Lying – A Man Is A Liar When…
Categories: Bible Study LessonsIn Acts 5:1-4, we read the following narrative:
“But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
Have you ever considered yourself a liar? Not many folks have, but let’s consider the following:
1) Have we ever been guilty of telling someone, “Yes, I’ll do this and that and such-and-such,” and then never follow through with our promise?
2) Have we ever told someone that we’ll be at a certain place at a certain time and never show up?
3) Have we ever promised our children (or our wife) certain things and never fulfilled our promise to them?
I’m certain that all of us as frail human beings can relate to some (if not all) of these things (I know this writer can!). We need to ask ourselves, can we leave our promises unfulfilled and not be counted as “liars” before the throne of God? Let’s sincerely and honestly “think” about the following:
According To God’s Word, A Man Is A Liar When….
1) He loves “lying rather than to speak righteousness” (Psalm 52:3).
2) He displays a prideful attitude (Psalm 59:12).
3) He speaks with “A lying tongue against the righteous” (Psalm 109:2).
4) He hates someone and “pretends” he doesn’t (Proverbs 10:18).
5) He attains ill-gotten wealth (Proverbs 21:6).
6) He beguiles others with lying flattery (Proverbs 26:25-28).
7) He refuses to “hear the law of the Lord” (Isaiah 30:9).
8) He takes advantage of the poor (Isaiah 32:7).
9) He apostatizes from the Lord’s teaching (Isaiah 59:13).
10) He “trusts in lying words” (Jeremiah 7:8-10).
11) He speaks lying words and says, “It’s by the Lord’s authority” (Jeremiah 29:23).
12) He prepares “lying and corrupt words” (Daniel 2:9).
13) He “observes lying vanities” (Jonah 2:8).
14) He makes an “alliance” with Satan (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10; cf. John 8:44; 1 John 3:8).
15) He “walks” in falsehood (Micah 2:11).
16) He lies to the Holy Spirit and to God (Acts 5:3-4).
17) He lies to another person (Colossians 3:9).
18) He is a hypocrite (1 Timothy 4:2)
19) He lies against God’s Truth (James 3:14).
20) He “walks in darkness” (1 John 1:6).
21) He says, “we have no sin” (1 John 1:8).
Conclusion
Brethren, let’s make certain that we don’t fall into any one of the above categories of lying to either our fellow man or to God. Let's not only keep our promises (cf. Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5) but let what we “say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. “Anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:37 – ESV). Let us remember that there will be no “liars” in heaven (Revelation 21:8,27).