March 6-13, 2022
Sermon Part 6 (B): “The Truth about Lying: A Lie Can Not Stand!”
Praise the Lord everyone! This is going to be a hard but necessary Message today to everyone in the body of Christ. I am just going to start out with this graphic illustration on “Lying.” This message today is very direct and straightforward. If you are a teller of lies—stop it now!
The picture above illustrates a man with an unbridled tongue, habitually speaking lies. Frankly, the picture correctly illustrates the lives of many Christians today who choose to tell lies rather than the truth.
If you notice in the illustration, the only hopeful thing we can find, is that the man’s eyes are closed while spewing out lie after lie. That is because the man is being portrayed as having a conscious. When most people engage in lying their facial and/or body language changes and blood pressure increases—signaling that an untruth is being told to others.
Their conscious, the mind of the soul, is trying to warn and constrain them from telling the lie, and desires for them to come clean and tell the truth. Even after a lie has been told. But so often, the human brain and its carnal ways influenced by the devil, overrides their better judgement and wisdom of telling the truth—and the person rests instead on letting the lie stand as truth.
Moreover, there are some people who are habitual, chronic, or pathological liars and have perfected the art of lying, such that they can lie without making any noticeable physical inflection. They even have the audacity to be proud and smug about their ability to lie and deceive people. Some people can lie so effectively that they can tell lies and pass a Lie Detection Examination administered by law authorities.
Still, notice though in the illustration, the man’s tongue is on fire, and that is exactly what lying does. See James 3:5-6. Lying not only sets your pants on fire, as the expression goes, but sets your whole life ablaze, and sadly many times causes the lives of others to be injured and ruined.
I tell you, one sure fire-way to ensure that your world will come tumbling and crashing down all around you, is through “speaking lies.” Whether your lies for now remain secret, or have been exposed publicly, lies will eventually cause you to see many evil days upon the earth and shorten your human life span. Lying ability makes your life a liability!
Ultimately lying, as we will see shortly, will bring you down to an eternal place called, the “Lake of Fire,” with company I assure you, you do not want to keep.
Right now, let’s sober up and examine ourselves, just as we did last week when we talked about “Speaking Evil.”
Every one of us has told lies—both before and after we became born-again Christians. Oh please, let’s not start out this Sermon getting puffed-up with pride and acting as if we have never lied as Christians. To say as much would be a lie!
Among the very first audible words you uttered to your parents was “no.” At times, at anything your parents asked or told you to do—you replied immediately “No.” From the time you were but a young child you started telling lies, to one degree or another, and followed that pattern into adulthood. For example, as a young child, when you ate the last cookie in the Cookie Jar, and were asked about it, by your mother, you denied having eaten the cookie.
As a teenager, you likely left out of the house, even though your parents specifically told you not to, and then when you returned home you lied about where you had gone. Even as an adult you likely have to one degree or another falsified information on employee time-cards attesting that you arrived and clocked out of work at a certain time, tax documents claiming certain deductions, or exaggerated your credentials on employment applications and resumes.
Consider this: For sure, you consider yourself, and have made claims of being a law-abiding citizen of the United States. Yet, you have jaywalked against pedestrian walk signals, discarded trash in the street, broken the driving speed limit and/or texted while driving.
And, yet some of you may still be sitting here thinking that you do not have a problem with telling lies. But, I assure you this message includes you, and you need the Lord’s help to overcome lying.
National data suggest that Americans, including born-again Christians, have issues with lying. I have seen all kinds of studies and statistics on the frequency in which the average person tells a lie daily, ranging from about, 2-per day, to as many as 200 times per-day.
Moreover, authors of the book, “The Day America Told the Truth,” James Patterson and Peter Kim estimated that “91 percent” of Americans lie on a daily basis. If this is true, given that Christianity remains the predominant religion practiced in the United States, then likely you and most other Christians are daily tellers of lies.
Even recently, CNN News reported that Former President Donald Trump, serving as the leader of the free world, completed his term in office reportedly having told 30,573 lies while in office—an average of about 21-lies told per day. Of course we wish no evil upon any man, and pray for the former President. But, the truth is if he does not repent of his lies, evil will cause him and his words to fall to the ground.
“The Truth about Lying is a Lie Can Never Stand!”
