All right, if you wish to follow
along this morning, of course most of you probably already
know, but it's Deuteronomy chapter 19. I will read verses 15 through
21. Now I'm not criticizing here,
but it kind of tickled me a little when Paul told us to turn to
first Peter when he was actually second Peter that he intended
to speak from, but I understand that. that has happened to me
before, but if I forget where I'm preaching from, in these
series, something's going wrong. It's time for me to have some
pills or something. Because it's quite evident where
I've been preaching from. Deuteronomy 19, verses 15 through
21. One witness shall not rise up
against a man for any iniquity or for any sin, in any sin that
he sinneth, at the mouth of two witnesses. or at the mouth of
three witnesses shall the matter be established. In other words,
it's not gonna be one man's word against another. That's basically
what I'm saying. If a false witness rise up against
any man to testify against him that which is wrong, that is
this person is lying on someone. But you don't really know for
sure that that's true, but the person that they're accusing
says that's a lie. That's not true. Then it says,
then, both the men between whom the controversy is, shall stand
before the Lord, before the priest and the judges, which shall be
in those days. And the judges shall make diligent
inquisition, and behold, if the witness be a false witness, and
hath testified falsely against his brother, then shall ye do
unto him as he hath thought to have done unto his brother. So
shall thou put the evil away from among you. and those which
remain shall hear and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more
any such evil among you. Now here's the problem. Israel didn't. And we in our flesh, neither
do we. Neither do we. But it goes on,
and thy eye shall not pity, but shall go but life shall go for
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for
foot. What's that really mean? In other
words, the punishment must fit the crime. Justice should be
satisfied. My title to this message is Who
is a Liar? Well, to answer that question, You are. And you all are. And if it wasn't for the fact
that I still have almost 25 minutes to go on the timer, I'd quit
and we'd all just go home now. Who is a liar? We all are. We come forth speaking what?
Lies. And I had a person I cared about
very much. That person was a Baptist deacon,
probably most all his life. And he said, well, you know babies
can't talk. That's the kind of rebellion
that men have against the word of God. Because this is not saying
that a little infant will physically say words, but that they'll cry
even when there ain't nothing wrong. That's a lie. that's a lie. God's law expresses
sins as sins. They are not mistakes. They are
not accidents. Our text does not deal with untruth. Now sadly, when I went to look
up false witness, and I got out Strong's Concordance, and Strong's
is quite good, but one of the first things he uses is untruth. That is far too politically correct. It's not an untruth. The scripture
puts it this way. It's a false witness. It can
be translated a sham to cheat to maltreat, to lie about another
person. And that's what this law is talking
about. Is it not? Now, some of you,
some of you probably, maybe not everyone, but maybe others, I
don't have any idea who all may, who may be listening right now
or who may hear this message later. Some of you have been
like me and you were maybe born and raised in what we call churches
that had Sunday school. And when they would talk about
lying, false witness, it usually always had some kind of various
scenario. If you say it this this way,
then that'll be a lie. If you say this that way, then
that will be a lie. Do any of you remember any of
that teaching? And as you progressed in the
Sunday school age groups, the scenarios got deeper and more
involved. You understand what I'm saying?
You remember what Earl told us that an individual told him years
ago about what Sunday schools are, don't you? It's a bunch
of people that don't know anything about the Bible trying to teach
a bunch of people that don't care anything about the Bible.
Why do I give you that? Because here's the fact. No lie
is God honoring, period. We don't have to go through scenarios.
