Sunday Morning Series - Faithful or What?

A story is told about an ancient emperor. As his life is drawing to a close, he decides to choose a successor. He gathers all the children and gives each one a seed. They're instructed to plant it, and return in one year.

One boy, Ling, runs home and tells his mother about the assignment. They get a pot, plant the seed, and he faithfully waters it. Nothing happens. The other children soon have thriving plants and trees.

After a year, all the children gather before the emperor. Ling is ashamed and sits in the back, hoping no one will notice his lack of success. The emperor calls him forward and announces Ling will be the new emperor. He's stunned. "I don't understand. Everyone else has a plant or tree, but I have nothing."

The emperor smiles and addresses the children. "All of you, including Ling, were given a seed that was boiled. Everyone except Ling replaced the seed with another seed. Ling was the only one to plant the seed I gave him. He is honest and will be a good emperor."

The moral of the story: "Be faithful, honest with what you've got."

The text for today's lesson was Numbers 25:1-6, 22-24. What happens when someone isn't faithful? We often hear people say, "Judge not that ye be not judged." So, all judgment is thrown out the window. Yet, the Bible has much to say on the subject.

According to Luke 6:36-37 and Romans 2:1, we're to judge actions, but not motives. There are definite guidelines for the process. We're to evaluate from a position of humility and purge the sin out of our own lives before approaching someone else.

Pastor Hecht goes on to give examples of where not to judge, where to judge, and judging yourself. To hear the message, visit Zoe Christian Fellowship's website. It's available on the sermon player and for podcasting.