day no. 17,352: defending their innocency (exhortation outline)

Christ Church Leavenworth

WLC 144: Defending Their Innocency

April 26, 2026

Defending the Innocent

INTRODUCTION

This morning we are continuing our study of the ten commandments in the WLC and we are still in Q144 which asks, “What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?” The ninth commandment, as you recall, is “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” The answer provided by the Westminster divines is this, “The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbour, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and in all other things whatsoever; a charitable esteem of our neighbours; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name; sorrowing for, and covering of their infirmities; freely acknowledging of their gifts and graces, defending their innocency; a ready receiving of a good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, concerning them; discouraging tale-bearers, flatterers, and slanderers; love and care of our own good name, and defending it when need requireth;  keeping of lawful promises; and studying and practicing of whatsoever things are true, honest, lovely, and of good report.”

The phrase we will be focusing on this morning is, “defending their innocency.”

The text cited by the WLC in support of this duty is 1 Samuel 22:14, but in order to understand how this verse applies to the duty to defend our neighbor’s innocence, we will need to understand the context in which it takes place. So, here’s some background. Even though Saul was the king of Israel, he was jealous of David. Saul’s son Jonathan discovered that his father was plotting to kill David. Since David was Jonathan’s best friend, he warned him of his father’s plans. As a result, David fled. He stopped to catch his breath in a town just outside Jerusalem called Nob where a man named Ahimelech was serving as the priest.

Because David had left in such a hurry, he did not have any food or even a weapon with him. So, he asked Ahimelech for some assistance. Ahimelech was happy to help. David was a famous warrior and the news of Saul’s change of temper towards him had not yet reached Nob. So, he gave David some bread and then he gave him the only weapon he had on hand: Goliath’s sword which was being kept on display as a trophy. This was the same sword that David had used to cut off Goliath’s head. A man named Doeg the Edomite was also there that day, however, and saw it all take place. Later, when Saul got word that David had gotten away, he was frustrated and began throwing accusations around. He wanted to know who was helping David. Doeg took this opportunity to report what he had seen and that is where our text picks up.

1 Samuel 22:11-18 “Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. And Saul said, ‘Hear now, son of Ahitub.’ And he answered, ‘Here I am, my lord.’ And Saul said to him, ‘Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?’ Then Ahimelech answered the king, ‘And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.’ And the king said, ‘You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.’ And the king said to the guard who stood about him, ‘Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.’ But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king said to Doeg, ‘You, turn and strike the priests.’ And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.”

In these few verses, we see several examples of people failing and fulfilling their duty to defend their neighbor’s innocency. Let’s begin with the failures. The first example is King Saul. This whole episode is a result of him falsely accusing David in the first place. Instead of defending David’s innocence, he accused him of treason.

Saul was insecure and, just like any of us when we feel insecure or afraid, he was tempted to look for ways to blame others for the way he felt. Because we don’t like the way we feel and because we don’t like taking responsibility for our feelings, it must be someone else’s fault. As Spurgeon once noted, "We accuse others to excuse ourselves.” It is often easier to make up things about our neighbor than it is to face the reality about ourselves. And so, we slander our neighbor’s innocence in order to defend our own guilt. But take heed and take note: the sins of others, whether real or imagined, can never cleanse us of our own.

Another example is Doeg the Edomite. He knew that Ahimelech was not trying to help David usurp Saul’s throne. He knew he was innocent. But he also knew that Saul was looking for someone to blame and he hoped that there would be a finder’s fee. Saul slandered David to try to keep from losing his kingdom, Doeg slandered Ahimelech to try to gain a position in Saul’s kingdom. So, we see that our guilt can lead us to lash out at the innocent, either because we are scared of losing something or because we are greedy to get something else.

Now, let’s move on to a few examples of people fulfilling their duty to defend the innocent. Consider Saul’s servants. When Saul ordered them to slaughter Ahimelech and the priests, they refused. They presumed a standard of “innocent until proven guilty” and defended it by refusing to obey a tyrannical order.

A second example is that of Ahimelech himself. At any given point in his interrogation, he could have changed his story to try to save his own skin, but he didn’t. He could have defended his innocence by casting doubt on David’s, but he refused to bear false witness, even if it meant being falsely accused. He stood by David and his decision to help him. Ahimelech was an innocent man who paid the price of a guilty man in order to defend the innocence of another.

CALL TO CONFESSION

Well, since we are so often more concerned with getting our guilty selves out of trouble than we are with keeping our innocent neighbors out of it, we are reminded of our need to regularly confess our sins, whether they be related to this duty or to others. So, if you are able, please kneel with me and confess your sins, first privately and then corporately using the prayer found in your bulletin.

CORPORATE CONFESSION

Gracious Father, if You were to mark iniquities, who could stand? But with You is forgiveness, that You may be feared. Called by You to the throne of grace, and confident in our great High Priest, we bow before You and confess that we have sinned against You and been unfaithful to Your holy covenant. Our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately sick, so that we often do what we hate, and neglect what we love. Out of our mouths we both praise You and curse our fellow men. You promised mercy to our fathers through the seed of the woman. Turn our hearts again, Father, to consider Jesus, who crushed the serpent’s head, and saved His people from their sins. Forgive, cleanse, and restore us for His sake. Amen.

DECLARATION OF PARDON

Saints, arise and hear the Good News!

The assurance of pardon today comes from Romans 4:4-8

“Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’” 

The story of Ahimelech points us to Jesus: he was falsely accused and killed for defending his friend, just like Jesus. He was an innocent man who was treated like a guilty man, just like Jesus. But as good of a man as Ahimelech was, Jesus is better. A man will scarcely die for an innocent person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— as Ahimelech did for David, but God shows His love for us in that while we were still guilty, Christ died for us.

Saints, hear the Good News: in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven… THANKS BE TO GOD!

Now let us ascend to the presence of God in all worship and praise.

day no. 17,317: a charitable esteem of our neighbors (exhortation outline)

Christ Church Leavenworth

WLC 144: A Charitable Esteem of Our Neighbors

March 22, 2026

A Charitable Esteem of Our Neighbors

INTRODUCTION

This morning we are continuing our study of Q144 of the WLC which asks, “What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?” The ninth commandment, as you recall, is “You shall not bear false witness” and the duties associated with it, according to the answer provided by the Westminster divines, are as follows: “the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbour, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and in all other things whatsoever; a charitable esteem of our neighbours; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name; sorrowing for, and covering of their infirmities; freely acknowledging of their gifts and graces, defending their innocency; a ready receiving of a good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, concerning them; discouraging tale-bearers, flatterers, and slanderers; love and care of our own good name, and defending it when need requireth; keeping of lawful promises; and studying and practicing of whatsoever things are true, honest, lovely, and of good report.”

The phrase on which we will be focusing this morning is, “a charitable esteem of our neighbours” and the text we will be using to frame our discussion is Ephesians 4:29, these are the words of God: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

There are two ways to love our neighbor with our words. One is to not say hurtful things about them or to them. The other is to say encouraging things about them or to them. One of the most discouraging things you can do to your neighbor is to speak ill of them to others in their presence. Conversely, one of the most uplifting things you can do is to praise them to others in their presence.

So, fathers, make sure you are regularly praising your children. Look for things to reward with kind words. Do not allow yourself to become the stereotype the Freudians say that you are. God the Father is not cold or distant, and you should not be either. This is, however, a besetting sin of fathers, as the Bible points out. In Ephesians 6:4, it says this: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord,” and in Colossians 3:21 it says this: “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” In both cases, you end up with an angry, discouraged child. Father hunger is the result of too many critical words and not enough encouragement. So, look for ways to charitably esteem your kids. Do not raise them in doubt. Believe the best about them. Raise them in faith by showing them how to have some. Do not camp on the most difficult parts of their character. If you are tempted to think of your children in terms of their cost, do better PR work for them in your own soul. Do not let your heart run a smear campaign on them. Block those messages.

We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. And whose sins do we know better than our own? Yet we still love ourselves and that is because love covers a multitude of sins. Let us then do for others what we’re already doing for ourselves. We should think as well of our neighbors as we can. Granted, some of them make this harder for us than others, but we aren’t talking about their duty to be as lovable and respectable as they can this morning, we are talking about your duty to give them as much love and respect as you can.

We should do our best to make a case for our neighbor because building a case against them in our hearts is a sin. In fact, it is satanic. Satan is “the accuser of the brothers” according to Revelation 12:10. He does not carry water for anyone. He spends his time looking for things to be upset about, and as a result, he is always upset. And if we are not careful, we can fall into those same satanic trap. When we envy others, we are slow to see their merits. Why did they get that? They don’t deserve it. When we are bitter towards others, we are eager to entertain accusations about them. Ugh, that sounds like something he would do. We often convict our neighbors of wrongdoing in the courtrooms of our hearts without giving them a fair trial. We accept speculation as testimony, we allow hearsay to be submitted into evidence, and we don’t allow them to defend themselves. We don’t make a case for them. But that is not how God deals with us. 

Psalm 103:13-14: “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” Remember your neighbor’s frame. He gets scared, just like you. He gets stressed out, just like you. He fails to plan sometimes, just like you. He says things he shouldn’t, just like you. He forgets to say things he should, just like you. He even forgets to use his blinker sometimes, just like you have. If you need any help being charitable with your neighbor, look no further than the charitable esteem you give to the neighbor you know the best: the one that looks back at you in the mirror each morning. And then remember how much charity our Father in Heaven extends to that guy. Who are we that God is mindful of us? How have we captured His attention and even gained His affection? He extends a charitable esteem to us. That’s how. He loves the unlovely. He is kind to the unkind. He remembers that we are dust, but He doesn’t treat us like dirt. He knows that we are beneath Him, and so He bends down to be with us. And that is how we must treat our neighbors. Remember their frame and then frame them in the best light possible.

CALL TO CONFESSION

Well, since we are better at looking to our own interests than we are at looking to the interests of others and since we are better at giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt than we are at giving that benefit to others, we are reminded of our need to regularly confess our sins, whether they be related to this duty or to others. So, if you are able, please kneel with me and confess your sins, first privately, and then corporately using the prayer found in your bulletin.

CORPORATE CONFESSION

Almighty and merciful Father, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us. Renew us and lead us by Your Holy Spirit so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.

DECLARATION OF PARDON

Arise and hear the Good News! The assurance of pardon today comes from Galatians 2:16 “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” We are not loved because we were lovely, we are becoming more and more lovely because God has loved us. He has not treated us as our sins have deserved. He has been charitable in His esteem for us. While we were yet sinners, He died for us and while we were still His enemies, He looked for ways to be friendly. O, what a friend we have in Jesus, for in Him our sins are forgiven… THANKS BE TO GOD!

Now let us ascend to the presence of God in all worship and praise.

day no. 17,253: appearing and standing for the truth (exhortation outline)

Christ Church Leavenworth

WLC 144: Appearing and Standing for the Truth 

January 25, 2026

Appearing and Standing for the Truth

THE TEXT

The text for this morning’s exhortation is from 2 Timothy 4:16, these are the words of God. “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!”

INTRODUCTION

This morning we are continuing our study of the ten commandments in the WLC and we are still in Q144 which asks, “What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?” One of the duties the Westminster divines cite in their lengthy response to that question is the duty to “appear and stand for the truth.”

