You Shall Not Bear False Witness

The Eighth Commandment.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

 

"Sticks and stones can break your bones; but, words can never hurt you." Wrong, words can kill! They can destroy life. They can kill a spirit and; yes, they can even lead to death of the body in a whole variety of ways. Think about the one who is on trial and someone would bear false witness against him or her sending them to prison for life or aid in that person receiving a death sentence. Think about the young woman or man who is trying to overcome obstacles and bullies continue to beat them down with words. Not only can this lead to a loss of an abundant and joyful life; it can lead to serious depression and in some cases suicide. Consider the married person falsely accused of adultery, what will their partner who in their pain and anger, do to the ones he or she feels has betrayed him?

 

Do not deceive yourselves. There are no little white lies when it comes to bearing false witness against your neighbor. Lies will destroy your neighbor. Lies will destroy you.

 

God does not desire that anyone be harmed in any way. May He help us all to speak with integrity and to help our neighbors when they are down.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

James 1:18-27 Slow to Anger

James 1:18-27 NIV

Sully: The gentle giant...

Not many people care to be around bullies for too long. It is not pleasant to be around someone who can become angry at the drop of a hat. They may say they are standing up for what they believe, But, in fact, usually, their outbursts are attempts to justify their (or someone else's) self-centered desires and lifestyles.

James reminds us that "everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." (vs 19) Anger does not produce righteousness. It produces unrighteousness. It produces drama, anxiety, and all kinds of other evils. "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." (vs 21)

We, who look to Jesus who is our righteousness, ought to consider the needs of others before we speak or act so that, with the help of God, others may be blessed.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Romans 9:1-18 Speak With Integrity

Romans 9:1-18 NIV
"I am speaking the truth in Christ - I am not lying..." (vs 1) This verse never fails to bring a smile to my face. It reminds me of some young ones whom I know and love.

It is good when we can say with Paul I am speaking the truth, my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit. But, sadly that is not always the case. It is difficult to know when someone is truly speaking the truth and so we must depend upon the Holy Spirit within to help us discern the truth.

Paul's truth in Christ, sometimes hurt people. The truth is not always pleasing to hear. May we always speak with integrity for the good of those whom God loves.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Acts 24 Truth

Acts 24
Have you ever been in the position where no matter what you say to defend yourself; what you believe or what you have done, you continued to be attacked? It seems that there will always be those who just always have to be right and refuse to hear the truth. They refuse to accept the truth and they will go to all lengths to persecute those who desire to speak the truth. Jesus was not found guilty; but, he was crucified. Paul is tried over and over again. He has not been found guilty; but, his accusers are always ready to accuse him in their attempts to be rid of him. Paul, an innocent man, spends an inordinate amount of time under guard as the Jews continue to attempt to discredit him.

Paul is locked up and one would suppose that this would keep him from speaking the truth about the resurrection through Jesus. At least, that's what the Jews want; for the truth to be silenced. But, no, it does not have that effect. In fact, the bondage enables him to testify over and over again to the truth. There are still jailers and judges as well as the Jews, themselves, who accuse him who must listen over and over again to the truth of Jesus the Messiah.

I know I'm repeating this; but, let me say it again.... God knows what He's doing. He has a plan. Speak the truth. Testify to His goodness through Jesus Christ. Do not be afraid. He is with you now and always and works all things for the good of those who love Him according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

May God grant us the strength and the courage to speak the truth in love, always, for His glory.

God's Peace - Pr.

Amos 7 - Microphones and Hearing

"Then Amaziah said to Amos,  'Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.'” (Amos 7:12-13 NIV)

The king Amaziah does not want to hear the word of the LORD. He does not want the people to hear it, either. His desire is that Amos not speak it any longer at Bethel, lest the people turn and hear the word and worship the LORD, rather than him.

A few months ago, I quit using my lapel mic. I just started speaking louder and using the mic on the pulpit more during worship. You see, every few weeks, someone would turn the mic down and I wouldn't find out until after worship that very few had heard anything I said. I would go back into the sound room after worship and turn the volume up, again. A few weeks later, the volume would be down again, but only on the lapel mics. So, I decided not to keep fighting it and just keep my own volume turned up by speaking louder.