No lie is God honoring. But now I'm going to pull the
pin and throw the grenade. And yet, the one thing, one of
the things for which Rahab is honored in the scripture, Rahab
the harlot, was to lie about where the spies were. And it's
called a good work that accompanied her faith and manifested her
faith as real faith rather than dead faith. Now go chew on that
one. Anyone who says, well then I'll
just lie whenever I want to if it suits me. This wasn't for
her. This wasn't for her. She put
herself in peril. But she knew these men, these
two men, these two spies, God was God indeed. And he had given
them the city in which she lived, and she needed mercy from that
God. and honoring that God's people
meant more to her than her own life had she been found out. Now I'm not here to try to debate
the scenarios. And you can't pay money so you
could tell a lie or two. I don't know if Rome still does
that or not, but they used to do that. Did they not? You could
actually purchase yourself a couple lies, or whatever it was. And
I'm not here to hammer on the Roman Catholic. No lie is God
honoring. But listen to me now. But most
people never deal with lying on God. Most people never deal
with lying about God. Most people never deal with the
lies about the person and work of Jesus Christ that is perpetrated
upon thousands of individuals in the day in which we live.
As a matter of fact, this same law, remember it's one law. It's one law. It has a lot of
commandments, but it's one unified law. And listen, you remember,
we've already looked at this earlier in this series, but here's
what it says in chapter 18, verse 20. But the prophet which shall
presume to speak a word in my name. Now remember, this is the
direct context of the prophecy of the coming of our great prophet,
the Lord Jesus Christ. But there are other prophets.
Look, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that he shall
speak in the name of other gods. It doesn't matter either way.
You preach anything other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, you are preaching an idol. I don't care if you use the Bible
to do it. I don't care if you use the Bible to do it. But if
you just use God's name, and all the various names by which
God is named, but do not properly, truthfully describe the character
that those names reveal, you are lying on God. Even that prophet, here's what
it says under law, even that prophet shall die. Now, You remember, our Lord was
asked one time, what is the greatest commandment? Now had I been asked
that question before I knew of the account of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and had I been honest, I would have probably been perplexed. Because is not God's law one
unified whole? If you break it in the smallest
point, you've still broken the law. But our Lord answered the
question, did he not? Which commandment is the greatest?
And he said, I'll give you the greatest. You love God with everything
you are. And I always quote that wrong,
that's why I just paraphrased it, but that's what he said.
Out of every fiber of heart, mind, soul, strength, body, everything
you are, you love God. And he said the second. And he
didn't quote the second commandment. But he said, but the second is
likened to it. Love your neighbor as yourself. Now that being true, I didn't
say if that's true, that is true. The lawgiver himself. Jesus Christ
was the lawgiver. He's the one that Moses met on
top of Sinai. He's the one that passed in front
of Moses while God the Father put his hand over his eyes and
wouldn't let him see his face because it was not time for his
face to be seen yet. And as he passed by, God the
Father removed his hand and he seen his hander parts. He seen
Jesus Christ incarnate before he was ever incarnated. The lawgiver
says it's so, the second's like it to it. Now, that being so,
to lie on God is a supreme lie. And the second worst thing is
to lie about another fellow human being. Yeah. The lawgiver himself expose
the pinnacle of lying. John chapter eight. Now again,
when I was in Sunday school, I didn't like Sunday school when
I was young, but I did like it at the same time, if any of you
understand what I'm getting at. I loved to hear what I was being
told, because I thought I was smart as the people who were
telling me these things. Maybe we were all just ignorant.
But I gathered in a lot of what they used to say. And as I said,
the scenarios as we advanced in the age groups in Sunday school
would become more complex. And we talk about lying. What
is a lying? What is stealing? What is really
stealing? Was Robin Hood a good guy? Did
you ever discuss that in Sunday school? Thank God some of you
probably didn't, but I was in the midst of it. Was Robin Hood
really a good guy? Well, he stole money, but at
least he stole it from the mean king. That's the kind of junk you get
in Sunday school. Here's what Christ said. John
8, I gotta move along. Verse 30, as he spake these words,
many believed on him, and I believe it means exactly what it says.
They believed on him, but their believing was a faulty believing. It was believing, but it had
a false foundation. Look where it goes. Then said
Jesus to those Jews, which believed on him, if you continue in my
word, then you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free. Immediately the faith
that they had says, whoa, wait a minute now. They answered him,
we beat Abraham's seed and were never in bondage to any man.
