Ruth: 3:10-13; A community without lies. The God who cannot lie; the Christian who cannot lie.

Sunday April 15, 2018

Title: Ruth: 3:10-13; A community without lies. The God who cannot lie; the Christian who cannot lie.

We completed Paul’s appeal to the Athenians in Act 17. He revealed that God had been revealing Himself to every nation and people, and for them, as far as they got, they came to call Him an unknown god. He revealed that the times of ignorance had passed, not that man couldn’t know of God before, Paul clearly stated, as he does in Rom 1, that God made Himself evident, rather, the wrath of God upon sin had been revealed and the salvation of men had been revealed in Christ Jesus to all men.

This brings us back to Rom 1 and Eph 4.

Never forget what you have been delivered from (sin, death, darkness) and what you have been delivered to (eternal life, light, righteousness).

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

Rom 1:19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Rom 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

This was done by the people to left the Areopagus after Paul’s discourse. They did so before Paul arrived and after he left.

Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.

The lust of the heart is never fulfilled, not even temporarily.

The lust of the heart is deeper than the lust of the flesh. The lust of the flesh dissipates for a time after it is fulfilled, but the lust of the heart is never fulfilled. The older man longs for the beautiful woman long after his flesh is useless, the woman long past the time of her youth longs for beauty, the poor man longs for wealth, the weak for power, even when any hope of their reality is gone. This is the dreadful lust of the heart.

The believer has been delivered from the lust of the heart. The truth says that we are complete in Him and we are full in Him. There is nothing to lust for on the earth for the believer. Do not look to it any more.

The revelation of the NT is that we are new men under the New Covenant; all accredited to the blood of Christ, and that such men are called to live and walk in the righteousness of God.

The first open, public liars in the church dropped dead at the feet of the apostle Peter.

Act 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,

Act 5:2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.

Act 5:3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?

Act 5:4 "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God."

Act 5:5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard of it.

Act 5:6 And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

Act 5:7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

Act 5:8 And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price."

Act 5:9 Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out as well."

Act 5:10 And she fell immediately at his feet, and breathed her last; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Act 5:11 And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things.

We would not conclude that every member of the body of Christ who lies, drops dead, but the fear of the Lord still applies.

There is no life in false pretense, hypocrisy, or lying. We who are alive in Christ fear God and have nothing to do with them.

What’s the difference if such a person drops dead now or lives another fifty years without that which is life indeed?

Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.

The lying world ever claims that man is making progress. They have been saying this for over a hundred years in our nation.

Rom 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

“For they exchanged the truth of God for THE lie.” The exact same Greek construction (tw yeuvdei– to pseudei = the lie) is in 2Th 2:11.

The definite article should not be ignored. God is talking about the lie, which is man’s rejection of God and choosing rather the creature.

2Th 2:8And then [when the day of the Lord comes] that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

2Th 2:9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

2Th 2:10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

2Th 2:11 And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false [“might believe the lie],

To be strict to the context, the people mentioned will be alive during the Tribulation, however, the deception of wickedness has been in every generation. Think about how many lies are propagated throughout society. God so often reveals their falsehood, but when the time is right, God allows the lie to move about freely and without resistance.

2Th 2:12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

The definite article is ignored, but it should not be. It is not any lie or any falsehood. It is the lie – exchanging the glory of God for an image.

2Th 2:10 cf. Rom 1:21 – a person can receive the love of Christ so as to have a heart full of light, or he can receive vanity and foolishness so as to have a heart full of darkness.