WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.719 The scripture reading comes from Deuteronomy chapter 5, starting in verse 1. 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:08.620 Please follow along in your bulletin or Bible. 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:11.099 Verse 1, 00:00:11.859 --> 00:00:15.140 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, 00:00:15.700 --> 00:00:21.260 Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that speak in your hearing today, 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:24.839 and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:27.000 Then in verse 6, 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:34.240 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 00:00:35.019 --> 00:00:38.079 You shall have no other gods before me. 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:46.019 You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above 00:00:46.019 --> 00:00:50.820 or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. 00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:54.260 You shall not bow down to them or serve them. 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:57.939 For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:05.340 visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:11.700 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:16.539 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, 00:01:16.759 --> 00:01:21.439 for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:28.560 Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy as the Lord your God commanded you. 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:32.459 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 00:01:32.659 --> 00:01:36.039 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. 00:01:36.659 --> 00:01:39.019 On it you shall not do any work. 00:01:39.579 --> 00:01:45.019 You or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant 00:01:45.019 --> 00:01:52.140 or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock or the sojourner who is within your gates, 00:01:52.140 --> 00:01:58.179 that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 00:01:58.859 --> 00:02:03.019 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, 00:02:03.239 --> 00:02:09.579 and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. 00:02:09.580 --> 00:02:14.980 Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. 00:02:15.940 --> 00:02:20.439 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:27.860 that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:32.880 You shall not murder, and you shall not commit adultery, 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:40.379 and you shall not steal, and you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, 00:02:40.799 --> 00:02:44.039 and you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, 00:02:44.299 --> 00:02:47.139 and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, 00:02:47.519 --> 00:02:51.759 his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:56.500 his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. 00:02:56.719 --> 00:02:58.319 This is the word of God. 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:02.340 Great. Thank you, Echo. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:03.979 I should have met. 00:03:09.859 --> 00:03:12.400 Great. Welcome, everyone, to Watermark. 00:03:13.579 --> 00:03:18.879 It's a really exciting day for everyone to be back together. 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:23.219 If you're in the overflow room, we're really excited to have you as well. 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:28.139 It really is, it feels like a long time since we've really been together, 00:03:28.340 --> 00:03:30.460 so this is just a really great celebration. 00:03:30.460 --> 00:03:34.219 Let me pray for us, and then we'll dive into Scripture. 00:03:34.219 --> 00:03:41.000 Father, thank you that you are the one who speaks. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:45.759 You're the one who is true, and your word is true. 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:56.060 And I pray that this morning you would speak in a way which goes through the defenses that we put up in our lives, 00:03:56.459 --> 00:04:00.959 that you would speak deep into the core of our being and show us who you really are. 00:04:01.539 --> 00:04:03.359 Show us your goodness and your grace. 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:04.780 Show us our need for you. 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:10.159 Open our hearts to see that you're so much better than we even think you are. 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:12.159 And I pray, change us. 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:13.340 Transform us. 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:17.899 Let us be different people this week and the rest of our lives as a result of today. 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:19.500 In Jesus' name. 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:20.579 Amen. 00:04:20.579 --> 00:04:20.779 Amen. 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:22.899 Great. 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:31.680 So, we have been going through this series looking at the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words, as they are in Hebrew. 00:04:32.039 --> 00:04:34.800 And we've now got to number nine. 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:35.659 Okay? 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:38.719 So, we're nearly there through them. 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:45.479 And this has been just, for me personally, both a challenging and a very rich series. 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:48.660 And so, we're looking at number nine today. 00:04:49.220 --> 00:05:00.939 But just to set it in context, in 2008, a Christian Pakistani lady who's called Noreen, or to some people known as Asha Bibi, 00:05:02.259 --> 00:05:07.460 had an argument with her Muslim co-workers over a shared water bucket. 00:05:07.459 --> 00:05:21.500 As a result of that, they claimed that she had blasphemed the prophet Muhammad, and she was arrested, and witnesses were brought in to verify this accusation against her. 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:34.179 At the end, she was sentenced to death by hanging, and was on death row for eight years until 2018, when after a lot of public pressure, 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:40.840 the truth came out, that actually, they had lied about everything that had happened, and she was released. 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:44.579 And now, she's actually living, I think, somewhere in America. 00:05:45.840 --> 00:05:50.620 But this commandment is about that kind of thing. 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:53.980 This commandment is about justice. 00:05:54.879 --> 00:06:00.379 This commandment says, do not bear false witness. 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:02.300 Now, what is a witness? 