• I hate it when:
o People talk on their cell phones in a check out line
o The cardboard subscription cards that are in magazines
o Calling an “800” number, pressing a long series of #’s, and being disconnected.
• What do you hate?
Ask crowd
• God hates sin.
• It is unbelievable to some people that God could hate…anything.
o Isn’t God “love?”
o Isn’t God “peace?”
o Isn’t God “mercy?”
o Yes, he is most certainly all of these.
• But to picture God as one who does not hate anything goes directly against the very core, the very essence of who God is.
• Even we in the Church, who have been saved by grace, who have had our sins covered under the blood, who have been redeemed by the mercy of God – have forgotten what it means to serve a God who hates sin.
• In recent days the Church has too often been ruled by the authority of popular culture, rather than by the almighty God.
o We are constantly bombarded with calls “to be tolerant.”
o We are constantly told that it is uncivilized to hate anything.
o We are constantly fed the notion that all ideas, all religions, all actions are equal, that none should be looked at with any malice whatsoever.
• I believe that the Church has placed itself in a very dangerous position.
o For many fear man more than they fear God.
o Many want to be more in tune with what is popular in society, rather than what is told to us through the Word of God.
o Many have desired to see a powerful move of God, but yet they have neglected to hate the things that God hates, and to desire the things that God desires.
J. Kirk Johnston, in the book, “Why Christians Sin”
1. Some Christians choose to sin because they have lost sight of what God has done for them.
2. Some Christians choose to sin because they have forgotten that God will severely discipline disobedient believers.
3. Some Christians choose to sin because they have lost their focus on the future.
But I would add a 4th:
4. Some Christians choose to sin because they have forgotten how much God hates sin.
• And that is why I come to you with a message from God: “It’s time to take out the trash: What does God hate?”
• For the next 5 services I will be telling you seven things that God hates.
• Each service, we will be:
o Exposing a different sin listed in the word of God
o Examining ourselves to see if each sin is a part of our life. If it is, we will ask God to bring us to repentance, and ask him to rid it from our life.
o Examining our church to see if each sin is a part of our body. If it is, we will ask God to bring us to repentance, and ask him to rid it from our body.
o Fourthly, we will reveal the things that God does love and the things God does desire in our lives.
“No Trespassing” sign in West Texas, with the ranchers name signed in blood red next to the warning:
STOP. I know you’re thinking about crossing this gate. What you should know is that if the Coyotes, Cactus, Mesquite, Heat, Dust, or Rattlers don’t get you, I will.
• We have been given a similar warning in our lives.
• Open up your Bibles to Proverbs 6:16-19.
Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
• This is a warning that should be sticking out to us a plain as the warning to trespassers that I just spoke of.
• God is telling us, if the sin of pride, of lying, of murdering the innocent, of scheming to sin, of running to do evil, of lying to someone else, or of stirring up dissention doesn’t get you – I will.
• God has a clear message for us today:
Romans 12:9
Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.
• Before we expose what this first sin that is listed in the Word of God, let us first look at how this passage begins.
Proverbs 9:16
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
• What does this mean, “six things the LORD hates” but yet there are “seven that are detestable to him?”
• You can plainly count the number of things listed and find seven, so why does it even mention there “are six things the LORD hates?”
• First of all, the number seven that we see in this text and throughout the Bible does not indicate perfection, but completeness.
o God has a complete hatred of these things.
o They are things that reveal the complete depravity of humans, and the total lack of godliness.
J. Vernon McGee
God has gone on record that he hates these things. God denies the thesis of liberal theology that He is some sentimental and senile old man who weeps but never works, that He simply shuts His eyes to the sins of mankind and is tolerant of evil, that he forgives because he hasn’t the intestinal fortitude to punish sin. God says, “I love,” bust He also says, “I hate.”
• Secondly, this list is not exclusive.
• It seems strange to see the number six listed followed by the number seven in the same sentence because it was a literary technique that was used by ancient Hebrew writers, including Amos and Micah.
• What is basically being said in this text is: The list is complete of the things God hates – all sin. But here is only a small representation of those things, in fact, here are six of them.
