Lesson 6: How we think of other people is important to God
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When Jesus was one day tested by a doctor of Jewish law on which was the greatest commandment he answered that it was Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself. To explain what he meant by ‘neighbour’ he then told the parable of the Good Samaritan. You can find this in Luke chapter 10 verses 25 to 37.
We will come back to this part of Jesus’ teaching in our next lesson but it has to be the starting point for this lesson as well because if we are using Christian love in our relationships with other people, even strangers (as the Good Samaritan did), we will find that the other instructions given to us by Jesus and the apostles are easier to understand and follow.
It is very easy to be nice to the rich and powerful but to look down on and despise those who are weak, poor or disabled. James the brother of Jesus says that this is having respect of persons and warns us against this way of thinking. James 2 verses 1 to 9.
There is much to think about in these words and they are especially important in countries and communities where there is a mixture of different races, tribes or colours of people.
The harsh and brutal quarrels in recent years in many parts of the world have shown that to describe others as being inferior, dishonest or savages seems a natural part of human thinking.
The Bible however says the opposite, that such thoughts and attitudes have no place in the hearts and minds of those who would be disciples of Jesus.
Paul the apostle of Jesus lived at a time when slavery was an accepted part of the Roman Empire. There is much guidance and instruction in the letters of Paul concerning the relationships between those masters and slaves who had become followers of Jesus.
Look at his letter to the churches in Galatia chapter 3 verses 26 to 29. Here Paul says clearly that disciples of Jesus are all equal in the sight of God. There is no race difference, no difference between men and women disciples, between skin colour or social position.
When we talk to the people we live or work with it is so easy to use harsh and critical words that wound or discourage others. James wrote about this also. Look at chapter 3 of his letter and verses 5 to 11. Hard words once spoken cannot be taken back and, as we all differ in our personalities, it is those with a quick temper who need to be most careful. God through his angels is aware of the things we say.
The use of judgement is important to us when it is between good and bad or right and wrong but when we apply that same judgement to other people we need to be much more careful. Jesus gives us some valuable advice about this and it is recorded in Matthew chapter 7 verses 1 to 5. From these words, you will probably make up your mind never to judge another person but it is not easy to stick to this resolve. Jesus backs up his instructions with a small parable. The key to understanding his words is the statement about ‘Beholding the mote (a tiny speck of dust) in our brother’s eye’. This is the instant criticism of other people, which ignores our own failings in the sight of God.
There are times when we do need to use careful judgement and Jesus gives an example of these in Matthew chapter 7 verses 15 and 16. This advice was certainly valuable in the early years of the Christian church when there were many false teachers who even claimed to be Christ. It is equally important today when there are so many churches and so many teachers. The crucial test is Ye shall know them by their fruits. What these men and perhaps women do in their lives is more revealing than what they preach.
Once Jesus had chosen his disciples he started to teach them how to do the things that would be pleasing to God and much of this teaching is contained in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7. Let us just look together at chapter 5 and read from verse 21. Jesus quotes from the Jewish ‘Law of Moses’, which dates from the time when the nation escaped from slavery in the land of Egypt. Here he explains that where the old law controlled the actions of the Jews, his new law would go further and control their thoughts and emotions as well. He speaks about anger, abusive language and lustful thoughts. He speaks about the breakdown in marriages that often happens as the result of sexual lust for others outside the marriage.
In verse 33, Jesus warns about making unwise oaths. By this, he means the words that people use to impress others on their truthfulness or sincerity. Unfortunately, they choose to use words that are sacred to God and this he has forbidden. Even when we only think the words in our minds it is important that we always remember his instruction in Exodus chapter 20 verse 7. As a general rule Jesus says ‘Swear not at all’ Matthew chapter 5 verse 34. It is much safer if we avoid the use of oaths at any time and that includes a court of law if we ever find ourselves in such a place. Here provision is usually made for followers of Jesus to ‘Affirm’ before giving evidence. The use of swearing as a way of describing what we think of others has already been dealt with by Jesus in his instruction to be careful what we say verse 22.In verse 44, the instruction to love our neighbours is taken several steps further. Jesus now tells us to love our enemies! To bless those who curse us and to do good to those who hate us! Even to pray for those people who do us harm. It will never be easy to follow these instructions for our natural reaction is to do the opposite. It is clear however that these are all examples given by Jesus, of the way we think about others and this is important to God.
