"Tell the Truth" Sermon: Ephesians 4:25

“Tell the Truth”

[Ephesians 4:25]

March 31, 2019, Second Reformed Church

            We continue to consider the Second Table of the Law – those commandments that refer to our love of neighbor – and we move to the ninth commandment this morning:

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16, ESV).

And, similarly, this morning’s text:

            “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25, ESV).

            The context of the law as it is put in the Ten Commandments is specifically about testimony given in a dispute or in court.  In Deuteronomy, we read, “On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness” (Deuteronomy 17:6, ESV).  And in I Timothy, we read, “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (I Timothy 5:19, ESV).  The point being that we are not to take one person’s word without any other evidence to back it up, because people can be wrong, and they also lie.  Otherwise, if I said, “Carol rode a horse to church this morning,” legally, we would be compelled to take my testimony seriously.

            So, putting the command in the negative, we are not to bear false witness, we are not to lie – and we are especially not to lie to each other in the church – we are not to bear false witness against each other in the church.

            Our Heidelberg Catechism explains this point:

“Q&A 112

“Q. What is the aim of the ninth commandment?

“A. That I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one's words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone rashly or without a hearing.”

            We are not to give false testimony.

            If we are ever questioned by the authorities, and especially in court, about a person or an event, we are not to give false testimony – we are not to tell stories that did not happen or say things that were never said.

            If you are in a friend’s car, and your friend is driving 70 miles an hour down Springfield Avenue and hits a light pole, and you are asked by the police or in court how fast your friend was driving – as much as you want to spare her punishment – it is a sin to say that she was going 35 miles an hour.

            We bear false witness to get people out of trouble and we also bear false witness to get people into trouble.  Remember what we read of one of the trials of Jesus:

            “Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, ‘This man said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.”’ And the high priest stood up and said, ‘Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?’ But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, ‘I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?’ They answered, ‘He deserves death.’ Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?’” (Matthew 26:59-68, ESV).

            Notice, they went looking for people who would bear false witness.  They wanted Jesus condemned and they planned to do so by securing false testimony – by finding people willing to tell lies about Jesus and what He said so He could be condemned in accordance with the Law.

            We’re not to twist people’s words.

            If someone testifies, “I have never beaten my wife,” we sin in responding, “Oh, so you have stopped beating your wife.”  If someone says, “I have never heard him say that,” it is sinful to respond, “Oh, so you make it a practice of listening to what he says.”  Or, at the library, “Here’s the book you wanted.”  “So, the book is mine to keep.”

            We’re not to gossip or slander.

            “I saw Peter at the IHOP the other day.  You know what is by the IHOP?  The Bottoms Up Go-Go Bar – that’s where he was really going!  I’m sure of it.”

            “I saw Peter go into a liquor store the other day – he must have a problem.”

            Do you get the idea?

            We’re not to condemn anyone rashly or without a hearing.  We see this on the news regularly – part of a story is presented – some assumptions are put forth – and we suddenly know the whole story and why someone should be condemned.

            We may remember the 1996 Olympic bombing in Georgia.  The call warning of the bombs was made by security guard, Richard Jewell, who quickly became the prime suspect of the investigation.  He was tried and convicted in the press, though in 1997, additional bombings showed that the criminal was Eric Rudolph, and in 2005, Rudolph was sentence to life without the possibility of parole.

            Solomon writes, “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19, ESV).

Second, we are to tell the truth.

Our Heidelberg Catechism continues:

“Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are the very devices the devil uses, and they would call down on me God's intense wrath. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor's good name”

(https://www.rca.org/resources/heidelberg-catechism-ten-commandments).

            Why should we tell the truth?

            One reason is that we are children of God by adoption, not children of the devil.

            Jesus says of some of the Pharisees, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, ESV).

            And Paul writes, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15, ESV).

            Another reason is God’s Wrath, as Jesus says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8, ESV).

            And a third reason is in telling the truth, we seek to love our neighbor as ourselves.  In so doing, we “guard and advance our neighbor’s good name.”

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1, ESV).

Rather than give false testimony, rather than twist people’s words, rather than gossip and slander, rather than condemning someone rashly, when we tell the truth, we love our neighbor and build up their good name, which is the most valuable thing we have.

We ought to desire to build our neighbors up and tell the truth about them, especially when we are looking at matters of law and the court system.

However…

Third, there are times that we shouldn’t tell the truth.

Just as we came to understand that the commandment “not to kill” actually refers to first-degree murder, not all killing, this commandment refers primarily to the legal system – to being a witness in the courts.  Now, it is also good and right to tell the truth outside of the courts and for the good of our neighbors.  However, there are times when it is righteous not to tell the truth.