When the apostle Paul was summoned to defend himself, none of his friends showed up. No one appeared on his behalf and no one stood with him. And yet, in relaying this devastating news to Timothy, Paul included a request for God to have mercy on them. He prayed that their failure to appear would not be charged against them. This indicates that more than just a breach of friendship was involved. If it was merely a sin against Paul or a debt owed to him, he could forgive it and consider it paid in full. And inasmuch as they did sin against him, he did. But that did not resolve the matter. Paul’s companions did not just refuse to stand with him, they refused to stand for the truth. That is the sin that Paul prays will not be held against them. That part is not Paul’s to forgive, that part was against God alone and only He can forgive it. Paul’s friends acted cowardly; and so, he asks God to spare them from the fate of a coward. Revelation 21:8, “As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Paul was not on trial for some moral failure like theft or murder, he was on trial for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, it wasn’t a matter of his friends approving him, but not approving of his behavior. They were Christians. He was on trail for something they could just as easily have been on trial for. If you do not stand with your friend in their time of trouble, that makes you a lousy friend, but if your friend is in trouble for being a Christian and you fail to appear on his behalf, you are not just a lousy friend, you are a lousy Christian. Consider the Word of the Lord from Leviticus 5:1. “If anyone hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity.”

If you will not take the trouble to stand up for the truth, you will be in trouble when you face the Truth. Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” So, the only way to save your life is to sacrifice it to the Lord. If God calls you to the witness stand, it is safer to tell the truth in a hostile environment than it is to bear false witness against God by failing to appear or by showing up, but refusing to stand up. Matthew 16:25 “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” 

Christians are called to testify to the truth just as Jesus did before Pilate in John 18:37. This is what He said, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” If you do not bear witness to the truth, you are bearing false witness against God. You are saying it is safer to lie than it is to tell the truth. You are saying that the wrath of man is to be feared more than the wrath of God. You are saying that cowardice is better than courage when the stakes are high because saving your skin is better than dying to sin.

Those who are of the truth hear the voice of Jesus and respond by appearing when called and standing up for the truth when needed. You don’t have to go out looking for opportunities to speak per se, but you do have to be ready for them if and when they come looking for you. Consider 1 Peter 3:15-16 “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

Ignoring a call to witness to the truth and failing to appear or stand for the truth is  a violation of the ninth commandment. It is bearing false witness and it is a slander against the Son of God. In keeping quiet, you are saying that the most important thing about the truth is simply knowing the right answers, not doing the right things. But that is a lie. As Jesus said in John 8:31–32 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Abiding in the truth is not just sitting around doing nothing. Abiding means keeping up with the truth wherever it goes. Truth is an active thing and if you want to abide with it, you’re going to have to get up and walk with it wherever it goes. And if you do, you will be set free. Staying out of trouble will not set you free. Only the truth can do that. In fact, testifying to the truth will more often than not get you into more trouble. But it is better to be slandered by liars than it is to be condemned by the truth.

We should be more zealous to stand up for the truth than we are to stand up for ourselves and our own interests… but we aren’t. Standing for the truth means refusing to lay down with lies. We must oppose falsehood. So, no more stretching the truth, massaging the truth, avoiding the truth, or denying the truth. In order to avoid bearing false witness, we must appear when the truth is on trial and we must take the stand and testify to the way, the truth, and the life.

CALL TO CONFESSION

Well, since we sometimes hide behind lies instead of behind Christ and because we are sometimes scared to go where the Spirit leads or stand up when the Truth is on trial, we are reminded of our need to regularly confess our sins, whether they be related to this duty or others. So, if you are able, please kneel with me and confess your sins, first privately and then corporately using the prayer found in your bulletin.

CORPORATE CONFESSION

Most holy and merciful Father, we acknowledge before You our sinful nature and our many offenses. We are prone to do evil and slow to do good. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from Your way, in wasting Your gifts, in forgetting Your love. Lord, we are ashamed and sorry for all the ways that we have displeased You. Father, teach us to hate our rebellious acts, cleanse us from our secret faults, and forgive our sins for the sake of Your Son. Help us to love You with all our heart and mind and strength. And give us the power of Your Holy Spirit so that we may walk in Your ways and serve You all of our days.

DECLARATION OF PARDON

Arise and hear the Good News! The assurance of pardon today comes from…

Romans 5:1, 8-9 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… for God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.”

