Well, continuing on in Exodus, our series in Exodus here. Exodus chapter 23, we'll be looking at the first 13 verses of Exodus 23. Starting at verse 1, Exodus 23. You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You should not follow a crowd to do evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute as the turn aside after many to pervert justice. You shall show no partiality to a poor man in his dispute. If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it. You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. Keep yourself far from a false matter. Do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not justify the wicked. And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous. Also, you should not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Six years you shall sow in your land and gather its produce, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie follow, that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave, the beast of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed. And all that I've said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth. The grass withers and the flower falls away, but the word of God endures forever. May God bless the reading and proclamation of his holy word. You know, as I conclude the message this morning, the elders will come up and we'll have a time of partaking of the Lord's Table. And so often during this time of the Lord's Table, we hear the words out of 1 Corinthians 11.23, on the night he was betrayed. On the night he was betrayed, Pastor Dabney preached on that night last week when he preached on Gethsemane. And it was a dark time, a nighttime both, literally and figuratively. Literally in that it was night. We read in John 18 that when Judas and the chief priests and the Pharisees and the others, their servants came with him, they came to arrest Jesus. It states that they came with torches and lanterns and weapons. Figuratively or symbolically, it was a night of the Savior's soul. And as we heard last week, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death. So it was a time of travail of soul and body, and perhaps second only to Christ crying out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? When he hung on the cross. And at such a time, what we read from the other gospels in Gethsemane was the time that angels came and ministered to him. It was a time that the Lord told his disciples to tarry with him and to pray. And It was at this time he was betrayed. He gave a request to pray together, but at that time he was betrayed. When you think of that word betray, what comes to mind? You know, usually we think of someone who betrayed us as someone who is once on our side, but then they have done something treacherously against us. Synonymous words can be deceive, cheat, double cross. A betrayer is definitely a person who feigned to be one thing and while doing something else or actually being something else. Judas feigned to be a friend of Christ, even to the end when he came up to our Savior and betrayed him with a kiss, calling him a rabbi. Judas' life was a lie. And to a degree, we see this exposed earlier in his life when Judas feigned concern over the cost of the perfume that was poured over the Savior's feet. Judas acting out this concern, again, this feigned concern, he says in John 12, why was this fragrant oil not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor? Of course, the apostle John interjected this into the narrative of verse six. He said, this he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and he had the money box and he used to take what was put in it. You know, perhaps the most diabolical of deceptions are deceptions that take place under the cloak of religion or some benevolent cause. Judas coveted what wasn't his and he used thievery to get it. And in that thievery he implemented falsehood. and betrayal, living a lie to get what he wanted. Scripture tells us that Satan entered Judas in Luke 23.3. The father of lies entered Judas and that was to attack truth, personified the Savior. Think of what a contrast Christ and Judas were. One epitomizes deception and the other truth. In fact, Jesus not only spoke words of truth, but scripture tells us that he is truth. And so the two, Judas and Jesus, represented totally opposite ends. One lies, the other truth. One shows forth the attributes of Satan, who not only came to kill, steal, and destroy, but also, as I said before, is the father of lies. And Christ showing forth the attribute of God, and that is truthfulness, being truthfulness, the truthfulness of God. God cannot be what he isn't. He is true. We read in Titus 1-2 and other passages that God cannot lie. He cannot do that to what he is not, and he is truth. And we see that supremely manifested in the Word made flesh, the Lord Jesus. Even in Ephesians 4 we read that in truth, the truth is in Jesus. Now we know that the Ten Commandments, God's moral law, reveal to us God's holy character. So as we continue today to go through the Book of the Covenant, which ranges from Exodus chapter 21 to the 23rd chapter, we are continuing to see case laws, some general applications to that moral law given earlier in chapter 20. Now in today's text we read of a number of case laws based on the ninth commandment, thou shalt not bear