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TH E K IN G ’S B U S I N E S S
NOVEMBER 28,1943 TRUTHFULNESS A T ALL TIMES E xodus 20:16; 23:1, 7; M atthew 5:33-37; J ohn 8:42-45 Outline and Exposition
BLACKBOARD LESSON
Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against fh y neighbor. - 23:1 T h o u 'sh a lt not. raise a false report': put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrf'ghteous witness. 7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou npt: for 1 w ill not Justify the wicked. . Matthew 5:33 Again, ye have heard th at it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Sw ear not at all'; neither by heaven;-for it Is God’s throne: 35 N or by the earth; for It is his foot stool: neither by Jerusalem; for It is the city of the great King. \ 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But. let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 W h y do ye not understand m y speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he w as a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth In him. W hen he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth: ye believe me not. G O L D E N T E X T : -“Wherefore putting aw ay lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another” (Eph. 4:25). D E V O T IO N A L R E A D IN G : Rev. 22:10-17.
I. T he C ommand A gainst F alsehood (Ex. 20:16 ; 23:1, 7) ^T^HE DESIRE to injure a supposed I enemy is far-reaching in its ef- feet. It becomes a very real temptation to bear a testimony that, while true, nevertheless gives a false impression, It is for this reason that we are responsible, not only for the actual words spoken, but also ior the impression we believe will "be given by the words. Diplomacy sometimes degenerates into duplicity, and against this we are warned by God. Another prohibition is against pre senting a false report. Sometimes this takes the form of repeating a rumor without verifying its truthfulness, or repeating a -rumor even though it be true.^ And, according to the Revised Version, this includes also the receiv ing of a false report. We are to hear and obey the com mand, “Keep thee far from a false matter.” The farther away we keep ourselves, the better protection will be ours against what is contrary to the mind of God.
T R e P rotection A gainst F alsehood (Matt. 5:33-37) The protection against being en tangled with false reports or untruth- fulness is simple. One must refuse to have anything to say except that which can truthfully be given with a final and simple, “Yea” or “Nay.” Whatsoever is more than “the truth, thé whole truth, and nothing buf the truth,” comes frdm the evil one. He is a liar and the father of it, and the natural man is led by him to receive and repeat false- reports. We must remember that an evil reputation spreads more widely than a good one. III. T he S ource of F alsehood (John 8:42-45) Jesus was the Truth, and He spoke the truth. But there were those who could not hear His words, in the sense of believing and accepting them. The reason was that He was of God and they were of the devil. Tliose who heard and accepted His words Had a will to do the truth. Of those who : did not so receive and believe His words, He declares, “the lusts of your father [the devil] it is your will to do” (v. 44, R. V.). Falsehood is closely associated with murder in this passage, revealing how both have their source in the evil one, and how both lead to the ruination of character. The marginal readings here is the better, “When one speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for his father [the devil] also is a liar” (v. 44, R. V.). The result of falsehood is that when the truth is heard (v. 45), it is not believed. So utterly ruined is human nature by the fall that even the truth,, is not recognized for what it is, but a lie is received and believed be cause it suits and is acceptable to the , old nature. Here again may be seen the absolute necessity of the new birth by which alone the new naturé is re ceived. ---------- Points and Problems ■1. "Thou shalt not bear false wit ness against thy neighbor" (Ex. 20:16), The primary reference is to bearing false testimony in a court of ‘ law. This was a common and character istic crime in Eastern countries, but it need not be limited to this sphere. It refers also to baseless assertions
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-H itler and no power In the world will ever be WHAT HITLER CANNOT D o able to annihilate the Jews. GOD'S PROMISE— “ Their Redeemed llveth. He will truly plead their ca u se ” t S S S i& A S f â * . ° ™ - « - . y . » , C a ü s yî ’ ? r d aay> ° Lord’ save thy people” (Jer. 31:7). “ G ive yye thy salvation cometh” (Isa. 62:11). THE COMPASSIONATE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR ISRAEL__- „ j u , , , ^ ? v l t i l s P w it h ea m a r f n r ^ u LitsM aSm IO N I *5 itsM tyranny. Wlth amaZM13 results a ong the afflicted Jew s in spite of Nazi
l ^ M ^ ssiO N P mf|,! Î^ ? f r - U n d * u the supervision, of Mrs. Rosenberg, the B E T H - dren, caring for their spiritual, p h y sic a l"a n ^m a te H a f welfare.^ destltute cKI1*
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