Download... May 2, 2010. Sunday Morning Service. Bro. Dave Goble.
We serve a mighty God of justice and mercy! No where else but in God almighty, can we find a more fair and consistent way of living! God has a lot to say and consider about His true balance of justice and mercy. Each soul must be vigilant to examine their heart, to ensure that they are weighing their actions by God's pure word,.. for His justice.
In a courthouse you often will see a statue of justice holding a scale of balance. A lady statue of justice is many times depicted as blindfolded to illustrate a "blind justice," of virtue,...or of impartiality. Two "parties" come for justice to be "weighed." When a sword is depicted, it is to represent the power of justice. Society has throughout time, esteemed and considered what is a fair justice. The founding fathers of America had a Christian motive or justice, albeit it is often not popular now to acknowledge that factor.
TEXT: Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.
God hates a false balance.
It is the nature of humanity for justice to become competitive. With God, justice is blind with impartiality, as He does not weigh competing interest. He measures all according to His pure word. His balance of scale will have Truth on one side, with the humanity involved on the other. Truth never competes, it is what it is.
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord.
Proverbs 20:23 Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good.
A present day illustration would be an advertiser, not honoring what was offered. That would be considered "bait and switch." God hates "bait and switch." We need to count on the fact that God desires it to be a true weight.
Frequently in bible times, weights, (animals, possessions) were used as money, or purchasing power. If someone needed to make a purchase, they needed first to weigh your mode of resources. Today when one goes to the gas station, the gas merchant has "stickers" documenting what the measure is of fuel you will get. No "bait and switch." Without those regulations in place, there would be much confusion and problems with agreement.
Yet today spiritually, people are tampering with God's word for their lives. Cheating themselves with a "mixed gospel." A gospel,.. "altered." Ultimately those doing that are the "losers" spiritually. For it is then a false balance, in the eyes of the Lord. God hates that, since He is the author of His word. He hates those who would change and corrupt it ultimately,..for then it is weighed with "divers weights." You can not have confidence in a falsely balanced word. We must be careful not to mix anything with the pure gospel, or you dissolve a just balance.
Proverbs 16:11 A just weight and balance are the Lord's; all the weights of the bag are his work.
A just weight and balance are the Lord's. We often take for granted that things have calibrated, (measured) for us, such as the miles stated on the highway signs for a destination. We don't often think about the exacting of measure on products. Many things are bar-coded for the measure in price. Yet, as in produce at the grocery store, some things often need to be weighed. Spiritually, too often people leave at home the measure (of God's word) taking it for granted. Careless with their soul, and the way things are measured in God's word. God demands a fair balance.
Job 31:6 Let me be weighed in a even balance, that God may know mine integrity.
Job had some "comforters" who were trying to help Job be "weighed." Unfairly doing so. So Job cried, "let me be weighed in an even balance of integrity." If we are willing to let God measure us, we will see the need to receive justice from Him, whether the need to cut something off in our life, or receive His approval. Are you willing to to be measured by God? Do you trust Him? You will show it by submitting to God's pure word, which is being weighed by His scale of justice, in submission. It must never be a weighing of competition, with anything else. God does not weigh with any competing of human interest. He weighs only with the truth. The truth only will authorize our life in God's justice. God justice is not something that can be properly weighed with earthly values. It is our job to spiritually seek, and fairly consider His measure of true justice and balance. Too often religious people revise God's word so that their spiritual "interest" comes up short. Adding or subtracting,.. by changing a word here and there. God hates that as an unjust balance.
Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
God framed the worlds by the measure of the word of God.
I Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Are you willing to let God frame you by the balance of His incorruptible seed of His word?
Revelations 6:5-6 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
We must not measure without the oil and wine of God's word. Sometimes God's word is hard to accept, because of not abiding by it. God's measure is absolute. If it is bitter, we must let it correct and nourish us, so we can be faithful.
Daniel 5:25-28,30 25 And this [is] the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This [is] the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Verse 27 Weighed and found wanting, God told the king it was his behavior that was offensive to Him. The king had "come up short." God found him wanting,.. and meted our justice that very night. VERSE 30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
Every sermon ever preached by every preacher, needs to be weighed by God's word. In addition every word that we speak also needs, and will be, measured by it. Kingdoms, and governments are raised up and set down according to God's word. The many opinions of mankind, will not suffice against the balance of God's judgment. Our thoughts may be "just,".. but not of God. Simply to say that God "showed" me this or that,.. is not sufficient. How does it measure against the word of God? Beware of your human suppositions!
II Corinthians 10:10, 8-10 10 For [his] letters, say they, [are] weighty and powerful; but [his] bodily presence [is] weak, and [his] speech contemptible.
Our actions need to be weighed by the balance of God's word. God will always measure with just the right measure of His word, in all weighty matters. If we are truly balanced by God's word, we will be comfortable with His measure, which is always "just right." Often people in error will take an issue that is "feather light" and make it a the weightier matter of a "brick." Trivial things being treated as serious, or being placed under condemnation for something unimportant. Why? For Control! So they balance unfairly God's word. Conversely often the serious matters are neglected as a light matter. Each one of us will be held accountable for fairly applying God's word to our life. Are you applying God's word fairly? Some condemn themselves with the very word of God meant to help and not hinder them. Not a fair balance.
Amos 8:5-7 5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? 6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; [yea], and sell the refuse of the wheat? 7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
God is paying attention to how we are applying His word in our lives.
Again, Revelations 6:5-6 A gross misrepresentation of weight, overcharging for the wheat and barley. The horse here is holding back by holding back or rationing the word of God. Consequently the souls of men are losing out. The oil and wine are not weighed unfairly,..a true measure. People who love the truth will always receive a fair measure. A true balance. God warns us to not hurt the souls of men with a false measure of the gospel.
Revelations 16: 4-7 4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous [are] thy judgments.
The truth becomes a plague to all who do not love it. The truth is dead to them. If a "scale"(or message) is using a "mixed" or corrupt word, you must not heed it to stay in God's true balance of mercy. That "mixed" message will kill you spiritually, if accepted. Likewise if the truth comes and you do not heed it, a false balance will result in your soul.
Always if the "scale" or message comes with a fleshly divisiveness, it is not of God. The true balance of God's word and message is not given to the unbeliever or pagan in heart. Only to those willing to be measured on the scale of God's pure word. Anything less or "mixed", is a false balance. Again the message of justice is for God's true believers, which does not allow for sin and carnality, and only results from a "rationed" word of God. A lot of religious messages are going forth, that is in a false balance. It would be prudent to be terrified to be weighed, without the true balance of God's word of justice. The justice of God's word will not accept sin. Those "charging" that thought is old fashioned, are deceived, creating a generation of unhappy people. God's balance of justice is not too heavy, not too light,...but just right!
