A quote by Andrew Murray is shared. “"Time spent in prayer will yield more than that given to work. Prayer alone gives work its worth and its success. Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in us and through us. Let our chief work as God's messengers be intercession; in it we secure the presence and power of God to go with us."
Exo 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
The 3D Visual Effect Editor of Avatar, Craig Tanner and his wife, Gina are with us today.
Why do people lie or bear false testimony?
1. Because truth hurts.Nixon won the re-election by a landslide. But he was discovered to have broken into the Democratic parties’ place in the Watergate Hotel to get their secrets. He was facing impeachment. He wanted to exercise his executive power and he was challenged in the supreme court. He stepped down. When he passed away in April 1994, he was known as a president whole lied to the whole nation.
2. They want to have an unfair advantage.
3. They want to get out of a trap / predicament.
4. They do it due to pride because people want to look better than they are.
Sometimes we want to impress others.
5. It has become part of some people’s habit. (Ps 58.3)
Where there is no one to correct a child when he tells lies, it may become his habit or even his character. Deal with the child the first time we hear him tell a lie properly and seriously. If we don’t do it we are preparing him for serious disaster. A child who lies at the age of 8 or 9 could be too late to change.
Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
Why does God condemn lying?
Pro 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.1. It deceives people.
Pro 14:5 A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.
2. It leads people astray.
This can destroy a nation. Consider the cases of Congo and the Philipines under Ferdinand Marcos.
Jer 23:32 Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.
3. It multiplies violence.
Nah 3:1 Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder-- no end to the prey!
4. It produces misgovernance.
Pro 29:12 If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.
Consequence of lying
1. It harms one’ reputation.Lies may not get one out of a predicament. Instead the lies are causing damages.
2. It damages one’s character.
Every lie we tell is a chip to our character. Unless we are people of truth, we cannot stand strong. Truth enables us to be strong and steadfast.
3. It produces distrust.
One cannot trust a spouse found to be cheating. When we lie, trust is broken. Others will examine and scrutinize everything we say.
4. It weakens relationships.
This can happen in many levels, in the family, the community and the nation.
Truthful testimonies are:
1. Important because it represents God and testifies to God’s work of grace in our lives.1Jn 1:5-6 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Pastor Daniel recommended All Truth is God’s Truth.
2. Powerful because it brings out the best in all of us.
The more we tell the truth the more in confirms the solidness of our lives. When we tell the truth, we have no fear. We will be willing to suffer with dignity. This perfectly exemplify by the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. All sorts of lies were pinned on him. He refused to be tempted to retaliate. He willingly went to the Cross amidst false accusations.
3. xx because it represents justice and on that basis verdicts are made.
If a lying mouth mocks justice, then it must mean that a truthful mouth confirms justice.
Pro 19:28 A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
Implications of this commandment:
1. That truth must undergird everything we say or do always because it is the bedrock of socirty and nation.
The court of law must be a court of truth. OT mentioned court of law many times. The court is the place we go to seek justice. When the court is perverted, it is a tragedy to the nation.
John Cooke led the prosecution of King Charles I. He was treatened to be beheaded. He believed no one is above the law. King Charles I was beheaded in the end.
Zec 8:16-17 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; (17) do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD."
2. That our words are our bond.
Mat 5:37 Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
3. That we will enjoy respect from all people.
Pro 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.
4. That wealth made through lying tongue will not last nor be a blessing.
Not only that, it also becomes a snares / a trap. When we work hard and gather our wealth little by little, we treasure it more.
Pro 21:6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
Pro 13:11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
5. The truthful lips will prevail in the end.
This is the testimony of the Scripture again and again, from generation to generation.
Richard Nixon was under tremendous pressure to hand up the tapes he obtained using illegal means. He resigned. Some of his top leaders were implicated and sent to prison. Charles Colson, the Special Counsel of Nixon became a Christian in prison. He was known as the hatchet man because he did all the dirty jobs. He realized he need to work alongside truth and confirm it. Pastor Daniel recommends any books written by Chuck Colson, who has encountered truth.
Pro 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Sin is not just doing the wrong things. Sin is falling off the mark. The tongue is 0.045% of the weight of the whole body. It is the most power and most evil thing in the world.
Questions for discussion
1. Why is it that God hates lies, e.g. Is 59:2-4, and telling the truth is so important and powerful? Share an instance where truth has really brought hope and help to someone’s life. What lesson(s) did you learn from this experience?2. Share an instance where telling the truth hurts. What are the positive outcomes in the end? In what ways can you install and promote truth-telling all the time so that the environment around you is impacted and transformed?
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