Sermon Central
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Speak Only The Truth Series
Contributed by James Dorman on May 3, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: A look at the commandment to stop lying.
INTRO:
AG: A pastor announced one Sunday that next Sunday he was going to preach on lying. And as preparation for the message he wanted the congregation to read the 17th chapter of Mark. The next Sunday the preacher began by asking those who read the 17th chapter of Mark to raise their hands. More than ½ of the people raised their hands. “Very good,” the preacher said. “You are the very people I need to speak to. There is no 17th chapter of Mark.”
TS: Today, I am speaking on the 9th Commandment. It says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
God does not like lying. In fact, God hates lying:
Proverbs 6:16–19 NKJV
These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
(3 references to lying here)
16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
RS:
What is a lie?
IL: Mark Twain said there are 869 different kind of lies. I don’t know about that but there are lots of ways to not tell the truth. Here are a few:
Bold-face lie White lie Flattery Slander
Gossip Excuses Propaganda Spin
Exaggeration Half-truth Hypocrisy Saving face
Falsehoods Perjury Shading the truth Mis-representation False advertising Embellishment “Ministerally speaking”
Concise Oxford English Dictionary Lie
lie2
¦ noun an intentionally false statement.
? a situation involving deception or founded on a mistaken impression: she had been living a lie.
¦ verb (lies, lying, lied) tell a lie or lies.
? (of a thing) present a false impression.
EX: Lies come from Satan and are destructive!
Where does lying come from?
“Satan is the father of lies” ().
Why did God say, Thou shalt not lie? Because you
know when you lie, you cannot lie to yourself. We lie to
others.
IL: How many of you enjoy being lied to?
Lying destroys love and respect.
Keeps us separated from each other
If we cannot lie to ourselves, how can we harm ourselves?
All sin harms us!
Separates our fellowship with God
Destroys our testimony
A lie feeds our distorted self.
We lie to make ourselves look good, or to keep from looking bad.
from looking bad.
4. Harms others.
What does lying do to others?
Deceives them\
Causes them to stumble.
How does Satan lie to us today?
Did God really say “no?”
Did God really mean it when He said…?
Doesn’t God want us to be happy?
How can doing that be wrong if it makes you happy?
“You are of your father the Devil . . . he is a liar, and the father of it” ().
“Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts . . . deceit” ().
“All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire” ().
“Put away all lying, each one speak truth” ().
5. Ask for continued strength to overcome lying ().
6. Resolve to be a person of character
Conclusion:
Stop lying!
Tell the truth in love!
I guess Momma was right, if you have nothing good to say, then don’t say anything.
Silence surely beats a lie!
