ACCURATE STATEMENTS

Introduction

When speaking about others, our statements concerning them is to be accurate. We are not to make up stories and then pass those stories on to others. Some people desire to make others look bad, so they make up tales. People do not follow the injunction of Proverbs 18:13, "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." They do not check out what is being said about others. They form their opinions based upon what others have said. Proverbs 22:1 says this about someone's name which is also one's reputation, "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold." We are not to destroy the reputation of others.

False statements are malicious in their intent. They are designed to bring others into disrepute. The apostle John spoke of such a one in 3 John 9-10, "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 10Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." The Amplified says the malicious words are "casting malicious reflections upon us with insinuating language." In other words, his statements are inaccurate and purposely misleading. This gives a false impression.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

Leviticus 19:16 reads, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD." The Amplified renders this verse as, "You shall not go up and down as dispenser of gossip and scandal among your people, nor shall you (secure yourself by false testimony or by silence and) endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord." Gossip and slander about our neighbor is prohibited here as well as endangering our neighbor's life by way of false testimony or silence when enjoined to speak. Positively, our statements are to be accurate, in regard, to our neighbor.

Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary's third definition of "gossip" is "One who runs from house to house, tattling and telling news; an idle tattler." The apostle Paul speaks directly to this in 1 Timothy 5:11-13, "But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; 12Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. 13And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also andbusybodies, speaking things which they ought not." When a young widow is not busy at home, she may go about being busy in other people's affairs. They watch and report to others what is going on in town. They do not have anything better to do with their time.

When a story starts getting passed around, it begins to grow and takes on more false elements along the way. We are to mind our own business. This is the message of 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 11For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread." When people have to much time on their hands, their tongues begin to get a work out. Some cannot wait to hear the latest gossip and pass it on to others. They like to hear all the juicy details. They have garbage cans for ears. No filth is to good for them. Christians are to keep busy and stay out of the affairs of others.

The apostle Peter applied Leviticus 19:16 in 1 Peter 4:15, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters." Most people do not recognize that the New Testament is a restatement of Old Testament law. It applies what has already been laid down. Peter here equates being a gossip with being a murderer and a thief. Obviously, not the best of company.

The Lord Jesus had this to say in this regard in Matthew 12:36-37, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Gossiping is the use of idle words. They will give account of it. Our words will justify or condemn our souls. Gossiping comes from an idle heart.

Conclusion

The third chapter of James speaks much about the tongue. James 3:8-10 says, "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." A restless tongue comes from a restless, gossiping heart that loves to spread false rumors and being an idle tattler. These things ought not to be!

SUPERSTITION AND THE LAW

Introduction

There is no such thing as an atheist. If someone could be neutral religiously that would be the first time. Atheists are not neutral. They are extremely religious. In their demented minds, they believe they are god. They are idolaters pure and simple. Paul said in Acts 17:22-23, "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you." These materialists, at the very least, recognized a spiritual realm, even if they did this in stupidity. Most evolutionists do not even realize this. They think that the material realm is all that there is. Paul told these Greeks that they were being reverent to demons. This is idol worship.

Paul said in Romans 1:19-25, "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." If man does not worship God, it is a no brainer, he will worship the creature and created.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

Leviticus 19:26 reads, "Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times." The Amplified Bible renders this verse, "You shall not eat anything with the blood; neither shall you use magic, omens, or witchcraft (or predict events by horoscope or signs and lucky days)." There can be no such thing as luck. God has created all things and rules by His law. Luck denotes chance. If God did not create the heaven and the earth, then evolution would be true and all things would be here by chance and randomness would prevail. If all is by chance, then this world is meaningless and no facts relate to any other facts. This is the philosophy of chaos and anarchy, which is the logical conclusion of evolution.

Why is eating blood prohibited? Leviticus 3:17 says, "It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood." Jews eat meat that is kosher i.e. the blood has been drained out. Eating fat and blood are extremely unhealthy. The blood carries in it many pathogens. The Lord made this point clear in Leviticus 17:10-12, "And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. 12Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood." This is a mark of satanic worship to drink blood because God has forbidden it. Blood in this state is usually out of something that has died and therefore it would be a celebration of death, not life.

Someone who is superstitious believes that religion is by the using of exact ritual. It is a search for secret knowledge whereby the created order can be manipulated to do what one desires. Moses said in Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." These individuals despise law. They are heart lawless. They are manipulators, desiring to go where only God can go. Only God knows how things work exhaustively because He is God. These individuals try to think about themselves as not being creatures.

Wherever God’s law is disregarded, then magic will begin to predominate. This was the case throughout the Roman Empire in Paul’s day as Acts 16:16 makes clear, "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying." The Amplified Bible’s version is in part, "...we were met by a slave girl who was possessed (by a spirt of divination (claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge)..." These individuals are trying to claim that there is not a God who has created a preordained world that is ruled by His law and with the right knowledge, one can attain to the level of a god. This is the lie of Genesis 3:5, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." We can try to attain to this, but it is an impossibility.

