Please, Tell The Truth # 6 Identifying The Lies We Tell (Part 3)

Jesus said (John 14: 12) ‘I tell you the truth’

As followers of Jesus we too must tell the truth

Sadly, sometimes, we don’t tell the truth

Sometimes, instead of telling the truth, we tell lies

Over the last few weeks we have been identifying the lies we tell

1/ we lie when we oppose the truth

2/ we lie when we hide the truth

3/ we lie when we use blame

4/ we lie when we say ‘I don’t know’ – when we do know

5/ we lie when we say ‘I will’ – but what we really mean is, ‘I won’t

6/ we lie when we make excuses

Making excuses is a very popular way of lying

Real Life examples:

Not going to work:
I woke up in a good mood and didn’t want to ruin it by going to work
I accidentally got on a plane instead of going to work

Not going to school:
Dear School: Please excuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33.
Please excuse Philip for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea and his boots leak.
Please excuse David for being absent yesterday. It was his father’s fault.

For car crashes:
The pedestrian had no idea which direction to run, so I ran over him
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.

Insurance claims:
You informed me that there is no such thing as theft between a husband and wife -you obviously don’t know my wife

Not going to Church:
I’ve worked all week so I’m too tired to go.
I’m sorry I can’t come to church because I’m all out of peanut butter.
A mother was trying to get her son out of bed to go to Church. The son said ‘No, I’m not going’. The mother said ‘why not’? The son said, ‘the people at church don’t like me’, the mother said, ‘son, you have to go to church – you are the pastor’

As Christians we must be very careful not to make excuses – it’s lying

Exodus 32: 21-24

24 ‘out came this calf’

Because of Aaron’s foolishness and lying, God brought judgement upon the people of God

Exodus 32: 25-28

Dear friends, don’t make excuses – don’t lie, tell the truth

7/ we lie when we flatter other people

Definition: we ‘flatter’ other people when we say something nice about someone (that may not be true) hoping they will do us a favor

Real Life Example: Young singles may use flattery to attract a husband or a wife who has money

Do you know the saying ‘no money, no honey’?

Young single woman says to a young single man ‘Oh, you are so handsome’

Young single man says to a young single woman ‘Oh, you are so beautiful’

1 Thessalonians 2:5 ‘Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money’!

Daniel 6: 3-9

7 ‘prays…to you’ (they used flattery to trick the King)

Daniel 6: 10 Daniel refused to pray to the King

Daniel 6: 16-17 Daniel is thrown to the lions

Daniel 6: 19-24 Flattery will get you into trouble!

Job 32:22 ‘For if I tried flattery, my Creator would soon destroy me’

Dear friends, don’t use flattery to get a favor – don’t lie, tell the truth!

THE TRUTH CONFRONTED

Guest Contributor: Carmen Gasilao PhD

We believe that JESUS is the revealed TRUTH of the FATHER.
We believe that the BIBLE is God’s revealed WORD for us today.
Although men have attempted to destroy the WORD through the ages, still it stands.
PSALM 119: 89-91 Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. 90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.91 Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.

Today as we turn to Matthew 4:1-11, we shall see
how the TRUTH (Jesus) was confronted by the LIAR himself

A. Before looking into the passage, it would be good to be reminded who this arch enemy is.
• John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
 The devil is also a father and has sons who do his bidding.
 Murderer from the beginning
 Father of lies and his native language is lying (no truth in him)
• Ephesians 2:1-2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
 Unbelievers follow the world system under the evil one
 Ruler of the kingdom of the air
 At work in those who are disobedient
• John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly
 Thief whose mission: steal, kill destroy

B. Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
• Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
• Satan targeted the physical senses – Jesus’ hunger
• Note that food has been used time and time again by Satan – Eve, Esau, Jesus.
• Satan challenged Jesus – If (Since) You are the Son of God…gratify your desires, why should you be hungry? Just change some stones to bread!
• Jesus response: It is better to obey God than to have all the food to eat.

SOME LIES:
 LIVE FOR TODAY AND SATISFY YOUR CRAVINGS, THIS MAY NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.
 EVERYTHING YOUR PHYSICAL BODY NEEDS IS IMPORTANT AND IT HAS TO BE SATISFIED NOW OR YOU WILL NEVER BE HAPPY.
 YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING FOR AS LONG AS YOU GIVE THANKS TO GOD. (BUT YOU KNOW YOU’RE DIABETIC; YOUR CHOLESTEROL LEVEL IS HIGH.)
 YOU WILL NEVER BE COMPLETE UNLESS YOU HAVE THIS ____.

C. Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands,so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
• Satan does not give up easily.
• Satan brings Jesus to the holy place. He can enter even churches.
• Satan knows the Bible (Psalm 91:11, 12) – declaration of trust.
• Satan wanted Jesus to do something spectacular to demonstrate that He is mighty.
• Jesus response: My trust is perfect and I do not need to do anything heroic to prove. I will not test God’s word by doing something foolish – at your prompting.

SOME LIES:
 GO AHEAD BUY THAT PAIR OF SHOES, YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE IT..SWIPE YOUR CREDIT CARD TO THE LIMIT, GOD WILL PROVIDE.
 JUST THIS ONCE, GO AHEAD AND DO WHAT YOU WANT (SINFUL), NO ONCE CAN SEE. GOD WILL SURELY FORGIVE YOU.
 GIVE THAT BIG AMOUNT OF MONEY TO THE CHURCH. SHOW PEOPLE HOW GENEROUS YOU ARE. SURELY GOD IS BOUND TO RETURN THAT BACK TO YOU A HUNDRED-FOLD.

D. Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’’
• Satan not only perseveres, he becomes blatant and bold.
• Satan wants to prevent the work of Jesus and His purpose for coming to earth.
• Satan is a liar and he would never give his kingdoms: warring, conflicting powers and races in the world.
• Jesus’ response: Away from me Satan! Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.
• This is the cardinal truth of Scripture: worship God only.

SOME LIES:
 HAVING ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD TO ACQUIRE WHAT YOU WANT IS THE BEST LIFE – THIS IS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR HIS CHILDREN.
 YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD. JUST FOLLOW YOUR HEART. OBEY YOUR FEELINGS. TRUST YOUR FEELINGS.
 LEAVE GOD OUT OF YOUR LIFE, WORSHIP ME (SATAN). I CAN MAKE YOU FULFILLED.

HOW DID JESUS DEAL WITH THE LIES OF SATAN?

1) Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit of God. (Luke 4:18)
2) Jesus knew Scripture and He used in its proper context to silence the devil.(Matthew 22:29)
3) Jesus was set to only do the will of the Father and nothing else. (John 6:38)

HOW WILL THIS APPLY TO ME?

1) Believe God and keep (study, meditate, memorize, obey) His Word.
Numbers 23:19 God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
2) Make up my mind to always choose to do the right thing.
Daniel 1:8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself…
3) Be aware that the devil does not give up with his mission.
Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes

Please, Tell The Truth # 5 identifying the lies that we tell (Part 2)

Jesus said (John 14: 12) ‘I tell you the truth’

As followers of Jesus we too must tell the truth

Last week we began our quest for telling the truth by identifying the lies that we tell

1/ we lie when we oppose the truth

2/ we lie when we hide the truth

3/ we lie when we use blame

Genesis 3: 11b-13

Both Adam and Eve disobeyed God and both used blame for their sin

12-13 Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the devil

The truth is; it was Adam’s responsibility to obey God and warn his wife not to eat of the forbidden fruit!

Sometimes, we do the same when we use blame instead of obeying God

Real Life Example: many years ago I had a difficult conversation with a pastor friend of mine – he was married, but had an affair, he cheated on his wife

When we talked, he said to me “Our marriage was failing”

Instead of confessing his disobedience to God – he blamed his marriage for his affair

This man’s affair caused a lot of hurt:

It hurt his ministry – he had to resign as the pastor and he left the Church

It hurt his wife and his children – he separated from his wife, going to live with his new girlfriend, and his wife left him and took the children with her

More importantly, it hurt the Name of the Lord

Dear friends, when we disobey God, don’t use blame; don’t lie about it – tell the truth!

4/ we lie when we say ‘I don’t know’ – when we do know

Genesis 4: 8-9a

Did Cain know where his brother was?

Yes, of course!

He was lying to God to escape responsibility for Abel’s death!

Matthew 21: 23-27a

24-25a Jesus asked the Jewish Religious Leaders a question

25b-27a Instead of answering Jesus honestly, they lied to Jesus to escape their responsibility to believe in Him – they said ‘We don’t know’

Sometimes, we do the same,

This Example Is Completely Made Up:

One day, Jennifer says to me, “David, Did you spend a $100 of our grocery money on buying lotto tickets”?

