Please turn in your Bibles to Exodus, chapter 20. We're going to look at two texts this morning, Exodus 20, 16, then we'll turn over to Matthew 19 and read verses 17 through 19. The title of the message is The Ninth Commandment, Exodus 20, verse 16. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Now Matthew 19, 17. 19, 17 through 19. And he said unto him, The Lord said to the rich young ruler, why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, honor thy father and thy mother, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The ninth commandment is broken probably more than any other. Ours has become a culture of lying and untruth. Merchants lie to us in advertising their products for sale. People lie in their tax returns about how much they gave to the church last year. You know, it's amazing how many people become tithers when it's income tax time. Many of today's politicians are utterly fearless in lying to the people. President Bill Clinton one day looked the American people in the eye and lied about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. President Obama is known for his lying. If Congress will adopt Obamacare, healthcare prices will go down, he promised. If Obamacare passes, you can keep your doctor, he promised. Again and again, he has said that Israel is our friend and ally in the Middle East. But last week, he stabbed Israel in the back by his vote in the UN. So notorious has he become in lying to the American people that it can pretty accurately be said of him that if his lips are moving, he is lying. So permeated with lying has our nation become that what God said about Judah in Isaiah 59, 14 is certainly true of our nation today. Truth is fallen in the street. God's ninth commandment speaks God's will concerning lying. In this message this morning on God's ninth commandment, we're going to look at three things which it is hoped will help us better understand this law of God. First of all, it's important that we consider what this commandment forbids. This commandment of God forbids ANYTHING that is prejudicial to the truth. Now I believe that's a very inclusive statement and an excellent statement. It's found in many of the old confessions of faith. This commandment forbids anything that is prejudicial to the truth. This commandment covers all aspects of dishonesty and deceit. There are a number of synonyms we often use for breaking this commandment. It's good to know what these words mean. There's the word equivocate. That means the use of language intended to deceive. A lot of people equivocate. There is the word prevaricate. This means to deviate from the truth. And there is the word disingenuous. I hear this a lot. This is a polite word for deceitful and lying. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. I want us to look here at a number of things this commandment forbids. First of all, this commandment forbids lying. W.R. Downing defines a lie as a statement, action, or impression that one knows to be false, made with the intent to deceive. Lying is Satan's greatest tool for promoting his kingdom. By lies, Satan brought sin and the fall and suffering into this world. Satan lied in telling Adam and Eve that if they would eat the forbidden fruit, they would be as gods. Abraham, the friend of God, nevertheless lied to Pharaoh when he told him that Sarah was his sister. You know, Sarah was a good-looking woman, and he was afraid Pharaoh would take her for his own, and so he lied. He said, ìSheís my sister.î Read about it in Genesis 12, 9-16. Joshua 2 tells how Rahab lied in saying that the Hebrew spies, the Israelite spies had left her house already. 1 Kings 22 tells how a lying spirit entered into Ahab's prophets and convinced Ahab to go up to Ramoth Gilead where he would be killed. Acts 5, 3, and 4 relates how Satan led Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit in saying that they had given all the proceeds of a land sale to the church, when actually they had kept back part of the prize. Turn to Acts chapter 5, verses 3 and 4. Acts 5, 3 and 4. These people lied in the church. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whilst it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. There's a great variety, there is great variety in the lies that people tell and all of them break the ninth commandment. Perjury is forbidden by this commandment. Perjury is telling a lie while under oath in court. It includes giving false evidence in a trial. Turn to Matthew 26, 59 through 61. Matthew 26, 59 through 61. This tells us that at his trial, false witnesses testified against the Lord Jesus. Matthew 26, 59 through 61. Now the chief priests and elders and all the council sought false witness against Jesus to put him to death, but found none. Yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses and said, and this is a lie, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. If you've ever served on a jury, You have very likely seen instances of perjury, bearing false witness in court. Slander is forbidden by this commandment. Slander is a lie that is invented and circulated with malicious intentions. It is meant to injure or destroy a person. Exodus 23, 1. speaks of slander when God says there, thou shalt not raise a false report. Have you ever been slandered? One of the most painful things that can happen to a person. Slander is Satan's tool. The very name devil means accuser or literally slanderer. Media lies are forbidden by this ninth commandment. The media often quotes people out of context. Quoting a person out of context is lying about what that person said. Even though he may have said those exact words, they leave out what he said before and what he said after that modify those words, and therefore it's a false presentation. It leaves a false impression of what that person meant to say. And libel, we don't hear that word much anymore, but libel is slander in print. The U.S. media commits libel every day, whether in print or on the net or on TV. Leaving false impressions is forbidden