Well, it's a beautiful day in the Ozarks. Today I'm going to preach on how should we respond to slanders? How should Christians respond? This message is going to kick off a series on the sin of lying. Next week, I have a message prepared, Is Lying Ever Right? Is It Ever Justified? Very important message. But today we want to deal with slanders and how to respond. Dear Holy Father, we thank you for your goodness. We thank you, Lord, that you are our defense. We do pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that you help us in these last days to do what you want us to do. God, help us be ready for your coming. In Jesus' name, amen. I want to explore in this message today what the Bible says about these last days and this subject, dealing with lying. Number two, what slander and false accusations consist of? Number three, who will likely be slandered and why? And finally, what is the biblical response to slander? So the first point, what the Bible says about these last days and subjects associated with lying, Remember our text, 2 Timothy 3. This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. Why? For men shall be, what? Truce breakers. What's a truce breaker? It means when you've got something straight, something worked out, and then somebody decides they're gonna break it and say, well, you know, it's not worked out anymore because I'm in a bad mood or I have something else to gripe about. A trucebreaker. The Bible says that is what will be in the last days. That's what you're going to deal with. It says trucebreakers, false accusers. There it is. Incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away. Timothy, as pastor, was told, from such turn away. So we're told in the last days you're going to have these truce breakers and you're going to have false accusations. We're told in 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 1, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits. These are believers who have departed from the faith and they're following devils. speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. I believe you can see plainly that in the last days there will be liars, there will be slanderers, there will be these tale-bearers and tale-hearers, and you're going to have to deal with them. Psalms 31 verse 20. Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man. Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. I know this can refer spiritually, figuratively, to our fellowship with God, to the peace that we have when we are walking with God, no matter what persecutions we suffer, no matter what railings or accusations or slanders that we have to experience, there is a fellowship with God. However, I believe this is also a prophecy. that there's gonna come a time when the Lord will come to the sky above the earth, and he will have his pavilion there, and there will be a rapture, and the watching saints will be caught up. Those that are watching and holy will be caught up to reign, to be with the Lord, and then one day come down and reign in his thousand-year kingdom. And it says that they're gonna be hidden in the pavilion from the strife of tongues. This shows us that they're gonna have accusations, railings. This is the type of thing that a godly watching Christian is going to experience in the last days. Poole says, from the strife of tongues, that is from the mischief of contentious and slanderous tongues. Psalm 64 verse 2 says, hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked, from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity. They launch rebellions and have these secret councils who wet their tongue like a sword and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words. They encourage themselves in an evil manner. They commune of laying snares privily, but God shall shoot at them with an arrow. Suddenly they shall be wounded. So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves. Notice, you can be smitten with the tongue. It's not the only way to smite, but it's a common one, especially in these last days. Spurgeon said, tongues are more to be dreaded than beast of prey. And when they strive, it is as though a whole pack of wolves were let loose. So in the last days you're going to have these accusations, these accusers, these slanderers. And the watching ready Christian, those that are shining their light and trying to do what they're supposed to do to be ready for the Lord, they're going to be attacked. In fact, the Lord Jesus made this clear. He says in Matthew 24 about His second coming, Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. That is, those that are giving out the meat in due season. Those that are giving out the truth and standing for the truth. Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. He gets exalted, he gets promoted. But, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken. We've already seen that they wanted to smite Jeremiah with the tongue. And so not only will there be other forms of persecution, but that will be a principle form of smiting. and it will be evil servants smiting the faithful servants. The Bible said in the last day there'll be false accusers, there'll be truce breakers, and it says there'll be despisers of those that are good. The Lord of that servant, that evil servant, shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That is, there is accountability for believers. It is not an eternal loss of salvation, but there is accountability. If God can judge sin now, how much more so on Judgment Day when judgment begins at the house of God? There is a rebellious spirit, as we see spoken of in Jude. A railing accusation, unruly spirit that despises government. The Antichrist, the chief rebel of all, filled with Satan, the son of Satan. It says in Revelation 13 that he's going to open his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. This is the situation in the last days. This is what you are to expect from here on out. Therefore, it's very, very important that we not get too amazed where we think some strange thing has happened. Number two, what slander and false accusations consist of? This is very important. Webster tells us in 1828 that slander is a false tell or report maliciously uttered. Slander that worst of poisons ever finds an easy entrance to ignoble minds. That