I say ‘I dunno’

Graphic: Muppets ‘I dunno’

Dear friends, don’t say ‘I don’t know’ when you do know – don’t lie, tell the truth!

5/ we lie when we say ‘I will’ – but what we really mean is, ‘I won’t

Jacob’s son’s lied to some of the foreign men living in Israel that they would inter-marry with them (this was forbidden by God)

Genesis 34: 16 ’we will give you our daughters, and we will take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people’

They said ‘we will’, but what they really meant was, ‘we won’t’

25-26 A few days later Jacob’s sons attacked and killed the foreign men they had lied to

Sometimes, we do the same thing, we say ‘I will’, but what we really mean is ‘I won’t’

Real Life Example: as a pastor my heart is for the spiritual growth and maturity of God’s people

Me: ‘Will you be in Church on Sunday’?

Them: ‘Yes pastor, I will’

Then, on Sunday, they are not in Church – they said, ‘I will’, but for them it was easier to lie to me, when they really meant, ‘I won’t’

Then, when I text them and say ‘Where were you on Sunday’?

They reply, ‘Oh sorry pastor, I was sick’

‘I was sick’ is code for ‘I was lying’

2 Corinthians 1: 17b ‘Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”?’

Dear friends, don’t say ‘I will’ when you really mean ‘I won’t’ – don’t lie, tell the truth!

Ephesians 4: 21 ‘(you) have learned the truth that comes from Him (Jesus)’

Please, Tell The Truth # 4 Identifying the lies that we tell

Jesus said (John 14: 12) ‘I tell you the truth’

As followers of Jesus we too must tell the truth

Ephesians 4: 21 ‘you…have learned the truth that comes from Him (Jesus)’

Sadly, sometimes we don’t tell the truth, sometimes we tell lies

Ephesians 4: 25a ‘So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth’

Let’s move on now in our quest for the truth by identifying the lies that we tell

(Throughout these messages I will be using real life examples from my 30+ years of pastoral ministry – these situations happened a long time ago with people you do not know)

1/ we lie when we oppose the truth

God had told Adam and Eve that if they ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die

This is the truth – Genesis 2: 16-17

The devil convinced Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit by putting doubt in their minds about God’s Word

Genesis 3: 1 READ ‘Did God really say…’

While Adam and Eve were considering this suggestion (Genesis 3: 2-3), the devil told them an outright lie opposing the truth

Genesis 3: 4a ‘You won’t die’

Genesis 3: 6 ‘the woman was convinced…he ate it too.’

Adam and Eve became partners with the devil in opposing the truth

Adam and Eve became liars too – opposing the truth of God’s Word!

Genesis 3: 12-13

When we oppose the truth our life becomes a lie

Real Life example: God’s Word – the truth – is very clear that marriage, between a man and a woman, is the only place for a sexual relationship

1 Corinthians 7:2 ‘because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband’.

Many years ago an old man came to see me and said he was suicidal because a young girl in our Church was accusing him of sexually abusing her

I contacted the mother of the girl, who was also in our church, and asked her to bring her daughter, and together come see me about this issue

They did

The girl told me that she went to the old man’s home after school to drink beer with him, and it was on one of these occasions that he sexually assaulted her

Then the mother of the girl confessed to me that she was having an affair with the old man

I urged the mother to break off her relationship with the old man and stop her daughter from going to his home after school

After that, they never came back to our church and I never saw the old man again either!

What happened?

The mother and daughter were in our church, but they were living a lie!

Sadly, many Christians, throughout the Body of Christ, are living the same lie – they indulge in sexual immorality and turn up in Church on Sunday

And, even worse, they think that what they are doing is OK!

And, they explain it away, just like Adam and Eve did, by saying things like…

“Oh, I made a mistake, we only slept together once”

Let me say this:

Firstly, sleeping together was not a mistake – you deliberately did it

Secondly, there was no sleeping involved

Today, we are seeing an avalanche of immorality in the Church world-wide

The divorce rate amongst Christians is equal, possibly higher, than the divorce rate amongst non-Christians

Openly gay, lesbian and transvestite people are demanding inclusion in all areas of Church life

The post-modern (post-truth) churches allow all this in the ‘name’ of relevance, tolerance and equality

God calls it sin!

Dear friends, you know the truth, don’t doubt God’s Word, don’t oppose the truth, don’t lie, – tell the truth!

2/ we lie when we hide the truth

Genesis 3: 1-6

The devil’s lie to Adam and Eve was successful because he hide the truth under the false promise of great blessing

Genesis 3: 5 ‘you will be like God’

That sounds fantastic doesn’t it?!

