To Tell The Truth

TO TELL THE TRUTH

Introcution
-skit
Truth is a foreign language in America
1. We wake up & tell ourselves we can sleep 5 more minutes
2. We speed to work and call ourselves law abiding citizens
3. We get pulled over and say we had no idea
4. We plead not guilty
5. We play solitaire at work and click away when the boss walks by
6. We go home & watch commercials promise happiness from products
7. We answer our wife when she asks if she looks good in her dress
8. We set our alarms ahead 5 more minutes
This is a culture of deceit (Isaiah 59:12-15)

When NOT to Tell the Truth
When delaying the truth, SERVES the truth (2 Sam. 12:1-7)
When your listeners aren’t READY for it (Heb. 1:1-2)
When your listeners aren’t WORTHY of it (Matthew 7:6, Joshua 2)
When you can’t say it in LOVE (Ephesians 4:15)

The Language of Lies (John 8:44)
There are many dialects (Jeremiah 8:8)
It includes worship without heart (1 John 1:6)
It includes hate, even without action (Prov. 10:18)
God hates lying (Proverbs 12:22, Revelation 21:8)

The Defeat of Deceit (John 1:14)
Jesus came full of grace and truth (John 1:14+17)
Jesus came saying ‘I tell you the truth’ (79 times)
Jesus believes the God’s Word is truth (John 17:17)
Jesus said He is truth (John 14:6)

The Victory of Honesty (John 16:13)
The truth paints a brighter future (Proverbs 12:19, 21:6)
The truth frees us from fear (John 8:32)
The truth maximizes joy (3 John 1:4)
The truth holds everything together (Ephesians 4:15)