Jesus was a man of sincerity

JESUS WAS A MAN OF SINCERITY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 6:5 5"And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray standingin the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by
others. Truly I tell you, they have received their
reward in full.
CHARLES EDWARD JEFFERSON
THE SINCERITYOF JESUS
"Yc shall not be as the hypocrites."
— Matthew vi : 5,
All the graces are beautiful, but some have a
finer loveliness than do others. All virtues are im-
portant, but some are more essentialthan others.

There are virtues whose absenceleaves the charac-
ter raggedand marred, and there are others whose
absence leaves the soul a hollow shell. Certain
virtues are conspicuouslyornamental, whereas others
are plainly fundamental. If the former are not de-
veloped, the edifice is not complete; but if the latter
are not present, the whole structure comes tumbling
down in ruin. Such a fimdamental virtue is the
virtue of sincerity. It is the keystone in the arch
without which the arch collapses. Orto change
the figure it is the mother of a noble family of vir-
tues, all of which draw their strength and beauty
from it. Truthfulness, honesty, plainness, frank-
ness, simplicity, these and many others are only
children of the Queen— Sincerity.
It is the virtue which the human heart instinc-
tively craves and looks for. It is a trait which a
55

56 CHARACTER OF JESUS
parent's eyes seek forin his children. Anything
like deceitor trickery or sham in a child causes
the parental heart to bleed. ''Do you mean what
you are saying?" "Are you telling me what you
really feel?" "Are you concealing from me things
which I ought to know?" There is nothing which
a parent desires so much in his children as the
unaffected simplicity of a sincere heart. This is
what we demand in all the higher relationships of
life. In the lowerrelationships sincerity is desir-
able, but in the higher ones it is absolutelyindis-
pensable. A man may sweepthe pavement or make
our garden, and do both well even though he is at
heart a cheat. But we like him better and we feel
more comfortable in his presence if he looks up at
us out of honest eyes. A servant may hold his
place and be insincere, not so a friend. There is
an adjective which the word "friend" will not keep
company with, and that is the adjective " insincere."
You cannot induce them to stay togetherin the same
room. They flatly contradict eachother. The mo-

ment we find out that a comrade is insincere with
us, he ceasesto be our friend. Sincerity is the very
blood and breath of friendship. "Pure gold he is,"
we say with exultation, meaning that in our friend
there is no alloy. His nature is unspoiled and
unadulterated. We can rely upon him through the
twenty-four hours of every day. We are so con-
structed that we look for sincerity in others, and when
we do not find it we are grieved and disappointed.
HIS SINCERITY57
When what we have takenfor sincerity turns out
to be nothing but an imitation, our heart sinks
within us and we feel like a man who has been
stabbed. There is nothing which so takes the life
out of us as the discoverythat some one whom we
have trusted has been other than what he seemed
to be. The very suspicionthat some one whose life
is close to us is insincere renders us restless and
makes the universe seeminsecure.

And yet how common insincerity is. What a
miserable old humbug of a world we are living in,
full of trickery and dishonestyand deceitof every
kind. Societyis cursedwith affectation, business
is honeycombed with dishonesty, the political world
aboimds in duplicity and chicanery, there is sham
and pretence and humbuggery everywhere. Some
use big words they do not imderstand, and some lay
claim to knowledge which they do not have, and
some parade in dresses whichthey cannot pay for ;
the life of many a man and many a womanis one
colossallie. We saythings which we do not mean,
express emotions which we do not feel, we praise
when we secretlycondemn, we smile when there is
a frown on the face of the heart, we give compli-
ments when we are really thinking ciurses, striving
a hundred times a week to make people think we
are other than we are. It is a penitentiary offence
to obtain money under false pretences, and so from
this we carefully refrain. But how many other
things are obtained, do you think, by shamming

and pretending, for which there is no penalty but
the condemnationof Almighty God? Yes, it is a
sad, deceitful, demoralized, world in the midst of
which we find ourselves ; but thank God there are
hearts here and there upon which we can evermore
depend. We have testedthem and we know them
to be true. Life would not be worth the living if
there were no one on earth sincere. It is to the
honest heart that we return againand again, seek-
ing restand finding it. It is a foimtain at which
we drink and refreshourselves for the toilsome
journey. Beautiful, indeed, is the virtue of sincerity.
It is not a gaudy virtue. It does not glitter. It
has no sparkle in it. But it is substantial. It is
life giving. It sustains and nourishes the heart.
It is a virtue within the reachof the humblest of
us. There are some things we cannot be, and
many things which we cannotdo. But this one
thing is within the reach of us all, — we may

pr^y Godunceasingly to keepour heart sincere.
^Would you see sincerity in its loveliestform, then
^ome to Jesus. Here is a man incapable of a Ue.
Nothing was so abhorrent to him as falsehood. No
other people so stirred his wrath as men who pre-
tended to be what they were not. The most odious
word upon his lips was the word " h)rpocrite." Have
you ever wonderedwhy it is impossible to speak
that word without it falling from the lips like a
serpent — it is because his curse is resting on it.
It was not a harsh word before he spoke it, but he
HIS SINCERITY59
breathed the hot breath of his scorninto it, and it
has been ever since a word degradedand lost. A
hypocrite is an actor. It is a word takenoriginally
from the stage. In the theatre we expect men and
women to be other than they seemto be. An
ordinary plebeian wraps round him the robes of a
king, talks like a king, and acts like one, and we

are not offended, because we are not deceived. It
is expectedthat on the stage no one shall seemto
be what he really is. But on the greatstage ofthe
world God expects every man to be what he claims
to be. If we saythings we do not believe, and profess
things we do not feel, and lay claim to things which
we do not possess,we are tricksters and deceivers,
causing mischief and confusionin the world. It was
the sincerity of Jesus which drove him into deadly
conflict with the hypocrites. A hypocrite and Jesus
cannot live together.
It was his constant exhortation that men should
speak the truth. The religious leaders of his day had
divided oaths into two classes, — one class binding,
the other not. If an oath containedthe name of
God, it was binding on the conscience; if for God's
name some other name was substituted, then the
consciencemight go free. Jesus was disgustedby
the reasoning ofthe bat-eyed pettifoggers. "Do
not swearatall," he said. "Let your commimica-
tion be yea, yea, nay, nay." In other words, "If
you want to render a thing emphatic, simply say it

over again. If men doubt you, then quietly repeat
6o CHARACTER OF JESUS
what you have ahready declared." It was the
belief of Jesus that a man's word ought to be as
goodas his oath, or as we say as goodas his bond.
K the world were the kind of world God wants it
to be, then all the evidence that would be needed to
prove a certain thing true would be that a man had
assertedit. If it is necessarynow in courts of jus-
tice to make use of oaths, that is because ofthe Evil
One who has corrupted many hearts and rendered
the ordinary speechof humanity imreliable. In an
ideal world all oaths are unnecessaryand unthought
of.
It was because ofJesus* incorruptible sincerity
that we have from his lips such a remarkable out-
pouring of plain words. You and I do not like
plain words. We dare not use them — at least

often. We water our words down. We pull the
string out of them. We substitute long Latin words
for plain, short, Anglo-Saxon words, for by multiply-
ing the syllables we attenuate the meaning. For
instance, we say "prevarication'instead of "lie,"
because falsehoodwhen expressedpompously loses
its blackness and grossness. ButJesus would not
use words of velvet when words of velvet flattered
and deceived. It was his work to help men see
themselves as they were. He characterizedthem
by words which accuratelydescribedtheir character.
One day he told a crowdin the dty of Jerusalem
that they were of their father the devil, and that the
lusts of their father they were eagerto do. He
HIS SINCERITY6l
went on to add that the devU was a murderer and
that he abode not in the truth because the truth
was not in him. We are shockedby such plainness
of speech. We do not like it. Is that because we

dare not express things as they are? Have we
gotteninto the habit of hiding our eyes and trying
to make black things seemgray or evenwhite?
Jesus was incorrigibly sincere, and it was sin-
cerity which drove him to tell men the plain truth.
He said to these men, '^If I should say I do not
know God, I should be a liar like you." There was
a strong inducement for him to concealhis extraordi-
nary knowledge. A man makes himself odious by
claiming to know more than other men, and by
asserting that he can do more than anybody else.
It would have been easierforJesus to adopt the
language ofthe professionallyhumble people who
are always saying that they do not know anything
and cannotdo anything and do not amoimt to any-
thing. But Jesus was a man of truth. He could
not disguise the fact that his knowledge was imique
and that his power was imparalleled. Because he
was true he could not hold back the fact that he
was the Good Shepherd and the Door, the Bread
of Life, and the Light of the World. Nothing but
sincerity would everhave driven him to outrage the

feelings of his coimtrymen by assertions so ex-
traordinary. Had he kept silence or pretended to
be ignorant on matters on which he possessedfull
knowledge, he would indeed have been a liar like
the very men with whom he was struggling. All
these remarkable declarations of his in regard to
the nature of his personality and the range of his
powerwere forced from his lips by a heart m-
swervingly loyal to the truth.
The warnings of Jesus have often arousedcriti-
cism and condemnation because oftheir severity
and the frightening words in which they are ex-
pressed. He told certainmen they were moving
onward to perdition and painted their loss and ruin
in phrases which have causedthe human heart to
shudder. How will you accountfor such vigor of
language? It was certainly cruel to speak such