There is a problem – it’s not true!

Sadly, even with good intentions, we use this lie too, we hide the truth when we witness to our unsaved friends and family

Real Life example: “Come to Jesus and your Life will be blessed”

“God will make your life better”

“God will heal you”

“You will prosper in your finances”

If someone makes a decision for Christ based on these promises of blessings – and, after some time goes by these promises don’t come true

The person will reject the Christian life saying “It’s not true – I didn’t get blessed as I was promised”

When we witness to our friends and family we need to tell them the right reason to be saved

We are sinners and deserving of God’s condemnation
Romans 3: 10-18

But, through Jesus death on the cross we are saved by believing in Him! Romans 3: 25a

Dear friends, don’t hide the truth under the promise of great blessings, don’t lie, – tell the truth!

Please, Tell The Truth # 3 Consumed by the truth (Part 2)

Jesus said (John 14: 12) ‘I tell you the truth’

As followers of Jesus we too must tell the truth

With 30 years of pastoral experience I can say that we Christians often struggle to tell the truth

Ephesians 4: 25 ‘So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth’

To tell the truth we need a firm foundation of truth in our lives

2 Timothy 2: 19 ‘God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone’

So, what is a firm foundation of truth?

A firm foundation of truth in our lives is a deep resource of truth within us, a resource of truth that grows to consume us so that we become truth in the flesh – only then do we truly become like Jesus!

We can deepen that resource of truth within us when we…

1/ Love and accept the truth of God’s word

2/ Ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth

3/ Read our Bible every day and bring our Bible to Church

Let’s continue today…

4/ Obey the truth of God’s Word

Psalm 19: 7-8, 10, 11b the Word of God brings great benefits and blessing into our lives

7a ‘reviving the soul’ – great! I want that

7b ‘making wise the simple’ – great! I want that.

8a ‘bringing joy to the heart’ – great! I want that.

10 – great! I want that.

What we often forget is the benefits and blessings of God’s Word are conditional upon us obeying His Word

11b ‘a great reward for those who obey them’

5/ Become devoted to the teaching of God’s Word

Acts 2: 42a ‘all the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching’

Christians without a firm foundation of truth in their lives are consumers only, they are chronically immature Christians – they are forever babies

Hebrews 5: 11-13

12b ‘you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s Word’

Illustrate: Ps’s T & S, new baby Elijah Paul

Wouldn’t you think it was strange if in one year’s time Elijah Paul was just the same as he was at 2 months old?

How about, 5 years old, 15 years old, 25 years old!

Many Christians are like this – they don’t grow, they never mature into fully formed men and woman of God

They remain consumers only, they don’t seem to listen and are spiritually dull (Hebrews 5: 11b)

Now, contrast that with those who are devoted to God’s Word

They are growing maturing Christians who are able to contribute to the blessing of others from the deep resource of truth within them

12a ‘teaching others’

Hebrews 5: 14

6/ defend the truth of God’s Word

Acts 20: 28-30

28a ‘So guard yourselves and God’s people’

If you can’t guard the truth that God has given you, you will never be able to guard God’s people!
Illustration: Guard yourself against the avalanche of attacks against the truth

These attacks come from ‘fake’ news, ‘fake’ science and education, from the media and from false teachers within the Body of Christ

29-30

Example: ‘When Bad Things Happen To Good People’ – Harold Kushner

1981 hugely popular book sold in Christian bookstores world-wide

Page 136 top paragraph

Are you able to defend the truth of God’s Word?

2 Corinthians 11:4 ‘You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed’.

7/ Tell the truth

When we tell the truth to others, they will be blessed – Right!?

2 Corinthians 7: 13-14 13b ‘we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease. 14 I had told him how proud I was of you — and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true’!

There is also a 2nd benefit when we tell the truth – we are blessed too!

Ephesians 4: 15a ‘(when) we will speak the truth in love, (we) grow (ing) in every way more and more like Christ’

Dear friends, in conclusion, do these 7 things and you will deepen the resource of truth within you and it will become a firm foundation!

2 Thessalonians 2:10 10 He (the devil) will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them’.

In this series of messages we are talking about telling the truth

Telling the truth is the result of deepening the resource of truth within us

Ephesians 4: 21 (we have) ‘learned the truth that comes from Him’

Next week: we will continue our quest for truth by identifying the lies we so easily tell