Sermon Central
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Lies, Lies Sweet Little Lies = Do Not Bear False Testimony Series
Contributed by John Gullick on Nov 23, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: A sermon that looks at the danger of lies. I used a number of resources from other sermons so want to acknowledge that some of this is "borrowed" thinking.
There is a pop song called lies lies sweet little lies.
Our bible verse this morning would suggest that there is nothing sweet or little about lies. Particularly lies that bear false testimony
Ravi Zacharias illustrated the many ways a person can tell the truth when he told the story of two brothers. Evidently the brothers were rather corrupt in their ways, even though they had both succeeded greatly in business. When one of the brothers became critically ill with cancer, the other one approached the local pastor with this proposal: He would donate a huge sum of money to the church if only the preacher would say at his brother’s funeral that his brother was a saint. On the day of the funeral, the pastor, having accepted the challenge, looked for a way to state those unlikely words before the congregation. Finally he said, “Before we close this memorial service, I want to say that, compared to his living brother, Joe was a saint!”
We shall not bear false testimony is a key aspect of the ten commandments and it is a key component of law.
The Chris Cairns case in London is all about false testimony
Chris Cairns' lawyer Orlando Pownall, QC, has told the jury in his perjury case that the key witnesses were lying.
Maybe not all of them, Pownall said, but the the key ones were.
Was Vincent lying? "Yes"; McCullum, "yes"; Riley, "yes"; and former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, "yes", Pownall told the jury.
Lies are bad but lies about someone else are particularly bad.
The bible says you shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
In Old Testament days the law depended on someone’s testimony over a situation and the law depended on credibility in what people say.
It still remains today.
In the court room people are asked to say I promise to tell the whole truth nothing but the truth so help me God.
The truth is so important and you notice that when you lie it always affects someone else – that is called bearing false testimony.
But lies run counter to the God who made us it says it this way in Titus chapter 1 verse 2 – God does not lie. There is nothing in God’s character that is untrustworthy or unreliable.
But Jesus says of the devil. John 8 verse 44: You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Your first language is your most strong language – If you were bought up in France or Tonga then French and or Tongan will be your native or strongest language. Lying is demonic you need to get out of the categories of what do I want you to think?. Or what do I want the truth to be? To what is the utterly verified truth? – In a court of law the intention is to verify the truth.
Truth is really important.
Lying about someone is murdering their reputation intending to do them harm – I have done that. I did that as a child and I have never forgotten it. The truth is
John chapter 8 verse 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Now we don’t want to be a liar – that would be to co-operate with the devil we want to be excellent to one another.
The way to avoid being a liar and falling into the trap of false testimony is to be excellent with one another.
To speak the truth in love.
Many people speak the truth not in love. Their hearts are not loving but what they say is technically correct. But their hearts are not right. In that way they bear false testimony their lips do not line up with their hearts.
But did you ever notice that we seal our footpaths so that weeds won’t grow up and we put gravel and seal in our driveways to stop rogue growths. We need to seal our lives with truth. Lies will trip you up – false testimonies will trip you up so here are some ways you can be excellent with one another.