00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:09.100 A witness is someone who has seen something, or heard something, and then testifies to what they've seen or heard. 00:06:09.699 --> 00:06:20.740 So, you know, if I knock into someone's car, if there's a car crash, police will come and take witness statements to verify what really happened, and to establish the truth. 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:28.340 And for justice and right relationships to take place, you need to have truthful witnesses. 00:06:29.340 --> 00:06:30.280 Quite simple. 00:06:30.279 --> 00:06:34.959 But here it tells you, don't be a false witness. 00:06:35.579 --> 00:06:40.159 And the word false here is the same word in the third commandment. 00:06:40.419 --> 00:06:42.079 Does anyone remember what the third commandment is? 00:06:43.679 --> 00:06:45.039 Oh, everyone else is looking down now. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:49.879 Third commandment, don't take the Lord's name in vain. 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:52.259 It's that word, in vain, the same word. 00:06:52.259 --> 00:06:59.019 And so, just as the third commandment told you, don't misrepresent God in your words and in your actions. 00:06:59.019 --> 00:07:12.419 So, this commandment is saying, don't misrepresent other people or situations by speaking falsely in order to deceive or harm other people or harm someone's reputation. 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:14.799 That's what this commandment is about. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:20.360 And often, this commandment was actually in the law courts. 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:22.139 But it's in scripture. 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:23.939 It's not just there. 00:07:24.139 --> 00:07:34.259 It's actually part of a bigger story that is going through about what it means to be a community of false witnesses versus a community of true witnesses. 00:07:34.259 --> 00:07:43.339 And so, what I want to do is kind of look at those two points and pull out a little bit of the story of what this commandment is really telling us this morning. 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:47.680 So, let's look at a community of false witnesses. 00:07:47.680 --> 00:08:03.219 The Bible story and actually the Ten Commandments are shaped by the story of a God who rescues and redeems people and takes them out of slavery to be a new kind of people in the midst of a pagan world. 00:08:03.220 --> 00:08:07.220 They were to be a witness to the people around them of who God was. 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:18.860 And so, if you pile back in the story to Genesis 1, what you see is right at the beginning, God creates this incredibly abundant, transparent world. 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:23.940 You see, his character is the foundation of all relationships. 00:08:24.960 --> 00:08:28.000 He's the God who cannot lie, Titus tells us. 00:08:28.260 --> 00:08:29.960 Jesus tells us he's the truth. 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:31.640 His word is truth. 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:35.279 What he says always corresponds to reality. 00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:51.500 And out of this absolute security in the trustworthiness of God, Adam and Eve, humans in the garden, they had this unhindered, transparent access into the presence of God. 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:57.600 And then that led to horizontally with each other, they were naked and unashamed. 00:08:58.360 --> 00:08:59.639 Nothing was hidden. 00:09:00.139 --> 00:09:01.279 There was no fear. 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:03.440 Pure transparency. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:07.440 And then, what happens in the story? 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:11.580 You have the first false witness comes. 00:09:11.580 --> 00:09:17.240 Genesis 3, the serpent, Satan, comes with a lie. 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:20.320 And Jesus says, Satan is the father of lies. 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:23.700 In other words, he always gives birth to lies. 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:27.000 Every lie is always birthed in the pit of hell. 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:27.879 Do you know that? 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:31.580 And he comes and he slanders God's reputation. 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:34.080 He says, did God really say, don't eat from the tree? 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:34.960 He says, no, no, no. 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:38.540 If you eat from that, you can't trust what God says. 00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:48.100 And what he's doing, as he's doing this, he's saying, he's misrepresenting God's rule, God's word, as not good and as untrustworthy. 00:09:48.100 --> 00:09:50.920 And Adam and Eve, they fall for it. 00:09:51.680 --> 00:09:58.500 Because bearing false witness always starts with a lie about who God is. 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.659 And it leads you to distrust what he says. 00:10:03.040 --> 00:10:07.300 And what Adam and Eve do, they follow their own desires and not what God's truth says. 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:12.960 In Romans 1, there's this, Paul's meditating on this passage and he says, 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:21.320 All humans exchanged the truth of God for a lie and they worshipped created things instead of the creator. 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:27.759 What he's saying is, the breaking of the first two commands about worshipping other gods and idols, 00:10:28.400 --> 00:10:31.019 an idol is always a lie. 00:10:31.400 --> 00:10:36.820 Because an idol is always making a claim to be God when it's not God. 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:38.920 It's being a false witness. 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:49.259 And every sin that you have ever committed in your life has always started with a lie somewhere about God 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:54.099 that he's not good, that you can't trust him, so you've got to get things your way. 00:10:54.099 --> 00:10:59.919 And if you can't trust the creator of the universe, we are always feeling insecure. 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:05.879 And you know in the story of Adam and Eve, it leads to their sin and what are they doing to do? 00:11:06.079 --> 00:11:08.059 They begin to cover up. 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:17.419 And when God brings our sin or other people bring our sin into this kind of law court for questioning, 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:18.839 what happens? 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:25.539 We begin to naturally become false witnesses ourselves. 00:11:26.679 --> 00:11:30.559 And I want to show you three ways that we bear false witness. 