words if he did not know the possibilities and doom
of sin. If he knew, then he was bound to tell.
The awful parables of the New Testamentare the
product of a heart that was imcompromisingly sin-
cere. To speak softwords to men whose feetare
hastening down the road to ruin, how was it pos-
sible to do it? His very sincerity drove him into
language which to our coldhearts seems exaggerated
and needlesslyabusive. He called the leaders in
Jerusalemliars, blind men, fools, serpents, vipers.
If they were not all this, then Jesus stands condemned
for making use of such cutting words. But suppose
these men were preciselywhat such words described
— then what ? Suppose they were in very factliars
and fools and blind men, was it not the duty of Jesus
to inform them of their pitiable condition? What
else could a sincere friend do? These men sup-
HIS SINCERITY63
posedthey could see and were wise, but if they were

mistakenwas it not incumbent on an honest man to
deliver them if possible from their delusion ? If they
were venomous, and deadly and treacherous, why
should they not be likened to serpents and vipers?
There is not a trace of bitterness in Jesus'language.
It is the calm statementof a horrible fact. The
Lord of truth must of necessityuse words which
accuratelycharacterize the persons who are to be
instructed and warned.
The inmost heart of Jesus finds utterance in his
declarationto Pontius Pilate that he had come into
the world to bear witness to the truth. That was
his work. He never shirked it. He never grew
wearyin doing it. He was surrounded all his life
by men who bore witness to falsehoods. Theylied
about him in every dty in which he worked. They
misrepresentedhis deeds and his words and his
motives. They filled all the air with lies. The wit-
nesses who appearedagainsthim at his trial were
liars. But in the midst of the despicable setof
false-minded, false-heartedmaligners, and mur-
derers he stoodforth, calm, radiant, the one man in

all the world whose lips had never been sullied by
a falsehoodand whose heart had never been stained
by a lie.
In the centuries which have passedsince Jesus
died, many strange and imcomplimentary things
have been said about him ; but it is surprising how
loath men have been to accuse him of deceit. They
have been willing to say he was mistaken, they
have calledhim a visionary, a fanatic, an enthusiast,
and dreamer; but no man of sane mind or heart has
ever ventured to assertthat Jesus ofNazarethwas
an intentional deceiver. Men have claimed that
his apostles were roguesand falsifiers, that they
deliberately misrepresentedboth his personand his
teaching;but no one has dared to argue that Jesus
himself was capable of a lie. There is something
so pure and frank and noble about him that to doubt

his sincerity would be like doubting the brightness
of the sim.
This unquestioned loyalty to truth gives his words
a value which no other words possess.Whenwe
listen to the words of other men, we must make
subtractions and allowances. No man puts his
whole self into his speech. His words revealhim
and they also concealhim. There is a discrepancy
betweenthe souland what the mouth declares.
Not so with Jesus. He holds back nothing. What
'he thinks he says, what he feels he declares. He
tones down nothing, he exaggerates nothing. He
declares allthings as they are. He is not swerved
by sin within nor cowedby hostile forces firom
without His characteris revealedin his speech.
A Chinese proverb says that words are the sounds
of the heart. This is certainly true of the words
of Jesus. His words are simply the pulsations of
his heart. They are imlike any other words ever
spoken. They containthe full-statured spirit of

HIS SINCERITY6$
a man. In these words his greatsoul comes out
and stands before us, and in them we behold his
glory.
This, then, is the man we want. A man like this
can be a refuge in the time of storm. To him we
can flee; when sick at heart, because ofthe decep-
tions of the world, we cry out in wretchedness,"Who
shall show us any good?" Whenmen disappoint
us and friends are few, we can come to one who
says, "I am the truth." When we are wearyand
heavy laden, we canrest our souls upon one who is
as certain as the morning and as faithful as the
stars. The world is filled with jangling voices and
it is hard to know which voice to trust ; but his voice
has in it something which inspires assurance and
quenches uncertainty and doubt. What he teaches
about God we canreceive. What he says of the
soul we can believe. What he declares ofsin and
the penalty of sin we canaccept. What he tells us

of the soul we can depend upon. What he asserts
concerning the principles of a victorious life we can
act upon, never doubting. When he tells us to do
a thing we cando it, assuredthat that is the best
thing to do. When he warns us againsta course of
actionwe can shun it, knowing that in that direc-
tion lie night and death. The path which he ex-
horts us all to take we can take with boldness, con-
vinced that if we take it we shall arrive safe at home
at last. When he says that him that comethimto
him he will in no wise castoff, we are certain that
if we come we shall be received. When he says,
'^ BeholdI stand at the door and knock ; if any man
will hear my voice and open the door I will come in
and sup with him and he with me," we are certain
of a heavenly guest if we want him. This, then, is
why we feel so calm and satisfiedwith Jesus:he
soothes and heals us by being genuine. The heart

is always at peace whenit rests upon a heart which
is sincere.
2 Corinthians 8:8 8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity
of your love by comparing it with the earnestnessofothers.
2 Corinthians 1:12 12Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifiesthat we
have conducted ourselves in the world, and especiallyin our relations with
you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on
worldly wisdom but on God's grace.
2 Corinthians 2:17 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of Godfor
profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those
sent from God.
Sincerity
Giving to the Needy
"Be carefulnot to do your 'acts of righteousness'before men, to be seenby
them. If you do, you will have no rewardfrom your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the
hypocrites do in the synagoguesand on the streets, to be honored by men. I
tell you the truth, they have receivedtheir rewardin full. But when you give
to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so
that your giving may be in secret. Thenyour Father, who sees whatis done in
secret, will rewardyou. (Matthew 6:1-4)

Prayer
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray
standing in the synagoguesand on the streetcorners to be seenby men. I tell
you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go
into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then
your Father, who sees whatis done in secret, will reward you. And when you
pray, do not keepon babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard
because oftheir many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows
what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:5-8)
Fasting
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure
their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have
receivedtheir reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and
washyour face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but
only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees whatis done in
secret, will rewardyou. (Matthew 6:16-18)
Judging Others
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge
others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured
to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdustin your brother's eye and pay no
attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let
me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your
own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then
you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew
7:1-5)

A Tree and Its Fruit
"Watchout for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Bytheir fruit you will recognize them. Do
people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every
goodtree bears goodfruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A goodtree cannot
bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannotbear goodfruit. Every tree that does not
bear goodfruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you
will recognize them.
"Noteveryone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many
will sayto me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'Then I will
tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew
7:15-23)
Lord of the Sabbath
At that time Jesus wentthrough the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples
were hungry and beganto pick some heads of grain and eatthem. When the
Pharisees sawthis, they said to him, "Look!Your disciples are doing what is
unlawful on the Sabbath."
He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions
were hungry? He enteredthe house of God, and he and his companions ate
the consecratedbread--whichwas not lawful for them to do, but only for the
priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the
temple desecratethe day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greaterthan
the temple is here. If you had knownwhat these words mean, 'I desire mercy,
not sacrifice,'youwould not have condemned the innocent. Forthe Son of
Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, anda man with a
shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reasonto accuse Jesus,they asked
him, �Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?�

He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the
Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable
is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do goodon the Sabbath."
Then he saidto the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and
it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Phariseeswent
out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. (Matthew 12:1-14)
" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.' "
Jesus calledthe crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes
into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his
mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "
Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do youknow that the Pharisees
were offended when they heard this?"
He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be
pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads
a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Petersaid, "Explain the parable to us."
"Are you still so dull?" Jesus askedthem. "Don'tyou see that whatever enters
the mouth goes into the stomachand then out of the body? But the things that
come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality,
theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but
eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' " (Matthew 15:8-
20)

The Parable of the Two Sons
"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first
and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
" 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changedhis mind and went.
"Then the father went to the other sonand said the same thing. He answered,
'I will, sir,' but he did not go.
"Which of the two did what his father wanted?"
"The first," they answered.
Jesus saidto them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors andthe prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God aheadof you. ForJohn came to you to show
you the way of righteousness, andyou did not believe him, but the tax
collectors andthe prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not
repent and believe him. (Matthew 21:28-32)
SevenWoes
Then Jesus saidto the crowds and to his disciples: "The teachers ofthe law
and the Pharisees sitin Moses'seat. So you must obey them and do everything
they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they
preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they
themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
"Everything they do is done for men to see:They make their phylacteries
wide and the tassels ontheir garments long; they love the place of honor at
banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;they love to be
greetedin the marketplacesand to have men call them 'Rabbi.'
"But you are not to be called'Rabbi,' for you have only one Masterand you
are all brothers. And do not callanyone on earth 'father,' for you have one
Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called'teacher,'for you have
one Teacher, the Christ. The greatestamong you will be your servant. For

whoeverexalts himself will be humbled, and whoeverhumbles himself will be
exalted.
"Woe to you, teachers ofthe law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! You shut the
kingdom of heaven in men's faces. Youyourselves do not enter, nor will you
let those enter who are trying to.
"Woe to you, teachers ofthe law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! You travel
over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make
him twice as much a sonof hell as you are.
"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means
nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his
oath.' You blind fools!Which is greater:the gold, or the temple that makes
the goldsacred? You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means
nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' You
blind men! Which is greater:the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits
on it.
"Woe to you, teachers ofthe law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! You give a
tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglectedthe more
important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should
have practicedthe latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides!
You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. "Woe to you, teachers of the law
and Pharisees,you hypocrites!You cleanthe outside of the cup and dish, but
inside they are full of greedand self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee!First clean
the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
"Woe to you, teachers ofthe law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! You are like
whitewashedtombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are
full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the
outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of
hypocrisy and wickedness.