Listen again, as we taught last week, from the admonishment of the Apostle Peter recorded at I Peter 3:10. It reads,
For he that will love life, and see good days,
let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his
lips that they speak no guile (treachery, deceit,
and lies)
It is only befitting that the Apostle Peter would have the revelation from Jesus Christ to write these words and admonish Christians to keep their mouths from speaking evil and telling lies. Prior to Jesus being raised from the dead, the Apostle Peter had his share of experiences with indulging in evil speech, evil deeds, and speaking lies. (Luke 22:54-62, John 13:6-8, & Matt. 26:52, & 72-74)
You see, we all came by devilish speaking and spinning tales honestly. We all were born in sin and shaped in iniquity from our mother’s womb. Yea, but God desires that the truth be spoken from your heart! (Ps. 51:5-6) We were all the puppets of Satan in whom we had our conversations in times past, before receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; washing us in His own blood from our sins.
But just because we use to tell lies as sinners like water flowing from a faucet, does not mean that we should continue to lie as saints of the Most High God! “Shall we continue to practice sin that grace may abound, God forbid!” We are dead to sin, why should we then make our home in lies? (Rom 6:1-2)
Umm, maybe I need to amplify that for you. Now, that we are spiritual kings and priests unto God, we should never be found telling a lie(s) again! Yet, many Christians tell lies just as much as they did before they got saved, and frankly struggle to overcome the temptation of telling lies.
Continue to examine yourself and tell me honestly, as a Christian are you still telling lies? For example:
--Are you lying and covering up something right now?
--Have things been told to you that you know or suspect are untrue and you remain silent about it?
--Do you categorize the lies you tell as small, big fat lies, or white lies?
--Do you have an excuse ready to tell when caught in a lie?
--Do you tell lies that tear other people down only to make yourself look better?
--Do you borrow money from others, promising to repay and never repay?
--Are you a “Gossiper”—a spreader of lies and rumors about other people?
--Are you a backbiter who smiles in people’s face, but behind their back speak evil of them?
--Do you exaggerate stories about yourself and others?
--Do you falsify records or cheat on exams?
--Do you flatter people for the sake of gaining an advantage, or in an effort not to make them feel better?
--Are you a person who says they love God and hate (dislike, detest, reject, ignore, seek revenge, or refuse to forgive) your brother? Then, the Bible specifically calls you a “liar.” (I John 4:20)
--Are you a person who says they love God but do not keep His Commandments? (Most basic among the Lord’s Commandments are to witness Christ to the lost, attend church regularly, give tithes and offerings to your local church) Then, the Bible also says you are also a “liar and there is no truth in you.” (I John 2:4)
--Oh, and let me not forget to mention two lies that parents have told their children for generations: Santa Clause is coming to town to deliver presents on Christmas Eve, and the Tooth Fairy placed the money under your child’s pillow due to the loss of a tooth, while they slept the night before.
If after examining yourself, you have found yourself practicing telling any of the aforementioned lies, you have a problem with lying, and are in need of the Lord’s Help. In our hearts—the mind of our souls—we all know we need the Lord’s Help to overcome telling lies!
Starting right now, with the Help of the Holy Ghost, we are going to stop “taking lying lightly” and make it our ardent zeal to always tell the truth. (John 15:5) And, on the rare occasion that we tell a lie, we will move quickly to repent and tell the truth. Not just saying I’m sorry and Lord forgive me for telling a lie, but to change and tell the truth. To have the humility to go back to the person we have lied, on or to, and tell them the truth!
It may seem hard, but I tell you, the easiest way to stop telling lies is to force yourself to go back to the person who you told the lie on or to, and confess you were lying!!! If you need additional motivation for always telling the truth, see Revelation 21:8 below. It reads,
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.
Notice that “ALL LIARS” are on par with those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ, those who are cowardly and turn away from once following Jesus Christ, vile persons, murderers, sexually immoral persons, those who practice magical arts, and false worshippers of idols—will all be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur of hell for eternity.
By “All liars” the scripture means un-repented habitual liars end up in hell with other sinners who practice evil. Liars are people who deny Jesus Christ is the son of God, blaspheme the Holy Ghost (saying that the works Jesus Christ did were not by the Holy Ghost), and those who call Jesus their Lord, but refuse to keep His Commandments—in loving God, loving their brothers, and carrying out the Commandment to preach the gospel to others and reap the lost.
Revelation 22:14-15 says:
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that
they may have right to the tree of life, and may
enter in through the gates into the city.
