Genesis 31:1-21
A certain family was broken because of the life style and the habits of the husband and father. He was into drugs and drinking and was unfaithful to his marriage vows. This man’s father asked me to see what I could do to help the family. When I went to his son’s home that day he was on the porch drunk. His wife and children had left home in fear of their lives. The front windows of the home were broken out because he had smashed them in his drunken rage. As we talked I said, “You have a real problem and you need help”. His response was, “I don’t have any problems.” I told him that he might not have any problems but that the rest of his family had problems created by him. Dishonesty led to the destruction of this family and his early death.
The family of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob was broken by the dishonesty of Rebekah and Jacob. After Jacob (with his mother’s help) stole the blessing from Esau he had to flee for his life because Esau planned to kill him. Jacob met
His Uncle Laban who was a person that was as dishonest as he was. They would have one episode after another as they worked together. Jacob loved Laban’s daughter Rachel, but Laban tricked him into marrying Leah, Rachel’s sister. Then Laban told him that if he would work for him another seven years he could marry Rachel. Jacob stayed and worked for his uncle another seven years. But Jacob figures out a way to grow his herds and Laban and his sons became angry and Jacob now lives in fear again for his life. In today’s scripture we read that Jacob takes his family and his flocks and flees from Uncle Laban. Dishonesty in a relationship will destroy the relationship.
The influence of the Christian Church in our lives is broken by unfaithful leaders and members of the Christian Church that accept the values of humanism, universalism and politically correct ideas. We can’t just believe in something as humanism suggests and be fully Christian. As Christians we believe in the God that we meet in the human form of Jesus Christ. We can’t just believe in the God of love, which he is, but he is also the God of judgment on our sins and our evil actions. The evil of universalism suggests we can be dishonest with God for we will never face a day of judgment on our actions. Look at the covenant of the Apostles Creed we use as an affirmation of our faith as we state our belief each Sunday: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth: and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified, dead and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen”.
We have become dishonest people for we do not believe in God’s judgment on our sin. The dishonesty of people has created the evil we see alive in our nation today.
In my lifetime I have observed many changes in our nations’ life that has been brought on by the dishonesty of people that no longer believe in the God we meet in the Bible. In the dark hours of our nation after we were attacked by Japan on December 7th, 1941; President Franklin Roosevelt gave a speech to congress on why we were at war. He said that it was in the defense of our freedom as a people. He listed four freedoms: freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Then in 1943 Norman Rockwell painted four covers for the Saturday Evening Post that dealt with these four freedoms and in 1944 a tour of these paintings raised one hundred thirty-three million dollars in war bonds in support of our freedoms. During this time period ninety percent of Americans claimed that they were Christians. Today the values of Christians are under attack. The way that Hitler gained power for his Nazi Party was to take over the communications systems of Germany. Then he took over the education system in Germany and used this way to brainwash youth and young adults. They would protest anyone that dared to stand against him. The protesters burned buildings, killed people because they believed in Hitler and his dishonesty and what their media told them. We also saw the silence of the Christian Church until it was too late. The Christian leaders that did speak out were killed. In today’s media we do not hear much that defends the attacks on the Constitution of the United States that has allowed us to live without fear of our freedoms being lost. The freedom to worship God has been one of our great freedoms.
Dishonesty will destroy families, church and nations. Christians, let us stand up for Jesus. “Stand up for Jesus in his strength alone the arm of flesh will fail you. Ye dare not trust your own. Put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer; where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.”
You make the choice. Will you have an honest relationship with the God that has power to save you from sin and evil or will you choose a dishonest relationship with God and suffer the pain of sin and death.
