- [Narrator] Let me put the nail in this coffin real tight.
God hates a liar.
Proverb 6:16 says,
"These six things doth the Lord hate.
Yea, seven are an abomination unto him.
A proud look, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,
feet that be swift in running to mischief,
a false witness that speaketh lies,
and he that soweth discord among brethren."
In the short list of seven things that God hates,
two amongst them are lying.
This can be a little bit confusing to us as people,
as we may not typically consider lying or pride
as an emergency situation to fix in our lives.
But it is not the same with God.
The truth is, lying is contrary to the nature of God.
The Bible says that God is truth.
John 14:16,
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth
and the life.'"
The word of God is truth.
John 17:17 says,
"Sanctify them by the truth,
your word is truth."
Hence, we are going against our father's divine nature
when we lie.
However, the Bible tells us who the father of lies is.
John 8:44 says,
"You belong to your father, the devil,
and you want to carry out your father's desires.
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 the father of lies."
Liars are of the devil, not of God.
Lying is contrary to the nature of God.
The truth is, it is challenging
to contend with the short-term challenge
that comes with the truth.
However, it brings long-term peace.
Building relationships on lies lead to long-term troubles.
When we speak the truth,
we are building rewards in the future.
The trait of thinking of your future is called prudence,
and the Bible has a lot of good things to say
about the prudent man.
Proverbs 22:3 says,
"The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
but the naive go on, and are punished for it."
The liar in this case is the naive man,
and Solomon says that he will be punished for it.
Story is told of a little kid that said so many lies
that his father wanted to teach him many lessons.
So, he got a brand new piece of wood
and forced 10 nails into this piece of wood,
and he called his kid and said,
"Dave, you recently told 10 lies.
I want you to go and apologize for every lie that you told,
and as you apologize for each lie,
we will remove one piece of nail from the wood."
So, the boy went about apologizing for his lies.
When he finished and the 10th nail was removed,
the boy responded that the 10 nails were gone,
but the erosion and marks left by the nails remained.
And the father tells him,
"Now you have learned the lessons
that is the cost of lying.
It erodes trust and scars reputations."
You may lie to yourself
that you are sparing the person you are lying to,
or you may tell yourself that you are being nice.
However, the truth sets people free.
Just like any other sin,
lies only provide short-term benefits.
When we are at a crossroads between telling the truth
and lying, we have a choice to either tell a lie
and disappoint God our father,
or tell the truth and make God happy.
We also lie due to a lack of courage.
Do not fear people.
Before you speak the truth, be confident
and know God has your back,
for God hath not given us the spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
We can be running late and tell our friends
that we are 10 minutes away, when we are 40 minutes away.
However, lying only adds to your current problem.
Lies just make the situation worse.
Typically, after speaking the truth we suffer a backlash,
as the receiver may react in an unpleasant mood
in order to work through their emotions.
However, people appreciate honesty.
Cowardice erodes the self-respect
that you have for yourself,
which leads you to become more likely to lie in the future
as you erode your personal character.
I will advise that if you cannot tell the truth,
refrain from giving answers.
Plead the fifth.
It may sound amusing, but you can plead the fifth.
You have the right to refuse to give answers.
There are times when it is better to be silent.
You do not need to give your opinion on everything.
Maybe you need to build your courage
after you are asked a question.
Perhaps you need to take 10 minutes and come back.
Proverbs 17:28 says,
"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise;
and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed,
a man of understanding."
The costs of cowardice is too high.
In the Bible, topping the list of those going to hell
are the cowards.
Revelation 21:8 reads,
"But as for the cowardly, the faithless,
the detestable, as for the murderers,
the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,
their portion will be in the lake
that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
We are the Christian body, and we are not cowards.
Cowardice is not a fruit of Christianity.
Although it could be tempting to sin
and enjoy the short-term pleasures,
we must endure to the end.
In confronting our lying tongue,
we need to begin with the truth
and name lies for what they truly are.
We have many names for lies.
However, first step in overcoming lies
is to call your lies a sin.
We sometimes try to evade this
by calling them white lies or habits,
in order not to face the reality that we are sinning.
Do not call it a white lie.
What is the fate of a liar?
"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,"
Revelation 21:8.
This is a second death.
Amongst the terrible list is liars.
We might see lying as little-consequence activity,
but the Bible says that liars and sorcerers
have the same fate.
Lying is costly.
Proverbs 22:1 says,
"A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
Your word should be your bond.
Say the truth or stay silent.
Only be strong and courageous.
Speak the truth and stay prudent.