false witness or thou shalt not lie. So in God there's no untruth or lie and this is his command for those whom he called out of the bondage of Egypt, out of darkness, to be a holy separate people who walk in truth. You know, long before the Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers that they should walk in love as Christ had loved us and given himself for us, God gave the Book of the Covenant to his people that they should walk in love towards their neighbor. And really what we see here in Exodus in these case laws is a call for God's people to be a godly, to live a God-like people towards others. And again, we see that both in the Old and New Testaments. It's not just something new that's come up in the New Covenant. God's standards of holiness have not changed. He has not changed. Be ye holy, for I am holy. Again, that reference found in both the Old and New Testament. But with such a standard, with such a call, we need to look heavenward, don't we, dear ones, for His grace and His strength. For these things are not naturally within us. We must receive them supernaturally from on high. In verse 13 we read, In all that I have said to you, be circumspect. Be circumspect. Look around. Look at what God has done. Consider all that He has said and promised. This is akin to Romans chapter 12 verse 1. In view of God's mercies. With God's mercies in view. We're always keeping those in sight. His deliverance from Egypt, from bondage, from sin, all these things are ever present in our considerations. Then he walks. Then he directs, I should say, how we should walk as we keep those things in view. So let us walk in truth towards God and in truth towards others, and may that same mercy that God has demonstrated to us through his son be that same way that we demonstrate mercy towards our neighbors and love as well. The title of this message I took from Ephesians 5.1, that Brother Mike read, therefore be imitators of God, dear children, and walk in love. Imitating God is walking in love as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us. So let's look at some help in this walk of love. You know, when we look at this walk of love expressed in truth and justice, we see that it's applied both to the people in general and also to those who might be standing in a place of judgment. It's almost like some of these verses could be a court scene, if you would. Now we also see in these verses several oppositions or obstacles to truth. Peer pressure, partiality, bias, revenge, and greed or covetousness. A number of things that come against truth that scripture helps us to be mindful. It's good to know the state of our enemies and those things that come against us. Now in this first verse of Exodus 23 we read that upholding truth is not holding on to a false report. Don't spread a false report and don't be partakers of a false report. Let me read that verse. You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Just as a reminder, dear ones, that God's commandments are given to us. Why? He gives them to us because we find these things easy to do? No. No, our natural bent is not to do these things. Our inclination is not to do that which God commands. You know, that is why Augustine's prayer of God, command what you will and give what you command. That ought to be our daily prayer as well. for to see what you command and give us the grace and strength to fulfill that command. In and of ourselves, we do not have what it takes to obey and follow God's commands. Now think how often we can or we have violated these case laws put forth in these verses. Do not circulate a false report. Now, when you think of a false report, what's something that comes in mind that could be synonymous? What's the first thing that should come to our mind or perhaps ought to come to our mind? Spreading rumors. When it comes to rumors, too many of us have a sweet tooth. Now, that might sound a little strange. Now, I would say there have been a few saints that I've met in my life that have been exemplary in showing how they put control on the sweet tooth. When it comes to a real sweet tooth, I've told Pastor Dabney I don't have one, and he has given me ample evidences that things are contrary to that. I do indeed have a sweet tooth. But think of a sweet tooth when it comes to rumors. Proverbs 18.8 reads, the words of a tail bearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body. Now, many translations use the word morsel for trifles here. That conveys this desire of something to nibble on, especially something sweet, just kind of to let the sweetness of it invade our taste buds. But Scripture says they don't stay there. They go down into the innermost body. In other words, they deeply affect the one consuming it. And usually that effect is seen in the regurgitation of it. It's coming up and affecting others around them. You know, a false rumor is like a planted seed. And the repeating of a false rumor is the watering of that seed. When the false rumor is watered by a spreading of the rumor, then it takes on a life of its own. It does indeed grow. How many negative opinions have we formed against someone we've never spent any time with? And it seems the damage of those seeds of false reports go into the recess of the mind as well. They're hard to forget. Now the only thing is that