Sermon(Ps 12): Let's speak right
The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025251535
>>1 Help, Lord; for there is no longer any that is godly; for the faithful have vanished from among the sons of men. 2 Every one utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts. 4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is our master?” 5 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” 6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. 7 Do thou, O Lord, protect us, guard us ever from this generation. 8 on every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the sons of men. (Ps 12) <<
) -->
There are mean newspaper companies in Korea. When a murderer politician tried to take control of the government, they praised him with applause and flattery. But when a democratic government was established and a politician who professed to eradicate the social evil appeared, they regarded him a bitter enemy and opposed all his legitimate policies. How great would the complaint and resentment be, which the victims of the dictator have against the mean companies? The press that should say right are calling the truth the lie, the lie the truth. The press of that kind are dirtier than whores.
) -->
However, sometimes you can get into severe trouble if you speak truth in the world. If you criticize a dictator, you can be taken to somewhere and be killed secretly. If you expose your boss' corruption, you can be kicked out of the company first. So the number of those who speak rightly more and more decreases. "Lord, there is no longer any that is godly; for the faithful have vanished from among the sons of men. (v. 1)" Therefore those who used to live honestly (or faithfully) begin to compromise with the world and to live like secular people because they can be gotten rid of first if they live devoutly in the sinful world. So from that, we can expect this: "Every one utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. (v. 2)"
) -->
Now the world becomes a place where you have to tell lies and flatter others much and to be a deceptive man in order that you can rise in the world. What world is this world? No man is to be trusted in here. Friendship has disappeared. To help each other is an unfamiliar act. You have to make every effort to use all the information networks in order that you may avoid deception, and have to strive to conceal your true identity. My friends, if you intend to deceive others, they, too, strive to deceive you. The problem is that you will be stigmatized as a liar by others for all the rest of your life, and will live an extremely miserable life to the end if only one of your lies is exposed while you are enjoying gladly the fruits of your other lies. But strangely enough, even if you like to tell lies so frequently, you like and trust an honest man. The most notorious liar wants to do a deal with an honest man. Therefore, ironically the >truth< has the absolute value even in a false society. once you are recognized as an honest man even in the world full of lies, a door to the infinite possibility is opened to you. Lying is too risky a gamble in any society. But the longer the truth is with you, the more surely it will keep you.
) -->
Today's text is David's poem. This is the motto of life that David really wanted to keep: Be faithful to God! (Or serve God honestly!) To this David God said, "I have rejoice in you." My brethren, God really hates lies. See Ananias and Sapphira in the early church. They lied to the apostles about the money offered to God, and died on the same day by the rage of God they incurred. God put Achan and his family to death for he had disobeyed God's command and deceived others. Do you know what lie God hates most? It is the lie that is uttered under the pretext of serving God. God deserted Saul, who had not kept God's command that he should even kill all the cattle of the enemy, but had brought many fat cattle alive, saying, "I've brought these livestock to sacrifice them to God." David says God will cut off the tongues of liars. God gives honest men the understanding to see the hearts of those who lie, and causes the liars to fall into self-deception or to be deceived by other cunning liars. If you say to a liar, "I know your tricks well. So stop lying," he will no longer be able to say anything. As a matter of fact, in this case his tongue has been cut off already (though it is still on the body). The tongue that can not speak anymore is a tongue that has already been cut off, and the legs that can not escape anymore are already severed legs. The legs of those who have been convicted by courts and imprisoned are such. Those who lie and those who love to shed the blood of the righteous are sinners in the sight of God. Their tongues and hands and legs shall be cut off forever.
) -->
Brethren, give up all kinds of lies when you serve God and live among people. Observe the Lord's Day honestly. You must not work for yourself on the day. And Sunday worship must be held at the most important time of the day. It will be an honest worship service of Sunday if it is held from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Adult Sunday services between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. are false services, I think. Adult Sunday services between noon and 5 p.m. are all false services. Servants of God should hold the Sunday worship service only once between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m., abandoning dishonest heart and greed. If there are too many saints in the church, teach people to go to other churches near their home. Be a little more honest servants of God. If about 80% of the pews are occupied in the general worship service of the Lord's Day, you should not accept as new members of the church except those who have moved near the church. Saints, too, should think honestly about which church you are sent to by God, and should go to the church where you can be a more efficient evangelist. You can be a more responsible evangelist when you attend the church that is near your home. You may attend a newborn church in another city to help the church. If it is not the case, there is no reason to go to a church in another city that is too far away from your home. You can live a life of an honest Christian if you consider first the true exaltation of God and the evangelization of the neighbors. Attend the general worship service of the Lord's Day honestly, donate honestly, and go to the near church honestly.