means dishonorable minds. See, those that readily hear and believe lies are usually liars themselves. And if you think that's a strong statement, Webster quoted that slander easily finds an entrance in these dishonorable minds. But I remind you of Proverbs 17, verse 4, A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips, and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. Those who slander others like to hear slanders from other people. The tale-bearers love to be tale-hearers. and vice versa. We're told in Psalms 15, Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness and speaketh the truth in his heart. You can apply this to fellowship with God now. You can apply it to God's true church. But it's also a prophecy. of the rapture, of those that will be crowned as good and faithful servants at the judgment seat of Christ. Who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart, he that backbiteth not with the tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. Our forefathers called this last, taking up a reproach, tell-hearing. Here we see backbiting, tailbearing, and then you see the sin of tail-hearing. And the Bible says that when you do these things you will not be dwelling with God, you will not be in fellowship with God, you will not be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. We see slander in the Bible in Numbers chapter 14. the men which Moses sent to search the land who returned and made all the congregation to murmur against him by bringing up a slander upon the land. Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land died by the plagues before the Lord." Going back to that rapture psalm, Psalm 31, about the pavilion being hidden, the Lord's pavilion, From the Strife of Tongues it says in verse 13, For I have heard the slander of many. Fear was on every side, while they took counsel together against me. Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. Proverbs 10 says, He that uttereth a slander is a fool. It says in Jeremiah 9, and they bend their tongues like their bows for lies, but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord. Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust you not in any brother. For every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders. And they will deceive everyone his neighbor, and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies, and wearied themselves to commit iniquity. Remember in Micah, and also our Lord Jesus spoke of this, that you will have foes even in your own household. And he talks about not being able to trust she that lieth in thy bosom. That's a horrible thing to think about. But there is coming a time in the last days. We don't want to say in our haste that all men are liars in a practical sense. But it does sometimes seem that way. And the Bible says you got to be very careful. You have to be very careful before you know it. Somebody that you really trusted, somebody that you thought was faithful, somehow or another the devil gets a hold of them, and all of a sudden they begin to slander, they begin to supplant. God help us. But we know there's a judgment as we've already heard. It says in Psalms 101 verse 5, "...who privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off." Often there may be some bit of basis for the slander to grow on, whether good or bad, whether misunderstood. But what the slanderer does is twists that basis into a wicked exaggeration. Let me give you an example. Matthew chapter 26, 59. Now the chief priests and elders and all the council sought false witness against Jesus to put him to death. So you have to have witnesses. You have to have two or three witnesses, but that doesn't make something proven. That just gets the process started. Then you have to have cross-examination of those two or three witnesses. But they found none. Yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses. And listen, they said, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. This was a slander. But there was a basis of truth. They just slightly misinterpreted on purpose what the Lord said. What the Lord actually said was in John chapter two, Jesus answered and said unto them, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, 40 and six years was this temple in building and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. There will be a temple. That temple was destroyed and there will be a future temple here very soon. But the Lord was speaking at that time of his body and they slandered the Lord. They tried to turn him into a criminal. They tried to turn him into an evildoer with their slander. A criminal against the government. Abbott says this was a false interpretation put upon his language. Clark says it is very easy by means of just a few small alterations to render the most holy things and innocent persons odious to the world. There are subtle people that love to try to pull this off, see. They whisper, they insinuate, they say things and they take something that might have a basis of truth, but before you know it, these insinuators, these slanderers, they just start making up stuff. It says up here that they have practiced their lying. They wearied themselves in it. But in Matthew 27, they said, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again. How did they know that? it's very possible and likely that they understood clearly what he was saying. Especially after he explained more. But yet they slandered him. They exaggerated. So we've seen what to expect in these last days. We've seen what slander is and how it loves to exaggerate things turn them into something more than they are. Now let's look at who will likely be slandered and why. Of course anyone can be slandered, especially in these last days. That's another reason that all of us should give due process, the same due process that we expect of others. For whoever rolls the stone, it's going to come back on you. And one day you're going to want the due process that you did not give to somebody else when you're falsely accused. But more specifically, Those that will be slandered in the last days, we've seen Matthew 24, the evil servant will slander the good and faithful servant that's watching for Christ. The ones that are eating and drinking with the drunken will slander the other servants. Those that are