Believing a Lie

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bad habits">Overcoming bad habits</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Little Fock">Little Fock</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id329.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Government in Gods Church">Government in God's Church</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id330.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HWA Radio Transcript 1979">HWA Radio Transcript 1979</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id333.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Is God speaking to us?">Is God speaking to us?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id334.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Do you believe God?">Do you believe God?</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id335.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Warnings and Exhortation">Warnings and Exhortation</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id336.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Righteous Judgment">Righteous Judgment</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id337.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The physical and spiritual blessings of ">The physical and spiritual blessings of submission</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> BELIEVING A LIE ! </div> <div> <I>"......When he [SATAN] speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, you believe Me not. Which of you convinces Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do you not believe Me? He that is of God hears God's words: you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God" (John 8:44-47).</I></div> <div> ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo </div> <bR> <div> The stories of the Bible never grow old. Their examples still grabs our attention as when we were young and first heard them. God put these stories in His word for a purpose. The Apostle Paul understood that because he wrote, "For whatsoever things were written afore-time were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" [Rom 15:4].</div> <div> King David expressed strong feelings about God's laws when he asked God to, "Open mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your Law" [Psalms 119:18]. Probably, we don't review these many stories in God's word as often as we should.</div> <div> One great story found in the Bible is that of a prophet from Judah who was commissioned by God with an important task. This prophet was not given a name, so we will simply call him, "the young prophet." We will glean this young prophet story from the book of I Kings chapter 13. But first some background information, by starting in 1 Kings 12: verses 30 - 33. Here is where we find, Jeroboam altering God's religion, and committing a variety of grievous sins. These verses capture what those grievous sins were. "And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one [golden calf in Bethel ] and even unto Dan. and he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the Fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the High places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the Fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense" [1 Kings 12:30-33].</div> <div> Those verses tell us Jeroboam changed the place of worship, he set golden calves in Dan and Bethel to be worship. He changed the qualifications for the priests, he set up a new religious calendar by changing the date of the Feast of Tabernacles to be in the eighth month, instead of the seventh month. During his kingship -- he changed many things as "he had devised in his own heart." </div> <div> In the course of time, Jeroboam assumed the place of a priest and planned to offer incense on his new altar at Bethel. And while he was offering incense at the altar in Bethel God appeared to a young prophet of Judah and ordered him to go to Bethel and cry against the altar and denounce the idolatrous alter.</div> <div> The story continues in the next chapter of 1 Kings - we are going to let God's word tell us the story. "And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he [ the young prophet ] cried against the altar in the Word of the Lord, <B>Verse 3, </B>And he gave a sign the same day, saying, this is the sign which the Lord has spoken; behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out." Jeroboam did not welcome this uninvited young prophet from the south, who gave him God's point of view. Verse 4 - where we read, Jeroboam pointed to the young prophet and ordered him to be apprehended. "And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God [the young Prophet] had given by the word of the Lord" [1 Kings 13: 4-5]. God's orders --given to this young prophet was not said to Jeroboam in vain Jeroboam found that out when he stretched out his arm and it was immediately paralyzed </div> <div> I'm sure that struck terror in the hearts of both the king and the people who were there. Also the altar was split apart and the ashes spilled out, picturing an omen of doom for Jeroboam's religion. </div> <div> There are many lesson throughout the Bible reminding us, it is dangerous for anyone whoever he or she might be to lift up their hand against a person sent with a solemn message from God! This king and his audience knew they had before them a true prophet from God . <B>Verse 6, </B>"And the king answered and said unto the man of God, intreat now the face of the Lord your God, and <B>pray for me</B>, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, [prayed to God] and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before."