Honesty Is the Only Policy

Wasn't that beautiful? Beautiful, beautiful praise to God. Thank you very much to the Hymn Choir. What a blessing that we have every Sabbath day to be able to have such glorious and wonderful music here in Los Angeles. Recently, a couple of individuals that are personalities on television have come under examination and critical review. One is an anchor for a network news program, and the other is a commentator of a cable show. They've come under examination and criticism regarding their honesty, in a sense of who they are, where they were, and what they were doing at a given point. Since that time, one has been suspended from his job, and the jury is still out there as to his future. The commentator is, in a sense, being that personality, fighting back as he does. All of this opens the public up for their opinions and their ideas, because so often today on social media, everybody is a part of a collective jury of who knew what, what happened when, and where are we going from here. We have a lot of commentators, and we also have what I would like to call a lot of water-cooler aficionados that gather around the hallways and talk about some of these items. As to what was said, and or also what was not said, that the story shared across the airwaves isn't quite exactly what was true and what happened.

Have you ever noticed, or am I the only one, that it's so much easier to put a microscope on somebody else rather than put a mirror up to ourselves and ask us or ourselves about our truth factor and how honest we are with what we said or how we convey ourselves to those that are around us? Let me shift gears now for a moment in the world that you and I live as far as trying to figure out as to what is said is that, is what that is, which really happened. Very interesting that right now over in Europe we have a civil war going on in the Ukraine between linguistic and ethnic groups. And everyone in the world knows that Russia is deeply involved and is, in one sense, the prime instigator of this civil war that is occurring. But if you listen to and hear the Russian government, they would basically tell you what you see, what you think about what you see, and what you know. It isn't really happening. It's not really happening over there. All those tanks and all those armaments and all of those, what they call over there, those little green men that come across the border, they're neither Martians or Russians. What you're seeing is not really occurring. Actually, over the last year, I have never seen so many people running around with masks on their face. It used to be that they wore helmets. Now it seems like everybody has a mask to camouflage what is really going on. We live in a world, brethren, in which at times we purport to be something that we are not. And then somehow these issues catch up with us sooner or later, whether it be personal or whether it be geopolitical. What we find is, in one sense, that people have a difficulty being simply honest. It reminds me of a story, and it is a story. It occurred in Boston that a minister noticed that a group of boys was standing around a small stray dog and asked them, Well, what are you doing? And one of the boys echoed back. He said, Oh, we're telling lies. They went on to say, the one who tells the biggest lie gets the dog. Well, the minister was just absolutely shocked. He said, Unbelievable! I cannot believe we're... No, you ever heard this phrase? I can't believe we're this world is headed towards coming to. And the man said, When I was your age, I never even thought of telling a lie. And he thought he was going to scold the boys into good behavior. The boys looked at one another with increasingly crest-fallen faces. And finally, one of them shrugged and said, I guess he wins the dog. And all of this, why have you laughing, is simply this. We've all grown up from hearing from our grandparents or our parents or a mentor. We've always heard honesty is the best policy.

But let's turn it around and ask ourselves, how much investigation could my life as a Christian take under the most exhausting scrutiny? Would we welcome it, thinking of the news anchor? Would we welcome it, thinking of the commentator? Do I have anything to hide that shouldn't be smack dab right on the table of life set before me?

Whether it's in my marriage, on my job, at school, in my business, in our financial dealings, in our partnerships. And may I suggest and add, in the merry month of March, not May, income tax.

Is honesty the best policy? Naturally, when you think of that, and we've often heard that honesty is the best policy, I want to change that, and this is going to be the focus of my message this afternoon. And it is simply this, that honesty is not simply the best policy for a Christian. For a Christian, it should be the only policy. The only policy. It's not an event. It's not a happening. It's a way of life.

And thus, my message this afternoon is simply this. Honesty is the only policy. Honesty is the only policy. And as we look at this, we're going to look at it very carefully. And I want to say something. I like giving messages, especially for the young people to hear and to listen to. This is not going to be an esoteric message. This is not going to be a high theological message. This is what I call a Christianity 101 message.

That is good for young people, young adults, and after all, all of us, no matter how old we are, we're all the children of God. And we live in this environment. We live in this world that allows honesty to slide by. We're going to put it central focus right here in the midst of us today. What I hope to do is that I hope to give you three specific lessons and or takeaways by the end of this message.

