The Ten Commandments – The Truth And Nothing But The Truth Series

• Exodus 20:3-17 (NIV)

[3] You shall have no other gods before me.

[4] You shall not make for yourself an idol. . .

[7] You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. . .

[8] Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. . .

[12] Honor your father and your mother. . .

[13] You shall not murder.

[14] You shall not commit adultery.

[15] You shall not steal.

[16] You shall not give false testimony . . .

[17] You shall not covet.

INTRODUCTION:

Our entire society is founded upon our ability to be honest with each other, and yet how easily the truth can be manipulated to our own advantage. Starting with young children to grandparents, the car salesman to the plumber, the lawyer and politician, the pastor and the person in the pew, no matter who it may be we can all twist the truth to our own advantage. And a twisted truth is no truth at all! It’s time for the truths to be held up as an absolute standard again. We need THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.

ILLUSTRATION: We are a nation of liars. In a national survey 91 percent of Americans admitted to lying regularly. Thirty-six percent of all Americans confessed to telling serious lies which hurt others, are totally self-serving or break the law. [ James Peterson and Peter Kim, The Day America Told the Truth (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1991), pp. 45-46]

How many people lie?

Over 10,000,000 taxpayers "lie on their tax forms" according to the IRS.

6,640,000 job applicants or "80% of all resumes are misleading.

ILLUSTRATION: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ran a help-wanted ad for electricians with expertise at using Sontag connectors. They received170 responses, even though there is no such thing as a Sontag connector. The Authority ran the ad to find out how many applicants falsify resumes." – Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 1.

304,864 doctors, or "70% of all doctors lie on their bills to health insurance providers.

489,530 attorneys lie for the benefit of their clients, not to arrive at truth.

67,050,000 workers or 50% American workers lie to their employers.

95% of participating college students surveyed were willing to tell at least one lie to a potential employer to win a job, and 41% had already done so.

100% of dating couples surveyed lied to each other in at least 1/3 of their conversations.

(The numbers above are based partially on information at the 2000 Census web site and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.census.gov/population/www/index.html and http://www.bls.gov/home.htm)

• Exodus 20:16 NIV

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

This morning we are going to focus on the 9th commandment—THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. We are going to do so by taking a careful look at what Jesus said in John 8:42-47.

• John 8:42-47 NIV

42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

I want you to think this morning about this question: “What is your native language—the language of your heart?” Most of us might be quick to insert English. But I’m not talking about English, German, Spanish, or any other national dialect. Is your native language TRUTH or LIES? Whose family are you a member of? Are you a child of God or a child of the devil? God’s family speaks the truth. Satan’s family speaks lies.

I. The truth about lies. What kind of lies do we tell?

1. The BLATANT or OBVIOUS LIE alters the truth to say something that is not true.

a) No amount of lying will ever change the truth. Even if you believe the lie it does not change the truth.

ILLUSTRATION: President Abraham Lincoln was trying to make a point, but the individual he was talking with was unconvinced and stubborn. So Lincoln tried another tactic. He said, “Well, let’s see now. How many legs does a cow have?” The disgusted reply came back “Four, of course.” Lincoln agreed, “That’s right. Now, suppose you call the cow’s tail a leg; how many legs would the cow have?” The opponent replied confidently, “Why, five, of course.” Lincoln came back, “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Calling a cow’s tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg!” –James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 483.