Truth Be Told - Psalm 119:163

Psalm 119:163 I hate and detest falsehood but I love your law. (NIV)

Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Christ until an opportune time. (NIV)

A culture of integrity is absolutely essential for the health, unity, and longevity of any group, community, or society. When the truth is diminished and lies are embraced, fragmentation occurs which will eventually lead to the destruction of the group. Denial sets in, causing fear to trigger hostility and hatred. Falsehood creates confusion as people struggle to recognize the truth and the community becomes divided which is exactly what liars want to increase their importance and power because a fragmented group is so much easier to conquer, manipulate, and oppress than a united one.

When Christ wrestled with Satan in the wilderness, He encountered the father of all falsehood and lies. The devil even used scripture to justify the temptations he placed before Jesus, claiming that this would be exactly what God wanted. Against anybody else, this demonic ploy would have worked, but Christ saw right through the devil and knew that scripture was being twisted in order to manipulate Jesus. Just because Satan used holy words and perfectly recited them did not make him faithful or truthful. The devil was trying to separate Christ from God using quotes from the Bible, almost the diabolical equivalent of Facebook memes in our time. But no matter how devious the devil was, or how much slickness and charm he used to persuade Jesus, our Savior knew exactly what was truthful and what was false.

An important part of our responsibility as Christians is not only to seek the truth and do what is right, but to confront falsehood and lies. If we pander to or excuse powerful liars in our midst then we are failing to follow Jesus. We are expected to be messengers of the truth and not harbingers of lies; we are supposed to judge what is right and not justify anything that is wrong. If we feel confused or conflicted about these things, then we have to defer and default to Christ. He constantly confronted corruption and lies in His lifetime and successfully fought against Satan, the father of all lies, so should we expect Him or His followers to do differently in our present age?

Point to ponder

How do I differentiate between what is true and what is false? Am I a sharer of the truth or a spreader of lies? Am I honestly following Christ or my own ways?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have sinfully made it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, as well as right and wrong these days. We allow our prejudices to persuade us that what we want for ourselves must be right and all that we believe must be true. Forgive our foolish notions and guide us back to Your godly ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come along and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome. 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s latest art nouveau designs called ‘Seussitoshi.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Seussitoshi.

Handling the Truth - Acts 21:38

Acts 21:38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”

            It appears that fake news has been around for thousands of years. In part of today’s passage (Acts 21:37 – 40) the apostle Paul’s presence in Jerusalem had started a riot. The Roman commander quickly responded and sought to arrest Paul. The charges? According to the commander, Paul fitted the description of a wanted outlaw who previously caused a revolt and recruited four thousand terrorists to form a rebellion. Obviously, the commander had been misinformed about Paul and was ready to arrest him based on the fake news he had been given.

            Passing on false information, including gossip and rumors, is something that Christian people are seriously commanded not to do. Reputations can be destroyed because of false rumors and mistaken charges. Christians who do this shame Jesus whom they follow and serve. In fact, Christ Himself gave a strict warning about this grave sin: “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have passed on. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37). This includes passing on Fake News by email, Facebook, Twitter, or other social media.

            As people who call themselves Christians, we are meant to be salt in a tasteless world and light in a time of darkness. If we fail to be truthful and honest because we allow our prejudices and pride to influence our choice to forward unconfirmed and false information, then we damage the community we are meant to help heal, put ourselves under God’s severe judgment, and diminish Christ’s sovereignty over our lives.

Point to ponder

Have I ever passed on fake news or false information to hurt other people? Do I understand that this can have serious consequences for me as a Christian?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, protect us from ourselves, our pride, and our prejudicial views. Keep us from falling into the temptation of passing on false information. Deliver us from doing harm to others simply because we want to pass on gossip or unverified biased opinions. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Bible bulletin covers called “I am the Way.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Way.