This afternoon, we open the Word of God in the New Testament, and we turn to the Epistle of James. James chapter three is our scripture passage, page 1851, 1851 in our Pew Bible. James 3, where the word of God speaks to us as follows. My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us and be turned their whole body. Look also at ships. Although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles. 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. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear fish? Thus no spring yields both saltwater and fresh. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. That's our scripture passage. The text for the sermon of this afternoon is the ninth commandment and what we confess regarding it in Lord's day 43 of the Heidelberg Catechism. We find that Lord's Day on page 55 in the back of our blue Psalter hymnal. Page 55, Lord's Day 43. There we echo the word of God regarding the ninth commandment where it says, what is God's will for us in the ninth commandment? God's will is, that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one's words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind. These are devices the devil himself uses. and they would call down on me God's intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it, and I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor's good name. That's Lord's Day 43. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the law, brothers and sisters, is our rule for our life of thankfulness. It's our guide in the renewal of our life. By nature, we are inclined to hate God and our neighbor. Now, the Spirit of God wants to and works to restore us to a life in which we learn to love God and the neighbor. Well, the Holy Spirit also uses this word of the law for that. This ninth word clearly shows how much our love to the neighbor is in focus. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. We all know the power of the word in this world. It can make or break the neighbor. It can hardly be overstated how much the word can be against our neighbor. We all know of the disruption of communion, of the frustrations, the anger, when you know how certain people talk, what they say, who it is. You can't prevent it or change it or correct it. Yet you know how it's done, bad-mouthing you, twisting your words to make you look bad. We know of the hurt, the pain of injustice done by the word of mouth. If anywhere, then here the law of love is transgressed all the time, underlining the fact that by nature we are inclined to hate our neighbor. The authors of the Heidelberg Catechism, beloved, must have been impressed very much also by the power of the lie and the falsehood of slander and gossip. Just see how sharply they have expressed this in this Lord's Day. It's the only Lord's Day which mentions in its explanation of the 10 commandments, the devil. All lying and deceit, no matter what its appearances may be, are the devil's own devices. Lying is not just a bad habit or annoying, it's devilish, satanic. If indeed the deliverance from bondage to sin means to be freed from the power of the devil, it is here where it shows on whose side we are. In accordance with this serious thrust of our confession, we proclaim to you the word of God in the ninth commandment, all lying and deceit are the devil's own works. We see first of all that I must hate the lie, and secondly, I must love the truth. So that's how I would like to summarize the message of this afternoon. All lying and deceit are the devil's own work. I must hate the lie, I must love the truth. So first of all, I must hate the lie. The lie, beloved, is not from God, but from the devil. Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, has stated this very sharply in John 8, verse 44. There he says to the Jews, 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 a father of lies. Could we express it more explicitly and straightforward than this? The origin of the lie is with the devil. Now based on Isaiah chapter six, brothers and sisters, you can imagine for yourself the throne of God in heaven before the devil revolted. Around the throne of God, there were the angels, the archangels, the seraphim, the cherubim. They are the mighty spirits of God around his throne. Each one of these seraphim had six wings. With two, they covered their faces. That's in order not to look at God irreverently. With two, they covered their feet because they do not want to leave without a permanent command. And with two, they were flying. to speed away wherever God would send them. They were calling to one another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory. That's how the angels were around the throne of God. That's where it happened. One of these angels took his wing away from before his face and looked at God, looking at him with jealousy and envy. He did not want to keep his position as assigned to him, says Jude in his epistle, verse six. He wanted to be like God, just as glorious and holy, just as majestic and divine. He did not want to stay where he was, depending on God's command. He wanted to determine himself where to go, what to do in the universe. That's when it all started. That's when and how the battle between the truth and the lie began, beloved. He did not hold to the truth, Jesus says. Then also the battle between the followers of the truth and the followers of the lie began. The angels who remained faithful to God joined Michael. Michael, who is like God, his name says. They fought against Satan and his angels. That ongoing battle between good and evil, truth and lie was decided as far as heaven is concerned when the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven to his throne. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven, he said in anticipation of that moment. Luke 10 verse 18. On earth, the battle still continues. Now these contrasts between good and evil, between truth and lie, are not contrasts which have existed eternally as light and darkness exist beside each other. That's what modern thinkers want to make us believe. Absolutely not. God created the world good and without satanic features. All evil, all lying and deceit, all arrogance and rebellion come from the devil, who also had been created good originally. He, however, did not continue in the truth, Jesus said. He wanted to drag along not only the other angels, but also the whole creation in his conquest for the universe. Especially man had to become the victim of his pride, his deceit. With all his might, he went to work to accomplish his pursuits. Right from the start, he twisted the truth about God, introducing the lie into this world. Indeed, he dragged man along in it. In words and deed, man also became deceitful. The scriptures, brothers and sisters, are very realistic in their presentation of this