Overland Park Baptist
Truth or Consequences
Exodus 20:16
“And judgment is turned away backward,
And justice standeth afar off:
For truth is fallen in the street,
And equity cannot enter.”
Isaiah 59:14
1. The Liability of a False Witness
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
John 8:44
Slander
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Genesis 2:17
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:4–5
“And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”
Job 1:8
“Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”
Job 1:10
Matthew 4:1–11
“Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.”
Matthew 26:59–61
Perjury
Spreading Rumors
“And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.”
Matthew 26:61
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.”
John 2:19–21
“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.”
Exodus 23:1
Flattery
“A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it;
And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.”
Proverbs 26:28
“The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart:
His words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.”
Psalm 55:21
Insinuation
“Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.”
John 8:41
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
John 8:44
“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”
James 4:11
“Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.”
Jeremiah 18:18
“And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity.”
Leviticus 5:1
“These six things doth the Lord hate:
Yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,
Feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies,
And he that soweth discord among brethren.”
Proverbs 6:16–19
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:8
2. The Reliability of a Faithful Witness
1 Kings 22:1–8, 13–40
It is better to be divided by truth than united in error.
“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:3
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
Amos 3:3
It is better to tell the truth that hurts and then heals than to tell a lie that comforts then kills.
“For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.”
Ecclesiastes 5:7
“Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
Proverbs 27:5–6
It is better to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie.
“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
Galatians 4:16
“The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.”
John 7:7
It is better to stand alone with the truth than to be wrong with the multitude.
It is better to ultimately succeed with the truth than to temporarily succeed with a lie.
3. The Responsibility of a Family Witness
Teaching by Precept
Teaching by Example
Teaching by Discipline
- Deliberate disobedience
- Defiance
- Dishonesty
Turning Commandments into Commitments
0–6 Years
- Establish firm penalties for lying, and don’t let a lie pass without dealing with it.
- Reward truth telling.
- Gather stories, music and videos that underscore the importance of telling the truth.
- Avoid exaggeration with little ones, and help them not to exaggerate.
7–12 Years
- Look for situations in the news and in your world that serve as discussions about lying.
- Ask your kids for examples from school of those who either told the truth or lied. Ask them about the results.
- Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
- Explain the importance of gaining trust.
13 Plus Years
- Promise yourself that you will not cover for your children if they are caught lying.
- Reward truthfulness above everything else.
- Help them deal with the reality that the world doesn’t always tell the truth.
- Continue to establish trust.