Perhaps the most helpful guide is to see how Jesus reacted to the cruelty of the men who beat him and nailed him to the cross. His words were written down by Luke in chapter 23 verses 33 and 34. If Jesus could forgive in the midst of his pain and suffering then those of us who wish to be his disciples must learn to follow his wonderful example.
Pride and arrogance have no place before God, in our actions but more importantly in our hearts and minds.
As a way of ending this lesson let us look together at some words of Isaiah in chapter 66 of his prophecy, verses 1 and 2. They give us a clue to those things God is seeking from us and those human characteristics that are most pleasing to
him.
Lesson 7: Loving your Neighbour
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In this lesson we are going to concentrate on the instruction by Jesus that if we really want to be his disciples then we must show in our lives quite extraordinary amounts of love for other people.
The starting point for this lesson is the parable that was mentioned in our last lesson, the Good Samaritan. When we look closely at Jesus’ words in Luke chapter 10 verses 30 to 37, we see a number of important things. First, that Jesus chose a Samaritan to put into this parable, for the Samaritans were hated by the Jews, looked down on as inferior people. Secondly, that the man attacked by thieves is not helped by the two men who should have been the first to care for him. The priests who came from the tribe of Levi were responsible in the Law of Moses for the health and the general care of the people of Israel. It was the Samaritan who showed love and compassion and was practical in the things he did to help. He dressed the wounds; he took the injured man on his donkey to a place of security and rest. Finally, it was he who made future provision for the injured man’s care.
When we read in the Gospels about the many acts of healing done by Jesus the writers often include the words And Jesus had compassion on the sick person or in the case of the young man who had died, upon his grieving mother. Look at Luke chapter 7 verses 11 to 15.
Once Jesus had chosen his twelve close disciples he began to teach them the lessons of love, of forgiveness and of mercy. If you now turn back in your Bible to Luke chapter 6 verse 17 we will now look at these things together. The audience listening to Jesus that day was very large and had come from a great distance to watch him. Most of them had come either to be healed or to see Jesus’ acts of healing. They stayed though to hear his teaching on Christian discipleship and we will do the same, concentrating on verses 27 to 36.
There is no coincidence that what we are reading in Luke’s gospel is almost the same as we read in Matthew’s gospel in our last lesson. This information is so important that it appears many times in the Bible. What starts as a thought in our minds often gets turned into action, so the laws of Jesus need first to govern our thinking in order to eventually govern our actions. When we show love and compassion to another person, we do so by our actions.
Just before Jesus left the upper room where he had enjoyed the final meal with his disciples before his death, he repeated this very special command about love. We find it in John’s gospel chapter 13 verses 34 to 35. His words need some careful thought, for the Christian love shown by his disciples has to be as great as that shown by Jesus to those men and women of his time and all who would follow him through history. He showed his love by his willingness to die on the cross so that all of his followers who showed real faith might have the opportunity of having everlasting life in his kingdom on this earth. Look at John chapter 15 verses 9 to 14 and notice how the command is repeated in verse 12 and in verse 17.
When Peter protested that he would never desert Jesus, John chapter 13 verses 36 to 38, Jesus told him that before day-break when the cock crowed he would deny his Lord three times. When this happened exactly as Jesus foretold, Peter was ashamed but learned the lesson that loving his Lord was not an easy thing to do when put under pressure.
After Jesus’ resurrection, he met his disciples in the north in Galilee where seven of them had decided to take a boat and go fishing. They joined Jesus on the shore where he had prepared a meal of bread and fish John chapter 21 verse 9. It is significant that Jesus showed his compassion on the multitudes of five thousand and later four thousand people by miraculously feeding them with bread and fishes. After the meal on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus completed the lesson of love by asking Peter three times about his love for his Lord. Jesus then added new words to the previous instruction, verses 15 to 17; in effect, each time when Peter said that he loved Jesus he was given an instruction and a responsibility, feed my lambs, feed my sheep.
