Embracing Truth: A Call to Honesty in Faith
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "Telling the truth can be dangerous business. So secondly, I think back. In the previous decade, the early 1970s, there was a guy named Daniel Ellsberg. Anybody remember that name? Daniel Ellsberg was the guy that released what became known as the Pentagon Papers, which were government documents that revealed, when they were published, revealed to the American public that the government actually had been lying to the nation for years about the Vietnam War. Ellsberg actually died last year at age 92. But about six years ago, we were watching the CBC National News, and Adrienne Arsenault, who happens to be the anchor, was interviewing Ellsberg and talking to him about the release of the Pentagon Papers way back when. And she said, do you think, Mr. Ellsberg, that if those papers like that were released today, that they would actually be believed? And Ellsberg commented that with, with so much news in the main media being labeled as fake, he doubted that the revelation of such papers would even be believed." [01:49]
2. "I know I said, I'd do that, but I didn't actually know at the time how busy I was going to be. Number two. What did I say I'd do? Three. I know that what I said wasn't exactly true, but sometimes it's just easier not to get into all the details. Number four. The government already gets enough of my money. Surely it's okay to fudge a little on the tax return. Number five. I know I'm breaking a commitment, but I have hung in there long enough, and I am just done. Number six. What I said wasn't true, but it would have been too hurtful to say what I really thought. And so the Pharisees said, I did not include God's name in my vow, therefore I'm off the hook. And sometimes we say, I've got my reasons, so I'm off the hook. And Jesus just cuts through it all with the Pharisees and with us, and he says, tell the truth, stick with it, plain and simple." [09:09]
3. "So let me give you two caveats to truth telling. Some people think they've got this down cold and they will enthusiastically tell you, I just tell it like it is. I just put it out there and speak truth in any circumstance. But I want to suggest that the way to judge if we're actually committed to truth telling is not in those moments when we are absolutely happy to just dump it all out there or perhaps dump on someone because it feels so good to get it off our chest. Those are not the moments to judge whether you actually are a truth teller or not. No, the moments to judge whether we're truth tellers is when it actually costs us something to tell truth. Like it costs us humility to own up to something. It might even cost us embarrassment. Or it costs us the price of doing the taxes or paying the duty at the border. Or it costs us the time and energy to actually fulfill what we've said. You judge whether you're a truth teller by the moments when it actually costs." [23:49]
4. "In other words, let your words be true. Let them speak truth. Let them mean what you say. So if you mean yes, say yes. If you mean no, say no. If you say yes, make sure that that's what you intend. If you say no, make sure that's what you intend. Tell the truth and keep it. This is Jesus' instruction. And I've got to say, especially in our day, how distinctively and importantly unique that would be. So the primary issue here in this passage is truth. We're to tell it and we're to keep it. We're to be truth tellers and truth keepers." [12:03]
### Quotes for Members
1. "And so we come back again to the scripture that I started with, the end of this passage, where Jesus says, simply let your yes be yes and your no, no. Anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Then the instructions of this sermon are for us giving us clarity of insight as to how we're to live for Him. And we are in Christ. So follow Him. And the remarkable thing is that our words and the truth we speak and the truth we keep can end up being fresh context for actually honoring Him and loving Him each and every moment. Your words matter. Truth matters. Follow Jesus." [11:35]
2. "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Right in your face. Incredibly strong words. Now, applied to us, what this says is that when we lie, when we hold loosely to the truth, we are in fact emulating the devil. Because lying is his native language form. It's what he does from his heart. And so when we lie, when we break faith, when we neglect to tell the truth or keep the truth, we are speaking with his dialect. So we need to see what's at stake when we tell untruths, tell half-truths, break the truth in any way. We are called as followers of Jesus to hold to truth. And when we don't, we're actually emulating the enemy instead. It's a pretty strong reason for telling truth." [18:10]
3. "And so the Pharisees from the scripture knew that truthfulness was a very important part of the gospel. It was vitally important, important to the Lord. But what they did was they took truthfulness and they narrowed it radically. They cut it down to size. And so from the Old Testament, they grabbed hold of the principle that holding God's name in faithfulness was hugely important. God's name being faithfully held by his followers. And secondly, they understood from the scripture that fulfilling your vows to the Lord was hugely important. And so they knew that God had commanded these things, but they fine-tuned it. And so they decided that if you made a vow and included in it the name of God, then that vow was absolutely binding. But if you made a vow and happened not to mention the name of God in it, then that vow didn't really count for anything. You could just break it with impunity." [07:15]
