Have you ever been confronted by the statement, I don’t go to church because it’s full of a bunch of hypocrites. We’ve all heard this kind of remark haven’t we? And it really stings. Hypocrite, ouch. Do you know where the word hypocrite comes from? The word hypocrite was originally a Greek theatre term and it was used to refer to an actor who would walk onto the stage from one side wearing a happy mask telling jokes and laughing then walk off, and then come back on from the other side wearing a different mask to be serious and sad. The word Hypocrite actually means, two faces, and what is fun in the theatre has no place in church . As Christians it’s a terrible stigma we must work hard to overcome. AA has a neat statement in their creed, a statement which they are founded on. Part of it is simply that they always strive to be open and honest. This needs to be our creed as well. We’re not perfect, just forgiven. We’re just a bunch of sinners saved by grace. Being authentic is something we all battle with. Paul summed up our feelings very well in Romans 7: 18 "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I can not carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing."

We have this old sin nature which dies very hard, but hopefully the new self is continually becoming stronger every day. We are all under construction, and we’ll be perfect one day. People call us hypocrites when we try to deny that we have any faults, that we are sinless, or put on airs like we have all the answers, and we’re better than everyone else. I will freely admit I don’t have all the answers, I don’t even know all the questions yet, and we’re never going to be perfect in this life. The good news is , We do know the one who is perfect, and He will keep working on us. If we are open and honest we don’t need to fear being called a hypocrite. What a horrible feeling to live in constant fear of being discovered, that we’re a fraud. When we try to pretend we’re perfect when we know deep down in our heart of hearts we’re not, that’s fraud. That’s playing the hypocrite.

Did you ever feel, though, that if anyone found out the truth about you, you'd be finished? It would be horrible to go through life basically trying to convince others that you are something you're not—that you're cool, when you know you're not, that you're confident or skillful or good-hearted when you know it's not so. Or try to convince everyone you’re some super Christian that never battles with sin. There was this poor guy by the name of John Corcoran who knows what it feels like to go through life like this. During grade school he never learned to read or write, but he caused a lot of trouble so somehow he kept getting promoted to the next grade. Funny how that works. He got to high school and mastered new skills. He says, "I started cheating by turning in other peoples' papers; I dated the valedictorian and ran around with college prep kids. I couldn't read words but I could read the system, and I could read people."

He received an athletic scholarship to Texas Western College and cheated his way through there as well, getting a degree in education, of all things. Somehow he got a job as a teacher and for the next 17 years taught in high school without being able to read or write. He says, "What I did was I created an oral and visual environment. There wasn't the written word in there. I always had two or three teacher's assistants in each class to do board work or read the bulletin."

Finally he left teaching and became a real estate developer. Later in life he learned to read and write and became an advocate for better educational systems.

In a sense, we're all like John. Most of us don't have to fake reading and writing, but we live our lives trying to persuade ourselves, persuade other people, and maybe even try to persuade God himself that we are good people. Deep down inside, though, we have a growing awareness it's not true. The inner conflict, the hypocrite raises its ugly head.

Every well schooled Christian knows that we fall way short of the divine standard set for us, and that we fall back into sin with disturbing frequency. We are a bunch of hypocrites. Yet as Christians we can never be happy with sin, because sin is repulsive to our Lord. It is just by the grace of God that any of us will ever be able to stand before Him. He knows us and He accepts us just where we are, but He loves us too much to leave us unfinished.

There was a story told of an unbeliever who when he first heard that salvation was by grace, and there was nothing he could do to add anything, he only had to believe. He couldn’t grasp the concept. He said," You mean I can believe salvation is by faith and then go take my fill of sin?" The person who was witnessing to him wisely replied, " How much sin do you think it would take to fill up a Christian?" As Christians we are to lose our appetite for sin, or maybe we’re not truly saved after all. Maybe we’re just fooling ourselves. But the flip side of this is that many try to say that sin no longer has any pull or influence. That’s just silly, it is like having a real big pink elephant in the room. John tells us if we claim to be without sin we lie and the truth is not in us. Sin is here and will be here until we die, but we must not let it master us. I have a friend who battled a porn addiction for years, and he had a good mentor who he shared this with. And every week they would get together and the first question from the mentor was; "How are you doing this week?" My friend was always open almost to a fault and he spilled his guts. Oh I looked at some porn on the internet the other night and I kept fantasizing all day, but I was really battling, he would say. His wise mentor had enough of this one day and told him, "No you’re not battling. You laid down and surrendered. If you were battling this sin you would have come back with some war wounds. You would have told me how you took the power cord and put it between mattresses on your wife’s side of the bed. How you keep telling Satan to get behind you, and that you’re only thinking about what is good and honorable and true today; telling me the verses you memorized & books you read. It’s a battle and don’t let the hypocrites tell you it’s not.

