986. Tell the Truth

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today.

That tradition continues with fervent preaching from the University chapel platform today on The Daily Platform. Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University is continuing a study series from Ephesians entitled new life in Christ. Steve has written a study booklet for the series.

If you would like to follow along. You can order a printed copy from the website. The Daily Platform.com today. Steve will show us in Ephesians 425 how to speak the truth.

Please take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to the book of Ephesians chapter 4 Ephesians chapter 4 this morning. Last week we took a just a simple break from our study and our new life in Christ. And so we will pick up where we left off as we continue studying through the book of Ephesians there is an American television show that has been often on the air since 1956. Can you guess what it is. It's not jeopardy is not will a fortune is called to tell the truth everything that TV show. It comes and goes, but features a panel of four celebrities whose object is to correctly identify a contestant who has an unusual occupation or is undergone an unusual experience whose story is read in the beginning of the show. The main character the true character is accompanied by two imposters who put poop tend to be the true character. The panelist question the contestants and the imposters are allowed to lie, but the central character is sworn to tell the truth. After questioning the panel attempts to identify which of the three challengers is telling the truth this morning. My message is entitled tell the truth when you consider real life telling the truth is no game show because telling the truth is absolutely fundamental to living out the new life in Christ.

Let me say it again, telling the truth is absolutely core to the Christian life. You cannot live for God and at the same time lie. So we read this morning in Ephesians chapter 4 in verse 25. These words that's what were to look at this morning.

Notice what it says. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor.

Why for this reason, we are members one of another. Now Paul is essentially saying to us as Christians stop lying and start telling the truth and I believe that since lying is the very first area we are told to change in our this is the first area then lying has to be recognized as one of the most common sins among believers and given the fact that Bob Jones University is a community of Christians.

Christians in all different stages of life. Then I personally believe that lying is the four most sin of Bob Jones University is the number one problem within our student body. That is, many of you lie all the time so let's look at this sobering and serious statement. Paul says, look at what he says in the beginning verse 25 he says wherefore now whenever you see the word wherefore you always asked the question what sit there for and everything that Paul is about to say going forward.

Verse 25 to the end of the chapter is actually pointing back to what he has been saying since the start of the chapter the book of Ephesians emphasizes the community of believers called the church in chapter 4 verse three Paul says that the key for the church to experience genuine community is based on the believers keeping the unity of the spirit of keeping the unity that is been created by the spirit or if you want to simply say it this way, if you want to experience community. You have to have unity now. This unity requires a commitment that just doesn't come naturally. It's a commitment on the part of each believer to walk in a way that properly reflects the worth and the value of your salvation. That is, you are to walk in accordance to the salvation that God's work in your heart and in the section that we are studying. It's one of five waltz we find in Ephesians chapters 4, five and six and that walk is this.

We are to be different from the Gentiles were not to live like our former life and the reason why were to be different is because we been converted the old life of sin is been put off in the new life of righteousness and true holiness has been put on. We have been say and when did this take place.

The initial experience of salvation involves two things.

Repentance and faith putting all that's repentance and faith putting in this act of putting off and putting own is not only the way that you are to be saved but it is the process or does the way spiritual growth happens. Spiritual growth continues throughout the whole of the Christian life as you follow the commands to put off the old and put on the new or you could say this way we are to be living out in daily experience. What happened us at the very moment that we are say so spiritual growth is living out your salvation now starting in verse 25 to the end of the chapter. We have eight verses and Paul expands that put off put own model by covering five different areas of conduct and that's what were going going to look at for the rest of the semester and what he is saying is, these are areas areas where our behavior has to change or you can say it needs to be sanctified. But what I want are the point I would like to make is this weird not to change for the sake of change, but we are to change in order to maintain a unity within the community of of God's people.

It affects the people of God and by the way it affects the campus of Bob Jones University the atmosphere. The temperature of this university. What we experience here is based on the way you individually live your Christian life. So what is the first area of our life that needs to change and that's what he says in verse 25 he says we are to put away lying, and we are to speak the truth now just a few thoughts about this idea of lying. If we look back to verse 22 Paul says that lying is the disposition of the old man looked at what he says in verse 22 saying that you put off the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts, he is saying this that the moral disposition of your old life before your saved is a disposition of deceit and primarily the deceit is this that are natural heart is controlled by a nature that produces deceitful desires you say what you mean by deceitful desires, our heart produces the desire to sin and that decide desire is deceitful because it promises to satisfy you. It promises to make you happy. It promises to bring you fulfillment it promises to meet your needs.

However, your heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked because those desires do not satisfy you giving end of those desires do not make you happy. It does not bring you fulfillment it does not meet your needs.

Instead, it corrupts you it makes you worse and ultimately living in sin leads to hell.

So question why is it that where this way were not just talking about something that you do. You don't just don't just lie you're actually a liar you're actually naturally. That way, so why, why are we that way will he goes back to the original liar is the original liar's name is Satan. Jesus said in John 844. You are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you 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 out of his own character. That is the very heart and nature of Satan is that he's a liar, for he is a liar and the father of it, that is.

