How Serious is Lying?
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. (John 8:44)
THE AMERICAN COURT SYSTEM depends heavily upon receiving and evaluating the testimony of individuals. Eye witness testimony is crucial. Before the witness can testify, he or she must take an oath: “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” “I do.” The breaking of that oath is called perjury and the penalty can be five years in prison. During the time of testimony, each lie is a separate offense and each offense carries the penalty of prison time. Lying under oath is serious, and costly.
YOU CAN'T BUILD A STRONG BUSINESS WITH A BUNCH OF LIARS. If you happen to get it off the ground, it will crash and destroy itself. People have got to believe you. If you lose your reputation for telling the truth, you don’t have much left.
HOW DO WE GET INTO LYING? The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. (Psalm 58:3) “…as soon as they are born. “All people are born totally depraved. Without being made new creatures in Christ by God's power, they are prevented by their wicked nature from pleasing God (cf. Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:9-18; 2Corinthians 5:17).” (Bible Knowledge Commentary)
ESSENTIALLY, LYING IS THE CREATING OF AN ARTIFICIAL WORLD that is contrary to truth. When I was about four, my uncle stayed with us and worked at Daddy’s sawmill. He loved to tease me about my name. He called me Daniel Boone. Little kids don’t like for you to mess with their names. One day while he was at work, I spotted his green riding britches hanging on the door in the dining room. My daddy had left his big yellow crayon that he marked logs with.
I TOOK THAT BIG YELLOW CRAYON, scooted a cane-bottom chair up to the door, climbed up into the chair and made a work of art on the seat of my uncle’s britches…many circles. I was getting even with him. I thought it was over. When my mother came in, she spotted it right away. “Daniel, what happened to your uncle’s britches?” “I don’t know.” “Daniel!” “A man came in while you were gone. It must have been him.”
WHEN MY UNCLE CAME HOME AND SAW HIS BRITCHES, he was plenty upset. It was the only nice pair of pants he had, and we were in the middle of the Depression. I had ruined his pants. The marks would not come out. He was hurt bad about it. I hadn’t figured on that happening. I don’t know how I escaped punishment for that, but I didn’t get a lickin’ for it.
WHERE DID I LEARN TO LIE LIKE THAT? We don’t have to go to school to learn how to lie. It’s in our hearts to lie. We always lie to give ourselves the advantage. We never lie to put ourselves down. I was on my way. I had discovered a way of life I had never known. If we don’t have the situation we want, make it like you want it to be with words.
MARRIAGES ARE BUILT ON COMMON TRUST AND CONFIDENCE. No one is a perfect liar. A habitual liar can’t remember what he told everyone; can’t keep up with his lies, so he is found out. Many a business flounders because the owner is a liar and promises things he doesn’t plan to keep. Liars fancy themselves as smart. Truth is, they’re pretty dumb to think they can lie to everybody and nobody will ever suspect they are a liar. A strong marriage and family cannot be built without common trust of family members.
MANY PEOPLE LIE TO THEMSELVES. That is, they imagine themselves to be invincible. It becomes an addiction. What they do not realize is that no human relationship can be built on lies. It simply will not work. Some people are smart enough to know what you want to hear, and they develop the skill of telling people what they think the other person wants to hear. That’s one of the subtler kinds of lying. It takes a little longer to find out but not long. It makes for pleasant conversation, but people don’t put much stock in it. They will listen and be nice to you, but they won’t believe you.
THE BIGGEST LIAR IS SATAN. Like the humans God created, God gave Satan a will so that he could oppose God if he should choose to do so. He chose to do so. He thought big. He proposed to usurp the throne of God by sending fallen angels to the various kings of the world and trying to influence them to rebel against God. These fallen angels are powerful and often can manage some kings and rulers. The whole system of Satan’s kingdom is one very big lie. He is not going to win. He is going to lose. Satan will paint a rosy picture for you but after he has used you, he will destroy you. He is a liar. He is a murderer. Isaiah addresses the pride of Sennacherib.
“SENNACHERIB WAS THE KING OF ASSYYRIA from 705 BCE to 681 BCE. He is principally remembered for his military campaigns against Babylon and Judah, and for his building programs – most notably at the Akkadian capital of Nineveh.” (Wikipedia)
ISAIAH WROTE HOW GOD WAS ABOUT TO BRING SENNACHERIB DOWN and in bringing him down it was a setback for Satan. it was also a prophesy of Satan’s future in the end. Sennacherib was a cruel servant of Satan. When Isaiah wrote of him, he addressed him as though he were Satan.
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 hast 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.
FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF SINS THAT CHARACTERIZE SOME UNSAVED PEOPLE. They have never repented of their sins. Notice that “all liars” is in the list of people who are destined for the second death. Lying is totally against the character of God and totally against the character of those who belong to him. There is no such thing as a “Christian liar.”
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. (Revelation 21:8)
Have you truly been saved? Do you truly belong to Him? Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life?
Read Through the Bible in a Year
OCTOBER 5, 2018 – FRIDAY
A.M. Isaiah 31-33 P.M. Philippians1
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Memory Verse This Month:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. (Hosea 4:6-7)
Song for Today:
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow(4:15) (Gaither)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWLm3asMiGo&list=RDxWLm3asMiGo&start_radio=1&t=18
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