I love the way Jesus called Nathanael. John 1:47 reads, When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite in whom there is nothing false." Do you think Nathanael was without sin? No, this isn’t what Jesus said. What He said was, in him there was nothing false. He was true to himself and the religion he professed. He wasn’t perfect anymore than we are, but he was true to his religion and not two faced. Then Nathanael wonders at how Jesus could already know him, and Jesus replies, "that he saw him under the fig tree."Nathanael says, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God & the King of Israel. It is quite possible that Nathanael was under the fig tree, in a secret and quiet place, in prayer and meditation, and in the stillness He was there. Jesus knew his heart & what his struggles with temptations were. We don’t know a lot about Nathanael, he quite possibly was the only disciple of noble birth. But regardless he was of noble character, we also know him as Bartholomew the encourager. He was, open and honest, but not perfect. This is what we must strive to be too.

Let’s get real here now with the words of Paul. Romans 7:14 pg. 800

We know that the law is spiritual: but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do but what I hate I do. We can stop here for now. This sets the stage, the conflict. The old sin nature is trying to keep us stuck here on the ground with a bunch of turkeys when the Spirit wants us to mount up with wings like eagles.

To deny that we are tempted by and engaged in sin is total silliness, so what I want to propose today is to get everyone to buy in on the idea of sin management. How can we minimize the effects in the hopes that one day it will just go away? There is an old saying that fish & house guests are the same; they both start to stink after about 3 days. Same goes for sin; I wish it would just go away. I don’t know about the rest of you but I feel like Paul, I’m sick to death of the stench. But it’s not going to go away on its own. We must drive it out and replace it with what is good & holy and true. Let’s get proactive.

Let’s start by just getting real. A little truth or dare. What is your pet sin? No I didn’t mean that I want to hear what it is, it was just a rhetorical question. I’m not big on public confession. Sure if your sin affected everybody apologize to everybody, but if not just go to the party you sinned against and ask forgiveness. And remember, asking forgiveness is a 3 step process that we gloss over quite often. 1^st step admit your sin, own it, don’t make excuses for it. 2^nd ask forgiveness. 3^rd ask what you can do to make it right. Most of the time it will be between you and God. But the same 3 steps apply. But get real with your bad self, what is your favorite sin? I’ll give everybody a couple seconds to remember. Maybe you can just pick your top 5. What is the sin you keep coming back to? Everybody has one, is it lust, pride, maybe you like to pass on juicy stories, maybe you like to have your own way. This would be when the little Baptist lady would pipe up from the back row. "Now you’ve gone from preachin' to medlin'." OK. Everyone thinking of your pet sin that keeps sucking you back in? Got it? The bible describes this as a dog returning to his vomit. Great visual. So next time you’re sitting alone in front of the computer and you’re tempted to click on that old favorite porn site, picture yourself licking up vomit. Sorry you guys, I wrote that and I even grossed myself out. That’s just disgusting. But this is how God feels about us returning to our sin. God is asking, you just let that drag you down and ruin your day yesterday, why are you here again?

Let’s read the rest of our text for today. Pg 800 Roman 7: starting at 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Sin is going to be part of our lives till we see Jesus. I haven’t killed anybody lately but the sins I’m dealing with right now in my life are no less nasty than the ones I’ve had victory over 20 years ago. As we keep getting closer to Christ our flaws and sins just keep revealing themselves. They have come from the same vile self. It’s really the same vomit. The first step in sin management is to recognize it for what it is. Something that will separate us from God. Sin drives a wedge right in there tight. Do you feel close to God? Are your prayers being answered? Maybe there is habitual sin that needs to be taken care of. If we confess our sins, really own them, not make excuses, if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When we confess they are gone, but we need to repent as well. Sin not only separates us from God but it will poison us. It’s that rot that’s inside of us that causes us to be of little use to Christ. I used to fall timber for a living and I remember one time doing a salvage sale on national forest ground. Great big beautiful trees, White firs that were 6' and 7’ through. 6 logs tall some of them, over 300’, and you would work to get these giants on the ground and when they hit they would totally flatten out, and turn to dust on impact because they were full of rot. They looked good on the outside but they were totally worthless. This is a great picture of a Christian with sin in their life that they are not willing to deal with. Making them worthless as far as a Christian witness goes. They just keep coming back and licking up that vomit. And this ruins our relationships with other Christians too.

So the $64 question for today. How do we manage sin, so as to someday be rid of its destructive influence? I have a few ways I want to mention but I would like to hear from you as well. Ways to manage sin to work to get it out of our lives.