That's a lie. It's not an untruth. It's a lie. They were in bondage several
times in their distant past, and they were under the Roman
boot at this very time when this took place. They were lying. And somebody
said, well, did they know? Yes, they knew. But they didn't
like the truth they'd heard. He just told them. Listen, if
you're my follower, you'll know the truth and the truth will
set you free. We've never been in bondage to any man. How sayest
thou, ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, verily,
verily, I say unto you, whosoever committed sin is deserving of
sin. You ever tried to grapple that within your mind and make
sure you're not the one that verse is talking about? You know
who that's talking about? Me. And you. And you. Because by nature, we
all commit sin. And the word does. It's not just
a mistake. It's not a one-time fault. That's
our way of life by nature. And that's what our flesh, even
for those of us who are regenerated and converted, that's what our
old nature is still right now. Boy, that don't give you much
hope, does it? It's not intended to. We're not
to the hope part yet, okay? Listen, whosoever commit a sin
is the servant of sin, and the servant abideth not in the house
forever. Ah, now we're starting to get
a little bit of hope there. But the son abideth ever. And hadn't I already told them,
if you continue in my word, just continue in my word. And immediately
when they hear this word, they start lying. Lying about themselves,
now isn't that pitiful? I mean, we will lie even when
we don't have to. Remember that, I didn't ask you,
remember that? Remember when somebody asked
you that simple question, and for some reason when it was over
with, you done told the biggest tall tale that ever walked. And
there was no fear, there wasn't nothing, you just lied. Because
lying lives down in here. The servant abideth not in the
house forever, but the son abideth ever. If the son therefore shall
make you free, ah, here we go, you shall be free indeed. But
the son's gotta do it. He gonna make you free, he don't
offer you freedom, he gotta make you free. And this liar's glad. I'm glad. Because I know I'm
in bondage. And I still got some bondage.
I know that you're Abraham's seed, but ye seek to kill me
because my word, and that's just, that's the only problem, if I
can use a little leeway. That's the only problem here,
wasn't it? Here, my word hath no place in
you. I speak that which I see with
my father. Ye do that which you see with your father. Oh, I see
him jumping in right now, right? He's still talking, but I can
see him almost interrupting probably, Mason. They answered and said
unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, if ye
were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me,
a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God. This
did not Abraham. He will go on to say, Abraham
saw my day. He rejoiced to see it, and he
was glad, glad. This did not Abraham. Oh, look
here. Now we've already seen a lie,
right? We've never been bondaged in any manner. Now that's a lie.
It's condemnable by law. Every person that said it was
lying on their Israelite brothers and sisters, were they not? Sure
they were. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
hand for hand, foot for foot, right? Isn't that what the law
says? But they weren't thinking about
the law right now, were they? Or especially its consequences.
But look, ye do the deeds of your father. They said unto him,
we be not born of fornication. We have one father, even God,
and I think that was a slur against Christ. but I've gotta go on. Jesus saith unto them, if God
were your father, ye would love me. Now there it is. I can't
prove to you about you. You can't prove to me about me.
But if you don't love Christ, God's not your father. You got
no right to claim God as your father if you don't love Jesus
Christ. That's what Jesus Christ said.
That settles it. If God were your father, you
would love me, for I proceeded forth and came from God, neither
came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand
my speech? Here it is again. Even because
you cannot hear what? Not because you can't keep the
law. Even because you cannot hear
my word. Ye are of your father the devil. Is he gettin' mean or is he just
tellin' the truth? He's tellin' the truth. Now take
that to the First Baptist Church down in town somewhere. You're
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 of his own for he is a liar. He is a liar. He didn't say he's an untruth
teller. He's a liar and the father of it. So what's he saying? You're all a bunch of liars. And you say you love God, but
you're lying because you don't love me. Isn't that it? How much did Peter really know?