For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and
whoremongers and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
People who love making lies pour out lies from their mouths like the man in our illustration. They enjoy telling lies about so called “little and big things.” The Scripture is not talking about a person who tells a lie one time, repents, and changes their ways, but of those who engage in an ongoing habit of unrepentant lying.
Like the people of the world, many Christians have conformed to thinking that lying is acceptable, to be tolerated, and is inevitable. Christians have bought into the age-old demonic excuse that “no one is perfect,” and that “everybody tells a lie once in a while.”
Christians need to be very watchful not to assume they can randomly tell lies without true repentance. I have grave concerns that many within the body of Christ are still living lives full of lies, as they continually profess to love and worship Jesus Christ—and do not the things He Commanded. No matter if you tell one lie or 1,000 lies per day, lying is sin and God hates it, and we should too.
Listen to the Words of Jesus Christ speaking to you from Luke 6:46.
And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the
things which I say?
Why do we call Jesus our Lord (Master, Ruler, Controller), and from the same mouth speak deception and lies? If Jesus is our Lord, shouldn’t He be the One who determines what we say? Shouldn’t we always speak the truth?
Let us now take some time to understand the origin of lying—where lying come from and how the human race became infected with the sin called “lying.” Satan does not have any new tricks to use to tempt us to commit evil. Speaking lies and deception are weapons Satan uses to gain an advantage over us. We are not to be ignorant of the vices of the devil. (II Cor.2:11) Oh, please understand that when you are tempted to lie, Satan is attempting to gain an advantage over you to get you to enter into other acts of sin. Lying is just the front door-way into iniquity.
The origin of lying began with Lucifer in the dateless past before God flooded the first earth He created, as recorded at Genesis 1:1-2. Lucifer the anointed cherub who God created, and appointed to rule over the nations of the first created earth, and its inhabitants called Pre-Adamites, rebelled against God and attempted along with a portion of angels to overthrow and dethrone God.
Lucifer’s fascination and self-indulgence with his “perfect beauty” and brightness, corrupted the wisdom in his heart. (See Ezek. 28:11-19, especially verse 17.)
Listen to the words from the heart of Lucifer, which God the searcher of all hearts, found within him, as recorded at Isaiah 14:12-15.
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son
of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the nations! For thou has said in
thine heart I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon
The mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
North; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High.
All these things Lucifer said about God in his heart and trafficked—made merchandise of before the angels of God and the inhabitants of the first earth, the Pre-Adamites. Lucifer had deceived himself so much into thinking he could be like God and remove God from His throne, that he believed his own lies and spread the lies across heaven and earth. Examine again close what the once anointed cherub Lucifer decreed from his heart and mouth:
I will ascend into heaven, (lie)
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; (lie)
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North; (lie)
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; (lie)
I will be like the most High. (lie)
These were all lies Lucifer told himself and trafficked and poisoned the hearts of many others in heaven and earth. How could he possibly achieve any of the things he boasted about against the Almighty God who created him and all creation? There was at this point no truth found in Lucifer, and the wisdom that God had given to him had been corrupted. (Ezek. 28:17)
From that point on, every one of Lucifer’s (turned Satan’s) thoughts and words spoken would be “twisted and bound” full of evil, wickedness, perversion, error, deception, ignorance, pride, and oh yes—untruth. His lies followed Him in all He said and did.
As God found the heart of Lucifer empty of truth, he became full of pride. What happens to those who are full of pride? They go before a fall. (Prov.16:18) Pride serves as the motivating factor for lying, deception, and confusion. And, the fruit of pride is boasting. Pride makes you think and feel much greater than you really are, leading to deception. Pride, which has its roots in fear, is responsible for the telling of lies, covering up lies, and when caught in a lie making excuses and blaming others as being the culprit.
The only truth that was spoken after Lucifer’s rebellion against God, was God saying: “Yet though shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit.” (Is.14:15) Jesus testified that he beheld Satan as lightening falling from heaven. (Luke 10:18) For you see, The Truth about Lying is a Liar Can Never Stand. Jesus Christ also testified that before the foundations of the world Satan was found to be the “Father” of many terrors: A Murderer, Liar, Thief, and Deceiver.
