Good morning. A school principal received a phone call. The voice said, “Thomas Bradley won’t be in school today.” The principal was a bit suspicious of the voice. He asked, “Who is speaking?” And the voice came back, “My dad.”
These other students were more advanced than that. On a beautiful fall day, four college students decided to go for a drive instead of showing up to class on time. When they did arrive, they explained to the teacher that they had had a flat tire. The teacher accepted the excuse, much to their relief. “Since you missed this morning’s quiz, you must take it now,” the teacher said. “Please sit in the 4 corner seats in this room without talking.” When they were seated, the teacher said, "Okay, for 5 points place your name at the top of the sheet of paper. Then for 5 points, place the title of this class.” At this point the students thought they had it made, but then the teacher said, “And for 90 points, on your paper write the answer to one last question: Which tire was flat?”
“Liar, liar! Pants on fire!” Probably all of us have either said that or had it said to us when we were kids. It’s a good thing that it’s not really true. Otherwise, many of us would be walking with a limp, burnt, and in a lot of pain. In fact, some churches might even come in both regular and extra crispy.
Now as a pastor, I face the possibility that I could speak on a topic that is really not an issue in the lives of the people in attendance that day. To prevent this problem in one church, the minister wound up the services one morning by saying something that I thought about saying last week. He said, “Next Sunday I am going to preach on the subject of LIARS. And in this week to come, I would like you all to read the 17th chapter of Mark.” The next Sunday, the preacher rose to begin, and said, “Now, all of you who have done as I requested and read the 17th chapter of Mark, please raise your hands.” Nearly every hand in the congregation went up. “Very good,” he said. “You are precisely the people I wish to speak to this morning.” You see, there is no 17th chapter of Mark!
Before we begin, let’s open with a word of prayer.
In Exodus 20:1-17 it says, (Ribbon)
Is there ever a time that lying is ok? How serious a matter is lying? Consider how serious lying would be in the following situations:
Firestone official: “The tires that you are riding on are safe.”
Presidential candidate: “I promise that there will be no new taxes.”
Trial witness: “I saw Keith Reis with the group that robbed the bank Friday night.”
Airplane mechanic: “The engine you saw me working on will last through your entire flight.”
Groom: “I will be faithful to you alone until death.”
Lying is not looked at as all that serious in our culture. However, God considers lying a very serious matter regardless of whether the consequences of that lie are immediate and deadly or not.
Turn with me to Proverbs 6:16-19. Here in Proverbs 6:16-19 it says, “1”
Yet as much as God hates lying, I doubt that there is a church or any group of people where there is not a large contingency of liars present. May I suggest that many of you have probably already lied to someone this morning. Just in case you may be living in denial of your own tendency toward lying, I have prepared a list of some of the most common lies that we tell or that get told to us. See if you can find yourself anywhere on this list.
Someone calls on the phone for you, and you step outside the door so that your wife or child can say that you are not in at the moment. If that is the lie that you are telling, let’s hope that your lie is not exposed like the following lady. A salesman knocked on the door of a rundown apartment house in a low-rent district. The mother didn’t want to talk to the guy, so she told her little boy to tell him that she couldn’t come tot he door because she was in the hot tub. Her son answered the door this way; “We ain’t got no hot tub, but Mom told me to tell you she’s in it.”
Or how about this one, your boss promises you a raise 6 months after you begin work, but 12 months go by with no raise in sight. How does it make you feel when you get lied to? How does it make you feel when you get lied about? It really does hurt when you are lied to, doesn’t it.
Maybe you fit into this category of lying. You’d really rather not go in to work on Monday, so you call in sick and but go and do something else anyway. Awe; it hurts when we get lied to by our boss, but when we lie to get what we want, that doesn’t hurt quite so much. It reminds me of a quote that I read this week. “Everyone wishes to have truth on his side, but not everyone wishes to be on the side of truth.” We sure don’t want to be lied to, but when a little lie benefits us, then its okay.
Here is another lie that is often told. The policeman asks you, “Do you know how fast you were going?” You answer, “No; was I speeding?” Now most of the time, you are aware of the fact that you are speeding. So when you are asked that question, be honest. If you are going to break the speed limit, at least have enough guts to be honest with the officer when you get caught.
Here is one that I’m sure some hunters and fishermen get caught up on. Does the fish ever get bigger every time that you tell the story. No I know that this is a harmless lie that doesn’t affect anyone, but why lie about it. Be honest with yourself and with others.
Now these next 2 lies, I am confident will be true of every single one of us here today. On Sunday morning, your husband or your wife asks how you like the outfit that they have picked out for the day. And you answer, “It looks great” in order to not hurt their feelings. You say, “but I don’t want to hurt them, and it is not important any way.” Well, it is still a lie, and God does not like liars.
