us. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Jesus left an empty tomb; His death was a victory, and we who have placed our faith in Him have nothing to fear from death. “Therefore we are always confident knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6).

Today, you have the choice of where you will spend eternity… with Jesus or in the lake of fire. Christians’ works will be judged at the Bema Seat of Christ. Our sins are forgiven, so it won’t be a judgment of Heaven or Hell, but our actions will be judged. Our rewards will be crowns that we will be able to return to Jesus in humble gratitude for the price He paid for our redemption. Those who reject Christ’s free gift of salvation will spend eternity in the burning lake of fire. The beast and the false prophet will join the devil in that eternal lake of fire, and those who will take the Mark of the Beast, thus choosing to reject Jesus while following evil. It is an eternal punishment. Finally, all who remain in the abode of the dead will join them.

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14-15).

God doesn’t send anyone to Hell, but we make our own choice here in this life. Jesus gave His life to give humans the only way to avoid Hell-fire and damnation. If we place our faith in Him, we will spend eternity in Heaven.

I’ve chosen eternity with Him in Heaven; have you? The choice has to be made now. There is no such thing as purgatory… no second chances, and you can’t work your way out of Hell. If you don’t respond to the Gospel message before death, then you’ve made your own eternal choice. Today you need to admit you’re a sinner, believe that Jesus Christ paid the price for your redemption, and accept His gift of salvation. “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

The Apostle Paul suffered many things while on this earth, but he kept his eyes on Jesus and knew that, by faith, when he died, he would be with the Lord. Today, Paul is waiting in Heaven to receive his crowns for a life lived for Christ. I have many loved ones who are there, too. What a glorious day it will be when we are all gathered around Jesus, praising Him for our salvation. You will only be there if you’ve believed the Gospel truth prior to death. There is no other path to Heaven than through faith in Jesus. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Trust Him today.

God doesn’t send us to Hell… we choose to go there when we reject Christ. Don’t put off your decision. Young people die as well as older people. It’s been said that God has no grandchildren and we must each make our own choice. If you were raised in a Christian household, you might understand your need for Jesus more than someone raised with secular influences, but you must make your own decision.

Don’t think that if you were baptized as an infant that you are covered. That decision wasn’t your own. Although important, baptism doesn’t bring salvation. Only your own personal faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will take your sin away. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raise him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). An infant cannot believe in his or her heart nor confess with his or her mouth.

Ask yourself, “If I die tomorrow, where will I spend eternity?” It’s an important question, and the answer you give is the most important one you need to have the right answer to. If you would like more information, talk to a Christian near you or send an email. Your salvation and eternity matter.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.