I may have to backtrack on one of my statements from yesterday. I said, “Evidently a hypocrite is someone that calls lots of attention to themselves.”
While that may be true from the scripture out of Matthew chapter 6, it is not true from Matt 7:3-5 – Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
This hypocrite is into control of others without controlling self.
The meaning of hypocrite is a stage-player; an actor under an assumed character.
A hypocrite is a dangerous person; the hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor. Prov 11:9
Jesus said, “Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.” Matt 23:13
How do they keep others from entering the Kingdom? With their pretense! It is offensive to many to see someone praise the Lord on Sunday and cuss out someone on Monday.
I remember a man saying, “Why should I go to church when the deacon buys his beer at the same place I do!”
Though the man admitted to being a drinker, he also admitted that it wasn’t something he expected of a church-goer.
The problem is the hypocrite will not admit that he is a hypocrite; he actually thinks he is doing the righteous thing.
The best defense for the hypocrite is prayer; asking God to open his eyes to his acting!