00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:40.739 The first way is, like Adam and Eve, we cover up what's true for self-preservation. 00:11:41.539 --> 00:11:44.879 We either do this by being silent or being defensive. 00:11:45.699 --> 00:11:50.459 Just think, when God says to Adam, have you eaten from the tree? 00:11:50.839 --> 00:11:52.159 What should Adam have said? 00:11:52.619 --> 00:11:54.599 He should have said, yes. 00:11:55.059 --> 00:11:56.259 It's my responsibility. 00:11:56.259 --> 00:11:58.360 What does he do? 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:00.019 He stays silent about that. 00:12:00.759 --> 00:12:01.840 He stays silent. 00:12:02.220 --> 00:12:08.439 And then he blame shifts onto Eve and says, it's not my fault, it's hers. 00:12:08.980 --> 00:12:10.059 And then what does the woman do? 00:12:10.139 --> 00:12:11.879 He says, it's not my fault, it's the snake. 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:13.840 Do you see what they're doing? 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:20.899 We bear witness, false witness, not just by saying what is wrong. 00:12:21.180 --> 00:12:26.160 It's also giving a false impression by your silence or your defensiveness. 00:12:27.660 --> 00:12:30.940 You know, one example of this, Leviticus 5 says, 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:37.280 If you know the truth, but you fail to speak up for somebody else who is falsely accused, 00:12:37.780 --> 00:12:40.100 it says you will be held responsible. 00:12:40.900 --> 00:12:47.400 Because evil reigns when good people stay silent or when sinful people defend themselves. 00:12:48.880 --> 00:12:49.880 You know, just think about it. 00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:51.800 You go to work. 00:12:52.300 --> 00:12:54.560 Your boss gives you a task with another colleague. 00:12:54.559 --> 00:13:02.019 And your colleague, let's call her Karen, asks you, actually no, let's not call her Karen, let's call her something else. 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:05.359 Think of a name. 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:05.859 Angel. 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:06.919 Let's call her Angel. 00:13:09.059 --> 00:13:12.779 She says, hey, can you just send that important email over the weekend? 00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:18.079 And you get to Monday morning and you walk into the office and suddenly you realize you've forgotten to send it. 00:13:18.339 --> 00:13:24.720 Your boss comes walking in front of you, looking angry, and says, what happened to that email? 00:13:25.100 --> 00:13:26.399 Why haven't you done it? 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:28.879 It's now a courtroom scene. 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:30.199 You're on trial. 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:32.220 You're both defense and also you're a witness. 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:34.399 And so where do you go? 00:13:36.059 --> 00:13:37.779 Listen, it wasn't me. 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:41.319 Angel didn't explain it had to be sent at the weekend. 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:43.060 You know, I didn't realize it was that urgent. 00:13:43.260 --> 00:13:44.440 In fact, she should have done it. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:45.520 I was just trying to help her out. 00:13:45.560 --> 00:13:47.000 But actually, really, it was her responsibility. 00:13:48.840 --> 00:13:51.400 And we can never feel like we can admit to being wrong. 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:53.900 What are you doing? 00:13:53.980 --> 00:13:56.180 You're giving a false impression that you're innocent. 00:13:57.100 --> 00:13:58.320 You're a false witness. 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:00.520 Why do we do that? 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:03.020 We do that because we're insecure. 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:06.320 Because we fear being exposed. 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.480 We fear that someone will see that we're actually a failure. 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:12.960 That we're actually a sinner in some way. 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:19.480 And we fear punishment or rejection or a cost as a result of it, don't we? 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:22.659 That's why we cover up. 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:27.500 That's why we actually hire an inner lawyer to defend ourselves all the time. 00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:34.700 And if you think about it, half of our marriages, half of our workplaces are filled with this. 00:14:34.700 --> 00:14:37.060 Let me just ask you. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:43.440 Has your defensiveness ever enabled your relationships to flourish more? 00:14:46.060 --> 00:14:46.500 No. 00:14:46.900 --> 00:14:48.700 It always destroys relationships. 00:14:49.520 --> 00:14:50.680 Never builds up. 00:14:51.680 --> 00:14:53.660 That's why he says don't be a false witness. 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:55.960 It's the first way we can bear. 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:57.420 By covering up. 00:14:57.419 --> 00:15:04.959 Second way we can bear a false witness is seeking to ruin somebody else's reputation through slander. 00:15:05.839 --> 00:15:07.799 Leviticus 19 fleshes this out. 00:15:08.079 --> 00:15:10.179 It says don't do injustice in court. 00:15:10.659 --> 00:15:14.679 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people. 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:17.019 And you should not stand up against the life of your neighbor. 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:22.519 We've said before that Satan is a false witness. 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:24.600 Do you know what the word Satan means? 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:27.960 It means the slanderer. 00:15:28.460 --> 00:15:29.480 The accuser. 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:31.559 That's his very nature. 00:15:32.299 --> 00:15:35.500 And you know that his best lies are always partly true. 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:36.220 Right? 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:37.659 You know that's the best way to do a lie. 00:15:38.079 --> 00:15:39.620 Is to actually give past truth. 00:15:40.019 --> 00:15:42.779 But he's always looking to tear down people. 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:50.279 Matthew Henry describes, who's a theologian, describes slander as aggravating a person's wrongdoing. 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:52.699 And making it worse than it is. 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:59.339 Or anyway seeking to raise our own reputation upon the ruin of our neighbors. 00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:04.100 It's basically boosting yourself up by tearing somebody else down. 