The Danger of Hypocrisy
Introduction
I’m going to speak about two men—not because this is only a man’s problem, but because it so happens that I know both of these men.
I will change their names to preserve their privacy.
So, these two men are James and Anthony.
Two Stories
James grew up in a Pentecostal congregation.
He was very active and deeply involved in church life. There was a moment when he felt discouraged and stepped away for a time, but by and large, most of his life was spent serving his local church.
He came from a family of ministers and therefore devoted much of his energy to doing the work of the gospel both in his church and in his community.
Then there is Anthony.
He was raised in a Reformed context—also heavily involved in church life—and was even put forth to serve as an office bearer within his local congregation.
Like James, Anthony came from a family of ministers, all within the Christian Reformed Church.
By all appearances, he was devoted to God, to his family, and to the church.
These two men have never met.
They have never exchanged a conversation.
They don’t know each other.
And yet, their stories converge in this:
Both were found to be engaging in criminal activity that has resulted in them being imprisoned.
The Tragic Convergence
The specifics of their crimes are unnecessary for our purposes.
What matters is that two men raised in Christian contexts—men who once professed faith in Christ—now find themselves in prison.
The life they professed before the world was not the life they truly had before God.
You might be wondering: Why am I bringing up the story of these two men?
The reason is this—
They are a living example of what Jesus warns against in our passage today.
Both men had dressed up their lives so well that they appeared to be exemplary Christians.
Yet behind the façade of good works were hearts untethered from the gospel.
The Heart of the Matter: Gospel Integrity
Why were their hearts untethered from the gospel?
Because although they professed justification by faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone,
they only allowed that truth to take root in their minds, not in their hearts.
The reason they made a shipwreck of their faith is because they believed something intellectually,
but they did not embrace it affectionately.
In other words, they lacked what we might call gospel integrity.
That is, faith that is not only confessed with the mouth but cherished in the heart—
a faith that produces love, humility, and obedience.
Gospel integrity means that the gospel is not merely a proposition about God,
but a fervent desire to love Him because of who He is to us in Christ.
Michael Reeves on the Church’s Greatest Need
Author Michael Reeves, in his book Evangelical Pharisees, opens with a probing question:
“What is the most urgent need of the church today?
Better leadership? Better training? Healthier giving? Orthodoxy? Moral integrity?”
He goes on to say that each of these is undoubtedly needed—
but underneath them all lies something even more vital: gospel integrity.
What Is Gospel Integrity?
Gospel integrity is understanding that
we need the gospel every day of our lives—and forever.
It’s the recognition that the same gospel that saves us is the gospel that sustains us.
It’s not merely the starting point of faith; it is the center of all Christian life and practice.
Main Point
Flee from hypocrisy and run to the gospel again and again.
In this passage, Jesus shifts from a clear exposition of the love of God and its true meaning
to a practical guide for how His disciples are to live as those who belong to the Kingdom of God.
He begins to focus on piety—on acts such as almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.
Because these activities are spiritual in nature and promote devotion,
Jesus warns His disciples that even in their practice of piety, they must beware of the temptation toward self-worship.
Therefore, He calls them to be on guard against hypocrisy—
to ensure that their outward devotion flows from inward love.
And how are we to guard against hypocrisy?
By continually running to the gospel.
Two Points for This Morning
- Flee from Hypocrisy
- Run to the Gospel
Before the Two Points: Two Qualifications
Now, before I get to the two points, I just want to mention briefly two qualifications.
First Qualification: We Are Called to Practice (Do) Righteousness
The gospel never alters the requirement of piety—it only alters the source of our piety.
We are indeed called to practice righteousness, to live in obedience to God, and to express our faith through acts of love and mercy. The presence of grace does not cancel the call to holiness; rather, it transforms where that holiness comes from.
Our righteousness is not self-generated, but Spirit-produced. It is not a ladder to reach God but a response to having been reached by God through Christ.
Second Qualification: People Will See Our Good Works
Jesus is not negating the requirement to do good works.
If that were the case, Matthew 5:13–16 would make no sense—
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
So, what is Jesus saying here in Matthew 6:1?
To quote one commentator:
“What is being warned against has two linked elements:
it is not action before others as such which is the problem,
but action before others with a view to being seen (to be doing good).
The desire to create an impression of piety and virtue is what is being criticized.”
In other words, Jesus is not condemning visible obedience—He is exposing performative obedience.
The problem is not that others see your good works, but that you want them to see your good works.
Point 1: Flee from Hypocrisy
How?
First: Understand the Danger — “Beware”
Jesus begins the verse by saying, “Beware.”
That word carries the sense of being on guard, of taking care, or being watchful.
The verb can be rendered “turn your mind to,” meaning “give careful attention to,” or “concentrate on.”
