Monthly Archives: April 2017

Do you remember the old television show To Tell The Truth? Three persons stood before the camera and solemnly declared “My name is _________.” All three claimed to be the same individual. The point of the 30 minute show was for a panel of three people to ask them questions and decide which of  the three was the real person compared to two impostors.

The more successful their deception, the higher the prize money.

Tell the truth now — do we always tell the truth? Think of some oft-told lies in our society that go like this:
– The check is in the mail
– I was only kidding
– I’ll get right on it

It’s frightening how easily and automatically a lie can spring from our lips.

Truth in the flesh
Jesus often used an expression both in his conversation and his teaching: “Verily, verily” he says…those words are translated I tell you the truth in some translations.

It was not intended to be an idle boast but those words pointed to a primary objective of Jesus’ mission: in the midst of human confusion and misunderstanding, Jesus came to tell the truth.

And He lived that way to the extent that it He could say in John 14:6:  “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Paul’s words were equally strong when the faithfulness (truthfulness) of  God was questioned, in Romans 3:1-4: “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? {2} Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. {3} What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? {4} Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.””

We live in a day when it’s hard to know who we should believe. We’re skeptical of the media…the politician…the scientists….are we skeptical of the elder or minister?

The fact is, most are wary about the trustworthiness of many around us because “we’ve ben burned in the past.” People often use careless words or practice deception. They certainly make and break promises regularly!

Isaiah 59:15: “Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.”

George Washington, we are told, could not tell a lie. Abraham Lincoln would walk five miles to return a nickel that wasn’t his. But in our time the level of public trust in what we hear from our leaders has eroded.

I have learned only as an adult that I have watched a TV show for decades that has in it the biggest liar ever presented: Andy Griffith. It’s amazing how often he lied in that show! It’s no different today – many of the most popular shows are presenting lies being told.

“On the cover of your Bible and my Bible appear the words “Holy Bible.” Do you know why the Bible is called holy? Why should it be called holy when so much lust and hate and greed and war are found in it? I can tell you why. It is because the Bible tells the truth. It tells the truth about God, about man, and about the devil. The Bible teaches that we exchange the truth of God for the devil’s lie about sex, for example; and drugs, and alcohol, and religious hypocrisy. Jesus Christ is the ultimate truth. Furthermore, He told the truth. Jesus said that He was the truth, and the truth would make us free.”

“Truth is narrow. If we were hiking and came to a wide river, and we learned that there was one bridge, down the river a mile or two, we wouldn’t stomp in disgust and moan about how that was such a narrow way to think and that the bridge should be right there, where we were. Instead, thankful that there was a bridge, we would go to it and cross over. Or consider the following. When we go to the doctor, we want a prescription for exactly what we will need to get well. We would be quite startled if the doctor said, “These pills ought to cure you if you’re sincere. After all, we believe in health, don’t we?” Or would you trust yourself to a surgeon who had received no specialized training but was simply a really good person who meant well? Of course not! You know that truth is narrow. And you will trust your life only to someone who knows exactly what he or she is doing”

John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

What about me? What about you? Can it be said of “church members” that we are full of grace and truth?

Discuss fully the following sets of verses
Matthew 5:33-37: “”Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ {34} But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; {35} or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. {36} And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. {37} Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Matthew 23:16-22: “”Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ {17} You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? {18} You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ {19} You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? {20} Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. {21} And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. {22} And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.”

Jesus causes us to ask:
· does my word stand for anything
· can I be trusted
· the Pharisees had gone to great lengths to establish terms about how an oath should be stated and whether or not it would be binding
· ever “cross my heart and hope to die?” with your fingers crossed behind you back?

Five ways we compromise our standards
1. Satan’s native language. – lying.
John 8:44: “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.”

The lie is to Satan what the truth is to God – his native language. Lying is the most blatant violation of integrity in communication. When we lie, we allow ourselves to be a puppet for Satan.

Acts 5:3: “Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?”

Why do people lie?
· Pride. We lie to create impressions to others that we are more virtuous, responsible, or productive than we really are.
· To hide our own selfish interests, motives, or laziness.
· Because we are afraid. Afraid to accept responsibility for our words or deeds; afraid to trust others with the truth.