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:07.659 Can I be honest? 00:16:07.860 --> 00:16:14.959 I think this is one of the most prevalent, acceptable sins in Hong Kong and in the church. 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:21.720 Because I think we don't think that God really takes this seriously. 00:16:23.019 --> 00:16:25.580 But if you look at the New Testament. 00:16:26.259 --> 00:16:30.160 And look at all the kind of top ten sin lists that the New Testament gives you. 00:16:30.420 --> 00:16:33.519 You know slander and its equivalents are always there. 00:16:34.379 --> 00:16:35.060 Always there. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:36.080 Like just give you an example. 00:16:36.420 --> 00:16:37.080 Romans 1. 00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:42.560 People who are under God's judgment are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. 00:16:42.680 --> 00:16:45.220 They are gossips and slanderers. 00:16:45.800 --> 00:16:46.620 And then he goes on. 00:16:46.920 --> 00:16:47.860 And this is challenging. 00:16:48.020 --> 00:16:48.540 He goes on and says. 00:16:48.900 --> 00:16:49.460 Though they do it. 00:16:49.540 --> 00:16:50.300 They know. 00:16:50.379 --> 00:16:50.980 They do it though. 00:16:51.040 --> 00:16:52.820 They know God's righteous decree. 00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:57.320 That those who practice such things deserve to die. 00:16:58.520 --> 00:16:59.000 And you're going. 00:16:59.620 --> 00:16:59.920 Whew. 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:01.440 That sounds a little bit serious. 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:02.860 But what is he saying? 00:17:02.860 --> 00:17:10.299 And he's saying that's the death penalty of the Old Testament pronounced against false witnesses in God's courts. 00:17:10.539 --> 00:17:12.700 Because justice matters to God. 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:15.940 You know fake news. 00:17:17.180 --> 00:17:19.360 And forwarding on fake news. 00:17:19.940 --> 00:17:21.240 Without even checking it. 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:22.920 Is actually bearing false witness. 00:17:23.860 --> 00:17:25.500 And we all know about that right? 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:26.819 What is it trying to do? 00:17:26.819 --> 00:17:32.559 It's deliberately seeking to damage someone else's reputation through false or misleading reporting. 00:17:33.459 --> 00:17:33.559 Right? 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:35.219 You know. 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:37.159 You can lose your job. 00:17:37.699 --> 00:17:39.059 You can lose your health. 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:42.319 You can lose your money. 00:17:42.579 --> 00:17:43.799 You can lose any of those things. 00:17:43.859 --> 00:17:45.919 And people will come around you and support you. 00:17:46.379 --> 00:17:48.419 But if you lose your reputation. 00:17:49.439 --> 00:17:50.719 You're on your own. 00:17:51.699 --> 00:17:55.279 And even if an accusation is proved false. 00:17:55.599 --> 00:18:00.679 The stain of that is almost impossible to remove from your life. 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:02.119 Because everyone's always wondering. 00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:04.439 Is it still really true? 00:18:06.439 --> 00:18:07.559 What are we doing? 00:18:08.539 --> 00:18:10.799 Fake news destroys people. 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:16.079 But you know gossip is a kind of fake news. 00:18:17.199 --> 00:18:19.159 No one ever thinks they're a gossip. 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:21.139 It's got the same heart. 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:27.679 But don't we always love to bond with other people through sharing the faults of someone else? 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:28.240 You know. 00:18:28.320 --> 00:18:31.940 Isn't this how pretty much half of all office relationships work? 00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:32.880 You know. 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:34.080 You go like. 00:18:34.560 --> 00:18:37.019 Did you hear what happened in their marriage last week? 00:18:37.360 --> 00:18:38.060 Or it's. 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:38.660 You know. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:40.100 You know that girl. 00:18:40.320 --> 00:18:40.460 You know. 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:43.059 I saw her having a coffee with one guy last week. 00:18:43.180 --> 00:18:44.059 And then this week. 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:46.460 She was having a guy with a coffee with another guy. 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:48.039 She must be really desperate. 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:51.180 And we do this all the time. 00:18:51.579 --> 00:18:53.079 And what are we doing as we're doing. 00:18:53.139 --> 00:18:54.500 Are we trying to build people up? 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:55.879 No. 00:18:55.980 --> 00:18:59.299 We're actually doing Satan's work of trying to tear people down. 00:19:00.379 --> 00:19:01.539 Why do we do it? 00:19:01.539 --> 00:19:03.859 Because we actually want to belong. 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:05.500 We want to be accepted. 00:19:06.019 --> 00:19:11.220 We want to boost our reputation to make us that we don't feel so great to feel better about ourselves. 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:13.460 And we can do that by putting somebody else down. 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:16.399 Man. 00:19:16.440 --> 00:19:18.180 Isn't that so easy to join in with? 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:19.920 Anyone guilty of that? 00:19:21.879 --> 00:19:22.599 Simon is. 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:23.019 Great. 00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:24.279 Thank you for being honest. 00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:26.759 Yeah. 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:29.079 But you know that you're gossiping. 00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:30.000 Because we go. 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:31.559 It's just a prayer request. 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:33.920 You know you're gossiping. 00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:36.819 When you're sharing information about somebody else's faults. 00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:42.400 But you have no intention to actually go and talk to that person themselves about it. 00:19:42.579 --> 00:19:44.779 You are not praying for them about it. 00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:48.000 You're not seeking ways that you can help restore them in it. 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:49.819 It's just gossip. 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:53.319 It's a false witness. 