reality. It leaves no doubt about the deceitfulness of man. Think of the patriarchs. They were pious people, believing the promises of God for future generations. Yet how influential also the lie is in their life. Abraham lies when he is afraid of losing his wife to Pharaoh. So he said, she is my sister. Also to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, he lies about the same. In Jacob's life, the lie jeopardizes his ways many a time. With lying and deceit, he obtains the blessing from his father. He himself is deceived as well by his own sons in the episode with Joseph. They tell him that a wild animal has killed him while they sold him to Egypt. The lie did its destructive work in the families of the patriarchs. It came along into the future, into the history of Israel as well. The book of Psalms gives us many examples of relationships which were broken by means of the words of one's mouth. Many a psalm speaks of enemies plotting destruction, using a tongue that's razor sharp, or wetting their tongues like swords, aiming bitter words like arrows. He who does not speak the truth from his heart, but who slanders with his tongue may not come to the holy hill of God. We heard in Psalm 15. No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house, David declares. No one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. Psalm 101, verse seven. for those people were there. Life and death are involved with it, also within the covenant community. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit, says Solomon in Proverbs 18, verse 21. In the church, the battle is on between the righteous and the wicked, between those who fear the Lord and people who remain in the grip of the devil. With his mouth, the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge, the righteous escape. Proverbs 11, verse nine. A truthful witness saves life. but a false witness is deceitful. Proverbs 14, verse 25. Yes, especially in court, this reality of life and death appears clearly. Especially there, the lie reveals its power in a false testimony. What terrible consequences false witnesses can have when it is given in the courts of justice. It's decisive over life and death. No wonder, beloved, the Lord used that court setting to present the seriousness of the destructive powers of the lie. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. And in those days, even more, the judge depended on the testimony of the witnesses. They did not have today's refined technology to bring to light the truth and the lie. In cases of justice, the neighbor's money, possessions, his family and property, his name and reputation were on the line. Just think of the court case set up against Naboth, the neighbor of King Ahab. Men of Belial, the devil's cohorts, were hired to give false witness against Naboth. It cost him his life. He was stoned. Again, what wicked role did the lie play in the procedures against the Lord Jesus? False witnesses were brought in to testify against him. This fellow said, I'm able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days. They transgressed the commandment of God most blatantly there against him whom no one could accuse of sin. Yes, against the truth himself. In fact, He said to Pilate, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth. John 18, verse 38. And so he did. In the face of all slanderers, liars, and false witnesses among his people. Pilate, however, responded, what is truth? That's how the devilish lie brought the Lord Jesus on the cross. And was it any different in the New Testament, beloved? Was it only a wickedness among the apostate people of God as it was repeated, for instance, in the case of Stephen, the deacon? No. Also in the New Testament church, the lie penetrated in its opposition to the truth. You know the story of Ananias and Sapphira. That soon after Pentecost, the day on which the spirit of truth was poured out, the devil sows the seeds of lying and deceit among the church of Pentecost. Then the apostle Peter exposes it. Ananias, you have not lied to men, but to God. Sapphira, how could you agree to test the spirit of the Lord? They exposed themselves to death. They exposed themselves to the power of death, especially among the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the victor of death, the victor over the devil. In that church, the truth must prevail. And with the epistle of James, brothers and sisters, we have seen how especially in the church of God, the temptation is strong to transgress the ninth commandment. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, James writes. With several examples, James shows us the power of the lying tongue. What a devastating results that relatively small member the tongue brings about. The tongue also is a fire, he writes, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It is a restless evil, he adds, full of deadly poison. With our tongue, we praise our Lord and Father. And with it, we curse men who have been made in God's likeness." No, James does not pull any punches. He is straightforward. What a warning. What a powerful appeal this makes to hate, yes, to hate the lie. This is the word of God of whom the apostle Paul says, let God be true and every man a liar. Romans 3 verse 4. And isn't that so? How deceitful, deceiving and false a man can be. Hypocritically pretending to be good and true and sincere. How many disguises cover the deceitfulness of man? The whole society is full of flattering, of complimenting and smiling in man's face, while behind their backs, the deadly poison of the lie wrecks his reputation. Indeed, beloved, there is good reason for the sharpness with which the sin against the ninth commandment is exposed in the Heidelberg Catechism. Then we should be well aware, though, that it lays on our lips, into the mouth of you and me, the words, the confession that I, must not twist anyone's words. I must not slander nor condemn nor gossip. Why? Does that happen in our congregation that someone is going around condemning other brothers and sisters rashly? Do lying and deceit, gossip and slander have a place among us? Oh, how true the word of God is where it says. The word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Lord's Day 43 confesses the reality of these sins among us, in you and me, and it drives us out to Christ. The transgressors of this commandment crucified him, yet he is the way, the truth, and the life who shows us I must love the truth, our second point. Brothers and sisters, you can't ever do this outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. Love the truth, speak it and confess it honestly and do what you can to defend and promote your neighbor's honor and reputation. Oh yeah, it happens that a member of the church goes around badmouthing, creating controversy and division that way, as Paul already