4. "So the second thing has to do with truth keeping. See it's one thing to tell the truth it's another thing to actually keep the truth. Don't be like the Pharisees and just let yourselves off the hook. Do what you say. So this applies to our relationships with people and it also applies to our relationships with God. So I've got to say when I come to this passage there's something inside me that says ouch. Because personally I've got to say that I think back over many, many years and more recently there are so many times that I know that I have not kept what I said. I don't know if anybody else can identify. And it's not that what I said in the first place was a lie. What I said in the first place was what I intended to do. But it's often been in the follow through that I've dropped the ball. And for me personally so often that relates to procrastination. I just keep putting something off. Anybody else identify? Truth keeping means we need to engage and with energy and time fulfill what it is that we've said we were going to do." [27:26]
5. "And so if we haven't kept the truth we need to do it as much as we can or ask forgiveness of the person or ask forgiveness of the Lord. So in our relationships with people truth keeping is hugely important. But also in our relationship with the Lord God Himself. Vows to the Lord are ones that need to be kept. And you can apply this in so many different areas. Let me tell you where I'm most aware of it at the moment. For a long period of time I've really yearned to hear the Lord's voice more clearly. And I will pray and tell Him I want to hear your voice. But I confess that sometimes when I get that nudge that kind of insight that kind of prompting to do something I don't jump on it as quickly as I should. And I've been learning over the last little bit just being aware of it that when the prompting comes I just need to respond. And sometimes it's as simple as sending somebody an email or a text. I'm thinking about you. I'm praying for you. Because the Lord brought them to mind. But so easily I can break the promise that inherently I made to the Lord. I want to listen and hear and I'm going to respond. I can break the promise by just not getting around to doing the thing that He prompts me to do. And Jesus says when it comes to people when it comes to the Lord let your yes be yes and let your no be no. And anything beyond this is of the evil one." [28:05]
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1. "Telling the truth can be dangerous business. So secondly, I think back. In the previous decade, the early 1970s, there was a guy named Daniel Ellsberg. Anybody remember that name? Daniel Ellsberg was the guy that released what became known as the Pentagon Papers, which were government documents that revealed, when they were published, revealed to the American public that the government actually had been lying to the nation for years about the Vietnam War. Ellsberg actually died last year at age 92. But about six years ago, we were watching the CBC National News, and Adrienne Arsenault, who happens to be the anchor, was interviewing Ellsberg and talking to him about the release of the Pentagon Papers way back when. And she said, do you think, Mr. Ellsberg, that if those papers like that were released today, that they would actually be believed? And Ellsberg commented that with, with so much news in the main media being labeled as fake, he doubted that the revelation of such papers would even be believed." [01:49]
2. "I know I said, I'd do that, but I didn't actually know at the time how busy I was going to be. Number two. What did I say I'd do? Three. I know that what I said wasn't exactly true, but sometimes it's just easier not to get into all the details. Number four. The government already gets enough of my money. Surely it's okay to fudge a little on the tax return. Number five. I know I'm breaking a commitment, but I have hung in there long enough, and I am just done. Number six. What I said wasn't true, but it would have been too hurtful to say what I really thought. And so the Pharisees said, I did not include God's name in my vow, therefore I'm off the hook. And sometimes we say, I've got my reasons, so I'm off the hook. And Jesus just cuts through it all with the Pharisees and with us, and he says, tell the truth, stick with it, plain and simple." [09:09]
3. "So let me give you two caveats to truth telling. Some people think they've got this down cold and they will enthusiastically tell you, I just tell it like it is. I just put it out there and speak truth in any circumstance. But I want to suggest that the way to judge if we're actually committed to truth telling is not in those moments when we are absolutely happy to just dump it all out there or perhaps dump on someone because it feels so good to get it off our chest. Those are not the moments to judge whether you actually are a truth teller or not. No, the moments to judge whether we're truth tellers is when it actually costs us something to tell truth. Like it costs us humility to own up to something. It might even cost us embarrassment. Or it costs us the price of doing the taxes or paying the duty at the border. Or it costs us the time and energy to actually fulfill what we've said. You judge whether you're a truth teller by the moments when it actually costs." [23:49]