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:57.519 And God takes that really seriously. 00:19:58.599 --> 00:19:59.819 We cover up. 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:00.919 We slander. 00:20:01.639 --> 00:20:06.480 The third way we can be false witnesses is just plain lying. 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:13.899 Leviticus again says, don't lie. 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:15.720 Don't speak falsely. 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:26.000 You know, sometimes lies can be like Enron, Bernie Madoff kind of style. 00:20:26.860 --> 00:20:27.140 Right? 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:29.799 They're pretty out there. 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:32.839 But lying can also be very subtle. 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:42.700 We can either minimize or exaggerate situations for our own personal benefit. 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:44.319 And do you know what I've discovered? 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:49.839 I've discovered as I've thought about this, that I am actually a compulsive liar. 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:54.480 Some of you don't want to be my friend now. 00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:59.559 I have what I think are very high standards of integrity. 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:07.639 But actually, if I get to a point where I really want something enough, I will lie for it. 00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:10.460 Let me give you a couple of examples. 00:21:11.340 --> 00:21:14.680 I remember applying for a scholarship for seminary. 00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:18.640 And I had to fill in this form. 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:26.080 And part of the form said you've got to write down all your savings, all your assets, everything you have to qualify for this scholarship. 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:35.659 And the amount, the threshold for the scholarship that you had to get was actually quite a, it felt like a really low amount of money that you had to have in your savings. 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:42.660 And so I looked at my savings and I thought, oh, I've got a bit too much for that threshold. 00:21:43.060 --> 00:21:51.920 So then I began to think, but actually, most of that's in our joint account, not in a kind of separate account that I've got. 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:54.700 And then the UK account, that doesn't count at all. 00:21:55.660 --> 00:22:00.600 And the joint account, that's really probably some of Fiona's money in there as well. 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:01.580 So that probably doesn't count. 00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:02.680 You know, it's a gray area. 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:06.160 And so I put this figure, which was kind of half true. 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:09.900 And I justified it to myself. 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:14.900 And I think in Hong Kong, a lot of people would think that I was being smart. 00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:27.280 But actually, I know in my own heart that I was just afraid of missing out, which is why I was not truthful. 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:34.720 You see, sometimes we minimize things to be a false witness. 00:22:34.860 --> 00:22:38.180 Sometimes, though, we also exaggerate things. 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:39.620 I've discovered this as well. 00:22:39.619 --> 00:22:44.959 I can exaggerate stories when I'm telling them to people just to gain approval for myself. 00:22:45.539 --> 00:22:49.899 You know, that rather boring holiday suddenly becomes a TVB drama. 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:55.139 You know, suddenly, you know, that everyone's, I say, everyone's talking about my blog post. 00:22:55.239 --> 00:22:56.779 But really, I mean two people. 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:57.579 Okay? 00:22:59.059 --> 00:23:00.199 And why am I doing it? 00:23:00.199 --> 00:23:01.479 Because I want to be seen as cool. 00:23:01.619 --> 00:23:02.339 I want to impress. 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:03.419 I want to fit in. 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:05.159 I want you to like me. 00:23:07.159 --> 00:23:08.339 Anyone else like me? 00:23:09.619 --> 00:23:13.079 And we do these things. 00:23:13.259 --> 00:23:13.819 We cover up. 00:23:13.939 --> 00:23:14.479 We slander. 00:23:14.639 --> 00:23:15.319 We lie. 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:21.119 Because we believe the lie that God is not good, we can't trust him. 00:23:21.219 --> 00:23:22.359 He will not accept us. 00:23:22.439 --> 00:23:24.019 He will not provide for us. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:29.779 And so we've got to get approval and acceptance and stuff from anywhere else other than him. 00:23:29.899 --> 00:23:31.079 And we do it through lying. 00:23:31.459 --> 00:23:33.699 You know, sin by nature is deceitful. 00:23:34.279 --> 00:23:35.199 That's what the Bible says. 00:23:35.199 --> 00:23:38.679 And it operates in a web of lies. 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:40.880 And do you know, have you realized this? 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:46.940 That around every lie, when you start lying, you then have to have a bodyguard of other lies to protect your first lie. 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:57.660 And do you also realize that often when you start lying, you also start lying to yourself to justify the lies that you've been believing and saying. 00:23:58.220 --> 00:24:01.360 It becomes a whole web of it. 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:15.539 And in a world of spin, a world of lies, doesn't mistrust, doesn't fear, doesn't cynicism, doesn't self-protection actually end up bringing barriers between us. 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:22.180 It's actually a world, a community of darkness when it's a community of false witnesses. 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:33.180 Just think of politics and how that affects the way we think about everything when you can't trust someone and then just play that down into every area of your life. 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:41.720 But this commandment is telling us to not be that kind of community. 00:24:42.140 --> 00:24:46.400 It's telling us to be a community of true witnesses. 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:50.160 So here's my next point. 00:24:51.140 --> 00:24:53.900 How do we become this community of true witnesses? 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:57.960 Well, we've got to swim in the security of Jesus. 00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:09.400 Do you know, have you, do you know when you go to the airport and you know they've now got those full body scanner, security scanners that you go through, which, you know, they see everything. 