Family Values - Week 9 Series

We’ve been focusing on the Ten Commandments, which provide the values we have been focusing on in this series.

I’ve appreciated the positive feedback we have received on this series. Today, we are on Commandment #9.

One translation says, “you must not bear false witness.”

Another says, “you must not give false testimony.”

But in the end, it all comes back to one simple command.

It is found in Exodus 20:16 where God says…

Exodus 20:16 (TLB)

16 "You must not lie.

Lying is epidemic in American culture.

We see it everywhere.

Sometimes you can’t help but wonder if anybody is telling the truth.

One survey revealed that 66% of Americans say it’s ok to tell lies.

In another survey, only 31% of the people agreed with the statement that, "Honesty is the best policy."

Dr. Leonard Keeler, the inventor of the lie detector, had tested about 25,000 individuals when he came to the conclusion that human beings are basically deceptive.

Perhaps you heard about the little boy who was caught lying to his dad…

His dad said, "Son, you know there are no liars in heaven."

The son said, "Dad, have you ever told a lie?"

Well, yes, I am sorry to say I have.

How about mom?

Yes. She has also lied in the past.

The Pastor?

I am sure the pastor has lied too somewhere along the way.

The son said, “Then I guess the only people that are going to be in heaven are God and George Washington.”

Is it possible to consistently tell the truth?

Can we be consistently honest in a dishonest world?

First, we need to understand that…

God will enable us to live the life He has called us to live.

When the scriptures say, we must not lie, we need to understand that God will provide what we need to be able to live according to His commands.

He wouldn’t tell us not to do something, if it was impossible for us to do it.

For instance, when He calls us to be holy, He is not calling us to an impossible task. We’ll need His help, and the good news is, He has promised to give it.

God will enable us to live the life He has called us to live.

With His help, we can do what He called us to do.

When God says, “Don’t lie”, we need to acknowledge that with His help, we can keep commandment #9.

Lying is an attempt to mislead or deceive.

For instance, whenever you decide to tell a half truth, you have chosen to tell a whole lie.

A white lie is still a lie.

There are so many ways people try to mislead and deceive others.

You can lie by falsifying or you can lie by concealing.

Please understand that when you deliberately hold back half of the truth, or you tell a partial truth, that’s being deceptive.

I heard about a teen age boy who was supposed to be home at midnight and came in about two a.m.

Everyone in the house was asleep.

As he was slowly sneaking up the stairway, he hit a step that creaked and that noise woke his dad.

The boy’s dad said, "Bobby, is that you?"

“Yes sir.”

Then the father asked, "What time is it?"

Before the boy could say a word the coo-coo clock struck twice.

Bobby said it was the most ingenious moment of his life when he stood there on the stairs and coo-cooed ten more times. ?

Let’s talk about it.

How can I become and honest person?

1. By telling the truth completely.

Proverbs 10:10a (TEV)

10a Someone who holds back the truth causes trouble…

Concealing things can cause all kinds of trouble.

It can lead to resentment, mistrust, superficiality, and so much more.

You get into trouble by not saying what you mean and by not meaning what you say.

People sometimes decide they will just sweep an issue under the rug to keep the peace and avoid having to deal with difficult issues.

The problem is, if you just keep sweeping things under the rug instead of dealing with them, the bump under the carpet keeps getting bigger and bigger.

If you don't face issues honestly and with integrity,

the relationship will eventually implode.

Concealment undermines the relationship.

God says tell the truth completely.

Proverbs 28:23 (TLB)

23 In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.

To tell the truth completely may be unpleasant at first.

But we all know that it is the right thing to do.

Say you have an employee that's been goofing off on the job. You may have to reprimand them.

But you may have to fire them if nothing is ever said.

Don’t you think they would appreciate the possibility of avoiding that catastrophe by having someone tell them the truth on the front end?