#9th commandment

Then today I decided to do my OWN investigating the 9th commandment is ACTUALLY "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Which is not at all the same thing as you shall not lie!

Let’s read Exodus 20:16 together.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

What does it mean to bear false witness? Let’s read Proverbs 14:5 together for the Bible’s definition.

“A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness will utter lies.”

We are all taught from childhood that lying is wrong. Perhaps some of you heard of the famous tale of George Washington admitting to his father he chopped down a cherry tree by answering, “I cannot tell a lie.” (Ironically, that story is most likely not historically true.)

We know that lying has severe consequences. Perhaps you have been in a situation where you caught someone in a lie, or you were the one caught lying. If you want to consider a historical example, President Richard Nixon’s presidency was destroyed when it was found out that he lied about his knowledge of the Watergate burglary.

The Bible has several examples of people lying. Jacob lied to steal his brother Esau’s birthright and ended up fleeing from home, never to see his mother again (Genesis 27:1-43). Ananias and Sapphira lied to the apostles about the price they sold a possession for and died as a result (Acts 5:1-11). Jesus Christ was convicted by the Sanhedrin on the basis of false testimony from two liars.

Let’s read Proverbs 6:19 together.

“A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

Did you know the ninth commandment goes farther than just lies? Gossip is a more socially accepted form of false witness that many, if not all of us, have engaged in. We should be true witnesses to others, not false witnesses.

What is a true witness? Let’s read Proverbs 14:25 together.

“A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.”

We need to be careful with what we say. Words can hurt. Words can maim. We should seek to uplift people with our words, not to speak ill of them or tear them down. Most importantly, we should witness to people the truth and share the Gospel like Jesus did.

SERMON: “The Tongue and Bearing False Witness” by Rev. Stephen Hamilton

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SERMON:  “The Tongue and Bearing False Witness”

https://goodolewoody.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/2010-07-25-a-tongue-bearing-false-witness-rev-stephen-hamilton-72510161890.mp3

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SONG:  “Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy”

https://goodolewoody.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/come-ye-sinners-poor-and-needy.mp3

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James White’s podcast/webcast, The Dividing Line, from Aug. 28, 2014 dealt with a wide range of theological and cultural issues.

Here’s the audio program:

http://ift.tt/1pnyWtx

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And the video:

    Happy National Bow-Tie Day!

Audio timeline:

03:30 – 15:29 We started out with an update on what is going on down in Australia with our brother David Ould and a reality TV show he did.  We hope to have David on, probably on 9/9, to discuss what is going on with the “spin” and the cultural response to a Christian witness regarding homosexuality.

15:30 – 49:00 …discussed Yasir Qadhi and his response to ISIS and a recent article applying unfair standards to him. (mp3 tag: James corrects the record and encourages Christians to be sure of the truth of their sources when discussing Islam.)

49:15 – 1:20:19 …a discussion of two textual variants.  That part has to be watched to have any idea what I’m talking about. (This is related to Jeff Riddle’s interaction with James White on Textual Criticism. Here is the screenflow of his first response to this that he mentions in the show)

[source: AOMin.org]

 Related:

James White Interactions & Call-In with Lutheran Jordan Cooper on 1 Tim. 2:4, A Polite Bribe + More [Dividing Line Audio]

Marriage Redefinition & Profanation, Germany Report, Calvinism, Islam + More – James White on the Dividing Line

Liars Come In All Shapes and Sizes

Paul Ekman has made a career of studying people’s faces.  The face cannot help but reveal things.  The TV series “Lie to me” uses this premise as a foundation for their drama.  This study is fascinating when we consider how people repress truth while simultaneously lying with their face about God (Romans 2.14-15).

All men are responsible to agree with God about what is true.  Jesus came to…

Pastor Stephen Rees:

It’s that time again. The run-up to Christmas. We’ve been preparing our children. We’ve warned them. They mustn’t say it. They mustn’t even hint at it. Whatever anyone says to them, they mustn’t let it slip. They don’t believe in Santa.

  A kindly, cheerful shop assistant asks David what he’s hoping Father Christmas is going to bring. “There’s no Father Christmas!” he declares. “It’s just mummy and daddy”. She looks at us aghast. The look of horror in her face slowly turns to hostility and then to fury. “You’ve told them!” she hisses. And we begin to edge towards the door before she calls for the store security men to come and arrest us. We’re guilty. We’re blighted our children’s lives, deprived them of their human rights, committed a crime against humanity. We deserve to be exiled from all civilised society.

  It’s happened again and again. Our children have blurted out the dreadful truth. And we’ve been left defenseless. So now, we’ve bound them to silence. Or to some irrelevant response, “Ooh, Christmas is so exciting isn’t it!”. That usually satisfies the inquisitors.

  Even the tooth-fairy doesn’t hold this sort of control over the public. To voice doubts about his/her (which is it?) existence may render you an object of suspicion but it is permitted. Father Christmas is different. No child must be allowed to doubt his reality. And that means no adult must question it.

Why?