We're going to cover two stories about individuals that had a relationship with God. One under the Old Covenant, one under the New Covenant. Two people that quote-unquote knew the book but were challenged. And their example is the book for all times for us to understand so that ultimately we can understand that it is not the best policy but the only policy. And that's where God wants us to be. And then at the end, we're going to wind up on a very, very positive note.

Now, to set a framework for this message. Are you with me? Here we go. To set a framework for this message, let's understand something. God is the master lawgiver. And he's placed certain laws into effect. And these laws are based on two words, cause and effect. Very important. Cause and effect. And to recognize then that for every cause, for every cause, there is either a blessing and or a curse.

There is a blessing and or there is a curse. And the one thing you want to think about is we move into this message about honesty, which is exciting. It's simply this. You cannot outrun the laws any more than you can outrun your shadow. Have you ever tried to outrun your shadow? How many feet have you gotten ahead of your shadow? The fastest of you. No, the shadow stays right with you. That's the same tightness that is between the way God has set up things that for every cause there is an effect.

Now, with that, sometimes what we want to do is what we call fuzzy math. We thought fuzzy math was, you know, about 10 to 15 years ago under a different administration. No, we all get into fuzzy math as human beings because we understand that for every law, for every cause, there is an effect. Just like the shadow following the body. But what we do sometimes in our life, understanding that God says 1 plus 1 equals 2, what we want to do is we want to go 1 plus 3 or 1 plus 0 equals 2. And then we can't believe the results that come back to us because we are doing spiritual fuzzy math.

We want everything that God has in store for us. We want His blessings. We want the good life. And yet we're not willing to do some of the hard work in the trenches. Recognizing that what we're talking about today, honesty, is not just simply the best policy. It is the only policy for a Christian. So let's talk about this for a moment.

The first one that I would like to talk about is going to give you two stories. And I want to frame the story again. You might jot down number one if you're taking notes. And that is simply this. Dishonesty, in the negative sense. Dishonesty is not a victimless crime. It is not a victimless crime because it will always affect other people. One of the horrible slogans, and I do say horrible that came out of the 1960s, is this thought of a victimless crime.

That somehow when you break God's laws that He set in motion, nobody else's business but mine because it's my body, it's my life, and I will do what I will do as I choose to do it. And I don't care what anybody else thinks because after all it's only going to affect me.

I want to share something with young people here and all the children of God that are listening no matter what age. That is... I'll just say wrong. I was thinking of a word. I'll just say wrong. That is a satanic lie. For every cause there is an effect. And when a person breaks God's law, it is going to affect another individual. Remember when we were kids?

Some of you still are. We were kids. If you were on a summer day, you'd be by a pond and you'd throw out a rock right in the middle of the pond. And then what you'd do, you'd watch that ripple effect. And that ripple effect, it would start right where the rock plopped into the water.

But to recognize that as those ripples went out, they ultimately affected every shore of that pond or that little small lake. That's how life is, brethren. What you say and what you do and what you purport to be.

Whether accurate or inaccurate, pretending that you're something that you're not, or making yourself more of the story than ought, it will affect other people. That's why God gives us the story over here, if you'll join with me in Joshua 6 and 7. In Joshua 6. And let's pick up this thought. Joshua 6 is the story of Israel on the move. Israel had come up from Egypt under Moses. Israel is on the move. Israel had crossed the Jericho, excuse me, across the Jordan. Israel had conquered Jericho. Oh, things were just moving along so very, very well. And then we come to this section here in Joshua 6. And we find out that as they came up against Jericho, that the people were going to have to do a lot of walking. A lot of walking around those walls. But only God would allow those walls to tumble down. But God said something in the course. It was not about the walls, but then what they would do afterwards. And we pick that up here in verse 16 of Joshua 6. And the seventh time it happened, that when they would go around, when the priests blow the trumpets, then Joshua said to the people, Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, and she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you, by all means, abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things. And make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. But all the silver, all the gold, all the vessels of bronze and iron are consecrated to the Lord. They shall come into the treasury of the Lord. That was the deal. That was the instruction. That was the command. God would be their God. God would deliver that city to them. And they were to obey their God. But there was one man and one person that had a different idea. We pick it up now in chapter 7 and verse 1. But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdai, the son of Zara of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things. And so the anger of the Lord burnt against the children of Israel. Verse 2. Now Joshua sent from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-Avon, and on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, Go up! Spy out the country! And so the men went up and they spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, Do not let the people go, but let about two or three thousand. This is going to be a cakewalk. This is going to be a pushover. We just hit the metropolis. Now we get the village. This is going to be a cinch. We don't need that many men. So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. The carpet, in a sense, was pulled right out underneath them by a smaller group. God's blessing was not upon them.

