Thou Shalt Not Lie

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. The Significance
• II. The Examples
• III. The Consequences
• IV. The Application

TRANSCRIPT

Tonight, we will consider Exodus 20:16. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour," which is our ninth commandment.

Most people would consider this commandment as a small thing. Breaking it is no big deal. It is not so great a sin. As such, this ninth commandment has been treated by many to be the least of all the Ten Commandments, and it is one that people perceive they can break from time to time. The common misconception is that as long as it does not hurt anyone, it is not as serious as that of murder, adultery, or stealing. So it is all right to have a few lies here and there.

Dear friend, we would deceive ourselves if we really think that the sin of lying is only judged by the effect it has on other people. To say that as long as it does not hurt anyone, it is not so great a sin, it is a terrible assault on God because sin is a transgression of His law. Any disobedience to the law of God is an assault upon the perfect God who demands our absolute obedience. The title of our message is "Thou shalt not lie."

I. The Significance

Our first point is: the Significance. In order to better appreciate the significance of this commandment, we need to understand the historical context in which this commandment was given. To bear false witness is to lie or to give false testimony, and it has the picture of a court of law or a legal system. In the Old Testament, a person's testimony is extremely important in terms of declaring the guilt or innocence of an individual. We'll come to this in a moment.

The word "neighbour" indicates a person within the covenant community. In other words, as the people dwell together, there was this command not to bear false witness when giving testimony against another member of the covenant community. But in the gospel of Luke 10:27, Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” Then a certain lawyer, wanting to justify himself, asked, "Who is my neighbour?" And Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, declaring that all men are our neighbour. So it is not just within the community of believers, but we must not bear false witness against anyone.

In the ancient world, the judicial system was filled with abuse. The accused had little protection. A person was considered guilty unless proven innocent. Unlike today, a person is considered innocent unless proven guilty. In the ancient world, there was little or no forensic evidence, and obviously, there's no such thing as DNA or blood samples. So almost everything depended on those eyewitnesses’ account, or those who were giving testimony. That was why God demanded absolute honesty and truthfulness. And to make sure that justice was maintained, He commanded that there must not be a conviction based upon the mouth of one witness. There had to be two or three witnesses. Deuteronomy 19:15 said, “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”

All of us must bear in mind that God has a very high regard for truth and justice, and there are severe penalties for those who bear false testimonies. Deuteronomy 19:16-19 said that if a person testified against another man falsely and that man was found guilty and he was punished, the person who gave false testimony shall receive the same punishment as the victim. In other words, if you testify against your neighbour falsely and the penalty is death, and you are guilty of bearing false witness, you will lose your own life. That was just how serious it was.

II. The Examples

Now let us consider the examples of bearing false witness. Most people would agree that lying is wrong. And as we have mentioned a moment ago, they have this misconception that as long as it does not hurt anyone, it is not so great a sin. That is the reason why so many people are dishonest. Most people lie for a reason, although some are compulsive liars. People have different motivations as to why they lie. They have a reason why they do not tell the truth.

So let us consider some of the reasons why people break the ninth commandment. Some people lie because of malice. They lie to hurt others. They lie to get what they want or to do evil against someone else. Some people lie because of fear. They are fearful of what would happen if they admit the truth. They are dishonest because they fear the consequences of telling the truth. Some people lie because they want to profit from the lie. There's something to gain when they misrepresent the truth. There's a story of a farmer who brought his horse to the vet and he complained about the horse. One day he limps and the next day he doesn't limp. The vet advised him, ‘Well, sell him on the day he doesn't limp.’ His advice was to misrepresent. And sometimes this is what people do. They misrepresent the truth in order to profit from it. This is so common in our society.

Some people lie by being parties of dishonesty by not saying anything. We know that the thing someone said is not true, but we just keep quiet and follow on with the lie. We just pretend as if everything is all right. A pastor once told this story of a woman in his church who just got married, and she found out that her husband was a homosexual. The woman broke down and said to the pastor, ‘Many of my friends told me that they already knew this before we got married, but they said nothing to me. And these were the same people who attended my wedding. These were the same people who shook my hand and congratulated me.’ When we know something is wrong or something is sinful and we do not confront it or speak the truth, we become party to the dishonesty.