While we were still bearing false witness, Christ appeared. While we were still lying, Christ testified to the truth. While we were still hiding likes cowards, Christ played the man and died for us. For our sake God made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. So, bear witness to that and be glad. Jesus lived for your righteousness, died for your sins, and rose for your justification. And because He did, it is my privilege to pronounce to you that in Him, your sins really are forgiven… THANKS BE TO GOD!

Now let us ascend to the presence of God in all worship and praise.

day no. 17,148: the moderation of our judgments, wills, and affections concerning worldly goods (exhortation outline)

Christ Church Leavenworth

WLC 141: Moderation Concerning Worldly Goods

September 28, 2025

Moderation Concerning Worldly Goods

INTRODUCTION

This morning we are continuing our study of Q141 of the WLC which asks, “What are the duties required in the Eighth Commandment?” The eighth commandment, as you recall, is “Thou shall not steal” and the duty associated with it that we will be looking at this morning is “the moderation of our judgments, wills, and affections concerning worldly goods.”

The text provided by the Westminster divines with respect to this duty is 

1 Timothy 6:6-9. These are the Words of God: “Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

As we have continued to see in our study of the eighth commandment, stealing includes much more than merely taking things that are not yours. It does, of course, include that, but it is certainly not limited to it. This morning, we are considering our duty to moderate our judgments, wills, and affections as they pertain to worldly goods. But what, pray tell you might ask, does that have to do with not stealing? Simply put: content people do not plunder their neighbors. If you are happy with what you have, you are not motivated to take something that is not yours. On the other hand, malcontents are often motivated to cut corners. If you are not happy with what you have, you are more likely to take advantage of opportunities to take things from others. We have been called to be content with what we have and to work hard for what we want. A lack of moderation leads to being discontent with what we have and working hard to take from others that for which they worked hard.

GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN

Our text this morning reminds us that, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” It is not a booby prize for losers. “Godliness with contentment is gain” is not just something people say to make themselves feel better about losing the big game. No, godliness with contentment is how the game is won. Godliness with contentment is gain. And not just any gain, GREAT gain. Augustine of Hippo put it this way, “He who has God has everything; he who has everything but God has nothing.” C.S. Lewis, undoubtedly inspired by Augustine, articulated the same sentiment in The Weight of Glory when he said, “He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only.” 

Now, here’s the question: do you believe that? That is easy to write in a tweet or to have on the side of a coffee mug, but it’s much harder to write on your heart. Do you believe that God is enough? Can you be content with Him and whatever He provides? Godly contentment is being okay with the problems you have instead of envying the problems you don’t have. It is trusting God to meet today’s needs because you know that He has already given His Son to meet your eternal needs. “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Beyond giving us His Son, God has given us enough. He meets our needs. We may not have as much as we want, but we always have as much as we need. And enough is as good as a feast. If you have enough, having more is no better. There is no such thing as enougher or enoughest. Enough is enough and Jesus is always enough. 

MODERATION IS KNOWING WHAT TIME IT IS

So, what does it mean then to moderate our judgments, wills and affections to that reality? Let’s begin by defining our term. Moderation is not a middle way. It is not the center point of two extremes. Moderation is not a compromise. It is not the Goldilocks zone of “not too little, not too much, but just right.” So that is what moderation is not… so, what is it? Moderation is knowing what time it is and being obedient to the moment you’re in. Moderation does not mean never being extreme, it means not being a lopsided monster who sets up shop in one ditch instead of the other.

Consider the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

God has made a moment for all these things. Moderation is not avoiding religious extremism. If that were the case, it would refuse to feast or fast. It would only ever eat the government recommended portion sizes of whatever it was served. It would never get seconds of something good and it would never refuse firsts of something it was fasting from. Moderation is knowing how to match the moment you’re in. Most of the time, that means normal life. You wake up, go to work, eat dinner, take out the trash, take a shower, and do it all over again. Thank God for normal, uninteresting days. If you cannot do that, you are robbing those around you of a sense of stability. You cannot insist on making everyday a holiday without ruining holidays. If everything is special, nothing is special. Most days should look like most days. Some of the time, however, special things happen. If you only feast, you won’t know how to fast and you will struggle to settle for regular fair. If you only fast, you won’t know how to feast and you will look down your nose at those who are enjoying their meal.