"Woe to you, teachers ofthe law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! You build
tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say,
'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part
with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against
yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!
"You snakes!You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemnedto
hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some
of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagoguesand
pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood
that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of
Zechariah sonof Berekiah, whomyou murdered betweenthe temple and the
altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to
you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your
house is left to you desolate. ForI tell you, you will not see me again until you
say, 'Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord.' " (Matthew 23:1-39)
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Commencementof the Legends Concerning Jesus --His Own Idea of his ...
... procedure adopted againsthim as an example of that ... The need Jesus had
of obtaining
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/.../renan/the life of jesus/chapterxv commencement of the.htm
Covenanting Sanctionedby the Divine Example.
... The Lord Jesus onearth illustrated in his practice ... in entering into
Covenant, provided
an example for imitation ... promise of goodin truth and sincerity, and in ...
/.../the ordinance of covenanting/chapterix covenanting sanctionedby.htm
The Touchstone ofGodly Sincerity

... I have greatconfidence in the sincerity of any Christian ... hasten anew to
the cross
of Jesus, and thus ... untie it, I usually follow Alexander's example with the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeonssermons volume 17 1871/the touchstone ofgodly
sincerity.htm
Vive Jesus. Preface.
... And lastly the B. Mother (S.) Teresa ofJesus, has written ... For example
what the heavenly
spouse says to his ... which you may conceive againstmy sincerity in this ...
/.../francis/treatise onthe love of god/vive jesus preface.htm
On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xxi. 19, Where Jesus Dried up ...
... was calledthe people of God, who in sincerity and truth ... the Prophets for
the salvation
of God, Jesus Christ ... is now due to your expectationan example made out ...
/.../sermons on selectedlessons ofthe new testament/sermonxxxix on the
words.htm
Last Week ofJesus.
... were characterizedby much earnestnessand sincerity, and yet ... it has
since
lost.[4]No doubt, Jesus, onsome ... it to give his disciples an example of
brotherly ...
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Seventh Chapter
... of which our Lord spoke to that young man;"you must take up your cross
and follow

our Lord Jesus Christ and His example, in utter sincerity, humility, and ...
/.../the history and life of the reverend doctor john tauler/seventhchapter.htm
On the Feastof St Mary Magdalene
... holy those persons may be, or may seemto be; for they are not our true
friends
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//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/sermonxv on the feas
Subtopics
Sincerity
Sincerity by Hezekiah
Sincerity by Lois and Eunice
Sincerity by Nathanael
Sincerity by Paul
Sincerity by some Men of the Tribe of Zebulun
Sincerity by Timothy
Sincerity: A Characteristic ofthe Doctrines of the Gospel
Sincerity: Blessednessof
Sincerity: Christ Was an Example of
Sincerity: Does not Exempt from Guilt
Sincerity: Evil People are Devoid of
Sincerity: Exhortations To

Sincerity: Forgiveness ofEnemies Must be Sincere
Sincerity: Hezekiah
Sincerity: Jesus Was an Example of
Sincerity: Lois and Eunice
Sincerity: Men of Zebulun
Sincerity: Ministers should be Examples of
Sincerity: Nathanael
Sincerity: Opposed to Fleshly Wisdom
Sincerity: Paul
Sincerity: Pray For, on Behalf of Others
Sincerity: Prayer For, on Behalfof Others
Sincerity: Servants Must Render HonestService
Sincerity: Servants of should be Examples of
Sincerity: should Characterise:Our Faith
Sincerity: should Characterise:Our Love to Christ
Sincerity: should Characterise:Our Love to God
Sincerity: should Characterise:Our Love to One Another
Sincerity: should Characterise:Our Service to God
Sincerity: should Characterise:Our Whole Conduct
Sincerity: should Characterise:The Preaching of the Gospel
Sincerity: should Characterize:Our Faith
Sincerity: should Characterize:Our Love to One Another
Sincerity: should Characterize:Our Love Toward God

Sincerity: should Characterize:Our Love TowardJesus
Sincerity: should Characterize:Our Service TowardGod
Sincerity: should Characterize:Our Whole Conduct
Sincerity: should Characterize:The Preaching of the Gospel
Sincerity: The GospelSometimes PreachedWithout
Sincerity: The Redeemed
Sincerity: The WickedDevoid of
Sincerity: Timothy
Sincerity: Whatever is Done Must be Done With
https://biblehub.com/topical/naves/s/sincerity--jesus_was_an_example_of.htm
"Sincerity of heart is all that matters"
"There is a way which seemethright unto a man, but the end thereofare the
ways of death." -Proverb 14:12
by David J. Stewart| December2005
Sincerity Can Be Very Dangerous
I wish it were only true that sincerity of heart were all that mattered, but
it's NOT true. I witnessedto a Filipino man this week about the goodnews of
Jesus Christ. During our conversationhe made the statement, "The
important thing is that you are sincere in your heart because Godlooks upon
the heart." Although God does indeed look upon a person's heart, no amount
of sincerity can please Godif we have not believed upon Jesus Christas our
Saviour to forgive our sins. Cain was very sincere in the Old Testament, but
God was displeasedwith him and rejectedhis grain offering. The world is
filled with sincere people who are headed towards destructionin Hell. The

lost sinners in Matthew 7:21-23 were as sincere as could be but they all went
to Hell...
"Notevery one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesiedin thy name? and
in thy name have castout devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity."
Salvationis Found ONLY in Jesus Christ!
Sincerity blinded the people in the Scriptures we just read. The Word of God
clearly teaches allpeople to repent of their unbelief and turn to Christ for
salvation. Yet, many foolish people think that God will make an exception
basedupon their sincerity. It WON'T happen! God's Word must be fulfilled
(Matthew 5:18). The Bible mentions God's love a little over 100 times, but
God's holiness if mentioned over 700 times. God's holiness demands justice.
This is why Jesus came to this sin-cursed world, to save sinners by shedding
His blood for their sins. ONLY Jesus'blood can appease God's demand for
justice! If you try to enter Heaven any other way than through Christ alone,
then you will burn in Hell when you die. Listen to the stern warning in John
10:1, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the
sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."
And then in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be
saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." It's that simple folks,
getting savedis as simple as walking through a door (and Jesus is the only
Doorto eternal life). Acts 4:12 proclaims that salvation is found ONLY in the
Precious name of Jesus.
It the Bloodof Jesus that Saves
The Filipino man then continued by saying he "hopes" that God will take him
to Heaven when he dies. I explained to him that 1st John 5:13 promises that

we may KNOW we are saved. The reasonwe can"know" is because Biblical
salvationis based upon God's love and not our own merit. Jesus shedHis
blood upon the cross to pay for our sins. I read so much heresyonline by
foolish people who claim that you must repent of your sins to be saved, or that
you must make Jesus the Lord of your life to saved. They miss the whole
point of the blood of Jesus. Jesus shedHis blood for us so He could make
atonement in Heaven for our sins (Colossians 1:14). Hebrews 9:24 declares,
"ForChrist is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the
figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of
God for us." I dare you to look at the websites that teachLordship Salvation
and repentance from sins. Do so and you'll discoverthat the blood of Jesus is
usually not mentioned. This is because ofall the new perverted modern Bibles
and liberal theologythat they spawn. Salvationis of God, NOT man. Our
part is only to believe. The only Call it "easybelievism" if you want, but
that's exactly what it is thank God. All you have to do to be saved is to come
to Jesus as a dirty-rotten Hell-deserving sinners and believe upon Him as your
Saviour. Trust Jesus to forgive your sins by asking Him to forgive you. It is
simple to be saved.
Many People are SincerelyWrong
Unfortunately, the Filipino man to whom I witnessedto didn't want to admit
that there was only one way to Heaven. He said he believed the Bible, yet
continued to insist that sincerity was all that mattered. I tried to show him
some more Scriptures since he said he believed the Bible, but he couldn't
break away from the insane thinking that sincerity is all that matters. As with
many people, he claims to believe the Bible but truly doesn't. He is bound for
Hell because ofhis stubborn unbelief. So many people have put up a greatbig
wall of defense when it comes to talking about religion. The common attitude
is that religious people have been killing eachother for centuries and still
can't agree, so why take any religion seriously. Evenwhen I try to explain to
them that salvationis not found in a religion, but in the PersonofJesus
Christ, they still refuse to listen to reason. It is tragic! So many Catholics
(Roman and Orthodox) sincerely bow in adoration(worship) of Mary, making

God angry by committing idolatry (Exodus 20:3-5, Isaiah42:8). Many of the
doctrines taught by the Catholic church aren't even found in the Word of
God. Theypractice a false worship.
Just as any judge will tell you in court, "Ignorance is no excuse of the law."
Why? Becauseyou know where the law is and how to read it. Likewise,
people know that the Truth is containedin God's Word, but they ignore it.
The reasonwhy ignorance is not excusable in court is because it is our
responsibility to know the law. And likewise, itis our responsibility to seek
out the Truth and follow it. Jesus acknowledgedin Mark 7:7 that many
people fully rejectthe Law of Godin preference of their own religious
traditions, "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men." This is evil. We must seek the kingdom of God first
according to Matthew 6:33. Sadly, religion becomes an end in itself for most
people. Religioncan only take you as far as the grave my friend, you'll burn
in Hell if you don't have Jesus as your personalSaviour. Just as Proverbs
14:12 and 16:25 proclaim, "There is a way which seemethright unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death."
Before the blessing of modern medicine, most doctors were woefully ignorant
of the human body. Unbelievably, doctors centuries ago would deliberately
remove blood from their patients, thinking it would help them to recover. In
fact, it killed many of the patients. Those doctors were sincerelywrong.
Come to think of it, we're not doing much better today...doctorskill 250,000
people EVERY year in the U.S. So many patients were suffering and dying
that the government passeda law limited medical malpractice lawsuits to a
maximum of $250,000. Ironically, that's exactly how many people doctors kill
eachyear. Kind of eerily coincidentalif you ask me. My point here is that
doctors and nurses sincerelymake plenty of mistakes. Thank Godfor
doctors, but I sure hope I don't need one soon. How much more tragic is it
that so many religions and false prophets are sincerelyleading people into the
fires of Hell. They sincerely believe that they're doing the right thing, just like
the false prophets in Matthew 7:21-23 who were guilty of not doing God's will.
Do you know what God's will for you is concerning salvation? Here it is...