the regurgitation of these morsels of gossip usually isn't done in a proper disposal thing that regurgitation should take place. Where does that regurgitation take place? Usually in the ears of others. Now that's not a pleasant thought, is it? And maybe it ought to be a thought that we have to think of it as a repulsive thing and not to be partakers of it. Proverbs 11.13 states, a tail bearer reveals secrets and he who is a faithful spirit conceals a matter. And if you couple that with Proverbs 17.9, which declares, he who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. To conceal a matter, to cover a transgression demonstrates love. And isn't that what we see in these passages in Exodus, truth and justice are demonstrating love? You know, I remember as a fairly new believer, being in an awkward situation that stuck with me. And a group of us young men were talking, and some older gentlemen, and one man in the group mentioned a rumor spread by another man in group about a yet a different man in the group. And it became a very awkward and uncountable situation. It was like the man got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, except it's a cookie jar of words. Now, I was thinking, I don't know if it had this effect. It did stay in my memory. One, it could have stopped the rumor right there as it exposed it. It stopped the one from spreading the rumor. I'm taking it no further that these things will be exposed. And for the rest of us who were sitting there uncomfortably listening, it gave us pause to be spreaders of rumors. You know, perhaps sometimes it's used the term sharing rumors were used, but sharing isn't the right word to use when it comes to gossip or rumors. We spread diseases like colds and COVID. We usually don't use the word for sharing when something that has a negative connotation to it. Sometimes we use the word sharing when it comes to secrets, you know, sharing a secret. Now, I think most of you have probably heard the humorous definition I've heard and passed along about what a secret is. A secret is something you tell one person at a time. The truth is, even that definition is divisive. It brings division. Now, to avoid spreading a false report, we must avoid hearing a false report the best we can. Romans 14, verses 17 and 18, the apostle writes, now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple." Look at the description of those who cause divisions. They serve their own belly. What a word pitcher. This means they serve their own selfish desires and their own focuses. But they also have the gift of communicating and they use flattery to lower their defenses against those they are talking to. Scripture tells us we are to avoid these people. Proverbs warns about those who flatter with their words to avoid them. Now, a good way to test our conversations with others is this. Did we speak well of our Savior in that conversation? Did we represent Him well? Did we speak well of the head of our church? If we did speak well of the head of the church, Christ, did we speak well then of His body, our brothers and sisters? Was our heart warmed by the conversation like the two on the road to Mass? Was it warm towards our Savior and His people? May God do such a work that all our conversations are edifying as such. Now when a false or slanderous report comes our way, a report in which we were neither a part of or a problem or not a part of the problem nor the solution, let us consider the second part of that Proverbs 11, 13. He who is a faithful spirit conceals the matter. We must look. Sometimes it's a looking hard, but we must look for the grace of God and the lives of others. And may God find us faithful in this. Let me interject something here, too, of encouragement, especially to you dads. Make the reading of the book of Proverbs a regular thing in your household, at least a couple times a year. Go through the book of Proverbs through your family devotions as you lead those. Pause and give illustration to the different points. Those Proverbs will stick with your children the whole of their lives, even if they're not applying them. like we don't always have. But I just encourage you as I have gone through several references to Proverbs that made me think of that word of encouragement that you have to make that part of your daily devotions at least a couple times a year. Now, verse 2 shows us a very powerful motivation for not speaking the truth, and that is following the crowd. Going along with the crowd, not wanting to stand alone because of fear of others, fear of being singled out, That's an incredible, incredible strong influence of not speaking the truth. The crowd can create a mob mentality. Illogical thinking goes out the window with a mob. It goes out pretty quickly. Do you remember that old adage, the first casualty of war is truth? Well, that could be said of a crowd as well. Truth isn't essential to be a part of the wave that a crowd has caused. Think of that crowd in Jerusalem at the time of our Lord's crucifixion. You know, Acts 10.38 speaks of our Lord and it describes him this way, Christ who went about doing good in healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. That's the description Acts 10 gives him. What did the crowd do when Christ stood before Pilate? We read in Luke 28, they all cried out