that scares you.
Could be some of you have been to the doctor
and what you heard was frightening.
It could be some of you,
when you got your report card recently,
what you saw was scary
because you knew what kind of trouble you'd be in.
For some, what has scared you lately
is finding out what the experts say
you need to save for your children's education
or for your retirement.
If you've been here the past couple of weeks,
you may have been scared like me
at something that Jesus said about our words.
Look at it with me.
It comes from Luke chapter 6, verse 45.
He said,
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart
produces good,
and the evil person out of his evil treasure
produces evil.
For out of the abundance of the heart,
his mouth speaks.
Think about that.
Jesus said,
from out of the abundance of our heart,
our mouth speaks.
Isn't it scary to think that some of the things
that come out of your mouth
is an indication of what's in your heart?
You know, we saw, what, a couple of weeks ago,
our speech reveals who we really are deep down.
If our words are filthy,
it means our heart's filthy.
If our words are deceptive,
it means we've got a deceptive heart.
But if our words are true and wise,
that says something about our heart as well.
We're going to continue our study
of the wrong use of words this morning.
We're in the book of Proverbs.
And what I want us to notice,
think about,
not just notice, but really think about,
as we look at
the various forms of speech,
the wrong use of words.
Like last week, it was gossip and slander.
We're going to look at some more today.
If you have a problem with such,
that's not really a speech problem.
That's a heart problem.
And that's why those words of Jesus scare me.
Well, some of the things that come out of my mouth,
it's not a tongue problem.
It's much deeper than that.
Now, I want to qualify that statement a little bit.
If a person is truly a child of God,
then God is working in their life
to develop Christ-like character.
I mean, that's Romans chapter 8, 29.
God works in all of His children,
conforming us to the image of His Son.
That's what He does from the time He saves us
until our lives are over here on earth.
But, as God works in us,
as long as we're here in this world,
we've got a sinful nature.
And we don't always cooperate with God, do we?
We don't always obey the Spirit of God's conviction,
don't say that, don't do that.
We just sometimes do what we want to do
and say what we want to say.
God's work in us to make us more and more like His Son
is a lifetime process,
but it's not a perfect process
because of our continuing problems with sin within.
That means that our spiritual growth
will never just be totally consistent,
growing and maturing and rising on up like a chart.
No.
I love the book title that Chuck Swindoll has,
Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back,
because that is the way we grow as Christians.
There's times in your life,
you know since you've become a Christian,
there have been times when you really made some good progress.
God was just working in you,
and you were obedient,
you felt like you were close to Him,
you could see how He was changing,
maybe the way you thought about some things,
the way you were actually living.
But then,
maybe you looked at yourself too closely
and took pride in yourself.
Before you knew it,
you were having some bad attitudes,
saying things you shouldn't say,
doing some things you knew didn't please God.
You make three steps forward sometimes,
but take a step or even two steps back.
But here's what I want us to understand.
If we're Christians,
we are making progress
in our spiritual growth,
in our development of Christ-like or Christian character,
because God does that work.
And God's not going to fail.
He works within us,
as we saw last week from Philippians chapter 2,
to cause us to will,
to want,
and to be able
to please Him.
But it's not going to be flawless.
Now,
this pattern of growth,
up and down some,
but still making progress.
That is true about every aspect of our lives,
including our speech.
But you know,
this means that
we will experience struggles
with our words at times,
but some people experience more trouble,
more struggle than others.
Let's just face it.
Some of us in this room,
either before we became Christians
or before we got serious
about living a Christian life,
we developed a vocabulary
that was not Christian.
And so sometimes,
things don't go our way,
something happens,
and it's just automatic,
saying words
that really and truly
don't please God.
It's just sort of a habit.
I don't know if you're like me,
but, you know,
if I live long enough
and develop a little bit of dementia
or something like that,
I'm scared to death
of what's going to come out of my mouth.
Because I know all the words
was pretty well
well in most of them
at one point in my life.
That comes out.
If you,
in your earlier days,
had a problem with anger,
you're going to struggle with anger.
God will help us to deal with it,
to grow.
But there are certain things,
sin patterns in your life
that you struggle with.
And it may be
some of your words
are a part of that sin pattern.
So, as we go through this,
I want you to understand,
our words,
they are a reflection
of what's in our heart.
That's what Scripture says.