Conclusion

God has given us His objective law. We are to follow His law, not seek to manipulate things to our advantage. This is demonic trying to seek our own way apart from God. 2 Kings 17:17 reads, "And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger." Idolatry brings the wrath of God.

STEALING IS LYING

Introduction

All stealing is equivalent of lying. There is a deceptive element that is involved. It is saying that something belongs to you, when in reality it does not. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines "steal" as, "1. To take and carry away feloniously, as the personal goods of another. To constitute stealing or theft, the taking must be felonious, that is , with an intent to take what belongs to another, and without his consent. 2. To withdraw or convey without notice or clandestinely..." Stealing involves taking what belongs to another and giving others the appearance that it is yours. Behind the prohibition against stealing is the idea of private property. Private property should be obtained through legitimate means, otherwise, it constitutes theft. Stealing is a sin and a civil crime. It requires repentance and restitution. Paul wrote in Romans 13:8-10, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." We demonstrate love when we respect our neighbor’s right to the enjoyment of his property.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.
Webster renders "theft" as, "The act of stealing. In law, the private unlawful, felonious taking of another person’s goods or movables, with an intent to steal them. To constitute theft, the taking must be in private or without the owner’s knowledge, and it must be unlawful or felonious, that is, it must be with a design to deprive the owner of his property privately and against his will..." Stealing and theft involve deception which is at root lying. Leviticus 19:11, "Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another." We know that the eighth commandment says, "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:15) and the ninth commandment is "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" (Exodus 20:16). To steal is also to bear false witness in that the thief is saying that it is his property, when in fact it belongs to someone else.

Stealing is a heart problem as the Lord Jesus makes abundantly clear in Mark 7:21-23, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." Down in the heart of man there is a desire to hide their true heart condition. They would rather resort to stealing than admit that their heart is not right within them. They refuse to humble themselves and admit the sinfulness of the heart. Those who are proud in heart will refuse to repent and continue in their deceptive ways.

Paul wrote the following advice to thieves in Ephesians 4:28, "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." The Amplified makes clear that thieves, generally, are lazy and do not want to work. The Amplified Bible renders this verse as, "Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need." A thief repents by doing the exact opposite of his previous behavior. Instead of taking from others, he gives to them. A wrong thing can never be done right.

Paul also wrote in Colossians 3:9-10, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." The putting off here is indicative of stripping off, like old filthy clothing and putting on new clean clothing. The old man or sin nature is what causes one to lie in the first place. This is why it is imperative to have the sin nature crucified with Christ. This will enable us not to commit acts of theft which also entails deceit and lying.

In all our dealing with our neighbor, we are not to do so falsely. Our doctrine should be according to the truth. False prophets are thieves of the truth and they must lie to their neighbor to get an advantage. Ephesians 5:6 reads, "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." These liars will tell people that they can continue to sin and still make it heaven. They are dealing falsely with these souls as Ephesians 4:14 says, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." To deceive is to steal the truth from your neighbor.

Conclusion

To steal is to lie. This is why they are tied together in Leviticus 19:11. We are to be honest in all of our dealings. Paul said as much in 2 Corinthians 8:21, "Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men." Someone who is honest is above suspicion. In other words, they can be trusted. There is no honor among thieves and liars.

THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES

Introduction

Does God have a voice? Obviously, He does. He is able to communicate to man through the spoken word which becomes the written word. When God speaks, we should be attentive unto His voice. The first point of the covenant model is God is transcendent and imminent. This means that He is above us but near us at the same time. He is sovereign over man because He is the creator of man. Being the Creator means that He determines the law. 1 Kings 19:11-13 reads, "And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?" God has a still small voice that He speaks to us with. When you read His word, this still small voice speaks to your heart.

Application

To properly understand the Bible, we need to use what is known as applied theology.

We read in Leviticus 18:1, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," in Leviticus 19:1, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," and in Leviticus 20:1, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying." This is what is known as direct revelation. Numbers 12:6-8 says, "And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" God spoke with Moses mouth to mouth or face to face. He had privileged communication from the Lord. What follows in Leviticus 18, 19, and 20 comes directly from the throne of God. Moses is being used as a mediator between God and Israel.

Leviticus 18:2-5 reads, "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God. 3After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. 4Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. 5Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them:I am the LORD." This is a warning that God’s people are to be a separate people.

This is what Paul had wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." God’s people are to be different than the people of the world. We do not have the same values and lifestyles. Our lives are to be epistles of grace read by every man.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 10:2, "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them." To follow the ways of pagans is a direct violation of the word of God. We are not to learn their ways but they are to learn ours. Exodus 23:2 says, "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment." We are not to be followers of the crowd. Just because everyone is doing something does not make it right. Holiness of life automatically brings separation from the world.

We are not to think our own thoughts but to think analogically that is to know God’s law and obey it. The prophet Ezekiel wrote in Ezekiel 33:30-33 tells us what we are not to do, "Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 31And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 32And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 33And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them." Many people go and hear sermons and say wasn’t that wonderful but they do not apply the word to their own lives. They are hypocrites. We are not to imitate them.

Conclusion

James 1:25 tells us what we are to do in regard to God’s law, "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." Do you want to be blessed? Obey God’s law.