This last week, as I was preparing for this message, I came across some very interesting research. In His book, The Honest Truth about Dishonesty, Dan Ariely says, “Over the course of many years of teaching, I have noticed that there typically seems to be a rash of deaths among students' relatives at the end of the semester. It happens mostly in the week before final exams and before papers are due.” Guess which relative most often dies? Grandma.
In fact, grandmothers are ten times more likely to die before a midterm and nineteen times more likely to die before a final exam. Worse, grandmothers of students who are not doing well in class are at even higher risk. Students who are failing are fifty times more likely to lose Grandma than non-failing students. It turns out that the greatest predictor of mortality among senior citizens in our day ends up being their grandchildren's GPAs. So if you are a grandparent, don’t let your grandchild go to college. It will kill you, especially if he or she doesn’t’ do well in school. (John Ortberg, Soul Keeping, Zondervan, 2014, page 74; www.PreachingToday.com)
Of course, you know what’s happening. It’s not that grandmothers are actually dying at the end of each semester. Students are lying to their professors to get more time to write their final papers or study for their final exams.
Lying has become an epidemic in our culture, especially when truth is no longer respected.
Who can forget the last presidential election (2016), when accusations of “fake news” began to be heard across the political spectrum? That year, Oxford Dictionaries named “post-truth” its word of the year, which they define as “denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”
Soon after that, Kellyanne Conway, President Trump’s campaign manager, famously spoke of “alternative facts.” In response, Time blazoned the question “Is Truth Dead?” on its April 3, 2017 cover. (Matt Schneider, “What Is Truth?” Mockingbird blog; www.Preaching Today.com)
And who can forget the newly elected House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, telling Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, “I reject your facts” during a recent briefing on border security. There is no recognition of THE facts, just “my facts” or “your facts.”
Our culture has rejected the concept of absolute truth. So how are we supposed to function in such a culture? How are we supposed to operate in an era of “fake news”? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Joshua 9, Joshua 9, where we see how Joshua handled fake news in his day.
Joshua 9:1-2 As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, heard of this, they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel. (ESV)
As soon as the people in the Promised Land hear about Joshua’s defeat of Jericho and Ai, they come together to fight against Joshua. However, one people group try a different tactic.
Joshua 9:3-6 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.” (ESV)
The Gibeonites, who are only 25 miles away from Ai, made it look like they had come from a place far away from the land God promised to the Israelites. The Gibeonites don’t want to fight Israel like their neighbors, because they know they’ll be defeated. So they ask to make a peace treaty with Israel.
Joshua 9:7 But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?” (ESV)
God had made it very clear earlier. Israel was NOT to offer terms of peace to any of the cities IN the Promised Land, only to those cities OUTSIDE the promised land (Deuteronomy 20:10-18). The Gibeonites know that Israel means to conquer and destroy everyone in their territory, so they pretend to come from far away.
Joshua 9:8-10 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?” They said to him, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. (ESV)
Oh, the Gibeonites are very clever, or “cunning”, as verse 3 describes them. If they lived far away, news about Joshua’s recent defeat of Jericho and Ai would not have had time to travel to them. So they mention only what they heard happened in Egypt 40 years pervious and what happened to the kings who opposed them long before Israel ever crossed the Jordan River. Then the Gibeonites continue their clever and cunning tale.
Joshua 9:11-15 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.” ’ Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. (ESV)
Joshua and Israel’s leaders believe the lie, because they don’t ask the Lord about it. They eat the Gibeonite’s “dry and crumbly” bread and drink their stale wine, which according to Middle Eastern custom obligates them to protect one another. Then Israel’s leaders make a peace treaty with the Gibeonites. Joshua was deceived, which only brings him disrespect.
Joshua 9:16-18 At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them. And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. (ESV)
Now, the people of Israel had murmured, or grumbled, against Moses all the time. But this is the first and only time they ever murmur, or grumble, against Joshua. Joshua loses their respect, because he allowed himself to be deceived.
Please, don’t you do the same. Don’t be deceived by fake news.
DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR.
Don’t allow yourself to be misled lest you lose respect like Joshua did.
For nearly 30 years, Mark Landis fooled dozens of museums into accepting donations of fake paintings into their collections. When contacting museums, he would often use aliases and dress like a Jesuit priest. With his odd demeanor and near encyclopedic knowledge of art history, Landis could easily come across as an eccentric art collector.
On top of that, he is a skilled technician. Using a magnifying glass, Landis would study a print of an original work and, with meticulous attention to detail, copy exactly what he saw. It didn’t matter what type of painting it was: religious icons, impressionist or modern works. His re-creations in the style of old masters were astonishing—and so were his tools. They include magic markers and pens and Wal-Mart frames… raw materials that proper forgers might not use.