Ye are of your Father the devil, and the lust 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. (John 8:44)
The Thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill
And to destroy: I am come that they might have
Life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
(John 10:10)
For God is not the author of confusion, but
of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
(I Corinthians 15:34)
And that great dragon was cast down,
that old serpent, called the Devil and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth, and his angels
with him. (Rev. 12:10)
Moreover Scripture tells us that the proud shall be brought down low. See Isaiah 2:12:
For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon
everyone that is proud and lofty, and upon
everyone that is lifted up, and shall be brought
low.
Also remind yourselves of Proverbs 25:14:
Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like
the clouds and wind without rain.
Satan, the “Father” and author of lying successfully sowed sin into the first Man Adam, and lying and deceit became the hallmark of Mankind. (Genesis 3:1-5) Every word that Satan (using a serpent) spoke to Eve and Adam along-side his wife, regarding partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, were intended to make Mankind become what Satan is—“Sin.” And, when sin would enter Adam and Eve, they along with all mankind, would become as himself, liars, deceivers, and destroyers of all the good God had created.
Examine the out-right lie Satan told Eve at Genesis 3:4. It reads,
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall
Not surely die: For God doth know that in the day
Ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened
And ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
This is what we find in Satan, there is no truth in him, as Jesus Christ said. His motives and the words He speaks always oppose the Word of God. God Commanded Adam, telling him he could freely eat of every tree of the Garden. But not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. With good reason, because in the day that he would eat of the tree he would surely die—in a 24-hour period—spiritually, morally, and ultimately physically.
Adam disobeyed God, and allowed Eve to first eat of the forbidden tree, and then he partook also. (Gen. 3:6-7) Adam who was first created by God and given the direct Command not to eat of the tree was obligated to use his authority over Satan (the serpent) to subdue him. (Gen. 1:28)
Adam had the power with the Word of God is his heart and mouth to resist the devil in all of his temptations, by standing steadfast and speaking the Commandment of God (the Truth) against the lies and deceptions of Satan. For a lie can never stand up to the truth. Every time a lie butts up against the truth, the lie falls to the ground. Had Adam, with authority, steadfastly spoken the Commandment of God to the devil, he would have run away in complete terror. (James 4:7)
Moreover, Adam was responsible for warning, protecting, and preventing Eve from eating of the tree. So Adam entered into temptation knowingly and willingly, while Eve was deceived and in transgression of the Commandment of God. (I Tim.2:13-14)
In the day that the first couple ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they lost God-consciousness and gained self-consciousness. Guilty and ashamed, and not knowing what to do, they tried to cover their nakedness and hide from God. Adam and Eve lost the glory of God—an ability to only do good. Instead, they gained the power to do evil; including speaking evil, lying, and walking in deception.
The first couple fell from walking in the wisdom of God and knowing everything, to having to learn, educate, and experience life and death, called “fallen knowledge.” Instead of being like God, they became unlike Him—in that in God there is no evil. In God, there is only the power to speak the truth and do that which is good.
When God came to the couple, seeking truth and to cross examine them about their great sin, both Adam and Eve attempted to lie and play the blame game. (Gen. 3:12-13) Adam full of pride tried to blame God as well as his wife Eve, by implying that if God had not given him the wife, he would not have sinned. Notice, in talking to God about his sin, there was no humility and remorse in the heart or expressions of Adam. While Eve did acknowledge her sin, she also claimed she was not the blame and placed the blame on the serpent.
Thereafter, God rendered judgements on the serpent, the woman, and Adam; with also a Messianic promise of Satan being defeated. There was also divine provision, with first the shedding of blood of animals pointing to Christ the redeemer who would come, as authored and executed in eternity past by God. (Gen. 3:14-24 & Rev.13:8)
To protect Adam and Eve from eating from of the tree of life, and living forever in a state of sin, God sent the couple forth from the Garden of Eden, driving Adam out, and placed Cherubims and a flaming sword turning each way to keep the way of the tree of life.
In the first couples’ encounter with Satan, they chose to believe the lies of Satan, the Father of Lies, and so became liars themselves—passing down as an heritage to all Mankind the nature of sin, including traits and habits of speaking evil, lying, and deception. Regarding the fall and mastery of sin brought on by the offence of Adam, The Apostle Paul wrote:
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned: (Rom. 5:12)
Every person born into this world takes on the heritage of Adam—having the same sinful nature and prone to disobey God—and worthy of judgement and death. (Rom. 6:23) We are all born into this world “naughty and devilish” by nature. Lying and deceiving others comes naturally to human beings because we enter this world under the power of Satan who works evil within us to disobey God.