at once, away with this man and release to us Barabbas, our murderer, in place of one who went about doing good. Now how many in that crowd experienced the good that Christ had done? Were there some in that crowd who had been actually healed by Christ? Or perhaps it had to be they knew somebody that was healed by Christ. Surely there was at least a couple people, several in that crowd that ate of the miraculous loaves and fishes that Christ fed the 5,000 men, besides women and children. Yet we read they cried out, crucify him, crucify him. And to think that only days earlier, this crowd was crying out hosannas to the Lord. So, knowing the truth is only part of the battle against following the crowd. Loving the truth. There's a difference between knowing the truth and loving the truth. Loving the truth has to be utmost in our hearts. Proverbs 23, 23, an easy address to remember. I did think of Michael Jordan's number. But Proverbs 23, 23, buy the truth and do not sell it. What a great proverb to just let settle in our minds. I had a sister share that last month with me and it stuck with me since, so I'm glad to put it in here. Buy the truth and do not sell it. Do not sell it. Clutch onto it with all your might. Hold the truth as you would life, for it is life. And if that's your posturing, you'll be able to stand alone against the tide of the crowd. John Knox said, one man with God is always in the majority. One man with God is always in the majority. Our young people, remember. that no matter what the culture says and how devoid of truth it can be, always stand for truth. We live in a culture where truth has been a casualty a long time ago. Buy the truth and do not sell it. In the end, God will execute justice and truth will be victorious. Now, there will be times You can almost guarantee it. If you live for the Lord, all who live godly for Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, scripture says. That's a promise we usually don't hang on our refrigerator. But there will be times that you'll feel like the prophet Elijah, when all the prophets of Baal were so many, and then all those that followed as well. It was the majority of the people followed those prophets. It made Elijah have this sense about him. I am the only one of the Lord's prophets. Now there will be times where it will definitely be more convenient to walk with the majority now, or what seems to be the majority now. But in reality, God is the majority. One man with God is always the majority. Young people, let that go deep into your hearts. Now what's the inevitable outcome of following the crowd? We read at the end of verse two, perverting justice. And have we not seen that illustrated in our own society, in our courts? Too often, Lady Justice is no longer holding a balance scale and a blindfold. No, she has an ear to either the deepest pockets or the angriest and most threatening voices and go along with their demands. And justice is perverted. So perhaps it isn't always the angriest voice that gets our attention, but another emotion, almost at the other end, pity. It's interesting that scripture brings this up, showing partiality because of someone's low situation in life. Scripture warns about judging according to heartstrings. Emotions were not to be part of it, truth was. Now emotions can blind justice just as much as peer pressure can. Scripture wants us to put our emotions under the control of truth. You shall show no pity to a poor man in his dispute, verse 3 says. You know in sports everybody loves the underdog except who the favorite is. In judicial disputes, many are pulling for the poor. In many people's minds, the poor are poor because of someone else's actions. Therefore, they are automatically less guilty. And this can affect standing for truth. Of course, we do know that one's chances in our court of law have to do with the skill of the lawyer you're able to hire. The more money you have to hire a better lawyer, the better the chances. Rich people have more advantages, have more riches and therefore securing a more competent or excuse me, I should say a more favorable ruling to their side is there. Now I know a number of contractors who were offered 50 cents on the dollar for a development project they had completed. This was back in the 80s, 1980s. There's one person here that always says, oh, is that the 1800s or 1900s? 1980s. Now, most of the contractors took it. Now, why did they take it? because something was better than nothing. That was part of it. But also, they knew they couldn't wait it out until these monies came in to just survive. They couldn't wait out for a decision to come through the courts. And also, if they had to pay lawyers, they were at the risk of a favorable decision against a very, very wealthy developer in the area. This is right here in the Cleveland area. Now, stories like this kind of give us a sense of righteous indignation. But those things are not to blind a true sense of having a true sense of justice. And just as there's no pity that comes with poverty, or excuse me, I have the word piety there, just as there's no automatic piety in being poor, so too there should be no automatic innocence given to them simply because of their poverty. Scripture gives us proper balance, doesn't it? Truth matters. The poor are not always innocent because