In the early years of the new church, there were many lambs (new disciples) to care for. As new churches were formed in many parts of Israel and other countries, so the responsibility changed and there was a need to care for established communities (the sheep). Paul used this same language in his farewell message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, look at Acts chapter 20 verses 28 and 29.
The apostle John also learned this valuable lesson of love from Jesus. As he hung on the cross Jesus spoke to him and gave him responsibility for his mother Mary. You will find this in John’s gospel chapter 19 verses 26 and 27.
About 50 years later John wrote a letter that he intended should be read by all the churches. In this, he explained very simply the law of Christian love. Find the first letter of John and look at chapter 4 verse 7 to 21. Read these carefully for they are especially important in countries where there is fierce hatred between one section of the community and another, the madness of genocide between tribe and tribe. War between one area and another, between town and town, village and village. Hatred and vendetta between family and family. John’s words are firm and leave no doubt in the mind. It is not possible to become a disciple of Christ, to say that we love God and at the same time have hatred for our fellow Christians in our hearts. If a man says I love God and hates his brother he is a liar. It is not possible to avoid these words and for those wanting to be baptised or those recently baptised, this is an essential lesson.
There are so many important things for us to remember from these words that I would like to use the remainder of this lesson to look at them carefully.
1. Verse 7 Love is of God: this means that at creation the ability to show selfless love was built into us by God’s design. He wants us to respond to his love and Jesus’ love for us.
2. Verse 10 God sent Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. This is the measure of his love for us.
3. Verse 11 Because God loves us, we must show love to others.
4. Verse 12 When we show this God-given love to others, there is something of God within each of us.
5. Verse 17 When we can honestly feel that we are capable of showing this God-given love to others then we need have no fear of the judgement at the return of Jesus.
6. Verse 18 Perfect love casts out fear. There are very real advantages to those who are able to show this kind of love.
7. Verses 20 and 21 These are the verses we have already looked at but because of the growth of murder and enmity between peoples in many countries of the world I really want to emphasise the importance of this message. We cannot love God and hate our brother or sister. First of all John is talking of baptised disciples of Jesus, once baptised there is no excuse for enmity between us.
Just as the neighbour of the man in Jesus’ parable was the Samaritan, so our neighbour can be any person who needs our help. In the wider sense of neighbours being the people we meet each day we have a far greater task. Fortunately we have no need to get involved with most of the people who pass by us each day but, when we do, the command of Jesus must be remembered: Love God and your neighbour as yourself.
Lesson 8: The Bible teaching on suffering
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It is important that you have already studied the lessons on Fear, Hope, Faith and Prayer for the things you have learned there will help you in an understanding of this subject.
Suffering is a problem in life that can affect anyone. A child is born blind, or deformed and we ask, Why is this? The child has done no wrong. Men and women equally young and elderly, rich and poor suffer from pain with hopeless diseases that can only end in death. Why should they suffer?
Pain torture and death have been inflicted on helpless millions by the tyranny of man and the destructiveness of modern warfare. Lives are lost in acts of terrorism and crime. There have always been these scourges throughout the history of the world but, with much larger populations and the increased capability for destruction, the scale of today’s disasters is often overwhelming. People ask why does God allow these things to happen?
This question apparently accepts that God does exist and expects that God will always act in a benevolent way. What it ignores completely is the reason for the suffering on the earth. This reason can be summed-up as follows.
1. In Eden, mankind chose to go their own way rather than God’s way and brought upon themselves the promised penalty of death. This was however only part of the penalty, look at Genesis chapter 3 verses 16 to 19. Life became very difficult for the first man and woman.
2. The greater part of the suffering of men and women has always been the brutality of others. From the first murder by Cain of his brother Abel, the
Bible records war and terror, murder and deceit. A state of affairs that we are very familiar For every brutal action there is a responsibility for the disaster that follows. The consequences are inescapable. This is the simple law of ‘cause and effect’. Added to this are the activities of one generation that bring disaster to a later generation. Things such as chemical warfare, that poison the ground, the seas or even the heredity of people causing deformity and damage to sight, hearing or mobility, are man-made. Suffering that we bring upon ourselves cannot be attributed to God. Whole tracts of country strewn with land-mines and anti- personnel weapons were put there by an army acting under orders from human government.