For example, during the Holocaust, if you had been a person who hid Jews in your home and the Nazis came to the door and asked if you were hiding Jews in your home, the morally right answer would be to lie and say, “No.”  Since the Nazis are seeking to commit first-degree murder, they become undeserving of the truth.  Hence, it is righteous to lie.

In the same way, it would have been right to lie about hiding a black man from a lynch mob.

Still, be very careful, it is normally the best and right thing to do to tell the truth.

Finally, Jesus is the faithful witness.

John opens the Apocalypse – the book of Revelation – with this greeting:

“John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

“’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’” (Revelation 1:4-8, ESV).

Why does John call Jesus “the faithful witness”?

Because Jesus will be the final witness of history – and He will witness truthfully to all that has been done and believed throughout all of time and space, and He will judge every man and woman and pass judgment on their eternity.

John writes:

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15, ESV).

And Paul confirms that Jesus is He Who sits on the throne of judgment in his charge to Timothy:

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:” (2 Timothy 4:1, ESV).

This is glorious news for we who believe, because Jesus is the True Witness.  He will not bear false witness against anyone.  He will not twist anyone’s words, or gossip, or slander, or condemn anyone rashly.  No, He will sit on the throne, knowing everyone’s heart, and knowing all those He died to save.  And He will bear witness – and that witness will be true – and all those who have believed in Him throughout time and space will be welcomed into His Kingdom forever.

Let us be like our Savior – the Witness Who grants us salvation even at the last judgment – let us tell the truth in all matters of dispute and court and law, and let us tell the truth in every way possible throughout our lives – for our good and the good of our neighbors.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, Your Son said He is the Truth, and we are Your adopted sons and daughters, and we want to speak the truth – the truth about Jesus and the truth about our neighbors.  Help us to make the truth known, and may God the Holy Spirit give us wisdom.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Thursday Night Study

Join us tonight at 7 PM, D.V., as we begin a study of II Timothy.  All are welcome.  The pastor will provide the books.

"Using Wealth Wrongly" Sermon: James 5:1-6

“Using Wealth Wrongly”

[James 5:1-6]

March 24, 2019, Second Reformed Church

            A couple of weeks ago I picked up two medium sized packages of toilet paper for the church and put them in the study room with other supplies.  After church that Sunday, I noticed that one of the packages of toilet paper was gone.  Now, the paper towels and toilet paper are locked up.

            We do not love our neighbor as ourselves when we steal from them – when we commit theft – when we swindle them.  We steal when we are greedy and when we waste the blessings that God has given us.  We commit theft when we do not do everything we are able and gifted to do to help our neighbor – especially those within the church.  (Cf. The Heidelberg Catechism, https://www.rca.org/resources/heidelberg-catechism-ten-commandments)

            God says, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15, ESV).

            We understand this commandment because we have all stolen.  We have taken things that do not belong to us.  We have taken Costco before it was offered.  We have pocketed things from the Women’s Association sale tables.  We have not worked diligently at our jobs and the calls that God has put on our lives.  We have tried to keep our employees’ pay as low as possible.  We have taken credit for other people’s work.  We have resented others who work diligently and give much to charity.  We have said that God is a liar and has not given us everything we need for this day.

            Specifically, this morning, let’s look at wealth and how not to use it, and how to use it. 

            Here are some statistics to think about:  in 2017, the average American had an income of $57,000 a year.  That’s work income, pension, social security, any other benefits – all added together.  And 95% of Americans had an income between $30,000 and $105,000. (https://wallethacks.com/average-median-income-in-america/).

            The average income on the planet – which includes the US figures – is $10,000 US dollars a year (https://news.gallup.com/poll/166211/worldwide-median-household-income-000.aspx).

            That makes me – and you – very, very wealthy – as far as base income is concerned.

            How do you decide what to do with your wealth?  Are you using it to glorify God or are you using it to sin?

            We live in a time when there is strong criticism of those who make the most money in the US and questions of what tax should be imposed upon them.  And we may wonder if being wealthy is a good thing.

            James tells us, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:16-17, ESV).

            And we pray, believing that what we need we receive from God’s Hand, “give us this day our daily bread.”

            God created everything, God gives us what we need for each day and more so we can steward wisely all that He has given us.

            The proverb writer, Agur, prays, “Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:7-9, ESV).

            The Scripture tells us there are hard things about being poor, but it is extremely hard to be wealthy.

            And our text this morning, from James, the brother of Jesus, addresses four ways of using wealth wrongly.

            First, we use wealth wrongly when we lay up treasure for ourselves.

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.”

James is not saying it is wrong to be wealthy if God has blessed you in that way.  And when James talks about laying up treasure in the last days, he is talking about the individual’s last days, not the return of Christ.