The Spirit just went out of them. They were crushed. They had lost thirty-six of their brethren. And not only that, this really looked bad. Giant group of men going against this little village, and they got crushed. The Spirit just went out of them because somebody had done something wrong. And even the leadership was affected. Notice, in Joshua said, "'Alas, Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content and dwelled on the other side of the Jordan.'" They weren't ready to move on. They were discouraged about what God was wanting to give them and offer them as their God and as they were His people. "'Oh, Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back from before its enemies?'" And he goes on to talk about that. Let's go to verse 10 now. Move the story forward. So the Lord said to Joshua, "'Get up! Why do you lie on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant, which I commanded.

For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have put stolen and deceived, and they have also put it among their own stuff.'" Somebody in that encampment, are you with me? Was pretending to be something or acting like they had done nothing to cause God Almighty offense.

And thought that somehow they wouldn't be responsible. They were into what I call fuzzy math.

They wanted all of God's blessings, but they didn't want to be honest. They wanted God to be their God, but they wanted Him in their own way.

They had forgotten that one plus one equals two. And that honesty is not just simply the best policy, it is the only policy as a covenant individual.

Now, recently we've been watching the news, the scrutiny over the news anchor. Are you with me?

And we've been watching some of the scrutiny of the last week or so over the commentator.

And boy, once the scrutiny begins, one brick and everybody's in there.

Great guy until everybody goes for the negative. Oh yeah, now that you bring it up. Oh yeah, now that you bring it up.

I knew it all along. You know how it goes. That can even happen in your office or in your school when a loose brick begins to bring down the entire wall.

What happened was God decided and He told Joshua, I'm going to share the story, make it short.

He was basically going to take that individual and the whole world was going to shrink down to the size of a pea and he was going to be on it.

He said, here's what I want you to do, Joshua. I want you to sanctify Israel and I want you to bring all the tribes before me.

And then I will put the touch. I'll show you. I will guide you.

So all of Israel got ready and then the touch went upon the tribe of Judah.

And then it went down further. You talk about things tightening up.

And then it went to a greater family group within the tribe of Judah.

And then it went down to a closer family. Have you ever played closer, closer, hotter, hotter?

You never played that game. You had a very boring childhood.

Okay, I think we're all together. Well, it got real hot.

And then we come to this story down here.

And he brought the clan of Judah, verse 17, and he took the family of the Zareites and he brought the family of the Zareites man by man, man by man.

Zabdai was taken. Then he brought his household, a man named Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdai, the son of Zare, the tribe of Judah was taken.

Now Joshua said, Achan, my son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession to him and tell me now what you have done. Don't hide it from me.

And Achan answered Joshua and said, indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and this is what I have done.

And he talks in about what he did, that when he saw a beautiful Babylonian garment and 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them.

And there they were, hidden in the earth, in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.

So Joshua sent messengers and they ran to the tent and there it was, hidden in the tent, with the silver under it. In the sand, under the tent, you might call one of the original cover-ups.

And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel and laid them out before the Lord, shared the whole story of what this man had done, acting as if he were one way but was perpetrating this.

And then Joshua and all of Israel with him took ache in the son of Zera, the silver of the garment, and wedge of gold his son, his daughter, his oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, his tent.

And all that he had, and they brought them to the valley of Acor. And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day. Israel stoned him with stones.

They burned them with fire after they had stoned them, and they stoned them with stones. And then they raised over him a great heap of stones still there to this day.

And so the Lord turned from the fierceness of anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Acor to this day.

Brethren, here in Los Angeles, what do we learn from this story? The stories are there to be a GPS to remind us that honesty is not simply the best policy. It is the only policy for a covenant individual.

Join me if you would. Let's turn over to Deuteronomy 12.32 and open up our Bibles. Deuteronomy 12 and verse 32. And notice what God says in Deuteronomy 12 and verse 32.

Whatsoever I command you, be careful to observe it. Be careful to observe it because God wants to bless us. He wants to keep us. He wants to set a hedge around us.

