Truth be Told
A story is told of the forests of Poland back in the 1700's; Johann Kant was an elderly man when he set off on a dangerous journey to provide for his family. Along his perilous trek, he ran into a band of robbers. They forcibly took everything he was carrying, the horse he was riding on, and then asked if he had anything else. They only let him go with his life, and the clothes on his back, after he promised them that he had given them everything.
After they left, he remembered that he had sewn gold coins into the hem of his clothing for safe keeping. He had completely forgotten about them in the fear of the moment. One would think he would have celebrated his good fortune! However, he turned around and went back and found the thieves who had robbed him. He explained that he had unintentionally lied to them in telling them he had given them everything. He then offered them the gold in order to make it right. - Not one of them took it. Instead, each man gave back his belongings, and his horse. They helped him onto it and then asked for his blessing and watched him slowly ride away.
Would I have responded that way? I'm relatively sure I wouldn't have... I'm guessing I'd have figured, 'I don't owe them the truth!' I'm guessing I'd have been more concerned with what possessions I'd lost rather than the accidental lie. And I would have missed out on the blessing and the opportunity to stand as a witness to those robbers.
How seriously do we take lying? In our current culture, lying seems to have become an acceptable way of life – perhaps even a beneficial thing. It almost seems that politicians and the news media are required to avoid the truth. If we in fact speak the truth on a number of subjects today, we're actually condemned for it. Lying destroys trust; it hurts relationships and can do a lot of damage. But most don't seem to give any thought about how God feels about lies and the truth.
Back in the Old Testament, God gave Moses the 'Ten Commandments', which seem pretty straight forward. "You shall not murder." "You shall not commit adultery." "You shall not steal." "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." But when people wanted to get around the law and justify their own actions, God then expounded on those commandments in the book of Leviticus. God had Moses instruct the people for multiple chapters explaining details about what He clearly meant, and then we find this, in Leviticus 19:11-12 (NIV)...
Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. (12) Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
God was in essence saying, this isn't just about lying about your neighbor - this is about valuing the truth. We can again see how seriously God takes the subject in Proverbs 6:16 (NIV)...
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: (17) haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, (18) a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, (19) a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Lying is an external sign of an internal issue. It's clear to see that God's commands are about holiness; about valuing honesty. Let's start with…
I. The significance of a lie
A lie is an intentional deception; when we choose to disregard the truth. - When I got my driver's license, if I would have reported my height at 6 ½ feet tall – that's a lie. But lying is different than to 'misspeak'. God hates lying, but honest mistakes are another thing - like maybe forgetting gold coins in your robe...
My nephew Mason is the preacher at Michigan City Christian Church. When he was six years old, he went to the zoo, approached a animal habitat and exclaimed, "Wow, look at that monkey!" My sister had to gently correct him as she pointed out - that animal was actually a leopard. Mason's sad little response was - "Grandpa needs to take me to the zoo more often."
What he said may not have been accurate, but it wasn't a lie. But do we sometimes 'hover around the edges of truth' for our own benefit? Do I take this idea of truth as seriously as God does...? When we lie, the intention is…
A. To deceive
We know the difference. Sometimes we claim it's just a mistake – but of course, God knows our heart. Is there an intention to deceive…? Do we value 'honesty' - the truth – or do we parse words? Does our truth depend on what the meaning of 'is' is…?
In the New Testament, Jesus was dealing with a Jewish crowd who was denying His authority. He had some pretty strong words for them...
John 8:44 (NIV)
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. 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.
And that didn't go over well; they accused Him of being demon possessed for speaking the truth. Do I want to be associated with the devil, the father of lies?
What about the boss who asks his employee, "Did you finish all the reports?", and he happily answers, "I got everything done that I wanted to get done today." He did get everything done that he wanted to – he just didn't want to do the reports. The employee knows the reports didn't get done, but he didn't technically lie. He may have spoken the truth, but the intent was to deceive.
- If our intention is to deceive – why? What would be…
B. Our motivation
Why would we choose to lie, to deceive someone? We know that God already knows the truth - so why might we lie to men? Do we care more about what men think of us than what God knows about us? It's that old 'reputation among men' vs. 'character in God's eyes'.
Some lie to look good. They may lie about achievements they have accomplished that just aren't true. Some choose to lie with the more socially acceptable 'padding' of a resume. Others lie to get ahead in business. With so many lies in the business world, it almost seems that if you don't lie you're at a distinct disadvantage. Others lie simply to avoid punishment. It seems that there's something inside of us that chooses to cover the truth when there may be negative consequences.
Whatever the reason, lying is more than just a bad habit – it's a symptom of something bigger. It's a problem of the heart. When Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day, they accused Him of being in league with the devil – He said…
Matthew 12:34-35 (NIV)
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. (35) The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
Jesus was pointing out that lying is not just a 'slip of the tongue', but that lies show what is on the inside of a person. Lying demonstrates that we haven't truly given our full allegiance to God. And that's a problem if we want to follow Jesus.
Lying is a big deal, no matter what the world says. But we also have to ask…
II. To whom do we tell our lies?
In order to have a lie, it has to be told by someone to someone. There are many ways to lie to those around us or about those around us. Those lies can hurt and destroy. There's perjury, there's slander, there's gossip. I've heard it said that "Gossip is saying something you like about someone you don't." I believe those kinds of lying have destroyed more Churches than any other type of sin.