Moderation is also making your mood match the moment. It is not a stoicism that strives to be indifferent to its surroundings, but neither is it an emotionalism that gets caught up in the excitement of the age. Moderation is not an eastern ohmism that seeks to empty its head and heart of all worldly attachments in order to find meaning, but neither is it a western consumerism that seeks to fill its head and heart with meaning through its worldly attachments. 

MODERATION IN THE MEANTIME

Moderation means knowing how to love things well by loving them less. Anything that is loved more than God, regardless of how good it is, is not being loved well. The best way to ruin anything is to treat it like a god, which is to say, to turn it into an idol. Expect from it deity and expect to be disappointed. And here we discover another way in which moderation keeps us from stealing. Husbands, if you love and listen to your wife more than you listen to God, you are not just robbing God of His glory, you are robbing your wife. You are not loving her well. She deserves better than to be worshipped by you. Mothers, if you love and listen to your kids more than you listen to God, you are not just robbing God, you are robbing your kids. They deserve better than to be worshipped by you. Children, if you love and listen to your friends more than you listen to God, you are not just robbing God, you are stealing from your friends. They deserve better than to be idolized by you.

Moderation is a willingness to live in the chapter of the story God has you in. We are called by Christ to be content in whatever circumstances He sends to us. This, of course, is easier said than done, but the point is that in Christ it CAN be done. Consider Philippians 4:11-13 where Paul says, “I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” The temptation is to forget God. We are often anxious when things are bad and proud when things are good, but faith in Christ can endure either scenario without sin.  As Paul went on to say in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

CALL TO CONFESSION

Well, since we are so often tempted to be discontent with what we have, or tempted to take from others that which we think God should have given to us; we are reminded of our need to regularly confess our sins, whether they be related to this duty or others. So, if you are able, please kneel with me and confess your sins, first privately and then corporately using the prayer found in your bulletin.

CORPORATE CONFESSION

Most holy and merciful Father, we acknowledge before You our sinful nature and our many offenses. We are prone to do evil and slow to do good. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from Your way, in wasting Your gifts, in forgetting Your love. Lord, we are ashamed and sorry for all the ways that we have displeased You. Father, teach us to hate our rebellious acts, cleanse us from our secret faults, and forgive our sins for the sake of Your Son. Help us to love You with all our heart and mind and strength. And give us the power of Your Holy Spirit so that we may walk in Your ways and serve You all of our days. Amen.

DECLARATION OF PARDON

Arise and hear the Good News! The assurance of pardon today comes from Galatians 2:16 which says,“We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

If you are happy with what you have, thank God for the gift of contentment. If you are dissatisfied with what you have or discontent with your level of contentment, repent. Repent of your discontent and thank God for the gift of forgiveness. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not die in discontentment but live with eternal satisfaction. Christian, be content, for in Christ, all your sins are forgiven… THANKS BE TO GOD!

Now let us ascend to the presence of God in all worship and praise.

day no. 17,129: rendering to everyone his due (exhortation outline)

Christ Church Leavenworth

WLC 141: Rendering to Everyone His Due

August 24, 2025

Rendering to Everyone His Due

INTRODUCTION

This morning we are continuing our study of Q141 of the WLC which asks, “What are the duties required in the Eighth Commandment?” The eighth commandment, as you recall, is “Thou shall not steal” and the duty associated with it that we will be focusing on this morning is “rendering to everyone his due.”

The text provided by the Westminster divines regarding this duty is Romans 13:7 which says, “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

PAYING OUR DUES

We owe everyone something, but we do not owe everyone the same things. We owe certain things to certain people and we owe certain amounts of certain things to some that we do not owe to others. King Alfred the Great summarized it well this way, “Give not little to whom you should give much, nor much to whom little, nor nothing to whom something, nor something to whom nothing.” 