Any parent wants to give their children or their child good things. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it. You shall not add to it nor take away from it. If you're new to the Word, and you've just been attending with us recently, one of the great principles of the Scriptures. Whatsoever God gives us to do, don't add, don't diminish. Sometimes we'll take away a little bit from here. God does mind. Yes, He does. And you know what? We'll kind of add over here. There's some of what we call the adders and some of what we call the taker-awayers.

Here's the bottom line. Whether you jump off the ship on the left side or you jump off the ship on the right side, guess what? You're in the same ocean of disappointment because we're not doing what God asks, just like Achan did with the story of Jericho. We need to understand that.

A principle that we want to share out of all of this, friends, is simply this. Sin spreads. When someone is not honest, it's going to create a ripple effect, just like Achan did. 36 men died trying to siege Ai, and then ultimately his entire family, women and children and even the animals and everything that was there.

Destroyed. Destroyed. Because somebody purported to be something that they were not.

What do we learn from this here on the Sabbath day? As we move towards Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, what is the take-away? Here it is. Can we be honest and ask ourselves, is there something lying in our tent? Not Achan's, but our tent that doesn't belong there. That doesn't belong there.

That we hope will go undetected. Ask yourself, how much do you really love your loved ones?

Maybe we can't ask that question anymore of Achan, but we can ask ourselves that question about ourselves, how much do we love our loved ones?

Then consider your actions and return to the ways of God.

Repent. Confess. Be honest before God. It is the first step towards moving forward.

Remembering always that honesty is not just simply the best policy. It is the only policy for a covenant person. 2. Honesty demands full disclosure the first time.

Not in installments. Allow me to share a story with you to make this point.

An honest letter was sent to the Internal Revenue Service. It stated, Dear Sirs, I can't sleep. Last year, when I filed my income tax return, I deliberately misrepresented my income.

Now I can't sleep. Enclosed is a check for $150 for taxes. If I still cannot sleep, I will send you the rest.

We find a classic story. We really are going to build upon that story.

There is a classic story over in Acts 4. Join me if you will there for a moment in Acts 4.

Remember the Old Testament and the New Testament come together? Allow me to set this up for a second if I may.

Let's remember that in the Old Testament, the people of covenant were moving towards victory under God.

Wonderful, fantastic things were happening. Cities were falling. Israel was on the move.

Well, there is a parallel now after the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.

Now we no longer have Israel of old, but now we have the Israel of God and things are happening.

The church is on the move. Following that same one that led Israel in the wilderness, now things are happening.

Pentecost. 3,000 people are what? Coming to the church. A week or two later, another 4,000 come into the church. People are gathering together. People are coalescing together. They're bringing everything together.

Because at that time, they're actually thinking that Jesus Christ is going to come back very shortly.

So the church was very magnanimous and giving. And so people were coming forward and giving what they had to take care of.

Are you with me? The saints. So we pick up this story in Acts 4. If you'll join me there. And it says in verse 34, Was there anyone among them who lacked for all who were possessors of lands or houses, sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet?

And they distributed to each as anyone had need. And Joseph, whose surname was Barnabas, by the apostles called, translated into the son of encouragement, he was a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. So here is a Jew of the Diaspora, most likely Hellenistic Jew of the Diaspora out of Cyprus. And he comes, he's a man of means, he had land, he sold it, and he lays it all out before the apostles' feet. You might say, he is in all the way, heart, mind, and soul.

Now what you've got to understand, which is interesting with Acts 4 and 5, are you with me for a second? And this is a Bible study key for those that are just getting into the Word and understanding how to read things. We have a problem here. And the problem is sometimes Mr. Usher, you remember the guy that did all the dividing of the Bible and all the chapters and all of that? Sometimes he divided it right in the middle of the story. Because we might read up to the end of Acts 4, go, oh Barnabas, who doesn't like Barnabas in this audience?

I mean, we all think of Barnabas, we all, you know, he's everybody's favorite uncle. This is a good guy. And we kind of leave it at that. But we don't recognize that a story is being told because we're going to go from Barnabas now to, you know, Ananias and Sapphira. They're coming up in the next verse, but there's that chapter divide. And really what you have going on here, remember when we were young, if you can remember that long ago, and some of you that have kids, you have this thing called show and tell. You go to the teacher, you show, and you tell.

