The Tabernacle Today

Tell the Truth

A small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in a trial – a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"

She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a rising big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you." The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Williams, do you know the defense attorney?" She again replied, "Why, yes I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He's lazy, bigoted, and has a drinking problem. The man can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him." At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both counselors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, "If either of you asks her if she knows me, you'll be jailed for contempt!"

As we have been going through the Ten Commandments, we have seen a progression in them

The first two commands tell us our lives are to start with worshipping God alone, and not to let anything else become a god to us

The third command tells us that our lives and are lips are not to take the name of the Lord in vain- in everything we do are to realize that we are ambassadors for our Great God.

The fourth command instructs us to rest and worship at least one day in seven

Around the world religions are emphasizing what you have to do for God; God starts the commands to us by ordering us to realize what He has done first before we do anything for Him! 

The fifth commandment teaches us that respect begins at home as we honor the parents God gave us.  Having started with that foundation respect was to flourish in the nation – teachers and coaches and bosses and authorities in every realm

The sixth commandment reinforced the Sanctity of Human Life- it is a precious gift from God and we are not to murder

The seventh commandment was about the sanctity of Marriage- we are not to commit adultery but to cherish the first institution God gave

The eighth commandment was about the sanctity of property- each of us are stewards of the things that God gave us, and instead of stealing we are to work to provide for our families and give to meet the needs of others

And that brings us to the ninth commandment

Read Exodus 20:16                              Tell the Truth              Let’s Pray!                  

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

The ninth commandment focuses on legal testimony or providing an officially binding witness

Israel had just become a nation, and God was giving them His law

People were going to see things happen, and were going to be called before a judge to tell the court what they had seen and knew to be true

It’s interesting that Jethro’s talk with Moses about delegation had come before this in Exodus chapter 18

Let’s read Exodus 18:13-23

Now our command for today, don’t bear false witness, directly applies to their ability to function as a nation governed by law

Exodus 18:21 told us the judges were to be men who feared God and were men of truth

Their ability to be a nation governed by the rule of law would come down to whether or not people were faithful to witness truthfully

I love it when a plan comes together, and you see how these ten commandments were essential for Israel to have the right kind of country

And properly understood, they are just as essential for countries around the world today! 

The Ninth Commandment is about the Sanctity of Truth! 

Now let’s bring this right to the year 2019:

Why do people bear false witness?

Three reasons people usually bear false witness:

1. To try to get away with something

To cover something up because the truth would get them in bigger trouble

Prosecutor: Did you kill the victim?               

Defendant: No, I did not.

Prosecutor: Do you know what the penalties are for perjury?

Defendant: Yes, I do. And they're a lot better than the penalty for murder

Now here’s what you need to know if you are in the habit of lying to cover yourself – you will get caught, and it will be worse for you than if you’d just come clean

People will forgive you for a lot of sins if you just come clean about them; but if you lie to people who have trusted you and deceive them to try and keep getting away with something, you will lose their trust forever

I have talked to a lot of people about a lot of sins done unto them

Those most wounded are those who look into space and say, “I just can’t believe how many times he had lied to me.”

Read Psalm 32:1-5

The sins we uncover in confession God will cover with His grace,

but the sins we try to cover up will be embarrassingly revealed.

Another reason we bear false witness is...

1. To try and help someone else get away with something

When we hear the story of Robin Hood, we love it!

Ha Ha, he stole from the rich and gave to the poor

No Sheriff, I didn’t see anything!

What a misguided sense of justice we have

Oh, it’s no big deal, they have so much they won’t miss it!

Folks, to God it’s a big deal!

When asked to bear witness, don’t be partial to the rich against the poor, or to the poor against the rich!

Read Exodus 23:1-3

God makes this clear: it is not the job of a witness to help someone they like for whatever reason against another person – the job of a witness is simply to tell what they know

A final reason people bear false witness is…

1. To avoid hurting someone else’s feelings

I don’t know if God gets terribly upset when we tell our wives their hair looks fine when it does not look fine

But I do know that many of us need to speak the truth in love more to those who need to hear the truth

When someone says, “I’m sorry I’m running late again” we say “No Problem”

Maybe we should say, “PROBLEM!”