That's what Jesus said.
But we don't have pure hearts.
We still have a problem
with sin and selfishness
and things that cause us
to not think,
speak perfectly,
or live perfectly like Jesus.
But I want you to let God
show you,
as we go through this,
what the real condition
of your heart is.
Now,
last week we began
looking at the wrong use of words
and address two
that I want to state this way
this week.
Malicious words.
Gossip and slander.
That's what we looked at last week.
This week,
last week I referred to them
as the twin towers
of destructive speech
because that's what they are.
But I'm switching it
because I couldn't think
of a way to continue
that analogy
for this week.
So last week we looked
at malicious words,
gossip and slander.
Let's look first today
at untruthful words.
The focus is going to be
on lying.
Old Testament scholar,
Tremper Longman.
In his commentary
on Proverbs and Psalms,
he listed about 20 verses
in Proverbs
that address the issue
of untruthful speech.
There may be more.
But one sentence
in Proverbs chapter 12
verse 22
indicates why lying
is such a serious sin.
Look at it.
Lying lips are an abomination
to the Lord.
The NIV says it this way,
God detests lying lips.
We can trim it down
even simpler.
God hates.
God despises lying lips.
Now, why would the Scripture
state so strongly
God's hatred
of our lying?
Well, first,
it's totally contrary
to His nature.
You see, God's 100% truthful.
That's just who He is.
He can't help but be.
He is God.
He cannot lie.
He thinks.
He speaks.
He acts in ways
that are totally honest
and truthful,
above board,
total integrity.
That's just God.
Jesus, when He came
into this world,
He came as God
in the flesh.
John chapter 1,
verse 1 says,
The beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
Jesus, when He came
into the world,
He took on human nature.
He became the God-man.
And one of the ways
Jesus described
or explained
who He was
was in terms of
He is truth.
Look at this.
John chapter 14.
You know this.
Jesus said,
I am the way
and the truth
and the life.
That's just
the nature of God.
And then the Bible
is God's written Word
and Jesus used
the very word
truth
to describe
God's Word
in John 17, 17.
He's praying.
Talking to His heavenly Father
and He says,
Your Word
is truth.
So,
whenever we lie,
whenever we're deceptive,
whenever we are
trying to
conceal the truth,
we are
180 degrees
from what God is
and what the Lord Jesus is
and what the Word of God is.
whenever we lie,
we're acting
totally contrary
to God,
His nature,
His character,
everything.
So, here's what
we need to think about here.
If you are a liar
at heart,
and some people are,
you may have been
around some people.
A liar at heart
is somebody
who just
thinks in terms
of being deceptive,
being dishonest.
Say whatever it takes
to get my way.
And truth doesn't matter.
All you're concerned about
are just a habitual liar,
liar to the core.
You're just worried
about getting caught.
But it doesn't bother,
if it doesn't bother you
to lie,
you cannot be
a child of God.
That's just as clear
as clear can be.
Here's why.
God's totally
non-lying.
Totally truthful.
If we're children of God,
it's because God
has put His Spirit
in us,
the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of God.
And if the Spirit
of God lives within us,
because we still have
a sinful nature,
we can lie.
And we do sometimes.
But if we're Christians
and we lie,
sooner or later
the Spirit of God
is going to convict
us,
this is wrong,
this is sinful,
this is offensive to God.
And it becomes
offensive to us
because it's contrary
to our true nature
as Christians.
And so if you can lie,
boys and girls,
teenagers,
middle-aged people,
old people,
if you can lie
and it doesn't bother you,
it's just who you are,
how you are,
what you do,
you cannot have the Spirit
of God within you.
There is no way
because the Spirit
of God
is all about
truthfulness,
honesty,
integrity.
God hates lying
because it's contrary
to His nature.
God hates lying
because it is the nature
of the devil.
as Jesus pointed out
in John chapter 8.
In that chapter,
Jesus is having
a confrontation
with religious leaders,
some Pharisees
and others
who are opposing Him,
trying to undermine Him,
trying to make people think
He doesn't know
what He's talking about,
He's wrong,
He's lying.
They're trying to lead
people astray,
keep people from believing
in Jesus,
take them away from Him.
And in the context
of Him arguing
with these people,
telling them
that they are liars,
He says this
about the devil,
John 8, 44,
when He lies,
He speaks out
of His own character,
for He is a liar
and the father
of lying,
lies.
