SHOW PEOPLE YOUR TRUE SELF AND SPEAK THE TRUTH

Proclamation:

“Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’  When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt.’”  Genesis 45:4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After Joseph had sold his brothers the grain they requested, he returned their money to them and sent them on their way home. (Genesis 42:25-26)  Because of the continued famine in their land they again ran out of food. (Genesis 43:1-2)  When they went back to Egypt to buy more grain, they took their youngest brother, Benjamin, with them as Joseph had requested. (Genesis 43:8-13)  After playing games with them for a while, Joseph revealed the truth to them that he was their brother. (Genesis 45:3-15)

Application:

All too often people put on a false face and pretend to be someone that they are not.  We should not try to “live a lie” in order to please or impress someone.  If they cannot accept us for the person that we are, then we are better off without them in our lives.  We need to be truthful to ourselves, and to others, for The Lord God detests liars. (Psalm 101:7)  As believers we are God’s representatives here on earth.  He is holy, so we should be holy. (1 Peter 1:16)  He is truthful, so we should be truthful. (Proverbs 12:17, Zechariah 8:16, and Ephesians 4:25)

THE TRUTH CAN SILENCE SOME OF OUR CRITICS

Proclamation:

“When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, even to Gentiles God granted repentance that leads to life.’”  Acts 11:18 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Luke records that the apostles and believers criticized Peter for taking The Word of God to the Gentiles and for going into the house of, and eating with, “uncircumcised men.” (Acts 11:1-3)  Peter told them the hold story starting from the beginning. (Acts 11:4-16)  When he had finished he asked them, “So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in The Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17)  When they heard this, they had no further objections.

Application:

Sometimes we can be criticized, even by believers, for doing what The Lord God has told us to do.  Some people will not like it when we tell the truth.  When our critics are believers, the truth will silence them. (Acts 11:18)  However, if our critics are non-believers, the truth can upset them and even enrage them to the point of violence.  That was what happen to Peter and John (Acts 5:40) and to Stephen. (Acts 7:54-58)  Jesus, The Christ said, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake … Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)  We are encouraged to always tell the truth, but we should think before we speak to make sure that what we say is “Truthful, Helpful, Insightful, Necessary, and Kind.”

TELL THE TRUTH AND DON'T LIE

Proclamation:

“An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies.”  Proverbs 12:17 (NIV)

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”  Proverbs 12:19 (NIV)

“The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy.”  Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King Solomon, the son of King David.  Solomon was the wisest man to ever live. (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)  His proverbs were written to teach and guide the people of God so that they would know and practically apply The Word of God.

Application:

When we speak, we should tell the truth.  We should not lie.  The Lord God detests liars.  The Bible tells us that all liars will spend eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8) unless they are believers who have been forgiven and have their names written in the book of life. (Revelation 20:15)  Let us pray to The Lord God for forgiveness for our past lies and ask for His help to speak the truth.  Let us practice good Christian conversation.  It is better not to say anything than to lie.  Some of the things that we say are better left unsaid.  We should only speak that which is truthful and helpful.

LET'S DO BETTER

Proclamation:

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? … The one who is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear The Lord …” Psalm 15:1-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Here David answers the question, “Who may live with The Lord?” (Psalm 15:1)  He who is upright, righteous, and tells the truth.  He who does not slander, do wrong to, or slur his neighbor.  He who despises evil, keeps his word, and honors The Lord.  He who does not charge interest when he lends money or accept a bribe.  This person is a believer and doer of God’s Holy Word and will get to live with The Lord in heaven. (Psalm 15:2-5)

Application:

None of us does a perfect job of following The Word of God.  We all have sinned and we fall short of that goal. (Romans 3:10 and 3:23)  It also does not matter how “good” we are, we could all do better.  Part of my prayer is that The Lord would help me to sin less tomorrow than I did today, and that I would do one more thing to please Him tomorrow than I did yesterday.  The point here is to try to be more Christ-like with each passing day.  The Bible is the instruction manual for good Christian living.  Unfortunately, many of us do not read it very often, and most of us who do read it do not follow it, or we follow only parts of it.  This psalm identifies ten ways in which we could be a better Christian.  If you are already doing these things, then there is a more complete list of sins in Romans, chapter one, beginning at verse 21 and through verse 32.  Even judging others who sin is a sin. (Romans 2:1-9)  The question is, “Are you striving to be a better Christian?”  A good Christian exhibits integrity and reliability, respects the people of God and holds himself accountable for his thoughts, words, and actions.  We all have room for improvement.  Let's do better!