00:25:09.400 --> 00:25:09.800 Right? 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:18.360 You know, in the past, you used to just have the metal detector and you could sometimes put something in your pocket and hope you'd get away with it if it wasn't metal. 00:25:19.259 --> 00:25:20.100 Maybe that's just me. 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:20.660 I don't know. 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:23.840 But now it's all visible. 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:24.660 They see everything. 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:28.759 And if you're clean, you can kind of walk through with that with confidence. 00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:35.519 But if you've got something to hide, you've got drugs or something there, you're going to get nervous when you come approaching that thing. 00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:41.339 Because you're going to try and cover up any way you can what you've got in your pocket or wherever it is. 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:49.720 And, you know, sometimes you can actually even get nervous, even if you don't have something on you, because you're worried that they might find something you didn't realize was there. 00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:52.240 Or they might try and get something to use against you. 00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:56.299 1 John 1 says this. 00:25:57.319 --> 00:25:58.639 God is light. 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:03.019 And in him is no darkness at all. 00:26:03.019 --> 00:26:09.819 And then he says, if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and we don't practice the truth. 00:26:09.980 --> 00:26:10.639 What is he saying? 00:26:10.859 --> 00:26:12.119 God is light. 00:26:12.339 --> 00:26:13.779 He's got nothing to hide. 00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:21.660 He doesn't need to put others down to boost himself up because he's already completely pure, already the ultimate of everything that you ever need to be. 00:26:21.940 --> 00:26:23.799 There is no darkness in him. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:27.160 He's utterly true, utterly pure, utterly trustworthy. 00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:35.540 But his truthful light is like a scanner into your heart and mine. 00:26:37.040 --> 00:26:38.240 And do you know what? 00:26:38.620 --> 00:26:40.540 He sees right through you. 00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:43.620 He sees right through your shame. 00:26:44.060 --> 00:26:47.040 He sees right through the secrets that you want to cover up. 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:50.279 You can fool others, but you can't fake it with him. 00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:58.019 God is the true witness who judges even the thoughts of our hearts, it says in scripture. 00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:03.599 Your darkness goes beep every time you come into the light of his scanner. 00:27:05.079 --> 00:27:06.420 Isn't that scary? 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:16.960 If you were to be exposed, don't we fear punishment, rejection, that exposure for who you really are? 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:24.319 But the thing is, at the moment you want to run away, John carries on like this. 00:27:24.360 --> 00:27:24.840 He goes, 00:27:25.360 --> 00:27:31.779 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:36.620 And the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:41.860 If we say we have no sin, I'm not a liar, we deceive ourselves. 00:27:41.859 --> 00:27:48.039 But if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. 00:27:48.539 --> 00:27:49.659 What is he saying? 00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:55.579 He's saying the place of freedom to be a true community is to start with going, I am a liar. 00:27:56.779 --> 00:27:58.119 It's to start admitting it. 00:27:58.279 --> 00:28:05.339 It's to start with honest confession of saying, God, let your light begin to search me and lay me bare. 00:28:06.199 --> 00:28:08.439 And God, I need to repent and come before you. 00:28:08.440 --> 00:28:13.940 I need to come and see the light of your grace. 00:28:14.340 --> 00:28:15.080 And do you know what happens? 00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:21.000 He says, it brings us, not just when we start doing that, it brings us not just into fellowship with God again. 00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:24.140 It actually says it brings us into fellowship with each other. 00:28:25.120 --> 00:28:27.039 You know, I remember when I was six years old. 00:28:27.420 --> 00:28:29.000 It's the first time I can remember lying. 00:28:29.360 --> 00:28:31.680 I was going on a school trip up to London. 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:41.080 And my mom gave me some pocket money and she said to me, like, don't waste this on like useless souvenirs like stamps and things like that. 00:28:41.180 --> 00:28:42.860 Just spend it wisely. 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:44.019 So what did I do? 00:28:44.600 --> 00:28:46.140 I went and bought some stamps. 00:28:46.580 --> 00:28:51.420 And then I came back home and my mom asked me, did you spend any money? 00:28:51.660 --> 00:28:52.680 And I went, no. 00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:55.180 Should I show it? 00:28:55.360 --> 00:28:55.620 Yep. 00:28:55.619 --> 00:29:01.179 And then I ran up to my bedroom and I hid and I felt really guilty. 00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:02.679 And my mom knew. 00:29:02.759 --> 00:29:04.039 You know, moms are clever, right? 00:29:04.279 --> 00:29:05.039 My mom knew. 00:29:06.139 --> 00:29:11.000 And I spent probably hiding there an hour. 00:29:13.299 --> 00:29:15.279 And I didn't want to go and see my mom. 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:25.700 But at the end of the hour, I think it was God convicting me that I walked down to my mom and I said, mom, like crying. 00:29:26.059 --> 00:29:28.119 I said, mom, I'm really sorry I lied. 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:32.899 And you know, at that moment, there was liberation. 00:29:33.980 --> 00:29:35.599 It was like a relationship. 00:29:36.519 --> 00:29:38.019 She said, I forgive you. 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:40.200 And she gave me a hug. 00:29:40.200 --> 00:29:47.920 And in the safety of her grace, there was this restored relationship again. 00:29:49.460 --> 00:29:52.180 That is what God is about. 00:29:52.759 --> 00:30:04.840 Because if you know that when you enter God's law court and that the truthful witness in the stand who should be your prosecution against you is actually God himself. 00:30:04.839 --> 00:30:20.339 But he's the one who actually loves you so much that though he knows everything on your scanner, he sent Jesus to die for you, to take the punishment, to cleanse you, and to restore you, even from your lying heart. 