LET THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE
Exodus 23:1-12
The
human mind was designed to receive and disseminate information
One
of the first jobs God gave Adam was to name all the animals He
Created.
He had to give those names to his wife and his sons.
Where
did Adam get names? He didn’t have a book of names.
He
made the names up as God brought the animals to him.
The
human mind creates stuff to tell folk. We like gossip and we
Receive
and spread it. Gossip is information that is not
Backed
up by truth or evidence. Gossip is the THEY SAID
Information.
Sometimes we never know who the “They are”.
SPREAD THE TRUTH
V
:1. "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a
malicious witness.
2
"Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a
lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, 3 and do not show
favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Truth
is more important than popularity or worldly friendships.
Our
devotion to God ought to prevent us from lying or participating
In a
lie.
There
are only short-term gains in spreading a lie. In the long run, you destroy your
credibility and your reputation.
We
came into our relationship with Jesus with suitcases of baggage.
As
long as we live on earth we should be unloading the baggage
Which
hinders our life with Jesus. We been saved, sanctified and justified
by
the atoning blood of Jesus. But baggage is still packed away in our minds.
We
revert to the our fleshly behavior when we intentionally sin against
God.
We are commanded to love not to destroy. False testimony destroys
The
reputation of another person
From
a human or fleshly standpoint, why would someone give a false report about
another person?
We don’t like them
We envious of them
They have hurt us
We want revenge
Fear
To impresses another person
To get attention
To be popular
It confirms our opinion of someone.
God
is clear in His command. Don’t bear false witness. Don’t Lie.
Love
your enemy as yourself.
There
are times when we lay our religion aside to take care of
Business, We do it because we cannot resist the
temptation
Of
the old man that still lives within us.
We
are commanded not to join in with someone who gives a
False
report.
On
the defense, we would certainly say we are good Christians, law
Abiding
citizens. We just don’t do that
The
problem is we can easily be drawn into someone's mess.
How
do we do it? When we agree with a damaging report
Against
someone without any proof.
When
we pass along information we know nothing about, we are
Seen
as being in agreement. Somebody said it, so we repeat it.
When
you join in a conversation that you know is not true, but you
Say
nothing you condone the conversation.
Giving
a false witness in a lawsuit can cause an innocent person to be wrongly judged
or lose his/her life.
Deuteronomy
5:20
20
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
God
has a punishment for those who spread lies and deceptions
Proverbs
19:9-10
9 A
false witness will not go unpunished,
and
he who pours out lies will perish.
We
set ourselves up for trials and tribulations when we allow evil to
Control
our words and actions.
Genuine
love will not allow you to injure another person
Most
often the crowd is going in the wrong direction and doing the wrong thing.
Following the crowd, you are going along to get along.
Following
God divorces you from the crowd.
PUT LOVE IN ACTION
4
"If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to
take it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen
down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.
A
do-good attitude has nothing to do with the other person. It is
All
about you and your relationship with God.
Helping
your enemy with his problem is not what we are taught to
Do.
God
places us in a higher level. We are on a
plan that is different from the
World.
If
you see a cat, dog any animal wandering around as if lost. Your normal
reaction
is to get it back to its owner. What difference does it make
Who
owns it? God requires us to return the
animal to its owner even if it is
Your
enemy. Acts of kindness are always remembered,
If
you see your enemy in a car broken down on the street. God says stop
And
help.
In
today’s world because of the increasing violence on the streets, before
you
get out of your car you need to be sure you are in prayer with God.
God
has given us 5 senses, and we have to use them under the
Guidance
of the holy spirit before we act.
Under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you will always be safe.
Being
kind can cause your enemy to be your footstool.
Hebrews
1:13
"SIT
AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL
I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES
A
FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET"?
We
have to wait on the Lord. Change does
not happen overnight.
But
God knows the time it will happen.
TREAT EVERYONE WITH HIGH RESPECT
V:6
"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing
to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death,
for I will not acquit the guilty.
God
is no respecter of a person. We are in no way to treat the poor differently
than we treat the rich.
The
poor are often at a disadvantage when it comes to technical
Knowledge
and legal representation. The rich use their advantage to
Deprive
the poor of their rights.
In
the court system, justice should always prevail. But because of the wicked expert legal
council, the criminals often escape prosecution.
Even
though the poor suffer at the hands of the rich. God is still in control
Psalms
14:6
You
evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but
the Lord is their refuge.
What
we know is, the poor will always be with us, and they have a God-given right to
be treated equally.
Deuteronomy
15:11
There
will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be
openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
NIV
Job
5:16
16
So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.
James
2:5-6
5
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of
the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who
love him?
We
make tremendous errors when overlooking the needs of the poor.
God
allows some to be poor for His glory.
We
ought to treat everyone with compassion according to their needs.
We
can’t show favoritism because of their financial position, rich or poor.
There
is no poor wrong or rich wrong, both must be treated equally.
There
is no rich right or poor right. Wrong is wrong and right is right.
James
2:8-10
"Love your neighbor as yourself,"
you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by
the law as lawbreakers. 10
NIV
We
have to be careful that we don’t jump to conclusions without concrete
Evidence
on the guilt or innocence of a person. We are commanded not to judge.
Luke
6:37-38
37
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will
not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be
given to you
Unless
we are on the jury, the best thing we can do is to stay out of the
Judgment
arena. The reward is we will not be judged.
One
thing we know is, we all fall short of the glory of God, and deserve
God’s
condemnation.
When
others are in a conversation judging others, leave that audience
Immediately.
Don’t get caught up in other opinions.
A BRIBE IS A LOSS NOT A GAIN
V:8
"Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the
words of the righteous.
Bribery
is not uncommon in American Businesses and businesses all around the world.
Those
who want to get an edge over the competition will use bribes to get
What
they want. I can remember in my early years of business,
A
salesman wanted to bribe me with an expensive tool that I really wanted.
I
was smart enough to say no thanks. As soon as the project got started
A
problem arose that would have compromised my decision if
I
had accepted the gift.
Except
for salvation, there is nothing man will give for free without attachments.
Accepting
a bribe gives an unfair advantage to the one offering the bribe.
Once
you accept a bribe, your future decisions are compromised.
Ecclesiastes
7:7-8
Extortion
turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
BE KIND TO STRANGERS
V:9
Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens because
you were aliens in Egypt.
All
Christians are aliens on earth.
God
designed our lives so we would pass through the earth before entering our
Heavenly home.
As
strangers, we see and witness things that are not pleasing to God.
We
must not get sidetracked by what we see and hear, but
Keep
our focus on Heaven
We
have the Word of God which guides our thoughts and actions.
Along
the way, we will meet strangers like us. We are to show
Compassion
and be a beacon light and share the Word of God with them.
We
must never oppress others and think we are more than we are.
We
humble ourselves before God and man admonishing others to
Follow
Jesus the shepherd of us all.
We
remember our slavery to sin and rejoice in the freedom
Of
our salvation in Jesus.
We
lift up Jesus our Lord and Savior with the hope that other strangers
Will
join us in our praise and worship of the Lord
We
encourage all we meet with the love of God, the fellowship of
Jesus
and the sweet communion o the Holy Spirit.
As
aliens in a barren land, we are agents of peace and joy and the righteousness
of Jesus Christ.
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