they are poor, and the rich aren't always automatically guilty. And because of that we shouldn't be biased towards one group or prejudiced towards another. Now consider how appropriate this command would be for the children of Israel who just came out of years of harsh slavery. They would have to combat any type of favorable posturing they would have to those who are suffering a similar plight as they. You know, in verses 10 and 12, we do see great considerations, 10 through 12, given to the poor. Those verses look like they have more to do with a ceremony. They're speaking of the Sabbath rest there, but really more to do with mercy that it does with ceremony, and therefore fitting with the rest of today's text, because it's dealing with our neighbor in a merciful and a loving way. Now we know that the greatest purpose of honoring this Sabbath, the Lord's Day, is because God rested on the Sabbath from his work of creation. And on the seventh day, God ended his work, which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had done, Genesis 2.2. So we read in verses 10 through 12 there that there were other purpose for the Sabbath rest, rest for creation itself. God rested and creation ought to rest. Fields were to be given a sabbatical rest every seventh year. But during this time, the poor were to come and to receive the fruit of those fields. They could glean from those fields. There was still work involved and responsibility involved, even for the poor. You know, poverty from indebtedness was not to be a chronic condition of God's people. There was to be forgiveness of that death, even after seven years. We read in Deuteronomy chapter 15, verse one, at the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release of debts. Now if those who weren't in debt, those landowners and others, if they followed the command to rest their field every seven years and there would be a rotation of various fields, the poor would always have opportunity to eat from those fields until either their debt was repaid or they were forgiven of it. So again, think of that. The being mindful of the poor wasn't just a New Testament command. We see it here as well. And we also see that beast of burden and workers were to be given rest. Isn't it true? So true. God knows our frame. He knows what we're made of. You know, the old saying, seven days of work makes one week, W-E-A-K. That applies both to man and beasts. You know, Isaiah 58, 8, In fact, that not doing your own ways is considerate of those of your neighbor and particularly those who work for you. Now, the keeping of the Sabbath was directed towards the Lord, yet it was also a day directed towards others and to give them rest from their regular chores and their work. You know, when I think about this ceasing from your own ways, the way of doing regular business, can we expect God to bless the work of our other days, the other six days? Now I'm sure there's our folks here that could testify that God can make nine-tenths of our income work better and go better than we can make 10-tenths of our income go. Should we expect to see the Lord do such a thing in the days of our work as well? Besides the works of mercy and necessity that are needful, God can cause six days to be more fruitful and beneficial than we can make seven days. You know, I think we have a contemporary illustration of this, at least I think we do. What is the most profitable fast food restaurant per store? That is, each of its stores makes more profit than any other individual fast food business. Now, there are some fast food businesses that have more, many more locations, therefore their overall income is greater. But on average, per store, one service, one store stands above others. And if you would like to know what that business is, I don't think it's too hard to figure out. Probably many of you have eaten there. Just consider what food chain is closed on Sundays and you'll have your answer. Coincidence? This gives us pause, doesn't it? Because they sell a good product? Well, they do have a good product, no doubt. I consider myself a self-taught fried chicken expert, and I actually prefer Cane's chicken, but Chick-fil-A does have a good product, and that surely helps. But the store is open one-seventh less than every other store out there. And it's still outperforming by a wide margin a profit. not being open as the other stores are. Coincidences again? Well, I like what one old preacher said. He said, some agnostics say answers to prayer are just coincidences. Well, I don't know about that. All I know is the more I pray, the more coincidences happen. Consider what a merciful thing it is for all the workers of Chick-fil-A. They don't have to show up for work on the Lord's Day. Whether they're believers or not, they still benefit from God's law. The Lord gives the command to his people to allow their servants to rest on the Sabbath because otherwise, if the command wasn't there, guess what? Servants would most likely be working because man knows better than God. They would be like the heathen nations around them that didn't see any sense to taking off a whole good day and wasting it like that. Now, I'm sure there are some who saw the wisdom of having a day off for the rest for themselves, but having others who work for them to do that, oh, that's another