Sermon Notes May 20, 2012 FBCam
“What Lies Beneath a Lie?”
Genesis 20:1-18
One of the many pieces of advice we received before our wedding was to save the top tier of your wedding cake and eat and eat it on your first anniversary. We had a tiny little freezer. For one full year, this box of wedding cake sat in our freezer, denying us room to freeze anything else. We would often want to buy some ice cream, or freeze leftovers, but alas, there was no room due to the precious wedding topper.
Finally, the moment of celebration came. We took out the cake, opened the box, and cut into the beautiful cake, only to discover that the top tier was just a decoration - a round cut-out of cardboard decorated with icing! It was beautiful on the outside, but underneath, it was just cardboard!
Our lives are like that. When things are going well, when our lives are tidy and neat, we can cover up the unsavory things that rest in the depth of our soul. But when troubles come, when the unexpected or unwelcome crowd into our lives, the icing is removed and we see what really lies beneath. Or truthfulness under difficult or trying circumstances reveals what is truly at the heart of our CHARACTER.
Genesis 20 contains the story of Abraham’s second lie concerning his wife. Today we will talk about lying. Our goal is to go beyond the obvious instruction that we should not lie. Our goal is to learn what our lies teach us about the condition of our hearts.
Let’s begin with a comparison of the lie that Abraham uses first with Egypt’s Pharoan in Genesis 12, and then again with King Abimelech in Geneis 20.
After living in Canaan for a short time, Abraham seeks refuge from a famine by going to Egypt. Fearful that Pharoah would kill Abraham to take possession of Sarah, he tells her to claim to Pharoah that she is Abraham’s sister. The story is found in Genesis 12:11-20. At this time, Sarah was 65 years old. The lie was discovered when Pharoah's household become ill. (Gen 12:17-19). Abraham, protected by the Lord, left Egypt with great wealth in spite of his lie (12:16).
In Genesis 20:1-18, Abraham leaves the area of Mamre and travels south into Philistine country. Again, Abraham fears Abimelech, king or Gerar, will desire Sarah and Abraham tells the lie himself that Sarah is his sister. Abimelech takes Sarah into his house with the intention of making her his wife. But God spares Sarah (and Abraham too), and reveals the truth to Abimelech in a dream (Gen 20:3). Once again, God’s plan to give Abraham and Sarah a son is protected, in spite of Abraham’s faithless action.
Under pressure, Abraham lies. It is important that we note the type of lie is what we might often call “bending the truth.” Technically, Sarah was the half sister of Abraham, being the daughter of his father, but not his mother (Genesis 20:12). But like all other half-truths, it is deception and a lie. It reveals that at this late point in Abraham’s life (25 years after he lied to Pharoah), Abraham is still fearful - still doubting that God was capable to perform what he had promised.
Abraham’s lie is one of THREE TYPES of LIES that we tell. The first type are the Lies we Tell to Others.
Of course, the most obvious lie is the outright, hand caught in the cookie jar, bold faced lie. Like Sarah lied when she doubted the promise of a child. “Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”” (Genesis 18:15). But most of the time, we are far too sophisticated (and scared) to venture out on that limb. Our more common surrender to temptation is to practice deceit, like Abraham and Sarah.
This is the sin for which God supernaturally ended the lives of Ananias and Syphira in Acts 5:1-4. They misrepresented the truth by selling their property, keeping some of the money but acting as if they gave the full amount for the needs of the church. God judged them for lying. A half truth is the same as a full lie.
SATAN is a deceiver. He deceived Eve in the Garden. His words were “Did God really say...” His deceptive ways continue to this day, and in Rev. 12:9 he is described as “the deceiver of the whole world.”
Our flesh follows Satan’s pattern. Imagine the age old question between a mother and her child. “Did you clean your room?” The child answers “yes.” To the child, she made her bed but did not straighten her closet or clean off her desk. She told a partial truth, but she knew full well what mom was asking. This is a form of deceit and it is a lie.
BOASTING, FLATTERY, EXAGGERATION. These too are lies that we tell to others. They reveal varying issues in our hearts.
Sometimes, we lie because we are AFRAID (“Sarah was afraid, so she lied”)
Sometimes we are EMBARRASSED.
Sometimes we are PROUD. We exaggerate because we are proud.
