INTRODUCTION
A pastor announced one Sunday that next Sunday he was going to preach on lying. And as preparation for the message he wanted the congregation to read the 17th chapter of Mark. The next Sunday the preacher began by asking those who read the 17th chapter of Mark to raise their hands. More than ½ of the people raised their hands. “Very good,” the preacher said. “You are the very people I need to speak to. There is no 17th chapter of Mark.”
When you take an oath before giving testimony in a court of law you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Why must we define what telling the truth is? Mark Twain said there are 869 different kind of lies. I don’t know about that but there are lots of ways to not tell the truth. Here are a few:
Bold-face lie White lie Flattery Slander
Gossip Excuses Propaganda Spin
Exaggeration Half-truth Hypocrisy Saving face
Falsehoods Shading the truth Mis-representation Perjury
False advertising Embellishment “Ministerally speaking”
Today, I am speaking on the 9th Commandment. It says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” This doesn’t just mean don’t lie to the man next door. Jesus said to one man, “You should love your neighbor as you love yourself.” The man asked, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with the story of the Good Samaritan.
God does not like lying. In fact, God hates lying:
Proverbs 6:16-19 (3 references to lying here)
16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
There are 3 categories to my message today: (1) The Source of lies, (2) The Seriousness of lying, (3) The Solution to lying
I. THE SOURCE OF LIES
John 8:44
44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. NKJV
When we first see Satan in the Bible he is lying (Gen.3:1). Speaking to Eve he said, “Has God said?” Turn to Genesis chapter 2. Satan is the king of liars and the source of lies. Here are three big lies of Satan to all of us today:
A. God is a Kill-Joy (God is out to stop your fun in life)
Look at Genesis 3:4-5. Satan says to Eve, “God wants to limit you. God wants all the good stuff for Himself.” But, the consequences of his lies he hides from us. What happens to Adam and Eve? They lose their innocence. Now the are running and hiding. Look at verses 7-11.
It is perhaps the biggest lie that Satan uses, “My way is fun, God’s way is failure.” It is just the opposite. Listen to Jesus:
John 10:10
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
I like Stephen Curtis Chapman’s song, The Great Adventure. One line says, “Saddle up your horses, you’ve got a trail to blaze, through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace.”
B. What People Think You Are is More Important Than What You Are
Ananias and Sapphira in the 5 chapter of Acts shows this well. The early church had a great benevolent spirit. Everyone was giving to meet the needs of others in the church. Ananias and Sapphira wanted credit for being big givers so they sell some property and pretend to give all the money to the church but they were lying, they kept part of the money for themselves. They wanted others to think they were more important than they were. They paid dearly for their mistake.
The Bible has a word for this kind of behavior – Hypocrisy! Jesus never got angry with those who admitted their own sinfulness. You’ll never find Jesus getting angry with a swindler, prostitute, thief, murderer or adulterer. But, He did get angry with hypocrites. Look at Matthew 23:13,15,23.
Are you a hypocrite?
1 John 2:4
4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. NKJV
1 John 4:20
20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? NKJV
C. I Don’t Need God’s Forgiveness (I’m just fine the way I am)
Look at Luke 18:9-14. Note who this parable was addressed to. Note the outcome in verse 14.
We know the source of lies. Now:
II. THE SERIOUSNESS OF LYING
A lot can be said about the affect of lying. I want to focus of 5 this morning:
A. Lying Can Be Cruel
It can be destructive. Slanderous. Reputations can be lost. Lives ruined. What’s behind this kind of lie? Jealousy, revenge, hurt, resentment.
Illus.- Potipher’s wife lied about Joseph and Joseph was sent to prison for years. The Sadducees did this to Jesus and He was crucified.
B. Lying Can Be Cowardly
You lie to escape consequences. “My dog ate my homework.” “I never had sexual relations with that woman.” The motivation behind this kind of lying is fear. Fear of a spanking, fear of impeachment.
Illus.- In the movie, “The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie,” a little boy lies to his father, whom he was afraid of when his father asked him if a man had been coming around the house to see his mother. The boy said yes and that began the destruction of their family.
C. Lying Can Be Conceited
You lie to impress. You puff up your resume. You brag about the fish that you caught (but, of course you let it go).
Illus.- In 1993 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ran an help wanted ad in the paper. They advertised for electricians with expertise at using Sontag connectors. The ad got 170 responses – even though there is no such thing as a Sontag connector. The Authority ran the ad to find out how mant applicants falsify resumes.
D. Lying Can Be Calculated
To manipulate others. It is motivated by greed or selfishness. Con men use these kinds of lies all the time.
Illus.- Jacob lied to his blind father in order to steal his brother’s (Esau) blessing and inheritance.
E. Lying is Convenient
To save face. To get out of a jam. To curry favor. To dodge a bullet. To get off the hot seat. To avoid consequences.
Illus.- Abraham lied to Pharaoh about Sarah, saying she was his sister and not his wife.
Illus.- A boy in high school threw a tangerine against a blackboard while the teacher was writing on it. It spattered everywhere. The teacher was mad and went around the room asking each boy, “Did you throw that orange?” The guilty boy said no when asked. After all, it was not an orange, it was a tangerine.
III. THE SOLUTION TO LYING
Jesus said that what’s in your heart is what comes out of your mouth. If lying comes easy for you, you need to get a new heart. Jesus can do a heart transplant for you today.
The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the TRUTH and the life. He can change you from the inside out if you will let Him.
