All talks » Don't Lie
Bible: Exodus 20:1-17
Speaker: Andrew Sach
“God's Top Ten:
Don't Lieâ€
Exodus 20:16
Bear the Family Likeness of the God of Truth
In the Ten Commandments, God calls his rescued people to be like him
(Exodus 20 cf. Leviticus 11:45)
God “never lies†(Titus 1:2); indeed “it is impossible for God to lie†(Hebrews 6:18)
But the devil is “a liar and the father of lies†(John 8:44)
Christians, having been rescued from our old way of life, are to stop lying and instead bear God’s likeness
(Colossians 3:9-10)
Lying brings harm to our neighbour
False witness can be a means of stealing (e.g. Leviticus 6:1-7; Mark 10:19)
False witness can be a means of killing (e.g. 1 Kings 21:1-19)
False witness can be a means of killing someone’s reputatation - “slander†is a broad term (2 Corinthians 12:20; 1 Peter 2:1)
Lying will be found out (a warning or a comfort)
Sometimes by other people
(cf. Ecclesiastes 10:20; Deuteronomy 19:16-19)
Always by God (e.g. 1 Kings 21:1-19;
Luke 12:3; Acts 5:1-10; Revelation 21:8)
Jesus understands the pain of being slandered; and the joy of being vindicated!
They bore false witness about him
(Matthew 26:59-63)
God vindicated him
(e.g. Acts 2:36)
Better to be slandered, alongside Jesus, than to the the slanderer!
APPLICATION
Don’t be a slanderer
But there is a right way to be a whistleblower (Matthew 18:15-17)
Don’t be quick to believe slander
(Deuteronomy 17:6)
Especially against an elder (1 Timothy 5:19)
Don’t despair when you are slandered
(Revelation 3:9)
Don’t despair if you have been a slanderer
(Colossians 3:9-10)
COFFEE QUESTIONS
How can we develop a slander-free culture at Grace Church Greenwich
What will you do the next time you hear someone slandering a brother or sister?
What will you do the next time you discover that you have been slandered?
What will you do the next time you catch yourself slandering someone?