If we do not render a man what or how much he is due, we are stealing from him. Theft is not just taking what isn’t ours, it is withholding what ought to be given. In fact, our word “ought” comes to us from an Old English word “agan” (ah-gahn) which means “to owe,” the past tense of which is “ahte” (A-H-T-E). Thus, whenever you ought to do something, it is because you “owe it.” Moral obligation is a duty.

And we are, by God’s design, an indebted people. We are born with bills with pay. We owe our parents for bringing us into the world and we owe our God for life, breath, and everything else. And all of that before we even take our first steps.

So, if we are to “render to everyone his due,” we must consider the various duties and debts that God has placed in our accounts. Any one of these could warrant its own exhortation, but in the interest of time and in an effort to render unto you what you are owed, that is, an exhortation and NOT a second sermon, I will only briefly review but a few of our many dues and duties.

VARIOUS DUTIES AND DUES

Fathers, you owe your children provision. (2 Cor 12:14) If you do not provide for them, you are stealing from them and you are worse than an unbeliever. (1 Tim 5:8) You also owe them discipline, instruction, and a Christian education. (Eph 6:4) If you do not take the time to train them in the way they should go, you are a thief. If you do not give your children encouragement, you are robbing them. (Col 3:21) You owe them good language. Your sons need to know you’re proud of him. Your daughters need to know you think they are beautiful. They only have one dad. Do not deprive them of a father.

Mothers, you owe your children a well managed home. (1 Tim 5:14) If you are too busy with outside engagements to keep up with your domestic duties, you are robbing your people. (Titus 2:5) If you are short with your people because you are worn out from being kind to strangers, you are a domestic terrorist. (Pr 14:1) You cannot be everything to everyone, but you are everything to your littlest ones. You owe them the best of your good works. (Pr. 31:27-28) They only have one mom. Do not be the one who steals her from them.

Parents, you owe your children marital unity. (Eph 6:1) When a child hears, “Honor your father and mother,” he should not have to ask, “Which one?” You owe your children a united front. They deserve a stable home where mom and dad are on the same team. So, do what it takes to get on the same page and then stay on it. Do not let your selfishness steal your children’s sense of security. 

Children, you owe honor to your parents, (Eph 6:1) If you do not honor your parents, you are stealing from them. God picked them out for you. (Acts 17:26) When you honor your earthly father and mother, you honor your Father in Heaven. (Eph 3:14) If you withhold honor from them, you are stealing from them and you are robbing God. (Dt 27:16)

Husbands, you owe your wife love and attention. (Eph 5:33) If you do not take the time to love your wife, you are stealing from her. You owe her your affection. There is a kind of attention she can only lawfully get from you. Do not rob her of it. If you are giving that kind of affection or attention to other women, you are robbing your wife. You owe her love that takes the initiative, pursues, and lavishes. You owe her that kind of care and concern. (Eph 5:25) Just as you seek to meet your own needs, you must seek to meet hers (Eph 5:28) You must understand your wife. You owe her your ears. Hear her out or God will stop listening to you. (1 Peter 3:7)

Wives, you owe your husband respect. (Eph 5:33) If you do not honor him as your head, you are stealing from him. You owe him your loyalty. (Eph 5:22) There is a kind of help he can only get from you. Do not rob him of it. If you are too busy helping others to have time to ask him what he needs, you are robbing him. You owe him your allegiance. (1 Peter 3:1, 5) You owe him submission and obedience (Eph 5:24, Col 3:18) You owe him your affection. Do not withhold from him the comfort only you can provide. (Pr 5:19) You owe him a good reputation. (Pr 31:23) 

Promote him before others and God will promote you. (Pr 31:31)

Spouses, you owe each other your bodies. (1 Cor 7:3, Heb 13:4) Husbands, you owe your wife access to your muscles. If she is a godly woman, you are the only man whose strength she can look to. Wives, you owe your husband access to your body. If he is a godly man, you are the only woman for whom he has eyes. If he doesn’t get to see or hold you, he won’t get to see or hold anybody. Do not rob each other. Be generous. You owe each other regular intimacy. (1 Cor 7:5)

