Hiding Your Faith Matthew 5 14 16 Hiding

Hiding Your Faith Matthew 5: 14 -16

Hiding Faith • Peter, Matthew 26: 69 -75 – Pride goes before a fall, Prov. 16: 18; Matt. 26: 33 -35 (Lk. 22: 33 -34) • People of Jerusalem, John 7: 13 – When we fear others we allow the faithless to define our faith! • Jewish rulers, John 12: 42 -43 – Honor from men was more important, John 5: 41 -44 cf. 2

Hiding Faith • Peter, Galatians 2: 11 -14 – Hiding faith leads to hypocrisy – Influences others to follow us into sin, 2: 13 -14 • The one talent man, Matthew 25: 24 -27 – “I was afraid” (25: 25) – Of what? – “Wicked and lazy servant” (25: 26) Rom. 12: 11 3

Why Try to Hide Faith? • Because of faithlessness, Luke 6: 46 – Faith compels action – Inaction lacks trust in the power of God to work in us as we do His will, Phil. 2: 12 -13 • The loss of privilege, John 9: 22 – Put of the synagogue: Lose communion, associations, commerce, etc. (Jno. 9: 34) – Hide faith and lose fellowship with God! 2 Cor. 6: 17 -18 4

Why Try to Hide Faith? • The fear of men, Jno. 7: 13 (Matt. 10: 28) – Fear of reprisal, Jno. 9: 22; 16: 2 – The Savior’s reassurances, Matt. 10: 16 -26; Heb. 13: 5 -6 • The threat of persecution, Matt. 24: 9, 12 – Faith suffers for what is right, 1 Pet. 3: 13 -17 – Give an answer for your hope without fearing men 5

Why Try to Hide Faith? • The love of the world, 2 Tim. 4: 10 – Driven by lust rather than love of God, 1 John 2: 15 -16 – Cannot serve two masters, 2 Timothy 4: 10; Matthew 6: 24 6

Your faith must testify to the world that you trust in the Lord Jesus - 1 Ths. 1: 8 -10 - 7