Truth & Lies
Notes
Transcript
Opener
Opener
There is a pastor who teaches a class for new believers with a jar full of beans. He asks his students to guess how many beans are in the jar, and on a big pad of paper writes down their estimates. Then, next to those estimates, he helps them make another list: their favorite songs. When the lists are complete, he reveals the actual number of beans in the jar. The whole class looks over their guesses, to see which estimate was closest to being right. He then turns to the list of favorite songs. "And which one of these is closest to being right?" he asks. The students protest that there is no "right answer"; a person's favorite song is purely a matter of taste.
This pastor, who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Notre Dame asks, "When you decide what to believe in terms of your faith, is that more like guessing the number of beans, or more like choosing your favorite song?" Always, the Pastor says, from old as well as young, he gets the same answer: Choosing one's faith is more like choosing a favorite song.
His then first task is try and argue them out of such a conclusion.
Tim Stafford, Christianity Today, September 14, 1992, p. 3
Our faith in God, The Bible, and the person and work of Jesus Christ is not a matter of preference. It is a matter of ultimate truth. I am not a Christian because it fits my style. I mean after all wouldn’t the call to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him seem misplaced and unappealing.
But if its true and further if its the ultimate truth then the call is not absurd at all. It makes sense to me that such a call would at minimum have the potential to be good, right, and purposeful if coming from the one who Created me and holds the future in His hands.
So today we are talking about TRUTH with the 9th commandment. Does it matter? and to what to degree does truth matter?
Point 1: God is Truth!
Point 1: God is Truth!
In the Bible Truth is an essential attribute and quality of God. I want you to think about how just absolute it is as well. Another essential attribute of God is that He is Love, but as true as that is He also hates. Sometimes it is right to hate. He hates for example “abominable acts” according to Deuteronomy 12. But when it comes to truth there is never a time God lies. In fact the Scriptures say He is the God “who cannot lie” (Heb 6:18). Isn’t that amazing. So when God speaks, commands, instructs He is doing so from a perfect unbending standard. Truth is an essential unbending attribute of God.
Divine Attribute
Divine Attribute
The Bible says God’s divine attributes are visible in nature. That is certainly the case here. The scientific advancements of the last 150 years thanks to the repeatable, observable scientific process have tremendously benefitted mankind. Why does this work. Because of truth exist.
Science needs truth to be useful. It assumes truth to be useful.
Aristotle many years ago said, ““To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true”.
In other words truth and falsehood can be logically and empirically defined by that which is corresponds to.
That all may sound complicated to some of you, but this won’t: “Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.” You immediately get it. You know that is wrong to bear false witness. You know this instinctually because truth is not only woven into the fabric of our universe but into our very conscience.
Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
But how important is truth and to what extent will you go to defend and proclaim it? You see if the premise of the ten commandments is correct, “I am the Lord your God”, then it has everything to do with accuracy not preference or appetite. So if someone doesn’t like the God of the Bible or is drawn to other religions or prefers to worship this or that or perhaps they have a beef with moral standards God lays out here it doesn’t matter. What matters is whether or not it is true. And if it is TRUE then it cannot be ignored or dismissed in the name of preference! In other words our feelings and opinions do not determine reality.
Court of Law
Court of Law
If I am part of a jury judging a man on trial I cannot look across the room, judge him on his appearance or speech and decide his fate. I can’t go “he looks guilty.” That would be wrong correct? Why because I have not looked at the empirical evidence. I have not considered the truth, that which corresponds to reality. My feelings must be subjected to the facts.
Medical Doctor
Medical Doctor
If I am a medical doctor and I discover a patient has a terminal illness I cannot tell him “everything will be okay” can I? That will make him feel better for the moment. They will thank me as they leave my office. But I have done a great disservice have I not? Because I have not testified to the truth!
Matters of religion
Matters of religion
Yet with matters of religion we are much quicker to say “live and let live”. Or “Whatever works for you.” Or perhaps we just say nothing at all. Yet standing in absolute contrast to that is Jesus Himself who opposed every other way and said “I am the way, the truth, and the Life.” And as important as a trial or a medical situation is, and they are important, they pale in comparison when weighed against matters of eternity.
Truth matters. The most important decisions you will ever make are going to be matters of truth. So truth is no small thing to the Christian.
Government and Truth
Government and Truth
Always go with the higher authority. Christian’s died defying government authority because it contrasted with the TRUTH claim: JESUS IS LORD. Goverment will be held accountable to how it upholds God’s standards.
Fuller Understanding of Truth in the Bible
Fuller Understanding of Truth in the Bible
The Christian must have a fuller understanding of the biblical idea of truth though. It doesn’t merely mean that which is factual. It certainly takes on that nuance in places, but more often than not it is speaking to trustworthiness and reliability. In other words that which is consistently true. That which last.
Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment.
Jesus is the TRUTH because anything else your staking your hope in will ultimately fade away. Only in Him is everlasting life.