Some people lie when they stretch the truth by adding to it. When you add to the truth, you actually subtract from it because you make the truth less true. You need to add to it in order to make it more truthful, but in fact, you are doing the opposite. Others lie when they omit the truth. Some people lie because they love to gossip, and most of the time, they add to the truth. Gossip particularly tears down the reputation of another person. There's this interesting statement about the difference between reputation and character. It says, ‘Reputation is what people think of you; character is what you really are. And gossip kills both of them.’ How true! Gossip destroys the reputation of the person you are speaking evil of, and it destroys your own character because it exposes what you really are.

There's another thing about gossip that we must understand. It takes two people to gossip. Thomas Watson, the Puritan, once said, ‘He that raises a slander carries the devil in his tongue; he that receives it carries the devil in his ears.’ It takes two people to make gossip possible. One has to speak it; someone else has to receive it. And both are guilty. You don't have to receive it; you don't have to speak it. But when two willing parties come together, great damage can take place, and you end up breaking the ninth commandment.

Some people lie to avoid the pain, discomfort, or inconveniences. Sometimes telling the truth will cause you something; in a sense, it hurts to be honest. A story was told of four friends who decided to go shopping instead of going to school. As a result, they were late for class, and when they arrived, one of the girls explained that they had a flat tire, and that was why they were late. That was a lie. The teacher accepted the excuse, and the girls were relieved that the teacher believed the lie. Then the teacher said to them, ‘Since you missed the quiz, you have to take it now. Please sit in the four corner seats of the room without talking.’ She immediately divided them and said, ‘I'm going to ask you just one question, and if you answer it correctly, you get an immediate A. Take the piece of paper, write the answer to this question: Which tire of the car was flat?’ Well, you know what happened. They did not discuss that in advance. The teacher found out that there were three different tires that were flat. Yes, some people lie to avoid the pain, discomfort, or inconveniences.

Dear friends, people lie about so many things. A lot of people lie on their income tax returns to the tune of millions a year. Doctors falsify reports in order to profit from Medicare patients. Gifted athletes, when they go to universities, their grades are fixed. We hear about that all the time. Our children grow up with this mindset that lying is a normal way of life, so they become cynical when we tell them to speak the truth. This ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour," is so blatantly violated in our society today, even in our churches.

One way or another, depraved men and women have difficulty with telling the truth. They lie on a daily basis. As believers, we must have no part in that. We must not behave like that.

III. The Consequences

Let us move on and see what the Bible says about the consequences of disobeying the ninth commandment. The Bible equates lying with great wickedness. Psalm 58:3 says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” Those who lie are called the wicked. The Bible equates the lying tongue with that of Satan. Remember, Jesus said in John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Those who lie are called the children of the devil. The Bible equates lying as a sin that is consistent with those unbelievers who will ultimately be judged. Revelation 21:8 says, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” The sin of lying is not a small thing. It is mentioned as one of the sins of those who will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

The Bible equates lying as a sin that God abominates. I think we are all very familiar with Proverbs 6:16-19. “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Notice the seven things that God hates, two of them have to do with lying and bearing false witness.

Our Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”(John 14:6). And he went on to say in verse 15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Christ is the revelation of God's truth, the ultimate demonstration of truth. As believers, we must obey him. We love him; we must keep his commandments, including the ninth commandment. The Apostle John attached this obedience to the essence of knowing Christ. He said in 1 John 2:4, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Disregarding the commandments of God, including the ninth commandment, makes us liars, and the truth is not in us. How can we do that?

I was trying to find from the Bible an example of someone lying and facing the consequence of lying. I noticed there are many examples in the Bible. There was the serpent who lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden. There was Jacob who tricked his brother into selling his birthrights. There were the lying prophets who criticised Jeremiah. And there were all the people who spoke lies about Jesus Christ. But I think the most terrifying example in the Bible is the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5.

They were members of the first church in Jerusalem. In those days, the believers were one in heart and mind. They shared everything they had. From time to time, those believers who owned lands and houses would sell them and distribute the money they had to those who were in need. One such example was a man called Joses, a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus. He was not even from Jerusalem. He sold his land, brought the money, and laid it at the feet of the apostles to be distributed to the people in need. And the apostles gave him the name Barnabas, which means ‘son of consolation’ (Acts 4:37).