In other words, Jesus is inviting His hearers to focus intently on what truly matters when performing any act of righteousness.
This caution—this “beware”—is not a one-time warning.
It is a call to be constantly vigilant.
Jesus is not saying, “Be careful today and forget about it tomorrow.”
He is saying, “Be continually aware that hypocrisy lurks close at hand.”
Why? Because the primary threat to the church is not external opposition,
but internal corruption—the danger of hypocrisy.
As Michael Reeves noted, the greatest danger facing the church is not poor leadership or lack of orthodoxy,
but the absence of gospel integrity—which is, at its core, a disbelief in the gospel itself.
The Nature of Hypocrisy
Jesus exposes His disciples to the danger of hypocrisy because hypocrisy is fundamentally unbelief in the gospel.
We all know that the word hypocrite literally means “to act the part.”
It refers to pretending to be something you are not.
It is to take upon yourself a persona that doesn’t belong to you—
to perform righteousness externally without possessing it internally.
In essence, hypocrisy is acting.
We’ve all seen actors on television or in movies play historical roles—portraying someone they are not.
That’s the picture Jesus is drawing here.
He is warning His disciples not to become spiritual actors,
people who perform their piety for an audience,
but whose hearts are far from the One to whom their piety should be directed.
And so, Jesus begins His teaching on righteousness by saying,
“Beware.”
Take care. Be vigilant.
Guard your heart against hypocrisy.
Second: Know Hypocrisy’s Context — “Practicing Your Righteousness”
A natural question that arises is this:
When are we in danger of hypocrisy?
What we must see is that the most common way hypocrisy manifests itself is precisely in the spiritual activities Jesus goes on to describe—namely, the giving of alms (giving to the needy), prayer, and fasting.
Now, it is not only in these particular acts that hypocrisy appears,
but it fundamentally manifests in our expressions of piety—
that is, in whatever we do to engage with God spiritually.
Where Hypocrisy Appears Most Often
Whenever we practice spiritual devotion, we are exposed to the danger of hypocrisy.
That might include:
- Giving to those in need,
- Praying in private or public,
- Fasting,
- Attending church,
- Participating in Bible study, or
- Engaging in any of the opportunities offered within the life of the church.
Any spiritual activity—no matter how good or sincere it appears—exposes our hearts to the temptation of hypocrisy.
That’s the danger:
our devotion itself can become a stage upon which our hearts seek recognition.
Understanding Our Context
We must understand that we live in a context where, as Christians, we are often exposed to hypocrisy.
Why?
Because we are often engaged in spiritual activities.
So not only must we be aware of the danger of hypocrisy—which, as we have seen, is fundamentally a disbelief in the gospel—
but we must also understand the context in which hypocrisy tends to arise:
it happens precisely when we are doing spiritual things.
This means that spiritual life itself requires constant vigilance—
for the very acts meant to draw us closer to God can, if we are not watchful, become acts of self-worship instead.
Third: Understand Hypocrisy’s Goal — The Worship of Self
Lastly, I want to look at how we should flee from hypocrisy—and it’s by understanding the end goal of hypocrisy, or what hypocrisy ultimately seeks to achieve.
Where Hypocrisy Leads
Up to this point, you may be wondering, “Why is it that the word ‘hypocrisy’ doesn’t even appear in our text, and yet the pastor keeps talking about hypocrisy?”
That’s a fair question.
I believe that understanding what Jesus is communicating here helps us see that hypocrisy is not merely mentioned—it is exposed. To make that connection clearer, I want to briefly turn to another passage in the Gospel of John, and then return to what Jesus says here in the Gospel of Matthew.
John 5:39–44 — The Root of Hypocrisy
In John 5, Jesus is confronting the Pharisees, helping them understand that He is the Son of God.
Beginning in verse 39, He gets to the heart of their unbelief:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life;
and it is they that bear witness about Me,
yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life.”
— John 5:39–40 (ESV)
Then, starting in verse 41, Jesus draws a sharp contrast between Himself and the Pharisees:
“I do not receive glory from people.
But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.
I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me.
If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.”
— John 5:41–43 (ESV)
And finally, in verse 44, Jesus exposes the true root of hypocrisy:
“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another
and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
— John 5:44 (ESV)
In other words, Jesus is saying:
The reason you cannot believe is because you are more concerned with receiving glory from others than with seeking glory from God.
You crave the validation of men more than the righteousness that comes from God.
You would rather pretend to be pious than actually be pious.
Back to Matthew 6:1 — The Warning
And this takes us back to Matthew 6:1, where Jesus says:
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.”
We’ve already established that Jesus is not forbidding us from doing good works in the presence of others.
Rather, He is warning about the intent behind those works.
Jesus is saying, “When you engage in acts of righteousness, be careful—be on guard—that you are doing them for the right reason.”
