The Crucifixion Of Jesus

The shadow of the cross that was raised on Golgotha reaches across the centuries to offer comfort, forgiveness, and hope to us today. The story is almost unbelievable, for it is hard for us to image such love. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” is the message of the golden text of the Bible, John Chapter 3, verse 16. Jesus had to love us beyond measure to give Himself willingly to die for our sins. And we must complete the story of love by loving Him in return.

Some of the Jewish leaders hated Jesus because He condemned their sins. They did not want to believe the truth He preached, as He urged them to repent and turn back to God. They became jealous of the great crowds that followed Him and believed in Him, and finally decided to get rid of Him by having Him killed. Since the Jews did not have the right to have a man killed without the approval of the Roman governor, they had to take Jesus to Pilate. At the trial they had no evidence of wrong-doing by Jesus, but put enough pressure on Pilate that he finally agreed to have the soldiers kill Jesus by crucifying Him. The place where they killed prisoners was outside the city of Jerusalem on a small hill called Golgotha or the place of the skull. Here they laid the cross on the ground while they nailed his hands and feet to it with great spikes. The cross was then lifted and dropped into a hole in the ground. The entire weight of the body tore at the spikes, and the pain was almost beyond endurance. The blood began to pound through the body as the shock of what was happening began to take its toll. As the cells of the body were broken down it became a living death that sometimes lasted for a few hours, and could even last for a few days. Since Jesus had been whipped before they took Him to be crucified, He was already weak from loss of blood. Mercifully, He lived only a few hours on the cross.

Even with all the pain, Jesus thought of others rather than Himself. His first words from the cross were, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”. Even though He could have threatened to punish them eternally when they faced Him in judgement, he did not do so. He thought of His mother, who stood by the cross weeping, and asked his beloved friend John to take care of her. On either side of Him there were two thieves crucified with Him. When one of them expressed faith in Jesus, the Saviour answered, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”. As the terrible afternoon wore on and His pain increased he finally moaned, “I thirst”, and was offered vinegar, which He would not drink. God blotted out the sun as if to let us know how black the deed which was being done, and out of that blackness Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”. His final words expressed his complete surrender to the will of God as He said, “It is finished; Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit”. He then bowed His head and died.

Even the earth could not accept the death of its Creator and Master without showing grief. There was a great earthquake which shook the countryside and made all people afraid. The only fear which we need to have, however, is that of refusing the love He showed in dying for us. The theme of our lives ought to be, “I’ll live for Him who died for me, how happy then my soul shall be. I’ll live for Him who died for me, my Saviour and my God”.

1. Confrontation is necessary in genuine, truthful relationships. It is a way to help people and relationships grow to maturity.
• Ephesians 4:15-16: Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
• Colossians 4:6: Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
2. Confrontation is needed when there is an unaddressed or unrecognized problem.
3. Confront when absolute truths are at stake.
• Galatians 2:11ff: When Peter came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
• Titus 1:10, 11, 13b: For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach – and that for the sake of dishonest gain. …Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth.
• In both of these passages, men were teaching the old Jewish laws that were no longer in effect. After Jesus’ death, the laws changed. Man no longer had to be circumcised or not eat certain foods. Other laws changed also, but these two were hard to drop. Many continued following the laws, though they meant nothing to God. In fact practicing these old laws anger(ed) God because they promoted the idea of gaining redemption through doing good works rather than through accepting God’s grace. Therefore, the main beliefs (absolute truths) of Christians were being defiled and needed to be rebuked.
4. When you confront someone in love, you are showing them your love. If you do not confront them it is as if you hate them.
• Proverbs 27:5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
• Leviticus 19:17-18: Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
5. Our closest friends are those whom we should be willing and ready to confront, and be confronted by.
• Mentoring relationships are another good place for confrontation. The Book “As Iron Sharpens Iron” discusses that three types of mentoring relationships are
represented in the Bible and suggest it is good if we have all three. The first is having someone whom you respect and is older than you to help guide you [Sr. High Leader, parent, older and wiser friend]. The second is to have a peer in an accountability relationship. The third is to have someone whom you are willing to mentor [Children’s ministry, Jr Higher friend].
• Prroverbs 27:17: Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
• Hebrews 10:24: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
6. Confront in humility. You are not perfect. Once you confront someone you open the door for yourself to also be confronted. Do not be judgmental!!!
• If you confront in humbleness, not in judgment it looks like…
A.
B.
“I know I may not be perfect in this area. I am probably not the best person to be mentioning this to you, but I see you doing ____ and so it seems like you may be having problems in the same area.
Maybe we can help each other out with this and keep each other accountable.”
Galatians 6:1: Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
Luke 6:37, 41-43: Judge not, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in you own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will se clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
John 8:3-11: (The story of the adulteress that was not stoned.) vs. 7b “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
7. Do not confront everyone. There are those that would not benefit from confrontation. How do you know who to confront and who not to? …Pray, ask God!
• Proverbs 9:7-9: Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse, Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
8. Stop the confrontation if it does not appear that it will be helpful.
Proverbs 17:14: Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
9. Remember that you cannot change someone. Some people, God calls them fools, will not take the wise advice of a friend.
Proverbs 27:22: Though you grind a fool in a mortar…you will not remove his folly from him.
10. Focus on the facts, not on your personal conclusions. 2Do not interpret someone’s problem for them. Instead, tell them what you observe, and in what way it concerns you.
1Augsberger, David. (1981) Caring Enough to Confront Regal Books: California.
2 Lee, Jimmy R. (1995) Concerned Persons Group: Because We Need Each Other Turning Point: Chattanooga, TN.
• Example: If a person seems to spend very little time with you even though she claims to be a good friend, you would be better saying, “I notice you have spent a lot of time with Susie and Jane lately, but we haven’t done anything for a few months. Is there anything that you are upset about? I miss spending time with you and I’m not sure why we haven’t been getting together.” That line of questioning will get you much further than jumping to conclusions and saying, “Why don’t you like me any more? We used to be good friends and I don’t know why you hate me so much all of a sudden.”
11. Tell how you are feeling. Use defensive “I feel” statements rather than offensive “you did” statements.
12. Do not exaggerate with words like “always” and “never”.
13. Don’t ask pointless, broad questions like, “Why do you do that to me?” or “How does that not bother you?” Usually “why” questions are good to avoid.
14. Do not label the person or attack her self-esteem. Example: “You are rude.”
15. Do not label actions as “good” or “bad”.
16. Identify the problem, but do not tell the person what you think they should do about it unless they ask. Your opinion on some options may be helpful, but give them only if they are asked. In other words, do not give advice where it is not needed. Most people will be able to figure out how to deal with a problem once the problem is identified.
17. Search for truth, understanding and knowledge in order to be more able to confront in truth.
• I Peter 3:15: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
• Proverbs 2:1-7, 11: My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call our to insight and cry aloud for understanding and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless…Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

