 |
 |
|
Walk in purity - speak the truth Daniel Patz, Lead Pastor Grace Church, Sunday Worship Ephesians 4:25 September 20th, 2009
Ephesians 4:17-25 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. (18) They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. (19) They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. (20) But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- (21) assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, (22) to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, (24) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (25) Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. INTRODUCTION From Time Magazine A professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Robert Feldman has spent most of his career studying the role deception plays in human relationships. His most recent book, The Liar in Your Life: How Lies Work and What They Tell Us About Ourselves, lays out in stark terms just how prevalent lying has become. He talked to TIME about why we all need a dose of honesty. What are the
main findings of your research? From US NEWS and WORLD REPORT Admit it: You've lied. You told a friend that his shirt looked stylish when you actually thought it was tacky and garish. Or maybe you said to your boss that her presentations were fascinating when in fact they were insipidly mindless. Or perhaps you told your landlord that the rent check was in the mail. Don't feel bad. You're in good, dishonest company. A growing body of research shows that people lie constantly, that deception is pervasive in everyday life. One study found that people tell two to three lies every 10 minutes, and even conservative estimates indicate that we lie at least once a day. Such incessant prevarication might be a necessary social evil, and researchers have recently discovered that some fibbing might actually be good for you. "We use lies to grease the wheels of social discourse," says University of Massachusetts psychologist Robert Feldman. "It's socially useful to tell lies." Jenna McCarthy writes in Real Simple Nearly any adult will tell you that lying is wrong. But when it comes to avoiding trouble, saving face in front of the boss, or sparing someone’s feelings, many people find themselves doing it anyway. In fact, more than 80 percent of women admit to occasionally telling what they consider harmless half-truths, says Susan Shapiro Barash, author of Little White Lies, Deep Dark Secrets: The Truth About Why Women Lie (St. Martin’s Press, $15, amazon.com). And 75 percent admit to lying to loved ones about money in particular. The tendency to tell tales is “a very natural human trait,” explains David L. Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy at the University of New England, in Biddeford, Maine. “It lets you manipulate the way you want to be seen by others.” 1. The Command – SPEAK THE TRUTH TO ONE ANOTHER “…each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor…” MAIN COMMAND: Not seen in the NIV (a word on translations) (NIV) 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE: Zechariah 8:16 These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; NINTH COMMANDMENT: Exodus 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. MARK OF THE RIGHTEOUS: Psalms 24:3-4 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? (4) He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 2. The Basis of the Command We find the basis of the command in the phrases before and after the main command. They also provide for us more insight into the nature of the command.
“Therefore, having put away falsehood…” This is a aorist participle and should be read: “Therefore having put away the lie” We look back to the previous passage where he says that we are not longer like the Gentiles in futile minds. They have taken off the old man with its corrupting deceitful desires. He is not just saying – stop lying. He is saying – since you gave up the big life by turning to the truth. Since the truth has done a work in your life. Since something radical has happened to your core being – NOW live in the truth (and not falsehood). ALL MEN OUTSIDE OF CHRIST ARE LIARS AND WILL BE JUDGED: Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. John 8:44-47 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (45) But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. (46) Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? (47) Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." Romans 3:13-14 "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." (14) "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." THE ARE LIARS BECAUSE IT IS IN THEIR HEART: Matthew 15:11-20 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." (12) Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" (13) He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. (14) Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." (15) But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." (16) And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? (17) Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? (18) But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. (19) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (20) These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." Ted Tripp: “Our hearts are always trusting and treasuring something…if not God someone or something else. Falsehood and Truth – what are we trusting and treasuring. THEY ARE LIARS IN THEIR HEART BECAUSE THEY HAVE EMBRACED THE LIFE: Romans 1:21-25 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (23) and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (24) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, (25) because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. In Christ we have come to the truth and have turned away from the LIE. We are new people who trust and treasure something new. This liberates us to tell the truth. WHY DO WE LIE? We lie to save face: “Gosh, sorry I never got the party invitation” – “The traffic was bad and there must have been construction that is why I am late. Instead, we must put off lying and tell the truth because we don’t need to praise of people because we have already been accepted and approved of by God and we can humble ourselves because we truth and treasure Christ. We lie to shift blame and avoid responsibility: “Sorry, but my wife forgot to tell me.” “I didn’t know that was going on.” Instead, if we treasure and trust Christ, we can be honest and take responsibility. We lie to avoid confrontation: “yes, I guess you are right [when they are completely wrong in their view] We lie to get our own way: “I won’t be at work because I have a flue.” “I am too busy to help you” We lie to be nice: that is a nice outfit, supper…
“…for we are members one of another.” Romans 12:4-5 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, (5) so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Not only must we be truth tellers because it is consistent with who we are as people who have turned from the life – we must speak the truth because we are part of a body. Lies hurt people the body. Lies are not loving. We are to speak the truth in love. See verse 15 of chapter 4. Parents lie when they say they will discipline but they don’t do it. We fail to speak the truth when we don’t lovingly correct people when they are in sin or have a major flaw. Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (2) Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. CONCLUSION Jesus is the Truth who has come to win our trust and become the Treasure of our hearts so that we can be the people of the truth. He came to people of the life. People who were of their Father, the devil. He took us and suffered all on account of our sin and rebellion to free us from our slavery to the deception of Sin. |
