9th Commandment – You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Pastor S. Collins www.LifePointRenton.org
Exodus 20 v 16; John 8 v 31
Music that goes with this
Blessed be his name – Matt Redman
Don’t give false testimony is the surface level of this commandment but there is more.
1. The reason we are prone to lying is because we are more committed to ourselves than we are committed to the truth.
2. Lies are an assault on the character of God.
3. At the root of every sin is a lie we bought into. It blinds us from the truth.
Things you need to understand about the truth:
1. You will only love the truth when you love Jesus.
2. You will only treasure truth when you treasure God’s word.
3. You will only live out the truth when you live in the Spirit.
Sample of lies
Flattery – say what people want to hear to make them feel good.
Exaggeration – add or subtract to make us feel more important or gain sympathy
Gossip – what you think is not necessarily the truth. Once a lie is released it can never be recaptured. Think of a feather pillow that is cut open in a wind.. You can never get all the feathers back.
Lies alter perception and it lingers long after the truth has come out.
Nature of man
After original sin.. Our first instinct is to hide from the truth.
Our tendancy is to prefer the darkness. Movie Few Good Men – Tom Cruise – “I want the Truth!” Jack Nickelson – “You can’t handle the Truth!”
Satan – is the father of all lies and he uses these kind of tactics
Did God really say that?
Can you really know what God intended?
If we lose confidence in God – in his words – we start to slip.
To have a perception of the truth – weakens it and is something we can’t trust. Moral suicide is to – such as living together in sin
Jesus’s words are truth.
Pilate – a politician – says what needs to be said to get what they want.
Where truth falls…. Justice falls.
At Judgment day – God/Jesus will judge truly.
Problem is not Jesus’s teachings but our hearing.
We have spiritual blindfolds on us. We need to go into the light and see & hear the truth.
Start by – Falling in Love with Jesus
Do I love Jesus?
Do I really love Jesus?
Do I love Jesus with all my heart, mind, body, soul and spirit?
Do I put this love into practice every moment of my life?
If I don’t really love Jesus – all this is in vain.
God’s words open eyes & ears. We are born again through this.
A seed brings new life. In a moment – conception happens in a woman’s body. She doesn’t know it at that moment but a few days later she starts to feel differently. This is the same with the Holy Spirit planting the seed of belief in people from God’s word. This breaks the power of the lie.
John 8:31 “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Jesus is here in our lives 24/7 365days of the year. He is already doing his part – he just wants us to love him and be willing to be used by him. Be awake; Be willing; Speak the Truth.
I suggest you – be humble – be yourself – be real – share your factual story (don’t flatter – don’t exaggerate – you don’t need to quote scripture). Be in love with Jesus and he and the Holy Spirit will do the hard work… you might only be a drop of water or a small ray of light / truth / I’ve been in a similar situation and this is how God helped me. Truth delivered lovingly is what is needed at that moment.