March 2, 2008

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 Scripture KJV

Reverend David S. Huffer

Westwood Baptist Church - 2124 Davis Road
 Waynesboro, VA

Ten Commandments #9

“Thou shalt not Bear False Witness”

Exodus 20:16

This morning we come to the ninth in the list of the Ten Commandments.

·       Once again, God is giving us principles for living

·       These commandments are not just for the nation of Israel, but they are for us to live by today

·       They are practical and necessary for a proper relationship with God and with others

He has instructed us not to “bear false witness against a neighbor” in this ninth command.

·       Strictly speaking, this command was originally focused against perjuring one’s self in a judicial trial.

·       Deuteronomy 19:16-20 talks about what should be done to a false witness who lies in a courtroom.

Deuteronomy 19:16-20 - If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you. And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you.

DEAR FRIEND – A false witness is a liar!

·       Saying that which isn’t true

·       Listen to just a few statements found in the Scripture concerning those who lie:

Proverbs 12:22a – “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord…”

Psalm 101:7 – “He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.”

And one who sows discord among brethren.”

THE ORIGIN OF LYING

A. From the Devil Himself

·       Many times we blame the devil for all sorts of things that he is not directly responsible for

·       However, there is no doubt that he is totally responsible for lying

John 8:44 - "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. 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.”

·       In exposing the spiritual lineage of his enemies, Jesus revealed a broad spectrum of spiritual truth

·       Not only was unbelieving Israel descended spiritually from the devil – in fact ALL UNSAVED PEOPLE are.

·       Though all mankind are descended of God in that He created the human race

·       Spiritually, they have been ceded to Satan through the entrance of sin in Adam in the Garden of Eden.

·       Therefore – All unregenerate humanity is of the devil spiritually

DEAR FRIEND – This is the why the new birth is a necessity to see heaven.

·       A new nature spiritually must be born within – you must have a “clean heart”

·       The devil is not only a liar – He is the father of all lies

·       That should give pause for concern when we are tempted to lie

·       It reveals the ultimate source of all dishonesty

THE OPERATION OF A LIE – 1 John 1:6-10

(6) “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

1. We Lie To Others – V.6

·      We tell things that simply are not true

·      Or we twist and stretch the truth

DEAR FRIEND – Isn’t it interesting to see how resourceful we are at this?

·       Half-truths and manipulations are an art form for some people

2.         We Lie To Ourselves – V.8

·       We become walking, living lies

·       We try to rationalize and excuse things about ourselves

Sir Walter Scott – “O what a tangled web we weave; when first we practice to deceive.”

DEAR FRIEND – We practice lying so much that after awhile we begin to believe our own lies.

·       We have trouble distinguishing lies from reality

3.         We Lie To God – V.10

·       Claiming we have no sin is not only lying to ourselves, but it is calling God a liar.

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

·       Such a claim merely reveals a lack of God’s Word in that person

FRIENDS - The greatest lie of all is to say that we do not need Jesus Christ as our savior

·       Many have convinced themselves that they will be just fine

THE OUTCOME OF LYING

A. Damage and Devastation

Psalm 52:2 - Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Psalm 55:21 – “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.”

DEAR FRIEND – When lies are told –lives are damaged.

B. Survey The Long-Range Damage

·      When natural disasters occur such as Tornadoes, Hurricanes, and Forest Fires  people arrive to assess the long-range damage

If we could only survey the damage that is done by lies.

·      One small match can change the lives of thousands of people

James 3:5 – “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!”

C. Judgment

Matthew 12:37 - "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

FRIENDS – There is a price to be paid for lying.

·      President Nixon went out in disgrace because of lying

·      The Watergate Tapes revealed his advice to those involved: ”Stonewall” or withhold info

·      “Lie like Hell”

Damage – Devastation – Judgment are all part of the outcome of lying.

THE DESCRIPTION OF LYING

1. Slander – malicious lie with intent to do harm

Psalm 101:5 – “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy …”

B. Talebearer – Telling something without checking the facts in the matter

·      “They said” … “Someone said” …. I heard that”

FRIENDS – Gossip and rumors cause great hurt to individuals and families

Proverbs 18:8 – “The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.”

C. Flattery – Words spoken to manipulate others

Proverbs 26:28 – “A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin.”

DEAR FRIENDS – There are many ways to lie and each one is devastating.

CLOSE

HOW DO WE DEFEAT LYING?

A. Love The Truth

·      Just as a lie is of the devil – the Truth is of God

·      Jesus said: “I am the Truth”

·      Paul spoke of the unsaved who do not love the truth:

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 – “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

B. Learn The Truth

·      We need to be committed to the truth

·      Before the truth can set us free we must know it

·      Jesus tells us that we can know the truth through His Word

C. Live The truth

·      People need to see Christ in us

·      The songwriter put it like this: “You’re the only Jesus some will see”

·      We must stop lying and start telling the truth

The way to change is through discipline!

We must put off the old and put on the new:

Ephesians 4:25 - Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.”

BOW WITH ME THIS MORNING

Do you know the Truth?

Do you understand this morning how much God loves you?

So much that H gave His only begotten Son to die on the Cross nof Calvary that you might be saved.

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