TRUE RICHES - #6

Introduction

Let’s review what we have covered in the first three Sermon/Teaching Notes.

First, we discovered that God owns everything on earth. Our responsibility is to be faithful stewards (managers) of the possessions the Lord has entrusted to us. We also learned what the Bible teaches about work and how we should earn money.

In Sermon/Teaching Notes #2, we learned the importance of seeking counsel from experienced, godly people when making financial decisions; how to spend money wisely; and what the Bible teaches about avoiding debt.

Sermon/Teaching Notes #3 contained God’s principles of giving and saving. When we receive income, the first thing we should do is give to the Lord. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9). And second, we should attempt to save a portion of what we earned. “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets” (Proverbs 21:20 TLB).

In Sermon/Teaching Notes #4, we will learn about applying God’s standard of absolute honesty in our daily lives. We’ll also discuss how to train your children in God’s financial principles. Finally, we’ll cover the most important subject of all; how you can know God through Jesus Christ.

II. Honesty

All of us have to make daily decisions about whether or not to handle money honestly. Do we tell the other person when we receive too much change? Have you ever tried to sell something and been tempted not to tell the whole truth because you might lose the sale? These decisions are made more difficult because any people around us seem to be acting dishonestly. God, however, wants us to be completely honest. There are hundreds of verses in the Bible that communicate the Lord’s desire for us to be totally honest.

“The Lord detests lying lips”(Proverbs 12:22).

“The Lord hates...a lying tongue” (Proverbs 6:16-17).

“Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another” (Leviticus 19:11).

“Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body...He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:25, 28).

1. Truthfulness is one of God’s attributes.

The Lord is identified as the truth. “I am...the truth” (John 14:6).

And the Lord commands us to reflect His honest and holy character: “Be holy in all you do; for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

God’s nature is in contrast to Satan’s. John 8:44 describes the devil’s character: “He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” The Lord wants us to conform to His honest character rather than to the dishonest nature of the devil.

2. Why God has established the standard of honesty

A. We cannot be dishonest and love God.

“He whose walk is upright fears the Lord, but he whose ways are devious despises him” (Proverbs 14:2).

When we are dishonest, we act as if the living God does not even exist! We believe that God is not able to provide exactly what we need, even though He has promised to do so (Matthew 6:33). We also act as if God is incapable of discovering our dishonesty and is powerless to discipline us. If we really believe God will discipline us, then we will not consider acting dishonestly. Honest behavior is an issue of faith. An honest decision may look foolish in light of what we can see, but the godly person knows Jesus Christ is alive, even though invisible. Every honest decision we make strengthens our faith in God.

B. We cannot be dishonest and love our neighbor.

“The commandments...‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule:

‘Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor” (Romans 13:9-10).

When we act dishonestly, we are stealing from another person. Even though we might justify dishonesty by believing it is against a business or the government, ultimately, the victims are always people. The business owners or the taxpayers are the ones suffering loss.

C. Honesty establishes credibility so that evangelism can be effective.

Honest behavior enables us to demonstrate the reality of Jesus Christ to those who do not yet know Him. It confirms that we serve a holy God.

“So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15).

D. Honesty confirms God’s direction.

Proverbs 4:24-26 reads, “Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put devious lips far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead, and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established” (NASB). As you are honest, “all your ways will be established.” Choosing to walk the narrow path of honesty eliminates the many possible avenues of dishonesty.

E. It is important to be honest in small things.

The smallest acts of dishonesty lead to greater dishonesty. “Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10).

3. Escaping the temptation to be dishonest

A. Submit to the Holy Spirit.

Apart from living our lives yielded to the Holy Spirit, all of us will be dishonest. “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature”(Galatians 5:16-17).

The desire of our human nature is to act dishonestly. “Out of men’s hearts come evil thoughts...theft...deceit” (Mark 7:21-22). The desire of the Spirit is for us to be completely honest. The totally honest life is supernatural. We must submit ourselves entirely to Jesus Christ as Lord and allow Him to live His life through us. There is no other way.

B. Have a healthy fear of discipline.

God is a loving Father who disciplines His children for their benefit. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). One of the ways God uses to motivate us to honest living is by having a “healthy fear.” Proverbs 16:6 reads, “Through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.” If you are a parent and one of your children steals something, do you allow the child to keep it? No, you require its return because the child’s character would be harmed if he kept stolen property. And you want the child to experience enough discomfort to produce a lasting impression. When our heavenly Father lovingly disciplines us, it is usually done in such a way that we will not forget.

C. Surround yourself with honest people.

Scripture teaches that we are influenced by those around us, either for good or evil. “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). “The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy” (Proverbs 29:24). We are not to isolate ourselves from everyone who is dishonest; in fact, we are to be salt and light in the world. However, it is much easier to remain honest if you are surrounded by other honest people.

4. What to do when dishonest

A. Restore fellowship with God.

Anytime we are dishonest, we sin and break our fellowship with our Lord. This needs to be restored. First John 1:9 tells us how: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We must agree with God that our dishonesty was sin, and then thankfully accept God’s gracious forgiveness so we can again enjoy His fellowship.

B. Return everything received dishonestly to its rightful owner.

If we have acquired anything dishonestly, we must return it to its rightful owner. This is called restitution. “When he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or lost property he found” (Leviticus 6:4).

Restitution is an effort to correct a wrong. Zacchaeus is a good example of fulfilling this principle. He promised Jesus, “If I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8).

5. Blessings and curses

The Lord has promised blessings for the honest, while curses are reserved for the dishonest.

A. Blessings for the honest:

A more intimate relationship with the Lord. For the crooked man is an abomination to the Lord; but He is intimate with the upright” (Proverbs 3:32 NASB).

Blessings on the family. “The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him” (Proverbs 20:7).

Full life. “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment” (Proverbs 12:19).

Abundance. “The house of the righteous contains much treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble” (Proverbs 15:6).

B. Curses reserved for the dishonest:

Alienation from God. “For the crooked man is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 3:32 NASB).

Trouble with family. “A greedy man brings trouble to his family” (Proverbs 15:27).

Shorter life. “A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare” (Proverbs 21:6)

Lack of abundance. “Dishonest money dwindles away” (Proverbs 13:11).

6. Bribes

A bribe is anything given to a person to influence him to do something illegal or wrong. The taking of bribes is prohibited in Scripture.

“Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous” (Exodus 23:8).

“A wicked man accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the course of justice” (Proverbs 17:23).

Bribes can come in the form of money, gifts, and promotions. God will not bless anyone who is dishonest and receives a bribe.

Summary

God wants us to be completely honest. Every honest decision we make strengthens our faith. The Bible gives us a remedy when we have been dishonest.