The Danger of A Lie

Text: Genesis 3:1-9

 The story is told of four high school boys who couldn't resist the temptation to skip morning classes. Each had been smitten with a bad case of spring fever. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief, she smiled and said, "Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper." Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions.
Then she said, "First question--which tire was flat?"
When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful. - Augustine.
A lie has no legs. It requires other lies to support it. Tell one lie and you are forced to tell others to back it up. Those that think it permissible to tell white lies soon grow colorblind. - Austin O'Malley.
The Bible tells us that God gave Adam and Eve every tree to eat from except one, and Genesis tell us there were plenty of other GOOD trees to eat from.
Genesis 2:9 says, 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So if that was true (that they’d had all these other trees to eat from), then why did they do it?
It would be easy to say “The Devil made them do it”... but it’s more than that.
Eve CHOSE to disobey God.
Now Satan may have “talked her into it...” but SHE KNEW what God had said.
She knew God didn’t want her to eat of the tree.
She knew God had said that those who ate of the tree faced death.
But she CHOSE to eat of the tree anyway.
She made bad choices.
Genesis 3 verses 1-3 tells us Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
Once you get used to the idea that you think you can improve on God’s Word... when you believe you can change it when you want to... when you accept that you can tinker with God’s will for your life... then it gets easier to improve on other things God commanded.
There once was a preacher who was something of a cut-up on stage. He mentioned once that in English Class they taught him that using 2 negatives in a sentence made a positive statement.
Example: They ain’t got nothing! Well, if they ain’t got nothing …. Then they actually have something.
So the preacher would say that, since that was true
“The way he figured it, if he knew he was lying, and God knew he was lying – then he gotta be telling the truth!”

There is a LIST of 10 Famous American Lies we call “Fibs”
- The check is in the mail.
- I'll start my diet tomorrow.
- Give me your number and the doctor will call you right back.
- One size fits all.
- Your luggage isn't lost, it's only misplaced.
- This hurts me more than it hurts you.
- I just need five minutes of your time.
- Open wide, it won't hurt a bit.
- Let's have lunch sometime.
- It's not the money, it's the principle.
Lying seems to be a way of life for many people. We lie at the drop of a hat. The book The Day American Told the Truth says that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about matters they consider trivial, and 36 percent lie about important matters; 86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to siblings, and 69 percent to spouses.

A store manager heard his clerk tell a customer, “No, ma’am, we haven’t had any for a while, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.” Horrified, the manager came running over to the customer and said, “Of course we’ll have some soon. We placed an order last week.” Then the manager drew the clerk aside. “Never,” he snarled, “Never, never, never say we’re out of anything- say we’ve got it on order and it’s coming. Now, what was it she wanted anyway?” The clerk said, “Rain!”
Spouses lie to one another in the name of keeping the peace, parents lie to their own children and vice versa, employers and employees just the same. Advertisers lie to sell products. Politicians lie in order to spin things their way.
But the Lord included the subject of lying in one of the 10 commandments of the Old Testament, and I believe He takes this sin very seriously. THEN in the NEW Testament …
We can read in Revelation 21:8, But the cowardly, [a]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
And, in Revelation 22:15, ]But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Mark Twain said a lie can travel halfway around the world while truth is still lacing up her boots. It’s natural to lie, and there’s something about our nature that enjoys it. We like reading tabloids, or hearing gossip.
Lying is easy, but the truth is oftentimes hard.

Are you known to be a truly honest person, or do people have to question you and wonder about your genuineness? Do you have a reputation as a liar, or do people know what you say is true? Is your word as good as your signature? Do you do what you say you will do? Do you tell the truth even when it will cost you something?
The Bible has a lot to say about lying:
We can read in Proverbs 6:16-22 a list of 7 things the Lord hates. “These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
20 My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
21 Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you roam, they will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.

Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying the following: You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time … but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time!

A poet said, “You can fool the public and be a secret fraud, you can try to hide your lying, but you can’t fool God!”
What upsets me is NOT that you lied to me, BUT that from now on I can no longer believe you. - Friedrich Nietzsche.

1. The Origin of lying.
Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts 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.”
So we’re a lot like Satan when we lie. Almost every time we see the devil in Scripture he’s lying...

The first time we see Satan in the Bible he lies about God to man.

• Satan lies About the truthfulness of God—“Hath God said?” Questioning God’s Word is skating on thin ice.

• Satan lies About the righteousness of God—“Ye shall not surely die”. In other words, God won’t judge you if you sin.