Proverbs 12:22: “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.”

2. The White Lie.
Most would agree that a “bold-faced lie” is morally wrong and has no place in the speech of Christians. But what about the “tell him I’m not here” statement when we don’t want to talk to someone on the telephone” white lie? If the fundamental assumption of this study is true – that no area of a Christian’s speech falls outside the sovreignty of God – then lying has no degree?

Herman Bezze: “White lies are silken threads that bind us to the Enemy, invisible webs that are woven in hell.”
   “The commandment tells us to speak truthfully whenever it is appropriate for us to speak at all. Respect for truthfulness does not compel us to reveal our minds to everyone or on every occasion. The Ninth Commandment assumes, no doubt, a situation that calls on us to speak.
   “It does not ask us to tell the people at the next table in a restaurant that their manners are repulsive. It does not obligate a nurse to contradict a physician at a sick person’s bedside. Nor does it require me to divulge all of my feelings to a stranger on the bus. We are called to speak the truth in any situation in which we have a responsibility to communicate.
   “Further, the command requires only a revelation that is pertinent to the situation. A politician ought to speak the truth about public matters as he sees them; he does not need to tell us how he feels about his wife. A doctor ought to tell me the truth, as he understands it, about my health; he does not need to tell me his views on universal health insurance.
   “A minister ought to preach the truth, as he sees it, about the gospel; he does not need to tell the congregation what he feels about the song leader. The commandment does not call us to be garrulous blabbermouths. Truthfulness is demanded from us about the things that we ought to speak about at all.”
   “Truth and love go together. The mind grows by taking in truth; the heart grows by giving out love.”

3. The Empty Promise
2 Corinthians 1:17: “When I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?”

2 Corinthians 1:17: (NNAS) “Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time?”

Paul had to answer to the charge that he had stated “good intentions” but had not followed up on them. His point is clear: a person who does such a thing with no intention of following up is a worldly, flesh-driven person!

There are many times when we plan to do better and it doesn’t work out; times when we have every intention of doing what we say. But there are also those who make promises with no intention of keeping them…a promise made with no credibility.

“I am praying for you” can fit in that category if we make the promise and don’t keep it. It becomes idle words — something taken lightly when it should be very important to us.

4. Flattery.
Webster: “excessive, untrue, or insincere praise; exaggerated compliment or attention.”

We all enjoy a good compliment or a word of praise for a job well done. Christians ought to look for ways “daily” to encourage others, according to Hebrews 3:13: “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

But we ought never something we don’t mean.

Psalms 12:3: “May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue”

Proverbs 29:5: “Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.”

1 Thessalonians 2:4-5: “On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. {5} You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed–God is our witness.”

5. Honesty.
Honesty is the Christian policy! Ephesians 4:25: “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”

Honesty is never license for rudeness or insensitivity or arrogance. No matter how many scriptures I might speak, it is just a noisy nothing (!) if there is no love: 1 Corinthians 13:2 NNAS) “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Jesus spoke plain and to the point with people but never to put himself in a better light, never to inflict pain for pain’s sake:
· Nichodemus “You must be born again”
· Woman at the well: “The fact is, you have had five husbands”
· Peter: “I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times”

Some important questions
a. What are my motives here
b. Do I have my facts straight?
c. Is my mind made up and closed shut?
d. Can I present the truth lovingly?
e. Does this truth need to be verbalized?

Some truthful statements
A large plaque in Rockefeller Center bears this inscription: “I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man’s word should be as good as his bond, that character – not wealth or power or position – is of supreme worth.”

Paul said it best many centuries earlier: Ephesians 4:15: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”

It isn’t the things that go in one ear and out the other that hurt as much as the things that go in one ear, get all mixed up, and then slip out the mouth.

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. — Mark Twain

Isaiah 6:1-5: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. {2} Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. {3} And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” {4} At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. {5} “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.””

Before we can speak with the accent of Christ, we must begin with this confession: we are a people with unclean lips. And the response?

Isaiah 6:6-7: “Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. {7} With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.””

For too long the myth has been circulated that old speech habits can’t be broken:
· I can’t help it…I’ve always been a sarcastic person
· …always told little white lies
· …always used profanity
· …always been a gossip
· …always said nasty things when I get mad

IF we have a problem of speaking ‘what we think,’ we need to be careful about what we think!