He's the one that gives birth to all lies, and here's what the Scriptures teaching that when Adam fell in the sin by believing the lie of Satan. The character of Satan became the character of Adam when the first Adam fell he passed on that nature to his descendents.

That's us so that when you and I are born we are born with the nature that just automatically tells lies and believes lies some 58 three.

The wicked are strange from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born. Speaking lies, you know, your mama never taught you live but you live. Your daddy never taught you live but you lied your preacher never taught you elaborate you lied.

Where did you learn that you are not educated to lie you were born to live at human nature now when you get saved. What happens.

Well, you embrace the truth. Jesus said you shall know the truth of the Tricia what it shall set you free. Jesus said on the way, the truth, the life no man comes to the father but by through me when we confess our sins to repentance were confessing the truth about ourselves were sinners.

When we believe we embrace the truth that Jesus Christ is God's revelation and man's Redeemer.

We believe that that's truth. So from the very start of your Christian life. You will essentially put away the old life of lying and you put on the new life of truth that would happen when you were converted, so how do we live wherefore therefore he gives us a negative injunction, he says, put away lying, stop lying and that's written in the Eris tent that means once and for all. Make up your mind you're not going to be a liar record for lying is the word pseudonymous or pseudo-'s pseudo-false faith, not real, not legitimate so you could say lying is fake words, it means to make a statement that's not that's intentionally false. For example, in the garden of Eden when Satan came in tempted Adam and Eve to sin. He did two things. Number one he contradicted God's truth that he misrepresented God's truth. God said to Adam, if you eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall die.

What is Satan say you shall not die, he contradicted the truth. God said you will know good and evil, and Satan misrepresented the truth and said you will be God you will be your own.you will run your own life. In both cases, he lied, he misrepresented the truth is what lying lying is saying words that seeks to create a reality that is simply not true. So how do students lie Bob Jones University. How do you create a reality that is not true.

Well in a university culture of expectations and accountability.

It's really EE easy to lie here because we have this thing called an honor code so your ask questions and the answer is real simple is yes or no like did you do your reading assignment. Yes or no did you attend church yes or no because either you dead or you did not did you attend the artist series yes or no look, there's no phantom you. You were either here or you weren't here. Did you go off campus. Legally yes or no or your spiritual growth. Assessments accurate is this true yes or no.

Is this reality are you minute. Are you manipulating reality to say something is not really accurate about you have you sign something you said you were going to do and did you do it yes or no. Now here's the issue. If your answer is based on an honor code in your live and where is your honor. Do you not have any honor do not have enough respect for yourself appropriately that you're not gonna lie you to tell the truth, but these are not the only way students lie there many other ways we can speak falsehood.

For example, we can make a problem bigger than it really is.

That's called exaggeration that happens a lot. Can we be evasive by avoiding giving a direct answer or not dealing with things when they come up. We can be silent and we should be speaking up. We can tell I have truth which in reality is a whole lie we can make slanderous insinuations about one another, thus discrediting others reputation.

Think about it three times in the Bible. The devil spoke that's three times too many. Every time he spoke he lied and essentially he slandered the reputation of somebody else. So, in Genesis 3, he slandered the reputation of God to man in Job chapter 1 and two, he slandered the reputation of man to God. In Matthew chapter 4, he tried to slander the God man, Jesus Christ.

Shakespeare said that the way you destroy a man's reputation is boxlike praise. He's a good guy but never that he's a really good job.

I want to say just keep your butt to yourself will tell me that then go around it goes.

I am ready all the time so you speak evil about eat one another.

You judge one another by the words that come out of your mouth.

We can keep silent.

We should speak up and tell the truth. We make promises and then we fail to keep those promises. And here's the sad thing is, the sad thing is a list of the worst thing of all is that when you live, you actually are lying to yourself because you think you're going to get away with it and that's the biggest libel. Nobody gets away with line numbers 3223 says, be sure your sins go find you out. Your sin will find you out in your conscience.

You know why because your conscious good about your sins, go to find you out in your character because you are starting to allow dishonesty to seep into your own heart and that becomes a part of who you are as you develop the habit of lying. You will find you out in your relationships because you reap what you sow, if you lie the day you go Lattimore if you lied to your girl the day you got a lot to her tomorrow to find you at your reputation. People know that you're not a true person and sadly for some of you is to find you out an eternity of somebody perpetually lies what is that say about could be simply exposing the reality that you never put off the old man to put on the new where to perpetual liars go. Revelation 21. Nine.

All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Here's the bottom line if you lie the what Paul is saying is that's not who you are, your Christian youth embrace the truth now tell the truth.

So what are we to do while he gives a positive exhortation, he said, speak every man truth with his neighbors, for we are members one of another. I think Paul is actually reflecting back to an Old Testament injunction Zachariah chapter 8 verse 16 it says these are the things that you shall do speak every man truth with his neighbor. So really, Paul is actually quoting the Old Testament and so what he saying is the whole of the Scripture is saying to us as people where to be truth tellers. So how do you overcome lying.

