The Truth and Nothing but The Truth

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 95:1-7
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Faith — Westminster Shorter Catechism
• Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 17
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Sermon
• Hymn — I Need Thee Every Hour
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26

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Sermon Title: The Truth and Nothing but the Truth

Scripture: Exodus 20:16; Hebrews 6:13-20

I. The Ninth Commandment Teaches the Tongue to Uphold Justice

A. The commandment is set in a judicial context — "bear false witness" places us in the courtroom

1. In ancient Israel, courts were held at the city gates, central to everyday life
2. The witness held enormous power, since there was no forensic evidence — a false witness literally held the accused's life in hand
3. Proverbs 25:18 — a false witness is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow
4. James 3 — the tongue is a fire, a deadly poison; speech can ruin people

B. The ninth commandment safeguards commandments six through eight

1. Commandment 6 protects life, Commandment 7 protects marriage, Commandment 8 protects property — all require a trustworthy judicial system
2. Deuteronomy's principle: a false witness received the same punishment as the accused (lex talionis)
3. Justice and truth are two sides of the same coin; that coin is peace — Psalm 85:10: righteousness and peace kiss each other

C. The commandment protects the name and honor of individuals and families

1. In Israel, a person's name carried their honor and reputation across generations
2. False witness could render a family an outcast within Israel
3. Slander of someone's name is an abomination before God

D. Application: Christians are to be slow to judgment and careful with accusations

1. We are a court unto ourselves whenever another person's name enters conversation
2. Disagreement is permitted, but must address content and policy — not slander the person
3. Social media is a prominent arena where the ninth commandment is constantly broken; the church must be different and shine bright

II. The Ninth Commandment Teaches the Tongue to Uphold Faith

A. The root of lying is self-preservation — we soil others' names to safeguard our own

1. We are not liars because we lie; we lie because we are liars — the deceitful heart runs deep
2. The original lie of the serpent in the Garden: "You need not trust God; you can be like God" (Genesis 3)
3. In turning from God, Adam and Eve did not become like God — they became like the serpent, the father of lies (John 8)

B. The ninth commandment asks: who do you trust — yourself or God?

1. Self-preservation apart from God will always require twisting the truth
2. Abraham Kuyper: everyday life bores us; gossip becomes the spice people use to enhance an otherwise dull life of faith
3. Reality television illustrates the culture's rewarding of ninth-commandment-breaking: fame comes to those who gossip, lie, and backstab most

C. Illustration: A Man for All Seasons — Sir Thomas More vs. Sir Richard

1. Sir Richard gives false testimony against Thomas More in exchange for being made Attorney General of Wales
2. More's response echoes Matthew 16:26: "It profits a man nothing to give his whole soul for the world — but for Wales?"
3. The question for every believer: are we entrusting our souls to God, or bartering them for measly gain through deceit?

III. The Ninth Commandment Teaches the Tongue to Uphold Christ

A. The commandments, as Galatians 3 makes clear, expose our sin and drive us to Christ

1. We are all liars who twist truth for self-preservation — the ninth commandment condemns us and points us to the only true Witness

B. Jesus at his trial — the ultimate courtroom scene

1. Matthew 26:59 — the chief priests sought false testimony against Jesus
2. The false witnesses twisted his words from John 2:19 — "Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three days" — a true statement perverted for wicked ends
3. This false witness turned the crowds from "Hosanna" to "Crucify him"

C. Jesus honored the ninth commandment perfectly

1. He refused to bear false witness about himself in order to gain the world
2. He kept his soul and entrusted it to the Father, who alone could preserve it
3. His truthfulness brought the cross — true justice, God's wrath poured out on sin — and then resurrection and peace: "Peace be with you"

D. The gospel ground of the commandment

1. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life — filled with grace and truth
2. In him, our lies, slanders, and half-truths have been honestly dealt with at the cross
3. Because we have died to the world and live unto God in Christ, we need not lie to gain the world — we already have everything in him
4. By the Spirit we are conformed into Christ's image: let your yes be yes and your no be no; seek the glory of God alone