Now I’m not saying that you need to be brutally honest with them. It’s just that you need to learn how to “speak the truth in love.” as it talks about in Ephesians 4:15. in fact, here is a simple guideline: Always tell the truth, but don’t be always telling the truth. Some things are best kept to yourself. This is what the Bible means when it says “Speaking the truth in love.” Loving others, yet remaining honest with them. It’s how you tell the truth that matters.
Now I was sure of the last one, but I am completely sure that this last lie catches all of us at one time or another. When someone asks you on Sunday how you are doing, you say “Fine.” Sunday mornings, that morning that we’re supposed to be the most spiritual, is in reality the day that we lie the most. We put on our nice clothes to hide the sin that is inside. We plaster on a fake smile to hide the heart that is breaking. We answer, “I’m just fine” to people when they ask us how we are doing even though our life may be falling apart. But why is that?
Maybe we’re scared that no one cares, that no one has the time, or that someone would reject us if they really knew what was going on inside our hearts. The Bible doesn’t speak of church as a place where perfect people come to congratulate one another on how perfect they are. It talks about church as a place where hurting people come to admit their hurt and find healing for their hurt. In fact, in the book of James, James records God’s command to “Confess your faults one to another” so that you might be healed. The church should be the place where we are the most free to be ourselves and admit our weakness.
So why is it so important to tell the truth?
Well first off, truth is the evidence of a change in your life. In Colossians 3:9-10 it says, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices . . .” And in I John 2:21 it says, “I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.”
Telling lies is evidence that you are still a liar, not that you have changed. In John 14:7, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of Truth.” When you took Jesus as your Savior, you received the Holy Spirit who now lives within you and is supposed to be in control of your life. If the Spirit of Truth is present and in control, what should be flowing out of your life? [TRUTH] Lying in your life brings into question either the presence of the Holy Spirit which would mean you are not saved, or it brings into question whether He has control of your life.
Also, we find in scripture that truth provides protection for you. In Philippians 4:8 we read, “Whatsoever is true . . . think on these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Or in Ephesians 6:14 when it says, “Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled . . .”
Lies provide a false sense of security. Isaiah 28:15 “. . . we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” In a survey . . . it was found that 15 % of the ladies colored their hair, 38 % wore a wig, 80 % wore makeup, 98 % wore eye shadow, 22 % wore false eyelashes, 93 % wore nail polish, and 100 % voted in favor of a resolution condemning any kind of false packaging.” However, truth can give us a real security, and real protection that we can’t fake on our own.
I think that one of the main reasons that we need to be truthful is because truth identifies you with the Father. John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life . . .” Hebrews 6:8 “. . .it is impossible for God to lie . . .”
Lies identify you with Satan not God. In John 8:44 it says, “You belong to your father, the devil. . . there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
One of the verses I referred to a moment ago talked about the fact that it is impossible for God to lie. Have you ever thought about what it would be like if God could lie? Think about some of the promises that He has made to you:
“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also.”
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God”
“. . . nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
“My God shall supply all your needs . .”
So truth identifies us with God, and that is a great thing.
Truth also creates a spirit of trust between you and others.
Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
You see, lies create a spirit of deceit and hypocrisy. George Munzing, a minister, tells of a time he went to counsel a family about their son’s drug use. The father was distraught as he described the impact of drugs upon his relationship with his son. He said, “The thing that bothers me most about his being into drugs is the fact that drugs have made him a liar.” Moments later the phone rang and his wife went to answer. She came back into the room with the message that the call was for the father. He told her, “Tell him I am not at home.” Munzing then commented that drugs had not made the boy a liar; the father had.
The same is true of lying. There is no such thing as a “white lie.” All lies, whether they are small or of world-wide consequence, are the same in God’s eyes. C.S. Lewis once said that “a little lie is like a little pregnancy. Everyone is going to know soon enough.”
When you are truthful around people, then they will know that you can be trusted. That in turn will help them to open up to you and really seek your help and advise as a Christian.
Another thing that truth does is truth exposes danger to be avoided. I Timothy 2:4 says that God, “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
But you see, lies only open you up to destruction. Do you know what the truth that God wants all men to know is? He wants them to know that they are sinners. And He wants them to know that because of their sin, they stand condemned to spend eternity suffering in Hell. It would seem that the nice thing for God to do would be to just keep our dirtiness a secret and let us go on believing the lie that we have told ourselves.
You know the lie I’m talking about, don’t you. The lie that says that we are ok, that we’re pretty good, that God is going to let us off the hook because we’ve been pretty decent people. The Bible records in Proverbs 14:12 that, “There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end thereof is the way of death.” The most unloving thing for God to do would be to allow us to continue to believe that lie without challenging it. By telling us the truth, God has given us a way to escape the dangerous situation that we were in.
There are going to be many people that will tell you that it really doesn’t matter which pathway you use to get you to God and Heaven. They say that all roads lead to Heaven, or that’s what they would have you to believe. But the reality is that only 1 road leads to Heaven and all other roads lead to eternal destruction. God has given us 1 way to get to Heaven, and that way is through Jesus Christ. The truth about Jesus will keep you out of danger but those who would lie and tell you that you can get to God on your own terms and in your own way are giving you a lie that will destroy you.
While we’re on this subject of salvation and the truth, let me ask you something, how many of you are lying to your neighbors and your co-workers? You say, “I’m not lying to anyone.” But, how many of your neighbors and co-workers and the community of Vanceburg are living under the false assumption that they are going to Heaven because they have been good or because God is so loving that He wouldn’t let anyone go to Hell? Now my question is, “Are you doing anything to correct that false assumption? Are you telling them the truth so that they can avoid the danger that is awaiting them?” Some people don’t respond too well to the truth. But we don’t have the option of only telling the truth when it’s comfortable and convenient. We are the ones who know what is coming. If we don’t warn them about what is standing in front of them, who will?
And finally, truth frees you from bondage.
John 8:32 tells us that “. . .the truth will set you free.” How many of you have ever told a lie, and then had to tell a bigger one to cover that one, and then had to tell a bigger one to cover that one. . . and so on?
The truth is, that lies enslave you. Mark Twain was right when he said, “The difference between a person who tells the truth and tells a lie is that the liar’s got to have a better memory.” Lies trap you because you have to live in your own false little world that you have created. You can’t allow anyone to see the true you. You have to keep up the show and keep pretending that you’re that person that everyone loves you to be.
But truth frees you to enjoy all the benefits and promises that God has offered to you. When you are truthful about your sin, the truth frees you to enjoy God’s forgiveness. When you accept the truth that you are acceptable in God’s sight, then it frees you to be who you are in Christ without worrying about the condemnation of other people. The truth that God is in control frees you from being trapped by worry about the future. And the truth that God loves you no matter what frees you from always having to live up to someone else’s standard in order to receive their approval and love. “You will know that truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Now, before we close this morning, I want to give you 6 ways for overcoming lying. I’m not going to spend time on each, I just want to give them to you and a scripture to put with it.
First, recognize the ultimate consequence of lying. In Revelation 21:8 it tells us that “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire.”
Second, confess and turn your back on the sin. John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Third, admit your human nature is deceitful. Mark 7:21-22 lets us that, “Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts . . .and deceit.” Also in Jeremiah 17:3 we read, “The heart is deceitful above all things…” One of the keys to conquering sin is not to excuse or point the finger of blame somewhere else. So it’s not your family’s fault, or your upbringing’s fault, or your situation’s fault. . . take stock of your own heart. When you get honest before God, you’ll understand that the habit of lying comes directly from your heart. Then ask God to change your nature.
Fourth, remind yourself daily to abide by your new decision. John Maxwell has said that, “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” If you really want to change, it has to be a daily routine of not lying.
Fifth, change your thinking about truth and lying. Ephesians 4:25 says, “Put away all lying, each one speak truth with his neighbor.” When you think differently about truth, and you use God’s perspective on truth and lying, you will begin to see things differently, and it will be easier to speak in truth.
And finally, look to the source of truth for help. John 14:6 lets us know that, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” And Philippians 4:13 encourages us that “I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength I need.” You won’t get it done on your own. If you’re like me, you’ve already proved that. So look to God as the source of truth.
As we close, if you were to ask Jesus today, “How do I look?”, what would He say? What signs would he hang around your neck – “Liar”, “Hypocrite”, “Cheater”, “Adulterer”, “Thief”. You see, we all carry those signs to one extent or another. You’ve broken promises to your family, you’ve broken promises to God. When you asked Jesus to be your savior, you promised Him your life. But you’ve taken it back so many times. Why don’t you come and bring it to the foot of the cross this morning?
Maybe you have been lied to so many times that you have trouble trusting Jesus. Remember, Jesus is not like us. It is impossible for Him to lie. He has kept every promise to you that He ever made. He promises salvation to those who will call upon Him – admit their own sinfulness, believe that He died to pay for their sins and rose again back to life, and commit their whole life into His hands. He promises forgiveness if we will confess our sins to Him. We have failed over and over again in our attempts to keep our promises to Jesus, but He has never failed to keep one single promise to us. Ask for His forgiveness today, and He will give it. Be honest and truthful with God today.
Let’s Pray |