Well really, this is kind of a kosher show and tell. Barnabas not only shows what and tells what is laid before the apostles, he's declaring his heart. This is me. I'm in. What you see is what you get. Well now we're going to go, are you ready? We're going to go to the second part of the show and tell. Because Barnabas, who has a lot, gives everything.

Now let's note a story here as you go to verse chapter 5 verse 1. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife, being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. He brought a part. He brought a part. He didn't understand that one plus one equals two. He was doing fuzzy spiritual math. He was on, are you with me? He was on the installment plan, letting it out a little bit at a time, thinking, oh, look what I have done.

Here it is all, and yet keeping something back here. Just like Achan of old, not declaring who and what he really was. Let's continue. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

While it remained, while it was in your hands, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? It doesn't start with the mind, doesn't start with the tongue. It's the motive. It's what's inside of you. As to whether or not your life is surrendered to someone greater than you. That even when you doubt or even when you wonder, you know he will make up the difference. And that he will give us our daily bread, whether it be spiritual or physical.

Then, Ananias, hearing these words, noticed, he fell down. He fell down, breathed his last, so great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, buried him. He just dropped, crumbled, just like Rover, dead all over. God was making a point, making a point to covenant people in the New Testament, as much as the covenant people of the Old Testament, I am a God of blessings. But I do have expectations. I have expectations that you will obey me, and that you will convey an open, transparent being, remembering what Jesus Christ said, blessed are the pure in heart, as to what you see is what you get with no stories, no exaggeration, or anything put back on the installment plan that you're going to kind of troll out based upon your time rather than God's.

Now, let's notice what happens here to Sapphira. Now, it came three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened, and Peter answered her, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much. She said, Oh, absolutely, yes, for so much. Then Peter said, Or how is it that you have agreed together? So there was a set up, there was a cover up to this, to test the Spirit of the Lord.

Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out. And then immediately she fell down at his feet, and yes, she also breathed her last. There is no such thing as a victimless crime. Love covers, sin spreads. It is more sure than the sun rising up. Love obeying God, caring for His word, not adding or diminishing, and doing what our Father above says to do, creates blessings for every cause there is an effect.

He can understand our weakness. He can cope even with our sins. That before baptism, we stumbled in the ways of this world. And after baptism, we will continue to stumble at times, because we're still in this human tent. But He will not put up with hypocrisy. He will not put up with the selfish person that only thinks of themselves, not recognizing that their sin spreads to others. He will not put up with people that kind of reel out their thoughts towards Him on an installment plan and pretend that they have just given, as we say here in Southern California, that somehow they've served the whole enchilada.

How are you doing? How am I doing as we move towards Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday? These stories are as new as today, recognizing that even people that are in covenant with God, people that know the story of the book, we recognize that we are in this human tent. We recognize that we can either hold on to God's Spirit or be driven by those weaknesses, because we are indeed still in this flesh. We need God's help.

Numbers 32-23. Let's read that, please, for just a second. Then we're going to begin to conclude. Numbers 32-23. Again, a very vital principle. Remember, memorizing this and knowing this growing up in the church. And it's very interesting that it's one of those that you can always remember, because think of Numbers 32-23.

Numbers 32-23. Let's notice what it says. It says simply this. But if you do not do so, then take note. You have sinned against the Lord. Second part. Second part. And be sure your sins will find you out. Think about this for a moment, both positively and negatively. Are you with me? On the negative side, you cannot outrun your sins. They are closer to you than your shadow is to your body. Oh, man, that's really discouraging. Is that what he's leaving us with? Oh, man, bummer! No. Conversely, conversely, God's blessings stick just as close. When you obey God and you surrender your life to Him in faith, those blessings are going to stick to you even closer than those bad things that come along.

God wants to bless us. He can put up with our human nature as we move towards Him in grace and knowledge. But He cannot put up with deception. He cannot put up with phonies. He cannot put up with people that pretend to be something that they are not. He took all of us, didn't He, as we're coming up to the New Testament? He took all of us and loved us anyway and said, I want to be your God and I want you to be my child.

Why then play with God? Why be a hypocrite? Why do a cover-up? Why be something that we are not? Why pretend God already knows who we are, loves us anyway, and has given us the remedy through Jesus Christ to usher and be ushered before His throne? What have we learned then today? I want to give you three points.