</div> <div> The king now realized he could not silence this young prophet sent from God - by threats so he pondered on a new idea - verses 7-10 shows us, "And the king said unto the man of God, come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward. And the man of God said unto the king, if you will give me half your house, I will not go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that you came. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel."</div> <div> So we find him honoring the instructions that were commanded him by the word of the Lord, saying, 1]. 'You shall not eat bread, 2.] Nor drink water, 3.] And don't - return by the same way you came. His instructions were not hard to understand, nor difficult to observe.</div> <div> It is the same for us! God's commandments are understandable and not grievous. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor. 1:13, "For we write none other things unto you, than what you read or acknowledge; and I trust you shall acknowledge even to the end." John tells us, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: And His commandments are not grievous" [1 John 5:3].</div> <div> There is no better picture or story of obedience than this young prophet of faith and man of God, left for us to reflect on. He was not afraid of the wrath Jeroboam the king could bring upon him. He laid his own life on the line. </div> <div> We can read of many other people in the Bible that were imprisoned or killed for the same courage this young prophet displayed. Observe 2 Chron. 24:20-21, where we will witness the ordered stoning of Zechariah for delivering God's warning to the people. "And the spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, thus saith God, why transgress you the commandments of the Lord, that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord." This is a example of a king having little gratitude for the kindness that had been shown him by the father of Zechariah.</div> <div> Back to the young prophet -- man of God that prayed for Jeroboam arm to be healed was <B>not</B> moved by glory or honor, if he were he would have accepted to go home with the king and eat with him, to do that would have been a great honor, knowing-- not all are privileged to eat with kings. But had he accepted - he could have reasoned, I'll have a good influence on him, giving him cause to change, and recognize his short comings in God's eyes, but the young prophet -as we read would accept no reward.</div> <div> This young prophet -- was <B>not like Balaam</B>, that we read of in 2 Peter 2: 15. Balaam the Midianite prophet was hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel. His motive for doing that was money. "[False teachers] have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the <B>wages </B>of unrighteousness." These false teachers -pose as being a spokesman for God. Influence, prestige, money, ect, was not on this young prophet mind. He would have no part of this kind of thinking. There was just no persuading him, he was determined to obey God in everything.</div> <div> <B>The story does not end here! </B>We will look at the other side of the story, or as Paul Harvey would say - "now the rest of the story." " Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God [the young Prophet] had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. And their father said unto them, what way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. And he said unto his sons, saddle me the donkey. So they saddled one for him: and he rode thereon, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an Oak: and he said unto him, art you the man of God that came from Judah? And he said, I am. Then he said unto him, come home with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with you, nor go in with you: Neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place: for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, you shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that you came. He [ the old prophet of Bethel ] said unto him, I am a prophet also as you are; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water. So he [the young prophet] went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water" [1 Kings 13:11-19]. </div> <div> Verse 18 is a key verse on understanding God's purpose for revealing this event to us. Lets read that verse again leaving none of it out! 1 Kings 13:18, "He said unto him, I am a prophet also as you are; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water. <B>But He lied unto him."</B></div> <div> What does Jesus Christ teach us about liar's? "Why do you not understand My speech? Even because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. <B>When he speaks a lie, He speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" [</B>John 8:43-44<B>].</B></div> <div> Believing a lie has terrible consequences! That's why we cannot judge a thing to be true by what we hear. We must prove it for ourselves. Lets now consider the good things his young prophet had accomplished: A.) He had been able to withstand the wrath of the king. B.) He stood firm against flattery. C.) He had shunned the lure of riches. D.) He proved to not be a bad person, E.) He was brave in character and in truth. F.) He showed himself previously to have been absolutely faithful and loyal to God.