3. Mankind lives in a universe controlled by very precise physical and chemical laws. Cause and effect are natural to our environment and the great natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, drought and flood which bring untold suffering upon human beings are not selective. They affect the good and the evil. If we do feel that God is directing these powerful forces do we want him to somehow use them selectively so that only the bad people are killed and the good survive?
In the gospel of Luke there is the record of Jesus being questioned about the link between sin and suffering. You will find it in chapter 13 verses 1 to 5. The teaching of Jesus is clear even to us today. Disasters do not seek out the sinful and happen only to them. These things are not the result of sin. Bad workmanship or earth tremors perhaps, in the case of the tower in Siloam and harsh cruel Roman rule in the case of those killed in the temple. Jesus is careful to immediately point out that the duty of man before God is not to build a superstition around such happenings but instead be warned by them that human life is fragile and repentance and baptism should not be put off for another day because there may not be another day for any of us.
I want now to turn to another aspect of suffering. Proverbs chapter 3 verses 11 and 12 tell us that there are to be trials in the lives of those who are faithful. This is because God loves them and chastens them as the children in a family are occasionally chastened by a father or mother who cares for them and wishes them to be well trained for future life.
Chastening which in this lesson is another word for suffering is a form of spiritual training and has to be seen as the evidence of God’s love for us.
Paul used this quotation from Proverbs to make this point clear in his letter to
Hebrews chapter 12 verses 5 to 13. The point he made in that letter is explained even more clearly in his second letter to Corinthians chapter 12 verses 7 to 10. Paul the chosen apostle to the Gentiles, the man who had more than once received a direct vision of Jesus instructing and helping him, had some permanent disability that was so distressing that he pleaded with God three times that he might be healed. In Paul’s case, he received an answer from God verse 9. My grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul clearly accepted these words from God and continued his work of travelling and preaching until the day he became a prisoner of the Romans.
We also should learn that lesson from those words of God, weakness or suffering is something we have to accept in our lives. We should not allow it to ruin our lives and we should not allow it to intrude into our worship of God and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We can even understand suffering to be a way of stripping away the pleasures and distractions of the world around us so that we can reach a closer relationship with God and with Jesus.
This was certainly true for many of the servants of God in Old Testament times for they were severely tested in their lives yet their faith in God became stronger because of that testing. Many of those men and women we have already met in these lessons and you will remember their names. Job, Abraham, Joseph, Elijah, Daniel and Jeremiah are just my selection from the many examples.
So far we have looked exclusively at the sufferings of mankind, now I want you to think about God himself. Did he suffer when Israel his chosen people rejected him? Does he suffer today because of the hardness of men’s hearts and the brutality in their treatment of their fellow men and women?
Turn in your Bible to the gospel of John chapter 3 verses 14 to 17. Here is surely the greatest suffering of God, that he had to allow his only Son to be beaten and put to death by crucifixion so that the sin of mankind might be forgiven and men and women of faith might have the confident hope of resurrection and immortality.
Jesus came in the nature of man, he shared our experience and endured the temptations from within and the afflictions from without that are the common lot of all mankind. This special life, lived for our benefit, is described in Hebrews chapter 2 verses 10 to 18. Here is another powerful lesson for us. Jesus was made Perfect through sufferings verse 10, so that he is able to help all those who are tempted, verse 18. In Hebrews chapter 5 verse 8 we read that Jesus Learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
If then God suffered and if, in obedience to the Father, Jesus suffered, the whole problem of man’s suffering is raised to a new level. Without faith in God suffering is an evil to be endured. With faith and the example of Jesus before us, it is clear that suffering may purify our faith. It can be the means by which God brings the suffering disciple closer to himself. The chastening of the Lord has to be seen as a divine education. If we are spared it then be grateful and worship God, if we have suffering in our lives then endure it and grow closer to God knowing that he also suffered and intends us to find strength from our experiences.