I. God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil magistrates to be under him over the people, for his own glory, and the public good; and, to this end, has armed them with the power of the sword, for the defence and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil-doers. –
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to them- selves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of
God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Romans 13:1) –
“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well.” (1 Peter 2:13)

II. It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate.
“By me (the Triune God) kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.” (Prov 8:15-16)
… They ought especially to maintain piety, justice, and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each commonwealth. “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son (Christ), lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Ps. 2:10-12) – Pray “for kings and for
all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Tim. 2:2) – “Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Ps.82:3) – “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (2 Sam.23:3)
… For that end, they may lawfully, now under the New Testament, wage war upon just and necessary occasions.
“And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.” (Luke 3:14) – “I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” (Matt. 8:9-10; Acts 10:1-2)
“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (Rev. 17:14-16)

III. The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the word and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven.* “They withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth
not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron… go out of the sactuary; for thou hast trespassed: neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.” (2 Chron. 26:18) – “I will give unto thee (the Church) the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:19; Matt. 18:18) – “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Cor.12: 28) – “Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (1 Cor. 4:1-2) – “How shall they preach except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of
good things!” (Rom. 10:15) – “No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God…” (Heb. 5:4)
… Yet he has authority, and it is his duty, to take order, that unity and peace be preserved in the church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire, that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed, all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed, and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered, and observed.
“Kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their queens thy nursing-mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.” (Isa. 49:23) – “Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.” (Ps. 122:9) – “Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? And thou, Ezra… set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him… Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD…” (Ezra 7:23-28) – “He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him…” (Lev. 24:16) – “That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in; so shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. If thy brother… or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend… entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers, thou shalt not consent.” (Deut. 13:5-12) – “He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut
down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it.” (2 Kings 18:4; 23:1-26; 1 Chron.13:1-9) – “Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries… of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve… the Lord their God. And all his days they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.” (2 Chron. 34:33) – “They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul; that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.” (2 Chron. 15:12-13)
… In order to effect the above, the civil magistrate has power to call synods, to be present at them, and to provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God.
“Ye shall warn them that they trespass not against the Lord, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass. And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah…, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king’s matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good.” (2 Chron. 19:8-11; also chapters 29 &30) – “When (Herod) had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for this it is written by the prophet.” (Matt. 2:4-5)

IV. It is the duty of the people to pray for magistrates.
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority: that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Tim. 2:1-2)
…. to honour their persons. “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” (1 Pet. 2:17)
…. to pay them tribute and other dues; “For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour.” (Rom. 13:6-7)
…. to obey their lawful commands and to be subject to their authority for conscience’ sake. “Ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.” (Rom. 13:5) – “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work.” (Tit. 3:1)
… Infidelity, or difference in religion, doth not make void the magistrate’s just and legal authority, nor free the people from their due obedience to him. “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake; whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well. As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” (1 Pet. 2:13-16)
… Ecclesiastical persons are not exempted. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Rom. 13:1; 1 Kings 2:35) – “Festus… answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s judgment-seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong as thou well knowest. For if I… have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar.” (Acts 25:9-11) – “There were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” (2 Pet. 2:1,10,11; Jude 8)
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* This Paragraph III was revised, and the following text was adopted by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1936 and by the Presbyterian Church in America in 1973: “Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and sacra-ments; or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven; or, in the least interfere in matters of faith. Yet, as nursing fathers, it is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the church of our common Lord, without giving the preference to any denomination of Christians above the rest, in such a manner that all ecclesiastical persons whatever shall enjoy the full, free, and unquestioned liberty of discharging every part of their sacred functions, without violence or danger. And, as Jesus Christ hath appointed a regular government and discipline in his church, no law of any commonwealth should interfere with, let, or hinder, the due exercise thereof, among the voluntary members of any denomination of Christians, according to their own profession and belief. It is the duty of civil magistrates to protect the person and good name of all their people, in such an effectual manner as that no person be suffered, either upon pretence of religion or of infidelity, to offer any indignity, violence, abuse, or injury to any other person whatsoever: and to take order, that all religious and ecclesiatical assemblies be held without molestation or disturbance.

Truth is bound up with God. We find it in the meaning and interpretation which God gives to everything He has created. Apart from Clod and His revelation, truth does not exist. Where God is, there truth is. Since the whole creation bears witness to God, His truth extends throughout all creation. Nothing can deny what God has revealed or declared. It was the false witness of rebellious Satan that led to the fall of man.