More than 45 museums were surprised they had received Landis forgeries. His forgeries were so good, their directors and experts could not tell the difference between Landis' copies and the original works. Not only were his fakes convincing, but he also knew exactly what to say when he met with museum directors. One director said Landis would imply he had more paintings he might donate “and possible endowments from the family's estate.” The director admits: “He knew right where to hit us. Our soft spot: art and money.” (Elizabeth Blair, “Art & Craft Explores How One Forger Duped More Than 45 Museums,” NPR, 9-27-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
It certainly didn’t help those museums’ reputations. And being deceived won’t help YOUR reputation either, especially if you claim to be a follower of Christ. So don’t believe everything you read on Facebook, or on the internet, or even on the news. And most certainly, don’t share “information” you haven’t verified. It discredits followers of Christ, who claim to know the TRUTH. If you want to do well in an era of “fake news”, don’t believe everything you hear. Instead…
CONSULT THE LORD.
Ask the Lord to give you discernment. Pray about what you hear and check it out with God’s Word.
That’s what Joshua and Israel’s leaders failed to do. Did you catch that in verse 14? “They did not ask counsel from the Lord.” They did not consult the Lord, so they were deceived.
Do you want to keep from being deceived? Then consult the Lord. Look to God for guidance and discernment.
Warren Buffett is one of the richest men in the world. Several years ago (June 2005), he wanted to help raise money for his charitable foundation, so he set up an online auction on eBay. What did he offer? Lunch with himself. The winning bid was $351,100. It was the price of access to a man with a wealth of worldly wisdom. (eBay Bidder to Pay $351,100 for Buffett Lunch, www.msnbc.msn.com, accessed 7-02-05; www.PreachingToday.com)
Do you know? You have access to God Himself, Someone with a wealth of heavenly wisdom! In fact, you have access every day, and it’s not going to cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
Do you want true heavenly wisdom that will keep you from being deceived and help you live life well? Then all you have to do is ask God for it! With an open Bible, ask God to guide you according to the principles of His Word, and He will! He’ll give you so much wisdom you won’t know what to do with it all!
For example, when some shyster tries to sell you on some “easy money” in a get-rich-quick scheme, the Holy Spirit can remind you what the Bible says: “Greedy people try to get rich quick but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty” (Proverbs 28:22, NLT).
God’s wisdom is available just for the asking! So don’t be afraid to consult Him about everything.
Just a little over a year ago, Craig Larson shared the story of a woman in his church, who is a website architect working for a big downtown bank. She was hired specifically to upgrade their site's interface for those with disabilities. But everyone with whom she directly worked told her: You can't do this. You will fail. You don't have the necessary intelligence for this. She agreed. She didn't know how to do it.
No one knew how to do what the bank was asking. One technician told her he could not do in a year even part of what the company was asking her to do in six months. These were uncharted waters. She feared what would happen if she failed. That she would lose her job and have to move away.
So she called out to God. All day long, every day, she prayed fervently over every detail, every web page, every line of code. She literally wept and prayed. She felt small and vulnerable, but she also had fierce conviction that God was great enough to help her with an impossible job. She kept crying out to God day after day, planning functionalities, writing code, telling her team of developers what to do. Day after day she received wisdom for one piece of the project after another. Every step and idea was a discovery.
Week after week, one piece, one page, one functionality of the website after another came together. Months passed and the progress continued. The hand of God was upon her, and he blessed her entire team. With the deadline approaching they were ready to release their work. They were ready to go live with approximately eighty new web pages of cutting-edge technology. On the day of release, they discovered one minor problem, just one easily fixed bug. But everything else worked flawlessly. (Craig Brian Larson, Chicago, Illinois, Craigbrianlarson.com, “The Impossible Job”, 12-11-17; www.PreachingToday.com)
You too can get the same kind of guidance from God. All you have to do is ask! Whether you need wisdom at work, at home with raising your children, or in any other context, God will give it to you one piece at a time just for the asking.
It’s the only way to function in an era of “fake news.” 1st, don’t believe everything you hear. 2nd, consult the Lord about everything. And third…
KEEP YOUR WORD.
Honor your commitments. Fulfill your promises.
That’s what Joshua did. He kept his word even to those who lied to him. The congregation of Israel was complaining about the Gibeonite deception…
Joshua 9:19-21 But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.” And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them. (ESV)
The leaders of Israel had sworn an oath to let the Gibeonites live (vs.15), so that’s exactly what they do. They turn the Gibeonites into slaves, “cutters of wood” and “drawers of water,” but the Israelites let them live just as they promised to do.
They kept their word, and that’s what you must do especially in an age of fake news. You see, just because people lie to you that doesn’t mean you should fall to their level and lie to them. At a time when integrity has become a lost art, maintain your own integrity and so regain any respect you might have lost when you allowed yourself to be deceived.
That’s what happened to Joshua. He regained Israel’s respect, because they never grumbled against him again. You too can gain, or regain, respect if you like Joshua keep your promises even to your own hurt.