wrote about to Timothy and Titus. His unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions, says Paul. He has lost connection with the head from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. For Christ is the truth himself. He has the spirit of truth and obtained it for you and me. So I'm not coming to you with some moral teaching about the improvement of our communication and conversation. I proclaim Christ to you, our perfect mediator, especially in connection with this. He said, without me, you can do nothing. That includes this commandment as well. Then Christ calls himself the true vine and shows us that from the fruits of our life, it appears that we live through him, showing in the things we say. And of course, beloved, you've understood already that the speaking the truth is much, much more than just giving the facts correctly. When the scriptures speak about the truth, it does so in the light of God being the truth. We who must love the truth and speak the truth in love, we must be reunited with God by the spirit of truth. That way, our whole life becomes a walking in the truth. If we are disconnected from Christ, however, and apply the law without this love and truth of the Spirit, our life becomes a lie and is bereft of the fruit of the Spirit. Only when we walk in the truth in unity with Christ through his Spirit, our life regains stability, security, and our relationships flourish. That's the truthfulness I must pursue, brothers and sisters, and seek and speak and confess. With that truth, we stand in the world which is perverted and corrupted by the lie. In that world, you may defend the truth and promote it. In the light of that truth, your view of life, of society, will differ from the public opinion. It will prevent you from following the majority on the way of evil. Issues of common sense, of general acceptance of universal trends must be discerned by their roots of unbelief, of the lie, and of public deceit. You know the power of the word in this world. Whatever politicians, philosophers, and theologians want to accomplish is carried out in the way of the word. Speeches, addresses, propaganda and promotion can sway masses of people. Just remember Hitler's Germany. By means of the mass communication media, entire nations are brainwashed by the powers of the lie. In fact, is it not one of the overriding features of our time that the lie rules universally via satellites and global communication. In the light of God's word, however, beloved, we must learn to discern what is really happening in this situation. The coming of the lawless one, Paul says to the Thessalonians, to Thessalonians 2, will be in accordance with the work of Satan, displayed in all kinds of counterfeit, miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. And they perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For that reason, Paul continues, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth, but have delighted in wickedness. Is that truth, not a strong enough incentive to test your life, to see whether you walk in the truth or in the lie? Therefore, arm yourself. Buy the truth and do not sell it, says Solomon in Proverbs 23, verse 23. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding. Study God's words. Study the times in the light of the words. Read the words. Yes, read the word, the Westminster Confession professes, which is subsequent to the preaching working faith, strengthening faith by the reading of his word. Also, the Canons of the Lord in chapter five, article 14 stresses, we need to read the word as follow up on the preaching. Read your Christian renewal, your reformed perspective, clarion, read, read, and read. Listen to the preaching and use it as you read your paper or watch your news on TV. It's the truth which is proclaimed here. Confess it, defend it, and promote it. You are the salt of the world, but then you must be salted by the truth. You are the light of the world, but then you must be enlightened by the spirit of truth. Beloved, let the way of truthful living be clearly evident from your lifestyle. No ambiguity, no world conformity, no mixture of mentalities will ever convey or project to others that you are in the truth. And then you are bearing false witness to your neighbor. Therefore, I must remind you again that you cannot do anything outside of Jesus Christ. Only when He lives in us, and we are living in Him, with Him, and for Him all the time, in everything, then things will become different. Learn Christ. And now we should not only stand this way in the midst of the world with the truth, Also in the congregation, this truth should have a bearing on our communal life. Lord's Day 43 promotes love for the truth, especially with a view to your brother and sister sitting with you here, your neighbor, your knobber, Now who is near to you that you can turn your head from him or to him you can turn to lead him in the truth? Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another, says the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4, verse 25. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self. He writes to the Colossians chapter three, verse nine, Are we not renewed by the truth, united in the truth as one body? Well, this unity is commanded to you, beloved. Indeed, what misery still persists in this respect? What damage is done still by some concerning others? Even the children at school or a catechism class reflect the damaging influence sometimes which goes out from the parents undermining the reputation of others by envy, jealousy, slander, et cetera. Fight against that. Love the truth. Promote the reputation of your neighbor, of your brother and sister as much as you can. And if you can't promote it, Be silent. I would refer you to 1 Corinthians 13, verse six. Love always protects. Love casts a cloak of silence over what is displeasing in your neighbor. Be silent in humbleness, realizing how sinful we ourselves are. judge, discern the spirits, but in humility and with a view to seeking your neighbor in love, leading him in the truth, then we learn that it is better to pray for our neighbor and to speak with him than to speak about him. Love the truth. avoiding all lying and deceit as the devil's own devices under penalty of God's heavy wrath. We can only ignore this command as the expense of our own soul and salvation. Let's remember. The outcome for the camp of the lie and the camp of the truth, as John writes in Revelation 22, verse 15, outside, that is outside of the new Jerusalem, are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, et cetera, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. Brothers and sisters, let us bear witness to the truth in order that the truth may conquer the world. Then the God of all truth will establish you in the earth to praise and glorify him.