"And this is the WILL of him that sent me, that every one which seeththe
Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at
the lastday." -John 6:40
Sincerity
Contributed by Joe Mack Cherryon Sep24, 2005
based on 4 ratings
(rate this sermon)
| 2,440 views
Scripture: Hebrews 11:1
Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ
Summary: At times we need to step back and take a look at our relationship
with the Trinity and assess its sincerity.
1 2
Next
Sincerity
Introduction: Sometime we use the opposite of something to define it.
A. Feigners
1. Epitome and personificationof insincerity.

2. What constitutes a feigneror feign person?
a. A pretender i.e. “The GreatPretender” by the Platters
b. An inventor of fabrications
c. A copieror imitator
d. Totallack of true sincerity.
1. Latin word “fingere” / Word from which the English
word “fiction” is derived.
2. Frenchword “feindre” / Word from which the English
words “faint & feeble” are derived.
3. Biblical feigners
a. 1 Sam. 21: 13 (Read)
b. II Pet. 2: 3 (Read) KJV & NIV
1. Gr. word “platos” whichmeans fictitious
2. Insincerity usually has ulterior motives.
c. PhariseesMt. 23
1. Vs. 3
2. Vs. 5
3. Vs. 28
4. Mk. 12: 40
4. Religionis en vogue now.
a. Athletes
b. Actors
c. There is nothing wrong with being thankful and believing

God is the originatorof our talents.
1. We should express out thanks.
2. It should be heartfelt and not flamboyant.
B. What is your reactionto feign people?
1. Rememberthe mafia scene were the boss tells a dumb joke and
all the underlings laugh.
2. The car commercialwhere the boss is driving and this happens.
3. Many feign people are consideredpatsies.
a. Goes back to the vs. in II Peterwe just read.
b. Acts 8, Simon the Sorcererwent along to gain the gift and
then tried to profit from it.
C. Can we unconsciouslybe feign?
1. Is there sincerity in our walk with Christ?
2. What constitutes Christian sincerity?
3. This lessonis intended to provoke an inward look not an outward
accusation.
Body: Faith – Confession– Witness
A. How strong is our faith?
1. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. (Heb. 11:6)
2. We cannot be sincere about something we do not believe in.
a. Ever try selling something you don’t believe in? Success,at
best, is limited unless you are a con man extraordinaire.
b. I experiencedthis in two brokerage businesses.

1. cattle
2. stocks& bonds
3. Faith to many in the world is foreign.
a. Jo. 20:29 - More blessedthan Thomas are those who not
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seeing still believe.
b. II Cor. 5: 7 “We walk by faith and not by sight.
c. Hab. 2: 4/Rom. 1: 17/Heb. 10:38 – just shall live by faith.
4. Heb. 11: 1 (Read1M times but do we really examine our faith?)
5. The world witnessesdifferent types and degrees offaith.
a. Acts 17 – on Mars Hill look quickly at those he addressed.
1. Epicureans – did not believe in God at all.
2. Stoics – believed that God createdthe world but fate dictated the events
(sound familiar?). They did not believe in the resurrection. (Sadducees)
B. Confession:How well do we know ourselves?
1. This sectionis based, not on initial confession, but on the
admittance of our own shortcomings and our willingness to
address them with others and with God.
2. How do we handle ourselves before the throne of grace?

a. Lord, I know I’m just a sinner.
1. Too often these words roll off our tongues emotionlesslyas if this is all we
have to do to getforgiveness. This
becomes no different than the canned prayers of others that we so readily
criticize.
2. It is imperative that we have the mindset of the publican in
Lk. 18: 13.
b. Sometime we forgetthat God already knows our hearts and
needs and shortcomings before we acknowledgeanything.
(Mt. 6: 7) He can see through our shallow confessions.
c. When was the last time we were genuinely touched by our
sins the way David was in II Sam. 12 & I Chr. 21: 1-13(Read).
1. We need to be sorry for the sin and not just because we are
caught. God knows the difference.
2. You everbeen dealt a feign apology. Listen to kids when you make one
apologize to another.
3. Are we guilty of this with God?
d. When was the last time we confessedto another Christian and
askedthem to pray for us. (Jas. 5: 16)
e. Our earnestconfessionmay be the inspiration and strength
an erring brother/sistermay need to do the same.
C. Is there sincerity in our witness for God/Christ?
1. This brings the lessonfull circle in my opinion.
2. Review the biblical definition of faith.

3. Rememberwhat Jesus told Thomas? Also, read I Jo.1:1-4
4. Now the real question: Do we believe in the evidence of things not seen?
a. We are so quick to tell others God cares. Scripture is goodbut
do you have personalproof? If so, are you reluctant to share?
b. Do we believe the Holy Spirit comforts us and pleads for us
and then shackle Him to a book?
c. Are we unwittingly becoming as the Stoics, shackling Godto
heaven and giving fate (not providence) the glory? All the
time quoting verse after verse that God is on His throne and
reigns omnipotent. (Rev. 19:6 & Rev. 21: 1-6)
d. Do we try to soft step around evidence of Christ’s working in
our own lives for fear of ridicule or alienation?
1. It is not so hard to quote the prophet Isaiahto others, IF
YOU TRULY BELIEVE IT. Isa. 55: 6-8
2. Our witness needs to glorify and magnify God not quench
His greatness, thereby subsequently robbing those of lesserfaith or greater
trials of proof God most assuredlyworks outside of heaven and the scriptures.
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e. The longer this world goes onthe more it needs proof of a

loving God and Savior.
f. Our witness should be the light that the candle Jesus
talks about in the Sermon on the Mount emits and also
the saltthat preserves.
g. I challenge eachone of us here to examine our lives, recall
where God has made an undeniable presence in our lives, and then share it
with someone who needs it. Don’t put God’s light under a bushel basket!!!!
sermon: Sincerity Without Truth Is Worthless
Zeal for God
Martin G. Collins
Given 27-Dec-08;Sermon #916;74 minutes
Description:(show)
Topics:(show)
Volume 90%

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Can You Handle the Truth?

I have never seenso much admissionof the origin of Christmas as I have this
year, and the massive shrugging off—"So what?" This is a sign, I think, that
the world is just not caring anymore about truth.
When we considerand examine the present political correctnessin light of
Biblical teaching, we realize that all popular fallacies with respectto life and
its troubles are but modern variants of the very old ideas. One of the most
popular theories is one that is exposedand dealt with very clearly in the Bible.
The Apostle Paul's expressionof concernfor his fellow countrymen, the Jews,
is very moving. He shows a lot of concern, of genuine love there. He was
saddenedat their persistentand obstinate refusal to believe the gospel. He felt
that because oftheir privileged position with respectto their knowledge of
God's way of life, their case was more tragic than that of any other people in
the entire world. God had chosenthem out of all nations and had given to
them specialprerogatives. The Scriptures had been entrusted to them, and
they had been trained by a wonderful successionofprophets to look forward
to the coming of a greatMessiahand Deliverer.
Of all people, however, they had rejectedChrist and still refused to believe the
gospelconcerning Him. They were looking forward to the coming of the
Messiahbut did not recognize Him when He came. They had declared
themselves anxious to be just with God but rejectedthe one way whereby they
could be justified before God. Paul expressedthe explanation of that tragedy
in his letter to the members in Rome:
Romans 10:1-3 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israelis
that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God,
but not according to knowledge. Forthey being ignorant of God's
righteousness, andseeking to establishtheir own righteousness, have not
submitted to the righteousness ofGod.
Paul granted that their views were quite honest and sincere, atleastfrom the
world's perspective. The trouble with the Jews was not that they lacked
sincerity, but rather that they put their trust in it. Because oftheir reliance on
it, they neglectedto considerthe further light and knowledge that the gospel
could give them on the thing that they wanted the most, and that was

salvation. When speaking of sincerity throughout this sermon, I am speaking
of it in its generalsense;that is, I am using worldly sincerity, in the way that
says that they truly believe what they are saying or doing and not that there is
hypocrisy involved in it. Although there is much hypocrisy involved in
people's lives, that is not the point in this sermon.
The Jews'difficulty was not that they lackedfervor, sincerity, and zeal, but
that they trusted in it and arguedthat because they were zealous they were,
therefore, of necessity, right. "Theyhad a zeal for God but not according to
knowledge."Theyrejectedthe knowledge that the gospelwas offering them
because oftheir zeal. The conflict in their case wasbetweenzealand
knowledge, betweensincerity and truth. This gives an exactand precise
description of the case ofa greatmany people today, when people confuse
sincerity and truth. In fact, many people equate sincerity with truth.
It is a perfect description of the predominating tendency in most mainstream
religious thought, a tendency that Paul calledboth pathetic and dangerous. It
is the tendency to equate sincerity and truth, to put up zeal and knowledge as
equivalent terms. It is not statedin exactly that way, of course, but rather
that, if a man is sincere and zealous, nothing else really matters. There is no
doubt that these qualities, zeal and sincerity, are being exalted in societytoday
as they were by the Jews in Paul's day, and that they are tests applied to
everyone and every idea. It is involved in every aspectofeveryone's lives.
Knowledge is being depreciated, almost despised. Clear, logicalthinking and
exactdefinitions are at a discount. We have seenthat very clearly, especially
in the political scene in the lastyear.
Doctrine is taboo and regarded as being almost the enemy of truth today, and
it was even in Paul's day. Even good deeds are not given the prominence that
they had just a few decades ago.
Isaiah5:20-21 Woe to those who callevil good, and goodevil; who put
darkness for light, and light for darkness;who put bitter for sweet, andsweet
for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their
own sight!