• Last week, we examined the first of these sins, pride. Today, we are going to look at the second of these sins: lying.
• Combining 2nd and 6th sins: both involve lying
LYING IS AN EASY SIN
John Maxwell, “Be A People Person”
Mr. Myrick had to go to Chicago on business and persuaded his brother to take care of his cat during his absence. Though he hated cats, the brother agreed. Upon his return, Mr. Myrick called from the airport to check on the cat.
“Your cat died,’ the brother reported, then hung up. Myrick was inconsolable. His grief was magnified by his brother’s insensitivity, so he called again to express his pain.
“There was no need for you to be so blunt,” he said. “What was I supposed to say?” asked the perplexed brother. “You could have broken the news gradually,” explained Myrick. “You could have said, ‘The cat was playing on the roof.’ Then, later in the conversation, you could have said, ‘He fell off.’ Then you could have had said, ‘He broke his leg.’ Then when I came to pick him up, you could have said, ‘I’m so sorry. You’re cat passed away during the night.’ You’ve got to learn to be more tactful.”
“By the way, how’s Mom?” After a long pause, the brother replied, “She’s playing on the roof.”
Statistics on lying
91% say they lie routinely.
75% say they lie to their best friends regularly
86% of teenagers say they lie to their parents
31% of spouses admit having an affair that lasted over a year
32% say they wouldn’t report $2000 in cash for side jobs to the IRS
76% say they consistently exceed the speed limit
58% say they have called in sick to get a day off
• Lying is what I would call an “easy sin.”
o “It’s not going to hurt anyone”
o “Everyone lies”
o “It’s just a little white lie”
Austin O’Malley
Those who believe it’s alright to tell little white lies soon go colorblind.
Luke 16:15
“You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts.”
Jeffery Richards
Lying is, in my opinion, the only fault whose birth and progress we should consistently oppose. It grows with a child’s growth, and once the tongue has got the knack of lying, it is difficult to imagine how impossible it is to correct it.
• Has anyone ever seen the movie, “Catch me if you can?”
o This movie, starring Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks is about a young man, Frank Walters who is only 17. Through a series of events, he finds himself out on his own, and because he had no real training in any profession, he uses his smarts to create jobs for himself.
o The clip we are going to watch is when Frank, who is only 17 decides that he would like to be a pilot for a major airline. Here it is:
3 Minute clip beginning on “Chapter 7”
• This may be a humorous portrayal of what someone can accomplish by lying, but let’s remember our premise: God hates sin.
Proverbs 12:22
The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
• Lying is an “easy sin.”
• So what is so dangerous about lying?
o Besides the ramifications that it can have in your personal life, lying is something that will eventually corrupt a person, leaving them insensitive to sin.
• One of Satan’s favorite tricks is trying to convince us that sin is really not that big of a deal. That the little white lie is just that, harmless and insignificant.
• But God is clear throughout his Word that he detests lying, that that it is in our best interest to be truth-tellers.
LYING WILL HURT OUR RELATIONSHIPS
• Besides being a sin that is extremely easy to commit, lying is something that will eventually hurt our relationships.
• The Bible is full of people who allowed lying to be a part of their lives, and it eventually lead them to hurt relationships.
o Saul
o Joseph’s Brothers
o Cain
• Lying will hurt our relationships with our friends
• Saul
o He lied to his friend (Samuel)
I Samuel 15:1-3; 7-12
I Samuel 15:13
When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”
• Saul chose to lie to his friend Samuel, and the outcome was that this led to the decay of their relationship.
I Samuel 15:34-35a
Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again…
• Lying is one of those things that we can always choose not to do.
• Is this a choice that you need to make in your life?
• Your relationships with your friends could hang in the balance.
• Lying will also hurt our relationship with our family.
• Joseph’s Brothers
o They lied to their father (Jacob)
• You know the story up to this point:
o Joseph’s brothers were incredibly jealous of the attention that he received from their father, Jacob.
o So to rid themselves of this problem, they decide to sell Joseph to a traveling group of traders, thinking they would never see him ever again.
o But they needed to lie to their father Jacob to cover up what they had done.