Think about it, as a child, no one taught you how to lie, steal, cheat, curse or do any evil deed. We were all by nature the children of wrath. (Eph. 2:2-5) Today, many people, especially men (fathers of households) like Adam are on the run from God as they do not want their evil works to come to the light. (John 3:20)
Many men are running and trying to escape from the presence of God—refusing to attend church, read the Bible, pray, and humble themselves under the Mighty Hand of God. Lying to themselves and families—saying they don’t believe in, nor need God! Oh man, you can run but you cannot hide. No matter where you make your bed, God is there! (Ps.139:7-13)
But, thanks be unto God who is rich in mercy and mighty in love, that even while we were dead in sins Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose on the third day—defeating Satan, death, hell and the grave. (John 3:16-18, Eph. 2:4-5, Rom. 5:8 & Rev.1:18) Jesus Christ has come and made the way for all of Mankind to come to the “Truth” and to return to God, the Father. (John 14:6)
The Apostle Paul wrote:
For as by one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one (Jesus Christ) shall many be made righteous. (Rom. 5:19)
In turning to, believing, and receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, all men have been made free from sin. We have been delivered from Satan’s kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. (Col.1:13)
All who receive Jesus Christ as Lord have been made new creatures in Christ—entirely new species that never existed before. Through the operation of the Circumcision of Christ—which we have preached about many weeks now—every born-again Christian has received an entirely new heart (spirit/soul and mind) and the nature of God in Christ Jesus. (II Cor. 5:17)
God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost abide in our regenerated spirits. (I John 4:15 & Col. 2:10) Further, our hearts are the exact duplicate of the Spirit of Jesus Christ as He is seated at the right hand of God. Greater is Christ in us, than our adversary Satan is in this world. (I John 4:4 &17)
Moreover, God has placed His laws (Truth) in our hearts and written them on our minds, and our sins and iniquities He remembers no more. (Heb.10:16-17). Your regenerated heart no longer even remembers how to make-up and tell a lie or deceive another person!
God has given to us everything that pertains unto life and godliness through the knowledge of His dear son Jesus Christ. (I Pet.1:3) The God in you, seeks to constrain you from telling lies and speaking evil. If you tell a lie, the Holy Ghost speaks to the soul of your mind and relays to your Human Brain; warning that you have told a lie, reproving you, and admonishing you to repent, go back and correct the lie told to or about a person with the truth, and never lie again!
In closing, our hearts are completely God-conscious and desirous of speaking the truth in love. Led by an unction of the Holy Ghost, as born again Christians, we are to stand up and out in this sin-sick world of liars, cheats, and deceivers. To at all times and situations, tell the truth, to all men.
As Christians, we are without excuse when it comes to speaking evil, telling lies, and deceiving others—which are nothing more than works of the flesh from the old-man (sinner man) that passed away when we were born-again. To engage in such behavior is unbecoming and beneath our calling. We cannot allow the carnal thoughts of the human brain dictated by Satan to control the things we say. Yes, small lies, innocent lies, white lies, and whopper lies—are all unacceptable!
And now, I leave you with Scripture from Ephesians 4:21-25. The Apostle Paul wrote,
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been
taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye
put off concerning the former conversation the
Old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lust; And be renewed in the spirit of your
mind: And put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore,
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbor: for we are members one of another.
The truth is in Jesus Christ Paul says, and our old man (sinful nature) is dead, and our new lives are hidden in Christ Jesus. (Col. 3:3) Our hearts (spirit, soul, and mind) are full of the truth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must put away all lying and speak the truth with everyone.
If you are a Christian and have told lies and/or living in a lie presently, I beg you to bring it to Jesus Christ (The Truth) and repent (change) and tell the truth. Listen to the Holy Ghost reproving you of the lie(s). Cease and desist from hiding and covering up lies. Lies will keep you from prospering and bring you to the ground. (Prov. 28:13) But speaking the truth in love will set you free, bring you into many good days, and a long satisfied life in God.
Yield your members, including your mouth, as instruments of righteousness unto God so that God may be glorified in you! When you open your mouth, let the Holy Ghost speak for you and truth-telling will be your mantel.
Next week, we will talk more in depth about “How You Can Prevent Forrest Fires.”
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