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
7/ we lie when we flatter other people
8/ we lie when we say things that are untrue about other people
9/ we lie when we have a hidden motive
10/ we lie when we tell only half the truth
11/ we lie when we exaggerate
12/ we lie when we cover up our past sins
2 Samuel 11: 1 – 12:
11: 1-5 David commits adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba
11: 6-25 David adds to his sins by having Uriah killed in battle
11: 27a David took Bathsheba as one of his wives
Like King David, we live a lie by covering up our sins/keeping them private, but, eventually God will make our sins public!
11: 27b ‘the Lord was displeased with what David had done’
2 Samuel 12: 1-9 how humiliating for David!
God goes further than just humiliating David publically, he punishes David, Bathsheba and David’s family
10 David’s family would ‘live by the sword’
11a David’s own family would rebel against him
11b David’s wives would be raped in public
12! ‘What you did in secret/I (the Lord) will punish in full/public/national view’
14 David’s child with Bathsheba would die
Even though David eventually confessed his sin, and God forgave him, he could not escape the consequences of lying
Psalm 32: 3-5
So, don’t cover up your sins of the past – don’t lie, tell the truth!
13/ we lie when we create fake news/an ‘alibi’ to cover up our past sins
This example of lying is a sophistication upon # 11
Genesis 37: 18-28
Joseph’s brothers intended to kill their brother Joseph but spared his life by selling him into slavery in Egypt
Then, they created fake news/an ‘alibi’ to cover up their sins
29-32
When we lie, we hurt other people
33-35
Later, God promotes Joseph in Egypt and exposes the brother’s lies
Genesis 45: 1-3
They were ‘speechless’ – they had no defense for their devious actions and lies
Joseph explains that despite their sins against him, God used him to save his father Jacob and his brothers and their families
Genesis 45: 3-11, Genesis 50: 14-21
How do you think history remembers Joseph’s brothers?
They were liars!
How do you think history remembers Joseph?
A man of the highest integrity!
A man who could not be faulted, a man who understood God’s purposes for his life, a man who forgave those who sinned against him, a man who saved his people, a man who is an Old Testament ‘type’/picture of Jesus Christ Himself
What kind of person do you want to be remembered as?
So, don’t create fake news/ an ‘alibi’ to cover up your past sins – don’t lie, tell the truth!
revdotdavid 