story. Now, going back up to verses 4 and 5, we see that what I think is one of the greatest tests of our godly fear and Christian love, giving concern to our enemies, loving our enemies. This isn't talking about enemy armies. Soon enough the children of Israel will be facing enemy armies when they go into the promised land. But those who they are at enmity with, those who they are against, in their own neighborhood, those that know them. We see in verse 5 it says, if you see the donkey of him who hates you, You know, let me just interject something here. In verses five... We see if you see a donkey under a burden, go help it, relieve it from that situation. Well, this is if the owner of that donkey was there, he would be helping the donkey himself. Then this again, this is an enemy. You're doing something kind to an enemy without your enemy knowing it, perhaps not anyone knowing it except one witness, and that is the Lord. The Lord sees it. Think of what that, that donkey or that ox represents. It represents his livelihood. How sweet to get back that anemone, to let that which is his provision, his livelihood, be destroyed or be injured. There'd be some gloating in that. That would be our natural tendency. But he says, no, you're to take care of it. This one, it says, this is one who, of the one who hates you. Now this is obviously someone who knows you enough, has developed some strong opinions and emotions. Usually we don't hate someone we don't know something about. Perhaps we have someone in mind that we've developed a, maybe not hate, but dislike for. Christians, we like to kind of sanctify our actions a little bit. We would never call it hate, but we would call it dislike. If we really don't care for someone or we don't speak well of them or we speak in a despairing way, if we try to stay clear of them, see them coming down the road or at a store, so if we try to stay clear of them, how much different is that than hate? I would say the actions are very similar. Well, the commandment in this verse shows us that a loving concern was to be given to those who are considered enemies and hateful towards us. You know, our Lord had to correct the thinking of those who thought hating your enemy was something they were commanded to do. In Matthew 5, Jesus said, verse 43, you've heard it said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Now notice something there that Jesus said, you heard that it was said. Now when Jesus dealt with Satan in the temptation in the wilderness, he told Satan, he didn't say you heard it said, he said, it is written. It is written. And then Jesus went to quote from scripture. And even in other places in Matthew five, Jesus would give scriptural reference by saying, you have heard it said. to those of old." Again, this is a reference in the Old Testament. But here in Matthew 5.43, Jesus tells the people of what they heard because it wasn't part of the Word of God, that part of it. It was a traditional teaching that it was something they just juxtaposed into that verse on loving neighbor, giving them the wrong interpretation of the Word of God. Loving those who had enmity with them was always God's design for his people. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 5.44, but I say to you, but I say to you, trumps all that. Jesus is clarifying their misinterpretation. Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good those who hate you, pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Now is that not an acid test to our theology that we hold to in our minds? Does this not give a good reading of our spirituality to do those four things, love, bless, do good, and pray for those who are set against us? Those four reactions are in total opposite of our natural reactions to such oppositions. Now what do those four things say to not only ourselves, but also to a watchful and a dying world? It says we are not our own. We have been purchased, we've been bought with a price. It says that the Lord is our portion, my inheritance and my cup, Psalm 16.5. God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever, here and into eternity. You know, life is but a vapor and it shows that we live for another country. We look for another city whose builder and maker is God. In other words, we are living with a different purpose from those who do not believe because of being redeemed by the Lord. Perhaps the key verse in this text, the 13 verses is verse 9, which states, also, You shall not oppress the stranger for you know the heart of a stranger because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Now a stranger was to be a reminder to the children of Israel to deal with others as God dealt with them. and there's slavery. A stranger was a reminder of that time of slavery and bondage under the cruel taskmasters that they lived. You know the heart of a stranger, the verse says. The Hebrew word for heart here is not the one usually used for are often used for heart in the Old Testament. That is often translated life or self. In this verse, it's more in line with how we use it to express desires and longings. They know what's in the heart of those folks, how they long for freedom. Now, the strangers among them, those outside the covenant community ought to have been objects of pity instead of scorn. Does that not speak to our