by this commandment. You know, there are ways to lie without opening your mouth. Purposefully leaving a false impression by a hint or a suggestion is lying. A gesture can be a lie. A tone of voice can be a lie. Even the expression on one's face can be a lie. One can lie by remaining silent when he should speak up to correct an error. That's a lie. You let a lie pass when you have the power to stop it. Self-esteem lies are forbidden by this commandment of God. Oh, I tell you, self-esteem is one of the curses of this age. There are a lot of self-esteem lies that parents and teachers tell their children. Saying good job to a child when his action is not a good job is a lie, even if it's intended to build that child's self-esteem. Today's young people who have been lied to about their gifts and abilities and achievements take themselves very seriously. Until now, we have two generations of conceited, spoiled, and arrogant people. Flattery is closely related to self-esteem lies. When we flatter a person, we give him an inflated view of himself and his abilities. We lie to him and we lie about him. Exaggerated eulogy is forbidden by this commandment. I'm going to preach about preachers here for a while. Exaggerated eulogy is a false witness. It speaks of preachers lying in funeral eulogies about the virtues and qualities and even the salvation of the deceased. Malcolm Watts, and I enjoy listening to him on Sermon Audio, he's a preacher in the UK, he said that, he said, I've been to the funerals of many angels. Everybody that dies is an angel anymore, if you watch the eulogies to them on TV. One of the really downsides of such conduct is that friends and associates of the departed know that the preacher is lying in his exaggerated eulogy. I'll never forget a funeral I attended in Alabama, a little place called Rehoboth Baptist Church. and a fifteen-year-old girl was killed in a car wreck. She was a friend of some of our members, and I went to the funeral. Boy, that preacher preached her right into heaven, and there was no doubt she was walking the streets of heaven right then. Well, I thought, that's great. I'm glad she's a Christian. Well, after the funeral, the fellow in our church that knew her said, that wasn't the same person. That girl was a drug addict. They were all high on drugs at that time. She had a terrible reputation in the community. So that preacher was guilty of, and that's really a courteous term, exaggerated eulogy. He lied about her. Breaking a contract is lying and thus forbidden by this commandment. Here's what I mean. When you sign a note to buy a car or buy a house, or buy some home appliance, you promise in signing that contract, you promise to pay for that item and to do so on time. And so not paying such a bill is therefore lying to the seller or the lender. You said you would and you didn't. Preaching an unbiblical message is forbidden by this commandment. Preaching, thus saith the Lord, when the Lord hath not said it, is lying. In Jeremiah 6 14, God condemns preachers who cry peace when there is no peace. We have a lot of those preachers today. Let's turn to that. Jeremiah 6 14. Jeremiah chapter 6 and verse 14. God is talking about these preachers and their false message. Jeremiah 6, 14, they have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying, peace, peace, when there is no peace. Preachers who preach that God is all love and wouldn't harm a flea are lying. Preachers who preach the prosperity gospel that says God wants everyone to be well and prosperous are lying because God has not said these things. As a matter of fact, Brother Chamberlain wrote a track called God Wants You Sick and he dealt with this matter. Some people, you know in God's providence, he has different things for all of us. Making vows to God and not keeping them is forbidden by this commandment. Vowing to God that one will tithe his income and then not doing so is lying to God. Vowing to God and one's spouse in the marriage ceremony that to stay with one's spouse in sickness and health for richer, for poorer, so long as we both shall live, and then getting a divorce is bearing false witness before God. It's forbidden by this commandment. Hypocrisy is forbidden by this commandment. are lying about their relationship to the Lord. Paul describes them in 1 Timothy 4, 2 as speaking lies in hypocrisy. Hypocrites know they're not saved, but they talk and they act like they are. My friend, if you are a Christian and you are not If you say that you're a Christian and you're not, you are a hypocrite and a liar according to God's word. Turn to 1 John chapter 2 and verse 4. 1 John chapter 2 and verse 4. Very sobering statements here in 1 John 2 and verse 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Hypocrites lie to Christians, to their faces, and then they stab them in the back. I once pastored a woman who told me to my face more than once, oh brother Justice, we just love you so much as our pastor. But I later discovered that that woman and her husband were going from house to house among our members trying to get them to vote to get me fired as pastor of that church. Lies told in a supposedly good cause are still lies and they still break God's ninth commandment. So-called scientists said publicly after their lies about global warming were thoroughly exposed, they said, well, you know, our lies are in a good cause because they help create awareness about global warming. Lying in any of its forms is forbidden by this commandment and is sin. All lies in themselves are sinful, whether they be, quote, little white lies, of which there's no such thing, or big black lies. All lies are big black lies. All lies break the ninth commandment and thus are sin. Now, why do people lie? Why do we lie? God's Word says, first of all, that people lie because of what's in their hearts. It is the nature of sinful man to lie. You don't become a liar, you're born a liar. The Lord Jesus said that lying comes from the heart. Look at Matthew 15, verse 19. Matthew chapter 15, verse 19 