Lying is a very serious problem
because it originates
with Satan.
That's where we see it
first in the Bible,
Genesis chapter 3,
the serpent tempts Eve.
If you are a liar at heart,
then according to what
Jesus told those Pharisees,
your father is the devil,
not God.
Now that's hard,
but that's what Jesus
Himself said
to liars,
people who knew
they were,
didn't care
because it was going
to further their agenda.
God is not your father,
the devil is
because he is a liar
and the father of lies.
It's obvious
in just these two examples
why God hates lying.
But as children of God,
understanding this,
shouldn't lying
bother us?
Shouldn't lying
be something
that we hate
as well?
It has to be,
doesn't it?
Lying is something
we all need
to take very seriously.
It's something
that we who influence
children
need to make sure
they take seriously.
I'm talking to parents,
grandparents,
aunts and uncles,
teachers,
coaches.
If you are an influencer
of children,
you need to really
emphasize
the importance of truth,
being truthful.
Chuck Swindoll
issues a good,
important warning
about children
and lying.
Look at what he says.
He says,
we do children
no service
by allowing them
to ease
out of responsibility
for their lies.
Tolerance
only produces
a more mature
and skilled
liar.
Let's think about this
for a moment.
Children will lie
for all kinds
of reasons
just like
adults do.
people lie
because of
the fear
of consequences
because they
want to avoid
embarrassment
maybe.
We lie
just for basically
selfish reasons.
Whatever the
reason is,
you who influence
children,
when you find
your child
or a child
you have influence
responsible for,
when you find
that they lie,
deal with it
quickly
and severely
from a young
age.
That is,
whenever they
tell their
first lie.
I don't know
if you parents
are like me.
My boys
were growing
up.
I made
too many
things that
shouldn't have
been issues.
I made them
an issue.
I died
or shed
blood,
their blood,
my blood,
on too many
hills
when they
were growing
up.
I've got
one of them
in the service
and he can
tell you
that's true.
I had one
in the first
service.
I told the
first service,
you can ask
him,
I did.
Too many
things mattered,
I thought,
when they
were young.
It really
and truly
did not
matter.
But lying
is one.
that always
matters.
It is a
hill worth
spilling tons
of blood
on.
Lying is
something you
bring out the
nuclear arsenal
to combat.
We're talking
about lying.
It originates
in Satan.
It is something
that God
abhors,
hates,
despises
to the
core of
his being.
Deal
with lying
in your
children and
children you
have influence
over
in an age
appropriate
way
but don't
let them
get by
with lying
even one
time.
As
Swindoll
says,
tolerance
only produces
a more
mature
and skilled
liar.
If you
let them
get by
with it
at four,
they'll be
much more
adept at it
at 14.
And by
the time
they go
out from
your home,
they'll be
masters of
lying.
that's
why you
do
as that
philosopher
said,
that great
philosopher
Barney
Fyfe,
you gotta
nip it
in the
bud.
Lying
is one,
you gotta
nip in
the bud.
Let's
look at
another
wrong use
of words.
Self-promoting
words,
boasting,
bragging
words.
Proverbs
has several
warnings about
promoting
yourself,
bragging
on yourself,
your accomplishments,
things like
this.
Look at
two examples,
Proverbs
26,
12.
Do you
see a
man who
is wise
in his
own eyes?
There's
more hope
for a
fool
than for
him.
27,
2.
Let
another
praise
you,
not your
own mouth,
a stranger,
not your
own lips.
If you,
if there's
something about
you,
and there
certainly
is,
but if
there's
something
about
you
that's
good,
that ought
to be
noticed,
good to
be affirmed,
you let
somebody else
do it.
You don't
do it.
You let
someone that
doesn't have
any kind
of vested
interest in
you,
let that
stranger do
it.
That'll be
the more
sincere one.
The problem
we're talking
about here
in these
two verses,
speaking to
highly of
ourselves or
our
accomplishments.
He says
it's very
dangerous.
There's more
hope for a
fool than
for the
person who
is wise
in his
own eyes.
You know
why it's
so dangerous
for us to
be wise
in our
own eyes?
Because we
don't have
20-20 vision
when we look
at ourselves.
Aren't we
biased?
Aren't we
biased?
