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1 Peter 03:10 Lies and Deceit – audio
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Text: 1 Peter 3:10
Introduction
1. In honor of the upcoming elections, today we are going to discuss LIES AND DECEIT.
2. James 3:6-8. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
3. The world is full of liars.
4. From a very young age, we learn that it is wrong to lie and yet of all the sins of the tongue, lying is the most common.
5. In our society, it has gotten to the point that almost never take a person at their word.
6. How does God view lying?
7. What is a lie?
8. Is telling a half-truth a lie?
9. What is the difference between lying and deceiving?
10. Let’s explore these and other questions in regard to LIES AND DECEPTION.
Body
I. DEFINITIONS
A. Lie – An intentionally false statement.
1. This is what we usually think of when we think of a lie.
2. Intentionally making a false statement.
3. Oftentimes, we say things that are not true because we know no better. This is not, by definition, a lie.
a) We need to realize that, especially in things pertaining to God, we are going to be held responsible for knowing the truth so that we don’t say things that are untrue.
b) James 3:1. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
c) Ephesians 5:6. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
d) 1 John 4:1. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
4. 1 Kings 13:18. He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (He was lying to him.)
B. Deceive – to cause someone to believe something that is not true.
1. Deceit – The action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.
2. Deception is a broader term than lying.
a) All lies are deceit but you can deceive without telling a lie.
b) The end result is the same – namely, someone believes something to be true which is not true.
c) It is how you get there that is different.
d) For example:
(1) Cookie thief.
(2) “Is your dad home? …”
3. This is where many (But not all) politicians make their living.
a) They do not tell (Usually) outright lies. If so, they could get into serious trouble.
b) What they often do is misrepresent the truth.
(1) By taking quotes out of context.
(2) By twisting and distorting the truth.
(3) By only telling part of the truth and leaving out inconvenient truths.
4. This is also where many false religious teachers make their living.
a) These people handle the word of God deceitfully. 2 Corinthians 4:2. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
b) They quote scripture out of context.
(1) Exodus 21:23-25. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
(2) Matthew 5:38-42. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
c) They twist and distort the truth. 2 Peter 3:16. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
(1) The truth about the second coming of Jesus is distorted to teach the false doctrine of the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
(2) The truth about the foundation of the church is corrupted by the Catholic church. Matthew 16:18. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
d) They leave out inconvenient truths.
(1) They affirm the need for faith to be saved. Acts 16:30-31. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
(2) They don’t mention the need for baptism. Mark 16:16. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
(3) Psalm 119:160. The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
II. GOD’S VIEW OF LYING AND DECEIT
A. Note these passages:
1. Exodus 20:16. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
2. Proverbs 6:16-17. These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood
3. Proverbs 12:22. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
4. Proverbs 13:5. A righteous man hates lying, But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
5. Proverbs 19:5. A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies will not escape.
6. Proverbs 20:17. Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
7. 1 Peter 2:1. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking
8. Revelation 21:8. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
9. Revelation 21:27. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
B. Lies and deceit are wrong because:
1. God said they are wrong. (See above)
2. They violate Matthew 7:12. Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
3. They ruin lives.
a) Proverbs 11:9. The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
b) Proverbs 26:18-19. Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “I was only joking!”
4. They destroy relationships.
5. They hurt the church.
III. THE REMEDY FOR LYING
A. The remedy for lying is the same as the remedy for every other sin: REPENT.
B. Ephesians 4:17-25. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
Conclusion
1. “It’s just a little white lie…”
2. There is no such thing.
3. Lies and deceit will cause us to be lost if we don’t repent.
4. 1 Peter 3:10. For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.”
Delivered on: November 4, 2012. Streetsboro.
Content by Ralph Price
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Whatever Happens in the Election
Introductory Comments
1. When you walk into the voting booth, remember…
a. It was not a Republican who died for you.
b. It was not a Democrat who died for you.
c. Neither a Republican or Democrat will be sitting on the Judgment Seat on the day of judgment.
2. Place your allegiance in Christ and not any certain political party.
3. As Christians, when there is a clear and discernible moral divide, vote on the basis of Christianity.
4. Do not worry about the letter that is after the name.
5. May this article help you keep a Christian perspective.
Whatever happens in the election…
Whatever happens in the election, God will still be on his throne, for “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:25 ESV).
Whatever happens in the election, the Bible will still be true in all it says, since “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18 ESV).
Whatever happens in the election, Jesus will still be the only way to heaven, for he is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 ESV).
Whatever happens in the election, good and evil will still be defined by the Lord, and government will still have the duty to function as a “servant, of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4 ESV).
Whatever happens in the election, for protection our military will never be as powerful as morality, since “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34 ESV).