In Genesis 11?6 we read: Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 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. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Jesus Christ – the Truth
The false witness of Satan led to the fall. But the true witness of our Lord Jesus Christ leads to our redemption. All life apart from Christ is based on falsehood which has no lasting foundation. For only He is “the way, the truth, and the life”. (John 14:6) “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Kingdom of God, is based on Truth, and “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1: 17) Therefore, the advance of God’s Kingdom demands that falsehood be eradicated. Hence the commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Exodus 20:16)

Jesus declared that His purpose in coming into the world was to “bear witness unto the truth.” He said: “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37). That Jesus Christ is the Truth, is affirmed also in the book of Revelation. He is described as “the faithful witness” (L5) and “the Amen, the faithful and true witness” Q14). As “the Amen” He is the One in whom all the promises and the purposes of God are fulfilled. “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God … 11 (2 Corinthians 1:20) Jesus Christ, the truth, the true and faithful witness, the Amen of God, is the Lord of history. He stands opposed to every false witness. Every individual or group that does not build its life on the foundation of the sovereign, triune God and His written Law?Word is a false witness. The cross to which He was driven by false witnesses stands as a witness to the truth that man is a sinner, that man has violated God’s Law and that, without repentance, fid& and obedience, he deserves to die. The cross witnesses to the truth that there is only one way of salvation apart from which there is only judgment and eternal damnation.

The Truth in every area of life
The truth must be upheld and preserved in every sphere of life. In the family the Bible must have a proper place. Parents and children must be governed according to its teaching. In the church the ministry must deal faithfully with the Scriptures. The principle of Scripture interpreting Scripture must apply in all its preaching, teaching, administering of the sacraments and in exercising discipline. The church must speak as the true witness to the requirements of God’s Law in society. In the state, too, which is God’s minister of justice for the execution of His Law, those in authority must preserve the truth of God by commending the doer of good and punishing the doer of evil? “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, he afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Romans 133?4)

Judges Although a judge must be blind to the persons before him, to ensure that all are equal before the law, he cannot be impartial when considering the issues. He must favour the Law of God and apply its judgment on the matter in hand. He must do as God would do, “requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and … justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.” (2 Chronicles 6:23) In Psalm 82, we learn that judges are called gods, not in respect of their persons, but because they function as those to whom “the word of God came” (John 10:35) In other words, judges and courts of law are basic to the operation and advancement of the Kingdom of God on earth. If their judgment is corrupted, as is described in Psalm 82:2 where it says: “How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?” then “all the foundations of the earth are out of course.” (v 5) Society is shaken and disturbed where judgment is perverted. When Jesus stated that the Word of God came to judges, He also said: “The Scripture cannot be broken.” It cannot be made null and void, 7he Bible is a book for judges for the ordering of society according to the truth. Where the Word of God is set aside, we are ruled by false witnesses, and society is then under the curse of God and under His direct judgment. To deny the civil application of God’s Word and to confine it to matters concerning the church and the personal lives of Christians, as many do, is another form of false witness.

Witnesses Turning briefly to the witness M a court of law, the testimony of a witness must be honest and faithful. He must testify under an oath taken in the name of the triune God. His testimony must be subject to cross?examination and to corroboration. Scripture also requires no less than two witnesses. “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) To witness falsely is a criminal offence against God and against man. The punishment of the false witness is prescribed in Deut. 19:19: “Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.”

The ninth commandment requires us to bear true witness concerning God and man and even our enemies and Satan. To ascribe to Satan the power that belongs only to God is to witness falsely. To witness truly is to promote the well-being of our society and a godly law?order in which nothing, neither good nor evil, will be exaggerated or concealed. Unless truth as defined by the Bible is upheld and preserved, our society will perish in a revolution of falsehood which promises a utopia beyond good and evil.

Withholding Truth
We are under an obligation to tell the truth in all normal circumstances. But we also learn from Scripture that there are situations when truth?telling can bring injury or death to the people of God. To give the truth to an enemy bent on the destruction of the truth is to be a party to that evil action. So we see that neither the lies of Rahab with which she protected the Israelite spies (Joshua 2) nor the lies of the Hebrew midwives with which they saved the baby boys _(Exodus 1) were condemned. On the contrary, “Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive,” and “God dealt well with the midwives.” Clearly, an enemy of God is not entitled to the truth. Furthermore, our obligation to tell the truth in normal circumstances does not mean that private matters, which are of no concern to others, must be divulged.

Falsehood and “Freedom”
We are all witnesses of a universe of God?created and God?ordered facts. In God’s creation everything speaks of Him. A true witness acknowledges this, but a false witness rebelliously suppresses it. Instead of submitting to the interpretation which God gives to everything, he exalts his mind above God’s Word to a position of false independence. He “changes the truth of God into a lie” (Romans 1:25). If his interpretation, at any point, is M harmony with the truth, he does not acknowledge God. If his interpretation is in conflict with God’s revelation of truth in creation and in Scripture, he maintains that his word alone is true. What follows is a denial of God. But it is absurd to assume that a creature can so much as think independently of God and arrive at the truth without God. It is a claim to be God and a denial of the Almighty, Clearly the creature lives, moves and has his being in the context of God and His truth, as the Scripture says: In Rin “we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) If we try to exalt ourselves above the Creator, substituting our truth for His, then life becomes meaningless, full of wrong thinking, lies, slander, false witness, false prophecy, false media and false freedom. Man who is enmeshed in falsehood cannot be free, for the testimony of the Faithful and True Witness is: “If ye continue in my word… ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) He sent us the “Spirit of truth” to guide us “into all truth.” (John 16:13) And if we pray in faith our “heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.” (Luke 11: 13)

So God expects us to worship Him “in spirit and in truth,” (John 4:23) “to testify of the truth” and to walk in it. (3 John 3). He expects that we speak the truth, and says to us. “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)

GOD OUR SAVIOUR WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED,
AND TO COME UNTO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUM (1 Timothy 2:4)

“What does the Bible say about workaholism?”

