Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Introduction
Liar is a strong word, isn’t it?
I tend to speak in hyperbole which means I can make exaggerated statements that I don’t mean to be taken literally.
If you don’t realize I have a tendency to use exaggerated words at time, you may misunderstand me.
God blessed me with a wife who has a greater sensitivity to my use of hyperbole than I do.
She will at times tell me that I should choose a different word, one that doesn’t sound so extreme.
If I had asked her, she might have suggested a different title for this message.
Living among Liars sound pretty bad doesn’t it?
It sounds exaggerated.
Why is that?
It's because the word liar is black-and-white.
If you call someone a liar, there is no room for misunderstanding.
Is there a nice way to say a person is a liar?
Sure, there are lots of ways.
One might say,
"He wasn't completely truthful."
"She fibbed a little."
"It was just a white lie."
“Oh, I misspoke.”
What have I left out?
What's a nice way to say that someone lied?
[Get responses from the audience.]
One of the reasons why we don't want to be so harsh in our communication is because of our concern for people and what they think.
It is good to be concerned about what people think and not unnecessarily offend them.
The key word there is "unnecessarily".
There are times when we have to face the reality that a person's behavior is offensive.
When we try to lessen the severity of offensive behavior, we end up turning our attention away from the offensive issue and not dealing with it.
Today we are going to be looking at Psalm 120 that is all about a person living among liars.
This is a short Psalm so let's just read it.
1. Seeking God
A. Our need: distress
There are so many problems that cause us distress!
Physical, family, work, financial, emotional, circumstantial, loneliness, uncertainty, fear.
What is causing you distress today?
Don’t think you’re unique!
Distress is close to all of us!
Let us cry out to the Lord when we are in distress.
The Psalmist tell us why.
B. God’s response: He answers
God always answers.
Do you wonder if that is so?
The scriptures are so clear about this!
God especially cares for us when we are in distress.
C. Reasons not to call on the Lord.
There aren’t any.
We need God when things are going poorly.
We need God when things are going well.
2. Suffering wrong
The Psalmist declares his problem was the same as Stephen’s!
Suffering because of lies told about us.
A. People lie about you.
Yes, people lie about you.
Lying lips
“Sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt me” isn’t true, is it?
Word can hurt us.
Words can ruin our reputation, turn people against us and if we allow them, they can pierce our inner being and cause us to doubt ourselves.
There is no defense that you and I can use prevent lies from being uttered about us.
This could be people lying to you or lying about you.
It is probably this.
Why do they do this?
The fact that the issue is a lie tells us you are not to blame.
B. People lied about Jesus.
They envy you, resent you, want what you have, hate you because you are a Christians.
Do not be surprised if people lie about you!
They lied about Jesus.
3. Seeing justice
A. God’s response to the liar is punishment.
This is God’s response to the liar.
The book of Proverbs highlights seven sins that God detests.
Two of them are related to lying.
The Lord hates lies in verse 17 and hates those who lie under oath about others in verse 19.
I would say it’s clear what God thinks about lies and liars!
“He will punish you” is directed to the liar and make it clear that one will not escape from this punishment.
One of the joys of knowing God is to know our sins are forgiven.
Our sins are removed from us.
That is not so for those who are far from God. Can you imagine being punished for every individual sin you have committed?
This punishment is specifically mentioned for lying.
Psalm 120 says God will not leave a liar unpunished.
It’s unlikely that these statements, “a warrior’s sharp arrow, with burning coals of the broom bush” at literal.
Lies don’t injure us on the outside but on the inside.
So it is that arrows pierce our skin and injure us within.
The punishment is like burning coals.
Fire isn’t limited to one place but spreads and causes great damage.
So is the damage the tongue can cause.
James tells us,
B. God’s punishment is proportionate.
This punishment is appropriate for one who lies because of the damage that lies do.
If you are suffering because someone has lied about you, take heart, God will punish the liar.
How then do we respond when we are the object of lies?
4. Seeking peace
A. Lament for the right reason.
“Woe to me.”
Not a phrase we use these days but if we do use something like it we are more likely feeling sorry for ourselves.
Woe is me,
I just bumped my knee!
Someone did something awful to me for no reason!
Everything is going wrong today!
I’m sick!
I did something stupid!
The Psalmist was feeling sorry for himself but for a good reason.
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