When Hebrews 6:18 says God is the God who CANNOT lie the purpose of this statement is that in Jesus we have a sure hope that will not disappoint. Hebrews 6:19 calling it an anchor for our soul.
AMEN
AMEN
Can I get an Amen? Do you know what you are saying when you say Amen? You are saying “this is true”! That is why some translate Jesus’ words “Amen, Amen” as “Truly, truly”. Jesus gives the double amen. In the law everything must be established by two or three witnesses and He gives the double Amen 25 times in the Gospel of John! He is the ultimate witness to the truth. He says, “If I be lifted up I will draw all men to myself.” He is The Truth.
No Middle Ground
No Middle Ground
There is no middle ground here. There is no grey area. The devil is called the father of lies, a liar from the beginning. Those who follow him are deceived, not in the truth. And what is the reason people stay in darkness? John 3 gives us three interlinked reasons:
They love darkness
They love darkness because their deeds are evil
they won’t come to the light because they are AFRAID their deeds will be exposed.
Every human being who really loves truth has to admit they are a sinner in violation of God’s law. That’s the truth. That is why we need a savior. That is why we need Him who knew no sin but became sin on our behalf!
Can I get an Amen?
Point 2: Lying Hurts Your Neighbor
Point 2: Lying Hurts Your Neighbor
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
It would make sense that such absolute claims like “I am the Lord your God” followed by 10 commandments would have at least one commandment in regards to truth. It would completely inconsistent for God’s covenant people to be liars! God is called the “God of Truth” and He expects His people to be “people of truth”.
Bearing false witness is incredibly destructive to your neighbor! To your family. To your friends. To your coworkers. To society at large.
The consequences for bearing false witness in covenant Israel was exactly the punishment the person who you would have been falsely condemned would have recieved. So if you lied about someone stealing you would have to pay the 4 fold penalty or whatever it was. If you lied in a murder trial and would have gotten someone falsely put to death your punishment would be death! Now if that doesn’t slow from being judge, jury and executioner on social media into matters you have not looked into diligently yourself and not even capable of doing so I don’t know what will put the fear of God in you my friends.
Social Media
Social Media
The Bible says “if anyone does not stumble in what he says he is a perfect man” (James 3:2). Social media has become a breading ground for much stumbling. From bearing false witness, to judging unjustly, to rashly speaking. I have done it myself at times. Social media is powerful and it seems like if we don’t play by those rules we are giving up ground! But Christian we don’t fight by the worlds rules. When Jesus died upon that cross it didn’t look like a good battle strategy. Yet His work continues to turn the world upside down to this day.
Doxing
Doxing
One man try’d to dox (where they try to disclose information about someone) for a crime he thought he committed. He put up the wrong photo. The man who was unjustly doxed ended up committing suicide. Friends we must not play by the worlds rules, but by God’s rule. God’s rules around speech make for bad social media tactics, but they make for great love of your neighbor!
John Bunyan
John Bunyan
John Bunyan was locked up in jail for preaching the Gospel. He wrote the pilgrims progress as a prisoner for preaching. And in his own life time the book ended up in it is believed in every home in England. Did he have a master mind social media strategy? Did he tweet to his millions of followers from jail. It wasn’t by power, nor by strength, nor by intellect… but by Spirit of God.
So we as Christians must walk in wisdom with our words. Don’t get sucked into the way the world does stuff.
Lying on the grand scale
Lying on the grand scale
Lies often accompany other sins. It makes sense. You want to hide your sin so what do you do? You lie.
Stalin
Stalin
“In the 1930s, Joseph Stalin was determined to wipe out private farms in Ukraine and put the population into Soviet controlled communes. He instituted a policy that began starving this region. Ultimately, between two and four million people starved to death. As could be expected, the Soviet government denied any problems. What is surprising is that many western reporters repeated Moscow’s interpretation of what was happening in the region.
The New York Times reported this: “There is no famine or actual starvation, nor is there likely to be.” via one of their reporters who actually one a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Stalinist Russia. Talk about fake news. The lie of course not only allowed Stalin to continue his brutality but also prohibited help and aid. - Jeff Nilsson, Sat Evening Post
Abortion, Slavery, Holocaust
Abortion, Slavery, Holocaust
Think about in our own day. The media, whole political parties, large commercial industries disguise the murder of innocent little babies as “women’s healthcare”. They almost never call it for what it is, because it must be hidden for it to be palatable in society. The lie allows americans to swallow it wholesale. One of the strongest things that changed peoples minds on the slave trade was them being forced to look at what was really going on. William Wilberforce would force wealthy people to confront the horrors of a slaveship. So they could come face to face with the smell, the site, and the sound of the murder of their fellow human beings. The lie was getting brought into the light.
After Germany lost world war 2 they made the people tour the concentrations camps. You can see pictures of people before they go in all smiling and talking, and weeping and in tears when they come out. So images of abortion have been some of the most effective deterrents to the murder of the most innocent in our society.
