The Ninth Commandment Lesson 9 Series

NINTH COMMANDMENT

“You shall not lie to your neighbor” (Ex. 20:16, ELT).

“I speak what My Father tells Me to say, but you speak what you father tells you . . . your father is the devil . . . a murderer from the beginning and does not have the truth in him. I tell you the truth” (John 8:38, 44).

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Relationship with Me. Why did I say, you shalt not lie? Because you know when you lie, you cannot lie to yourself. You try to live a lie before Me, but I know the truth.

2. Destroys self-respect. If you cannot lie to yourself, how can you harm yourself?

3. Harms others in many ways. What does lying do to others?

4. Satan. Where does lying come from? “Satan is the father of lies” (John 8:44).

5. Eve lied first. Can we blame our lying on someone else? Satan asked, “Did God say you must not eat from any tree in the Garden” (Gen. 3:1, ELT)? Eve exaggerated, “We must not eat ... nor touch” (Gen. 3:3, ELT).

6. Distorts My Word. How does Satan lie to you today? Did God really say “no?”

B. ARE THESE LIES?

1. Does lying include exaggeration?

? “Tell them I am not here.”

? “You never do any of the work.”

? “That’s the prettiest baby I have ever seen.”

? “My you look younger (or slimmer).”

2. Does lying include silence?

? “Who did this?”

? Taking credit for something you did not do.

C. SEVENTEEN KINDS OF LIES

1. White lies: Perceived as good for both teller and the victim of the lie.

2. Political lies or flattery: a compliment when you know the thing complimented is not good, but you say what the listener wants to hear

3. Gossip: telling what should not be told, i.e., revealing a secret.

4. Sinister lies: giving an untruth for your evil purpose.

5. Jovial lies: lying in an obvious way without malice, so both teller and listener know it is not true.

6. Half lies: telling the truth, but not the whole truth.

7. Excuse: misrepresenting the truth about a failure on our part.

8. Hypocrisy: your attempt to deceive another about something you are not (the New Testament word referred to an actor using a mask to play the role of another).

9. Justifying lies: to convince others they would have taken the similar action.

10. Face-saving lies: misrepresentation to avoid embarrassment. (Sarah told Me, she did not laugh).

11. Evangelistically speaking: the exaggeration of religious results. (Ananias and Sapphira).

12. Propaganda: used in military times to hide one’s position.

13. Advertisement: sometimes used to exaggerate the merits of a product.

14. Cheating: using material that is not yours with a view of misrepresentation (exams and income taxes).

15. Demonic lies: evil spirits are the source of mis-representing the nature of righteousness and evil (Rom. 1:25; 2 Thess. 2:11).

16. Spin: interpreting obvious fact to your favor (politics).

17. Plausibility of denial: people conspire to conceal their involvement by claiming they didn’t know.

D. WHY LYING IS WRONG

1. Misrepresents or hides the truth.

? You hurt the other person who does not know the truth.

? The more serious a lie, the more danger to the other person.

2. A lie makes a deceiver out of the liar.

? To cover up, or hide something.

? To seduce someone to the liar’s advantage.

? To get something (illegally) for the liar.

3. Builds wrong relationship with another.

? The relationship is not built on honesty.

? Lying destroys love and respect.

? Keeps you separated from others and from Me.

4. A lie feeds your distorted self. You lie to make yourself look good, or to keep from looking bad.

E. HOW TO OVERCOME LYING

1. Look to Me the standard. “I am the way, the truth . . .” (John 14:6).

2. Recognize the source of lies. “You are of your father the Devil . . . he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).

3. Admit your human nature is deceitful. “Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts . . . deceit” (Mark 7:21-22).

4. Recognize the ultimate consequence of lying. “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire” (Rev. 21:8).

5. Adapt a conviction to tell the truth. “Put away all lying, each one speaking truth” (Eph. 4:25).

6. Determine to be a radical disciple (Luke 9:23).

7. Learn to walk in forgiveness rather than guilt (Psa. 78:38).

8. Ask for continued strength to overcome lying (Phil. 4:13).

9. Decision to always tell the truth.

10. Resolve to be a person of character.

Character is habitually doing the right thing, in the right way.

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart: