Tell the Whole Truth

The Innocence Project, which focuses on using DNA evidence to exonerate the innocent, reports that 73 percent of convictions overturned on the basis of DNA were cases where the defendant was originally found guilty on the basis of eyewitness testimony.

Harvard University conducted a test where researchers had two teams, one wearing white and the other black, and asked participants to count the number of passes made by the people in white shirts.

While this was taking place, a person wearing a gorilla costume walked into the middle of the game and danced.

Nearly half of the participants did not see the dancing gorilla.

Still think eyewitness testimony is reliable?

Nearly 50 percent of people do not see a dancing gorilla that is right in front of them!

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

On the surface, this appears to be another straightforward commandment: do not spread false information about a neighbor and do not misrepresent someone in court.

This commandment is essentially about perjury, which occurs when someone is accused of something, the court questions you about the occurrence, and you provide false testimony.

However, this commandment means far more than we think, and lying is just one example.

According to Jesus, the second most important commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself;

this command summarizes the second half of the Ten Commandments.

When you live a loving life, you rejoice when the truth is revealed, even if it is not beneficial to you.

In 1 Corinthians 13, what is commonly called the love chapter of the Bible, Paul describes what true love looks like, in there he says:

1 Corinthians 13:6 KJV

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Are you in a position to do that?

Do you care so much about others that you want the truth to be known in their lives, even if it is not good for you?

Consider parents who love their children, but their child is called to do something that takes them far away or puts them in danger.

That is rejoicing in the truth—that is the truth of what they are called to do.

If you didn't want them to leave and tried to persuade them otherwise, you'd be breaking the ninth commandment.

Or how about Social Media, how many times I have seen people sharing a news article or something else that has been already revealed to be false.

I remember years ago there was a story going around about a new movie that was coming out.

The movie was going to portray Jesus in a very sinful way.

Christians all over the nation were furious, and filling Facebook with rants over this planned movie.

One day a family member shared it with us on Facebook, I looked it up and quickly saw that the story had been passed around about 10 years prior, but was proven to be false even back then.

People with nothing better to do than to rant on Facebook had dug up an old untrue article and got the pot stirring again.

Do you check to see if something is true before you share it?

Many have said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”

The Bible disagrees with this, quite strongly!

God commands that we not hurt people by bearing false witness against them.

James gives an incredibly vivid description of the power and destruction of the tongue.

What incredible damage the tongue can do!

Let’s look first at:

I. The Power of the Tongue

There is incredible power in the tongue.

With the tongue you can build up or destroy someone with just one sentence.

James 3:1 begins with a warning that not many should be come teachers, or tell people what to do.

1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

When too many people try to get involved, it can be a real mess.

The truth is, anyone who puts themselves up to teach another will be held accountable before God for what is said.

It’s so easy to cause an offense, and you don’t want to be responsible for causing a problem.

Which is what verse 2 is saying

2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

The mouth is so powerful!

We even use the mouth to steer a giant beast like a horse.

3 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

It is amazing how something so small can control something so big.

The tongue can be used in very powerful ways.

We have seen it throughout history, how the skillful tongue can be used to...

A. Steer a Big Movement

All throughout history men have used great oratory and speeches to start, and move great movements of people to accomplish what they want to accomplish.

Some accomplished good, some accomplished bad.

Martin Luther King’s passionate “I have a dream” speech moved the nation to begin the process of ending racist policies here in America.

It accomplished much good, and inspired many, but it also reared anger and violence in some.

John F. Kennedy is famous for his speech in which he gave the now infamous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” That urged many Americans to participate in public service and contribute to the public good.

Adolph Hitler was an incredible speaker, and led millions to do the most unthinkable things.

Great movements for both good and evil have begun and thrived by the power of the tongue.

4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

Even though the tongue is so small it has great power.

Many a churches have been destroyed by the tongue.

Gossip behind closed doors will destroy our church.

It always worries me when I turn a corner and conversation stops suddenly.

We need to be so careful!

It can be incredibly destructive.

The tongue not only has the power to steer a big movement, but it has the power to...

B. Destroy Precious Lives

5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Like a fire, the tongue unleashes destruction.

My family has seen the destruction that a small fire can cause.

When we were in California, we had to be evacuated from our home while we watched on the news as over a thousand structures were destroyed, and lives forever changed, some even lost.

It can move so quickly.

The same is true for the tongue.

There is a saying that is so true, “A lie will travel the world three times while the truth is still putting on its boots.”

Even if there is some truth in the beginning, it never stays that way.

My name is Gossip. I have no respect for justice. I maim without killing. I break hearts and ruin lives. I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed.

My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and face. Tot rack me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I am nobody’s friend.

Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same. I topple governments and wreck marriages. I make headlines and headaches. I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches and indigestion. I make innocent people cry in their pillows. Even my name hisses. I am called Gossip.

It has power to destroy lives!

But the truth is the Tongue is ...

C. The Hardest to Tame

7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

We have tamed the wildest and most dangerous of animals, but the tongue is impossible for a man to tame.

Not by himself!

We have all experienced the moment just after we say something, we want nothing more than to be able to suck those words back into our mouth.

It’s so hard to control, sometimes.

But the main reason for that is, we are trying to control it ourselves…and not by God’s power.

But it’s hard to hold back the tongue!

I heard about four preachers that were gathered for fellowship.During the conversation one preacher said, “Our people come to us and pour out their hearts,and confess certain sins and needs. Let’s do the same. Confession is good for the soul.” After initial hesitation they all agreed. One preacher confessed that he liked to have a drink of alcohol from time to time. And when he goes out of town he will go to a bar to get a drink. The second confessed that he loved cigars, and would sneak away to puff on a cigar for a little while. The third admitted that he had learned to play blackjack and would go to the casino out of town and gamble. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn’t confess. The others pressed him saying, “Come on, we confessed ours. What is your secret?” Finally he answered, “My secret sin is gossiping and I just can’t wait to get out of here!”

It’s hard to tame the tongue, especially when you hear something so juicy.

The tongue is powerful!

It can steer a large movement for good or for bad.

the tongue can destroy precious lives.

And it is the hardest member to tame.

The most important thing to recognize, however is that our tongue was...

D. Created to Glorify God

We do not often enough allow our tongues to do what it was created for.

Oh, we come here on Sunday and sing some songs, and praise the Lord, but on Monday we are back to saying what we have always said.

9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

We have been created to glorify our Father, but instead we use it to damage those who are created in His image.

How careful we need to be!

Oh the Power of the tongue!

But we do not have to be controlled by it!

Let’s look real quickly then at...

II. The Pathway to Truth

God is truth and He desires that we discover the truth and walk in the freedom of the truth!

We can be led down the pathway of truth by following that which is truth.

A. The Truth of Scripture

The Bible is God’s eternal truth.

John 17:17 KJV

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Searching for truth from any other source other than God’s Word — Self help books, TV shows, modern psycology — is foolish, because these sources do not contain infallible truth.

God’s Word is truth, and therefor ought to be our spiritual and moral compass.

1 Peter 1:23–25 KJV

23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

The Word of God is alive and powerful, and it can break the power of sin, and the satanic delusions that holds many people bondage.

Hebrews 4:12 KJV

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

God’s Word will tell you exactly what you need to know!

We may not always want to hear the truth, but it will always tell the truth.

If I have a doctor’s checkup, I don’t want the doctor to tell me that I have cancer. But as jarring as that news would be, I wouldn’t want him to withhold it from me if it is the truth. If I do have cancer, I need to know, so I can begin treatment.

Even so we sometimes don;t want to hear that which makes us uncomfortable or demands change. But if it is true, we need to hear it, so we can avoid destruction.

We need to faithfully be in God’s Word!

God’s Word is truth, and it will combat the dangers of the tongue.

B. The Truth of Salvation

It is good and right to believe the Bible is God’s truth, but it is life changing to know the Author lives in your heart—to have a personal relationship with Him.

When I was dating Michelle, I couldn’t wait to get another email from her. I would read and reread the emails over and over. I still have them saved, and pull them up again from time to time. They were and still are very precious to me. They are precious because of my relationship with the one who wrote them.

Some people only come to church when they feel like it because they do not have a relationship iwth Christ.

When you know Jesus as your Savior, you want to hear His Word and grow in His wisdom.

God clearly tells us about salvation, we do not need to guess at it!

He very plainly tell us the way.

John 14:6 KJV

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The way to having a relationship with God is not through church membership, or baptism or even good works.

It is in placing your trust and faith in Christ as your only way to the Father.

The truth will make you free!

When you know the truth about salvation, adn ytou receive it, it makes you free from sin.

The truth about salvation is that Jesus, God in human flesh, paid for our sins with His blood.

Romans 5:8 KJV

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

But the truth must be received.

Simply knowing the truth is not enough.

You must personally receive the truth.

If you are sick with an infection and your doctor gives you an antibiotic, the truth is that the medicine will kill the infection. But the medicine is not helpful to you if you leave it in the bottle. You have to swallow it to experience its healing power.

In this same way, God can set you free from sin and give you a home in Heaven, but you have to receive this gift.

John 3:16–18 KJV

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Have you received Christ as your Savior?

This is the greatest truth in the universe but it can only make you free if you receive Him by trusting in Christ and Christ alone for your salvation.

The truth of God’s Word leads us down the path of Truth.

The truth of Salvation opens the door to accepting His Truth.

But God does not leave us at Salvations door, on our own to figure out this life.

We also have...

C. The Truth of Sanctification

Sanctification is the process that the Christians goes through in this life to become more like Christ.

When we are saved the Bible says that we are Justified - our record is wiped clean of all of our sins, and the Righteousness of Christ is put on our account.

But we still face our sinful nature every day.

The process of Sanctification happens when we yield to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives to obey what we read in Scripture.

We read our Bibles in the morning, and on our way to work we look down at our speedometer and see we are going too fast.

Perhaps, the Holy Spirit calls to memory what we ready earlier...

1 Peter 2:13–14 KJV

13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

We take a move of sanctification, when we yield to the Holy Spirits leading and slow down.

We have to face something hard today, a conflict that I don’t want to deal with.

The Holy Spirit speaks to our heart and brings to mind

Proverbs 24:10 KJV

10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small.

And we realize we must obey the Holy Spirit and do even the hard things if we are going to be Christ’s disciple...

Luke 14:27 KJV

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

We hear someone say something to us or about us and we want to attack back...

Proverbs 14:17 KJV

17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: And a man of wicked devices is hated.

It is better for us to keep our cool and deal with it in truth.

Proverbs 16:32 KJV

32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

We are tempted to use bad language and the Holy Spirit brings to mind

Ephesians 4:29 KJV

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

And we yield to the Holy Spirit and instead use edifying language.

Colossians 4:6 KJV

6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

When we stay in God’s Word, and yield to the Holy Spirit that came to us at Salvation, God will do His work in us to Sanctify us.

This is the only way that we will be able to combat the power of the tongue in our lives.

Conclusion

There are three main ways that people bear false witness.

False speech - someone speaks falsely about someone else.

whether because they wanted to hurt the person

or because they did not research the issue.

Malicious Accusation - some people thrive on spreading accusations about people.

Proverbs 15:28 KJV

28 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: But the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

Some people just have animosity in their heart toward others, and try to hurt others.

Slander - telling a falsehood with the intention to harm someone’s reputation

Proverbs 12:17 KJV

17 He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: But a false witness deceit.

But the truth is the Tongue causes much damage, even with the truth.

I have cautioned people, and even rebuked some because they were gossiping, only to be told, “But it is the truth.”

Well I certainly hope you weren’t lying!

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t gossip.

Gossip is saying something about someone else when you are not part of the problem or part of the solution.

Sometimes someone needs to tell me, the pastor, about something that someone did…because I as the pastor can be part of the solution.

But if someone goes to another person in the church who is not part of the problem, or part of the solution then it is gossip.

And don’t hide behind prayer requests either!

You aren’t fooling anyone!

My dear people, Let us walk in the truth, but let us do it in love.

Ephesians 4:15 KJV

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

This is what will help people grow up into him in all things, even Christ - that is Sanctification.

Use your tongue to edify one another, not tear each other down.

If you wouldn’t say it in front of the preacher, don’t say it all!

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