The second form of lies that we engage in are the The Lies we tell ABOUT OTHERS. A variety of lies are included here including Slander, False witness and Gossip. Here our motive is to elevate ourselves by harming another. The root of this condition is hatred. One lie to be included here is Beguilement. Joseph Stowell calls this “The sin of sharing false conclusion” (Josesph Stowell,” Tongue in Check, 22).
But the most DANGEROUS and DEADLY LIES are the LIES we tell ourselves!
We lie to ourselves when we believe Satan’s Lie about US and about GOD
The world uses the phrase “BE TRUE to YOURSELF.” By this it is meant that whatever you find in your heart, do it. Be your own guide. Now while there is an element of truth to this, and it is wise to accept the limits and boundaries of who you are, we must be careful that we do not establish our personal desires as the source of truth for our lives.
Human beings are prone to live by a wrong set of standards. Our sinful hearts deceive us. When we follow our hearts, we get what we want, but it is not what God wants, and it is not what is best. Our propensity to follow the wrong set of standards is estbalished in Romans 1:25 “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” The word “a lie” is “tow Pseude.” The “tow” is the definite article and the phrase could also be translated “The Lie.” The only other verse in the NT that uses this same article/noun combination is 2 Thessalonians 2:11, where the NIV does indeed include the definate article. “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11, NIV84)
I think that the emphasis here is that there exists one central lie that Satan has used over and over again, from the Garden of Eden until today. It is to get us to doubt God’s Word and follow our own hearts. This is THE LIE. We best be careful to allow God to establish the grounds and content of Truth.
Today we confuse REALITY and TRUTH. We think that whatever condition people are living in is TRUTH. Recently, a friend was discussing with me a sermon where a famous contemporary preacher described a crazy mixed up family. He used a pictogram of the family, where there were divorced couples, homosexual couples, and multiple children from various marriages all trying their best to get along. The preacher said, “this is their TRUTH.” My friend remarked to me, “This is not TRUTH.” It is REALITY, but it is not Truth. God never approved of these kinds of arrangements. While it is true, and those living in this condition are bound for the rest of their lives with the consequences of their sin, it is the reality that they are living in. God’s truth is something far better.
“Grace and Truth came through Christ” (John 1:17)
“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” John 8:32
“Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good” Rom 12:9
SATAN’s PLAN is to corrupt the very concept of TRUTH.
Today, TRUTH is created by our individual and community experiences (post-modernism). Post-modern thinking says that TRUTH cannot be known. Therefore, what YOU BELIEVE is your truth. As a result, there is INCREASING CONFLICT as our versions of TRUTH conflict with others. Stowell writes, “When truth is disposed of, her allies leave with her. (Trust, confidence, integrity, faith, security, stability). Conversely, falsehood is allied with suspicion, doubt, withdrawal, insecurity, conflict, resentment, and anger. When non-truth replaces truth, the friends of falsehood will always be present” Joseph Stowell, “Tongue in Check.” (Victor Books: Wheton, 1984), 20.
Why Truth Matters:
God Requires TRUTH
Lying is addressed in the Ten commandments (Ex 20:16, 9th command - “not bear false witness”)
God the Father is truth. Psalm 25:10 “All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.”
Jesus the Son is truth. John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The Spirit is “the Spirit of Truth” John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”
Jesus spoke on Truth. The words “true” or “truth “ used 65 x in 57 verses in John. The phrase “Truly truly I say to you.....” is used 25 x in John.
John 1:17 NASB “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”
Jesus calls himself the Man of Truth. John 7:18 “He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.”
Truthfulness is important because the Punishment for disobeying the truth is the Lake of Fire.
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”” (Revelation 21:8, NIV84)
“No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.” (Psalm 101:7, NIV84)
Our ENCOUNTER with TRUTH reveals what is UNDERNEATH the external facade.
If you are filled with deceit, if you twist the truth, or lie when under pressure, it reveals that there are areas of your life that must be confessed and surrendered to the Lord.
If you are self deceived about your own personal goodness, or if you are living by your standards instead of God’s, then you have accepted Satan’s LIE. Unless you repent and accept the Truth as it is found in Christ, you will perish in the Lake of Fire.
Paul commends the Thessalonian believers because they “believed the truth” “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
I invite you to accept God’s truth about you, and to walk in the truth.