“We have an hour and a half’s worth of stuff to do, we had one hour to do it, and because your late now we have 40 minutes- PROBLEM!” 

Now a lot of people can’t handle the truth-

Let me tell you one of the greatest gifts you can give your relationships:

One of the greatest gifts you can give your relationships is to make yourself approachable and open to the loving concerns of others

The Ninth Commandment is about the Sanctity of Truth! 

It points to a high standard of truth in all areas of life

Now I told you that behind each precept, or command, is a principle and a person

The Precept (the command) is not to bear false witness

The Principle behind that precept is that truth is needed so that we can trust each other!

The Person behind the principle is God, who is the Truth

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”                                                                                             -John 8:32

Jesus said to Him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.”                                -John 14:6

It’s vitally important that you realize your faith goes beyond just a warm feeling that Jesus brings you to facts that you can share with others

The Bible tells us that we are to be witnesses to the truth!

But if more people were honest with us, they’d say, “I can’t hear you witnessing to me about peace with God when your life witnesses to me that you don’t have peace with God.” 

That’s why we need to continually be witnessing to ourselves in the body of Christ. 

We need to ask ourselves and others, “Does my life witness against what my lips witness about Jesus and the new life He brings?

Not that I’m perfect, but that He’s made and is making a change in me!

And then we are to be witnesses to the Truth: and the facts are on our side!

How to turn an Atheist to an Agnostic to a Seeker…

The facts are on our side, fellow witnesses of Jesus!

The Life of Jesus is once more under attack

Think of the early disciples for a minute

Liberal scholars believe the early disciples got together and made up Jesus being raised from the dead.  

Then they would have us believe that these same disciples, the ones who had fled when Christ was crucified, led by Peter who was afraid when confronted by a little girl, they would have us believe that these same disciples were willing to be persecuted and all but one of them die brutal deaths so that others would believe their lie.

As a Texan would say, that ‘dog won’t hunt!’

The record shows they were just too chicken for that- if Jesus had died and stayed dead they would have never continued on – Christ being dead meant their belief was dead

Someone might object and say…What about terrorists like Al Zarqawi?

His disciples are willing to go on fighting…

That’s physical rebellion, and that often happens…Desperate people will go to battle and be willing to die as long they can kill a few of the enemy along the way

BUT that’s not what the disciples did – they did not organize to fight with force, they witnessed to what they saw, and they would not stop talking about Jesus even though people threatened and killed them

Hear me well – the disciples did not die for what they merely believed to be true

It’s a misguided belief when you think that Allah will receive you into Paradise and give you 72 virgins to spend eternity with if you fly a plane into a building full of innocent people

The disciples did not die only for what they believed; they died for what they had seen to be true

Read I John 1:1-4

Now today we believe, but we believe based on the true witness that’s been handed down

I could not be a Mormon, because there is not a shred of Archaeological evidence to back up the teenager Joseph Smith’s outrageous claims

Not only that, DNA technology now shows that it is just not true that the Indians of the Americas were related to Jews

The truth of the gospel is so compelling that it has changed lives for 2,000 years

There’s a lot of people that play church, but there is nothing more exhilarating than seeing a life that bears witness to the transforming power of the gospel

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…        -Romans 1:16

Jesus is the Truth- and we bear witness to Him!

“God always pours his grace into empty hands.”    St. Augustine

Let’s Pray!

Exodus Chapter 4

Moses continues making excuses, but the LORD’s _______ is irrevocable  V. 1-17

The Miracles of the Bible are generally clumped around a few times when the miracles __________________ God’s message of deliverance and its messengers.

What other Scripture does God’s direct answer to Moses (v. 11) remind us of?

When God says “go,” He will never accept our saying “____________!”

God is patient with us but the moment of His anger does come to those who _______________________ His call on their life.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.            -Romans 11:29

Moses and his family head to Egypt, but the LORD seeks to ______ him  V. 18-26

Now one thing that’s interesting and we need to start tracking is the parallels between Moses and the Exodus events with Jesus and the gospel events.

What does verse 19 remind us of from the gospels?                      Matthew 2:19-21

How is Exodus 4:21 different than Exodus 3:19?

The Bible presents a dynamic tension between God allowing free will choices to have consequences, and God sovereignly _________________ those choices into His plans in such a way that they are declared to be His doing.

