He Welcomed Her Worship: The Holy Waste of Holy Wednesday | Desiring God
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Recommended Reading: Counterfeit Christianity
Counterfeit Christianity
Saul, Ahab, Herod, and Judas Iscariot grieved their sin. But they never truly repented. Beware of counterfeit repentance.
Simon Magus 'believed,' and yet his heart was not right in the sight of God. Even the demons "believe and tremble," but they do not know Jesus (Acts 8:13; James 2:19). Beware of counterfeit faith.
Joash, king of Judah, appeared holy and good so long as Jehoiada, the priest, lived. But as soon as he died, the goodness of Joash died with him (2 Chronicles 24:2). Judas Iscariot's outward life was upright and revered... right up until he betrayed the King. Beware of counterfeit holiness.
There is a love consisting of praise and flattery—a great show of affection—calling people friend, brother, and sister. Yet the heart does not love at all. It is not for nothing that John says, "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth!" It was not without cause that Paul said, "Let love be sincere" (1 John 3:18; Romans 12:19). Beware of counterfeit love.
There is a lowliness of demeanor that covers a proud and wicked heart. Paul warns us against such ‘humility’ and speaks of things that are "all hat and no cattle…" (Colossians 2:18, 23). Beware of counterfeit humility.
Jesus denounced the Pharisees because of their pretense—they "made long prayers" (Matt. 23:14). Jesus does not charge them with not praying or praying in haste. Their sin was that their prayers were not real. Beware of counterfeit prayers.
Jesus said, "This people draw near to Me with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Matt. 15:8). They had plenty to do in their temples and synagogues. But they lacked authenticity—they lacked heart. Beware of counterfeit worship.
Beware of big red delicious paper fruit stapled on cardboard trees.
Soul Searching
How do I know if I am stapling paper fruit on a fake tree?
How can I tell if I am all leaves and no figs?
Some questions to ask:
Does your faith reflect your inner man? It is not enough that it is in your HEAD. It is not enough that it is on your LIPS. It is not enough that it is in your FEELINGS. Your faith, if it is real and born of the Holy Spirit, must be in your HEART.
Your faith must occupy the heart. It must hold the reins. It must sway the affections. It must lead the will. It must direct the tastes. It must influence the choices and decisions. It must fill the deepest, lowest, inmost seat in your soul.
Is this your faith? If not, you may be stapling paper fruit on a counterfeit tree (Acts 8:21; Romans 10:10).
Does your faith cause you to grieve your sin? A Christianity, which is from the Holy Spirit, will always have a profound view of the sinfulness of sin. It will not merely see sin as a blemish or mishap but will see in sin the thing which God hates, the thing which makes man guilty and lost in his Maker's sight, the thing which deserves God's wrath and condemnation.
It will look on sin as the cause of all sorrow and unhappiness, of strife and wars, of quarrels and contentions, of sickness and death. It sees sin as the mess that has messed up God's good creation, the accursed thing that makes the whole earth groan in pain.
It sees sin as the thing that will ruin us eternally... unless we can find a ransom.
Will lead us captive... unless we can get its chains broken.
Will destroy our happiness... unless we fight against it, even to death.
Is this your faith? Are these your feelings about sin? If not, you may be stapling paper fruit on a counterfeit tree.
Does your faith cause you to love CHRIST?
Counterfeit religion agrees that such a person as Christ existed and was a great help to humanity. Counterfeit religion will show Him some external respect, attend His outward ordinances, and bow the head at His name. But it goes no further.
Real faith will make a man fall madly in love with Christ as the Redeemer, the Deliverer, the Priest, and the Friend. Real faith knows there is no hope outside of Christ; He is our mediator, food, light, life, and the peace of our soul. Genuine faith will produce:
Confidence in Him.
Love towards Him.
Delight in Him.
Comfort in Him
Is this your faith? Do you know anything about feelings like these toward Jesus Christ? If not, you may be stapling paper fruit on a counterfeit tree.
Lastly, does your faith produce fruit? True faith will always be known by its fruit: repentance, faith, hope, charity, humility, spirituality, kindness, self-denial, unselfishness, forgivingness, temperance, truthfulness, patience, and forbearance. The degree to which these various graces appear, may vary in different believers. Yet the seeds of each will be found in all who are children of God. By their fruits, they may be known.
Does your life produce fruit? If not, you may be stapling paper fruit on a counterfeit tree.
Only real fruit will do,
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Monday, April 14, 2025
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