Answer: The modern term “workaholic” is not found anywhere in the Bible. However, biblical principles can be brought to bear on the discussion of workaholics—those whose devotion to their career, job, or ministry has reached the point of obsessiveness. Anything obsessed about, other than God, is an idol. As Christians, we have to be very careful not to let the cares and allurements of the world distract us from our devotion to Christ. Workaholics are people who are addicted to their work in much the same way an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol. Such a person rarely rests. He is constantly worried about the next sale, business deal, commission check, or task. A workaholic businessman often has difficulty seeing his friends as merely friends and not business prospects. A workaholic pastor runs the risk of seeing people more as aids or obstacles to a project than as individuals in need of ministry.

As Christians, our focus on life is to be less on our vocation and more on how our vocation fits into God’s plan for our life. Certainly, work is a blessed activity. The first man was given work to do by God (Genesis 2:15). A secular job is not forbidden in Scripture. We know that Paul was a tentmaker and Luke a physician. And, of course, there is much work to do in “full-time ministry” jobs as well. Jesus told us to pray for “workers” to serve in God’s harvest (Luke 10:2). But both in the ministry and in secular work, we need a balance. Rest and recreation are also God’s design (Genesis 2:2). One good test to know whether we are too focused on our jobs is to ask ourselves how much time we spend thinking about our jobs when we are not actually at work. If more of our thoughts are centered on our jobs than on God, we may be in danger.

Even when involved in the seemingly mundane tasks of a secular job, our hearts should be turned to heaven. We should glorify God in all that we do. We should maintain a good work ethic in our employment by doing things as Christ would, with honor and to the best of our ability. As Paul reminded the Colossians, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). In all things, we should echo the psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” Workaholics never have time to meditate in their hearts on the Word of God.

Being a workaholic isn’t directly comparable to worshipping idols. However, if the job takes up so much energy that it distracts from the relationship with Jesus Christ having predominance, then it could be considered idolatry. We should view our employment as opportunities to advance the kingdom of God through our talents and finances. We should be very strategic in our approach and have a balanced life where we are more focused on Jesus Christ than on our vocation.

RELAXATION

What does the Bible say about rest and relaxation?“

Answer: “Rest” is defined as “peace, ease or refreshment.” “Relax” means “to become loose or less firm, to have a milder manner, to be less stiff.” The Bible speaks quite highly of rest. It is a repeated theme throughout Scripture, beginning with the creation week (Genesis 2:2-3). God created for six days; then He rested, not because He was tired but to set the standard for mankind to follow. The Ten Commandments made resting on the Sabbath a requirement of the Law (Exodus 20:8-11). Notice that God said, “Remember the Sabbath.” It wasn’t something new; it had been around since creation. All God’s people and their servants and the animals were to have one day in seven to rest. The command to rest was not an excuse to be lazy. You had to work for six days to get to the Sabbath. The land also needed to rest (Leviticus 25:4, 8-12). God is very serious about rest.

God desires rest for us because it does not come naturally to us. To rest, we have to trust that God will take care of things for us. We have to trust that, if we take a day off, the world will not stop turning on its axis. From the beginning (Genesis 3), when we decided that we would start making all the decisions, mankind has become more tense and less able to relax. It was disobedience in the Garden that started the problem, but obedience now will bring the rest that God so desires for us (Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11). If one of the definitions of “relax” is “to become less firm,” then relaxing our grip on our own lives, careers, families, etc., and giving them over to God in faith is the best way to relax.

For the Christian, the ultimate rest is found in Christ. He invites all who are “weary and burdened” to come to Him and cast our cares on Him (Matthew 11:28; 1 Peter 5:7). It is only in Him that we find our complete rest—from the cares of the world, from the sorrows that plague us, and from the need to work to make ourselves acceptable to Him. We no longer observe the Jewish Sabbath because Jesus is our Sabbath rest. In Him we find complete rest from the labors of our self-effort, because He alone is holy and righteous. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We can now cease from our spiritual labors and rest in Him, not just one day a week, but always.

Question: “What does the Bible say about fun and entertainment?”

Answer: God never says, “Thou shalt not have fun, nor shalt thou smile in all thy days.” Having a good time is not a sin, but we should pay attention to the principles God has laid out for godly living when we do engage in leisure activities. First and foremost is Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” When we are relaxing and having fun or when we are seeking entertainment, we should always make sure these activities are pleasing God.

Things like food, wine, money, etc., are morally neutral. Wine, for example, is neither good nor evil. It’s what we do with it that makes it so. Paul points out that “…if food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do” (1 Corinthians 8:8). He immediately follows this, however, with an important instruction we should apply to all our activities, including fun and entertainment. “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9). Our freedom to relax and enjoy our lives should never cause others to stumble in their faith. A classic example is that we should not serve wine at dinner if we have invited someone who is a recovering alcoholic. We should follow Paul’s lead, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19, 22).

God also does not want us to be under the influence of unbelievers. We may associate with them, as Christ did when He sat at dinner with sinners and tax collectors, but we should not allow ourselves to be influenced by them. Paul writes, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). For example, a man shouldn’t go with his buddies for a round of golf if he should be spending time building his relationship with his wife or if their conversations are coarse or profane. We should be living for God in all things, and we should be able to have the strength to say “No!” when someone tries to take us away from that.

According to Colossians 3:17, we should also give thanks to God through Jesus Christ for the fun and entertainment He provides. Someone once pointed out that “recreation” means to “re-create” or “renew.” God allows us this time to be renewed and to grow in our faith. James tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Fun and entertainment are gifts of God, given so that we might come closer to Him. We should remember this when we are planning our recreation and remember to thank God for such a good and perfect gift.

