Proverbs 11:1, “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”
“Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,” Matthew 19:19. We are living in a very unethical generation. Ethics are the small decisions and practices of right and wrong that we all make every day of our lives. These are not considered big areas of morality; such as, keeping the Ten Commandments; yet ethics are the foundation for all morality when you consider that little things lead to big things. If a person doesn't care about the little things concerning morality, then they certainly won't care about the big things. One of the best bits of advice that I've learned in life, that I can share with every other Christian, is to CARE ABOUT LITTLE THINGS!
Evidence of what I say is abortion in America. Long before abortion became legal (which is still illegal in God's eyes today), women stopped caring about modesty and a proper attitude in the marriage concerning wifely submission. One sin beget another and immodesty, rebellion and feminism led to promiscuity and millions of unwanted pregnancies. Long before the Bible was removed and banned from all public schools, Americans had succumbed to the ballroom sensual dancing, jazz, Hollywood's perversion, chorus girls and booze made legal in 1933. A lack of ethics always precedes gross immorality. If you walk with God, then you will begin to care about little things, because everything affects others one way or another. And counterwise, sin always causes a society (or person) to gradually care less and less about little things.
Ethics (or lack thereof) are the little things of right and wrong that so many people ignore today. Many people have lied so much that it has become part of their character, and so now they lie on impulse and don't even have a conscience about lying anymore. It's just a normal day for them. Groups known to contain a high percentage of liars and deceivers are lawyers, judges, realtors, salesman, politicians, preachers and anyone who stands to gain a profit from others. Companies all lie these days. It has sadly become commonplace in American society.
For example: No insurance company agent is going to inform you that the home insurance policy you just paid $2,000-$3,000 for only covers the adjusted (depreciated) cost of your home. If your $250,000 home burns to the ground, they'll write you a check for $70,000 and you're out of luck. You've lost your home forever. You have to actually ask for REPLACEMENT coverage, which is only a few hundred dollars a year extra. With a replacement clause, they have to replace your home with a new one. Do you see how deceitful and rotten insurance companies are? How many people know about this? You have to read the fine print carefully and ask questions.
Companies are legally protected by the terms of service in any contract, but unless you're a lawyer you couldn't possibly understand much of what is said. It is evil, dishonest and God will punish anyone who uses fine print to disqualify, deny and oppress others. Insurance companies are notorious for taking people's money, but then denying their claim for bogus reasons.
If you live in a hurricane area (called typhoons in Asia), check your insurance policy for your home. The insurance policy only covers damage from hind speed winds; but NOT damage from flying debris (like cars!!!). I've seen small items, like a straw, driven through a coconut tree trunk by high speed winds. In many places in the tropics, on poorer homes, they use corrugated sheet metal for roofing. It's rippled like a Ripples potato chip. I saw a coconut tree sliced complete off at the base of the trunk by a flying piece of roofing metal from a typhoon. The top of the tree was gone.
That's why they make the print so small. They
don't want you to read their true intentions!!! It is psychological
manipulation and they are without excuse before God!!! Matthew 7:2, “For
with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again.” God is going to hold such
wicked people who throw fine print in people's faces, to every jot and
tittle in the Bible on Judgment Day! God will judge them by the same
standard by which they've judged other people, to the letter of every word
that has ever come out of their wicked mouth (Matthew 12:36).
God Hates Deceit, Trickery And Subtilty To Gain Advantage Of Others
Proverbs 11:1, “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.”
This
Scripture in Proverbs 11:1 doesn't mean that an unbalanced scale is an
abomination to God; but rather, God hates a rigged scale. The Hebrew word
for “false” is mirmah and means “in the sense of deceiving; fraud:
-craft, deceit, false, feigned, guile, subtilty.” An abomination in the
Bible is a sin coupled with disgust in God's eyes. God is disgusted with the
sin of tricking others for personal or corporate gain, whether it be by
blatant lying or by psychological manipulation through the use of unethical
marketing techniques.
One of the common dictionary meaning of “fraud” is “deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage.” Hence, the Bible is teaching us in Proverb 11:1 that God hates deceit, trickery, psychological manipulation through the use of fine print, sneaky advertising that doesn't tell you the whole truth, highly attractive and alluring bold advertisements that are negating by subtle and deceitful hidden “terms of service.” Such unethical practices are as crooked as a dog's hind leg and God hates it. These are false balances, intended to boost company profits.
A lot of shady companies these days charge excessive amounts of shipping, worth far more than the actual cost of what they're selling. They guarantee your money back, knowing that most people won't take the time to send it back if they're not happy; but moreover, the company will still make a profit even if the item is returned because they charged you excessive shipping.
