Have you heard these headlines before?
“This pill will melt away 30 pounds from your body in just 30 days without exercise or diet restrictions!”
“Aliens from outer space have landed on the earth!”
“Fruit is bad for you!”
You may have come across similar statements on the internet. However, just because it is on the internet, does not make it true! The media have been masters at this game. They repeat continually what they want to be true so that people start believing it is true. So, without a shred of proof, bold face lies become truth in the minds of many through mere repetition.
Believers can be guilty of the same thing. Whether it be gossip or our feelings got hurt, we will repeat a scene in our head and add things to the story because we were upset. We will add things that make the other person look worse and make us look better. Then we will begin mentally rehearsing the story (with the added things blended in) until we have forgotten what the actual account of events was. We become convinced our added items make up the real story. We must be careful to pursue truth…in our thoughts and in our words.
The significance of lying has almost been removed from modern day society. In many ways, we have been desensitized against the shame of lying! The breaking of the 9th commandment (Ex. 20:16) seems to be at epidemic proportions. In fact, if Americans broke the 6th commandment (do not kill, Ex. 20:13), as much as we break the 9th commandment (do not lie) – would America be declared a war zone?
Let’s be honest with ourselves. In many ways, our culture has all but declared, “lying is no big deal.” However, of all the things God almighty could have listed in the 10 commandments, God chose to point out lying alongside murder, adultery, and idolatry! We must choose to remember that God calls Himself “the Truth” (Jn. 14:6) and says that His “word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). Lastly, we must never forget that if lying was the only sin we ever committed, we would still have needed the Lord Jesus to shed His blood to cover our sins! Our lies make us most unworthy of heaven! We must be careful to pursue truth and confess lies as sin!
In Acts 24, even the religious leaders embrace lying as an acceptable activity in order to achieve their goal of condemning Paul. Lying surrounds all of us, so we must learn to deal with it biblically.
LOOK AT THE LIES…Acts 24:5-9
24:5 – Paul is the plague. Pestilent – a pest, plague. This is name calling, but even more than that. Tertullus is calling Paul the plague.
24:5 – Paul is a rebel leader. Mover of sedition – a mover of insurrections
24:5 – Paul causes all Jews to rebel. Among all the Jews throughout the world – universal terms
24:5 – Paul is the Ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes – a military term, the leader of the ranks. “Nazarenes” was the name given to Christians by way of contempt.
24:6 – Paul desecrates the temple. Gone about to profane the temple – pollute or desecrate the temple
24:6 – They lied and broke their law to judge Paul by their law. Judged according to our law – that was true, but they did it with lies!
24:7 – Paul was taken from them violently – force was used because Paul was in danger of being torn to pieces
24:9 – All the Jews present partook in the lies!
Have others ever lied about you or to you? It hurts, doesn’t it? Does the name Bernie Madoff ring a bell for anyone here today? Mr. Madoff lied to investors for 10 years and pulled off a 50-billion-dollar Ponzi Scheme. He wasn’t investing all this money, as promised. Instead, he would use the funds from new investors to pay the “returns” owed to early on investors. Because he encouraged investors to invest their profits as well, he kept this Ponzi scheme going for a decade before he was arrested. People were furious!
We are prone to resentment and bitterness when others lie to us and about us. It is crucial to rehearse that God knows the truth, even if others refuse to admit it. Let’s review the responses Paul gives to these damaging lies.
REVIEW THE RESPONSES…Acts 24:10-16
24:10 – Attitude. “Cheerfully Answer” – Not defensive, accusatory, angry
24:11-12 – Denial. My accusers did not find me doing what they say
24:13 – Proof. My accusers cannot prove what they say
24:14-16 – Conscience. Paul has a clear conscience before God and men
24:17-20 – Challenge. Paul challenges those present and those who were not present (but should have come if they wanted to accuse him) to find evil doing in him.
24:21 – Root Issue. States what they were upset about at the council meeting: “touching the resurrection of the dead I am called into question”
REALIZE THE RULING…Acts 24:22-23
1. Verification Needed: Accusations needed a 3rd party to verify -- wait for the Chief Captain to arrive
2. Little Restriction Given – Felix didn’t discern anything dire, so he gave Paul freedom under the centurion’s guard.
“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” (William Arthur Ward)
Have you ever heard the phrase “liars are gonna lie?” Paul doesn’t spend his time defending himself with complaints about all their falsehoods. Isn’t that interesting? So, how does Paul “adjust his sails” to handle the hurricane winds of these 6 lies?
How do we handle lies?
1. Assume the Best: As believers, dealing with one another, both sides to a situation should always start with assuming the best. I Cor. 13:6-7.
2. State the Truth…even if the others party will not. Be careful you have rehearsed truth and not your thoughts of hurt feelings, resentment, and unforgiveness. Eph. 4:15, 26.
3. Point out Evil….Insist evil doing be pointed out and proven. Jas. 4:17; Gal. 6:1.
4. Clear Conscience. Be certain you hold a clear conscience before God and man. I Tim. 1:5, 19.
5. Root Issues. If known, state the real issue at hand. Gal. 6:1.
In 2004, a painting by Anna Mary Robertson, better known as Grandma Moses, was brought to the Antiques Roadshow for appraisal. Born before the Civil War, Robertson did not take up painting until late in her life. Her primitive style eventually became extremely popular, and her work commanded a high price. The man who brought the painting to be evaluated had lived nearby and his mother was a friend of Grandma Moses. He said, “She was just a wonderful friend of the family. And she would let my mother buy these paintings, which she thought had relatively little value. I guess my mother did, too. She probably bought eight or ten paintings in all, and my guess would be for perhaps under ten dollars each.”
The painting that was bought for around $10 was appraised as being worth $60,000! In her early days of painting, Grandma Moses did not think of her works as being very valuable, so she parted with them for next to nothing. How often do we give up that which is priceless for a little temporary pleasure or advantage? How often do we abandon that which matters most for that which matters least? (Source: The Antiques Roadshow episode aired on February 28, 2005)
We must pursue truth. Do not pursue what is of little value (lying, slander, gossip) in exchange for what God declares as to be of high value (truth). Embrace and pursue the Lord…embrace and pursue the truth.