 

Answer: While most major translations of the Bible don’t specifically use the word stress, Scripture does speak to things such as anxiety, worry and trouble and gives us clear answers on how we should deal with them. The dictionary defines stress as “physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension.” Everyone suffers from stress at one time or another. In fact, research indicates that children who live in a stressful home environment are at greater risk to become highly stressed by life’s challenges. Stress can cause us to do things we would not normally do or cause us to shut down completely. Anything that causes stress is called a “stressor.” Stress can be caused by either processive stressors or systemic stressors. Processive stressors are those that elicit what is called the “fight or flight” reaction. Systemic stressors are our bodies’ automatic physiological responses to stress. Stress takes its toll on all of us to varying degrees, and how we deal with it depends in large part on who we are. It is no wonder that many days we struggle trying to cope with the distresses that come from our jobs, our health or family issues. God has created us and knows that, because of our fallen natures, we can sometimes allow stress to rule our lives.

Many people become stressed because they don’t trust God to provide the basic necessities of life. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25, 27). This passage is a classic example of why we get stressed in the first place—we worry about providing for ourselves and our loved ones. We stress over money because we never seem to feel that we have enough. We worry about making ends meet, often living paycheck to paycheck. Or we become consumed by materialism and, in turn, stressed-out about maintaining our lifestyle. Materialism inevitably leads to stress because, when we seek the world’s goods, we have fallen for the “deceitfulness of wealth” (Mark 4:19), the lie that such things relieve stress and lead to happiness, contentment and joy. They do not.

The starting point for dealing with stress is Jesus Christ. Jesus offers us great encouragement in John 14:1: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” We desperately need Him in our lives. We need Him because He is the only one who can give us the strength to cope with the troubles in our lives. Believing in Him does not mean that we will have a trouble-free life or that we will not succumb to stress in our lives. It simply means that a life without Jesus Christ makes coping with stress an impossible and often debilitating task.

Believing leads to trusting. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Leaning on “our own understanding” often means adopting the world’s ways of relieving stress—things like alcohol or drugs or mindless entertainment. Instead, we are to trust His Word as our ultimate guide to a stress-reduced life. David says, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). David knew that by seeking the Lord and sharing his troubles with Him that perhaps he would find favor with Him. The Lord in turn answered him and calmed him down.

Perhaps no passage in Scripture better captures how to handle stress than Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The Lord tells us not to be anxious about anything, but rather to turn everything over to Him in prayer. Lifting our burdens and concerns to a holy and righteous God daily will mitigate or eliminate the stress in our lives. Psalm 55:22 tells us to cast all our cares on Him because He will sustain us and never fail us. Jesus Christ offers peace if we come to Him with our worries and concerns. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

Stress of all kinds is a natural part of life (Job 5:7, 14:1; 1 Peter 4:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13). But how we deal with it is up to us. If we choose to try to do it on our own, we face a long, uphill battle that will not end well. The only way we can deal with stress is with Jesus Christ, first by believing in Him. Without believing in Him we are our on our own, and success in coping with stress is almost impossible. Second, we need to trust Him and obey Him. We should trust Him to do what is right because His ways are always best for us. Disobedience and sin can produce stress and cut us off from the only means of peace and joy. By obeying His commandments we reap the blessings of true contentment from a loving God. Finally, we need to seek His peace daily by filling our minds with His Word, lifting all things to Him in prayer, and sitting at His feet in awe and reverence. It is only by His grace, mercy and love that the stress in our lives can be managed.

 

Song of Solomon 2:15 says, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.” Foxes sometime in search of food would enter into the grape orchards and devour the grapes and spoil the crop. However, the little foxes were too small to reach the grape bunches so they would chew on the vines and it would kill the whole vine. Instead of the farmer just losing his crop, he would lose his vine which was more disastrous. Spiritually some things we do or allow that we might think is little or insignificant can also be disastrous for us.

The “little fox” that I want to address in this article is one that can cause many problems in our lives if indulged in for a long period of time. It is an excess that can cause many maladies. It is over-eating or what the Bible calls gluttony. The over-use of the fork has been the death of many, especially in our country where there is such an abundance of all kinds of food. Also, we are all especially tempted to overeat during the holiday season since partaking of food is a big part of our celebrations. Because we all have to eat every day this little fox can slip in easily.

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Proverbs 23:19-21

With so much emphasis on proper eating and physical exercise here in America, it has caused many to examine their lifestyles. A lot of people have now become out of balance by putting too much emphasis on the physical man while neglecting the spiritual man. The other extreme is to be so spiritually-minded that we neglect our bodies by overeating or lack of exercise. The Lord desires order in this area, as our physical condition, if it is not properly cared for, affects our spiritual condition. We cannot serve the Lord to the fullest if our bodies are run down and tired and not functioning as God designed them to function. The medical world is now recognizing that gluttony is one of the major causes of many of our modern day illnesses. Moderation should be our guide.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Philippians 4:5

As Christians, we are to realize the emphasis is to be put upon the spiritual man; however, just because we have an understanding of our spiritual position in Christ does not mean we can break His physical laws of health and not suffer the consequences. The spiritual man should always be given top priority as it needs to be in ascendancy. Its influence over the physical man is greater than the physical man’s influence over it.We need proper balance between neglecting our bodies and giving them too much attention.

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

It is easy to recognize that one of the greatest sins in the United States is gluttony. Food has become the god of millions. Jesus has never been made “Lord of the Fork.” The Word of God has much to say about man’s eating habits. Many sicknesses that are plaguing mankind stem directly from unhealthy eating habits. How should Christians eat? Are all the so-called health foods the answer to our diet problem? The Word of God not only addresses what is healthy for us to eat, but also the spiritual problems we have in this life. Since the Lord created the human body, He certainly knows what is best for us to eat.

