Honest To God Series

Branch Rickey use to coach the University of Michigan baseball team before he became manager

of the Dodgers. One day they were playing Brown University, and the Brown catcher, Walter Snell,

hit what might have been a three bagger, but he stretched it into a home run. The first baseman,

however, noticed that he didn't touch first base. Soon the whole team was a howling gang of

protesters, and the empire didn't know what to do. Branch Rickey said, "This is easy to settle. Ask

Walter Snell. I've known him for 10 years, and he is an honest man." The empire called Snell over

and asked him if he touched first. He hung his head for a moment, and then said, "No, I didn't touch

first." It cost Brown the game and made Walter feel humiliated. Telling the truth can be costly.

Reuben Donnelley had a mother who used to tell him stories about the ermine. They were so

spotless with their white fur that hunters would try to drive them toward the mud because they knew

the ermine would suffer itself to be captured before it would soil its pure garment. She told him that

her dreams were that he would be a man of honor and truth in the business world when he became a

man. Reuben became a stockbroker on Wall Street, and he made a lot of money, but then he went

broke and was forced into bankruptcy. He paid off hundreds of his investors 27 cents on the dollar.

Many of them were poor people and they lost good money because of his bad judgment. Reuben

then invented the classified telephone directory and made a fortune in a very few years. One day he

sat down and wrote out checks to all those who had lost money because of his mistakes. He had no

legal obligation to do so, but he felt a moral obligation. It cost him to be honest and to honor his

debts.

Let me share one more illustration from ancient history. Regulus was a prisoner of the

Carthaginians. They sent him to Rome with a convoy of ambassadors to sue for peace. If peace was

not granted, he was to return. He took an oath and swore that he would come back. When he

appeared in Rome he urged the senators to persevere in the war. This meant he would have to return

and be the prisoner of the enemy. The senators tried to persuade him that he did not have to keep his

word to the enemy. He replied, "Have you resolved to dishonor me? I am not ignorant that death and torture are preparing for me, but what are these to the shame of an infamous action, or the

wounds of a guilty mind?" He returned to Carthage and died under torture. Keeping your word can

be costly.

These three historical illustrations make it clear that being honest is not easy, and often it is very

expensive. It may cost honor, wealth, or even life itself, and yet men pay these high prices because

they are aware that dishonesty is even more costly. Dishonesty puts you out of kilter with the whole

universe. Guilt makes millions feel they are going against the grain of life, and it is a struggle to get

they know not where. David went that futile path also, but like the Prodigal Son, he finally came to

himself, faced up to his sin and folly honestly, and returned to God. In verse 13 he says he will teach

transgressors God's ways, and when he does sinners will return to God. Teaching men the ways of

God is a powerful means of evangelism. Many men never turn to God because they do not

understand His ways of mercy, love and forgiveness. They do not understand what He wants of

them. David learned the hard way, and he records it for all men to learn without first being fools.

The truth he learned, which we want to focus upon, is that in verse 6 where he says, "Surely you

desire truth in the inner parts." David learned the major lesson of life that God has built it so that

there is no way to be happy without honesty in the inner man. It seems to be a simple enough truth,

but the fact is, very few, even among Christians, realize the full implications of God's demands for

honesty. Once a man begins to deceive himself and fails to be honest about his own sin and

weakness, he soon becomes hypocritical and hardened so that he is almost useless as a servant of

Christ. We will come back to the believer, but we need to point out first that the unbeliever who is

dishonest about his sinful nature, and who refuses to admit his need for a Savior, can go one of two