The 'beauty of gossip' is that it's a 'safe lie' for the teller. I don't even have to accuse someone of anything; I just have to wonder out loud about someone's character or their 'comings and goings' or how they got the job or promotion they did – and the damage is done.
To insinuate, to imply, to simply question with a not so innocent agenda – that's a favorite tool of the devil. - To Eve, "Did God really say that you would die if you ate the fruit from that tree?" - To Jesus, "If you are the son of God…" – but each of these simple questions call God's character into question.
Now we, of course, wouldn't impugn God's character; we wouldn't suggest lies about God – but would we lie…
A. To God
Again, not the most brilliant of choices since He knows everything anyway – but we still attempt it. Many times, we're not completely honest with God.
It's easy to think of a corrupt TV evangelist who lies to make a fortune off of his supposed relationship with God. But it's not only the TV preacher who can try to con God. If we show up on Sunday, and play the 'game', but don't live as Christians the rest of the week – we're just as guilty as any religious con man. The term used to describe a person like that is 'hypocrite'.
All of us fall into that category at one time or another, but we don't have to make it a lifestyle. There are days that I fall short and don't practice what I preach. We need to choose to make those moments the exception rather than the rule.
Other times we can perhaps unintentionally lie to God in our prayers. Have you ever been upset - with God - because He did something, or didn't do something, that you think He should have? Did you just pretend you had no doubts or struggles and then keep things at a surface level because a 'good Christian' can never be upset with God...?
I frequently say that God's ways are always better than our ways – but that doesn't mean we always agree or never struggle. God is 'big enough' to take our frustration when we don't understand His ways. If we just pay 'lip service' because that's what we think we're supposed to do – it's a form of dishonesty with God. And in the end, that unresolved disappointment tends to pull us away from God.
Recently, I was out mowing my lawn, and since it's one of the few times that kids will leave me alone and no one can reach me by phone or text – I was praying as I mowed. And over the past three years, my prayers have had a recurring theme – 'Lord, please heal my son Benji'. And as I was feeling like a broken record, I started getting frustrated that I'm saying the same things over and over with no apparent response. And then I started getting mad.
And as the mower was loud, I was getting loud. Anybody driving by probably thought, 'Wow, that guy's really mad at his lawn.' And after a while of ranting – my prayers changed. 'Lord, if you're not going to change the situation, then you have to change me!' - Huh... Hasn't happened quite yet, but if I wasn't gut level open and honest with God – I'd probably still be holding onto that anger and stuck in my prayers. Of course, I've apologized for my 'little tantrum', and God has forgiven me.
We might as well admit our disappointments and anger because God already knows - and then He can help us work through them.
Sometimes we can try to 'lie' to God, but we can also lie…
B. To ourselves
We can lie to ourselves when we don't admit the sin in our own lives, but rather choose to rationalize it or explain it away. "I'm not as bad as other people I know… My sin is a private one, it isn't hurting anyone… Most people don't even think it even is sin anymore anyway…"
1 John 1:8-10 (NIV)
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
God demands honesty, not so that He can catch us and punish us – but so we can admit our failings and He can then forgive us! He doesn't want anything to get in the way of our relationship with Him! Lying isn't just the problem – it's also an indicator we need to work on our personal spiritual health. Spend regular time in prayer! Spend regular time studying the Bible! Spend regular time in worship – not just when it's convenient or fits into your schedule – make it a priority, every week! How can you expect to become more like Jesus if you don't spend time in prayer, or in the Bible or through only sporadic association with His Bride, the Church?
I remember years ago when my dad was teaching me how to drive. He told me to focus on what was ahead; don't look at the edge of the road or the center line – but look where I wanted to go. If you look too long off to the side, that's where the car will start to drift.
Where are you looking the majority of your time …? Are you focused mostly on worldly things? If so, that's the direction you'll head. If our hearts aren't focused on the things of God – how can we expect to become people who value honesty or holiness? You see, it's not just a matter of avoiding 'lying' or gossip – but learning to use our words to speak truth! Again, Paul's words from Colossians 3:9-10 (NIV)...
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices (10) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
We're not just called to simply avoid sin – but to be about doing good. Let God use your words for His purposes!
The moon lights up the night, but it doesn't actually have any light of its own. It reflects the light of the sun. If there were no sunlight, there would be no moonlight. The moon can only light up the night because it reflects the light of something greater than itself.
When you speak, do your words reflect your Creator? Do people see God through your words; through your honesty?
So What?
I heard somebody say, "I want to speak the truth - but Facebook just keeps deleting it! I can't control Facebook - but I need to be able to control my words. I think maybe some of the lies we tell are because of the lies we believe. Lies like - 'God doesn't really care about me. What I do doesn't matter. I'm not special. God couldn't really use someone like me.' Lies, all lies!
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - I need to chase truth! We need to chase holiness! That story I told at the beginning, of Johann Kant and his desire to be truthful at all cost. That's who I need to become! Not for some self righteous bragging rights, but to be really useful for God's purposes! I don't want to waste more time missing out on God's blessings doing things my way!
We need to fully embrace the Gospel Truth in Jesus even if the whole world embraces a lie! A full commitment to honesty and integrity may be difficult and may even cost us greatly at times. However, God's way is the best way and will always benefit us most in the end!