) -->
God promises to protect those who live an honest life. >>“Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” (v. 5)<< My brethren, if you live honestly in an unjust world, you may become a wretch, be oppressed by the wicked, become poor, and groan. But God is with the honest. He says that he stands up to help them now. He says that he has seen clearly how the wicked have afflicted the righteous by lying and injustice so far, how long the righteous have been suffering, and that he begins to intervene and take action. The falsehood of the wicked will be revealed to the world, and the uprightness of the righteous will be known to all. God is one who exposes all hidden injustice. Falsity is a house on sand. He who has a lying tongue will lose all that he has gotten by falsity so far when his lies are disclosed. He may have honestly accomplished many good other achievements, however, they will even lose their glory by one of his lies. You know well how a professor of a prestigious university ruined when the data manipulation of his research came to light. My brethren, God hates falsehood. Therefore do not try to achieve some big results by falsehood. God will bring them all to ruin someday. After he has cut off all the lying tongues, God will give to the honest the things that the liars have taken from the honest unjustly. God gives the heavenly wisdom to the honest. He gives them the heavenly inspiration. So if we live and behave honestly before God and man, God will give us wisdom that makes us not the tail but the head of the world. Therefore the key to our success in life is to be honest with God. How can you be recognized by God as an honest man? Believe in the sincere God who blesses the honest, and keep your honesty to the end even if you undergo some loss for a long time in the world where the falsity prevails. Look at David. How many times did Saul, a sly politician, promise not to kill his son-in-law David? But he tried to kill him many times. As time passed, the Israelites felt Saul and his men to be liars, but David to be an honest man. Do the people like a dishonest king or an honest king? David could be a king because he was acknowledged as an honest man by God and people. People are tempted to lie when lies can bring them great profit or help them escape great danger. But at that very moment, if you act honestly, you'll really be acknowledged as a true reliable man by all. Such honesty will protect you to the end. "Do thou, O Lord, protect us, guard us ever from this generation. (v. 7)"
) -->
David finds a good example of honesty and truth in the word of God. "The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. (v. 6)" The white color of silver looks so pure. For David, the word of God is the truth itself like silver refined in a furnace seven times and having no impurities. The word of God does not have any impurities of falsehood. Therefore we can receive all the blessings promised to us if we learn the word of God hard and live as it teaches us. If you have not eaten some fruits of the blessings, you'll be rewarded double later in heaven, or instead of you, your descendants will eat the fruits. on the contrary, if you do what God forbids, you'll surely be punished according to the word of God. The word of God is pure, and has delight in the honest, and keeps and leads them.
) -->
My brethren, your words must be pure like silver refined seven times. Dirty dregs must be removed. Let's first eliminate the scum of pride. And also the scum of falsehood, the scum of foolishness, the scum of misunderstanding, the scum of selfishness, the scum of deception, the scum of impropriety, and the scum of rashness, the scum of being too talkative. So let your words be humble, true, wise, considerate, altruistic, sincere, and appropriate. Thus let your words be more and more prudent. Above all, we need to gain the trust of others first through action and practice rather than through vain words. He who speaks right and good words looks really noble and trustful. And such a man gives calm happiness to the neighbors. It needs such a language life for a husband to receive love and respect from his wife, and for a wife to receive love from her husband. Anyone who wants to receive respect and love from others should speak such pure words without any scums. I'm sure it'll really work.
) -->
My brethren, the tongue that cannot give thanks and praise to God is a false tongue. If our hearts are honest, we cannot but give thanks and praise to God at any time. God has delight in the true gratitude and praise of the upright more than anything else in the world.
) -->
May you be honest before God and men, blessed by God, and honored and loved by people.
) -->
Chong Tack Kim
- Dongtoma Sunshine Church -
) -->