This is exactly what those Jews ofPaul's day were doing, and it is exactly what
the religious leaders today are doing. Later in that chapter, we read that they
are this way, "becausethey have rejectedthe law of the Lord of hosts, and
despisedthe word of the Holy One of Israel." Evildoers canbe so blinded in
their moral judgment that their evaluations of goodand evil are the exact
opposite of God's true perspective. Moralstandards were destroyed by new
definitions of sin. People do not use God's vocabulary, His definitions, but
they use their ownand reform definitions of their own words.
Like today's double-speak, this kind of language made it easyto deceive
people and avoid a guilty conscience. In today's world, increasedtaxes are
"revenue enhancements," and poor people are "fiscalunderachievers."
Medicalmalpractice is not the cause of a patient's death; it is a "diagnostic
misadventure of high magnitude." Politicallyspeaking, Fascismis now
"Partnership" and Communism is now "Communitarian" or "Global
Village." Thus, we see a re-writing of the definitions of the words with which
we have been so familiar for most of our lives.
For anyone to ask a question about the truth of a statementis considered
almost sacrilege, a signof a legal, quarrelsome mind and spirit. The reply to
all comments and queries is that the person is honestin his views, rather than
wrong. Even a Communist is sincere in his views;even a Muslim terrorist is
sincere in his views—but they are sincerelywrong! Nevertheless, society
vindicates them.
Sincerity is the supreme test today, and what is demanded of everyone is not
that he should hold the right view but that he should hold some views
sincerely. Therefore, it is not uncommon to hear a phrase like this at the end
of a discussion:"Of course, I did not agree with him, but that does not matter.
He was obviously sincere." It may not be said in exactlythose words, but that
is the idea defending these people who are promoting what is politically
correct.
For example, "globalwarming" is now being changedto "climate change,"
because they were so obviously exposedfor their incorrectterm global
warming when the temperatures cooled. There are thirty thousand scientists

that have signeda statement that globalwarming is one of the biggestscams
to ever hit earth. Nine thousand of them have PhDs. There is plenty of truth
behind them, but none of them will be given any voice in the media. This
position has doubtless come about largelyas a reactionto certainconditions
that previously existed. That is just pop-culture reactionagainstmere
theology, mere knowledge, mere morality, and mere truth.
The average persontoday hates insincerity and hypocrisy. He detests that
type of person. He loathes the kind of individual whose morality is only skin
deep and whose religionseems to be confined to only one day in seven. We
have confusionin society, and that makes it tough to argue certain points. He
feels that far too much of that kind of intellectual interest in religion and
theologyfails to express itself in practice. "Let a man's view be what it may;
only let it be sincere," is the attitude of the pop-culture today. Thus, we see
pop-culture criticizing those who are moral for not being sincere when they
see hypocrisy in their lives.
Beliefwithout honesty and morality without willpowerare to the average
person today the great evils. What is neededabove all else, he feels, is
genuineness, sincerity, a passionfor rightness, whateverspecific views one
may hold. Of course, they must be the prevailing worldviews.
Sincerity is essential;without it we cannot hope to arrive at the truth. The
sincerity I speak of in that sense is godly sincerity. We have a contrast
betweenworldly sincerity and godly sincerity, and there is a major difference.
The insincere person cannotdefend it. To say that sincerity and truth are
identical is to fall into an error just as dangerous as to hold the truth
insincerely.
At this point, I want to take a moment to comment on the definition of
sincerity relative to truth:
In Scripture, sincere signifies "freedomfrom hypocrisy; purity of motive."
Since this is a biblical definition, I am defining godly sincerity. It is interesting
that our Englishword sincere comes from the Latin word sincerus, meaning
"without wax," because honeyseparatedfrom the waxis consideredperfectly
pure. Sincere suggests "withoutmixture."

In I Corinthians 5:8, the apostle Paul speaks ofsincerity and truth, or of
purity and truth, as being the opposite of the leavenedbread of malice and
wickedness. Paulcomparedsincerity to unleavened bread, which is a biblical
symbol of purity. The sincerity based on truth with which a Christian
conducts his life is a testimony to his godliness. Paulsays:
II Corinthians 1:12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience
that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not
with fleshly wisdom but by the grace ofGod, and more abundantly toward
you.
Sincerity is the opposite of double-mindedness or deceit. Paul criticized the
false apostles with not preaching Jesus Christ sincerely, purely, and with
upright emotion. The attitude of their heart was different from what they
spoke through their lips. They were guilty of hypocrisy.
Philippians 1:15-18 Some indeed preachChrist even from envy and strife, and
some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfishambition,
not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of
love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then?
Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached;
and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
These people Paul is addressing were probably other Christians who preached
a generallysound gospelbut were personally at odds with Paul. Any number
of things could have upset them or causedthem to discount him, such as his
poor speaking abilities or his constantsuffering and weakness. Whatevertheir
rationale, they were not motivated by love but only by a desire to harm Paul
in some way. I speak ofthose who were the hypocrites, not those who had a
worldly sincerity, which were the secondgroup that he spoke about.
They may have been sincere in the human sense in that they were speaking
what they believed, but they were not sincere in the godly sense;that is, they
were not godly sincere, becausethey were not guided by the truth. Paul states
the reasonin verse 16:it was because oftheir ulterior motives, because of
their selfish ambition. Sincerity is needed—it is essential—butwhen the
contention is made, as it is being made today, that really nothing matters but

honesty and a zeal for truth, then the pendulum has swung right over to the
other extreme, which is just as dangerous as the belief in truth only, without
sincerity.
Let us considerthis in detail, especiallyin the light of what Paul says about
those who, in terms of zeal and sincerity, rejectthe gospelofJesus Christ.
Consider, first of all, the fallacyinvolved in those who place zeal in the
position of knowledge and exalt sincerity to the place of truth. By fallacy, I
mean primarily an intellectual and philosophicalfallacy or error. Apart from
its error in the sphere of religion, it is faulty and foolish when consideredin
any sphere or in any specific applicationin life. Forone thing, it indicates
failure on the part of such people to realize the true meaning and nature of
zeal and sincerity.
What is zeal, anyway? What do earnestnessand sincerity stand for?
According to worldly sincerity, they stand for anything they can imagine.
Certainly they are nothing more, and are meant to conveynothing more, than
a description of the way that we perform a specific actionor the way that we
travel toward a certain destination. Earnestness andsincerity announce that
our way of traveling is wholeheartedand thorough, that there is no suspicion
of lethargy or dishonestyabout this way. We are obviously eagerto arrive at
our desiredgoal, and we strain every nerve and muscle in order to get there.
This is zeal, honesty, and sincerity.
Look at another illustration: a man may preach the gospelsincerelyor
insincerely, or a man may advocate a political or socialcause genuinelyand
honestly or because of some personalinterest or some ulterior motive. It is
only a description of the waythat he performs or carries out any function; it is
not concernedwith the function as an end in itself.
Certainly, our objective in setting out on a journey is not merely to travel in a
certain manner; we are not content until we arrive at the destination. The idea
of a goalis exactly what is being forgotten today. Forexample, we decide that
we are going to go to the FeastofTabernacles,so we just get in the carand
start driving. The problem is that, because we have not picked our goalof
where we are headed, we could be headed anywhere. All the emphasis is on

the zealand the sincerity; the way in which we journey is regardedas being of
greaterimportance than the destination. Traveling has become an objective in
itself. It has become the goal.
As typical human beings, if we were offered, on one hand, the thrill and the
joy of the quest for truth and, on the other, truth itself, would not the average
person without hesitationchoose the excitement of the quest? Of course he
would! That is the major deceptive distraction of the world today. In contrast,
the true Christian begins with truth so that he can determine his goaland
direction and how he must get there.
The world's whole emphasis is on the quest and on the way in which he
searcheswithout the truth. Seeking has become more important than finding.
Thus, sincerity and zeal are exalted above all else. Traveling in itself has
become the object of desire. The goalis regardedas unimportant—almost an
annoyance—becausearriving at the goal, of necessity, means the end of this
delightful and exhilarating quest. What a terrible perversion of thought, to
say nothing of religion.
The Jesuits were condemnedfor centuries because they taught that "the end
justifies the means," the very opposite of what I am speaking about here. It is
still the code of the Jesuits today, but societytoday promotes the idea that the
means alone matter and that the end does not count at all. To society, it does
not matter what our ultimate view and idea may be, just so we are sincere.
This societalbeliefenables the powers behind the scene to carry out their "the
end justifies the means" philosophy; they have definite agendas that they are
following to arrive at world domination. There are political agendas,
economic agendas,educationalagendas, environmental agendas, andreligious
agendas, allworking togetheronly while it suits their individual purpose. For
the mainstream person, what is being pushed is sincerity.
The world's objectionthat it is not quite fair to accuse societyofbelieving that
it does not matter what our ultimate view and idea may be so long as we are
sincere is counteredwith the defense that the dominant view is really not that
sincerity and zeal are in and of themselves the objectof worship, but rather
that the view is that sincerity is a guarantee oftruth, that any view held quite