So many have been eating according to the tradition of men instead of seeing what God’s Word says about this subject. If we do not eat by the Word of God, our eating habits will be dictated by the patterns of what we have been exposed to in our lifetimes. I will not address the kinds of food we should eat here other than to say that natural foods that are “living foods” (fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, certain meats, and dairy products) are the best for us. The “dead foods” or “junk food” are those that are highly refined and processed and have little nourishment in them.

Daniel and his companions proved the wisdom of eating properly when they refused to eat the King’s meat and instead ask for pulse (vegetables and grains) and water to drink for ten days. After that period of time they appeared more healthy than the other servants of the King.

Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Daniel 1:12-17

If we are overweight it came about not suddenly, but rather “little by little”. This “little fox” begins adding the pounds before we realize it. Each day we over indulge until we become fat. (I realize some people do have overweight problems that stem from hereditary problems; however, these can be overcome too, with help from the Lord.) We can tackle this problem with the Lord’s help and He will give us the power to trim down. As we seek the Lord and ask for His help in this area, He will not fail us. He will give us the strength to overcome gluttony or other bad eating habits.

Here are some helps to overcoming weight problems which usually come about through lack of knowledge or lack of discipline or lust for food:

1. First, repent for yielding to the temptation of lust for food. Philippians 3:19: ”Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”
2. Then, submit to God and ask Him for the power to overcome gluttony through His Holy Spirit and resist the devil through prayer and obedience to God. James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
3. Next, ask for God’s plan for your weight loss. Allow Him to lead you as to what He wants you to do. He knows your body and He will direct you as to how you are to eat. Ask for a desire for healthy foods and ask Him to remove your cravings for unhealthy foods. 1 John 5:14-15: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
4. Daily, thank God for setting you free and do not allow the devil to discourage you by his condemning whispers to your mind. Sometimes the Lord does a quick work at other times it may be slower. Don’t be discouraged even if at times it seems slow or you fail occasionally.. Remember, this came “little by little” and it is sometimes more healthy to lose it “little by little” (Losing as little as 2 lbs. a month amounts to 24 lbs. in a year). In the process you will be developing new habits and disciplines that will eventually become established eating patterns. Romans 8:1-4: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
5. Add fasting periodically as the Lord leads. Even fasting one meal or one day a week will help in disciplining your body to be subject to your spirit man. Matthew 6:17-18: “But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’S. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

As Christians, our confession should be what we term a “biblical confession” instead of just a “positive confession.” We are not talking about confessing our sins here, but rather confessing or acknowledging with our mouth the truths from God’s Word. Certainly the Bible tells us to confess our sins, but that is not the only confession we need to make. We are also told to confess or speak out loud the promises of God, in faith, so we can receive them.

We need to clarify the difference between the so-called “positive confession” taught by the success propagators in the world and a “Bible confession.” Many times, their confessions are directed toward “self,” not toward God’s Word. They build their “castles in the sky,” but they are not founded on the Word of God; instead they are based on what they desire for themselves. For example, you will probably never hear them confessing the following portion of God’s Word, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12). We must begin confessing what the Word of God has to say about our lives and circumstances instead of what those in the world may speak about the situation.

In confessing God’s Word, we must not pick out only the Scriptures we desire, but also the ones the Lord desires for us. He certainly desires to bless us, but He also desires to cleanse us. We must be as enthusiastic in our confessions to be cleansed from all that would offend the Lord as we are in confessing the physical blessings He has promised us. We must learn to set a guard on our mouths, as it is very important to control our conversation. We will ultimately receive the things that we speak. If we speak evil long enough, it will come to pass; likewise if we speak good.

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23

A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.  Proverbs 18:20-21

We must not only claim God’s Word, but also learn to speak or confess His Word. We must confess our faith in God’s Word.

We must not confess lack, as the Heavenly Father has given us everything we need. We must not confess defeat, as God has made us more than conquerors. We must not confess doubt, as God has given us His faith. We are to speak the things that the Word of God declares as truth. We easily quote what men have to say on a subject, and many times we believe them despite what the Word of God has to say about it. Yet we are often hesitant to quote what God says because the devil tells us we would be lying. He causes us to look at our circumstances rather than the Word. Circumstances are subject to change, and one of the things that can cause them to do so is the confession of God’s Word over a particular situation. In fact, the Word of God tells us to confess or talk about the things we are believing God to do in our lives and He will bring it to pass.

He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Romans 4:20-22

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Romans 4:17

For instance, if we are in need of finances, the devil will try to get us to confess such things as, “I guess we will just have to take bankruptcy since we can not pay the bills,” or “I don’t know what we will do when we can’t make the house payment.” Instead, we need to align our confession with the Word of God. “My God shall supply all your (my) need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19) “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (me)” (Matthew 6:33). We should confess our faith and trust in the Lord by saying,”I don’t know how the Lord is going to help us meet this need, but I confess that He will because He cares for us.”

We bring evil and good things forth by what we speak. Jesus referred to this in Matthew 12:34-37:

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:34-37

As Christians, we should never again confess any of the things that are against God’s Word. Let me share with you “My Never Again List” taken from Don Gossett’s book, What You Say Is What You Get.

