Mathew 21 Lesson

TELLING THE TRUTH

What is more important to God, saying we are going to do something, or actually doing it? 

In the Parable of the Two Sons (Mathew 21:28-32) Jesus tells of a father with two sons. 

The father said to the first son:

• “Son, go work today in the vineyard.” - Mathew 21:28.

The child answered:

• “I will not; but afterward he regretted it and went.” - Mathew 21:29.

The father came to the second son and said the same thing.  The second son answered:

• “I will, sir; but he did not go.” – Mathew 21:30.

Jesus asks the question:

• “Which of the two did the will of his father.” – Mathew 21:31?

Of course, this was a rhetorical question, and the chief priests and Pharisees quickly saw the point that Jesus was making.

Telling the truth is important because God does not tolerate lies.

As Christians, we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard of honesty. 

If people cannot trust the words that come out of our mouths, what sort of testimony are we making about our faith? 

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT TELLING THE TRUTH

The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of telling the truth. For today’s lesson, we have highlighted the following five scriptures:

1. “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” – Mathew 5:37,
2. “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.” -Proverbs 12:22,
3. “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” - Ephesians 4:15,
4. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” -John 4:21,
5. “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” -Ephesians 4:25.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTING ON OUR FAITH

In the Parable of the Two Sons (Mathew 21:28-32) Jesus points out the son that did what his father told him to do as the one that did the will of his father. 

Even though he initially said he was not going to do it, he changed his mind, and eventually, he did exactly what his father asked him to do.  

Life is like that sometimes. 

Sometimes we need a bit more time to think and pray about something before we act.  There is nothing wrong with that.

But eventually, we must act on our faith if we want to be pleasing to God!

We cannot let procrastination or indifference prevent us from doing the work of the Lord!  The Bible is clear about that. 

Consider the following scripture from the Book of James:

• “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” – James 2:14-17.

We can memorize the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but if we do not act on what we have learned, our faith is useless.

Every day we have opportunities to act on our faith. We may notice that somebody is having a difficult day and offer them words of encouragement. 

Or maybe we are asked to give somebody advice, and we quote a scripture.  The ways that we can act on our faith are seemingly limitless.”

CONCLUSION

Today’s lesson highlights two things that need to be important to the life of a Christian:

1. Speaking the truth,
2. Acting on our faith.

We can say we have all the faith in the world, but if it does not compel us to act, what type of faith is it really?

Ben Franklin famously said, “Well done is better than well said.” (source: forbes.com). 

God wants us to be active followers of Jesus, to tell the truth, and to be people that others can trust and count on. 

We will end today’s lesson with the following words spoken by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

• “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.” -Mathew 5:16.