In the beginning, God created man and woman to communicate powerfully, lovingly, and constructively.

In Christ he gives the recreated man and woman assurance of the same magnificent possibility.

Sins of the Tongue
Proverbs 10:21: “The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.”

Proverbs 12:18: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 15:1: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Proverbs 15:4: “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 16:24: “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Do my words bring healing or harm? God expects us to know the answer to that question and to make the necessary changes if needed!

When we might suggest that our words are not that powerful, we would do well to remember the verbal integrity of many early Christians. They were commanded to speak these words: “Caesar is Lord” as they were ordered to “make your incense offering to the genius of Rome.” If they would not say such words, they were definitely put in prison and, on many occasions, they were even put to death!

Sins of the tongue
The New Testament has much to say about the ways we can abuse the gift of speech:
1. Angry talk. Words uttered in a fit of temper; a sudden outburst of wrathful speech (2 Cor. 12:20; Col. 3:8).
2. Boasting, arrogant talk. Bragging; conceited, self-centered, self-glorifying speech (2 Tim. 3:2; James 4:16).
3. Blasphemy. Speaking contemptuously of God or of Jesus Christ. (1 Tim. 1:20; 6:1).
4. Coarse joking. Vulgar humor; particularly the mocking of human sexuality (Eph. 5:4).
5. Deception, distortion. Mingling the truth with false ideas or unworthy motivations. Paul spoke of some who “peddled” God’s Word, corrupting the gospel for personal gain or advantage (2 Cor. 2:17, 4:2).
6. Flattery. Excessive or untrue praise; insincere complimenting of another to gain some personal advantage (1 Thess. 2:5; Jude 16).
7. Godless chatter. Profane or empty babbling; conversation which is irreligious, misleading, or worthless (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 2:16).
8. Gossip. Spreading idle talk, rumor or even truthful/factual personal information about others; betraying a confidence (2 Cor. 12:20; 1 Tim. 5:13).
9. Lying. Making false statements with intent to deceive or mislead (Acts 5:4; Col. 3:9).
10. Obscenity. Using profane or vulgar language; unwholesome conversation (Eph. 5:4; Col. 3:8).
11. Quarreling. Heated verbal strife; unkind argumentation or debate (1 Cor. 3:3; 2 Tim. 2:23-24).
12. Slander. Damaging someone’s reputation by speaking malicious or untrue things about them (Eph. 4:31; James 4:11).

2 Corinthians 4:2: “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

2 Corinthians 12:20: “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.”

Ephesians 5:4: “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”

Colossians 3:8: “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”

James 4:11: “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.”

The common effect of all the sins of the tongue is destruction. Speech infected by sin destroys truth, destroys trust, destroys reputation, destroys love, and destroys love for God and man.

Yet the abuses of language mentioned above are commonplace in our offices, around our neighborhoods, on our campuses, and even within our churches.  We need someone to redeem our speech, to tame our tongues.

“The rabbis used to say that the tongue is more dangerous than the hand because the hand kills only at close range while the tongue can kill at great distance.”

Man can tame the great creatures but not his own tongue.

Lehman Strauss says: “While no man can tame the tongue, there is One who can. The Lord is no less able to control a lying, blaspheming, slanderous, gossiping tongue than He is to deliver the drunkard from alcohol, the gambler from the game table, the narcotics addict from drugs, or the lustful person from adultery” (James Your Brother. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1956, p.134).

Matthew Henry says: “‘No man can tame the tongue without supernatural grace and assistance.’ The apostle does not intend to represent it as a thing impossible, but as a thing extremely difficult, which therefore will require great watchfulness, and pains, and prayer” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Vol. 6, p.985).

I grew up in a faithful, church-going family. I think I learned early in life what a Christian is to sound like….pious words on Sunday don’t offset the gossip of Monday, the profanity of Tuesday, or the harsh words on Wednesday.

Do we realize the power we possess to strengthen another person with simple words: “good job” “I’m sorry” “Forgive me” “I love you” “I’m praying for you”

There’s an old Scottish saying that challenges our careless use of communication: “Heart your tongue!” It’s a rendition of the more common phrase “mind your tongue” but puts a biblical perspective behind it.