tells us that lying comes out of the heart. For out of the heart proceed or come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. We lie because by nature we are liars. You know, a thief steals because he's a thief. We lie because we're liars. But from an outward perspective, from a human perspective, people lie for several reasons. Some people lie to avoid some inconvenience that might come to them by telling the truth. You know, it's an easy act. You don't have to face the issue. Some lie to win arguments. Some lie to hurt those of whom they are jealous. Some people lie, even lie to try to change history. I remember hearing in, oh, it must have been the early 80s, I heard about an Armenian preacher who said that on his deathbed, Spurgeon recanted his Calvinism. He lied to change history. Some lie to promote their political agendas. Global warming is a lie and its promoters have been proven to be liars. Now, let's consider in the second place what God thinks of those who break this commandment. In God's eyes, breaking this commandment is a great sin and wickedness. The scripture says that God hates liars. I'm not saying it says he hates lying, although he does hate lying. But it says he hates liars. Now, the word abomination in the Bible is the very strongest word used in the scripture for the opinion of God on any subject. It means that God abhors something. If something is said to be an abomination to him, it means he abhors it. He hates that something. Proverbs 12.22 says, Lying lips are abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 12.22. Turn to Proverbs 6.16 for another example. Proverbs 6.16. I think most of us are familiar with this passage. Proverbs 6, 16, and 19 say that God hates liars. These six things doth the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him. Then go to verse 19. It gives the last part of that list of six. A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren. Now, a false witness here is a person. Only a person speaks lies. And so God is said here to hate a person who lies. God thinks so strongly of those who violate this ninth commandment that he punishes these people. Turn to Proverbs 19.5. There's a lot in Proverbs about the truth and about lying. Proverbs 19.5 says, A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. I find it very interesting that in Old Testament Israel, a liar, especially one who committed perjury in court, had to suffer whatever his victim suffered due to his false witness. Look at Deuteronomy 19.16, Deuteronomy 19.16. In other words, if you gave false witness that caused a man to be punished in some particular way and it was found out that you were lying, you had to get that punishment for yourself. Deuteronomy 19.16. Now look at verse 16 first, and it says, Deuteronomy 19, 16, IF A FALSE WITNESS RISE UP AGAINST ANY MAN TO TESTIFY AGAINST HIM THAT WHICH IS WRONG, NOW LOOK AT VERSE 19, THEN SHALL YE DO UNTO HIM AS HE HAD THOUGHT TO HAVE DONE UNTO HIS BROTHER. SO SHALT THOU PUT THE EVIL AWAY FROM AMONG YOU. In this present life, God punishes liars in several ways. A loss of confidence in the liar by those around him is often the punishment for lying. A liar soon loses his credibility and reputation among men. He is no longer believed when he speaks, even when he tells the truth. You've all heard the story of the boy who cried, wolf, wolf. That's what we're talking about here. Little boy cried, there's a wolf coming, there's a wolf coming. And everybody'd run out and get the guns and they'd look around and there was no wolf. And he did that about three times. And then one day a real wolf came along and a lot of the children there were in danger. And this wolf was ready to attack them and he started crying, wolf, wolf. And everybody just went about their business. He lost his reputation. He lost his credibility. That's what happens to liar. Psalm 55, 23 says, Deceitful men shall not live out half their days. I don't have time to go into that, but that's another punishment that the Word of God attaches to lying. In eternity, in the future, God will punish those who lie. First of all, liars will not be allowed into heaven. Revelation 22, 15, let's turn to that. Revelation 22, 15. Last chapter in the Bible, verse 15, tells us that these people will be left outside the New Jerusalem. For without, that means outside, are dogs, I believe that refers to sex perverts, homosexuals, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Then Revelation 21.8, just one page before that, says that all liars go to hell. 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." In light of what God thinks about this sin, this is no trivial matter to be guilty of lying. in light of what God thinks about this sin. All of us are in deep trouble before God. Well, let's look now in the third place at what this commandment requires. We've seen what it forbids and how God views the ones who break this commandment. Let's look at the positive side, what this commandment requires. Like all the Ten Commandments, this one has both a negative prohibition and a positive requirement. In this ninth commandment, the prohibition is stated plainly and the requirement is clearly implied. This commandment requires that we tell the truth at all times. and in all circumstances. Positive side, tell the truth. Look at Ephesians 4.25. Ephesians, just a little ways before Revelation, chapter 4 and verse 25. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor. Listen to me. Listen to me. Always tell the truth. Always tell the truth. It is sin to lie. It is wrong to tell a lie. Turn to the book of Zechariah. Next to the last book in the Old Testament, Zechariah. And we'll look at chapter 8, verses 16 through 19. Zechariah 8, 16 through 19. God said through the prophet Zechariah in this passage, These are the things that ye shall do. Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor. And love no false oath. For all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord. And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah joy, and gladness, and cheerful feast. Therefore, love the truth and peace." tell the truth. Now, how does this apply to preachers? Preachers are to preach the WHOLE truth. ALL of the truth in God's Word. You know, there are some preachers that will preach everything but the doctrines of grace. They're not preaching the whole truth. Jeremiah preached the whole truth. Turn to Jeremiah 42. Jeremiah is one of the unsung heroes of God's preachers. Fearless man in preaching the truth. Jeremiah 42 and verse 4. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you. Behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words. And it shall come to pass that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you. I will keep back nothing from you. The Lord, he asked the Lord, the Lord told him, tell those people not to go down into Egypt. Do not go. I won't bless it. You'll die if you go down there. He told them that. They got mad at him. And they all went to Egypt and they dragged him down there with them. And they all died. Paul preached God's whole truth at Ephesus. Look at Acts 20 and verse 20. Acts chapter 20. And verse 20, Paul tells us that he preached the whole truth at Ephesus. Acts 20, 20, Paul is reviewing his ministry at Ephesus here. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house. I think I've told you this in the past, but several years ago, Lindy and I drove past a church building out in the country in Oklahoma, and on their marquee were these words, quote, speaking, dot, dot, dot, in love, Ephesians 415, unquote. Well, if you turn to Ephesians 4.15 and read it, you'll find what this marquee sign left out. The truth. It left out the truth. We are to speak the truth in love. You know, any modern church can be acceptable if they speak in love, but if they speak the truth in love. I mean, any modern preacher, the same way. Christians are to speak the truth. But we must also stand for the truth. A lot of people fall by the wayside. They say, yeah, I believe that, but they won't stand for it when it comes time to stand. One of John Bunyan's characters in The Pilgrim's Progress is Mr. Valiant for Truth. You remember him? Jeremiah 9.3, I believe this is where Bunyan found this, Jeremiah 9.3 says that wicked men are not valiant for truth. Quote, they bend their tongues like their bow for lies, but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth. Christians need to be Mr. Valiant for Truth. Under this heading, let's look for a moment at the relation of God and of Satan to the truth. First of all, God is the God of truth. Titus 1.9 says that God cannot lie. And Hebrews 6.18 says it's impossible for God to lie. Every Christian knows that God cannot lie. Everything he says is perfect and true. God is the truth. I'm not saying that the truth is God, but I am saying that God is the truth. God's children imitate their heavenly father in his truth and truthfulness. The Lord Jesus said in John 14, 6, I am the truth. The Lord's titles, if you will look at His titles in the New Testament, include THE TRUE WITNESS in Revelation 3. Verse 5-6 says, The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Lying is therefore a sin that is contrary to the very nature of God, who is truth itself. Satan, on the other hand, is a liar and the father of lies. Look at John 8, 44. What a statement we find here. John 8, 44. The Lord says to some people here, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lust 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. Lying, someone has said, is the sin that makes a person most like the devil. Lying is the sin that gives strong evidence that we belong to the devil and are his children. Well, in conclusion then, how can a person overcome his sin of lying? First of all, one must have a new nature, a spiritual nature to be able to overcome the sin of lying. This new nature comes in the new birth. Our responsibility when the Holy Spirit brings conviction of our sin is to repent of our sin, turn away from it and all of our sin and trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of our sin. Christ is the truth. The only way that one comes to the Father is through Him who is the truth. After you have been saved and have become a Christian, there are some important things to do in order to keep from lying. Satan is constantly working to produce the habit of lying in us. He usually begins with exaggeration. Two things a Christian can do to avoid this sin are, first of all, PRAY for God to protect you from this sin. Turn to Psalm 141 and verse 3. Pray for God to protect you from this sin. Proverbs 141 and verse 3. David prays here. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips. Lord, guard me from lying. Keep me from lying. Psalm 119, 29 is another prayer of David's for help in avoiding this sin. He prays there, remove from me the way of lying. The other thing a Christian can do in seeking to avoid this sin of lying is to discipline his mind to think about things that are true and of good report. Think on true things. Think about the truth. Look at Philippians 4 and we're through. Philippians chapter 4 and verse 8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. If a man loves the truth, and thinks about the truth, it will be far less likely to break this ninth commandment. Let us pray. Our Father, we are thankful for the truth, the Lord Jesus Christ who is the truth. We pray for those here today who are guilty of perverting the truth. and breaking this ninth commandment. We pray that through Jesus Christ, who is the truth, they would come to you for salvation and be saved. We pray that all of us would pray and be concerned for that prayer, set a watch before my mouth and guard my lips. Father, may we be known for truth. May we imitate our heavenly father in our truthfulness. We pray for those that are lost and those that are backslidden today. May thy will be done in all of our lives. In Jesus Christ's holy name we pray. Amen. What number shall we sing, Brother Johnny? 152 as we stand together.