Mid-Week Bible Study (March 17 2010)

The Living Rock Church of Iloilo City
MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY
March 17, 2010

Text: Matthew 5:33-37

Series Title
THE COMMANDMENTS OF CHRIST

Bible Study Lesson
COMMANDMENT #8 – KEEP YOUR WORD

by Pastor Norman S. Lao


Introduction
Commandment #1 – REPENT
Commandment #2 – FOLLOW ME
Commandment #3 – REJOICE
Commandment #4 – LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE
Commandment #5 – HONOR GOD’S LAW
Commandment #6 – BE RECONCILED
Commandment #7 – DO NOT LUST

Our lesson tonight will cover the EIGHTH Command of Christ found in Matthew 5:33-37 which is KEEP YOUR WORD (or TELL THE TRUTH).

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, ‘Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem , for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (NIV)

I. Understanding the Command

Let us first define some words here:

A. Oath – a solemn pledge to do something, like taking an oath to tell the truth in court.

B. Swear – this is not the present common understanding of speaking bad words (swearing or cursing) , but it is more of supporting one’s words or claims by calling on the Name of God (“I swear on God that I am telling the truth!” or “I swear on my mother’s grave....”) or by adding things like, “cross my heart, hope to die.”

According to our text, anything added to our “Yes” and “No” comes from evil.

C. Vow – a solemn promise to perform an act, carry out an activity, or behave in a given way.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow . 5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

D. Lie – to deliberately say something that is untrue; to say something untrue in a conscious effort to deceive somebody.

What is being commanded in this passage?

The bottom line of the command is BE TRUTHFUL! This is a command to honesty. A lot of people use the name of God to “prove” that they are telling the truth. “God is my witness, I am telling the truth!” To an honest person, however, THIS IS NOT NECESSARY. A “Yes” and a “No” is enough.

Sometimes, we use the expression “To tell you the truth....” or “To be honest with you....” If we come to think of it, what we are actually trying to say is we were not truthful or honest BEFORE we say this.

Lying (dishonesty) is prevalent in all fallen societies. From the president and public officials, to business people, down to the ordinary citizens, lying has become a way of life. For people outside of Christ, lying is “natural.” But remember: just because a lot of people are doing it doesn’t make it right.

People lie for the following reasons:

1. Avoid Punishment

Lying is often used to avoid punishment or possible rejection. By nature, people are designed to avoid harm and punishment, even if individuals have to lie in order to do so. Children pick-up this skill early in life and people continue to lie as adults.

2. Seek Approval

Not only are people designed to avoid punishment, but people universally have a need for approval. Lying and deception are often used to create a favorable image or impression. People will go to great lengths, even using deception, if necessary, to create a positive image. Often this involves some self-deception as well – people start to believe their own false image is true.

3. Avoid Conflict

Some people will not tell the truth because the truth may lead to conflicts. Example: A father gave a son a very expensive set of sunglasses. The son, becoming careless lost it. The father notices that the son is not wearing the sunglasses anymore. The father asked the son about it. The son tells the father that a friend borrowed it, etc.

4. To Have their Own Way.

Kids lie to their parents so that they can have what they want. “Mom, I will have a group study tonight so I will be late coming home.” The truth is, he did not have a group study.

5. Avoid Embarrassment.

Sometimes telling the truth will put us in a very embarrassing situation so what people do is lie their way out of embarrassment.

For example, a live-in couple was publicly asked, “How long have you been married?” to which they answered, “about four years.” They failed to mention that they were NOT MARRIED.

6. Because of the thrill lying brings.

Some people lie for no apparent reasons. It could be that they are enjoying the “adrenalin rush” of lying.

So, generally speaking people lie to CONTROL the outcome of something for their own personal/selfish ends. An employee lies on his report so that he can remain with the company or he can get a refund for something he did not spend. A child lies to his parents so that he can spend time with his friends or lie on a non-existent contribution in school just to get some extra cash to spend on himself. A husband lies to his wife about his whereabouts to avoid conflict. A businessman lies to maximize his profit. A Christian lies to get approval from fellow Christians.

Are some lying condoned in Scripture?

There is ONE instance in the Bible where lying is looked upon by some as acceptable: Joshua 2:3-13 where Rahab the prostitute lied to protect the spies of Israel. It looks like her lying was acceptable because God blessed her and honored what she did (accepting the spies) and preserved her family. In fact, Rahab is included in Christ’s genealogy.

Let’s discuss this for a deeper understanding:
1. This is the ONLY time in the whole Bible where lying looks acceptable. There is no other example.

2. The persons lied to were wicked people who were out to kill the spies and destroy Israel.

3. The reason for lying was to preserve lives from certain death. Notice that it was not the life of Rahab that was at stake here, but the lives of the spies. This is a very important aspect of this type of lying. It is not to preserve oneself, but to preserve the lives of others. When Peter lied about his relationship with Jesus he was actually trying to preserve himself instead of standing by his Lord and Master. Peter’s lying is different from Rahab’s in this regard.

4. Never in Scripture is the lying of Rahab condoned or praised. What was praised was her faith in the God of the Jews. This becomes clear when we find Rahab’s name in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. So, she was commended for her faith, not her lying. (Hebrews 11:31)

Situational Ethics (for discussion):
As a Christian: What will you do if people are running after someone because they want to kill him and that someone happens to hide in your house? What will you do? What will you tell his pursuers when they ask you about it?

II. Applying the Command

How are we to live a life without lying?

A. You have to understand that lying is a sin no matter what color it is.

As Christians we are supposed to exhibit the nature of God and God’s nature is Truth. Lying or being dishonest for whatever reason is against the nature of God.

B. Confess your lying to God.

Lying is a sin and must be confessed to God (1 John 1:9).

C. Get out from a life of lying – surrender your life to God.

We lie because there are areas of our lives that have not yet been totally surrendered to God. We protect those areas with lies.

Some people are living a lie and the natural consequence of this is to tell lies.

The only true evidence that you have truly repented from lying is when you begin telling the truth.

D. Do not be part of anything illegal or sinful.

If you have nothing to hide, there will be no need to lie in the first place.

E. Always speak the truth.

The only way to get out of a lie is to tell the truth no matter what. Telling the truth may have some temporary consequences, but telling lies has eternal repercussions.

F. Trust God to bless you when you tell the Truth.

Telling the truth in some situations is to trust God to work in your behalf. To tell a lie is to put things in your own hands.

Conclusion
Lying leads to more lies. The only way to get out of it is to stop lying and be truthful. It is important that we remember what Revelation 21:8 says, "all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur."

KEEP YOUR WORD – BE HONEST!!!