hearts about those outside of Christ? When we think of those family members, neighbors, coworkers, those outside of Christ, do we consider often the hopelessness they have and live without? What transcendent meaning do these people have? What purpose do they have? And when we consider our life before Christ, outside of Christ, it ought to make us know their heart and have a bit more compassion and concern for their eternal souls. Dear ones, every person who truly believes and trusts in Christ as their only hope, as their sin-bearing Savior who bore every one of their sins upon Himself on the cross, that one is justified. They are made to stand before God in Christ because Christ has given them, as we heard last week again, that great exchange. our sin for his righteousness. We then, as the justified people of God, are to deal in a manner with our neighbor. In that like manner, speaking the truth in love, walking in love. We are to view, be in view of God's mercies at all times and allow those mercies to be extended to others. Those mercies are to sow the overwhelm our affections to make us a thankful, grateful people. And those we deal with, we deal with mercifully, justly with our neighbor. Now, if I can leave you with a couple of things, standing for truth and walking in love. I think one thing this passage tells us also is go back in verse five, we read about walking in love towards the least and the weakest among us. That verse says, do not kill the innocent and righteous. I will not justify the wicked. Well, we have an opportunity as a society to express that, to prevent that killing of the innocent by voting no on Issue 1. We still have eight days before election time and go vote no on Issue 1. And to not allow a state change in the Constitution that would allow, in the guise of woman's health, the killing of the unborn. We can stand for truth in this and stand against the current lies, the crowd, if you will. and stand for truth in that, that man is born in the image of God and life does matter. Also, let us walk in love. I'd like you to consider someone who you would have issue with, perhaps an enemy, perhaps a strong dislike. We don't have to use the word hate. That could be a family member. It could be a parent or a parent against a child, a relative. It's endless, a co-worker. Allow the thought of that person make you think of Christ's love towards you when you didn't deserve such love. Consider it a trigger. You know, that word trigger is often used with negative connotations, causing us to think of negative experiences. Well, let's change that into a good trigger that thinks of a positive experience we've had. Let that one you're having an issue with be a trigger that you yourself were once at enmity with God. but he loved us while we're yet sinners, scripture tells us. And as we consider Christ and his condescending love towards us, and if it isn't a source of loving our enemies and blessing those who curse us and doing good to those who hate us and praying for those who spitefully use us and persecute us more, if it doesn't help us to do those things more, then there's something lacking in our ponderings of Christ. Our appreciation of Christ is to the degree of our understanding of our need for him. Our appreciation of Christ is to the degree of our understanding of our need for him. So may God in his wisdom and mercy use those who are against us to be an impetus to renew our adoration of God of our salvation and to love others as we ought. Loving God and others is a demonstration that we are not our own. It shows who we belong to, whose image we bear. Jesus said again in Matthew 44 and 45, but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good them that hate you, pray for them which spitefully use you and persecute you. And this is really the loveliest thing, that ye may be the children of your Father in heaven. The highest compliment any child can give their father is the wanting to be like them. to treat our enemies with love as Christ has treated us with such love, we'll be like our Father in heaven. What can be greater than that? What situation in life, what bodily condition can there be that can detract us from that greatest of comforts that we have a heavenly Father? So let us therefore praise and honor God our Father, rejoice in Him and give Him all the glory for His wondrous work. Amen. Would you pray with me, dear ones? Our gracious Heavenly Father, how we do thank you for sending us truth when we walked in darkness, when we chose to believe a lie, when we chose to maintain hearts of rebellion against your word and against heaven, yet you sent truth in the Lord Jesus Christ to us. And that truth that your word tells us has set us free, free from the bondages of sins, free from condemnation, free from the downward pull of hell itself, eternal hell. You've set us free from those things. Oh Lord, in that liberty, may we walk by your grace and strength to express that truthfulness to others, our neighbor, our brothers and sisters, even our enemies. Lord, we know that one day all enemies will be put under your feet. Let us use these days we have on this side of the veil to love them. And Lord, in your goodness, that we'd win some of them for your glory. Be with us as we continue to worship you this day. In Christ's name we pray, amen.