Genesis 37:31-35
• Joseph’s brother had let their hatred for Joseph fester until they got to the point of wanting to get rid of him.
• And doing so, they drove a deep wedge in their relationship with their father, and harmed it for many years.
• Lying is one of those things that we can always choose not to do.
• Is this a choice that you need to make in your life?
• Your relationships with your friends could hang in the balance.
• Lying will hurt our relationship with God
• Cain
o He lied to God
Genesis 4:2-8
• Not only did Cain commit this terrible act of murdering his own brother, but he then lied to God about it.
Genesis 4:9
• Cain choose to lie to God about his sin, which immediately drove a wedge in his relationship with God.
Genesis 4:10-12
• Lying is one of those things that we can always choose not to do.
• Is this a choice that you need to make in your life?
• Your relationships with God could hang in the balance.
LYING WILL AFFECT OUR CHURCH
• The many kinds of lies:
o The bold faced lie – to escape difficulty or to get our way
o Deceiving by telling the “technical truth”
o Deception in business dealings
o Gossip – saying bad things about others when we don’t know if they are true
o Spiritual Deception
• Spiritual Deception or “Being a false witness”
o Why do I call spiritual deception being a “false witness?”
Proverbs 6:19
…a false witness who pours out lies
• Obviously, God is speaking of those who are in a courtroom setting.
• But I’m taking the word “WITNESS” and applying it to each of us.
• What have each of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior in effect signed up to be?
o Witnesses
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…
• So what do I mean by someone who practices spiritual deception or is what I call a “false witness?”
o I mean that they are someone who practices “fake” religion.
• God’s Word has a perfect example of a couple who was in a local church, who let lying affect their church body.
• Being a “false witness” Defined
Acts 5:1-2
George McDonald
Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not.
• That is exactly what Ananias and his wife were trying to do.
• They were practicing spiritual deception to it’s fullest.
• Being a “false witness” Detected
Acts 5:3-4
• Ananias and his wife were definitely being “false witnesses” and now they were caught.
• How were they being a “false witness?”
Acts 4:36-37
• Ananias and his wife were trying to look as good as Barnabas.
• They were not required to give anything.
• The sin came in when they tried to deceive Peter and God by giving a large sum of money from the sale of the land, but yet keeping a portion for themselves, when they tried to make it look as though they were just as “spiritual” as Barnabas.
• Sin is always against God.
Acts 5:4
…You have not lied to men but to God.
John Hamby
Ananias and Sapphira were not just guilty of simple miscalculation but of premeditated deception. And we are guilty of Ananias’ sin not when others think us more spiritual than we are but when we try to make others think we are more spiritual than we are.
Examples would be of creating the impression that we are people of great prayer when we are not; making it look like we have it altogether when we do not; promoting the idea that we are generous when in fact we are so tight we squeak when we walk.
• Being a “false witness” Disciplined
Acts 5:5-10
• If we take only one thing out of this passage, it needs to be that God takes sin seriously.
• What is my basic premise that we are starting with?
o That GOD HATES SIN!
WHAT DOES GOD DESIRE?
• God desires that we are truthful with ourselves
Psalm 51:6
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts…
• God desires that we are truthful with others.
I Corinthians 13:6
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.
• God desires that we are truthful with him.
John 4:23
True worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.
God hates sin. His word is clear about that.
But as I said earlier, “It’s time to take out the trash.”
o Out of our lives, and out of this church body.
I said we would be doing 3 things in each of the next services, and we have already done the first, expose the sins listed in the Word of God.
But now we are going to do the other 2 parts.
o The Holy Spirit has already been speaking to hearts here today for those of you that have trouble with this sin, lying.
o First of all, as the music begins playing, I am going to do what I promised, I’ll meet you up front in the altar area, and I want to pray with you for repentance for this sin in your life, and I’m going to approach God with you and ask him to rid it completely from your life.
o Secondly, when the music begins playing, I’m going to ask you to come forward, and I want to pray with you if you feel this sin has become part of our church body.
o I know that each of you desire to see a move of God in this place, but if you feel that lying is something that is holding back a move of God, I want to pray with you and we’ll repent for this body together, and ask God to make us whole again.