Lesson 9:Living in Fear
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It is very easy for those living in countries where there is good government, peace and civil order to say that fear is just something you have to stand up to. "Confront your fears" is a modern slogan.
In recent years even people in formerly peaceful countries have had to learn what it is like to live in fear day and night because of war, often civil war within their countries, because of natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, avalanche, tornadoes hurricanes or cyclones, depending where they live in the world.
Fear comes from not knowing what is going to happen to you next, from sudden attack on your property or from being unable to help yourself, your family or friends when you are threatened. Sudden events and the sudden coming of fear can happen to all of us, but what this lesson is really written for is to show us how to look at and overcome the fear that does not go away. Fear that is with us day and night for many days, weeks or even years.
There are some very clear examples in the Bible and we can read these together now to see just how those people were affected.
First then to Exodus chapter 14 verse 10 where the people of Israel who have escaped slavery in Egypt discover that they are being pursued by a vengeful Egyptian army. The sea was before them, the Egyptians behind them; quite naturally they were afraid.
Another example, this time in Deuteronomy chapter 26 verse 63
to 67. When you read these words, you will see that they describe the fear that never goes away. God tells his people that this will happen to them if they desert him and begin to worship idols made of wood and stone. The Jews did desert God and their history up to this present day has included many years when they lived in this great fear. In Germany, between the years of 1939 said 1945, 6 million of them were ruthlessly exterminated just because they were Jews. That is a terrible example of living in fear.
Fear is worse when it is an unknown thing. It can affect whole groups of people. It is passed from person to person in conversation. When this happens to you, the first thing you can do as an individual is identify the cause of the fear. Who or what is responsible. It is then possible to see what you can do about this cause. In many cases, to leave your home, your village and your family and friends seems the only sensible course of action.
Since the beginning of the Christian Church, followers of Jesus have been persecuted just as much as other people. Sometimes this was because they were Christians, yet it did not make them give up their place as disciples, instead they became even stronger in their faith and obedience to Jesus.
The book of Acts, in telling us about the preaching work done by the Apostles in the countries to the north of the Mediterranean sea, reveals that wherever they went they were threatened by the groups of Jews who lived in those regions.
The apostles were beaten, stoned to death and thrown into prison but we do not see them cowed or defeated. Quite the opposite, for many times God sent his angels to open the doors of prisons Acts 16 verse 22 to 29. Just imagine Paul and Silas, aching from the beating they had received, not able to sleep, instead singing praises to God (probably from the book of Psalms).
From the early days of Jesus' Church, the disciples knew what it was like to live with fear yet they did not allow it to rule their lives. Instead Jesus was the great ruling force in their lives and because of him they did not give in to fear. His own example, from that terrible day when he knew that in just a few moments cruel men would come to capture him and take him away to be crucified, would have encouraged his followers of that time and can do the same for us today.
It is in Luke's gospel that we can read of this time of great difficulty for Jesus, chapter 22 verse 39. Read on now to verse 44. He knew from the many prophecies what was going to happen to him and because he was a man, he was afraid. Yet, because he was the Son of God, he knew that this painful death was the price that had to be paid for the sins of humanity. With great courage he stood up from where he had been crouched in prayer to his Father and moved out of that peaceful place to face his accusers and his death.
Jesus never promised his followers lives free from trouble and from fear but he did show that the life that we live now is just an introduction to his kingdom. Some of his followers would die because they were Christians but in God's purpose they would never be lost "r forgotten. On the day of resurrection, they will stand on the Earth with those others who have lived and died peacefully.
Look at Jesus' words in Luke 12 verse 4 to 7. Hell in this reference is the grave and those who do not accept God's offer of salvation rest there eternally.
If we place ourselves in God's hands, we put our trust in the mighty creator. He is the God who has designed us and placed us on this earth for his own wonderful purpose.
To lift us above the affects of fear we have words of encouragement like those in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians chapter 3 verse 16. The foundation for our lives is Jesus verse IX, if we are baptised into his name. The verses from 12 to 15 are there to show us quite clearly that if all of our possessions are lost but we still have our faith then we are still secure in the purpose of God.
