TEXT: Proverbs 6:16-19

SUBJECT: Seven Deadly Sins #2: Lying tongue/false witness

Today brings us to sermon number two in "The Seven Deadly Sins". Long before the Medieval compiled its list, God gave us this one. Every sin is bad, but not every sin is equally bad. These seven are among the worst.

God "hates" them. This means He strongly disapproves of them and wills to punish them. And punish them He must--either in you or in your Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. These sins are "an abomination" to God--horrid, revolting things. If they sicken Him, they ought to sicken us. And not just in other people. But in ourselves. May God give us the grace to see them as they are.

Last week, we looked at the root of all sin, both human and demonic--pride. Today, we look at two more--"A lying tongue and a false witness who speaks lies".

The two are not identical, but they have enough in common to study them together. "A lying tongue" stands for all deception; "A false witness" is one who lies under oath. Under the Old Covenant, the latter was more serious than the other. But in light of our Lord's teaching, all lying is perjury and blasphemes the Sacred Name of God. See Matthew 5:33-37.

THE MEANING

What is lying?

It's not every falsehood spoken or implied.

A mistake is not a lie. Last week, a friend asked me, "Did so-and-so do that music?" "No, I said, it was somebody else". But then I went back and looked at the CD. And wouldn't you know it? It was the one she named. I didn't lie to her; I made a mistake.

Changing your mind is not lying. Some years ago, a friend asked me to do him a favor. I said I would. But then I found out helping him would hurt others--it would put them in a bad light. I called my friend and told him I wouldn't do it. This made him very mad; he called me a liar; and hasn't talked to me since. I feel very badly about the hurt I caused him. But I didn't lie to him. I changed my mind.

Forgetting to do something isn't a lie. A friend once asked me to pick him up after he had oral surgery. "Sure--I said--"I'd be happy to". But I forgot. Later that night I went by to see him. When he opened the door, I saw a swollen face glaring back at me. And I said, "Uh oh". I didn't lie to him. I forgot.

Lying is something much worse. It is the will to deceive others. It may be an outright lie; it may be a half-truth; it may be a deceitful act or way of living--hypocrisy, in other words.

Our Lord said Satan "...is a liar from the beginning and the father of lies" (John 8:44).

He Himself lies in these ways. In the Garden, he told Eve, "You shall not surely die...You shall be as God, knowing good and evil". He knew perfectly well these things weren't true. But said them anyway. Out of spite and for personal gain.

In the Wilderness, he lied to our Lord. But a little more subtly than to Eve. He quotes Psalm 91 and makes it seem that God wants His Son to jump from the Temple roof. True words spoken to deceive.

Nobody is more of a hypocrite than the devil. He doesn't come to us in his true, hideous nature. But as "an Angel of light".

Satan is a liar and he inspires us to lie. Ananias and Sapphira told a flat-out lie to Peter. Why? Because "Satan filled [their] hearts".

He got Joseph's brother to tell a half-truth, break their father's heart, and get themselves off the hook!

As for hypocrisy? Nobody served the devil more ably than the Pharisees. Of then and now.

And so, every false statement is not a lie. But every wish to deceive is.

THE EXTENT

No sin is more common than lying.

The Bible says children are not born innocent--but liars. "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they come forth, as soon as they are born, speaking lies" (Psalm 58:3).

The lying spirit with which we're born is seen in a million ways. As kids, we lie about little things. When a vase is broken, we say, "It wasn't me!" Later, we become more sophisticated in our lying. Some people make a living out of it. We call them politicians, attorneys, advertisers, salesmen. Not every single person in these jobs and professions lie. But as a rule, success in any of them requires consistent lying.

Widespread lying is seen in the divorce rate and unhappy marriages all around us. Every divorce means at least one person has broken his vow. He swore "till death do us part..." But he didn't keep his word. Even when divorces don't occur, how many husbands don't "love, honor or cherish" their wives? How many wives don't "love, honor, or obey" their husband? They all promised to do these things. But they're not doing them. They're lying.

The jammed legal system proves what liars people are. What are most civil cases about? They're about truth. Enforcing or voiding contracts.

These lies are widespread and very bad. But there's one even more common and evil than they. Romans 1 tells us what it is:

Everyone knows God perfectly well. But to admit He is God keeps you from doing what you want to do. It limits your independence. And so, most people pretend there is no God or that God is not what they know He is. They hold down the truth--not because of ignorance or uncertainty--but because of pride and willfulness. They lie to each other. They lie to themselves. If you're not a believer in Christ, you're a liar. The worst kind of liar--a liar who is taken in by his own lies!

Apart from God's grace, everyone is a liar. We point the finger at our politicians. Better to point the finger at ourselves. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God".

THE WICKEDNESS

If everyone is a liar, maybe lying isn't so bad. That's what most people think. But God begs to disagree.

He "hates a lying tongue" and calls "a false witness an abomination". The Lord is both just and merciful. That means He does not exaggerate the seriousness of sin. Thus, lying must be very bad indeed.

The worst men practice lying. Think of Laban, cheating his son-in-law out of his wages. Think of the Council paying men to say the Lord's body was stolen and not risen. Even today, in our debased culture, "liar" is still a bad word. People will admit to "factual inaccuracies" Or "misstatements" Or "concealing information". But nobody will tell it straight; nobody will say, "I lied". Why? Because lying is very bad.

