Tell The Truth - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. See, that's one of the most aspects of this. What's wrong with me before I came to Christ self-deception.

What's another way of saying self-deception. I lie to myself all the time. Jeremiah 17 said that the heart of the man is desperately needed the sleep. Bob all things. What good is it to see the man your heart deceives you part of the flash using one of the biggest problems that we have as we lie to ourselves constantly joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our it's not just the God hates allies, but he delights in the truth. Go with me now at the book of Psalms Psalm 51 Psalm 51 Strange Pl. to go more talking about line because Psalm 51 is the great confessional song David, the king decides not to go to war were in the Kings one in the spring of the year, and he stayed home and he decided that down the basis of probably a habit or a pattern in his life. He decided to stay up off his balcony and take a look when an adjacent building where he knew there be a woman bathing her name was Bathsheba. David then has Bathsheba by Dover, he commits adultery with Bathsheba and as you know the rest of the story. Then David decided to orchestrate the murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite and then David just sat on he just sat on he wasn't going to say anything to anybody after ice the king and then God sent Nathan to David and Nathan gets David to admit and confess his sin and this is David's confessional to God. He says be gracious to me all God according to your lovingkindness. He says according to the greatness of your compassion blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly for my iniquity claims me from my sin, for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me, and against you and you only I have sinned. Many didn't sin against as well is this matter propriety is not saying I didn't sin against Uriah. He knows that he did.

He said, but ultimately I sin against you and I know that he said and is done what is evil in your sight so that you are justified when you speak get blameless when you judge.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me. It didn't mean she committed adultery just means he was born with a sin nature, and then he says this behold, you desire truth in the innermost being. All of a sudden truth becomes the issue an outward desire more often than not when it's translated the Hebrew word basically is mostly translated by the word, the light is not just that God desires true. He delights in the truth.

Why would David say that about.

I think it's because David realized how much he lied about this.

You see, that's the way it is not just with David's adultery, but all adultery. The major problem that you have when there's adultery involved in a relationship is how much line goes, the adultery can be one act for one night and it can spawn hundreds and hundreds of lies and a probably different.

David mean David started out fine. Member what he did. He basically pump up a reason for Uriah to come back from them.

The battlefield and then he told Uriah to write your back in your such a swell guy by remembering newly wise into a community had pieces wanted to spend a night or two with your wife. You see, I want to reward you.

That's a lie. He wanted Uriah to be with Bathsheba soda Bathsheba's pregnancy shows it will look like. Uriah was the father and I wonder how many times over that course of that year to David lie about this until he confessed he lied and he lied and he lied that kinda deceit undermines all kinds of relationships that we have.

You see, that's what happens line is almost the heart of everything and even when we overtly similar first temptation is to do what lie about tele-line why we lie, but a financially got a go like a Dr. Phil Dr. Phil had Dr. Robert Feldman on he is the author of the book the liar in your life the way of truthful relationships and Dr. Phil asked Dr. Feldman why do people I generally Dr. Feldman said people why because they can get away with it because it works for them. He says, is a way to get along with other people. It's a way to control your world see define your own reality. It's a way to control your world, he says, and it's a way that you can use to make other people do what you want to do. Then Dr. Phil said, why do men lie with so general-purpose.

He said men usually lie to make themselves look better by. He said they built themselves up by line, and then Dr. Feldman says women tend to live more to make other people feel good to make them feel good about themselves, even when it comes the lying women are spiritually superior to men just bounding. They live for better reasons and we do ours a self-promotion. He then Dr. Phil says one of the things you say is that parents actually teach their kids the lie he said yes. He said we think that were always telling our kids to be honest, I always tell the truth, but the reality is, he says, there are instances when we do, quite the opposite. He said, was saving them. Grandma knit you this newsletter she's going to come over and give it to you.

I know you're not going to like it that you need to tell grandma you love it. Dr. Phil said so we can teach our kids the lie but that just seems like little white lie.

