Lying , Gossiping & A Big Paddle Series

Well as we finish up this series on the seven things that God don’t like hopefully we have learned a little about ourselves & some ways to avoid falling into the traps of the devil.

Today we will look at the last few things that God don’t like; now these three things are sins that are very easy for us to fall into. Why? I don’t know, but it seems that Lying, giving a false witness, and stirring up conflict is a norm in today’s world.

All you have to do is look around and you’ll see these things in your workplace, homes, schools and churches. And what’s the common denominator for all of these, our tongues, that tiny terror that we try so hard to control but a lot of times fail, let’s look at our text this morning.

James 3:2 we all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

Basically if you can keep your tongue in check you should never sin you would be perfect. Why would he say this? Let’s read a little further and I think we can understand a little more about that tiny terror we call the tongue and why it gets us in so much trouble.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Basically the three things we are looking at today those three sins are perpetrated by our tongue, by putting our mouths in gear while our brain is in neutral.

How many of you have ever said something and wish you hadn’t? We all have and that’s what James is talking about, we just can’t seem to tame our tongues

But today we are going to look at these three things God don’t like and then try and find some ways to get that tiny terror we call the tongue in check.

Let’s start with lying, lying is simply not telling the truth, or attempting to deceive. It’s funny that we have categorized lies. We have those little white lies we use so as not to hurt others feelings, (does this dress make me look fat?), tall tales that we use to embellish stories that we tell (Why else would men sit around drinking coffee other than to try and outdo each other), then just an outright bald face lie that we use to do harm to others.

The text in Proverbs doesn’t distinguish these as God liking some and not liking others it simply says God doesn’t like a lying tongue.

Now we on the other hand try and justify lies by saying that they are ok as long as we aren’t intentionally trying to deceive someone or causing harm to others. Let me tell you it’s a good thing we believe in grace. Because we all fall into that little white lie trap at some time or another.

I’m gonna go ahead and confess to you right here today, I have exaggerated a story or two in my life and may do it again, but I don’t mean harm and it’s mostly about things that don’t even matter.

Becky gets on me pretty hard when I start telling stories about my childhood and will look at me with a strange look and tell me God don’t like lying , but the truth is most of those stories are true even if they sound like a tall tale, or at least that’s how I remember them.

But she’s right and I work every day to control what comes out of my mouth and try and do better, but it’s hard to do when you have a fictional book of tall tales in your head just waiting to be told, maybe some of us just need to start with a disclaimer sometimes, the thing I am about to tell you is mostly true but has a fictional side to it to make the story sound better.