The lie gets exposed. The sin is brought into the light. But when that is not done it remains incredibly destructive.
Destructiveness of lies on a personal level
Destructiveness of lies on a personal level
We know people personally who through lying have burnt so many bridges in their life. It can get out of hand really fast. Lying to your spouse will begin to destroy trust, goodwill and respect. Those are all things, by God’s grace you can work through. But make no mistake lies are destructive to relationships and they are burdensome to the liar. If there is someone in your life you have been lying to you need to come clean, whether its a friend, a family member, a spouse. Lying is not loving to your neighbor.
Sales
Sales
I have worked in sales in my 9-5 job for some 6 years now. It seems longer than that. Sales is actually a hard job especially if your not an extrovert. In sales there can be lots of lying. What I even find is that people often LIE for no reason. At one place I worked in the past a manager pressured me to lie on a stake holder report all because he wanted to have a better call. Like he was being so short sited. He was thinking I want this “ONE PHONE CALL” to go well. Yet if he got caught in a lie he could have lost the entire business. Do you know what you do when someone pressures you to lie? You tell them no. I just told the guy I will put this because this is what has happened so far. Anything you change from there is on you.
The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.
Trust is foundational
Trust is foundational
Trust is foundational to relationships. In fact one of the chief qualifications for the passing of the mantle for church planting was Paul instructing Timothy to pass it on to faithful men. That principle is true not just in the church. It is true in the home and other places. Do you want to be the person people can count on. That they can lean on. That they can trust in.
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
Do you want to be His delight? I do. God give us strength to be faithful.
Uber Practical Advice: Confess Sins to one another!
Uber Practical Advice: Confess Sins to one another!
If I was going to write a hokey blog post I would call this: “How to not be a liar with this one simple trick!”
So what is the one simple trick?
Confess your sins to one another. Have some trusted traveling companions that you confess sins to. Make it a discipline. Not a one time occurence. Not an every now and again occurence. But a regular discipline.
Ends Justify the Means?
Ends Justify the Means?
We have an election that is coming up politicians, media outlets, friends and family on social media will get into lying. It happens all the time anyways but around an election it goes full on stupid. There is this attitude going around that goes something like this, “Yeah that was factually wrong but my intent was correct so and so is a bad person.” In other words the ends justify the means. It is astounding on its own that one would believe their politics to be so perfect and wise that they can justify sin in your pursuit of establishing them. May this never be us friends.
I remember one time I was outside the abortion clinic talking to one of the escorts. It was a dude about abortion. I had misunderstood something about the policy at the abortion clinic and essential made this argument that was logical sound but one of the premises was wrong. The guy didn’t catch it. I actually caught it after I left. The next week when I saw him I corrected myself. This dudes philosophy is on the side of baby murdering, but I needed to have the integrity to own up to when I made a factual mistakes. So I did. He didn’t say a word to me this time. But I can only hope and pray that it impacted him. It impacted me. It hurt my pride. Why do I tell you this. The ends do not justify the means. The means matter. Christians establish their lives on the truth. And I promise you that if you win battles on lies you will lose wars. lying is always the short game never the long game.
Point 3: The Truth Will Win
Point 3: The Truth Will Win
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
Making True Witness
Making True Witness
Jesus, the spotless innocent Lamb of God, did not bear witness and defend himself, did not open His mouth… He allowed Himself to be slandered and falsely accused so that He could take upon Himself our sin, our slander, our lies, our pride. If you trust in the blood of Jesus alone to wash away your sin He will establish you in the light. He will open your eyes so you can see. He will make you a lover of truth and He will make you a faithful witness empowered from on high.
You see pendulum has swung. It is not enough for us to be not false witness. We are to be faithful witnesses to the greatest truth this world has ever known, Jesus, the resurrection and the life, Himself. By the integrity of the words of your mouth you will be a faithful friend willing to tell the truth because Jesus is the only hope of a lost and dying world.
The Devil is The Lie
The Devil is The Lie
If Jesus is THE TRUTH you could say the devil is THE LIE. And we all, the book of Romans tells us, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. We have all sinned. And Jesus, THE TRUTH, upon the cross not speaking up to defend his innocence, takes on our sin, destroys the debt of sin against us, he breaks the back of THE LIE… and establishes us in Him, THE TRUTH!
Believing in Jesus isn’t like picking your favorite song, or the flavor of the month, he is the empirical truth that can save you from your sins.
The Truth Wins
The Truth Wins
If you do not turn from the lie to the Truth, Jesus Himself, the Truth will still win. You will just be on the wrong side of that equation. You will have earned the same fate the Father Lies has waiting for Him. Righteous judgement in exact proportion to ones sins against against a perfectly and infinitely just and holy God. What Jesus calls “Eternal Punishment”.
So cling to the anchor for your Soul, Jesus Christ who innocently died so you could live.