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.
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