Do you
know why the
second great
commandment
says to
love your
neighbor as
yourself?
Because we
love ourselves.
We do.
That's why the
word of God
says love your
neighbor as
yourself because
you're going to
love yourself.
And we love
what we do,
a lot of what
we do,
not everything.
You know the
other word that
can be used to
describe such
boasting, it's
pride.
God has a real
problem with
pride.
He hates it
too.
There's a
passage in
Proverbs chapter
6 where there
are seven things
that God hates.
Look at it with
me.
We're just
going to look
at two.
There are six
things that the
Lord hates,
seven that are
an abomination
to him.
Haughty eyes,
a lying tongue.
Note the
lying tongue is
second here on
the list.
We already
covered that.
But the first
is haughty
eyes.
Some synonyms
for haughty
are proud,
arrogant,
conceited,
self-important,
stuck up.
You know what
I'm talking
about.
You understand.
God hates
our prideful,
arrogant,
conceited
attitudes
and actions
including our
words.
Why does God
hate it?
Well God hates
pride like this
because it's
demonstrating an
attitude of
self-centeredness
instead of
God-centeredness.
See he's
supposed to be
the focus of
our lives.
Do all that we
do for his
glory.
The greatest
thing of all
is to go and
do his will.
Well if we
think we're
the center of
everything,
if we think
that we are
self-sufficient,
then our
focus is just
going to be on
us and not
him.
We're going to
live to please
ourselves.
Just do what
we want,
when we want,
how we want,
with no thought
of what God's
desire,
plan may be.
You know pride
also affects our
relationships with
others.
You know this,
pride in
relationship to
others is sort
of like an
attitude of
superiority.
We think we're
better than
others.
We think we're
more important
than others.
We think we've
accomplished more
than others.
And when we
have that attitude
it causes us to
look down on
people or just
ignore them.
fail to
notice,
fail to
love.
A prideful
person usually
has a problem
with authority.
A prideful
person, I
know it all,
I don't need
anybody to tell
me, a lot
of times a
prideful person
just resents
authority at
every level of
life.
The pride we're
talking about,
it comes out a
lot of times in
our words in
relation to other
people.
We build
ourselves up
love, but we
need some help
so we put other
people down.
That's what
gossip does,
that's what
slander does,
that's what
lying about
another person
does.
Let's pause
here and clarify
that it's not
prideful to
acknowledge your
talents, your
abilities.
Because you have
some.
I said in the
first service,
these two young
ladies, Sarah and
Sabrina Stewart,
they can sing,
they can play
musical instruments.
And for them to
say, oh, I can't
do anything, that'd
just be foolish.
They need to, they
can acknowledge God
has given them
gifts, talents.
God has given
them the opportunity
to develop those
talents.
And they've done
very well in
doing it.
So it's not
wrong for you,
for me, for
them, to
acknowledge, I
can do some
things.
I'm pretty good
at some things.
I can, I have
won some awards
and so forth.
When it becomes
prideful is when
we take credit
for it, brag
about it, as if
we're the ones
responsible.
We all need to
never forget
everything that you
are, everything
that you have, it
originates from
God.
Paul addressed
this to the
Corinthian church
because they had
some pride problems
over people,
certain leaders.
And he made this
statement in 1
Corinthians 4,
what do you have
that you did not
receive?
If then you
received it,
why do you
boast as if you
did not receive
it?
Acknowledge what
God's given you,
but give him the
credit.
Praise him.
Thank him.
Boys and girls,
I have heard
children actually
say these words
to me.
I'm the smartest
kid in my class.
I'm the best
player on my
team.
I've heard that.
Boys and girls,
do not ever tell
a human being
in this world,
I'm the best
player on my
team.
I'm the smartest
kid in my
class.
That's just a
prideful,
arrogant,
conceited statement
for you to
make.
It's wrong.
Now,
if someone
else tells you
that,
if one of your
classmates,
one of your
teammates comes
up to you and
says,
pats you on the
back,
boy,
you're just the
best player on
our team.
You look at that
person,
you just say,
thank you.
Just say,
thank you.
If somebody
comes up in the
class and says,
you're the smartest
one on the team,
just tell them,
thank you.
And if you feel
like, I just got to
say something else,
just say, I'm just
thankful that the
Lord gave me the
ability to do that.
Because if you're the
best player on your
team, who made you
fast?