In September, after a summer break, our Sunday school resumed helping to lead worship more often. They pray the prayers of the church every Sunday and on the last Sunday of the month they also read lessons, gather the offering, and usually provide an offering of song as well. They do this mostly from the pulpit so that everyone can hear. During the sharing of the peace, one of our members who wears hearing aids let me know that he couldn't hear a thing. I asked him if it was just the children that he couldn't hear, as they do speak much softer than I do. He replied that he couldn't hear me, either. So, I went back to the sound room. Sure enough, someone had turned the volume on the pulpit microphone down to almost nothing. Nothing else was touched, just the volume on the pulpit mic. I am not sure why whoever is doing this, is doing this. This is not the first time the sound has been turned down when our Sunday School was helping to lead. It has happened more often than I can count. A couple of years ago, it was during their Christmas program. Since, I was sitting in the congregation that time, I realized what was wrong and was able to get up during the middle of it and get it fixed.

Yesterday; though, I felt, for a moment, like we had been speaking to a brick wall; after all, there were many at worship, yesterday, who had not heard the word of the LORD during most of the service. They had not heard the scriptures read. They had not heard the sermon. They had not heard the prayers of the church.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." (Rom 10:17)

Amaziah's intention was that he be lord of all the people. It was, he professed, his temple and the people would hear and listen to only what he wanted them to hear. I can't help wonder why anyone would want the voice of the LORD, His word not be read, by His littlest children.

May God help us to understand why anyone would persist in closing the mouths of the children. May God help us to pray for such a person and proclaim His grace to them.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Jeremiah 23 - Speaking Without Integrity

It is going to be one of those very busy weeks. Last night as I had begun working on one of the four sermons I have yet to prepare, my granddaughter, Cassie, was cleaning the house. She even dusted a few pictures! On the window ledge in my office is a framed quote given me by my friend, Jennifer Lynn, at my ordination. It says: "Comfort the Disturbed. Disturb the Comfortable." Cassie wanted to know what it meant. I told her it was my job description.

"Well, what does that mean?" she asked.

"It means," I told her, "that when someone is hurting or troubled, I am to comfort them with the Good News of Jesus the Christ. And... when someone becomes too comfortable in themselves and are busy hurting or troubling others to make themselves feel good about themselves, then I am to disturb them a bit by confronting their ways. Kind of like when you start doing things that are not good for you or anyone else, I have to confront you about it."

I continued by telling her that the saying actually comes from a newspaper writer (Finley Peter Dunne), who used these words, "comforts th' afflicted, afflicts th' comfortable" to describe, in part, a newsperson's job description. It means we are to speak with integrity and that means comforting those who need comforting and sometimes speaking to those who are a little too comfortable with their sins about it.

"Oh," was the only reply I got from Cassie before she went on cleaning.

One of my pet peeves is what I call "speaking without integrity." Makes me a little crazy when young people do it. Makes me even crazier when adults do! That is twisting or exaggerating stories so no one gets to hear the real truth, the whole truth. Often it is done so that the speaker looks a little more innocent than they actually might be and someone else looks worse.

Cassie's dad simply refers to "speaking without integrity" as "too much drama." Twisted stories and half truths cause a lot of problems, a lot of drama, not just for people around them, but for the speakers, themselves. When too much drama caused by speaking without integrity enters the picture that is usually when I end throwing a rock into the pond and disturb the too comfortable.

There were many prophets in Jeremiah's day (as there is today) that spoke without integrity. They did not speak the truth. They twisted God's message to the people to please themselves as well as the people. The LORD speaks through Jeremiah warning them to quit twisting the word of God to make themselves more appealing to the people. Speak the truth. Speaking the truth might get you persecuted; people really may not want to hear the truth; but, it is better to speak the truth than to lie in God's Name. It is better to keep your lips still than to speak without integrity. It is better for all who would speak the lies and it is better for all who would listen to stand on the word of God rather than appease the itching ears. Families, communities, even entire kingdoms will fall for the lack of the truth.

But, for those who will hear the truth, there is Good News, indeed! We have a Good Shepherd who will guide us in all truth; who will guide us in His way. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, our LORD! Listen to Him and follow!

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Jeremiah 20 - Can't Keep His Mouth Shut

There are times when we think I should have just kept my mouth shut.

In the face of much persecution, Jeremiah keeps doing what he is called to do. He continues to warn the people of their impending captivity in Babylon. But, they will not listen. Instead, Jeremiah is beaten and thrown into a dungeon for speaking the word of the LORD. Yet, he will not, he cannot, stop speaking God's message to the people. God's word burns in his heart like a fire. It will not be stilled. He must speak it.

In spite of the personal danger, Jeremiah does not pull back from doing what the LORD calls him to do. He laments even his own birth; yet, he stands firm in faith, committing his cause to the LORD. He assures himself that the LORD will declare those who persecute him as unrighteous. They will incur much damage for persecuting the prophet of the LORD. They will suffer greatly for not listening to God's word.