Whatever happens in the election, citizens will still be obligated to work in such a way they are “dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:12 ESV), which means government ought not foster a culture of dependency.
Whatever happens in the election, America will still not be as important as the church of Christ, for it was “obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28 ESV).
Whatever happens in the election, every American is still supposed to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37), remembering “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV).
In the church of Christ in the United States, we are thankful to be Americans, but even more grateful “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20 ESV).
(This article used by permission from biblicalnotes.com)
Content by Donald W. Treadway
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Exodus 18:21 Some Verses to Vote by – audio
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Text: Exodus 18:21
Introduction
1. The time is almost here again.
2. It is time to select the man who is going to lead our country for the next four years.
3. We are blessed to live in a country where we have a say, in who our leaders are going to be.
4. This is not true everywhere in the world.
5. As Christians, we need to give serious thought to who it is that we think will steer this country in the direction which God wants.
6. Let me say before we start…
a. I am not a preacher for the Republican Party.
b. I am not a preacher for the Democratic Party.
c. I am not a preacher for the Independents.
d. I am a preacher for Christ.
7. Proverbs 14:34. Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.
8. Psalm 119:172. My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.
9. “God bless America…”
10. If we want God to continue to bless America, we had better show Him that we DESERVE to be blessed.
11. As a Christian, what do I need to look for in a candidate?
12. Here are some verses to vote by.
Body
I. EXODUS 18:21. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
A. Able men.
1. There are many moral people in the world who are not able to lead.
2. There are also many “able” leaders (men or women who are good at leading others) who are not fit to lead because they do not fear God and love truth.
3. History is full of “able” men who led their respective countries to disaster because of their own wickedness and immorality.
B. Hating Covetousness.
1. Proverbs 28:16. A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor, But he who hates covetousness will prolong his days.
2. Proverbs 29:4. The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.
3. Our leader needs to serve for reasons other than money.
4. His decisions need to be based on what is right and not what will earn him the most donations.
5. In choosing a President, we need a man who puts morals over money and we, ourselves need to put morals over money.
a) Sadly, many base their vote solely on who they think will make them the wealthiest.
b) The economy is not the number one issue in an election for a Christian.
c) Proverbs 16:8. Better is a little with righteousness, Than vast revenues without justice.
d) Consider the wealth in Solomon’s day:
(1) 1 Kings 4:20. Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
(2) 1 Kings 4:24-25. For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
(3) 1 Kings 10:27. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.
(4) Yet during his reign, he and Israel became corrupt. As such, God removed him from office. 1 Kings 11:9-11. So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
C. Fear God / Men of Truth.
1. Proverbs 16:12. It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For a throne is established by righteousness.
2. Proverbs 29:12. If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.
3. Every political party has had problems with liars.
4. We need men in office who care about the truth.
5. Especially THE TRUTH. John 17:17. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
II. PROVERBS 6:16-17. These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
A. We need a President who will fight to save innocent babies from murder.
B. Since Roe vs Wade, over 40,000,000 babies have been legally murdered in our country (see abortion).
C. Psalm 139:13-16. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
1. If I were to place before you a woman who was 2 months pregnant, a woman who was 9 months pregnant, a woman with a 1 year old child, and a woman with a 2 year old… which one of those children are done developing? Obviously, none of them… Yet many try to justify abortion by saying that the baby in the womb is not fully developed.
2. God sees no difference between the babe in the womb and the babe out of the womb.
a) Luke 1:44. For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
b) Luke 2:12. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.
D. How can a Christian cast a vote for any person who vows to let the atrocity of abortion continue?
III. Matthew 19:4-5. And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
A. We need to elect a man who respects God’s plan for the home.
B. Leviticus 18:22. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.
C. The Bible makes it clear that homosexuality is a sin and that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.
D. What has this country come to that a person cannot express his belief in God’s word in regard to design for the home without being branded a bigot or worse? (Chik-fil-a)
E. We must realize that the downfall of the home is a prelude to the downfall of a nation. What will our vote say?
Conclusion
1. When you walk into the voting booth in a few weeks remember…
a. It was not a Republican who died for you.
b. It was not a Democrat who died for you.
c. Neither a Republican or Democrat will be sitting on the Judgment Seat on the day of judgment.
2. Place your allegiance in Christ and not any certain political party.
3. As Christians, when there is a clear and discernible moral divide, vote on the basis of Christianity.
4. Do not4 worry about the letter that is after the name.
5. Illustration: If you could choose your neighbor…
6. I cannot vote for anyone who openly ridicules righteousness.
7. When I know God opposes something, I cannot vote for someone who blatantly promotes it.
Delivered on: October 28, 2012. Streetsboro.
Content by Ralph Price
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