The Source and danger of lies.

Bottomline: In a world pushing lies, pursue truth.

Charles Ponzi

1919

All good lies, have elements of truth and lots of ambiguity.

sabbatical reflections…story about lies

In scripture some scholars would say we are told around 150 times not to lie or the harm of lying.

Proverbs

New Living Translation (Chapter 12)

22 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

Psalm

New Living Translation (Psalm 101)

7 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house, and liars will not stay in my presence.

Lies are harmful distortions and deceptions of the truth.

Lies have consequences.

Lies leave us empty and broken.

Lies hurt ourselves and others.

Lies are an assault on the truth.

Lies separate us from God and others.

The problem is less that we tell lies and more that we live them; we let false narratives about reality into our bodies, and they wreak havoc in our souls.

-John Mark Comer

John

The New International Version (Chapter 8)

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.

Jesus called satan....the father of lies

The Fall...

The New International Version (Chapter 3)

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

Who Told You That?

Who told you that you weren’t enough?

Who told you that you were dumb? Ugly? A lost cause?

The problem with believing and living lies is that it means we aren’t believing God.

God can only tell us the truth.

The New International Version (Chapter 4)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted v by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

The antidote to a lie is the truth.

The way they teach people to spot a counterfeit is not by teaching them what the fakes are but rather it is by showing them the real deal.

John

The New International Version (Chapter 14)

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The New International Version (Chapter 8)

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Only Jesus can set us free from the lies we believe and live out.

The truth shall set you free

Will we look to Jesus or will we look to lies?