The servants of the LORD are still persecuted, even today. At least, in this country (U.S.A.) we are not beaten or imprisoned for our faith. Yet, in many subtle and overt way the faithful are shunned or persecuted. Yet, even as Jeremiah kept faith and continued to proclaim His word, we continue to proclaim the truth. We do not keep our mouths shut. We proclaim His wondrous deeds even as we sing praises to God and bless His Holy Name.  

"Sing to the Lord!
    Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy    from the hands of the wicked." (Jer 20:13)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ecclesiastes 3 - Turn! Turn! Turn! to Everything There is a Season

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. (Eccl 3:1-8 NIV)

 

"Turn! Turn! Turn! to Everything There is a Season." Many of you probably recognize Ecclesiastes 3 from actually reading it before. Some of you may have heard parts of it a funeral or maybe on Ash Wednesday when we hear words similar to "from dust you are, to dust you shall return." Some of you may remember these words from the song Pete Seeger wrote in 1959, which was recorded by various artists. Seger basically put the words from Ecclesiastes 3 to music and added 2 things:  the words "Turn, Turn, Turn" and "a time for peace, I swear it's not too late." In 1969 the Byrds' recording of it became a hit, making Ecclesiastes 3 one of the oldest lyrics (written by Solomon) to become a hit on the pop charts.

There is a time for peace, I swear it's not to late. There is a time and season for everything. It is not to turn our hearts away from the injustice of the world and turn toward the path which God intends for us to follow so that we might truly live life. It is not to late to turn our lives around and live in His presence and in His peace.

Let there be peace on earth. Let us treat one another justly, causing no one more anxiety. If there is to be anxiety, it will come in its allotted time and season for God's purpose. We do not have to manufacture it for ourselves or others. Let us take each day as it comes before us and learn to live life as God intended us to live, enjoying the fruits of the garden, enjoying the fruits of the day, even as we labor to eat and drink, to provide for the necessities of our lives. May God grant that we should be happy and find satisfaction in our toil. May God grant us peace with Him and with one another even as we strive to live life in this world accepting every thing that comes to us in whatever time or season.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 1 - Listen!

Listen!  Listen, to the proverbs Solomon! Listen! Listen, to wisdom speak!

There is a reason for the all of the exclamation points.  Listening to wisdom, learning the way in which we should go is imperative to our health and happiness, even our prosperity.  Alas, it seems that every generation insists on learning from their own mistakes instead of listening to the lessons learned in previous generations. 

Have you ever had to deal with someone who is going in a might wrong direction. They are headed to a life lived alone. Boxed in by their own greed, selfishness, envy, laziness, attractions to those things that will destroy them. It may be that because they are so busy trying to find personal happiness they have shut the door to the rest of the world. They have shut the door on honest, healthy relationships with God and their neighbor. And.. it is in Godly relationships that we will find happiness. We will find peace. We will find joy. But, those who travel in their own righteousness seem to know best. They will go it alone. They will travel their own path. You may well be told that it is none of your business. They have the right to live life in the way they choose. That they are hurting no one. They are unable to acknowledge that they are not really living life - at least not an abundant life. They fail to see that the path they have chosen is hurting people, even society around them.  If you're going to indulge in something, indulge in the abundant life that God would have you live. Live life in Christ!

Sadly, so many children are being led astray by adults with so little Godly wisdom. They, too, are doomed to live lives filled with one calamity after another, one disaster after the last. They are taught to reject the knowledge and wisdom that will guide them to fruitful lives filled with joy and peace.

Do not hate knowledge, but grasp it. Hold on to it. Led the knowledge that the LORD would provide you with guide you in all that you say and think and do.

Listen to the words of Proverbs 1:28-33 (NIV)

“Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

 

Listen! Listen and live life, well!

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 145 - Rest Is Found In Him

I was exhausted as I lay down to sleep last night.  I've done a bit of traveling the last four days. What was even more exhausting was planning today and tomorrow as I try to catch up on work and prepare to take another trip. Tomorrow afternoon, I leave with the youth from our congregation for a retreat.  Now, my mind tells me that retreats are suppose to be restful. But, there is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into them.

So, as I tried to reconcile in mind the fact that our friend Eddie or "The Fisherman" would make his final voyage out to sea to be laid to rest today, while scheduling the next two days in my mind, I was exhausted. I realized that I would not be sleeping well last night if I did not switch my focus.

So, I did. I spent my final moments awake praising God and trusting that Eddie's, as well as my spirit, was in the hands of God. In this I rejoice. In this, I find peace. In this knowledge, I found rest.

Look to the LORD and you will find peace. In Christ, you will find all that you need.

God's Peace - Pr. J

"My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:21 NIV)