trying to get ready and be careful in regard to the coming of the Lord and watchful, they will be slandered. Those that are giving out the meat in due season, they will be slandered. They will be smitten by the strife of tongues. It says in 2 Timothy 3, yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. There it is. The watching servants. The ready servants. All who live godly shall suffer persecution. And then we're told, the very next verse, but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. That's implying that it's going to get far worse. in the last days, progressively. Peter tells us, chapter 4, wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot speaking evil of you. There it is again. When you try to be holy, when you try to balance your life, when you try to walk in holiness, and not excessive riot and all of these things. When you practice temperance, they're gonna speak evil of you. and certainly anybody that stands for truth and tries to exhort and admonish, and how much more those that have the ministry of doing this, they're called to be pastors and they're called to minister, they're called in Isaiah to cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins, how much more will they be persecuted, slandered, evil accusations, railing accusations. It says in Acts 7, which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? John Gill. Spurgeon became the pastor of the church he pastored. John Gill says, we have this proper procedure and due process. Two or three witnesses have to come before you can cite a pastor. He says, we have this because of a pastor's many enemies, who through envy and malice and the instigation of Satan, would be continually pestering the church with charges, could they be easily admitted. Calvin says, none are more liable to slanders than godly teachers. He says, the more earnest any pastor strives to advance the kingdom of Christ, so much the more is he loaded with envy, and so much the fiercer are the assaults made on him. Clark tells us, those whose business it is to correct others will usually have many enemies. So what is the biblical response to slander? The last point here. Number one, of course, own whatever is true. Own true mistakes and judgments. On the other hand, Never be blackmailed into some type of fake guilt or confession. Don't accept twisted exaggerations and insinuations. Don't accept judgment of your motives in a wicked way and lack of proper due process. Anybody that hasn't been asleep in a cave has seen what's happened with the conservative movement. First too silent, whether Christians or politically conservative or just people trying to be decent. We've seen them first silent, and then when they barely utter a word, they run to apologize. In fact, that's what some commentators are saying now about the anti-abortion, anti-baby murder movement, the pro-life movement. They're saying that everybody's too squeamish, too quiet, trying to be too political and nice. They need to explain what is really going on, that this is baby murder. We're talking about a baby's life. Why are you apologizing? Why are you trying to be so delicate? It's hurting the cause. Our Lord says in Mark 8, Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. This whole past 2,000 years has been a sinful, adulterous generation. The whole past 2,000 years has been the last days, but now we're in the last of the last days, when perilous times shall come. We've seen examples by watching the Sodomite crowd. and watching the left and the liberal commies and the woke crowd, how they scream and they become outrageous. Then we see often their victims issue a manipulated apology in some attempt to maybe pacify the nice wolves or that wolf spirit. And no conservative that I know of has fared well after being manipulated into some type of fake apology, or even if he believes his own apology after all of their manipulation. But you've seen the rare few who have stood up and would not back down, that would not be ashamed of the truth, and they fared a lot better, certainly in their own conscience. So what we need to do is we need to understand that it's not some strange thing. Number one, Jonathan Edwards said centuries ago that this slander, these accusations, it's no strange thing at all, but only what has to be expected in a world like this. They therefore do not act wisely that allow their spirits to be ruffled by the injuries they suffer. Expect it, says Peter. It's not some strange thing, especially in this day and age we're living in. We should also respond with patience. We should also never render evil for evil. As Peter tells us, not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing. You don't answer a fool according to their own folly. In other words, you don't become like them. They rail because they don't have truth. They rail because they're evil and they have evil hearts and evil motives. They can't control themselves in one sense. They've been given over. Proverbs 20 says, Say not thou, I will recompense evil, but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee. We trust in God. It says in Thessalonians 5, See that none render evil for evil unto any man. In fact, Paul says in Corinthians chapter 4, Being defamed, we entreat. What does that mean? It means they try to reason. They try to deal with them the best they can, to some degree. They pray for them. But there's more. Surprisingly, very surprisingly, our forefathers were actually much more proactive in regard to slanderers. Not only in rejecting them from fellowship, but in answering them. Now, I remember reading in earlier days the biography of George Whitefield, and it was very precious to me. And George Whitefield, Methodist preacher that spread revival, He said, I am content to wait till the judgment day for the clearing up of my reputation. And after I'm dead, I desire no other epitaph than this. Here lies GW, what sort of man he was, the great day will discover. It's been a common theme, a common theme throughout the ages for good men to say, I trust in the Lord. In other words, it was part of their humility, true humility, to not be so concerned about all these things. However, there is a balance. It's very important that we remember that although it says, not a fool according to his folly. It also says, answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. And I believe that we could forget that side of things. The Westminster Confession says, which is the ninth commandment? The ninth commandment is thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbor as well as our own, a charitable esteem of our neighbors, sorrowing for and covering of their infirmities, defending their innocency, unwillingness to admit of an evil report concerning them, that is, without proper proof and due process, discouraging tail-bearers and slanderers, See, we're supposed to have that angry countenance that drives away the backbiting tongue. We're supposed to defend each other. And listen to what they say. The duties required in the ninth commandment also are the love and care of our own good name and defending it when need requireth. That is a common theme in earlier writings. Yes, there's the side of it that we have to have patience. We have to trust in God. But there is also a time for answering a fool according to their folly. The sins, they go on to say, forbidden in the ninth commandment, are giving false evidence. Lying, slandering, backbiting, tailbearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash and harsh, impartial censoring, misconstructing people's intentions, words and actions, aggravating smaller faults, unnecessary discovering of infirmities, raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against a just defense when they go to answer for themselves, as well as evil suspicion. See, we should never try to be more superficially holy than our Lord Himself. Our Lord was perfectly holy. He was sinless. But there's been this flowery sermonette sometimes from good men, sermonettes from good men, that have caused, I believe, an imbalance, especially in this age. It's resulted in a passivity, and Satan may often delight in it. The balance is we can't chase every slander. We can't let our pride be over-concerned. We can't get all ruffled. We should expect it. We should trust the Lord to defend us in due time. We should be like our Lord in the sense that He despised the shame. It says in Hebrews 12 that, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our fate, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, he had the attitude of, to some degree, what do I care what this adulterous generation thinks of me? I only care what the Father thinks. But there is a time to answer fools, The psalmists did say, the Lord is my defense again and again. We need to pray to God in times of slander and persecution. We need to pray and we need to have faith and trust. But what we're seeing from our forefathers is that there is a time to answer lies and exaggerations and wicked insinuations. There is a time to answer the fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Lest he hinder your good name by exaggerations or manipulations of truth and facts. And the important thing is not just our forefathers giving us this balance, but our Lord's own example. It says in John chapter eight, then answered the Jews and said unto him, say we not well that thou art a Samaritan and has a devil? And Jesus answered. The Bible says Jesus answered. He says, I have not a devil, but I honor my father and you do dishonor me. Why did Jesus answer? Why did Jesus answer the slander? It says in Matthew 11, our Lord says, but John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he had the devil. The son of man came eating and drinking and they say behold a man gluttonous and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works were done because they repented not. Our Lord exposed how illogical they were, how contradictory they were, how childish they were. He answered for himself. Paul answered for himself before the magistrate. He says, neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. He rebuked these fake apostles that were lying and calling his ministry a fraud. He exposed them. So true humility does not mean it's always wrong to defend ourselves, even our reputation. I'm not talking about seeking the praise of men, living for compliments. I'm not talking about not being able to take criticism or reproof. I'm talking about answering wicked slanders. Jesus answered them. accepted the crucifixion where he suffered for our sins. Jesus answered their wicked mouths. It's very important that we trust in God, that we pray, that we entreat, that we try to reason when possible. And if we can't reason with people that have proven to be wolves and subverted, and we need to turn away from them until God works on them, hopefully, we can at least answer at times for others that may be confused. And one thing we see is we ought to stand up for others. I have a loved one of mine that was recently slandered in a wicked way. And we know vengeance belongs unto the Lord. But it's important that we have this balance. So as we begin and continue this series on the sin of lying, And next week we deal with this idea that there is a justified lying. We're going to search out the scriptures and talk about that, God willing, next week. But right now, let's not be a tailbearer. Let's not be one of those taddlers. Let's not be a false accuser. Let's study the Bible for due process. Find out what it means. and let's try to respond in a balanced, biblical way. Certainly with humility, but not fake humility. Certainly with love, but not a fake love. A balanced love. Answer not a fool according to their folly, but answer a fool according to their folly. Dear holy God, thank you for truth, thank you for balance. Help us, God, have this balance that you've called us to. Not turning to the right or the left, to walk that straight line, God, that we need to walk. We love you. We thank you for your goodness. We thank you, Lord, that you are our defender. We thank you, Lord, that you told us these days would come. And we pray now to do what we're supposed to do and to keep on keeping on, to come not down off the wall, Lord, but to continue your work. You told us these days would be here. full of supplanters, full of slanderers, that we have to watch and be careful. Help us not be discouraged. You told us to rejoice in this day. Rejoice for the reward in heaven. May we repent of any sins, any misjudgments, But stop the mouth of the wicked, Lord, we do pray. In Jesus' name, amen.