We all experience the excruciating pain of being misunderstood….and often it comes from those who are both ‘friend and foe.’ We try hard to say what we mean, and yet it’s amazing sometimes what people hear.

Is communication one of our greatest problems? Considering the misunderstandings, broken relationships, and hurting memories that fill our life with stress—I think it is at least one of them.

I am concerned, too, as this becomes very personal for this congregation…that Satan is going to work hard to hurt us because much is going well and a revival is taking place. If we don’t accomplish what God wants and needs us to accomplish in the next few months, it won’t be because of a ‘force from without but rather from within. It is my prayer that some of the coming lessons will help us make certain that this doesn’t occur!

I was told a story of a young girl who was going through a privacy phase in her household. In order to keep the family advised of her feelings, she made two reusable signs which she placed on her door (both describe a young peson in the midst of the vital process of learning how to communicate what’s on her mind and what’s on her heart):
· when she felt fiercely private: you cannot come in! That’s it!
· when she was more benevolent: Do not come in. I love you.

There are almost one million words in the English language, I am told, and we use them as tools for both building and understanding and weapons for destroying and deceiving.

Proverbs 10:19-20: “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. {20} The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.”

Proverbs 10:31: “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.”

Proverbs 11:12: “A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.”

Proverbs 12:18-19: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. {19} Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”

Proverbs 15:4: “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

This is the verse which seems to sum up the rest for me:
Proverbs 18:21: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Our words reveal something about our heart
Proverbs 4:4: “…he taught me and said, “Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live.”

Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

Proverbs 7:3: “Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Proverbs 16:23: “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.”

Proverbs 22:17-18: “Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, {18} for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.”

This one seems to sum up the rest:
Proverbs 27:19: “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.”

Communication is an inside-out process. Our words, the tone of our voice, and our body language are outer expressions of our inner selves. Jesus put it this way:
Luke 6:45: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

The primary speech organ is not the tongue—it is the heart! Deep down within our values, beliefs, and convictions—that’s where the words come from.

Sin Can Garble a Great Gift
The ability to communicate with God and with each other is one of our greatest gifts. But our sinfulness can garble that gift.

Just look at Adam and Eve in the garden…they enjoyed a perfect union with God until sin entered the picture through their willful choice:
· God comes to speak with them and they hide
· Adam seeks to shift the blame to Eve and implicates God (“this woman you put here with me”)
· Eve blames the serpent

But look at this book of beginnings:
· Cain murders his brother, Abel, and lies to God (Genesis 4)
· Men build the Tower of Babel as a monument to their egos and God confuses their language (Genesis 11)
· Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery, then deceive their father Jacob into thinking Joseph was accidentally killed (Genesis 37)

Luke 6:45: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

Jesus rightly identifies the heart as the birthplace of our words. We can’t merely pass them off as insignificant (“Oh, that was no big deal…just something I said”) for they reveal what’s inside us.

Our sinful words create alienation from our Father and our spiritual family. Falsehood, unkindness, profanity….they cause great harm and put our soul into jeopardy.

Matthew 12:36-37: “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. {37} For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.””

It is said, “The spoon always seems twice as large when you have to take a dose of your own medicine.” In the light of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 12, we might paraphrase that truth, “Words which appear to be just tiny molehills of idleness and frivolity here will loom as mountains of error when we face them in the judgment!”

Not only the wicked utterances of the tongue will rise up against us in that day, but for every foolish, idle word we shall also be called to give a strict account!

Some illustrations and quotations
CBS released The Karen Carpenter Story. Karen died unexpectedly of heart failure at age 32 brought on by years of self abuse from the eating disorder Anorexia Nervosa. But what brought on Karen’s fatal obsession with weight control? It seems a reviewer once called her “Richard’s chubby sister”. Lord, please help us to know the power of our words!

Contentious tongues have hindered the work of God a thousand times over.  Critical tongues have closed church doors. Careless tongues have broken the hearts and health of many people. The sins of the tongue have besmirched the pure white garments of the bride of Christ. – George Sweeting

Proverbs 26:18-19: “Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows {19} is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!””