“My Never Again List”

• Never again will I confess “I can’t” for “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
• Never again will I confess lack, for “My God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
• Never again will I confess fear, for “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
• Never again will I confess doubt and lack of faith, for “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).
• Never again will I confess weakness, for “The Lord is the strength of my life” (Psalm 27:1). “The people that know their God shall be strong and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32).
• Never again will I confess supremacy of Satan over my life, for “Greater is He that is within me than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
• Never again will I confess defeat, for “God always causeth me to triumph in Christ Jesus” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
• Never again will I confess lack of wisdom, for “Christ Jesus is made unto me wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
• Never again will I confess sickness, for “With His stripes I am healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus “Himself took my infirmities and bare my sickness” (Matthew 8:17).
• Never again will I confess worries and frustrations, for I am “Casting all my cares upon Him, who careth for me” (1 Peter 5:7). In Christ I am “care-free.”
• Never again will I confess bondage, for “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
• Never again will I confess condemnation, for “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). I am in Christ; therefore, I am free from condemnation.
• Never again will I confess loneliness, Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).
• Never again will I confess curses or bad luck, for “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14).
• Never again will I confess discontent because “I have learned, in whatsoever state (circumstances) I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11).
• Never again will I confess unworthiness because “He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The confession of our mouths will eventually bring forth the things we speak.

When we are baby Christians who have not yet learned this truth. God, in His grace, does not give us the things we confess or speak wrongly because they are not in accord with His will. We have not yet learned His will. He looks on our heart, and simply because we are desiring to do the will of the Father, He cancels those things that are not His will. Our hearts are speaking louder than our mouths. “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:1-2). If we continue to speak truth in our hearts, our mouths will soon begin to line up with our hearts. However, until that time the Lord is gracious to us when our hearts and our mouths are not agreeing.

We would like to address an area that is related to this subject of watching our confessions. We should not agree with negative things either spoken or written as this gives the enemy a doorway into our lives. An example of this is one that we have noticed since we have been ministering on the Internet. Many people have email address names that are not only very negative but some are satanic as well. We have noticed that even many Christians are using nicknames that are descriptive of evil characters, traits, or ideas. Please pray about correcting this if your nickname does not glorify the Lord, as this is a form of an evil confession about yourself.

“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). This is a perfect example of two agreeing before the answer to prayer can come to pass. My mouth and heart must agree to produce the answers to my prayers.

One area that tends to get out-of-balance in the “confession” teaching is the tendency to not allow others to speak, but continually to correct their negative confessions of speech. We must remember that the highest law is the law of love, and we should not nag at others, but pray for them. Of course, we can gently help correct those who have the same knowledge we do, as they would usually be eager to overcome in this area. However, for those who have never heard, it would generally be wise to just pray for them until they come to the knowledge of the truth.

One other area that is often abused is claiming and confessing only material things. Many are heard claiming cars, property, houses, etc., but we seldom hear them claiming souls. We should be sure our priorities are right when claiming and confessing. The Lord’s greatest desire is for us to grow in Him and to bring others to the knowledge of His love. When we are not stressing this in our confessions, we are being led astray by the devil.

Another area that gets pushed out-of-balance is to feel we must continually confess what we are believing before men. We begin telling everyone, everywhere we go, the things God has promised us. We should exercise wisdom, for many times it is not wise to do much speaking. We are not required to confess our promises to everyone for them to come to pass. In fact, the Word of God teaches prudence and wisdom in regard to our speaking. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards” (Proverbs 29:11). Our main confession should be unto the Lord. It also builds our own faith when we confess with our mouths the victory we have in Jesus. Prayer time should be our main time of confessing God’s promises so that not only He can hear us, but also the devil will hear our words. Then, if our words are aligned with the Word of God, the devil must bow his knee to those words. We will find that our words have overcome the enemy.

 

Critical Words Destroy Marriages

By Betty Miller

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 1 Peter 3:7-12

One of the things that begins to erode a marriage away is when one spouse begins to speak critically to and of the other one. The things we say to and about the other one can either be uplifting and encouraging or they can bring disharmony and hurt. Little critical words will lead to a dissatisfaction with one’s mate and can escalate to bring about a divorce. No person should threaten to divorce the other just to get their way, or manipulate the other to do something they really don’t want to do. When any one threatens divorce this is like speaking words of murder to your marriage. The Bible tells us to speak good words if we want to see good days and have a love for life.

Words can accumulate in the spirit and cause one to react lovingly or hatefully by what is spoken. The above verses warn each spouse not to return “railing for railing” but “blessing for a railing.” As kind words are returned this stops the cycle of “railing for railing.” Proverbs 15:1 says,“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

We are admonished in the Bible to seek to do good and to seek peace, not to stir up trouble because we want to air our anger and wrath.  As Christians we are to give our anger to Jesus and ask Him to remove it, and replace it with His love, patience and forgiveness. We are not to take it out on someone else, especially our mates.

Some husbands can be very cruel criticizing their wives appearance. If the wife is on the thin side or over-weight, the husband should pray to help her make the necessary changes that will help her to be healthy, but never should he belittle her appearance. This can damage their relationship, where it is difficult for her to reach out and love him and receive love from him. (This, of course, applies to a woman criticizing her husband about his appearance too.)

The Lord calls us to love our mates, as we would love a sister or brother in the Lord and to be courteous. Many times, after people get married, they cease to be courteous to one another and they are rude and unmannerly. These things start with little things they quit doing to please the other and soon they grow into gross neglect. We should be kind to one another and think about saying nice things that edify and build our marriages instead of the hurtful words that tear them down. Critical speech in little things can be the root cause that later destroys a marriage. Let us guard our tongues.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. Proverbs 18:21-22

Appendix: Events of Jesus’ Life and Ministry

 

 

Palestine at the time of Jesus (left) and today (right)