Who made you
athletic?
If you're the smartest
one in your class,
who gave you the
mind to do,
make the grades and do
what you do.
Just say, thank you.
If you have to say
more, thank God,
acknowledge that it's
a gift from Him.
You're just thankful.
But don't let it go to
your head.
Boys and girls,
don't brag.
that's pride.
And I want you to
understand something.
God hates to hear it
coming out of your
mouth.
And your friends
don't want to hear it
either.
I want us all right now,
let's think about some
of the things we normally
say.
Listen carefully to
yourself.
Do you hear that you're
a boastful kind of
person?
Look carefully at
yourself.
Do you see some signs
of pride?
We all need to be on
guard.
It can creep in.
It does at times with
all of us.
But pride will separate
us from God quicker
than anything else.
James and Peter both
in the New Testament
tell us this,
make it clear.
Look at what James
says, just one sentence.
God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the
humble.
Peter, it really expands
that.
Look at what he says in
1 Peter 5.
All of you,
clothe yourselves with
humility toward one
another because God
opposes the proud but
He gives grace to the
humble.
Humble yourselves
therefore under God's
mighty hand that He may
lift you up in due
time.
You see in there,
there's a solution to
our pride problem.
Humble yourself under
God's mighty hand.
Humble yourself.
It recognizes that God's
God and you aren't.
Recognize that who you
are and what you are
has been given to you
by God.
There's no room for you
to brag about it.
Be prideful over it.
How do you need to
respond to what the
Lord has said through
His word this morning
about the wrong use of
your words in lying,
in bragging?
Has God convicted you?
Has He made it clear to
you that you've got a
problem?
You've got a problem with
the truth.
You've got a problem with
being prideful.
Well, the way to respond
is to just admit it to
Him.
Don't make excuses.
Confess it to Him.
Repent of it.
Change your mind.
Turn from it.
Ask Him to help you to
see how bad it really is
and turn from it.
Stop it.
Ask Him to give you the
ability to think before
you speak.
To help you to understand
that everything you are
and everything you have
has been given to you
by Him.
Turn from your sin.
Put your faith and
trust in Jesus.
If you're not a Christian,
think.
When He died on the
cross, He actually paid
the penalty for my sin.
He took my punishment.
If you'll trust Him,
you'll be forgiven because
the penalty for your sin
will be paid.
So trust Him.
Call upon Him to save you.
If you are a Christian,
but you realize I have
developed,
I have developed sort of
a being loose with the
truth.
Or I know that there's
some pride issues in my
life.
Confess that to God.
Truly repent of it.
Ask Him to help you to
truly turn.
And understand that when
Jesus died for your sins,
He paid the penalty.
So accept your forgiveness
and just ask God now to
help you to be more
sensitive to His Spirit,
to be alert to times when
you're tempted to tell a
lie, to be alert to the
pride issues in your life,
the boasting temptations in
your life, and ask Him to
help you to say no to those.
To humble yourself.
To speak the truth.
Our words really do matter.
They have an effect on many
people as well as
ourselves.
Our words matter because they
reflect the true condition of
our heart.
That's why our words be used
as a criteria for judgment on
our judgment day.
I want to conclude like I have
with the last two messages.
These chilling words of
Jesus from Matthew chapter 12.
I tell you on the day of
judgment, people will give an
account for every careless
word they speak.
For by your words you will be
justified.
And by your words you will be
condemned.
Let's pray together.
Father, show us how we should
respond.
Show each individual in this
room.
Help us to do it.
Help that person who is not a
Christian to call upon Jesus
right now to surrender their
lives to Him as Lord.
Father, help that Christian who
has been convicted this morning
of their just plain selfishness,
self-centeredness.
They're just full of pride.
It comes out in their words and
their actions.
Convict that one who will lie to
get out of suffering consequences,
to avoid embarrassment.
Dear God, draw them back to you.
The God of truth.
Draw them back to you.
The source of all that they are,
all that they have.
Draw them back and cause them to
humble themselves before you.
And seek your forgiveness.
And renewed fellowship with you.
Right now, in an attitude of
prayer, let's just all listen to the
Lord and respond to Him.
I'd be happy to pray with you,
talk with you here at the front.
You want to come down during this
next few minutes as the musicians
play.
We're just going to be still and
silent and pray before the Lord.
Do it.