Let us now go back to Exodus chapter 14 and see what happened to the Children of Israel. Remember that they were in a perilous position, caught between the waters of the Red Sea and the advancing Egyptian army. Look now at verse 13 and read on to the end of the chapter. Did you see the advice given to the people by Moses "Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord"?
Look at the first letter of John chapter 4 verses 15 to 19. Verse
15 makes an appeal to all those who have thought about baptism but not really made up their minds. If we are "In Jesus" we are surrounded by his perfect love and that Perfect Love casts out fear.
There are some wonderful words of comfort in Psalm 34; try reading this Psalm. These can change our whole outlook on life; look especially at verses 4 to 8" In verse 9 of this Psalm we are given a new idea ... if there is to be fear in our lives then let it be fear of a different, healthy kind, fear that is good for us ... fear of the Lord God. If you read verse 11 you will find there an offer written by David the psalmist.
He was the man who when he was young went out to fight the giant Philistine Goliath armed with just a slingshot and a few small stones, plus a lot of faith in his God.
David gives us good advice. Fear of God is clean and good for us. This means that we will always be conscious of his presence.
We will always respect God and be aware of how close he is to us through his angels.
The things we do in our lives will be honest and good and, as we love God, so we will find it easier to love our fellow men just as Jesus did. Remember that even when he was hanging on the cross, in terrible pain, he asked his Father to forgive. "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do".
The Apostle John tells us much about love in our lives but he also tells us about human fear and this is a good place to end this
Perfect love drives out all fear (1 John 4:18).
Lesson 10: Honesty before God and his son Jesus Christ
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In this lesson I want to look carefully at the things we do each day. Some will be for God and for Jesus, like preaching to others or helping the sick and elderly. Some will be the care and direction of our families or those we are responsible for. All other actions will concern people who we meet each day, in working, in travelling or in whatever each day might bring.
Honesty is about obeying the rules. Above all God’s rules but also the rules of the society we live in. Sometimes, in times of war and disaster, human rules are disregarded but the follower of Jesus does not give in to such temptations for the rules given by God and so carefully explained by Jesus and his apostles always come first in his or her life. In an earlier lesson we have already looked at the teaching in Psalm 34 verse 7. These are wonderful words and a great comfort in terrible times, but those words work two ways. If the angels of God are close to people of faith in their daily lives, then they are also there to listen and watch when we are being crafty and dishonest, telling lies or taking anything that is not ours.
Come with me now to the words of Paul on this subject. Let us see what he has to say. First then to the letter to Romans chapter 12 verse 17. Paul is concerned how non-Christians see the man or woman who does follow Jesus. Remember that preaching is not just what we say to others it is also about what we do and the way that we do it. Paul continues in chapter 13 verses 12 to 14 by talking about the works of darkness; the things men do dishonestly thinking they will not be seen. Jesus used this same idea when speaking to Nicodemus. You will find this in the gospel of John, chapter 3 verses 19 to 21. The objective of the true follower of Jesus is to do all things so that they can be viewed in the full light and seen by anyone, by God and other men. This is quite a clear teaching isn’t it? In his letter to Philippians chapter 4 verse 8, Paul advises us to make certain things a rule in our lives. Things such as truth, honesty, justice, purity, beauty and things of good report. These things will show to others that we are really following Jesus and will at the same time be a powerful method of preaching. When we do speak to our neighbours about Jesus and his gospel of the
Kingdom, they will be more ready to believe what we say.
It is astonishing to read in Paul’s and Peter’s letters advice on how we should behave towards those who rule over us. Governments differ around the world, some are good some are corrupt, some have a fair system of justice others are harsh and cruel yet the apostles advised obedience to all earthly powers. Just look at Paul’s first letter to Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 to 3. These words were written at a time when the Roman Empire was actively persecuting Christians. It must have been a difficult teaching to accept and put into practice but it is there for us also to follow. Jesus taught his disciples to pay their taxes to the Roman Emperor and, in his words, gave us one extra thing to remember. Let us look at Jesus’ words recorded by Matthew in chapter 22 verses 17 to 22.
The instruction is to give to the society we live in, honesty in the payment of taxes and duties, but to God our love and our whole lives in his service.