</div> <div> But there is more to this story. In verse 21: where the word of the Lord came to the young prophet as they were sitting around the table eating and drinking. "Thus saith the Lord, for as much as you have disobeyed the Mouth of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to you, eat no bread, and drink no water; your carcase shall not come unto the sepulcher of your fathers <B>[you shall not be buried with your family]" </B>[1 Kings 13:21-22]. Continuing with the story in verse 23, we will read how the young prophet was destroyed <B>because he believed the old prophets lie!</B></div> <div> In verses 23 - 31<B>, </B>we read the report of this young</div> <div> prophet death. "And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drank, they saddled for him a donkey, for the prophet whom he hd brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, it is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord has delivered him unto the lion, which has torn him, and slain him, according to the Word of the Lord, which He spoke unto him. And he spoke to his sons, saying, saddle me the donkey and they saddled him. And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the donkey and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the donkey. And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the donkey and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him. And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, alas, my brother! And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to His sons, saying, when I am dead, then bury me in the sepulcher wherein the man of god is buried; lay my bones beside his bones" [1 Kings 13:23-31].</div> <div> The question is? What about the older prophet? Was not his the greater sin? Why didn't the Lord kill him instead of the young prophet? We know the Bible is clear about the fate of all liars. What do you think this story teaches us? <B>It teaches us God wants to impress upon our minds the danger of believing a lie.</B></div> <div> It is stories and lessons like this that we learn believing a thing to be true, does not make it true. We just read an example of that! The young prophet believed the lie of the old prophet. Suppose you were told that one churches teaching is just as good as another and you believed it -with out proving it! Does that make it so? What about the churches of God that teach man has the authority to postpone God's annual Holy Days? Does that make it the right thing to do? <B>No </B>- we must render full obedience to God.</div> <bR> <div> We are told in Exo 20: verse 8 to: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." And God's inspired words tells us in Exo 31:13-17, "The Sabbath's are a sign of His people." In verse 13 of Exodus 31 -- God tells Moses to: "Speak you also unto the children of Israel, [today to us, spiritual Israel] saying, verily My Sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that you may know that I am the Lord that does sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: Every one that defiles it [lie] shall surely be put to death: for whosoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among His people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever does any work in the Sabbath Day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual Covenant. <B>It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever."</B></div> <div> Remember, the young prophet perished, not by wickedness or lack of sincerity, <B>but by believing a mans lie. </B>In a sermon on prayer we learned - <B>it is a sin not to pray. </B>We are shown <B>it is a sin to believe and act upon a lie! </B></div> <div> Again I remind us we cannot judge a thing to be true because some person says its true. We are to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" [1 Thess 5:21]. The Apostle Paul tells us to, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" [2 Tim 2:15].</div> <div> The young prophet took the word of another man with out proving where his authority came from. The Apostle Paul was inspired by God to remind us to be aware of false teachings - wrong teachings. Notice two examples: Acts 20, where Paul was aware that after his departure the church would be attacked from without and within by false teachers! He called them - "Wolves in sheep's clothing." "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" [Acts 20:29-30].</div> <div> Observe another example found in Acts 18: 24, where Aquila and Priscilla needed to help Apollos with God's teachings. "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly"[Acts 20:29-30]. It is to the <B>credit </B>of Apollos - a eloquent teacher that he was willing to be taught by a tentmaker and his wife.</div> <div> There are many false teachers telling lies. Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun." Most false teachers expect money like most cultist, or they will not serve anyone. Paul address false teachers again, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light" [2 Cor 11:13-14].</div> <div> Paul cannot contain himself any longer, he calls them what they are - deceitful workers going from church to church seeking to gain adherence to their false teachings- transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. Christ says - you will know them by their fruits! They profess to be speaking for God but they come in counterfeit clothing, giving the appearance of being true believers- but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.</div> <div> God's word is laced with caution! Christ speaking in Matt 7:15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."</div> <div> In the book of Jude it is written, "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" [Jude 4].