Distinguishing True & False Believers

Distinguishing True & False Believers

By Pastor Matt Black

Bible Text: 1 Samuel 18:17-30

Preached on: Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 7pm

Tabernacle Baptist Church

7020 Barrington Road

Hanover Park, Illinois 60133

Introduction: Tonight I want to talk about “Distinguishing True and False Believers” by comparing David and Saul. We are continuing our study in 1 Samuel 18, but first we are going to begin with Matthew 7:21-23. Will you turn there?

We read,

“Not every 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. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”.

There is one distinction in this verse—it is those who do God’s will from the heart, and those who act as if they know and love God, but God considers them “workers of iniquity”. These false believers have all the right words. They have many of the same outward works as genuine Christians. The difference is the heart.

In 1 Timothy 3, the apostle Paul says that we should be careful to mark these kinds of people. He says they have a “form of godliness but deny the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). These same people, Paul says are “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (verse 7).

Throughout the Bible we find people who, as the prophet Isaiah says in chapter 29, draw near to God with their lips, but their heart is far from Him (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8).

Tonight we meet one of these wolves in sheep’s clothing in the pages of 1 Samuel 18. He plays the part well. But this passage peals back the exterior and reveals the deceitful heart of a hypocrite. Would you stand with me as we read 1 Samuel 18:17-30?

“And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. 18 And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? 19 But it came to pass at the time when Merab (Saul’s daughter) should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Me-HO-lathite to wife. 20 And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain. 22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law. 23 And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? 24 And the servants of Saul told [SAUL] him, saying, On this manner spake David. 25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days were not expired. 27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. 28 And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. 29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually. 30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.”

[Prayer for Guidance]

I. Look first at the Characteristics of the Sheep versus the Wolf by comparing Saul and David. 1 Samuel 18:17, “And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.”

A. Let’s take a look at Saul, who is a clear example of a Hypocrite. If you are a true Christian, you had better learn to detect the wolf in sheep’s clothing. The Bible warns us about these people for a reason—because they are so difficult to detect! From this verse, we can get a plain description of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Saul’s got the sheep’s vocabulary, but his own wolfish appetite is obvious as he devours those around him.

Let’s look at the first characteristic of a hypocrite.

1. Hypocrites are Sellouts. They use people and dispose of them when they are no longer needed. This one’s so important, but sadly many Christians don’t see this until it is too late. Wolves always act as if they have your best in mind, but they will are quickly disloyal and unfaithful if it serves them. They are devoted to only one person, them self. We see this in verse 17a, as Saul sells out his daughter to a man he’s planning on killing. “And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife”.

Saul was willing sellout his eldest daughter, to make his first born daughter a widow! Saul tempted David with the love of his daughter, the power of a new position, and the increased fame and prestige of being an automatic relation of royalty.

Hypocrites are willing to use anyone as long as it means they can remain in control of their own world. Wolves don’t care about the sheep. They want to devour them! True Christians lay their life on the line for others, but wolves are glad to suck the life out of others.

Saul says “Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife”. Look at him wagering his daughter’s future happiness to get rid of the pain of jealousy and bitterness. Wolves don’t even care about their own children. They are sellouts.

Application: Do you have any sellout qualities of the wolf?

· Do you put others down to make yourself look good?

· Do you prey on people’s generosity and use people rather than work hard because you are lazy?

2. Hypocrites are Spiritually Sappy. They are fake. They are plastic. Look at what Saul says to David in verse 17b, “only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles”.

Saul was spiritually pious. Be very careful of those who wear their spirituality on their sleeve. Mark them, and stay away from them. Hypocrites always know the right words to say. They are extremely hard to detect because their wolfish motives are always covered by sheep’s clothing. Wolves have all the right words, they wear all the right clothes, and they know all the songs in the hymnal. Look at what Saul says to David—it seems like he’s spurring him on to greater spiritual heights. “Only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles”!

Hypocrites have that spiritually sappy exterior. They know how to play the game. According to Luke 11:39, Hypocrites “make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but [THEIR] inward part is full of ravening and wickedness”.

They are always concerned about the souls of others, while they think they themselves are perfect. They are always “encouraging” others and giving spiritual advice to change, while they themselves never attempt any meaningful change.