• Satan lies About the goodness of God—“God is trying to keep back from you good things!”
The next time Satan appears in the Bible is in the book of Job. This time he’s in the courts of heaven and he’s lying about man to God.

Satan Lying about man to God:
“The only reason Job obeys you is because you’re so good to him.” What a liar.
To Adam and Eve he says that God isn’t good enough, and now he’s saying that God is too good!
We see Satan again at the crucifixion. This time he lies to man, knowing that man will then lie about Jesus.
He put it in the hearts of many to bear false witness against Jesus in the kangaroo court they put together.
In Genesis he uses a lie to corrupt a godly man.
In Job he uses a lie to criticize a good man.
In the New Testament he uses a lie to crucify the Son of God.
In Revelation he embodies the antichrist, who tells a lie so big and believable that it brings about the end of the world.

So, from beginning to end, Satan is a liar! And when we lie we align ourselves with everything that brings death, destruction, doom and damnation to this world. Sin is what leads to death, but that sin was brought about by a lie!
Don’t take lying lightly. There’s no such thing as a little white lie. God is truth, and anything less than truth is wrong...IT IS SIN!

2. The Operation of lying.
Lying has many faces. Lying has many children in its family.
Here’s 5 ways people often lie without even thinking about it:

1) Slander
Psalms 101:5, “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,
Him I will destroy;
The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart,
Him I will not endure.

This is lying with the intention of doing harm to another’s reputation.
Some sins are worse than others in terms of damage done. If I steal from you I can return the item. But if I spread lies about you I may not be able to ever undo the far-reaching effects.

There was a man who spread lies about his neighbor. Then one day he repented, and asked the minister how he could make it right. The minister told him to get some feather pillows and rip them open, and place one feather on every porch in their community. It seemed strange, but the man did what he was told. He went back to the preacher and said he was done. The preacher said, no, you’re not. Now go back and pick up all the feathers.
“But I can’t” said the man. The wind has taken them who knows where!”
To which the minister said, “So it is with the words you have spoken about your neighbor.”
When we slander someone’s reputation we do irreparable damage. And we’ll answer to God for it!

2)Talebearing—this person loves to tell things. They share ‘news’. But they don’t care if their facts are correct or not. This is gossip. Rumors. Don’t spread it. Try to stop others from doing it. Don’t repeat gossip
1Timothy 5:13, “And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.
Leviticus 19:16, “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
Next time you’re enjoying listening to someone gossip, remember this fact: Anyone who will gossip TO you, will gossip ABOUT you!

3) Flattery—insincere praise...saying something to someone’s face that you would never say behind their back. Salesmen are often bad about this. Kids are too. Most of our children have learned how to compliment us first when they want something.

Psalms 55:21, “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.

When someone starts buttering you up, remember that they are probably about to have you for lunch!

4) Half truths—not telling the whole story. A parent asks their teen where they are going. “To Andy’s house.” That’s true, but they leave out where they’re going from there. You break the spirit of the law when you do this.  This is why in court you swear to not just tell the truth, but ‘the whole truth.’ Half the truth equals a whole lie.

5) Excuses—they are just dressed up lies.
The origin is Satan, the operation of lying...it comes in many forms...
Now, how do we overcome Lying?
Every negative command could be reworded positively. For instance. Thou shalt not commit adultery could be rephrased, Thou shalt be sexually pure. We could say today, Thou shalt tell the truth. And truth is the very character and nature of our God. Jesus said I am the truth. He called the Holy Spirit the spirit of truth. The truth sets us free!

How to overcome lying:
1) Love the truth. This is a heart change. David spoke of ‘truth in the inward parts.’ You see, a person is not a liar because they tell lies...they tell lies because they are a liar. We need an inward change.  2Thessalonians 2:10, “and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2) Learn the truth.
Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Saturate your mind w/ good things, like the Word of God. The truth sets you free. It’s how Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness, with the truth of Scripture!

3) Live the truth.
Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”  Be accountable to others. Be open to others stopping you when you gossip or slander. Immediately confess, immediately correct, and immediately commit yourself to the truth.

Right now Satan wants to sell you a lie...don’t fall for it like Adam and Eve.
He’ll tell you: there is no God,
There is no heaven,
There is no hell,
OR that there is no hurry.
But today we can read from Hebrews 3:12-15,
” Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

And, Acts 2:36-38, tells us: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So, we must NOT lie to God...
WE need to admit our sins and be baptized!