sincerelymust therefore be right. The argument is that, if we seek truth and
reality sincerely, our very sincerity is a guarantee that we will ultimately
arrive at our goal. This is a common humanly-reasoned fallacy.
The error here is greaterthan one might think. It does affectevery single area
of life, small and large. It is the error of thinking and imagining that it is one
of the functions of zeal and sincerity to determine the rightness or wrongness
of the ultimate goaland of the direction that we are traveling, but that is not
their function at all. Their business is to help us to arrive at that goal.
Sincerity and zeal are to people what gasoline is to the car. They are nothing
more than expressions ofpower and are therefore in no way competent to
decide or to determine the right or wrong turns along the road, but that is
exactly how they are being used today: to manipulate every one of us.
People look at their political or religious leader and say, "He is all out for the
truth. He wants everything to be transparent. He does all he can. Notice his
amazing zeal and sincerity." In mainstream Christianity, that seems to be
where all the emphasis is. He is all out; and because he gives all his effort to
his cause, itis takenfor granted that he must be right, that he must know
what he is talking about, and that he should in no waybe criticized.
We saw this very thing happen with the Barak HusseinObama obsession
during the presidential campaign. Here is a man whose beliefs, desires, and
political standing are a combination of the most oppressive forms of
government: Fascism, Socialism, and Communism—all areas in which he has
been heavily trained in his past. This combination is now referred to in terms
such as "Partnership," the "GlobalVillage," and "Communitarian."
The belief that someone is right because he has sincerity and zeal is as
fallacious as saying that, because we are traveling very quickly along a certain
road and because the gas pedal of the car is pushed all the way down,
therefore we must of necessity be on the right road. Poppycock!The rate of
speedand method of traveling are no guarantee that we are on the right road.
It is not within the competence ofsincerity and zeal to determine the rightness
or the wrongness ofthe view that we hold.

This point is seenstill more clearly when we realize that zealand sincerity can
be right or wrong and still remain zeal and sincerity. In other words, we must
not forgetthat we can be sincerelywrong and quite genuinely mistaken.
Herbert Armstrong used to have a comment about those in mainstream
Christianity. He would say, "They are sincere, but they are sincerelywrong".
The biblical instance that comes to mind is the case ofthe apostle Paulbefore
his conversion. He tells us repeatedlythat in the days before his conversion,
when he persecutedthe church of God, massacredChristians, and did his
utmost to exterminate the church, he was perfectly sincere. He did it with a
clearconscience.
Acts 23:1 Then Paul, looking earnestlyat the council, said, "Menand
brethren, I have lived in all goodconscience before Goduntil this day."
He not only thought that he was right; he was certainthat he was right. He
believed from the depths of his being that he was pleasing God. He was sincere
and zealous. He was totally committed. There was no trace of hypocrisy or of
shame in his action. Before his conversion, he was Saul of Tarsus, the honest
zealotfor the Jewishhigh counsel.
On the way to Damascus, though, he suddenly came to see that he had been
terribly and tragicallywrong. He saw that his whole direction had been
wrong, and he immediately turned completely around to finally face, for the
first time in his life, the truth. Afterwards, he workedand traveled with equal
enthusiasm in exactly the opposite direction. The sincerity and the zeal
remained the same, but the direction given to them was entirely different.
Before his conversion, Paul was sincerelywrong in condemning Christians.
After his conversion, he was sincerelyright and moving in the right direction
at breakneck speed.
That a person is sincere is, therefore, no guarantee ofrighteousness, andto
make it the standard and the ultimate testis just to throw logic and clear
thinking to the wind. Many of the greatestcruelties and excessesrecordedin
both ancient and modern history must be attributed to sincerity and zeal not
governedand controlled by truth. In other words, what seems to have been
forgottenis that we cansay of sincerity what is saidof fire in the old adage:

"Fire is a goodservant but a bad master." As long as it is under control,
nothing is more valuable than fire. We can heat our rooms, cook ourmeals,
and perform an endless number of beneficial actions with it. However, once
fire ceasesto be under control and it becomes the master, it leads to nothing
but destruction and chaos.
The case is preciselythe same with sincerity. When knowledge andtruth are
in control, nothing is finer or more important than sincerity; but if we hand
control to sincerity itself, it may lead us hopelesslyastrayand even to disaster.
That is what happened to the apostle Paulbefore his conversion. That was the
trouble with the Jews of his own day. They had sincerity but not according to
knowledge—notaccording to truth. It was not being directed by God. It was
sincerity without true sight or vision.
Today, most people are pushing ahead in this supposedly greatquest for truth
and reality. They protest that they are sincere and genuine, that they are "all
out for the truth," but they do not know where they are going.
You may remember the incident in Alice in Wonderland, when Alice asks the
Cheshire Cat for help:
Alice: Oh, no, no. I was just wondering if you could help me find my way.
Cheshire Cat: Well that depends on where you want to getto.
Alice: Oh, it really doesn't matter, as long as...
Cheshire Cat: Then it really doesn'tmatter which way you go.
One might say that Alice had a greatsincerity to find her wayhome, but it
was not of the truth, of knowledge. Becauseshe did not know the way, it did
not matter which waythat she went.
It is foolish to move forward without the right goaland direction. It is false
reasoning to trust only in sincerity and zeal undirected by the knowledge of
God. Let us considerfor a moment the futility of this position. Let us consider
what a terrible waste ofenergy is involved when sincerity and zeal are
undirected by knowledge and truth. Forinstance, if we are concernedabout
scientific experimentation, to trust only eagernessand sincerity in the quest

for results without having a certainamount of knowledge is useless and may
even be very dangerous. In any area of life, knowledge is essential;and mere
fervency apart from truth cannotproduce the desired result. When we realize
that we are concernedultimately with God and with pleasing Him, how
infinitely more important it is to realize that knowledge ofHis will and His
purpose with respectto us is absolutely vital before we move on to any action
at all.
This truth can be demonstrated in two main ways. Paul's argument with
respectto the views of those in the first century AD was, first of all, that by
trusting as they did to their zeal and sincerity apart from knowledge, they
succeededin doing absolutely nothing to establishing their own righteousness.
The cause oftheir error, Paul says, was that they were ignorant of God's
righteousness. Theywere ignorant not only of God's way of salvation, but of
what God really demands. Jesus Christ once brought preciselythe same
charge againstthe Pharisees:
Luke 16:14-15 Now the Pharisees,who were lovers of money, also heard all
these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who
justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly
esteemedamong men is an abomination in the sight of God."
Could anything be so futile and useless as this ignorance of the Jews atthe
time of Jesus Christ? There they were, with all their zealand sincerity, their
goodworks and morality, and it was useless to them. They were not on their
way to salvation.
Their ignorance of the truth causedthem suffering. They prayed, fasted, and
gave their goods to feedthe poor. Yet their diligent works were of little or no
value, because they were not done according to the proper attitude and in
truth. The Jews hadset up their own standards. They were working according
to their own ideas and traditions; and having done all, they were able to point
to greatachievements and to an abundance of right actions without right
motives in many cases, especiallywith right direction.
Their working according to their own ideas and traditions was only a
promotion of their own form of rightness and not the righteousness that God

demanded. What made it even more futile and vain was that they had
persuaded themselves that it was all for God. They setout to please Godand
to justify themselves before Him but, in the end, all they had done was to
please themselves—allbecausetheywould not listen to what God had said, all
because they trusted in their own zeal, and because they trusted in their own
ideas.
Not surprisingly, since the same human nature exists now, most people do the
same thing today. They ignore God's Word. They refuse to considerGod's
Truth with its light and its knowledge. Mostpeople avoid worshipping God
and every form of biblical instruction with respectto these matters. They
argue that all that is necessaryis for us to be sincere—but that is not all that is
necessary. Worshipof Godis not acceptable if it is not basedon truth.
It is easyto see the parallels in the human reasoning of the Jews of the first
century AD with the human reasoning ofreligious leaders today. Let me
illustrate this with regard to the celebrationof Christmas as a "Christian"
holiday. Does Christmas teachus the truth?
There are so many falsehoods anddeceptions embedded in this holiday that
God sees this celebrationas an abomination. "Forwhat is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination in the sight of God." Truth is very important to
Him. It is one of the names of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No one comes to the Fatherexcept through Me." It is also
one of His ministry's themes: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free." Conversely, lies bind us in spiritual slavery. This is what
Jesus Christ revealedto the apostle John:
Revelation21:27 But there shall by no means enter it [the New Jerusalem]
anything that defiles, or causesanabomination or a lie, but only those who
are written in the Lamb's Book ofLife.
From its non-Christian, paganbackground, we cansee that Christmas is a
syncretistic blend of pagan rites and "Christian" themes that is an
abomination to God. It is a quagmire of deceptive traditions. In ignorance,
many people celebrate it sincerely, but because truth is not in them they are
"sincerely" wrong.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 "Whenthe LORD your God cuts off from before you
the nations which you go to dispossess, andyou displace them and dwell in
their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnaredto follow them,
after they are destroyedfrom before you, and that you do not inquire after
their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do
likewise.'You shall not worship the LORD your Godin that way; for every
abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods;for
they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. WhateverI
command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away
from it."
Many historical sources show thatChristmas was not observedby Christians
from Christ's time to the fouth century AD Saturnalia (December17-24)and
Brumalia (December25) continued as a pagancelebrationby the Romans well
into the fourth century. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, in the article
"NatalDay," records that the early Catholic Church father, Origen,
acknowledged,
In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feastor held a great
banquet on His [Jesus Christ's] birthday. It is only sinners like Pharaohand
Herod who make greatrejoicings overthe day in which they were born into
this world.
The two biblical examples mentioning the birthday of both Pharaohand
Herod represent horrible events. Pharaohhanged his chief bakeron his
birthday, and Herod cut off John the Baptizer's head and served it on a
platter to Herodias'daughter, as she demanded. This is part of the reasonwhy
the Church of God does not celebrate birthdays. We may acknowledgethem
in various ways, but we certainly do not throw parties for one another and
showerthe birthday boy or girl with gifts in greatrejoicing.
Neither does the Church of God give gifts to one another on what is wrongly
claimed to be Christ's birthday. That is what the narcissistic worlddoes.
Satanthe greatdeceiverinfluences his world by placing a greatdeal of
emphasis on self-indulgence.

