Dealing With The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, 6/3/2012

DEALING WITH THE GOOD ,THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Exodus 23:1-9

CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS

V:1. "Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness." Ps 37:21

 A. Don't lie to anyone about anyone.

     1. If you got something to say, make sure it is the truth.

     2. Don't make negative comments about someone.

         a. You may not know the whole story.

         b. Our job is to bring people closer together in love, not put distance between them.

         c. A word of encouragement is always better than a negative comment.

 B. Don't join in with others to lie about another person.

    1. Expose the truth.

    2. Our job as Christians is to steer others in the way of the Lord.

    3. Unrighteousness is not acceptable to God no matter who is the cause.

 C. Remember that there is some bad in the best of us and some good in the worst of us.

    1. It just as easy to say something good about someone as it is to say something bad.

    2. There should be a difference between the world and a Christian.

         a. The world seeks to bring people down.

         b. Christians should seek to build others up because of their love for the Lord.

DON'T YIELD TO PEER PRESSURE

V:2. "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment."

 A. Don't follow the crowd to do wrong.

     1. Don't join in to fit in.

        a. Don't go along to get along.

     2. The crowd may not be going in the right direction.

     3. You have to be determined to follow after righteousness.

          a. The decision to do what is right is yours and yours alone.

          b. If you know someone is considering doing evil, you have the responsibility

              to say it's wrong, and walk away.

 B. "Decline and wrest" are the same Hebrew word, "natah" which means to bend away,

      or cause to yield (moral defection).

    1. Don't try to blend in with the crowd.

    2. Don't yield to peer pressure.

    3. There are those who are held in high esteem who lead others astray.

        a. Don't let your enthusiasm about a person's status cause you to abandon what is

            right.

        b. Don't get involved with the crowd that is trying to pull someone down unjustly.

NO FAVORITISM

V:3. "Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause."

 A. Just because a man is poor does not make him less than you or anyone else.

     1. Man is the "noun" and "poor" is the adjective.

     2. Man was created in the image and likeness of God.

        a. Poor is his present condition.

        b. A poor man might be rich in the Lord.

        c. Poor is a temporary condition that could change over night.

 B. A poor man may have much more to offer you than a rich man.

    1. Don't get caught up in riches and status.

        a. Do get caught up in the love of the Lord and the love of your neighbors.

 C. Don't show favor to a poor man because his condition is poor.  Acts 10:34

      (Countenance = hadar= to favor or honor)

    1. Everybody ought to be treated the same.

    2. In the eyes of the Lord everybody is equal.

    3. A poor man might choose to be poor to escape responsibility.

    4. When we can, we ought to help those in need, but not to their detriment.

       a. For example, we ought not give money to an alcoholic to buy more alcohol.

          i. We ought to help him get to a rehab center.

          ii. It takes work to get people the help they need to improve.

          iii. It easy to leave them in their present condition.

       b. Being poor is not an opportunity to be unfair.

       c. Fair is fair, rich or poor.

       d. Whatever we do, we ought to do in the name of the Lord.

DON'T NEGLECT THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO GOOD

V:4. "If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again." 2 Cor 9:6

 A. Be mindful of what belongs to others, whether it be a friend or an enemy.

     1. If you find something that belongs to someone else, return it to them.

         a. Do unto others, as you would do for yourself. Gal 6:7

         b. It is always good to be kind.

         c. It is always good to lend a helping hand when you can.  Mark 4:24

         d. The favors you do for others will return to you at a later time.

 B. You don't have to be ugly because someone else is ugly to you.

     1. Being mean upsets you.

     2. Being kind comforts you.

     3. The joy of revenge last for a short time.

     4. The joy of kindness last forever.

C. Christians ought to be prepared to go out of their way to be helpful.

    1. It is easy to be helpful to someone you like.

    2. It takes true love to help someone who hates you. Mat 5:43-44

    3. It takes agape love to go out of your way to help someone who hates you.

V:5. "If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him."

 A. The best way to show your love is to be kind when it is not expected. Prov. 25:21-22

     1. If you help someone with what they have a love for, you will win their heart.

     2. Your enemy is just a person with a heart problem.

          a. He is so busy hating that he can't see the love that is around him.

          b. A person who hates makes himself uncomfortable.

     3. Christian brothers and sisters should show themselves as a friend to all they

         come in contact with.

        a. Jesus was a friend to those who cried crucify him.

        b. He died on the cross for all men.

        c. Likewise, we must love our enemies as our friends.

STAND IN THE GAP FOR THE INNOCENT

V:6. "Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause."

     (The word "wrest" comes from the Hebrew word "natah" which means to bend away

      from what is right, cause to yield)

  A. Just because a man is poor is no reason to mistreat him or take advantage of him.

       1. He deserves equal treatment.

  B. Just because a man is poor is no reason to give him favorable judgment when he is

      wrong. 

     1. Don't let your compassion for the poor lead you to injustice.

V:7. "Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked."

 A. If something is not true, it is false.

     1. Don't make false statements about someone. You may injure their reputation and

         worst yet cause them to loose their life.

     2. You never know how someone will react to a negative accusation.

          a. Even if the accusation is true, someone who is innocent could get hurt.

     3. A good rule of thumb is ; "if you don't have something good to say, be silent."

 B. God is watching your actions.

    1. God will judged all wicked behavior.

    2. God holds us accountable for every word we speak and action we take. Mat 12:36

INTEGRITY IS A FIGHT AGAINST TEMPTATION

V:8. "And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous."

 A. A man's integrity is tested when free money is involved.

    1. Justice cannot be brought.

    2. Justice is what is right and can only be obtained with the right frame of mind.

    3. If one has to be paid to render a verdict, then it is perverted.

    4. Money obligates one to do what the payer wants.

    5. No one should have to be paid to tell the truth.

 B. Righteousness cannot be brought, only perverted.

    1. Friendship, fellowship and relationship has no preference in justice.

    2. Power, status and popularity has no preference in justice.

BE KIND TO STRANGERS

V:9. "Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt."

 A. We should be kind to strangers.

     1. You never know when you might be entertaining an angel. Heb 13:2

 B. You should not take advantage of someone because of their lack of knowledge

     of a situation.

     1. The person you mislead may be the person that is best able to bless you.

     2. You never know why God put someone in your mist.

         1. You may be the person chosen to lend a helping hand.

         2. You may be the person God sent him(her) to bless you.

         3. The stranger may hold the solution to your problem .

         4. You are the person God chose to spread the Gospel.