The word “ethics” is seldom heard these days, for it is seldom practiced anymore. Ethics is just plain good ole doing the right thing. One definition of ethics is “a system of principles governing morality and acceptable conduct.” Some people live by situation ethics (which is no ethics at all). If something is wrong in one situation, it is also wrong in another. For example: It is just as wrong for a poor person to steal from a rich man because he's hungry, as it would be for a rich man to steal from a poor man because he's greedy. Certainly there are extenuating circumstances (conditions that lessen the severity of an offense), but wrong is always wrong and God will judge accordingly.
Only though the blood of Jesus Christ can a man be justified, JUST-IF-I'D never sinned in God's eyes. 1st Peter 1:18-19, 1st John 1:7 and Revelation 1:5 in the King James Bible teaches that Jesus Christ's blood washes the believer's sins away forever. Apart from believing the Gospel to be saved, no sinner can nor will be pardoned by God. Hell will be hot. Most people who are cast into Hell will have entered into eternity sincerely expecting to enter Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14; 21-23).
Situation ethics are the principles of right and
wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group, which rarely
align with God's holy Laws which forbid abortion, homosexuality,
drunkenness, pornography and shady advertising.
Every Believer Will Give Account To God At The Judgment Seat Of Christ
In 1934 Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) launched THE SWORD OF THE LORD, which, by the time of his death, had become the largest independent religious weekly in the world, with subscribers in every state of the Union and more than 100 foreign countries. Thousands of preachers read it regularly, and it undoubtedly had the greatest impact upon the fundamentalist movement of any publication in the 20th century. Here's an excellent quote from chapter 4 of the book, “WHEN A CHRISTIAN SINS.” The chapter is titled, “THE CHRISTIAN'S HAPPINESS IN HEAVEN DEPENDS ON HOW HE LIVED ON EARTH” ...
"AGAIN LET ME SAY that I do not encourage sin. No one must treat sin lightly. We are not soon done with the disaster of sin. The Christian who sins will suffer for it in this life. He will suffer for it in the life to come.
Some people suppose that every sinner who goes to Heaven will have the same joy and happiness. But that is not true. In Revelation 20, we find that sinners who go to hell are judged, every man according to his works, according to the things written down in God's Books. The torment of unsaved people in hell will differ, each one according to his opportunity and according to his sin.
Likewise, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that not all Christians will enjoy the same position and have the same honor and responsibility and blessing in heaven. It is true that each one who trusts in Christ has the same salvation and goes to the same heaven. But beyond salvation there will be rewards for Christians according to their service, and Christians must give an account for their sins. Let no Christian think that he is getting by with his worldliness, his sin, his disobedience, his carelessness about soul-winning.
THE CHRISTIAN MUST MEET HIS DEEDS, GOOD AND BAD, AT CHRIST'S JUDGMENT SEAT
Read with me the shocking passage of Scripture in 2nd Corinthians 5:9-10:
'Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.'
Here we know why Paul worked so hard, why he endured such persecution, gave up home, family, good name, ease, honors, in order to win souls. He was labouring to be acceptable to Jesus Christ! He knew that he would one day meet the Saviour and longed to have Jesus say to him, 'well done, good and faithful servant' (Mt 25:23). Paul says, 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ' (2nd Co 5:10a). Do not confuse this with the final judgment of the unsaved as described in Revelation 20. Do not confuse this with the judgment of the Gentile world as described in Matthew 25:31-46. Here is a judgment, in heaven, of Christians only. After we are already caught up to meet the Lord in the air, after we have resurrected bodies, after we see the Saviour, then 'we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.'
And what occurs at this judgment seat of Christ?
'that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad' (2 Co 5:10b).
Do not explain away the plain statements of the Scriptures. The Christian is still to come face to face with his past. I know that the Christian has his sins forgiven as far as the destiny of his soul is concerned. It is true that all his sins are laid on Jesus and paid for on the cross. But God is still against sin. And up in heaven no Christian will think it did not matter that he sinned. Every Christian will find how horrible are the results of his sins. He will face what he has done, whether it be good or bad.
I do not wonder that, in the next verse, Paul says, 'Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade man' (2 CO 5:11). Paul knew that it would be a terrifying thing for Christians, born again, and even in glorified bodies, to stand up before Jesus Christ and give an account of the deeds done in the body both good and bad. In my sermon on 'Tears in Heaven' in the book And God Remembered, I have discussed the tears of Christians when they face their sins in heaven. And I hope you will read it.
God may forgive sins, but there are some of the results of sin that will never be undone...”