When we looked at the advice Paul gave to the Philippian Christians, did you notice the phrase “Whatsoever things are of good report”? Things that were generally agreed by all as being acceptable for followers of Jesus to do. Things where it was not just one person’s judgement but the general judgement of the more reliable members of the church. There is another similar example where the general opinion of all the local disciples was used. It is in Acts chapter 6 verse 3. It wwas important at that time to choose the best men available. They were to become deacons, leaders and guides to others. Perhaps it was a good choice that was made because we only have information about two of these men and they turned out to be good servants of the church, capable administrators and powerful preachers. The lesson from the New Testament is often repeated ‘Follow the teachings of Jesus and the careful instructions and explanations of his apostles’. Despite this Biblical advice, we do naturally tend to rely on friends and acquaintances for human advice.
Have you ever thought what it is about another person that leads you to take their advice? Perhaps they are elderly, experienced, wise or honest. Let us look at two examples of men who gave advice. The first we find in Numbers chapter 13. On the border of the Promised Land, Moses had sent in twelve spies ahead of the whole nation of Israel. If you read verses 26 to 33, you can see that the reports of the spies differed. Ten came back full of fear and doubt and just two full of faith and the certainty that with God’s help nothing was impossible. Read on now into chapter 14 and look especially at Caleb’s and Joshua’s words in verses 6 to 9. Who do you think the people believed? Unfortunately for them, the ten pessimists. God’s anger at their choice shows us which of the twelve were honest, reliable and men of faith. It was Caleb and Joshua. Their reward was to cross into the Promised Land with their families whereas all those who lacked faith died in the wilderness.
Another example of friends who gave advice is found in the book of Job. Job had lost everything he possessed. Sitting on the town rubbish dump he was visited by three friends who gave advice; but it was not good advice and in the final chapter we read that God condemned the three men for dishonest advice. Look at Job 42 verses 7 to 10. It was just as well for Job that he ignored this human advice and clung to his faith in God. What is important to realise is that the three men did try to help Job and they spent a lot of time trying to console him in his misery, chapter 2 verse 13. Their problem was that they did not use God’s principles in their advice to Job. Instead, they used human, fallible wisdom. That is the difference we need to look for when we take advice from friends.
Some features about honesty seem very small and trivial, but with God even the very small things we do are important. Look now at the prophecy of Micah chapter 6 verse 8. Some examples are given in verses 10 and 11. Just imagine shopkeepers with scales that are deliberately adjusted to give less than the customer has paid for. The shopkeeper may think he or she is smart and clever but God hates this hidden wickedness. However, you may not be a shopkeeper so how do these words apply to you? In our lives we do things for others, possibly we have employment, in both of these instances we can put in our best effort or only a little. We can earn or not earn our wages. It is the same when we do things for God; we can give much or just a little of our time and effort. The deceit occurs when we pretend to other Christians that we are giving all we have. When we are given responsibility for others or for financial matters, we must remember this lesson. No matter how much we may be tempted to misuse that responsibility God will know what we are thinking and what we may be doing in secret. It may be possible to hide our deeds from other men but we cannot hide them from God. There is a very sharp lesson on this subject in the Acts of the Apostles chapter
5 verses 1 to 11. Here a man and his wife tried to lie to God and to the apostles. The price they paid for that deceit was severe. You can see that this is exactly the same wickedness as having dishonest weights or scales in the market place and we read in Micah that God hates this. The case of Ananias and Sapphira must have been so bad that immediate action was essential for this is the only case in the New Testament where the power of the Holy Spirit was used to take away life. On all other occasions it was used to heal and even restore life to those who had died.
When Jesus allowed himself to be taken by the soldiers, beaten and then crucified he gave everything for us. He did this so that men and women might have the way opened for them to be saved from the extinction of death. There was no deceit in Jesus; he was always totally honest and fair to all who came to him. In his sermon on Christian living, he gave us some special standards to aim for in our response to him. Look at Luke’s gospel chapter 6 and read verses 35 to 38. The final words in verse 38 remind us of the need to give honestly if we wish to receive the inheritance of the Kingdom.