00:30:21.899 --> 00:30:27.299 You know, you can honestly then confess without having to defend yourself. 00:30:28.179 --> 00:30:28.859 Why? 00:30:28.859 --> 00:30:30.639 Because John carries on. 00:30:30.740 --> 00:30:38.839 He says, if anyone does sin, we have an advocate, a lawyer, with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. 00:30:39.619 --> 00:30:45.019 What he's saying is, you can fire your inner defense lawyer because you've already got one. 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:49.759 You've got one who's better than the one that you think you can do with the lies that you think you can say. 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:53.519 Because his blood doesn't just cleanse you. 00:30:53.700 --> 00:30:55.700 It's also the stamp of acceptance. 00:30:55.960 --> 00:30:57.160 It's the stamp of approval. 00:30:57.319 --> 00:31:00.839 It's the stamp of belonging to the king of the whole universe. 00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:07.640 You know, he could ruin and expose your reputation like that. 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:09.259 Do you know that? 00:31:09.700 --> 00:31:14.700 Today, he could bring stuff out about you that you've been hiding for years. 00:31:14.700 --> 00:31:18.580 But do you see what he says? 00:31:19.779 --> 00:31:22.700 He says, he's not out to do that. 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:27.120 At the judgment day, he will do that for those who have not come into his light. 00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:28.880 That's going to be a scary day. 00:31:29.420 --> 00:31:35.779 And if you are not a believer today, I call to you today, come into his light because you don't want to be in that place. 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:44.639 But right now, he says, there is a lawyer available for you who speaks for you in your defense in heaven. 00:31:45.220 --> 00:31:46.720 He's taken your punishment. 00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:48.019 He was rejected. 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:49.700 So you don't have to be. 00:31:50.619 --> 00:31:58.200 Which means you don't have to boost yourself up by putting other people down or lying to try and make yourself look better than you really are. 00:31:58.200 --> 00:32:02.660 Because you're already being boosted to the highest place in the universe with the king of kings. 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:05.420 We struggle to believe that. 00:32:05.779 --> 00:32:07.139 But that's the gospel. 00:32:07.720 --> 00:32:09.879 That's what God wants to work in our lives. 00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:23.119 And that is the foundation of the security that will set you free to be courageously transparent with others. 00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:30.539 Do you know if you only ever confess your sins to God and you don't confess your sins to each other, you're probably still a false witness. 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:31.920 Because you're still hiding. 00:32:31.920 --> 00:32:38.740 But every day, we face new temptations to be false witnesses, don't we? 00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:42.800 Your spouse says to you, were you listening to me? 00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:44.000 And you weren't. 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:51.680 That is a moment where you'll have the temptation to rehire your own defense lawyer again. 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:59.440 Or to act as prosecution witness against them just to distract you from actually your own failings being revealed. 00:32:59.440 --> 00:33:05.360 But it's actually a moment of courage to say, no, Christ is my defense lawyer. 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:06.380 I can trust him. 00:33:06.840 --> 00:33:08.160 I'm secure in him. 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:09.740 And I can be a true witness. 00:33:09.740 --> 00:33:17.140 Do you know why it takes courage to be a witness, a true witness? 00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:20.319 Do you know what the word in Greek for witness is? 00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:23.700 It's the word martis. 00:33:24.680 --> 00:33:28.019 Which is the word we get, which word from? 00:33:29.460 --> 00:33:30.620 Martyr from. 00:33:30.619 --> 00:33:37.000 You see, Jesus in the book of Revelation is called the faithful witness. 00:33:37.919 --> 00:33:39.000 He's the truth. 00:33:39.159 --> 00:33:41.479 He always spoke and lived the truth. 00:33:42.239 --> 00:33:46.479 In him and in his words, you see trustworthy life. 00:33:46.559 --> 00:33:47.599 You can count on him. 00:33:48.579 --> 00:33:53.439 But when he spoke, John goes on to say, some prefer darkness. 00:33:53.440 --> 00:33:55.580 And what happened? 00:33:55.720 --> 00:33:59.320 He gets put in front of the authorities and falsely accused. 00:34:00.480 --> 00:34:02.680 They bear false witness against him. 00:34:02.740 --> 00:34:04.019 He doesn't seek to cover up. 00:34:04.100 --> 00:34:05.180 He doesn't seek to manipulate. 00:34:05.380 --> 00:34:06.220 He doesn't lie. 00:34:07.140 --> 00:34:08.440 He has got nothing to hide. 00:34:08.519 --> 00:34:10.480 But his true witness lost cost him his life. 00:34:12.440 --> 00:34:14.000 But he rose again. 00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:16.119 Vindicated. 00:34:16.599 --> 00:34:18.079 Just like Asha Bibi. 00:34:19.240 --> 00:34:21.920 When at the end of the day, she is vindicated. 00:34:21.920 --> 00:34:24.200 And her accusers are shamed. 00:34:24.860 --> 00:34:27.740 That is what has happened with the resurrection of Jesus. 00:34:28.820 --> 00:34:30.400 We know he is a true witness. 00:34:30.539 --> 00:34:31.800 That's why we're here this morning. 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.079 But you know, if we're following Jesus, what does that make us? 00:34:37.740 --> 00:34:40.599 You know, what does Jesus call his disciples in the book of Acts? 00:34:40.639 --> 00:34:44.659 He says, you go and be my witnesses. 00:34:46.780 --> 00:34:50.400 See, those who have seen Jesus and testified to him. 00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:55.280 And in their words and in their actions, we walk in the light and in his light. 00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:56.720 And we reflect his character. 00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:03.059 So what that means is, being a true witness is about even sharing the gospel with people. 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:07.260 Do you know you can be false witness by actually covering up and being silent about your faith? 00:35:07.260 --> 00:35:14.200 Evangelism is simply being a transparent witness to people of what God has already done in your life. 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:20.080 And so evangelism and integrity are two wings of the same plane. 00:35:20.720 --> 00:35:26.440 Integrity in the small stuff and in the big stuff is how we shine a light in the dark world that we're in. 00:35:26.440 --> 00:35:30.940 And it's risky and it's scary and it's costly. 