In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Without a doubt, the number one reason that people give for why they’re not a Christian or why they don’t go to Church anywhere, is because the Church is just full of a bunch of hypocrites. I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve heard a variation of that statement before, and I bet you have too. Sometimes, in the past, and I admit this was true for myself, I thought that the right response to give to those people was something like, “we’re all hypocrites, but that’s what being a Christian or going to church is for.” Now, I understand what’s trying to be communicated when we say those sorts of things, but in this morning’s sermon, I’m going to make the argument that that isn’t quite getting it right. There’s something a little bit off there that isn’t really biblical. Is it true that all Christians are actually hypocrites and that we should gladly and willing accept that title as valid?

First, I just want you to consider what Jesus says about what makes a person a real hypocrite in our Gospel lesson today from Luke chapter 6. This is the famous “judge not” part of the Bible, which, as you know, has to be one of the most misunderstood and misapplied texts in all of Scripture. But at the end of that passage, Christ tells us a short little parable, that helps clarify what He means. He says, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, [there’s the word] first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

So, here Christ teaches us that a true hypocrite isn’t just someone who sins, but someone who casts judgment on another person’s sin before or without acknowledging and repenting of their own. The issue is not simply with showing other people that what they’re doing is wrong and telling them that they need to stop. It’s with doing that to others apart from doing it to yourself first. You got to do both! As Jesus says, “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

Well, is that what we Christian do, or not? Do we admit our own sins and live daily lives of repentance over them, or don’t we? Are we sorry for the things that we do against God’s law, and do we want to be forgiven for them? If the answer to any those questions is “no,” then we actually are hypocrites, and the words of Christ condemn us. But if the answer is “yes,” meaning that we do mourn our sins and we do want to do better, then it isn’t being hypocritical at all to ask others to do the same along with us. 

I can’t tell you how important it is to understand this distinction when we are trying to communicate with those that have been sucked into the so called “Pride Movement.” This last month the LGBTQ stuff has been all over the place. What’s the difference between us and them? The difference isn’t that they sin and we don’t, or that they need forgivness and we don’t. The difference is, or at least it’s supposed to be, that we’re sorry for our sins and they’re not. We don’t celebrate our sins. We fight against them. Is that what they do? The literal name of the movement is “pride.” It’s about being proud of doing things that the Bible says are wrong. Are you proud of the sinful things that you sometimes do in your life? Are you happy when you get angry at your spouse and children and treat them unkindly? Do you think that it’s good when you lust after someone you aren’t married too, or covet things that don’t belong to you? Are you of the opinion, that it’s the God pleasing thing to do to skip church, dishonor those in authority, and talk behind people’s backs? Would you walk in a parade that promotes those sorts of things, and do you consider them to be the essence of who you are, and part of your God given identity? 

I should hope not. Because if you do, then you are hypocrite, and the Bible says you’re going to go to hell. If you’re not sorry for your sins, and you don’t want the forgiveness that comes from Jesus for them, then the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell in your heart, and in your current spiritual condition, you won’t be saved.

Now, I think we need to admit that sometimes when people say that the reason why they don’t go to church because it’s just full of a bunch of hypocrites, they might have a legitimate point. Doesn’t Jesus tell us elsewhere that there are weeds mixed in together with the wheat, and goats among the true sheep? It’s entirely possible that they’ve met someone before who goes to church on Sundays, and outwardly attach him or herself to the means of grace, but also lives a completely different life outside of the sanctuary, and embraces all kinds of sinful things without repentance.

For example, sometimes you do run into people who are vehemently opposed to things like homosexuality, but totally okay with watching pornography and dirty movies, living together before marriage, or getting an unbiblical divorce. Sometimes there are people who want to be known as Christians that actually are total jerks who don’t forgive others, hold grudges, and constantly act as if everyone sins but them. They shake their heads when they see a trans person on TV, but then they go right back to their own pet sin, as if theirs aren’t really that big of deal. 

That’s not right. And each one of us should examine ourselves and our own lives to see whether or not that is the case for us. We should listen to the Word of God and judge everything that we see by His standard, and not our own personal one, so that we don’t expose ourselves to the danger that Jesus warns us about in our reading. Remember what Christ says in our text, “With the measure that you measure it will be measured to you.” That means that whatever sins you condemn in the lives of others, God will hold you accountable for those same sins too. And if you’re not sorry for them, and unwilling to put them away, then you’ll end up in the same place as all those other unrepentant sinners that you look down on too.

But the solution to that problem is not to try and lower the bar of God’s Word, and redefine sin differently, so everyone gets a pass for it, which isn’t really possible. The solution is to repent of our sin and look to Christ for forgivness for it. It’s to keep on doing that over and over again, every day of lives, and never act as we don’t need Jesus.

The true Church of Christ, that is, all the real believers, is not made up of a bunch of hypocrites. It’s made up of a bunch of penitent sinners. It consists exclusively of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness because they know that they don’t have any of their own. And when we invite someone to join our church, we’re not inviting them to become a hypocrite, we’re inviting them to become a penitent. We’re asking them to do the same thing that we want for ourselves, which is to repent and believe the Gospel. It’s to cast our sins aside and run to Christ for absolution, trusting that He will never turn us away, but always cleanse us, forgive us, and make us new every time.

So, is it right to respond to people who say that they don’t go to church because it’s just full of hypocrites by telling them that “there’s always room for one more?” Not really. That makes it sound like true believers are actually unrepentant of their sins, even though the Bible says that’s impossible. How we should respond to those people instead is first by acknowledging that it’s possible that they have met someone before who identified as a Christian that was a hypocrite, and we’re very sorry for that. Maybe a good approach with those kinds of people would be to ask them what they do for a living. Let’s just say they’re a barber. Well, one time I met a barber who gave me a terrible haircut, so now I don’t go to any barber at all. What do you think the person’s going to say to that? “Hey, that’s not fair, you shouldn’t judge every barber the same way just because you met a bad one once.” That’s true. And you shouldn’t do that for people who identify as Christians either, because even though there are such thing as false Christians, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t genuine ones too.

And the other way to respond to that accusation, of course, which is the more important one, is again, just to explain how you’re sinful too, and that’s why you go to church in the first place. You don’t go to celebrate how you’re better than other people, or celebrate your sin, and get God’s approval for it, you go because you know that you have big old plank in your eye, and the only One who has the power to take it away is Christ. So, if you want to have the peace that passes understanding, which comes from having a clean conscience before God in heaven, then come with me to place where you get it. Come and join me, and the rest of the Body of Christ, in confessing our sins to the Lord, and hearing His absolution. This isn’t the place where we lie. It’s the place where we tell the truth. The truth about ourselves, and how we sin. And the truth about Jesus who died to take all of our sins away. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.