Good men repent of their lying. Think of Peter, lying about his Savior, and "going out and weeping bitterly".

The punishment for lying under the Old Covenant was very severe. False accusations were not punished as perjury. They were punished as the crimes they lied about. In other words, if you falsely accused me of murder, it was you who would die as a murderer. Even if you had nothing to do with that crime! Heavy sanctions on lying. Why? Because God hates it.

I needn't labor the point. You know how bad lying is--when someone lies to you or about you. Your lies are no better than theirs.

The ultimate proof, though what happens to liars in the long run. Some get away with it in this life. But nobody gets away with it forever. John saw heaven barred to everyone who "loves and makes a lie" (Revelation 22:15).

THE PAIN

Lies are not only wrong, but very hurtful too. Sometimes we lie to keep from hurting others. But in the long run, it is a lie that hurts, not the truth.

Lies hurt other people. Malicious lies do it an obvious way. They "separate chief friends" (Proverbs 16:28). Well-intentioned lies hurt too. Like flattery which "Spreads a net for his feet" (Proverbs 29:5).

Lying hurts other people. Therefore, it is inconsistent with brotherly love.

Lying doesn't hurt others only. It also hurts the liar. It becomes a habit. And bad habits are very hard to break. It leads to self-deception. If you tell a lie often enough, you'll start believing it. It undermines your credibility. And, in the end, it damns your soul. In the short term, lies may get you out of trouble. But in the long term, they get you into a lot more trouble than they get you out of.

Lying also hurts God. When you catch your kids in a lie, doesn't it hurt you terribly? Why should it hurt our Heavenly Father any less? Lying made our Lord weep over Jerusalem. It grieves the Holy Spirit. Lying hurts God.

THE CURE

If lying is such a bad thing, you ought to quit doing it. Let me offer some help.

Firstly, don't talk so much. "In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking. But he who restrains his lips is wise" (Proverbs 10:19). I don't plan to lie and gossip, but when I'm blabbing half the night, I end up doing both. You do too, I suspect. Fewer words equal fewer lies.

Secondly--if you're really serious about it--go to people you've lied to, confess your sins, and ask for their forgiveness. I once heard a pastor do this. He came to church on Sunday night unprepared to lead singing. He called out a hymn, noticed it was the wrong one, but covered up by saying, "Ah the bookmark slipped out of my hymnal in the car". Nobody knew any better. Nobody but God and the pastor. After singing the hymn, the man broke down and confessed his lie to the church. Although he is a very dignified and bold man, he was shaking like a leaf in fear and embarrassment. I don't know for sure, of course, but I doubt he told those "little white lies" any more.

Thirdly, confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you. Because God is truth, every lie is against Him.

Fourthly, cultivate a fear of God. Many lies are told out of fear--but never the fear of God; it's the fear of man that makes us lie. The only cure for that is--you know what, Matthew 10:28.

Fifthly, meditate much on Jesus Christ. If the fear of God won't keep you from lying, maybe the love of Christ will. It does "urge us" to holiness. And "truth" is part of holiness--the central part.

PARENTS

A word to parents. It is easier to get into the habit of lying than to get out of it. You owe it to your kids to help them break the habit of lying. You can't do it on your own, but you can use the means God has given you.

The first is a good example. If you don't want your kids to lie, don't lie yourself. Don't promise them things and go back on your word. Don't lie over the phone--they hear you. Don't make phoney excuses--they know the truth. Don't flatter your guests--and then gossip about them when they leave. In short, be a truthful person yourself! In word and deed.

The second is good teaching. Teach them how much God loves the truth and hates a lie. Tell them the Lord sees them at all times and can't be fooled by their lies. Show them the danger of lying; show them the beauty of truth. Plead with them to be truthful. And don't wait till you've caught them in a lie to do these things. Teach them in a more positive environment--"When you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up".

The third is discipline. All sins are bad, but we don't punish them all in the same way. Some deserve more punishment; others less. Lying--it seems to me--should be at the top of your list of serious sins. Don't let them get away with lying! Even if you catch them days later, hold them accountable. In the family, there should be "zero tolerance" for lying.

The fourth: Don't give your kids an incentive to lie. This is done in two ways: by gullibility and by false accusation. If you just believe everything they tell--no matter how obviously false--you give them reason to lie. The opposite is true also: If you rashly accuse them of lying, they'll say, "They won't believe me anyway, why bother telling the truth?" In short, think soberly about your kids. Don't be too loose; don't be too strict.

The most important thing you can do for your children is to evangelize them. Discipline may curtail lying, but only the conversion makes one love the truth. Conversion takes place through the work of God's Spirit and in response to the Gospel. Make sure your kids know the Gospel; make sure they know you love it and want them to love it too.

CLOSE

Do you lie? If not, thank God for it. Your truthfulness is not "of bloods or the will of the flesh or the will of man, but of God".

If you do, you need to repent now and find mercy while mercy's to be had. God extends a sincere offer of mercy to liars big and small. But it's a "limited time offer". It's only good today. "Now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation".

May God make us true in word and heart. For Christ's sake. Amen.