00:35:32.200 --> 00:35:33.740 Which is why we don't like to do it. 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:42.019 But what if you know that you have a security in Christ? 00:35:42.460 --> 00:35:46.900 What if when your wife says to you, why do you always leave the towel on the floor? 00:35:46.900 --> 00:35:53.440 And instead of jumping to your own self-defense, you actually stop, hold your tongue for a second and go, 00:35:54.240 --> 00:35:56.840 yeah, you're right, I probably should have been more thoughtful. 00:35:58.300 --> 00:36:06.980 What if when everyone else around you is cutting down a colleague of yours for sucking up to the boss? 00:36:06.980 --> 00:36:14.159 And everyone, and you, instead of joining in, you go, yeah, I think that's pretty dumb. 00:36:14.240 --> 00:36:16.079 But do you know what I was doing the other day? 00:36:17.500 --> 00:36:24.320 I was actually, I was competing to get the first email sent back to my boss because I thought I wanted to be in his good books too. 00:36:24.400 --> 00:36:25.679 I'm a people pleaser too. 00:36:27.019 --> 00:36:32.280 What if you've got a client meeting and you really want to impress? 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:38.720 And so you hear yourself just elevating your position in the company to make yourself sound a bit grander. 00:36:38.900 --> 00:36:42.680 And then you stop yourself and go, oh, hold on a minute, actually, that's not quite true. 00:36:42.760 --> 00:36:45.519 I'm not quite as senior in the company as that. 00:36:46.680 --> 00:36:56.100 What if you found a loophole which could increase your performance figures and get a massive bonus, but you choose to be honest? 00:36:58.320 --> 00:36:59.540 What if you do that? 00:36:59.540 --> 00:37:00.980 Two things are going to happen. 00:37:00.980 --> 00:37:04.840 One, it's going to cost you. 00:37:05.880 --> 00:37:10.320 It's going to cost you because some people may even move away from you. 00:37:10.719 --> 00:37:19.460 They may even gossip about you because when you're insecure and somebody else seems to reveal the fact of your darkness by their light, what happens? 00:37:19.539 --> 00:37:23.199 Some people just want to walk away from you because they don't like that. 00:37:26.360 --> 00:37:27.880 You may lose that bonus. 00:37:27.880 --> 00:37:33.519 You may lose that business deal because you weren't willing to cover up the failings on the product. 00:37:33.940 --> 00:37:35.300 It may cost you. 00:37:35.300 --> 00:37:39.060 But something else will happen. 00:37:39.060 --> 00:37:44.100 You'll get a reputation for being trustworthy. 00:37:44.099 --> 00:37:48.279 And people will begin to feel safe around you. 00:37:48.280 --> 00:37:52.160 Relational barriers will begin to break down. 00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:57.579 Healing will begin to occur in marriages and in workplaces and in families. 00:37:58.819 --> 00:38:05.399 Other people will begin to open up about their own darkness in front of you because they know you're safe. 00:38:05.400 --> 00:38:25.700 And in a world of insecurity and false witnesses and threat, if we as a community of Watermark start to find our security in our advocate Jesus, in our truthful, faithful witness who has secured our life for us, 00:38:25.699 --> 00:38:35.199 then what will happen is others will discover that this is a place where they can put down their own masks too. 00:38:35.939 --> 00:38:37.919 They can stop the pretense and the hiding. 00:38:38.759 --> 00:38:47.039 And they can come into the light of both God's conviction but also the light of his grace and forgiveness and healing and mercy. 00:38:47.039 --> 00:38:52.820 You know, it's really tiring trying to hide. 00:38:53.679 --> 00:38:55.039 Lying is tiring. 00:38:56.199 --> 00:38:57.559 There's a freedom. 00:38:58.219 --> 00:38:59.340 There's a freedom. 00:38:59.800 --> 00:39:08.719 There's a freedom in coming into the light and discovering that Jesus Christ is more than enough for us. 00:39:09.380 --> 00:39:10.960 We have nothing to hide. 00:39:10.960 --> 00:39:22.920 Some of us today, we actually need to just start with coming honestly before God in confession. 00:39:23.760 --> 00:39:29.360 Because we've actually been believing a whole load of lies and we've been justifying a whole load of behaviors. 00:39:30.699 --> 00:39:33.480 And we've just not been honest with God or even with ourselves. 00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:36.519 And this morning, God wants you to get honest with him. 00:39:37.199 --> 00:39:38.400 Come into his light. 00:39:39.199 --> 00:39:40.119 You don't have to hide. 00:39:41.740 --> 00:39:47.079 Some of us know that actually, we've actually been speaking badly of other people. 00:39:50.480 --> 00:39:53.539 And you've almost not even thought about it as an issue. 00:39:54.420 --> 00:39:57.539 Some of you actually need to get right with God first. 00:39:57.639 --> 00:40:00.980 And you actually need to go and talk to the person that you've actually been offending. 00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:05.559 And if that's you, and if someone comes to you, because that takes courage, right? 00:40:06.079 --> 00:40:08.440 Only if you know Jesus is your advocate, are you going to do that? 00:40:09.360 --> 00:40:09.800 No. 00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:19.780 But if you know someone comes to you and says that, reflect the love of Jesus back to them and the forgiveness. 00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:21.840 Don't just be holding on to that. 00:40:22.059 --> 00:40:24.019 Because we want this to be a safe place. 00:40:24.019 --> 00:40:28.179 A place where we can no longer live in hiding. 00:40:29.039 --> 00:40:32.420 Because we can walk in the light as he is in the light. 00:40:32.420 --> 00:40:34.420 Let's just close our heads. 00:40:34.420 --> 00:40:34.940 Let's just close our heads. 00:40:34.940 --> 00:40:36.300 Let's just bow our heads. 00:40:40.519 --> 00:40:44.579 If I can invite the communion stewards to come forward. 00:40:44.579 --> 00:40:50.000 But I want you to just really get real with Jesus right now. 00:40:52.079 --> 00:40:53.219 Quit the pretense. 00:40:53.219 --> 00:40:54.219 I want you to be honest. 00:40:54.219 --> 00:40:56.259 I want you to be honest. 00:40:56.359 --> 00:40:57.959 What is God saying to you right now? 00:40:58.919 --> 00:41:01.079 Where is he putting his finger on your heart? 00:41:01.079 --> 00:41:14.719 If you're not a believer, take this time to actually ask Jesus to expose you, to show you himself, to show you your need of him. 00:41:14.719 --> 00:41:21.419 For some of the rest of us, you may just need to spend some time in confession. 00:41:23.059 --> 00:41:29.619 Some of us, we may need to actually repent of not really believing that Jesus is enough and Jesus is our defense and he's our advocate. 00:41:29.619 --> 00:41:33.940 Some of us may need to repent of always thinking we have to have the last word. 00:41:34.639 --> 00:41:36.159 We can never be seen to be wrong. 00:41:38.619 --> 00:41:41.259 Let the Spirit of God just minister to you right now.