SOURCE: “WHEN A CHRISTIAN SINS,” John R. Rice; chapter 4, pgs. 60-62; copyright 1954, Sword Of The Lord Publishers; ISBN: 0-87398-911-2
The Importance Of Little Things And Ethics
We
are much worse off as a nation today because Americans have stopped caring
about little things—like pulling business shades down on Sundays, so people
couldn't window shop on the Lord's Day; youth saying “yes Sir” and “yes
Mame,” “no Sir” and “no Mame” to elders and authority; picking up somebody
else's litter in public; being a gentleman and holding the door for others;
letting someone know when they've paid you too much change or short-changed
themselves; waiting for as long as it takes for others to cross-the-street,
or back into their drive way, et cetera.
I pulled up to back into my driveway a few weeks ago and a car zoomed right behind me as I was backing up. I almost hit him and he scared me good. He (or she) was so impatient that they just couldn't wait 15 seconds. Only a man could drive that bad! Women actually make pretty good drivers. Insurance companies charge the highest rates for young, unmarried, unexperienced men. People are in so much of a hurry these days! It's so ironic that a century ago when nearly everyone rode in horse drawn buggies that life was slow and people didn't feel rushed. In 2012 with automobiles and mass communication people are rushed, pressured and in a hurry everywhere they go. Back when the Pony Express was started in 1860, it took a rider nearly one month to get a message from St. Louis to California. Now it takes just seconds.
I was in K-mart yesterday and saw a man with a powered wheelchair with a basket on the front. As he was turning the corner in the hallway, trying to navigate into the restroom, he was having a little bit of difficulty making the maneuver. I was trapped in between his chair and a water fountain (but not pinched nor in danger). I waited patiently and pondered his disability. God is so good to all of us. I thanked God that I can still walk. We all have nothing to complain about. I then laid a Gospel tract into his basket titled, HOW TO KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN, by Dr. Curtis Hutson. I got these tracks from the Sword Of The Lord. The man looked up at me and asked with a look of happiness on his face, “For me?” I replied with a smile, “Yes Sir, that is for you.” And then we went our ways.
Little things are important things. Nothing is
insignificant to God... NOTHING. The Lord knows how many hairs are on your
head (Matthew 10:29-30). God doesn't have to keep track, nor recount,
because He already KNOWS. God knows all things about everything at all
times. God is omniscient (all-knowing). God never remembers, nor forgets,
nor does anything occur to God. He knows all, at all times, about everything
and everyone!!! This alone should motivate us to care and think about the
things of others as Christ Jesus did throughout His earthly life
(Philippians 2:4-5). Little things mean a lot!
Loving Thy Neighbor As Thyself Is Synonymous With Ethics
Most
people don't know how to have real fun. When I go into a Laundromat to do my
laundry, I sometimes put $5 extra dollars into the dryer, knowing that when
the Chinese lady collects the money, she'll be surprised. Plus someone gets
to use plenty of free dryer time. I like to leave my soap and fabric
softener behind for others to use. I can buy more.
Generosity and ethics are inseparable my friend. Kindness is a form of generosity, and both are certainly right to do. Ethics is everything that the Bible doesn't give us a direct command for, but we know in our heart that there's a high-road and a low-road we can take in any situation.
I mean, if you see a sharp piece of metal sticking out of a door, I believe God wants you to tell the owner of the store. I saw a sharp piece of metal on a door while exiting a store one day. I informed the store owner because I didn't want someone else to cut their hand open. I was being ethical and considerate of others as every Christian ought to do. It's a matter of caring for others. Ethics are not taught to children nor adults in America anymore. Instead it's a dog-eat-dog and eat-cat-too society of cutthroat competition. The shallowest victory in the world is victory over another person. The most difficult opponent to overcome is yourself.
If I see a safety hazard, I feel obligated to
let someone know who is responsible for the area and item that is unsafe.
Unethical Marketing Tactics
One of my pet peeves is deceitful advertising. I absolutely hate fine print and terms of service that say something totally different than the highly attractive advertisements which businesses use to lure in customers. It is dirty business.
Web hosting companies are dirty these days, making promises in bold ads to lure in new customers, but they negate those promises in their fine print. Beware of any webhosting company that promises “unlimited” disk space and bandwidth, because there's no such thing. Unlimited resources is a myth. It's not possible.
Yet companies promise the impossible to get your money, fully knowing that they prohibit storing media files (videos and mp3s) on their server in the fine print. This means you couldn't use a lot of space if you tried; because they won't let you! Even though they promise you unlimited resources, once you reach 10-15 GB they will stop you in your tracks. That's fraudulent advertising. Then they throw the fine print in your face that you agreed to (thousands of lines long). Legally they are protected, but ethically they are very wrong! but they can't making any excuses for advertising unlimited resources. It is They will send you threats to suspending your account or deleting portions of your website at their whim, just because they feel like it.