In 1912, Leon Leonwood Bean started a mail order business in Greenwood, Maine, by selling a hunting boot with a money-back guarantee. However, defects in the design led to 90 percent of them being returned. Making good on the guarantee could ruin his fledgling business, but Leon kept his word, corrected the design, and continued selling the boots. L.L. Bean is now one of the largest mail-order companies in the United States, in large part because it continues to treat its customers with integrity. (Louis Upkins Jr., Treat Me Like a Customer, Zondervan, 2009; www.PreachingToday.com)
At a time when integrity is rare, you will stand out if you maintain your own integrity.
If you want to do well in an era of “fake news,” 1st, Don’t believe everything you hear; 2nd, Consult the Lord about everything; 3rd, Keep your Word; and finally…
CONFRONT THE LIE.
Address the deceit. Deal with the dishonesty.
That’s what Joshua did. He kept his word, but he didn’t let the Gibeonites get away with their deceit.
Joshua 9:22-23 Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us? Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” (ESV)
Oh, Joshua is very clever here, using the Gibeonites words against them. They had said to Joshua in verse 8, “We are your servants,” so that’s exactly what Joshua makes them. Joshua makes them servants, giving them jobs reserved for the least of the least in the community – “cutters of wood and drawers of water” (see Deuteronomy 29:10-11). Joshua had asked them, “Why did you deceive us?” …
Joshua 9:24-27 They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing. And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.” So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them. But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place that he should choose. (ESV)
Joshua confronted the Gibeonites about their deceit. They confessed their treachery and accepted the consequences. But that opened the floodgates of God’s grace!
In the very next chapter, Joshua 10, God works a great miracle on behalf of the Gibeonites. Later on, God chooses Gibeon itself as the place for His altar and the tabernacle where He will display His very presence (2 Chronicles 1:3). Furthermore, a Gibeonite will become one of King David’s chief “Mighty Men” (1 Chronicles 12:4). And a Gibeonite will help Nehemiah rebuild Jerusalem’s walls after the terrible devastation of Judah’s Babylonian captivity (Nehemiah 3:7). Oh, what grace! – as God turns a curse into a blessing, as God brings honor out of dishonor.
But none of that would have happened had not Joshua confronted the Gibeonites with their deceit and had not the Gibeonites confessed their treachery and accepted the consequences of their lies.
So dear friend, do what Joshua did. Have the courage to confront the people who lie to you. Hold them accountable with the hope that they will repent and be restored.
Matthew 18:15 says, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”
We cannot ignore the sins of our brothers and sisters. Instead, God calls us to address them gently with the hope of reconciliation and restoration, with the hope that God will pour out His grace!
In January last year (2018), the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team had been struggling. Then a string of strong March games propelled the team to a 13-game winning streak. Joe Freeman, a reporter for The Oregonian newspaper, did some investigation and discovered that their winning streak coincided with “a confession, an apology, and subsequent forgiveness.”
That January, starting forward Maurice "Moe" Harkless lost his spot in the playing rotation. Subsequently, when the team rebounded with a win against an inferior opponent, Harkless' box score line bore the dreaded “DNP-CD” designation, which means “did not play, coach's decision.” When Moe looked at the video footage of himself from that night, he didn't like what he saw – a listless demeanor amidst teammates who were cheering and applauding from the bench.
After getting the coach's permission, he interrupted the next day's practice session to apologize to his teammates for his behavior. “No matter what's going on, I can't be a bad teammate. Those are still my guys,” he said.
That expression of vulnerability was met with almost instant forgiveness and respect. The bond of the team was strengthened, and Harkless experienced a resurgence in his play that earned his starting spot again. Eventually, that team chemistry resulted in a thirteen-game win streak. (Joe Freeman, “The Curious Case of Moe Harkless: How an apology turned season around for Trail Blazers' forward,” The Oregonian, 3-22-18; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the kind of thing that can happen when poor behavior is confronted, confessed, and forgiven. In fact, that’s the kind of thing God did for us when we were caught in sin.
He loved us too much to let it go, no! Instead, He came into this world to expose our sin and to provide a way for us to be restored through His death on the cross. There, on the cross, God the Son paid the penalty for our sin. Then He rose again. And now, He offers eternal life to anyone who would confess their sin and trust Him to bring full and complete restoration.
Please, if you haven’t done it already, do it today! Confess your sin to the Lord and trust Him with your life. Then watch as God’s grace floods your life and He begins to change you from the inside out.
I know it seems counterintuitive that the outpouring of God’s grace begins with a confrontation, but that’s the way God set it up. So if someone has lied to you, confront it. And if you have lied, confess it.
If you want to do well in an era of “fake news,” first, don’t believe everything you hear. Instead, consult the Lord about everything; keep your word and confront the lie. Stand firm on the truth especially in a world which denies the existence of truth.
I like the way Tim Keller put it in his book The Prodigal God. He said, “Properly understood, Christianity is by no means the opiate of the people. It's more like the smelling salts. (Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God, Dutton, 2008, p. 113)
It wakes people up! Please, let God wake you up to the truth today.