1. God's Purpose of Grace (Baptist Faith & Message 2,000)

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Why does YHWH seek to kill Moses in verses 24-26?

It’s probable that Moses had been largely running from God during those 40 years in Midian, neglecting to __________________ practice his faith.

Moses meets Aaron and they together meet with the Elders of Israel     V. 27-31

The Heart of the Father     Luke 15:11-32

The word prodigal means wasted, and to be a prodigal is to be one who has wasted what God has given them!

5 Observations about the Father’s heart:

1. The father did not try to keep the prodigal where he didn’t want to be                                 v.12

1. The father had earned ______________ capital during earlier years that were part of drawing the prodigal back                                 v. 17-19

1. The father had been ____________ the light on for the son v. 20

1. The father fully _________________ his son                 v. 22

1. The father was an advocate for the prodigal with those who would _________________ him                                                                 v. 31

7 Keys To Loving Your Prodigal:

1. STOP using ________________ actions and statements to get them to change

1. PRAY for your prodigal _______________ someone who is also struggling to love their prodigal

1. SHOWER your prodigal with love Romans 5:8

1. DON’T Keep Blaming yourself; DO ___________ forgiveness if you need to

Ezekiel 18                              I John 1:9

1. ______________________ to your prodigal if you need to

1. LET ________________ run its course

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right then, have it your way.’       -C.S Lewis

“So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels”.                                                             -Ps. 81:12                See also Romans 1

1. _______________________ someone else 2 Timothy 2:2

Exodus Chapter 3

Moses meets God at the Burning Bush                                                          V. 1-6

What else is Mount Horeb called in the Bible?

Comparing verse 2 with verse 6 informs us that sometimes when the Bible says the Angel of the LORD appears it is a reference to when ____________ appears!

God gets Moses interest through an attention getter, but insists on Moses coming to a posture of reverent attention. If in our ministries we do the first without moving to the second and more important, we have _________________!

The LORD has a plan for Moses to ______________ the Israelites       V. 7-10

Moses ______________ the LORD’S plan for Moses                                 V. 11

Moses was just like us – he was saying Amen until the LORD called him to be personally involved in God’s redemptive work! The moment God expected Moses to take part, the ___________________ began!

The LORD deals with Moses objections to the call                                     V. 11-22

You may have heard that I AM is similar to YHWH – Here’s what they look like:

הָיָה       hayah           I am                        יְהֹוָה     Yĕhovah     YHWH

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Μωυσῆν ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν καὶ εἶπεν οὕτως ἐρεῗς τοῗς υἱοῗς Ισραηλ ὁ ὢν ἀπέσταλκέν με πρὸς ὑμᾶς         Greek Septuagint - Exodus 3:14

εἶπον οὖν ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν          John 8:24

The Greek for “I AM” is ego eimi in both Exodus 3:14 and John 8:24

What are some of the “takeaways” we should have from God saying this is His name forever, His memorial to all generations?

Verse 18 must have encouraged Moses – The Hebrews will heed Moses’ voice! But according to verse 19, who will not heed Moses’ voice?

What does God promise Moses in verses 21-22?

Where else did we see that promise?             

The Parable of the Perturbed Son                Luke 15:11-32

In His larger parables Jesus makes 3 points at once. There is a point made for people who want to follow God; there is a point made to rebuke those who are off track; and there is a poignant point made about what God is like.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”          -Micah 6:8

The R____________________ of the Prodigal Son              V. 11-16

Sin will take you further than you ever thought you’d go, keep you longer than you ever thought you’d stay, and cost you more than you were ever willing to pay.                     

The R____________________ of the Prodigal Son              V. 17-19

The Compassion of the Patient Father                                 V. 20-24

Jesus’ point to the Pharisees was clear: the ones you scorn and reject God the Father is __________________ to forgive and receive if they repent and return!

Deuteronomy 21:17-21

2 Cor. 5:21                   Eph. 1:13-14                Luke 24:46-48

The R_________________ of the Perturbed Son                 V. 25-28a

The Rebuke of the Pleading Father                                      V. 28b-32

The perturbed son (and church member) makes two mistakes:

First, he didn’t understand it’s not about what we want, it’s about what the ____________________ wants!