What Does It Mean “To Be Seen”?
It’s interesting that Jesus specifically says,
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.”
So what does it mean to be “seen”?
The word used here carries the sense of being beheld as part of a spectacle—to become the focus of attention, the object on display.
It is to practice piety in such a way that the attention shifts from God to the one being pious.
An Illustration
Think of it this way:
When you watch a football game, it would be strange to spend the entire time watching the sidelines instead of the field.
Why? Because that’s not where the spectacle is!
The action, the focus, the purpose—it’s all between the white lines. That’s where your eyes are supposed to be.
In the same way, when our piety becomes a spectacle—when we perform our spirituality so that others behold us—then we have replaced God as the center of worship.
At that point, the main person, the main object of devotion, is no longer God—it’s you.
And that is why hypocrisy is so dangerous:
it turns us into the object of worship.
Soli Deo Gloria
This is exactly why the Reformers insisted upon the great Reformation cry:
Soli Deo Gloria — “To God alone be the glory.”
Because the heart of true piety is not self-exaltation, but God-exaltation.
The gospel frees us from the exhausting performance of self-glory and redirects all glory to Him.
Main Point
Flee from hypocrisy and run to the gospel again and again.
How Do We Avoid Hypocrisy?
The Gospel!
Run to the gospel again and again.
Only the gospel can tear down the idol of self.
Only the gospel can reorient the heart so that, in everything, we seek not our own praise but the glory of God alone.
First – Understand Your Heart: It Is Desperately Sick (Jeremiah 17:9)
Jeremiah gives us the classic description of the human heart:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV)
We often grow weary of hearing that truth. We might wonder, Why can’t we just get to the good news? Why must we always talk about sin? What about the good things we do? And there is a proper balance—Scripture does not call us to dwell morbidly on our sin—but to see it rightly.
This is precisely why, in our liturgy, we have a Prayer of Confession following the Reading of the Law: it reminds us that we are often covenant breakers. The gospel comes not to those who have it all together, but to sinners who know their need.
If we fail to examine our hearts—to see their depravity, their waywardness, their proneness to wander as we sing in the hymn, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love”—then the gospel will not be sweet to us. It will be easy to slip into hypocrisy, to hide our sin, and to treat our transgressions as no real offense.
So, the first step in running to the gospel is this:
Understand your heart. It is desperately sick. And only when we see that truth clearly can we cling fully to the One who heals it.
Second – Understand Your Need of the Gospel: Always!
The way we avoid hypocrisy—acting the part without living the reality—is by acknowledging, again and again, that we are sinners in need of grace. We don’t have it all together. Yes, we may dress well, speak well, and appear put together, but in truth, our hearts are still under transformation. Sanctification is still taking place.
The more we hide this truth, the more hypocrisy will rear its ugly head. But the more we confess, the more we find freedom.
Michael Reeves captures the danger well:
“The horrible result is an evangelical culture that is simultaneously smug and superficial. The gospel can be treated as the ABCs for outsiders and initiates only. The rest of us can bathe in the comfort of a knowledge that never drives us to our knees.”
That’s why hypocrisy is so dangerous—and why we must flee to the gospel to escape it. The gospel declares that God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and is renewing us by the power of His Spirit. This good news must be the central message we rehearse in our hearts every single day.
There can never be a day we don’t remind ourselves of the gospel. It is the truth that sustains us—it tells us that God’s righteous wrath has been satisfied in His Son, and that we now have free acceptance in Him.
In a few weeks, when we come to the Lord’s Table, we’ll be reminded of this very reality: God offers us Himself. Christ is both the host and the meal, the One who welcomes and the One who is given. In this meal, our five senses are engaged to remind us that we belong to God and are at peace with Him.
But here’s the heart of it: the answer to a life without sin is not trying harder to stop sinning.
We often think God is displeased because we disobey—and while that’s true, it’s not the whole truth. It’s not just that we don’t obey; it’s that we don’t desire to obey. Parents understand this—children can obey a command externally while inwardly wishing they didn’t have to. Our problem runs deeper: it’s a problem of desire.
Therefore, the answer to sin is not mere obedience—it is the transformation of desire. And that transformation only comes through the gospel.
Puritan Richard Sibbes saw this clearly in his own day, when many preachers, having lost sight of the gospel, laid moral burdens on their people. Sibbes, however, preached Christ as the gracious Savior of sinners, saying:
“The solution to sin is not the attempt to live without sin, but the gospel of God’s free grace. Only when a person enjoys Christ as Savior do they stop sinning from the heart and start loving Him truly.”
Think back to Genesis 3 and the response of Adam and Eve after they sinned. They tried to cover themselves because they were naked. That’s exactly what hypocrisy does—it covers, but it doesn’t cure. Their problem wasn’t their nakedness; it was their exposure to God’s wrath. And hypocrisy still tries to hide that exposure today. It seeks validation from others rather than reconciliation with God.
