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Aug 24 '08
(A Series of Sermons on Building Character in Your Life)
Rev. Erik O. Garthe, Pastor - Edgemere Baptist Church
Message #8 ... August 24, 2008
“It Cleanses from Sin”
1 John 1:9
Two college students learned a hard lesson about telling the truth while attending Duke University. They were both A students but got carried away at an out-of-town party the night before their final chemistry exam. They missed the exam and started scrambling for a “justifiable” excuse. After collaborating on their story, they went to see the professor. They explained how they were out of town and could not return in time because they had a flat tire. With this logic, they asked for a chance to take a make-up test. The professor agreed and prepared a special test. He assigned them to different rooms and unveiled their personalized final exams. On the front page was a simple chemistry question worth five points. On the back page was the second and final question. It was worth ninety-five points. The question simply asked, “Which tire was flat?” Those two students may not remember much about chemistry, but they sure won’t forget their education in honesty. [Parade, March 3, 1996, p. 14]
In Scripture, two accounts of lying reveal important insights into the nature and consequences of not being completely truthful:
• Abraham and Sarah agreed to lie about their relationship as husband and wife and instead tell people they were brother and sister. Their lie produced plagues and problems in the households of Pharaoh and King Abimelech. Yet, what they did seemed to go unpunished, except for the rebukes of Pharaoh and Abimelech. They even received gifts as result of their lies.
• The lie of Ananias and Sapphira seems insignificant. It didn’t bring them money; they just weren’t as generous as they wanted people to think they were. For their lie, God brought immediate death.
Why did God deliver Abraham and Sarah in spite of the lie they told Pharaoh and Abimelech, and yet destroy Ananias and Sapphira for the lie they told Peter?
At first look, it does seem that God was lenient with Abraham and Sarah and harsh with Ananias and Sapphira. But that is not true; both couples were severely punished for their deceptions.
Note: In fact, Abraham and Sarah received the greater punishment. The iniquity of their deception was passed on to their children and grandchildren. Abraham and Sarah told a “half-lie,” but their son, Isaac, went on to tell a full lie about his relationship to his wife. Isaac’s deception was then practiced by Jacob, who deceived his father and stole Esau’s blessing. Jacob’s deception was then multiplied through his family. His sons deceived him by showing him Joseph’s coat of many colors, which they had stained with the blood of an animal, causing him to think that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast.
If Abraham and Sarah had sincerely repented of their deception, they would have been motivated to warn their children and grandchildren not to follow their example.
24 Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. (1 Timothy 5:24)
The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was immediately opened and judged. The iniquity of Abraham and Sarah followed after them and became more and more harmful with each generation. The longer a lie continues without exposure, the more destructive it becomes.
See Matthew 5:37
37 "But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Truthfulness … is communicating what is genuine and accurate.
o One Hebrew word for truth is ’emeth, which means “stability, certainty, sureness.” It is from the root word ’aman, which means “to build up or support; to be firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent. The same word is translated as “steadfast” and “verified” in other places.
i.e. When Jesus emphasized truth, He often said the word verily, which is a derivative of the root word ‘aman.
If you lived in a developing nation, you might think the Chicago Bears won this year's Super Bowl. The annual game brings two hopeful teams together but only one walks away with the trophy…and all of those victory-proclaiming T-shirts and caps. Before the game, approximately 300 colorful T-shirts and caps are made for each team emblazoned with their name, logo and the moniker of Super Bowl Champs. By order of the NFL, the losing team's unused memorabilia is immediately locked up and mandated to never appear or be seen on American soil. They become the property of World Vision, a Christian relief organization, that ships them overseas to people who don't have electricity or running water. Jeff Fields, a corporate officer for World Vision, has noted these shirts and caps go to people who wouldn't even know about the Super Bowl. All they know is the Chicago Bears were the champs in 2007, just like the Seattle Seahawks were last year, and the Buffalo Bills were for four straight years in the 1990s. Although we don't live in a developing country, we frequently get bad information, especially when it comes to spiritual truth. Being wrong about the victors of an athletic event is of no real consequence. But making a mistake about God's requirements for both now and eternity is catastrophic. [Houston Chronicle, 2/4/7, p.C2]
Lee Strobel humorously debunked Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code logic when he addressed the issue of Jesus' Resurrection. He noted that if Jesus were truly married to Mary Magdalene, when she saw Him after He arose she would not have said, "Rabboni" (teacher). She would have yelled, "Honey!" [Unlocking The Da Vinci Code, Christian Communication Network Simulcast, 5/21/6]
There is great power in truth. It is how God carries out His work in the world:
1. Truth Brings Us to Christ, James 1:18
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
2. Truth Purifies Us, 1 Peter 1:22
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
3. Truth Frees Us, John 8:32
32 "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Truth frees us by tearing down false ideas and conclusions that keep us in fear and bondage.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 declares that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
4. Truth Enables Our Worship, John 4:23-24
23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
5. Truth Empowers Our Witness, John 3:21
21 "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
6. Truth Establishes Leadership, Proverbs 20:28
28 Mercy and truth preserve the king, And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne.
It is interesting that authority to rule is not established by truth and justice but by truth and mercy. Why is that?
When people violate truth, it is natural to be harsh, but loyalty is built when a leader teaches truth and demonstrates mercy. This is also why we are instructed by God’s Word to speak the truth in love.
7. Truth Cleanses Us from Sin
Addictions (of various kinds) hold people in bondage. Freedom comes by God’s mercy when sin is purged and replaced with truth:
a. Cry for mercy - Psalm 50:15
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
b. Confess the sin - 1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
c. Consume the truth - Psalm 119:11
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!
How Truthful Are You?
Do you confront your faults with Scripture?
Do you exaggerate your achievements to others?
Do you lie or tell only part of the truth to escape consequences of actions?
Do you flatter people to gain their approval?
Do you give damaging reports of others to make yourself look good?
Do you guard against false teachings by confirming everything with Scripture?
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