Second, he saw clearly his brother’s sins but not his ____________

Exodus Chapter 2

We have come to the chapter where Moses is named for the first time; it certainly won’t be the last. Moses is by far the ______________ named human in the Bible.

Moses is born and dramatically preserved from death                            V. 1-10

What is the name of Moses’ father and mother?                 See Exodus 6:20

We later learn the name of Moses’ sister – what is it?       See Exodus 15:20

I would love to know whether Miriam following the little ark was Jochebed’s idea or if enterprising young Miriam thought of it herself. Either way it’s a testament to a ______________________’s ingenuity!

Young Moses shows a heart for ___________ and has to flee Egypt   V. 11-22

Something _______________ within Moses – a strong desire to do something about injustice.

I think God was looking down from Heaven at Moses standing up and helping people and said, “I CAN USE A MAN LIKE THAT IN MY ____________________ FOR THE WORLD!”

Gershom means “___________________ there.”

Later we will learn that Moses spent his first 40 years in Egypt, his second 40 years in Midian, and then 40 years leading God’s people to the Promised Land.

Life is a series of ________________________ assignments, and you never know what else God has for you!                            I think of George Mueller

God hears prayer, and God remembers His ________________           V. 23-25

The Rulers of the world come and go – God _________________ them all!

God hears His people groaning and crying out, He remembers His covenant, and now He is going to answer the prayers with an eye to fulfilling His promises.

Stop! Thief!                Exodus 20:15 

The Eighth Commandment is about the Sanctity of ______________

Psalm 24:1                  Psalm 50:10                Ecclesiastes 2:26

Property is viewed by God as a stewardship responsibility- We are _____________________ to God for how we use His property

Three Biblical Problems with Stealing:

1. Stealing dishonors a responsibility God has entrusted to another

A people and a government that marginalizes God will go on to cheapen its views on life and marriage and will eventually start stealing your property

1. Stealing demonstrates a lack of __________ in God’s ability to provide for our needs through work

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12                     Galatians 2:10

1. Stealing cheats ourselves out of the _______ of honest labor

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Three applications from the Eighth Commandment:

1. Don’t steal from __________________ Eph. 4:28

1. Don’t steal from __________________ Mal. 3:8-10

1. Don’t steal from __________________ Matt. 6:19-21

Exodus Chapter 1

Exodus to Deuteronomy happens during the lifetime of Moses; Genesis was like a Prequel to Exodus through Deuteronomy.

It’s called Exodus for a reason: it’s the story of the _____________ from Egypt!

Like Genesis, Exodus also has two distinct movements:

The first half of Exodus is about getting the Israelites out of Egypt. The second half is about getting Egypt out of the Israelites, OR said another way, Getting God and His ways _________________ the Israelites!

Recap of the generation that wound up in Egypt                                       V. 1-7

When we compare the prophecy of Genesis 15 that we will look at in a moment with the historical record we have in the Bible, we know that about __________ years have passed between the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus.

The oppression of the “Mlexit” generation                                                  V. 8-14

Verse 8 is the key verse for the early chapters of Exodus – There arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph.

Genesis 12 clearly states that God will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel.  That is a ____________________ truth.

Satan often acts through people to try and ____________________ the unfolding of God’s prophetic plan.

There is always a pretense for those who are anti-Semitic, and it’s always fed by _________________ and paranoia.

The children of Israel were the _________________ labor that built the cities of Pithom and Raamses. Makes you wonder if they built the Pyramids!

Before we go to the next point, Let’s remind ourselves of how the prophecy of Genesis 15:12-21 was working itself out.

God’s plan is to remove His people from their oppression as He judges Pharaoh’s wickedness, and bring His people back to the land He has promised them, a land in which time is running out for the pagan peoples there because they won’t __________________.

Pro-Life heroes thwart the diabolical plans of Pharaoh                            V. 15-22

An interesting comparison is Genesis 1 where God creates and celebrates life with Exodus 1 where Satan works through Pharaoh to degrade and ________________ life.

John 10:10

Verse 17 is another key verse. The midwives fear of God led them to be pro-life and defy Pharaoh’s pro-death decree. In doing so they show us when to practice civil _________________________. When earth’s rulers insist we do something God’s word says not to do, “we must obey God rather than men.”

Luke 12:4-5