by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Ephesians 4:17-32<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. It happens over and over, someone tells me about a situation to get some advice on what\nto do, but as the story progresses, it becomes painfully obvious that the person is lying.\n A. Critical facts are left out, the wrong attitude is expressed, and inconsistencies\nappear, especially as you ask about details.\n B. I’m left wondering, if they really wanted help with a problem, why are they\nbothering with the lies? Advice on a false story isn’t going to help them.\n
II. Put away lying – Ephesians 4:25<\/p>\n A. Putting away implies that at least for some lying is a part of their nature that needs\nto be abandoned – Colossians 3:9\n 1. Lying is a part of the world’s corruption. It may be accepted by the world,\nbut it is not acceptable to God.\n
a. God cannot lie – Titus 1:2<\/p>\n
b. There is no shadow of sin with God – I John 1:5-7<\/p>\n
2. We have to be freed from sin – Romans 6:17-18<\/p>\n
3. That means killing off the old man of sin – Romans 6:4-7<\/p>\n
4. And it means leaving that sin in the grave – Romans 6:1-2<\/p>\n
B. We can’t speak truth until the lying is stopped<\/p>\n
1. It seems so obvious that one is the opposite of the other – Proverbs 12:17<\/p>\n 2. Someone asked me to read an article, I responded that I didn’t get very far\nbecause the author had abused the Scriptures to make his point. But, the\nperson replied, can’t you just skip over the parts that are wrong and gleam\nthe 10% that is truth in it?\n
a. The answer is “no.” There is saying “garbage in – garbage out.” <\/p>\n b. When a claim is made on partial falsehood, that claim might be true,\nbut it more likely is false. The problem is that you can’t tell. The\ndecision of the accuracy of the claim would have to be made\nindependent of the falsehoods. In other words, the arguments made\nto reach the conclusion would have to be discarded because they\nare worthless.\n 3. For the same reason, telling a mixture of lies and truths in the past means\nthat anything claimed must be analyzed independent of the “proof” offered\nbecause nothing is trusted.\n
4. Our words are to be truthful – James 5:12<\/p>\n a. People who are truthful have no need to give promises to tell the\ntruth.\n b. People who lie will promise anything you want to hear to get you to\nbelieve that they are telling the truth, even though they are lying.\n
C. We speak truth because of love – Ephesians 4:15<\/p>\n
1. Love is without hypocrisy (an act) – Romans 12:9<\/p>\n
2. Love not just with words, but in our actions and in our truth – I John 3:18<\/p>\n
D. We speak truth because we are members of one another – Romans 12:1-5<\/p>\n 1. Lying, at its root, is a selfish act. It makes no sense to lie to yourself,\nthough I realize that many people do so. Still, it serves no benefit.\n 2. Paul argues that if we hold concern for our fellow Christian, then lying to\nthem is just like lying to yourself\n
III. But why do people lie?<\/p>\n
A. The liar thinks there will be a benefit to himself<\/p>\n 1. Ananias and Sapphira lied because they wanted the recognition without the\nexpense – Acts 5:3-4\n 2. Abraham lied about his wife because he thought it would save his life –\nGenesis 12:12-13\n
B. Some people lie reflexively to avoid trouble<\/p>\n
1. Peter did this when challenged – Luke 22:55-60<\/p>\n 2. You’ll see people do this when confronted about something they said.\nOften the first knee-jerk reaction is “I didn’t say that.”\n
C. But others will plan their lies with care<\/p>\n
1. Conceiving falsehoods – Isaiah 59:13-15<\/p>\n
2. Jeremiah bemoans the mighty liars of his day – Jeremiah 9:2-8<\/p>\n
D. Then there are those who will lie to cause harm to others<\/p>\n
1. Naboth was lied about to get him killed – I Kings 21:13<\/p>\n
2. It was attempted against Jesus – Matthew 26:59-61<\/p>\n
3. It was done to Stephen – Acts 6:9-13<\/p>\n
E. Finally, there are those who lie out of habit<\/p>\n
1. Jesus said Satan’s native tongue was lies – John 8:44<\/p>\n
2. No faithfulness in their mouth – Psalm 5:9<\/p>\n
IV. Regardless of the reason, the result is the same – Revelation 21:8<\/p>\n
A. Isn’t it about time you left the old man behind?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 4:17-32 I. It happens over and over, someone tells me about a situation to get some advice on what to do, but as the story progresses, it becomes painfully obvious that the person is lying. A. Critical facts are left out, the wrong attitude is expressed, and inconsistencies appear, especially…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[32],"tags":[392],"class_list":["post-42492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-lying"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62536,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-embellishments-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":42492,"position":0},"title":"Why are embellishments wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello brother, I have a question for you about the topic of \"The Christian and Social Media\" there is a statement: \"Never lie (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9-10; Revelation 21:8). And embellishment is the same as lying.\" What does \"embellishment\" mean and what do you mean by it? Can you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42490,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-best-way-to-avoid-lying\/","url_meta":{"origin":42492,"position":1},"title":"What is the best way to avoid lying?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it true that Jesus said in Revelation 21:8 that all liars will go to hell? If so, what is the best way for a Christian parent to avoid lying about things like Santa, birthday presents, or surprise parties? Or if a suicidal friend makes you promise not to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83289,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-i-separate-from-my-lying-husband\/","url_meta":{"origin":42492,"position":2},"title":"Should I separate from my lying husband?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My marriage with my husband is troubling. He has a pattern of habitually lying about minor things, and it hurts. I want to figure out my options righteously in this marriage as it is hard to think. 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The lie is no longer something to be scorned; in fact, \"everybody lies\" is the most common excuse heard when someone is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/noLies-296x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":43470,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-we-were-married-in-a-courthouse-does-god-consider-us-married-also-how-do-i-stop-lying\/","url_meta":{"origin":42492,"position":4},"title":"If we were married in a courthouse, does God consider us married? Also, how do I stop lying?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I have a question for you. My wife is Catholic. We have been married for over a year. She and I were married in a ceremony at the local courthouse; however, we were never married by either a priest or minister. I love her and don't want her\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36635,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-i-dont-tell-my-wife-i-sinned-isnt-that-lying\/","url_meta":{"origin":42492,"position":5},"title":"If I don’t tell my wife I sinned, isn’t that lying?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 25, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello. I've been reading through many of the posts on your site regarding adultery\u00a0and\u00a0lying.\u00a0 I have found much of it to be very helpful, but I am struggling with some of what you advise.\u00a0 In several of the posts on adultery, you advise the person who committed adultery that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42492\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}