In a radio interview with an ex-Satanworshipper, the interviewer asked,
"After Halloween, whatis the most important day to a Satan worshipper?"
His reply came without hesitation, "Your ownbirthday!" That is very
revealing.
John 8:44-46 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father
you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks
from his ownresources, forhe is a liar and the father of it. But because Itell
the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell
the truth, why do you not believe Me?"
During the fourth century, the emperor Constantine "converted" to
"Christianity" and changedSabbath-keeping from the seventh to the first day
of the week. Sundaywas the day that he had worshipped the sun as his god.
This made it easierfor the Romans to call their paganDecember25 winter
solstice festival(in which they had celebratedthe birth of the sun god) to the
birthday of the "Sonof God." The New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967 edition,
says,
According to the hypothesis . . . acceptedby most scholars today, the birth of
Christ was assignedthe date of the winter solstice (December25 in the Julian
calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because onthis day, as the sun beganits
return to northern skies, the pagan devotees ofMithra celebratedthe dies
natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the Invincible Sun). On Dec. 25, 274 AD,
Aurelian had proclaimed the sun-god principal patron of the empire and
dedicateda temple to him in the Campus Martius. Christmas originated at a
time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome.
It was not until the fifth century that the Roman Catholic church ordered that
the birth of Christ be observedon December25, the day of the old Roman
feastof the birth of Sol, the sun god. They renamed it "Christmas." In
Ecclesiastes1:15, King Solomonwrote, "What is crooked, cannotbe made
straight." Christmas certainly is crooked. Its basis is crooked;its foundation
is corrupt. How in the world can anyone apply Jesus Christ's name to that
holiday?

The paganorigin of Christmas and the traditional perversions surrounding
this holiday should be an obvious reasonto avoid this epitome of paganism.
However, there is much more to it than origin and history.
What human being has the right to decide what God wants? If we were to
celebrate Christ's birth, the Bible, God's instruction book to mankind, would
command us to do so. Yet nowhere in the Bible are we told to celebrate the
birth of Christ! Scripture does not even tell us when it was!It certainly was
not in the middle of winter.
In John 13:15, Christ gives us an important principle, "ForI have given you
an example, that you should do as I have done to you." We have no example
of Christ ever celebrating birthdays in connectionwith holy days or feasts or
for any other reason. In fact, He says, "In vain they worship Me, teaching as
doctrines the commandments of men." Birthday celebrations may be
observedby sincere people, but it is not basedon the truth of the Bible, and it
glorifies the created, ratherthan the Creatorand Sustainer!
Also, the celebrationof Christmas is spiritually misleading. The emphasis on
the "mother and child" distracts from the Father-Sonrelationship that God's
Word focuses on. Immediately a person is being taken off in the wrong
direction. Christ is reduced to a helpless Baby, while the human being Mary is
deified and revered. Even Mary's husband, Joseph, is given more attention
than Christ's real Father, the greatGod of heaven and earth!
Christmas-keepersclaimthat they give gifts on that day because Christ
receivedgifts. In reality, the wise men brought gifts to the King of the Jews,
not when He was born or when He was an infant, but later when He was a
young child. The gifts were not given to honor His birth but to show esteemto
the new King of kings, as was the custom in the Middle East.
In addition, the wise men did not exchange gifts with eachother. Why then do
people today exchange gifts? Because the origins of these customs are basedin
paganism! It is interesting to note that offerings to churches decline at this
time of year, because people are spending their money on eachother and
themselves.

The most detrimental part of this holiday is that it actually turns people's
hearts away from God and pushes them closerto the god of this world. By
receiving numerous gifts and by drunkenness and gluttony, individuals are
self-gratified, which inevitably leads to sin and crime. Sin separates us from
God; it does not promote a closerrelationshipwith Him. Police forces work
rigorously to cope with the increasedmurders, suicides, robberies, and
domestic disturbances. We can see that the fruit of violence and self-
gratificationshows us whom this holiday really worships: Satanthe Deceiver,
who deceives the whole world.
Jeremiah17:9-10 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked;who canknow it? I, the Lord, searchthe heart, I test the mind, even
to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."
I fear for even those sincere people who keep these worldly holidays, because
of what it says right here: "Evento give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his doings." The fruit of this revelry should in and of
itself show us that this holiday is in no way relatedto the Father and Son of
Righteousness. TheirHoly Days lead to peace, joy, hope, and spiritual growth,
the very opposite traits that come out of Christmas. There is a lot of peace and
joy that is touted, but it is all speech. Thatis why God instructed the Israelites
not to follow pagan customs or worship Him as the heathen do. He says in
Deuteronomy 12:31-32, "Youshall not worship the Lord your God in that
way. . . . WhateverI command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add
to it nor take awayfrom it."
God knows that ungodly practices like these will not produce the purity of
characterthat He desires to see in eachof us. James uses ananalogyto
express this principle that something pure cannot originate from what is
impure:
James 3:11-12 Does a spring send forth fresh waterand bitter from the same
opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?
Thus no spring can yield both salt waterand fresh.
Why meddle with the paganism in Christmas when we can enjoy the purity of
God's real Holy Days revealedin His Word? By following God's instruction,

we grow in developing the true and godly characterthat God expects in us.
Becauseany zealthat the world has for God is not according to truth, it
establishes its own objectof worship. We see this same thing happening today
in preparation for the one-world religion.
Romans 10:2-3 ForI bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not
according to knowledge.Forthey being ignorant of God's righteousness,and
seeking to establishtheir own righteousness, have not submitted to the
righteousness ofGod.
To those who believe that sincerity is more important than truth, we must say
what Paul said to his contemporaries, thathaving done all, they are simply
establishing their own "righteousness."It is not God's way. It is not God's
idea of righteousness, but simply their own.
Surely the essenceofwisdom is that before we begin to act or attempt to
please God, we should discoverwhat God says about the matter. What is His
idea of righteousness?People today, however, like the Jews ofPaul's day, take
their orders from everywhere exceptfrom God's Word. They rely on the
philosophy and statements of certainpopular socialengineers and live
according to their own ideas rather than according to the teachings ofJesus
Christ, the Son of God. Notice what Jesus says aboutpeople who want to
worship Him without obedience to God's commands:
Mark 7:7-9 "'And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold
the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such
things you do." He said to them, "All too well you rejectthe commandment of
God, that you may keepyour tradition."
Man would rather do anything else than surrender himself to God. His
natural mind rebels at the thought of submitting to God's law.
Romans 8:7-8 Becausethe carnalmind is enmity againstGod; for it is not
subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the
flesh cannot please God.

The carnalmind means every single person's mind. The word carnal just
means "meat." This brings us to the absolute necessitythat God call a person
out of the world and that he receives the Holy Spirit, the mind of God. Then
he is able to understand the commandments of God. We take one look at the
world, at mainstream Christianity, and we see the lack of understanding
there. It saddens us very deeply, because we know what is coming and what
those people will have to go through.
People have substituted their ownlaws and customs for God's
commandments, thinking that, if they are sincere, they can still receive
salvationby doing nothing more than believing that Christ exists. In James, it
tells us that even the demons believe that God exists.
Human nature wants to be right, but it does not necessarilywantto do right!
If it "looks right" or it "feels right" to them, it becomes their law. Remember
the saying in the '60s, "If it feels good, do it"? This is nothing short of self-
righteousness, andwe already know where doing what "seems right" to us
leads, unless we repent of this kind of thinking. "There is a way that seems
right to a man, but its end is the way of death."
Another way that we can demonstrate the futility of such trusting of zealat
the expense of knowledge is to remind ourselves ofthe standard setfor us by
God. Paul reminded the members in Rome what Moses, in giving the law to
the Israelites, hadsaid:
Romans 10:5 For Moseswrites about the righteousness whichis of the law,
"The man who does those things shall live by them."
Paul's point is that anyone who can perform it shall live by it. If you are a
living, breathing human being and you are capable of keeping the law, then
you had better live by it. God has given His law, His standard of
righteousness, andsaid, in effect, "If you keepall that, you will have followed
My commandments. That is what I require as the only way to please Me."
What is that way? It is obvious. Consider it deeply. We talk about pleasing
God by our own sincere efforts. Well, consider what we should do.