Hypocrisy, in the end, diminishes the gospel.
And if Immanuel is going to thrive, we must be doggedly committed to the gospel—not merely to its propositions, but to its daily power in our lives. It’s easy to say, “Yes, I believe Jesus died for my sins.” But it’s far harder—and far richer—to let that truth take root, to preach it to ourselves every day, to let it reverberate in the deepest recesses of our souls.
That’s what it means to be committed to the gospel.
Because hypocrisy always says, “My problem can be solved by my actions.”
“If I just pray more, fast more, give more, attend church more…”
But the gospel says, “Your problem has been solved in Christ.”
Therefore, rest—not in performance, but in grace.
One Point of Application: Expose Yourself to the Gospel Regularly
So I want to express one point of application, refracted into three examples.
How do we practically flee from hypocrisy and run to the gospel?
The only point of application is this—and I’ve already said it before—
you and I must expose ourselves to the gospel on a regular basis.
That regular exposure happens in three ways:
- Daily – Through the Word
We must daily expose ourselves to the gospel through the regular reading of Scripture, hearing the voice of Christ remind us that the solution to our sin is found in Him alone—not in me, not in you, not in the government, not in this world, but only in Christ.
As we open the Word, we are listening again and again to the truth of the gospel:
that Jesus is our righteousness, that His grace is sufficient, and that His Spirit is still at work in us.
That is how we flee from hypocrisy—by daily hearing and believing the voice of our Savior in His Word.
- Weekly – In Gathered Worship
We must also expose ourselves to the gospel weekly in the gathered community of believers.
That’s what we are doing here this morning. Through songs, confession, prayers, the preaching of the Word, and the sacraments, we are exposing our hearts to the gospel again and again.
When we gather, we are refusing to believe that we “have it all figured out,” that “our sin isn’t that bad,” or that “we’re doing just fine.” No—each week we come together to remember the truth of the gospel:
that we are sinners in need of grace, and that in Christ we have been freely accepted.
In corporate worship, we:
- Hear the gospel in the reading and preaching of Scripture,
- Sing the gospel in our hymns and psalms,
- Confess our sins and receive assurance of pardon, and
- Respond to the gospel through prayer and praise.
The weekly gathering of the church is God’s gracious way of reminding us that we are not self-sufficient but gospel-dependent.
- Intentionally – Through Spiritual Relationships
Lastly, we must expose ourselves to the gospel intentionally—through personal, spiritual relationships.
By that, I mean we are called to invest in one another spiritually, through honest and intimate Christian fellowship.
I once read an illustration that captures this beautifully:
The sermon on Sunday is the main artery through which the blood of the gospel flows into the body of believers. But arteries don’t deliver blood directly to the organs—that’s the job of the capillaries.
In the same way, preaching is the primary artery that delivers the gospel to our church, but it is in our personal relationships—our conversations, small groups, and one-on-one discipleship—that the gospel is specifically applied to each “organ” in the body.
This means we should not be so guarded or distant from one another that we shy away from exposing our hearts. We need safe, gospel-centered friendships where confession and grace meet.
So let me ask:
When was the last time you confessed a sin to another Christian—one that burdened your conscience?
That’s what it means to live intentionally exposed to the gospel.
And I’ll say it again: the way we avoid hypocrisy in acting the part is by acknowledging again and again that we are sinners.
We don’t have it all together. Yes, we may look the part, but sanctification is still taking place. The more we hide that, the more hypocrisy grows; the more we confess, the more grace abounds.
Main Point
Flee from hypocrisy and run to the gospel again and again.
Gospel Appeal
Maybe you are here today and have never believed the gospel.
Here is the appeal: be reconciled to God in Christ.
You don’t have to run from God—you can run to His grace this morning.
Accept the free offer of forgiveness for all your sins through Jesus Christ our Lord.
If you would like to talk more about that, find a Christian beside you after the service and ask them, “What must I do to be saved?”
Conclusion – Run to the Gospel
This morning, you are being called to gospel integrity—that is, to flee from pretense, acting, and hypocrisy, and to run to the gospel.
A person visited Anthony in these days, and Anthony said that his jail time has been a grace. Why? Because he no longer has to pretend and hide.
You don’t need to hide—God already knows.
And more than that, He has already provided the solution.
So, run to the gospel, Christian.
Run to the means of grace.
Run to the fountain that both washes your sins and quenches your thirst.
Run to the One who offers rest, peace, comfort, and grace to hearts and souls bruised and battered by sin and circumstance.
Stop running to hypocrisy.
Stop trying to play the part.
Stop trying to act like a Christian.
And instead, rejoice in what you already have as a Christian—Christ’s very righteousness.