when Peter denied the Lord three times. Mason, he didn't even
understand the crucifixion that was about to happen. He didn't
want it to happen. When Christ told him plainly,
he said, be it far from you, Lord. Christ even called him
an adversary. Satan. Did he not? Because why? No lies of the truth. He's a liar. And because I tell
you the truth, You believe me, not. Why? Because we, as fallen
sons and daughters of Adam, we will swallow up the lie every
time. Every, not most of the time,
every time. Now that lie varies, it's got
all kinds of facets. It's called Baptist or Buddhist. It's called Pentecostal or Presbyterian
or Muslim or whatever. But it's a lie, and we swallow
it up all the time, unless the Son makes us free. You see it? Unless the Son makes
us free. And they said, you gone plum
mad, and you are demon infested. Huh? That's what they're going to
say. So I'm telling you that the lawgiver himself exposes
the pinnacle of lying, it's lying about the person of Jesus Christ. Religion deals with fluff only. But I'm not denigrating the fluff.
But it is when compared to the person of work of God's dear,
blessed son, it is but fluff. Rarely, if ever, do they deal
with lies about Jesus Christ. Who is a liar, John said, the
apostle of love. Who is a liar? Who is antichrist? And not just who has the spirit
of, who is antichrist? The one that denies the Father
and the Son. That's antichrist. Paul put it
this way, I write to you now, and I'm paraphrasing, even weeping,
that there are men who are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Don't all Christians believe
Christ was crucified? Yes, but they do not believe
he accomplished what he came to accomplish when he died on
that cross. I got to move along. What happened
in Christ's cross work? When he died, he reconciled everybody
he died for, when he died. Second Corinthians 5, 19. In
Romans 5 and verse 10, it tells us that we are reconciled to
God, how? How? When we believe on him?
When we repent? Believe and repent, we must.
But that's not when we're reconciled. We were reconciled to God how?
Romans 5, 10 says, by the death of his son. Colossians 1, 21
through 23 said, when he died, he reconciled us in the body
of his flesh through death. And I'm just talking about one
little subject, reconciliation, amongst many other things. Hebrews
9, 11 through 14 said when he died, he obtained eternal redemption
for us. And how much more shall the blood
of Christ who offered himself to God purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? Jesus didn't offer
none of this. He secured it when he died on
that tree. And let me tell you something,
Jesus Christ intercedes for everyone for whom he died. Does he not? Romans chapter eight makes it
clear. But they are called the elect. He died for the sins of no more
than the elect. But he died for the sins of the
elect. Their sin debt is canceled. Paid in full. Paid in full. And he stamped it with his words,
Joe. He didn't have to have a leak
pad. He said, it is finished. I'm told that during that time,
that's what they would write on, say, a bank note. You owed
a man money, and you paid off that debt. They would write what
he said. It is finished. Whatever that word, telestyle,
whatever that word is, it is finished. Paid him full. Nothing else could be demanded.
Everything else flows from that, right? Everything else flows
from that. All who preach anything short
of this are Antichrist. Now yes, the Antichrist will
come one day, Mason. But Antichrist is already here. And everybody wants to talk about
the Antichrist out yonder sometime. Now I'm saying that everybody
that denies the sovereign accomplishments of Jesus Christ, God's blessed
son, is against Jesus Christ. They are liars. Liars. So then where do we stand? Here's
where we stand. Gospel truth is paramount. If
a man preached any other gospel than what Paul preached, he said,
let him be accursed. Did he not? let him be accursed. Now, if God's pleased to do something
for that man or that woman, that's God's business, right? But we
let him alone, right? Let him be accursed. Secondly,
God's people cannot remain in continual self-justification.
It says, if we confess our sins, he's just and faithful to forgive
us of our sins. And you know, I used to have
that Brow beat upon me when I was young, when I was going to these
Sunday school, especially revival meetings. It's time for all the
Christians to confess. If you're a real Christian, you
are confessing before God every day of your life. And there are
specific times when you fall on your face before God in misery
and grief and say, oh, God, forgive me for what I am and what I do. Now when I read 1 John 1, 5 through
10 now, it sets me free. Because God forces me to cry
out for forgiveness. Ever been there? You don't have
to browbeat me to do that. God teaches me. The question
is, is that me or not? That's pretty simple though,
isn't it? Is that me or not?