Well, the only way to overcome lying to Jeff start telling the truth and truth telling. Affects different relationships. So for example, it affects our relationship to the church. It is imperative that we communicate honestly with one another lot because were part of the body of Christ. We are members of this body of his flesh and of his bones.

Ephesians 530. We are members one of another. Ephesians 425 Paul uses the image of the body to illustrate how important it is to tell the truth what would happen if your eyes did not communicate honestly to your mind when you are walking near a dangerous cliff. Could you imagine some of you going up the hike at Caesars head and has cliffs there you can fall off and die really easy, and your mind is telling you that though your eyes see the cliff. There's really not a cliff there that don't worry about it and you walk off anything about what would happen if one hand is lying to the other hand, when you're trying to play a violin. Could you imagine what it would sound like the human body can only function when its members cooperate truthfully with one another almost every problem. Christians have is rooted often in some kind of life, some falsehood, some kind of deceit.

Are you willing to be candid with each other. Are you afraid of how others will respond to you. Open rebuke is better than secret love.

You become defensive when somebody points out something that is truthful about your life and then somehow you cast blame on them. Hide your own pride and insecure. Secondly, were to be truthful in our relationships with unbelievers is highly crucial that we live in all honesty, I learned something I grew up in a I didn't grow up in a Christian home.

I was the first Christian in my family. I went to a school where almost everybody in the score on site you and I learned I learned that the world is not expect Christians to be perfect.

They really don't. But they do you expect them to be honest the quickest way to lose your effectiveness as a witness is to be found in the liar discovered to be deceitful in your character. If you are going to the business world and your to work with unsafe people. It is absolutely essential that you be honest and aboveboard in all things.

The world is watching you and they are holding you to be accountable to being honest and finally, this matter of speaking the truth and telling the truth is essential to your relationship with God. Your detailed God, the truth about yourself when you live, you know, we call that we call that confession. The Bible says if we confess her sins. The word confess means to say the same thing it means to say what God says about what you're doing if you're being deceitful than you just say it. I was deceitful. I I really actually think that a lot of you have gone a long time without a spiritual bath because when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Could you imagine would be like if your chapel buddy sitting next you not taken a bath all semester to be really bad and just like that's what happens when we don't bathe is also true when we don't see cleansing because our hearts are to be broken of our sin and is only one thing that can take away sin is not you deciding to be better and do better. That's called self-righteousness. It is you getting on your face before God and say God I lied and tell the truth tell the truth and then go back and make it right. My junior year of college I was a cadet at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. I was also a Sgt. in my rank position, I was invited to come up to Bob Jones University for a weekend and on Friday night. I had tickets to go to the artist series is a 3 1/2 hour to 4 Hour Dr. to get up here and so I had a lead by a certain time in order to be here on certain time in order to go but I had one obstacle that is every Friday afternoon. There is a parade you have to march in the parade and you can't lead to the price of what I went to my first Sgt. and told him what I wanted to do and he literally gave me the the opportunity not to march. He let me out of marching in the parade but there were actually two permissions I had to get one is I get permission for Mount Sgt. secondly had to get permission from the school to be able leave and I couldn't get that permission.

So, actually, I could lead to the parade was over with but I knew if I waited to the parade was over with, I would make it to the artist series. None of this hard for you to believe that I was that Ernest to come to this artist series, but I was in so I decided to take a risk I got in my car with my uniform on and I drove to the front gate.

I decided that I was not going to verbally lie in the guy at the gate was a Sgt. who was also one of my classmates, a junior, and he saw me he knew me as a tasty value to us to find what you do is I'm going to Greenville, South Carolina, and he said you have a pass and I said I was given permission to not march in the parade. That's actually true and that I stopped because I didn't have a pass and he looked at me and I looked at him and he said okay you can go now some of you goat guests and I drove off the campus of the Citadel and my conscience screamed at me in my conscience screamed at me the whole weekend. I said here Bob Jones University overrode Hayward and I don't know what was. It was a Shakespeare play. I did listen to the play by conscience, screaming at me as I was driving up there.

I thought God was gonna kill me if you ever thought God was just to kill you. I mean, you know you really no good you're done.

It's over and I got back to campus and I walked around campus and all I could think about was that I want. I've been a Christian for couple years. Two years year and 1/2 God was sanctifying me and I asked God to forgive me that I asked God forgive me know 50 times. Lord, I'm sorry I never do.

The ghetto you but I wasn't really fully honest, because I need to go back to the guy and turn myself in and that's what I went back to the guys room walked in and told him what happened. Turn myself in. No, I'm in.

I walked away knowing this, that whatever I have to take for lying. Lying is worse than whatever I have to take an God gave me freedom and a good conscience is a by God's grace I don't live stop lying tell the truth.

Father we pray for your blessing that we will stop lying and will start telling the truth. Lord I pray for every student in this room is been line. I pray God that they'll get there conscience right in Jesus name, amen. You been listening to a sermon from Ephesians chapter 4 the sermon as part of the study series called new life in Christ by Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University.

Thanks again for listening. Join us again tomorrow as we study God's word together on The Daily Platform