1^st) We can’t do it alone. We need the Holy Spirit to help with this. If we truly desire to be disciples of Christ we must first and foremost submit to His instruction. James tells us if anyone lacks wisdom he should ask God who gives generously to all without showing any partiality. But he adds you must be sincere when you ask. Ask in prayer what you should be working on right now and the Holy Spirit will tell you. And if that doesn’t work ask your wife. But you best be ready to go to work on this.

2^nd ) Hate what is evil cling to what is good, be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Develop a healthy aversion to the sin in your life. Get that plank out of your eye so you can be of some help to your brothers and sisters. Quit licking up that vomit.

3^rd) I guess this should have been first, it seems so obvious. Unfortunately there are many claiming to be followers of Christ who have never committed their life to glorifying Him Westminster Catechism tells us the chief end of man (what we’re here for) is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We forget this. Remember, we are first and foremost his ambassadors. Be open and honest in all our dealing with both men and God and yourselves. Admit that we are not perfect, just forgiven and with the Holy Spirit’s help we’re trying to live a live that is worthy in His sight. We’re trying to get better, and with the Holy Spirit’s help we can.

4^th) Devote ourselves to the Christian disciplines, of prayer, study, fellowship. Spending time alone with God, meditate on His word. Just get real, admit you need work, and get well.

Research psychologists have found there are at least three situations when we are not ourselves. First, the average person puts on airs when he visits the lobby of a fancy hotel. Oh yea I hang out here all the time. Next, the typical Jane Doe will try to hide her emotions and bamboozle the salesman when she enters the new-car showroom. And finally, as we take our seat in church or synagogue, we try to fake out God that we've really been good all week. It’s pretty hard to have an authentic worship time when we have this attitude. We can fake a lot of things, but not to God.

It’s quite funny to think of all the products out there that are designed to imitate the real thing. There is the plastic decking that looks like real wood. Vinyl flooring that appears to be ceramic tile. You can buy fake fur or jewelry, fake hair, and other body parts. My favorite which I ran across, there is even a company that sells Spray-on Mud. Isn’t that crazy! It is designed for use on the outside of your SUV. That way it appears you use your expensive gas-guzzler for more than taking the kids to soccer practice. Spray it on and friends might think you've just returned from a wilderness adventure.

Sales of the product are going well, particularly in America, and in London where the concept originated. "If they want an authentic look," says the inventor, "There's not a lot else they can do. There's not a lot of mud in Chelsea." Apparently, $15 a can seems a reasonable price for the appearance of authenticity. I guess you could even get the kids and scratch the sides so I looks like you’ve been on brushy narrow roads too.

There are many imitations of Christianity too that we still try to pass off as the real deal. Good wishes can be mistaken for prayer. Success can be misconstrued as spiritual achievement. Inspirational bumper stickers and symbols can be seen as evangelism. Excellent music can cover for authentic worship of the heart. Humorous or emotional stories can pass for inspired preaching. Christian clichés can be handed out as biblical wisdom. An attractive personality can be mistaken for a Spirit-filled life. Big expensive bible can pass for a student of the Word. A three piece suit and a frown can pass for a sinless life. All kinds of fakes, wearing two masks.

The real thing? That’s easy. It looks like Jesus! Let’s imitate Him, & this doesn’t come in an aerosol can; it comes from the heart.

Let’s get real. Back to the $64 question of the day. How do we manage sin, so as to someday be rid of its destructive influence?

I’ve already mentioned the Christian disciplines of prayer, study, fellowship, and quiet time with God. Devoting ourselves to glorifying God in every area of our lives. Hating what is evil, cling to what is good, cultivate a proper aversion to sin. And submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit's direction and pray for help. Any ideas? Temptation is common, but God is ever faithful. He will never tempt us more than we are able to bear, but he wants us to fight. Do something to resist, we can even use David’s approach, and just flee. Accountability groups, brothers and sisters that you can share your struggles with. This sure helped my friend beat his addiction. God loves us too much to leave us in our sin, He wants us to get real, admit our faults and then go to work on them.

Let’s pray, Lord I just thank you for your holy word and all the neat little tidbits that it contains for us to learn and grow from. Show us the sin we need to work on this week, and thank you for the promise that you will never leave us or forsake us. Lord help us to be authentic Christians & not 2 faced that we may attract others to you. May we be a good example of what a Christian is to look like that we may teach others by our example. And Lord I pray that sin may not have dominion over us, but that we can and will be victorious. Give us a healthy aversion to sin in our own lives and Lord help us to guard our hearts that your will be done in each of us. And may we grow in grace & knowledge this week, as we draw closer to you. In the precious name of Jesus we ask all this, Amen