✝ Daily Encouragement (4/20/23) "The False Commission"
Published: Thu, 04/20/23
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.
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Thursday, April 20, 2023
"The False
Commission"
Caution: This message may offend the "woke"
Message
summary:
The soldiers who guarded the tomb could, for a price, ignore what they witnessed firsthand. We also can ignore what we know to be true, for a price. We can choose to deny truth and
fear
the wrath of man more than the wrath of God, but the price we pay is the forfeit of our own soul (Mark 8:36). Let us instead be people of
truth!
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day"
(Matthew 28:11-15).
Lying was first introduced when Satan, the father of lies, first deceived
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Throughout human history humanity has always dealt with lies and in our view this sinful epidemic of lying is increasing exponentially. Actually in some settings I now just assume I am being lied to. In recent years lying is often called misinformation and in today's text we have an example of intentional
misinformation.
Our pastor preached on this text this last Sunday and called this section of
the chapter "The False Commission", since it precedes the Great Commission. He is a very thoughtful preacher and has a way of pointing out interesting details in the text. For instance he pointed out the phrase "some of the guard" may imply that there were other guards who came to faith after witnessing the resurrection. But good preaching also prompts the listener's own further study and musing of the text and that's what happened as I listened
Sunday.
These guards told the chief priests
"all that had taken
place". At this point there's no reason to believe they were telling anything but the truth; they were eye witnesses of the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. How could this be anything but life transforming?
But the chief priests and elders (the religious elite) demonstrated stunning
hard-hardheartedness. Earlier they had posted a guard, being concerned that the disciples would steal the body. Now they heard the truth from the soldiers and rather than examine their hearts they gave "a
sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, 'Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep'".
That
supposedly would keep them out of trouble.
"
And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day".
This was the
False
Commission.
Instead of spreading the good news of the Great Commission they spread the false newswhich is still believed by Jews and skeptics to this day.
After Pastor made this point Brooksyne told me she whispered in her friend's ear who sat beside her, "And that was taxpayers' money being used for the big lie". Her friend whispered back,
"Yeah, and they're still doing it even today".
I am stunned at this unbelief for a
price
. A sufficient sum of money still buys lies of all sorts. How did these soldiers deal with the certain internal conflict of knowing what really happened but lying about what they know did not
happen; that the disciples had stolen Jesus' body while the guards
slept.
Today there is so much to which we are being lied about and it gets more and
more bizarre as we face the reality of what it is doing to destroy the souls of man and the ruin of our nation. Romans 1:18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth". People are accepting many lies even though, like the soldiers, they surely have to be internally conflicted if they have even an iota of spiritual discernment and Biblical knowledge. Such
as:
What's next is presently unimaginable just like the previous points were
not long ago unimaginable. That's what lying, repeating the lies, and practicing deception does to the individual conscience or to an entire nation, if not checked by those who refuse to participate in the lies.
The soldiers who guarded the tomb could, for a price, ignore what they
witnessed firsthand. We can also ignore what we know to be true, for a price. We can choose to deny truth and fear the wrath of man more than the wrath of God, but the price we pay is the forfeit of our own soul (Mark 8:36). Let us instead be people of truth!
Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen and Brooksyne
Weber
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Barne's Notes of the Bible:
But speaking the truth in love
- "being sincere." The translation in the text is correct - literally, "truthing in love" - ἀληθεύοντες alētheuontes. Two things are here to be noted:
(1) The truth is "to be spoken" -
the simple, unvarnished truth. This is the way to avoid error, and this is the way to preserve others from error. In opposition to all trick, and art, and cunning, and fraud, and deception, Christians are to speak the simple truth, and nothing but the truth. Every statement which they make should be unvarnished truth; every promise which they make should be true; every representation which they make of the sentiments of others should he simple truth. "Truth is the representation of things
as they are;" and there is no virtue that is more valuable in a Christian than the love of simple truth.
(2) The second thing is, that the truth should be spoken "in love." There are other ways of speaking truth. It is sometimes spoken in a harsh, crabby, sour manner, which does nothing but disgust and offend. When we state truth to others, it should he with love to their souls, and with a sincere desire to do them good. When we admonish a brother of his faults, it should not be in a harsh and unfeeling manner, but in love. Where a minister pronounces the awful truth of God about depravity, death, the judgment, and future woe, it should be in love. It should not be done in a harsh and repulsive manner; it should not he done as if he rejoiced that people were in danger of hell, or as if he would like to pass the final sentence; it should not be with indifference, or in a tone of superiority. And in like manner, if we go to convince one who is in error, we should approach him in love. We should not dog-matize, or denounce, or deal out anathemas. Such things only repel. "He has done about half his work in convincing another of error who has first convinced him that he loves him;" and if he does not do that, he may argue to the hour of his death and make no progress in convincing him.
What is truth? from the Got Questions teaching site- A Proposed Definition of Truth: In defining truth, it is first helpful to note what truth is not:
Kevin, a longtime reader made this interesting point regarding
yesterday's message: Peter has such a need to see and I presume to touch Jesus that he cannot wait for the boat. It won't be a private moment as the others are less than a football field away. But the shame and guilt of his failure and denial on the night of the 'trial' weighed on him so heavily that he NEEDED to be restored.
Why am I not more like this with the Lord and with people? Why do I delay to reconcile? I don't know - but I see benefit in sandal-in-mouth Peter's urgency Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"The Voice Of Truth
Click to listen on YouTube Casting Crowns
Here's an interesting article about the current gender fad which is deceiving so many. The comments are equally insightful.
Our pastor's message from last Sunday
Click to listen on YouTube
Includes his thoughts about the false
commission.
Yesterday afternoon I took a neighborhood bike ride along with my friend
Bob.
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
717-823-0592
Daily Encouragement Net
https://www.dailyencouragement.net
Mail service provider is aweber.com
495 Kraybill Church Rd
Mount Joy PA 17552
USA
Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options