Dr. Feldman, the people who tell white lies eventually become colorblind teacher kids. God hates lies. God delights the truth. That's what he expects from us. Turn with me now to Ephesians chapter 4 Ephesians chapter 4, the apostle Paul in verse 22 says this in reference to your former manner of life.

That's what we were like before we came to Christ. Paul loves this thing he says in reference to your former manner of life you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit. You see that's that's one of the most important aspects of this. What's wrong with me before I came to Christ self-deception. What's another way of saying self-deception. I lie to myself all the time. Jeremiah 17 said that the heart of the man is desperately wicked is deceitful above all things will who does it deceive the man your heart deceives you. That's part of the flash using one of the biggest problems that we have as we lie to ourselves constantly about ourselves. He says you need to put that aside, he said in verse 23 that you may be renewed in the spirit of your mind, put on the new self, he says, which is in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

In other words, one of the things he's saying. Generally, in those verses is you have to put aside the lie, you have to embrace the truth when you put aside the old self. You put aside that propensity to lie when you put on the new self, you have the propensity to tell the truth.

Notice he gets very clear in the application. Verse 25.

Therefore, laying aside falsehood. First thing he says when you make this exchange is you lay aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Notice that he says right in the beginning here. What happens when we do that we stop lying.

He goes on, he says be angry and don't sin, he said in verse 28 if you still stop stealing. He said in verse 29 let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, he said, but only such a word, which is good for edification. According to the need of the moment said it will give grace to those who hear. He says don't grieve the Holy Spirit verse 31 let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, all these other things but he starts out with stop lying.

Stop first lying to yourself than stop lying to others.

He then talks about this idea, the laying aside verse 15 of chapter 4 which is a precursor to the verses I read he said, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into him who is the head, even Christ, we are to speak the truth in love. That's a very important thing. My experience over all these years is some of you are naturally pretty good speaking the truth and some of you are naturally pretty good at speaking in love, but only those of you I believe are controlled by the Spirit of God are good at speaking the truth in love, you see that a lot of people like to speak the truth. I will use wonderful terms for Microsoft with a really blunt, I don't mind bluntness the question of it is is blunt language designed to hurt. He's not saying look I have to speak the truth because the Bible says so. I just want to let you know something here.

I've been wanting to say this for you to you for a long time. You're pretty homely fellow see because I want to follow Jesus, I'm just telling you the truth that's not following Jesus. She that's mean-spirited of the flesh member what Paul said.

He said in verse 29 let no unwholesome word proceed for your mouth, but only as such is good for edification.

According the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear you don't speak the truth. The hurt people. You see, you can't hide and that you gotta speak the truth in love. It's gotta be edifying, so not talking about that type of thing I'm talking about this idea of not lying anymore. You see, God hates lies. God delights in the truth and you and I have the capacity to speak the truth. That's what you say and you and I have the capacity your new creature in Christ. The spirit of God indwells you you can do all things through him who strengthens you.

You can stop lying and speak the truth doesn't just say it here. He says in the sister book Colossians.

Look at Colossians chapter 3 with me for a moment. Colossians chapter 3 just a few pages to write Colossians 3 verse nine he just says it is a commandment, do not lie to one another. It couldn't clear the net. If you're lying.

Stop it. If you haven't lie down, do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices and have put on the new self, who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created we have the capacity to stop line. Now there's one other thing I want to talk about. And if I call it sort of lines ugly stepsister and willing to find that end up the book of Proverbs chapter 26 Proverbs 26 verse 20 Solomon writing again. Solomon writes for the lack of wood, the fire goes out.

I will know that right you run out of would you run out of fire. It eventually just burns out that he says this and where there is no whisper contention quiets down what you mean whisper gossip, gossip. What a beautiful metaphor uses for gossip whispering. Ever notice how someone says that you're talking awaiting up all by the way here.

