Lying Like the Devil

Would you believe, friends, that some of the line that occurs between Christians takes place at church on Sunday? The pastor will say, we sure missed you at the prayer meeting last night, and you'll come up with the biggest whopper to excuse yourself. Years ago, I was talking to a man in my Sunday school class, and we were setting up a time to play racquetball, and we both learned we went to the same college, and he asked me when I graduated. At the time, I had dropped out of school, and I was embarrassed, so I lied, and I gave him a graduation year.

My guilty conscience went to work on me that whole week, until finally, I confronted that man and confessed to him that I had lied to him and asked him to forgive me. He was shocked and surprised, but he forgave me. Some of the biggest lies told to me have been by other Christians, especially men in ministry where they promise to do one thing, and then they fail to keep their promise.

That's a lie, and to tell a lie is sin. Christians lie to one another all the time. I'll pray for you is the biggest lie, if not faithfully carried out, but the word of God tells us in Colossians 3.9, Lie not to one another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds.

The title of my message this evening, friends, is Lying Like the Devil, because when we lie, we are acting like the devil. There are several aspects of lying I'd like to look at this evening. Number one.

Lying makes us like the devil, who is the father of lies, Jesus declared in John 8.44. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Listen, friends, when we lie, we are acting like the devil, and that alone should keep us from telling lies, even so-called little white lies, which there's no such thing, because all lies are black with sin. Number two. Lying destroys a witness to man.

The apostle Peter lied, and he was lied to. He lied when he denied he knew Jesus, and he lied three times about it. And don't you believe that he must have ruined his testimony as a follower of Jesus for a time, during the time he lied about Jesus and his reinstatement by Jesus with Simon, do you love me? And we see that Peter was lied to in the book of Acts, in chapter 5, where Ananias and Sapphira lie about keeping back part of the money.

In verse 3, we hear Peter's rebuke. But Peter said, Ananias, why hast Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Well, we all know what happened to this covetous couple, who lied, as God struck them both dead, as an example to all liars. Number three.

Lying is a sin, and a breaking of the ninth commandment. About truthfulness in our dealings with others, God's word declares, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Breaking the ten commandments is a transgression of God's law, and God will by no means clear the guilty.

Number four. Lying robs God of his glory. Every time we sin, we rob God of his glory.

So when we lie, we're liars and thieves as well for robbing God. And if all these don't scare you out of lying, then Revelation 21.8 should, as it describes the destiny of all habitual liars. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

I'll say this, friends. Usually a person who is a habitual liar is an unconverted individual who is on their way to a devil's hell. For those who lie like the devil, act like the devil, and if they don't repent, will end up in hell with the devil.

And that's no lie. Let us pray.