4. "In other words, let your words be true. Let them speak truth. Let them mean what you say. So if you mean yes, say yes. If you mean no, say no. If you say yes, make sure that that's what you intend. If you say no, make sure that's what you intend. Tell the truth and keep it. This is Jesus' instruction. And I've got to say, especially in our day, how distinctively and importantly unique that would be. So the primary issue here in this passage is truth. We're to tell it and we're to keep it. We're to be truth tellers and truth keepers." [12:03]
### Quotes for Members
1. "And so we come back again to the scripture that I started with, the end of this passage, where Jesus says, simply let your yes be yes and your no, no. Anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Then the instructions of this sermon are for us giving us clarity of insight as to how we're to live for Him. And we are in Christ. So follow Him. And the remarkable thing is that our words and the truth we speak and the truth we keep can end up being fresh context for actually honoring Him and loving Him each and every moment. Your words matter. Truth matters. Follow Jesus." [11:35]
2. "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Right in your face. Incredibly strong words. Now, applied to us, what this says is that when we lie, when we hold loosely to the truth, we are in fact emulating the devil. Because lying is his native language form. It's what he does from his heart. And so when we lie, when we break faith, when we neglect to tell the truth or keep the truth, we are speaking with his dialect. So we need to see what's at stake when we tell untruths, tell half-truths, break the truth in any way. We are called as followers of Jesus to hold to truth. And when we don't, we're actually emulating the enemy instead. It's a pretty strong reason for telling truth." [18:10]
3. "And so the Pharisees from the scripture knew that truthfulness was a very important part of the gospel. It was vitally important, important to the Lord. But what they did was they took truthfulness and they narrowed it radically. They cut it down to size. And so from the Old Testament, they grabbed hold of the principle that holding God's name in faithfulness was hugely important. God's name being faithfully held by his followers. And secondly, they understood from the scripture that fulfilling your vows to the Lord was hugely important. And so they knew that God had commanded these things, but they fine-tuned it. And so they decided that if you made a vow and included in it the name of God, then that vow was absolutely binding. But if you made a vow and happened not to mention the name of God in it, then that vow didn't really count for anything. You could just break it with impunity." [07:15]
4. "So the second thing has to do with truth keeping. See it's one thing to tell the truth it's another thing to actually keep the truth. Don't be like the Pharisees and just let yourselves off the hook. Do what you say. So this applies to our relationships with people and it also applies to our relationships with God. So I've got to say when I come to this passage there's something inside me that says ouch. Because personally I've got to say that I think back over many, many years and more recently there are so many times that I know that I have not kept what I said. I don't know if anybody else can identify. And it's not that what I said in the first place was a lie. What I said in the first place was what I intended to do. But it's often been in the follow through that I've dropped the ball. And for me personally so often that relates to procrastination. I just keep putting something off. Anybody else identify? Truth keeping means we need to engage and with energy and time fulfill what it is that we've said we were going to do." [27:26]
5. "And so if we haven't kept the truth we need to do it as much as we can or ask forgiveness of the person or ask forgiveness of the Lord. So in our relationships with people truth keeping is hugely important. But also in our relationship with the Lord God Himself. Vows to the Lord are ones that need to be kept. And you can apply this in so many different areas. Let me tell you where I'm most aware of it at the moment. For a long period of time I've really yearned to hear the Lord's voice more clearly. And I will pray and tell Him I want to hear your voice. But I confess that sometimes when I get that nudge that kind of insight that kind of prompting to do something I don't jump on it as quickly as I should. And I've been learning over the last little bit just being aware of it that when the prompting comes I just need to respond. And sometimes it's as simple as sending somebody an email or a text. I'm thinking about you. I'm praying for you. Because the Lord brought them to mind. But so easily I can break the promise that inherently I made to the Lord. I want to listen and hear and I'm going to respond. I can break the promise by just not getting around to doing the thing that He prompts me to do. And Jesus says when it comes to people when it comes to the Lord let your yes be yes and let your no be no. And anything beyond this is of the evil one." [28:05]
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