Wolves are masters of manipulation. They can outtalk any spiritual leader in the church. These false believers do “all their works …for to be seen of men…” (Matthew 23:5). Is the person that is here tonight the real you? Does this person here tonight match your private emails and conversations? If so, give glory to God! Rejoice in the Lord, for He has made His home in your heart.

Application: How about you? Are you real? Do you ever dare preach to others what you yourself are not living? Do you ever use spiritual words to cover your wickedness? Have you ever contemplated the everlasting punishment God will have reserved for those who use him like cheap merchandise?

Transition: So hypocrites are sell outs, they are spiritually sappy. But behind that spiritual sappiness…

3. Hypocrites are Sinister. Look at Saul’s motive in verse 17c, “For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him [DAVID], but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him”.

Saul’s motives are dark. Saul promises David marriage, but what he really wants is David’s murder. His outward motive is spiritual, but his inward motive is sinister. Saul said he wanted to see David’s loyalty to God and the king, but Saul was lying. He wants David to die. Jealousy is eating Saul up. He feels threatened by David. He’s willing to lie and scheme to remove all perceived threats to his security.

Saul’s heart is so dark, that it blinds him to God’s omniscience. Saul is acting as if God knows nothing of what he is doing. It is not that Saul is ignorant; it is that he is self deceived. He is blind. The wolf in sheep’s clothing knows something is wrong, but he has such a high opinion of himself, he truly believes God will excuse him.

Let’s rip that charade away. Here is the truth: God will hold every act into account. God knows your motives. If you are always scheming, then you are a wolf. Sheep are innocent and harmless. Hypocrites are ever changing their story. They lie. They hide. They manipulate reality. They hide their sins. They say nice things, but they are insincere.

Application: Are you doing anything in your life that you are hiding from others? Be sure of this—you are not hiding anything from God!

B. Now let us look at the Humble child of God. Let’s look at a description of the genuine believer. Verse 18, “And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?”

We see from this verse that…

1. The genuine believer is humble. “Who am I?” David is unimpressed with himself. He sees himself as God sees him.

2. The genuine believer is truthful (sincere). “Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel” There’s no covering here! Not only does he see himself as God sees him, but he hides it from no one. He’s sincere and truthful. There are no smoke screens.

3. The genuine believer is gentle. “Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?” David so highly esteems the king. He wants no harm done to the king. He is very careful and gentle with his words.

4. The genuine believer is unafraid. He says exactly what he thinks to all people. He has nothing to hide because he is truly unafraid of what men think of him.

II. Look second at the Conduct of the False Believer. You can, over time, see the difference between true believers and those who are putting on a show for others.

2 Corinthians 5:12 tells us that hypocrites are “them which glory in appearance, and not in heart”. They are hard to detect because of this. They give the most stirring testimonies. They’ve learned to act like sheep, but they are acting. They have no authentic walk with the Lord.

In verses 19 through 27 of 1 Samuel 19, we see Saul acting out of a heart of hypocrisy. He follows a pattern in his life. The difference between the hypocrite and someone who has never heard of Christ is that the hypocrite actually uses God as a cloak and cover for his sin. This is what we are going to see in Saul’s life in just a moment.

Saul models the truths that are found in Luke 6:43-45, “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

The only reason we have trouble identifying hypocrites is because we as human beings cannot see into the heart, and we cannot see the private life. But as the Scripture says, “be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

So now let’s turn back to 1 Samuel 18 and observe the conduct of our wolf in sheep’s clothing.

A. Watch King Saul closely. See what he does. He covers his selfish heart with godliness.

1. Hypocrites Lie under a cover of godliness. We read in verse 19,

“But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.”

At the very time when David had been promised union to Merab, Saul gave her to another man. Wolves break their word outright and then change the story.

Application: You might say, haven’t Christians broken their word outright and changed the story under pressure? Yes. But they like Peter go into their prayer closet and “weep bitterly” over it. They cannot live with themselves. If you can lie outright with no real sorrow, then you ought to “examine yourself and see whether you be in the faith”.

So hypocrites lie outright. They shift the truth, but the horrible thing is that they cover it with a cloak of godliness and never seek to uncover their lies.