Well, Ananias and Sapphira must have seen what Barnabas did and how his offering enhanced his reputation in the church. To be called a son of consolation was truly an encouragement. How can it not be so? So they wanted that. And what did they do when they sold their possession or property? They kept a certain portion of the money and gave the impression that they had offered everything. They had the right to keep the money, but remember they wanted to be like Barnabas. They wanted to be recognised for their great generosity.

Then Peter said to Ananias, ‘Why have you allowed Satan to fill your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? You are not lying to men but to God.’ Upon hearing those words, Ananias fell down dead. The young men came in, carried his body out, and buried it. Three hours later, Sapphira came in, and she did the same thing as her husband. Then Peter said to her, ‘Why have both of you agreed to test the Spirit of God? Those men who carried and buried your husband, they are at the door; they shall also carry you out.’ Immediately she fell down dead, and they buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the church and upon as many as heard these things. You can read about that in Acts 5:1-11.

The problem was not what Ananias and Sapphira did or did not do, but what they said. They lied. How can anyone lie to God and expect to get away with it? It is impossible. Can you imagine the picture? One day, Ananias and Sapphira were in church worshipping, perhaps like what we do in church, singing hymns and going for Bible studies, and the next moment, in a matter of three hours difference, they were both dead. Would you then say that breaking the ninth commandment is no big deal? It is not so great a sin as long as it does not hurt anyone? It is all right? God forbids lying; it is a sin against the God of all truth.

Dear friend, if not for the mercies of God, how many people will be like Ananias and Sapphira, including you and me? May the Lord have mercy on us. We must take this ninth commandment very seriously.

IV. The Application

Finally, allow me to end with three practical points on how we can obey this ninth commandment. This is our final point: the Application.

Firstly, to let the word of truth dwell in us. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ” - which is also the word of truth - “dwell in you richly in all wisdom”. It is to let the word of God dominate our thinking and dominate our actions. As the word of God moves in our hearts, it is that which the Holy Spirit will direct our paths. The only way you and I can be walking and yielding to the Spirit of God is to have spiritual thoughts, and the only way we can have spiritual thoughts is to continuously feed ourselves with the word of God. So, if we want to be truthful people, we must feed on the word of truth.

A man was trying to teach his children the sanctifying power of God's word, but no matter how hard he tried, his children could not appreciate the importance or the benefit of studying God's word. They did not seem to understand. So, he used an illustration. He took a waste paper basket, the ones with holes around it, and he said to them, ‘Your life is like a waste paper basket.’ And he asked them to fill it with water. The children did as they were told, but the water seeped through the holes. The father said, ‘Well, do it again.’ They did it several times, but the water still seeped through the holes. Finally, they were frustrated and said to him, ‘Well, it is useless. It is of no use. We cannot fill the waste paper basket with water; it cannot contain water.’ The father said to them, ‘Now look at the basket. Is it much cleaner than before?’ This may not be the best of all illustrations, but the point is that as Christians, we ought to let the word of God flow in and through our lives, sanctify our hearts, cleansing our hearts, so that you and I may be truthful.

Secondly, to speak the truth with love. We must decide that we are going to speak the truth no matter what happens, even if it will cost us something. We still want to speak the truth. But there is one big problem. There are some people who will speak the truth but without love. So, the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:15, "Speaking the truth with love." Believers ought to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. And part of being the salt and the light is to speak the truth, but we speak the truth with an attitude of love, not with a holier-than-thou attitude, not to condemn others, not to look down on others, but with love. We must communicate our faith with love. Sometimes when we speak the truth, people may be offended, they may be hurt, but we still need to speak the truth, and we do it with the motivation of love.

Thirdly, to live every moment of our lives in the presence of God. As we have discussed at the beginning, bearing false witness has the picture of a court of law or a legal system. In a court, we always have the judge who sits at the top. Everything that is discussed in the court is extremely important because it is done in the presence of the judge. When we speak, we are not only speaking or testifying against our neighbour alone, we are testifying in the presence of a judge. And who is this ultimate judge? The Bible says, "Who shall judge the quick and the dead," (2 Timothy 4:1) is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the judge of all men.

2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” So all of us, whether pastors, preachers, congregation, parents, or children, we must give an account to the ultimate judge, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the things we have done, for the things we have said, whether they are true or false. God knows and sees all things, including the innermost of our hearts and the deep thoughts of our minds. He desires truth in us, not just on the outside but on the inside as well. You and I cannot deceive God, we cannot fool the creator of the universe. We may fool the people around us, but not Him. When we speak something, God knows whether it is completely true of us.

Dear friend, there are many ways in which we can bear false witness, there are many ways in which we can violate this ninth commandment. But as Christians, we have to be people of honesty, integrity, and truth. If we love our Lord Jesus, we must keep His commandments. Are you such a person? You can be such a person if you let the word of truth dwell in your heart, if you speak the truth with love, and if you live every moment of your life in the presence of God. And it is a true fact that we are all living in the presence of the Almighty God, who knows our thoughts, our deeds, and also our speech. And He says, "Thou shalt not lie." May each and every one of us always seek to obey this ninth commandment.

Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for this passage of scriptures, and we pray that we may be a people of truth. We may be a people who will speak the truth with love, and we may be a people who will live our lives with this awareness of Thy presence. We pray that Thou will forgive us for the times in which we have lied or we have misrepresented the truth. Oh Lord, forgive us for times whereby we have deceived others, whether it be in our workplaces, in the society, even in the church, or in our family. Forgive us and cleanse us by the precious blood of Thy only begotten Son. Help us, empower us by Thy Spirit, that all of us who are here this evening will take heed and be hearers of Thy Word, not just hearers but doers as well, so that we may be found pleasing and acceptable in Thy sight. May the Spirit of God empower us that we will obey the ninth commandment. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

Exodus 1:1-7

From Prosperity to Persecution

From Prosperity to Persecution

Exodus 1:8-14

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

Exodus 1:15-21

The Faith of Jochebed

The Faith of Jochebed

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Moses in Egypt

Moses in Egypt

Exodus 2:11-15

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Exodus 2:16-25

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-9

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Exodus 3:10-15

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:10-15

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

Exodus 3:16-22

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

Exodus 4:1-9

Send Someone Else

Send Someone Else

Exodus 4:10-17

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-20

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

Exodus 5:10-21

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

Exodus 5:22-6:5

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Exodus 6:6-12

Faithful or Unfaithful

Faithful or Unfaithful

Exodus 6:13-27

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

Exodus 6:28-7:7

The First Plague - The River of Blood

The First Plague - The River of Blood

Exodus 7:14-25

The Second Plague - The Frogs

The Second Plague - The Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15

The Third Plague

The Third Plague

Exodus 8:16-19

The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

The Fifth Plague

The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9:1-7

The Sixth Plague

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-35

The Eighth Plague

The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10:1-20

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plague

Exodus 11:1-10

The First Passover

The First Passover

Exodus 12:1-13

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-28

Departure From Egypt

Departure From Egypt

Exodus 12:29-42

This Do In Remembrance of Me

This Do In Remembrance of Me

Exodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

Redemption and Consecration

Redemption and Consecration

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Exodus 13:17-22

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-14

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14:15-31

The Song of Praise

The Song of Praise

Exodus 15:1-21

Will You Obey Or Not?

Will You Obey Or Not?

Exodus 15:22-27

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

Exodus 16:1-3

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

Exodus 16:1-10

The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

Exodus 16:11-20

Lessons About the Sabbath

Lessons About the Sabbath

Exodus 16:21-36

Do Not Test God

Do Not Test God

Exodus 17:1-17

Lift Up Your Hands

Lift Up Your Hands

Exodus 17:8-16

The Blessedness of Reunion

The Blessedness of Reunion

Exodus 18:1-12

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Exodus 18:13-27

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

Exodus 19:1-6

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Exodus 19:7-15

God Reached Out And Spoke

God Reached Out And Spoke

Exodus 19:16-25

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Exodus 20:1-3

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Exodus 20:4-6

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Exodus 20:7

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Exodus 20:13

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Exodus 20:15

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Exodus 20:16

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17

The Response To The Ten Commandments

The Response To The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:18-21

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

Exodus 33:12-23