One or two scriptures we conclude. Three vital principles, three powerful lessons to keep in mind and heart, to flush out, takeaways, to be a GPS as you will have things come upon you. And I want you to remember, it's not easy being honest, but honesty is not the only policy—excuse me—honesty is not the best policy, it is the only policy. Number one, whenever we act contrary to God's ways, our sins do find us out. They do. One plus one equals two. Number two, at times it is not the cards that we hold in our hand, but the cards we hold up our sleeve, like an Ananias, like a Sapphira, that can literally mean the difference between life and death, not only for ourselves, but for those that we love. Number three, there is no such thing as a victimless crime.

We are all responsible to God, and we are all responsible to one another. What we do will not only affect us, but others. Ultimately—hear me, please—ultimately, honesty is an act of love. It's an act of love.

It's not just saying something false, it's an act of love towards our Father above and to those that we love below.

Let's turn to John 14 and verse 6.

What a joy that we have better examples than Achan, Ananias, and Sapphira. Oh yes, we have a Barnabas, but there's something even greater than a Barnabas. We have the living head of his body, Jesus Christ. And we look and note his self-disclosure here as to who and what he is. In John 14, verse 6, notice what it says. Jesus said to him, I am the way. He is the way.

I am the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me. He's the way. It's not always humanly easy to say that you're wrong.

It's easier to say that I misremembered. It's not easy when the squeezer comes down on you just like God did with Achan, when he brought all the tribes out. Then he set apart one tribe. Then he set apart of that tribe. And then he set apart of that family. And the squeeze play was on.

Christ, He is the way. He took no shortcuts. What He said He was and what He gave. He was what He was and He gave what He gave. His sacrifice, His integrity was total. It was whole. It was outreaching. It was love. It wasn't trying to get something for Himself. It was thinking of others. His honesty was the ultimate act of love that allows you and me to be here today. Luke 8. Luke 8. We in turn are to be lights following that light. Luke 8, 16. Notice what it says here. No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand that those who enter may see the light, for nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

We too are to be lights. No young people. I realize that today the world in a sense moves further and further away from the values that your parents or grandparents grew up with. And to be very honest, the values have been in decline since the Garden of Eden. Sometimes we, either a generation or two before you say, well, when we were growing up, no, the world has been actually dysfunctional since the Garden of Eden. It's only gotten worse. And to some of you young people out there, I want you to remember this from me, please, as your pastor.

Honesty is not just simply the best policy. It is the only policy of a spirit-led young adult or young teenager. And I realize sometimes you can look out in that world and say, well, this is going on or this is going on. And, no, why is it that it seems that here I'm trying to be good, but some people are getting away with it? Why do I have to be, in a sense, called now? And why do I have to be honoring God now when I see what they're doing?

And it seems like they're getting away with it. Join me if you would in Ecclesiastes 8. And let's take a look at the book of Wisdom. This is godly wisdom. This is showing us a little bit of the future ahead of us. In Ecclesiastes 8 and beginning in verse 11, Because the sentence, against an evil work, is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Well, I missed that lightning bolt. Sing it in, come down. Boy, I'm going on Bonanza. I'm just going to go for a ride here and do this.

Notice what it says. Therefore the hearts of men is set to do evil. And though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will not be well with those who fear God, that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.

But it will not be well with the wicked, nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear God. At this time, at least, he follows the path of an acon, of an Ananias, of a Sapphira. He does not walk the walk of a Barnabas, or the Head and the Lord of your life, Jesus Christ, who is true, who is everything that He said to be.

There was no cover-up. He held nothing back. He shared everything, gave everything. Thought, word, deed, and soul. No salvation in installments. He was what He was. He is who He is. He is no less than God in the flesh on earth, perfect and pure and transparent. And what you see is what you get. He is the light. He is the way. And Him is life.

And we, as lights in turn, are to reflect that greater light before us. Let's remember the stories that are set before us. These lives have gone their way. We have Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday before us, big choices that will be coming up in our life. I want to share a thought from one that, actually, his nickname, interesting, was honest. What a beautiful, beautiful nickname. His name was Honest Abe, 16th President of the United States. And Abraham Lincoln said this, I am bound not to win, but I am bound to be true.

I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have. The light has been shown to us today, brethren, young and old, all as children of God. To remind each and every one of us that honesty is not just simply the best policy, it is the only policy for a Christian.