Event	Approx. date	Location	Reference
Jesus is born (commemorated on Christmas Day)	6-4 B.C.	Bethlehem	Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-18, Luke 2:1-20
Jesus grows up in Nazareth		Nazareth	Matthew 2:19-23, Luke 2:39-52
Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist	26 A.D.	River Jordan	Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-23, John 1:29-39
First miracle — turns water into wine at the wedding in Cana	26 A.D.	Cana	John 2:1-11
Talks with the Samaritan woman at the well — many Samaritans become believers as a result.	27 A.D.	Sychar	John 4:5-42
Chooses the 12 disciples	28 A.D.	Capernaum	Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-15
Preaches the Sermon on the Mount	28 A.D.	Capernaum	Matthew 5:1-48, 6:1-34, 7:1-29, Luke 6:20-49
Raises a widow’s son from the dead	28 A.D.	Nain	Luke 7:11-17
Quiets the storm	28 A.D.	Sea of Galilee	Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25
John the Baptist beheaded by order of Herod	28 A.D.	Machaerus	Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:7-9
Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes — feeds 5000 men plus women and children with 5 loaves of bread and two fish.	29 A.D.	near Capernaum	Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14
Walks on water	29 A.D.	Sea of Galilee	Matthew 14:22-23, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21
The Transfiguration — Jesus’ face shone like the sun	29 A.D.	Caesarea Philippi	Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36
Raises Lazarus from the dead	29 A.D.	Bethany	John 11:1-44
Restores sight to two blind men	30 A.D.	Jericho	Matthew 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43
Withdraws temporarily from public ministry with disciples because of threats to His life.	30 A.D.	Ephraim	John 11:54-57
Triumphal entry to Jerusalem (commemorated on Palm Sunday)	30 A.D., Sunday	Jerusalem	Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-44, John 12:12-19
The Last Supper	Thursday	Jerusalem	Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-20, John 13:1-38
Arrest, trial, and crucifixion (commemorated on Good Friday)	Friday, Passover Eve	Jerusalem	Matthew 26:47-75, 27:1-66, Mark 14:43-72, 15:1-47, Luke 22:47-71, 23:1-56, John 18:2-40, 19:1-42
Resurrection from the dead (commemorated on Easter Day)	Sunday	Jerusalem	Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-10
Appears to disciples	during following week	Jerusalem	Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-25
Ascends to Heaven	40 days after resurrection	Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem	Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:44-53

Much of the above table abstracted from (Zondervan, pp. 719-720)

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 1 Corinthians 7:1-2
The dictionary meaning of the word “fornication” means any unlawful sexual intercourse including adultery. In the Bible, the Greek definition of the word “fornication” means to commit illicit sexual intercourse. What constitutes unlawful sex? Whose laws do we live by? Worldly standards or laws many times do not always line up with the Word of God. The founding fathers of the United States established many laws that were originally based on Christian standards and the laws of the Bible. However, through time the United States has drifted far from these standards and at the present our moral standards are shocking the world. However, immorality is not only found in the U.S. but is a world-wide epidemic. Societies throughout history and around the globe have embraced sexual standards that are called sins in the Bible.
Fornication is not just tolerated in our society but is actually being encouraged. The sin of fornication is being committed even among Christians, as many couples “live together” and have sex before marriage. The Bible tells us to flee this sin. We have counseled Christians of the opposite sex who share an apartment and they told us they were not having sex so this surely wasn’t wrong. The Bible declares these words in 1 Thessalonians 5:22-23: “Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Our lives as Christians are a living witness to others and we cannot break the laws of God without hindering others from coming to Christ. We must live our lives in purity before a sinful and wicked world. We should not be living according to their standards but according to God’s standard in the Bible. No couple should live together outside the bonds of marriage.
Many say they live together before marriage to see if they are compatible as they don’t want to divorce. This may sound like a justifiable reason for committing the sin of fornication, but in God’s eyes it is still sin. Statistics however, show that those who live together before marriage are more likely to get a divorce than those who do not. Living together shows a total lack of trust in God and a failure to commit to Him the choosing of a mate. Christians who are living in this situation are out of the will of God and need to repent and seek God as to whether this person is the right one for them. If it is God’s will for them to be together they should marry. Otherwise, they need to change their living arrangements.
As Christians, the goal of any relationship should be to cause the people in our lives to love and know the Lord better. Living together is shameful and selfish as the parties do not care what others think or how they might affect their families and others. They are living to please their own lust and selfish desires. This type of life style is destructive and especially so for children whose parents are living a bad example before them. No wonder our children are confused about right and wrong when parents degrade the sanctity of marriage by living together out of wedlock. How can living together cause children to love and honor God when their parents break the laws of God before them because they are lustful?
Young people today need to be taught to abstain from sexual intercourse and remain pure virgins before marriage. So many problems in marriages today stem from the fact that they are not virgins when they marry. Young people are bringing wounded emotions and diseased bodies into their marriages because of prior promiscuous affairs. STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) are so widespread that the statistics are shocking. There are 12 million new cases of STDs annually in the United states and 67% of these occur among persons under the age of 25. In fact, every year one out of six teens contracts an STD. 100,000 to 150,000 women become infertile each year as a result of STDs.¹ Others endure years of pain as some of these diseases are incurable. What a tragic price to pay for sexual sins. The Bible is right when it says fornication is a sin against one’s own body.
The sin of fornication is not only defined as illicit sexual intercourse between those who are not married but also is an umbrella for other sexual sins as well. The Bible also speaks of the sin of incest as fornication in 1 Corinthians 5:1: ”It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.”
The Bible also lists whoremongers as fornicators in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” All prostitutes and pimps are fornicators. Couples who just “live together” according to the Bible, are committing the same sin that whores commit. Singles who “make love” fall into the same category. Just because society has accepted this type of living does not make it right. The Bible must be our standard of what is right and wrong. We must change our standards if we do not want the wrath of God to fall on us. God hates sin but He loves the sinner. If anyone repents and calls on Jesus today He will help them to come out of any illicit relationship and heal them of all past hurts and even heal any disease that they may have contracted.
God gave us the laws in the Bible for our good. They are not meant to deny us any good thing but they are given so we can enjoy the proper sexual relationship in the proper time. If we obey the words of the Bible and “flee fornication” and glorify God in our bodies, the Lord will bless us beyond what we could believe.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:17-21