2. But Hypocrites also Use people under a cover of godliness. Saul was not only willing to use his older daughter Merab, he was glad to use his younger Michal as well. Look at verse 20:

“And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain”

Saul vacillates and shifts the truth and changes his story. He covers his using of people under a cover of godliness. Michal was a girl in love. She loved a godly man. Hypocrites don’t see their families as the greatest stewardship of our short lives. Some people live all their lives and take meticulous care of their finances or of a boat or car or house. They will mortgage their future and risk everything to carefully manage their comfort. But they do not take care of the greatest stewardship of all. Our influences over the souls of others. The souls of these children is such an awesome stewardship. Multi-billionaires who have no children will be held to a lesser account than a poor person with one child.

Hypocrites are so blind that they run right over their family. 2 Timothy 3 is a key passage on hypocrisy. It says that those who have “a form of godliness but deny the power thereof” (verse 5) are earlier described as verse 2 says “lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection”. They don’t have that normal tender love for their family. They don’t have natural affection. Saul was willing to use his own daughters to get his way.[1]

Application: Do you sacrifice yourself for your family and for others? Then rejoice! “Be not weary in well doing”. Do you spend long hours working with others, discipling others, or working with your children? Amen! Your time is NOT wasted!

3. Hypocrites will Flatter you under a cover of godliness. Saul flatters David, making him think that he is really making a sacrifice. That he really wants to fulfill his duty as Father in Law. When you have a family, you have a life long obligation to the person your child marries. But Saul doesn’t really mean these great compliments. Saul has no delight in David. He tries to soften David up and flatter him so that he can trap him. Look at verse 22, “And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law”.

4. So we see the next practice of the false believer. Hypocrites Trap under a cover of godliness. They’ll find your vulnerability and use them against you. Verse 23:

“And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? 24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law: and the days were not expired. 27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.

Why do hypocrites do what they do? I will tell you. For the pleasure of sin. Pride, lust, possessions, and their own comfort is their god. They love their sin. They “love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” But the pleasure of sin is but “for a season”. Job says in Job 20:5 that “the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment”. Hypocrites enjoy the benefits of being with the people of God. They look good. They feel as if they are doing better than others. They think they can sin a little and still be saved.

The hypocrite takes joy in “secretly practice wickedness under a show” and cloak of religion (Matthew Henry).

B. But now look at the conduct of David.

1. Verse 23: He doesn’t lie, but his conduct is forthright. He has nothing to hide!

“And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?

2. And verse 26a: He doesn’t trap and use people, but he esteems people as better than himself! This is not flattery, but a true respect for the king.

“And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son in law:”

How do we know that David truly had respect for king Saul? He follows through in verse 27.

3. In verse 27 David puts his own life on the line in service to his king and his country and his countrymen. He does it gladly with no ulterior motive.

“Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife”.

Saul’s motive was evil, as verse 25 says, “Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.” It is assumed that Saul’s motive in giving Michal to David is that he would be even more sought after by the Philistines because he is now a Prince in Israel, married to the King’s daughter, princess Michal.

III. Look finally at the Character of the Sheep and the Wolf. What I’m speaking of specifically is their reputation among others. Verses 28-30:

“And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him. 29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually. 30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.”

Saul becomes David’s enemy. Children of the light never have anything in common ultimately with the children of darkness. Saul is full of fear and David is full of faith.

Conclusion: What is it that marks your life? Are you a forthright person walking in the light? Or are covers your sin with the cloak of godliness?

We need to realize that God has an extraordinary hatred for hypocrites. The meek and mild Jesus had his fiercest and most zealous and burning words for those who used a cover of godliness for sin. The puritans said that hypocrisy is “double iniquity”. They said “The hottest place in hell will be the portion of hypocrites” (Matthew Henry).

But God loves the way of the righteous! If you are walking in the light, be encouraged! Don’t be weary in well doing. Don’t be discouraged by those who would hurt you for gain. Entrust yourself to the one who judges righteously and rejoice!

[1] We saw this during the face off with Goliath—Saul was willing to give his daughter away to the man who defeated him. He certainly didn’t want to risk anything himself.