</div> <div> Believing or acting out a lie has terrible consequences. Again I ask -- why didn't God just kill the liar ? It is because there would have been no lesson for us to learn today. If we are to be teachers and helper in the millennium we must be schooled today to recognize a lie - a falsehood -- and false teachers. </div> <div> Everyone knows by reading the end of the Bible that God will punish liars. "But the fearful, and <B>unbelieving, </B>and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and <B>All liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone</B>: which is the second death" [Rev. 21:8].</div> <div> Few realize that believing a lie or acting out a lie is equally as fatal as being the liar. The old prophet said that an angel spoke to him to bring the young prophet back to his house. This is like we hear from a number of churches that say it is OK to postpone God's annual Sabbaths! Paul admonishes us to take heed! "I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though <B>we, or an angel from heaven</B>, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" [Gal. 1:8-9].</div> <div> We learn again from Paul not to be deceived. "Henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive"[Eph 4:14].</div> <div> When God's Holy Spirit operates in a God appointed manner, three dangers are avoided, 1] immaturity; 2] instability; 3] gullibility. <B>Immaturity- </B>God's called who never become involved in aggressive service for Christ- never emerge from being spiritual children, they are undeveloped through lack of exercise. Heb 5:12 express it this way, "For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the Oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat." <B>Instability- </B>This is another danger, the immature called are susceptible to the peculiar novelties and fads of professional impostors. They become religious gypsies, moving to and fro from one appealing fantasy to another. They are like chaff blowing in the wind - never stay stable in one place. <B>Gullibility- </B>This is the most serious of all, the danger of <B>deception.</B> </div> <div> Heb 5:13-14 reminds us, "For every one that uses milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."</div> <div> If you study God's word [not mans religious words] you will be able to see through their deceitful juggling. The same thing that happened to the young prophet can happen to us today.-- if we believe a lie.</div> <div> All kinds of lies are being preached and followed today. If we do not develop a love for God's truth, God will aid us in believing a lie. Notice, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" [2 Thess. 2:11-12].</div> <div> The strong delusion comes from God. It is both the punishment and the result of their <B>rejection of the truth</B>. Let us have a strong, intense, sincere, love for truth. This will help us avoid believing a lie.</div> <div> Think on theses things: </div> <div> 1] Believing a thing to be true, -- does not make it true.</div> <div> 2] Believing a lie or acting out a lie -- has terrible consequences.</div> <div> 3] And last -- we must render full obedience to God. </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> James Russell</div> <div> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <div> WHEN LIFE THROWS YOU A CURVE BALL.</div> <div> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <div> When life delivers the unexpected and you end up with a little down time, do you make the most of it? Margaret Mitchell did when in 1926 she was forced to leave her job and convalesce at home because of arthritis in her ankles and feet. She spent her time reading in bed, until one day, her husband, John brought her a used Remington typewriter instead of her requested library books. He told his wife that she had read just about every book in the public library and she should get started on writing her own because he was tired of lugging home the heavy historical tomes she preferred.</div> <bR> <div> So Mitchell began to write, beginning with the last chapter. Slowly, the pages began to pile up and her friends jokingly began to refer to "it" as "the great American novel." Over the next nine years, 70 more chapters would make their appearances in no particular order--sometimes typed, sometimes handwritten, sometimes scribbled on the back of laundry lists. She kept parts of the manuscript in bureaus, in desks, and on closet shelves.</div> <bR> <div> Finally, in 1935 Mitchell met a vice president of the McMillan publishing company. He was scouting for new Southern talent and had been tipped off by a mutual acquaintance about Mitchell's writing. He and Mitchell drove around Atlanta together to look at the dogwood in bloom, but the writer was shy about promoting her manuscript. When she later confessed to a friend that she hadn't even talked about her book with the publisher, her friend chided her: "You don't take your life seriously enough to be a novelist." This cutting remark spurred Mitchell to make a late-night call to the publisher's hotel and arrange to drop off the manuscript. He had to buy a suitcase to hold it.</div> <bR> <div> The results: Mitchell's 1,037 page novel "Gone With the Wind" was published and sold 1 million copies in its first six months. Today, more than 30 million copies of the book have been sold, with approximately 250,000 copies still selling each year. A Hollywood deal was struck and her story was made into a blockbuster film. Mitchell was even awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel.</div> <bR> <div> Not bad for someone who was just killing time!! </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Local 12 Union Retiree News</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>