Can any human being atone for his own past sins and errors? Can anyone
blot out his own transgressions?Doeshe always live up to his own standard?
Can he control his thoughts, his desires, inclinations, and imaginations as well
as his own actions? In other words, by his greatestefforts, canhe and does he
succeedin really living up to his own standard of life? For example, we have
the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and man fails miserably at living by
them. Man cannoteven live by his own laws.
Then considerGod's standard. Readthe law as given to the children of Israel,
the TenCommandments and the moral law, that the apostle Paul, prior to his
conversion, with all his zeal, could not keep, until he saw their true meaning
by having them revealedto him. Then read the Sermon on the Mount and
Christ's various other teachings about the holiness of God. Then contemplate
Christ's own perfectlife. That is what we have to do. That is the righteousness
that we have to try to attain, that is what "go on to perfection" means, as Paul
wrote in Hebrews 6:1.
Can anyone do it on his own? Can all the goodintentions, all the sincerity, all
the zealof which anyone is capable ever provide sufficient powerto attain
such high spiritual standards and such perfection? That is the mountain we
should be trying to climb, the mountain of the holiness of God. Without
holiness, no one will see God.
Hebrews 12:14-17 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which
no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of
God; lest any rootof bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many
become defiled; lestthere be any fornicatoror profane person like Esau, who
for one morsel of food sold his birthright. Foryou know that afterward, when
he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, forhe found no place for
repentance, though he soughtit diligently with tears.
Even Esau's greatestefforts couldnot undo what he had wasted. Noteven his
most fervent, sincere zeal could acquire what God was no longer willing to
give because ofhis disdain for God's righteous wayof life. Esauwas no doubt
very sincere when he realized what he had so easilygiven up.

Considerfinally the tragedy of this position. The tragedy lies in the fact that
all this misery is unnecessaryin view of the knowledge that is available. The
thing that made the apostle Paul feelthis so strongly, was the fact that he had
experiencedit all himself, as he tells us in so many places in his writings, and
sermons. He knew what it was to trust his own zeal and sincerity, and his own
efforts.
He knew all about the striving and the sweating, the fasting and all the great
efforts. He knew also the feelings of hopelessness. He knew the failure to find
satisfaction. Thenhe experiencedthe miraculous release thatcame to him
with the knowledge andunderstanding of God's Truth. When he had God's
truth and he applied that sincerity and zeal to it, he was unstoppable.
He saw his fellow countrymen still going on in their old way, still guilty of the
old fallacyof tradition, still striving to do the impossible. He lookedat them
and saw their zealand their greateffort. It saddened him. What a tragedy—
all that zeal and sincerity, but of no value. They tried to justify themselves, but
they never could. While they were trying and failing, they were deliberately
refusing the knowledge thatcould give them, in reality, everything that they
desired and more. It was bad enough that all of that energy and effort was a
sheerwaste, but the tragedy was heightened and made infinitely greaterby
the contemplationof what they might have been if they had acceptedthe
Truth, the Word of God.
They not only failed, but they also refused to be made successful. They
preferred to trust themselves, their own zeal, and their own efforts and fail,
rather than trust themselves to Jesus Christ, the very Messiahfor whom they
had waitedso long. They were so eagerto do things themselves that they
refused God's offer of eternal salvationas a free gift, if they would turn from
their ways.
Salvationwas available and being offered by the apostles and other church
elders in their preaching of the Word of God. Basically, they had to believe
that Jesus ofNazareth was the Son of God and that He had died to atone for
their sins and had risen from the grave in order to justify them. They had to
change from their own way of life and acceptGod's way of life. If they did

this, they would receive whatthey were humanly trying to accomplish
through their own misguided sincerity. They had been sincere, but sincerely
wrong! They said that they wanted to be right with God, yet they deliberately
refused the one way of being put right with God.
What of people today? Are they not in the same frame of mind and in the
same position? They are trusting in themselves for salvationfrom this world,
by their own sincerity and efforts. Consider the task that faces us and what is
demanded of us. It is all entirely impossible for us by our own efforts, no
matter how sincere we may be.
Romans 10:2-3 ForI bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not
according to knowledge.Forthey being ignorant of God's righteousness,and
seeking to establishtheir own righteousness, have not submitted to the
righteousness ofGod.
"Zealfor God" means passionate devotionin the things pertaining to God or,
in a very generalsense, in the things of religion. No doubt many of the Jews
were sincere, but sincerity does not of itself constitute true godliness.
John 16:1-3 "These things I have spokento you, that you should not be made
to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues;yes, the time is coming
that whoeverkills you will think that he offers God service. And these things
they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me."
Sincere without knowledge,zealous without truth—this type of dedicationis
an instance of extraordinary zeal; and in this, most are sincere. However,
persecutionto death of the apostles and the saints cannot be sincerity in truth.
So many people believe that, provided they are sincere and zealous, they must
be acceptedby God. The zeal that is acceptable is that which does all to the
glory of God. Its primary aim is not to promote oneself, as the Jews did, or to
build up one's own church, as many others do.
The descendants ofthe Israelites have always had a problem of zeal and
sincerity that does not leadthem to salvation. Look what the Israelites have
accomplisheddown through history. Of course, I do not speak ofonly the
Jews, who are well known for many of the inventions of the world. I speak of

the Israelites throughout the world, as a whole. The broader principle here is
simple: that many sincere, "religious"people are wrong in their beliefs.
Jesus and the apostles foretold, not a universal, widespreadpopular growthof
the true New Testamentchurch, but a falling awayfrom the truth on the part
of the greatmajority. Prophesying a popular, universal falling awayfrom the
faith once delivered is what Paul did:
II Thessalonians2:7-12 Forthe mystery of lawlessnessis already at work;
only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the
breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The
coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power,
signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deceptionamong those who
perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. And for this reasonGod will send them strong delusion, that they
should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the
truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Paul says that this happens "becausethey did not receive the love of the
truth" and that they "did not believe the truth." Many of these people are
sincere, but they are sincerely wrong, because oftheir enmity againstGod.
Paul wrote this a mere thirty years after the church began, and look how
quickly it was necessaryto deal with this problem of straying from the truth.
One of Paul's themes in his epistle to the Philippians is that a proper spiritual
outlook is critical for progress in the faith.
Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and
more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that
are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of
Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousnesswhich are by Jesus Christ,
to the glory and praise of God.
Notice how Paul expresses the conceptthat truth is necessaryin order to be
truly sincere. He describes and expands truth by his phrase, "abound still
more and more in knowledge [truth] and all discernment, that you may

approve the things that are excellent [truth], that you may be sincere." Paul
prays that they might have mature Christian character, "sincere andwithout
offense."
The Greek wordtranslated sincere may have severalmeanings. The word
eilikrineia, which translates "sincerity," is compounded of eilee, "the splendor
of the sun," and krinoo, "judge":a thing which may be examined in the
clearestand strongestlight, without the possibility of detecting a single flaw or
imperfection. Some translate it "testedby sunlight." The sincere Christian is
not afraid to "stand in the light!"
Sincere may also mean "to whirl in a sieve," suggesting the idea of a
winnowing process thatremoves chaff. In both cases, the truth is the same:
Paul prays that His friends will have the kind of characterthat can pass that
kind of test.
Our all is not enough, if its sincerity is misguided. Zeal and sincerity without
true knowledge, whichcomes alone through Jesus Christ, are vain and futile.
Sincerity without truth is worthless, but sincerity based on truth has the right
direction and the zealto pursue the right goal. Sincerity with truth helps us
"seek firstthe kingdom of God"—the kingdom of truth! Let us have a zeal for
God according to knowledge andaccording to truth.
Sincerity in the Christian’s Life
Introduction:
In the ancient world, dishonestpottery dealers filled cracks intheir inferior
products with wax before glazing and painting them, making worthless pots
difficult to distinguish from expensive ones. The only wayto avoid being
defrauded was to hold the pot to the sun, making the wax-filled cracks
obvious. Dealersmarkedtheir fine pottery that could withstand “sun-testing”
as cera – “without wax.”

Note: Philippians 1:9-11. “And this I pray, that your love may abound still
more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the
things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the
day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousnesswhichare by Jesus
Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” NKJV Be able to recognize the
highest and best; be sincere – “testedby light of the sun.” Our charactermust
be able to withstand the full glare of the light of day with nothing concealedor
hidden.
Body:
I. Sincerity – A Quality Possessedby God
· Definition – Guileless without deceit, pure, genuine. Usedof Christ in I
Peter2:22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceitfound in His mouth.”
NKJV
· Associatedwith God (II Corinthians 1:12) “Forour boasting is this: the
testimony of our consciencethat we conducted ourselves in the world in
simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of
God and more abundantly toward you.” NKJV (II Corinthians 2:17) “Forwe
are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from
God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.” NKJV “like men of sincerity
and purest motive, not like hucksters.” Bestoftop, bad below.
· Wisdom from God is pure and undefiled. (James 3:13, 17)“Who is wise
and understanding among you? Let him show by goodconduct that his works
are done in the meekness ofwisdom. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good
fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” NKJV
· As children of God, we must also live a genuine life, without the slightest
trace of hypocrisy.
II. Hypocrisy – An Attribute of Satan
· Definition – Pretense;trickery; “one who wears a mask.” Noun: hypocrite

Jesus was a man of sincerity

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Jesus was a man of sincerity