So, is James saying it is wrong to have a 401K or a long-term care policy?  That is not the point James is making here.  He is saying it is a wrong use of wealth to pile up wealth for yourself to the exclusion of love of neighbor.

For example, Jesus says:

“And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’  So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:15-21, ESV).

Jesus doesn’t say this man was wrong in being wealthy, but he used his wealth wrongly, hoarding it up for a future he would never have and to the detriment of his relationship with God.

As Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21, ESV).

We use wealth wrongly when we lay up treasure for ourselves.

Second, we use wealth wrongly when we fraudulently hold back wages.

“Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.”

There were people who wanted their fields mowed, and they hired someone and set a price they were willing to pay – and they had the money – and then, when it came time to pay, they withheld payment altogether or gave less than they agreed to.

I hope you haven’t ever done that.  Once you agree to a price for a job, you have to stick with it – even if it isn’t on paper.

There were two weddings I presided at where the couple gave me a significantly smaller check than we had agreed to – and it wasn’t that they didn’t have the money – so now I say I have to have payment before the ceremony.  Trevor has played gigs and when he went to collect the agreed upon fee, and they gave him less for one reason or another.  Holding back the agreed upon wages is theft.

God says, on the Day of Judgment, “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:5, ESV).

Paul says – in the oft-misquoted verse, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (I Timothy 6:10, ESV).

Again, Paul writes, “For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages” (I Timothy 5:18, ESV).

We use our wealth wrongly when we fraudulently hold back wages.

Third, we use our wealth wrongly when we live a life of self-indulgence.

“You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

For some wealthy people, there is absolutely no restraint – like Scrooge McDuck – who would “swim” in his vault of money every night.  People for whom every night is a different party – a different feast – a different drug – a different sexual partner – a total haze of a life funded by wealth – supposedly happiness.

Do we remember the “prodigal son” who went to his father and effectively said, “Dad, let’s pretend you’re dead, and give me my inheritance.”  And the son took the inheritance and partied all the money away until there was no money left – learning the hard way that everybody loves a party they don’t have to pay for.

When our life and time is all about us – that is self-indulgence of the wealth of time that God has given us.  If we never have time for others – especially those in the church – we are using wealth wrongly.

We use our wealth wrongly when we live a life of self-indulgence.

Fourth, we use wealth wrongly when we don’t help the suffering.

“You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.”

If God has gifted you to meet the need of someone who is suffering, especially in the church, you ought to do it.

Peter speaks of the spiritual gifts we have received when he writes, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (I Peter 4:10-11, ESV).

One of the spiritual gifts is generosity.  Another is mercy.  Another is compassion.

If we have the wealth to help, and it is a righteous cause, ought we not help?

“Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.  He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”  He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:30-37, ESV).

The priest and the Levite did not want to become ceremonially unclean, but it would have been better if they looked upon the man and saw the Image of God and used their wealth to see to his injuries.

We use our wealth wrongly when we don’t care for those who are suffering.

We are the wealthiest people on planet earth!  We are not to steal, but use our wealth rightly.  How do we do that?

Be thankful to God for what He gives you for each day.

Paul tells us that God gives us what we need for the day and more so we can share out of our abundance!  “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28, ESV).

Therefore, let us use our wealth in a way that glorifies God – let us use our wealth to show Who God is by doing all that we do so others would see that Jesus is God the Savior.

Our monthly lunch is prepared in thanks to Jesus for the bounty He has given us.  It is not a trick or a ploy to get people into the church.  It is not a means to save us from starving.  My doctor certainly knows I am not starving – how about your’s?

Let’s give as much as we can – to the church and to other worthwhile causes and to meet people’s needs.  Give your money, give your time, give your talent – we weren’t given it to hoard away.

Consider two passages of Jesus speaking:

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household” (Matthew 10:16-25, ESV).

Be wise with your wealth, but innocent!  If you are, you will suffer to the glory of God and be known as the servant of your Master.

Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:25-34, ESV).

Be thankful for the wealth you have received, and don’t worry, God will give you exactly what you need to be His each day.  Seek the kingdom – desire to grow in faith and obedience.  Seek to know God in His Word and – in joyful thanksgiving – obey Him.

Why should we steal when, in Christ, we have inherited all of Creation?

Let us pray:

Almighty God, it is easy for us to steal, because we think we deserve better and we are afraid of losing what we have.  May the Holy Spirit cause us to trust that our Father will always give us what we need for the day, and may He keep us from being anxious and fretting.  Rather, may He open new wells of generosity in living wisely and innocently and sharing that great bounty You have given us beyond what we need for this day.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.