Young men, you owe everyone self-control. (1 Tim 5:1, Titus 2:6, 1 Peter 5:5) If you are spending your strength on self-interest, you are stealing from the rest of us. You are the strongest people in the world. Put it to use for the glory of God and the good of your neighbors. Be strong, but be under control. Be as strong on the inside as you are on the outside. You owe us that. You must not spend your strength on strange women or foolish pursuits. (Pr 7:26, Pr 31:3, 2 Tim 2:22) You owe older men humility, older women charity, younger women security, and younger men fraternity. (1 Tim 5:1)

Young ladies, you owe everyone modesty (1 Tim 2:9-10, Titus 2:5) If you are flaunting your beauty or using it for self-interest, you are robbing the rest of us. You are the most beautiful people in the world. Put it to use for the glory of God and the good of your neighbors. Be beautiful, but adorn it with good works. Be as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. (1 Peter 3:3-4) You owe us that. Stay pure and do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. (Song of Solomon 2:7, 3:5, 8:4) Be as terrible as an army with banners, hard to catch, a wall, and not a door. Do not rob your parents of peace. (Song of Solomon 6:10, 8:10)

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of the duties of sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, in-laws, elders, deacons, members, employers, employees, citizens, soldiers, governors, judges, juries, teachers, students, rich, poor, strong, weak, sick, healthy, loud, quiet, fast, slow, etc…

The point is this: regardless of who you are, you owe someone something and God calls you to pay your debts and leave no outstanding balances. Rom 13:8-9, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

So, pay what you owe. You likely owe someone something. You have been stealing and now you feel the weight of it. Do not let it end with a vague sense of guilt. Make a plan to pay what you owe.  Do not withhold anything to whom you owe it. (Pr 3:27) Begin by confessing to God this morning and then make haste to make it right with the one you have been robbing. (Matt 5:25)

Perhaps you were reminded of something this morning that someone owes you. You’ve been neglected, underpaid, cheated, or undervalued. If that is the case, they may owe you, but you owe them something – forgiveness, and perhaps a direct conversation (Matt 18:15, 22) If someone has withheld what they owe from you, you will not balance the accounts by withholding forgiveness from them. So, if that is you this morning, confess your bitterness and be forgiven by God of your debts and then go out and extend that forgiveness to your debtors.

CALL TO CONFESSION

Since we so often withhold what we owe or pay less than we should, we are reminded of our need to regularly confess our sins, whether they be these duties or others. So, if you are able, please kneel with me and confess your sins, first privately and then corporately using the prayer found in your bulletin.

CORPORATE CONFESSION

Gracious Father, if You were to mark iniquities, who could stand? But with You is forgiveness, that You may be feared. Called by You to the throne of grace, and confident in our great High Priest, we bow before You and confess that we have sinned against You and been unfaithful to Your holy covenant. Our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately sick, so that we often do what we hate, and neglect what we love. Out of our mouths we both praise You and curse our fellow men. You promised mercy to our fathers through the seed of the woman. Turn our hearts again, Father, to consider Jesus, who crushed the serpent’s head, and saved His people from their sins. Forgive, cleanse, and restore us for His sake. Amen.

DECLARATION OF PARDON

Arise and hear the Good News! The assurance of pardon today comes from Php 3, which says, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.”

The only thing we bring to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary. We bring our baggage and Christ gives us His blessing. We bring Him our unpaid dues and fines and He says, “It is finished!” Those were the last words He said on the Cross before He died. In Greek it is just one word, tetelestai and it means, “paid in full.” In other words, Christian, all of your debts have been satisfied in Christ and in Him, God is satisfied with you. In Jesus Christ, your sins are forever, fully, and completely forgiven… THANKS BE TO GOD!

Now let us ascend to the presence of God in all worship and praise.