Companies lie, hiding behind their terms of service, but they lured you in with psychological manipulation. They know it, but they are deceivers and liars at heart, and money is their god.
Psalms 55:11, “Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.”
They can legally throw the fine print in your face and there's really nothing you can do (other than word of mouth), but what they are doing is unethical and immoral in God's eyes because it is shady and guile.
- Shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
- The quality of being crafty
- The use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
For example: If you bump into somebody with your car and see that the person is stunned a bit. You apologize and hope they won't ask for any insurance information and try to drive away as soon as possible before they change their mind. The ethical (right) thing to do would be to give them your insurance information just in case their neck hurts the next day or they change their mind. You rear-ended their car! This is one of thousands of such examples that I could give you. It boils down to loving they neighbor as thyself and trusting God to provide, protect and guide you through life. You are doing it God's way when you look out for the interests of others instead of just yourself. Ethics is synonymous with loving thy neighbor as thyself.
When I go shopping I almost always see dozens of carts sitting around the parking lot. Most people go into the store and grab a cart inside. I always grab a cart from the parking lot and bring it inside the store to use. It's a small thing, but it is an ethical thing to do. And I always roll my cart back into the store. I never leave a cart just sitting in the parking lot.
Years ago I purchased some musical parts from a
man for over $500. I gave him an extra $70 just to be generous because I
know costs are expensive these days for everything. I hadn't heard a word
from him in 3-months, so I contacted him and he said “soon.” After 6-months
he said it would be 9-months. After a year I kindly asked either for my
money back or a commitment when he would deliver the parts. He sent me the
most horrible letter imaginable, filled with threats and anger. So I wrote
him back and told him he could keep the money for his family and forget the
parts. I wasn't going to argue with him over money. I let him know that I'm
praying for him and that was that. I did the ethical thing.
America Needs More Voices!
The world needs mothers who train up their children in the ways of the Bible. Every child should be taught ethics, chivalry and modesty. All of the toilet humor on television these days is deliberate, intended to subvert families in our country. Kids are taught today that it's funny to have the manners of a slob, to sass their elders and to cheat. No wonder yesterday's neglected children are today's messed up adults.
People are so idiotic concerning the reality and evil. People scratch their heads and go around asking how such a horrible thing could have happened. Yet they refuse to admit the truth that society's tolerance of sin has turned our culture into Sodom and Gomorrah in America. Same-sex marriage? You've got to be kidding me? Are you insane? You mean to tell me that two men want to get married and have sex together on a steady basis as man and wife? I need to take a walk and go barf somewhere. Please say it isn't so! I don't know about you, but I'll NEVER get comfortable nor acceptant with the idea of two men humping each other. It's sickening beyond description!
The United States has become ground zero for every form of wickedness imaginable. God's hand of blessing is departing from our nation to the same extent that it's Christians are departing. Churchgoers are turning, giving up, committing suicide, selling out, joining forces with the Devil. Of course, most churchgoers aren't saved, which is why I didn't refer to them as Christians. Ninety-five percent of churchgoers are unsaved, still in their sins without Christ and bound for the Lake of Fire. John 3:18 says that they're ALREADY condemned, because they believe not.
They may trust in works, church membership, a prayer or their religious commitment; but they have never been born-again by the Spirit of God by faith in the seed of the Word of God (the Gospel). The Gospel is defined in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 as the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ shed His literal blood for our sins. If you receive the Gospel as payment for your sins, then you are saved eternally my friend. Most churchgoers are familiar with the story of the Gospel, but they've never personally believed it in their heart. Believing that a man named Jesus once existed (James 2:19) is VERY different from personally trusting upon the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and give you eternal life (Romans 10:13; Acts 10:43).
America could be saved if we had more men like John the Baptist and Billy Sunday, men who preached uncompromisingly against sin. It's bad enough that America lacks true men of God who preach against sin—it's much worse that professed Christians all across America are embracing witchcraft, homosexuality, abortion. Here's a church that even participated in a PRO-abortion march. Christianity Today is Pro-homosexual.
This is the apostate condition of America's so-called "Christians" today, and it is repulsive. America needs voices! The Bible says that there was a "voice" (singular) crying in the wilderness. In these times of increasing apostasy, it is becoming necessary for Bible-believing Christians to STAND ALONE, just as did John the Baptist. It eventually cost John his life. Truth has few friends these days.
"This whole society is rotten and Godless. The wrath of God is upon America. Mark my word: if God’s Word be true, this nation is headed for the dust." —Pastor Tom Malone (1971)
I AM A VOICE
(MP3 sermon by Pastor Jack Hyles from 1983 |
Download)
John the Baptist
(MP3 sermon by Pastor Jack Hyles |
Download)
"Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" —Psalm 94:16