We really did you hear what his wife did that's gossip that's whispering. He has a wonderful image of it hasn't changed in all these years, Solomon says, nothing ever changes under the sun. He then says this like charcoal. He says the hot embers and would the fire so is a contentious man, it can cause strife. That's what gossip does at this Kindle strife causes problems between people. He said the words of a whisper he said, are like dainty morsels and they go down in the innermost parts of the body, gossip, corruption you see in notice something else you like hearing it like dainty morsels like prime rib. All I just heard that you see how this is to us. He's talking about this in the such an interesting way. Look at chapter 20 verse 19 of Proverbs.

I want to again and see this for clarity. Verse 19 says this and he who goes about as a slander reveal secrets therefore do not associate with gossip noticing and say don't gossip that's understood. He said don't you associate with the gossip. Why, because of you associate with them you're going to take a man die dainty morsels you see. It's kind of an interesting thing because some of us like to spread gossip on some of us just love it here. Gossip and gossip in America is is is an industry anything about it years ago. They started with gossip columns, and papers have a gossip column. Then, they have gossip magazines.

They have gossip TV shows. The whole show is about gossip about people that might be your favorite show, but that's because you like the dainty morsels of it. I just love hearing what's going on in these people's lives with. Be careful with that do not associate with the gossip I have to say this to their a few myths about gossip that serve permeate the church and we need to put those the rest. Here's the first one I gossip is a woman's problem while only a man could save. Gossip is an equal opportunity employer and this comes from a distorted view of first Timothy three when Paul says that women should be dignified and not gossiped and we say you see that's what women do. I can tell you this with as much clarity as possible over all the years of ministry that I have done in God's church. I have not seen any difference between men and women when it comes the gossip.

It's been exactly the same second myth if it's true then it's okay to spread no unkind word. There's a spring of it edified the people does it give grace to people. You can't just spread it because you heard and thirdly this is an obvious one and I've said it before and that is is that if it's a prayer request and sanctified.

If you hear something about somebody that would diminish that person was told to someone else, please don't spread it around as prayer requests.

We have the capacity to do that when it comes the gossip by the way, I love the pragmatic words of Chuck Swindoll. If you don't say it, they won't repeat it. There's a good words to live by. We have to be ever mindful of the weight of our words always got hates lies. He delights in the truth and you and I have the capacity to speak the truth and the truth is so important because one the truth aligns us with God. Jesus was full of grace and truth. Psalm 31, five, says he is the God of truth Titus 12 says that God cannot lie. Whenever we speak the truth, we align with God.

Secondly, we were saved to reflect God's character. That's Romans 829 that we were saved to be conformed to the image of Christ. Christ speaks the truth. Our spiritual maturity. Again, as revealed by how much we speak the truth and how little we lie. And thirdly, truth telling is a matter of submission to God's will you know if you struggle with it the rest of your having is not submitting to God's will. You need to think it through my keep creating a reality of my own.

So the people have a certain picture me so intent to continually lie you submit your will to God's may be the best advice. The psalmist said it best. The psalmist said that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, whispering father, I fear that with the subject matter that those of us who really struggle with the idea of line was somehow deflected in one way or another will be able to redefine it and turn it into something else, not allowing it to penetrate our own hearts so that we have integrity and honesty before you, just like the psalmist we should be saying Lord created me a clean heart, the kind of hard to speaks the truth the same incomes only gossip father the ideas that we somehow justified, but I'm afraid that every careless word that we speak as Jesus said we will give an account for them. So it's a very serious matter that we allow you to convict us to cleanse us and then to guide us father how freaking it would be. As Jesus said the truth will set us free. How frightening it is that if we would be people the truth how much it would help our personal integrity, how much it would assist in our witness to others.

What a wonderful commentary on our lives is born-again followers of Jesus Christ that people who don't know Christ say these are people who speak the truth. Father I pray that if need be. In these days and weeks ahead, convict us each and every one of us. When we find ourselves sliding back into our default mechanism.

Our propensity to tell lies.

We pray this for your glory and for our good. In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen Pastor broke apart on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just listen to the message one more time. Remember that you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio program that Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible with all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly report just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking for. You can search by title. Once you find the message you're looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order