Adrian Rogers - Truth or Consequences
Take if you will please your Bible and be finding the book of Exodus, chapter 20. And today we look at verse 16. Exodus chapter 20 and verse 16 it simply says this, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor". Something tragic has happened in America. We have gotten away from the very basic standard of morality that has rooted in the Ten Commandments. There was a time when almost all Americans took for granted that the Ten Commandments are the standard and the basis of morality. But we have seen one absolute after another go; not primarily with the older generation but heart-breakingly it has happened with the younger generation.
In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that voluntary prayer in the classrooms, the public classrooms of the United States, is unconstitutional. Quickly they followed that in 1963 when they said we could no longer read God's Word publicly in the classrooms. It didn't take them long to go to the next step that said the posting of the Ten Commandments on classroom walls is illegal. It is unconstitutional. And then in 1982, the Supreme Court ruled that we cannot teach that we were created by almighty God. The teaching of creationism was ruled to be unconstitutional against the principles of this country. That's 20 short years. In 20 years, 180 years of American history is reversed. And from that time on something terrible has begun to happen in America today. Yes, we can't post the Ten Commandments but I'll tell what a child can do.
A child can go into a school based clinic today and receive birth control devices without his or her parent's knowledge of that. Now they can't get an aspirin without parental advice and consent but they can be given counseling concerning an abortion without parental advice, consent, or knowledge. In America, our boys and girls can be given birth control devices and counseled about an abortion and the parents completely oblivious to it. And yet in America we cannot post the Ten Commandments on the classroom walls. Our boys and girls are being taught what is called now a values-free education. That is, we're not going to take a stand on values. Now since that time, the suicide rate among teenagers has soared astronomically. Since that time, illegitimate births have become pandemic. Promiscuity is rising.
I listened the other day to television and they were talking about statistics and they said, "Well one good thing in America, or two good things, is that among the teenagers, number one, drug abuse seems to be down a little and the use of contraceptives seems to be up". That was a good sign to them, that use of contraceptives is up among teenagers and they were boasting about that. The problem is this. We in America have lost the concept of absolute God-given truth. I was reading in a news magazine, U. S. News and World Report, and this is what it said, "Our nation has become a nation built on falsehood. Governmental officials dissemble". That's a fancy word for telling a lie. "Scientists falsify research. Workers alter career credentials to get jobs". And then this magazine asked this question. "What's going here? The answer, a growing number of social critics fear is an alarming decline in basic honesty".
And then I was reading another research study. The title of this study, "The Day America Told the Truth; What People Really Think About Everything that Really Matters". Now the authors of this work are James Patterson, of the J. Walter Thompson Company and Peter Kim. Now this is what they say they have done. They have documented the problems Americans have in ethics. And I quote, "In the most massive in-depth survey of what Americans really believe that has ever been conducted". Now remember, the title is, "The Day America Told the Truth: What People Really Think about Everything that Really Matters".
If these statistics are anywhere near the truth, they're heartbreaking, heartbreaking. They said that 13%, 13% of the population believe in all of the biblical Ten Commandments. 13% believe in all the biblical Ten Commandments. This research went on to say that 9 out of 10 Americans lie regularly, 9 out of 10, that's 90%. One fifth of America's children, one fifth have lost their virginity by the age 13. They went on to find out that for $10,000,000 at least 7% said they would kill a stranger, if you would pay them $10,000,000. This is so-called God blessed America. Now we know more and believe less than ever. We're drowning in a sea of facts.
In the last 30 years, we've produced more information than in the previous 5,000 years. A person who reads a newspaper like the Los Angeles Times gets more information in that one newspaper than people who lived in the 16th century would get in a year. Those are facts, but facts are no substitute for the truth. And we're becoming road kill on the information super highway. While the information is coming and truth has been jettisoned. Now here's what Isaiah said about the truth in Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 14, "And judgment is turned away backward and justice standeth afar off. For truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter". Listen to that verse again, Isaiah 59:14, "And judgment is turned away backward and justice standeth afar off. For truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter".
What is the picture here? It's the picture of a traffic jam. Here's equity, justice, and judgment and they're all backed up. Why? Because truth has fallen. And because truth has fallen, judgment, justice, and equity cannot get by. How did truth fall? Well she's been kicked down by professors of philosophy. She has been tripped up by dishonest politicians. She has been chloroformed by liberal preachers. And there is truth. Truth has fallen. And what is wrong in America? Judgment, justice, and equity cannot get through because truth has fallen in the streets. What is our job? Our job is to set truth back on her feet. The Bible says in Exodus 20 verse 16, "Thou shalt not bear false witness".
I want you to listen today as we think today about truth or consequences. The first thing I want you to notice is what I'm going to call the liability of a false witness. The liability of a false witness; "Thou shalt not bear false witness". Have you ever thought about who the father of all false witness is? He's Satan himself. John chapter 8 and verse 44, Jesus, speaking to the unsaved Pharisees, said, "You are of your father the devil and the lust," that is the desire, "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". There is no truth in Satan. Listen, "When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own. For he," Satan, "is a liar. And he is the father of it".
Every time you tell a lie, you're acting like the devil. Do you know what the devil means? The very word "devil" means "slanderer". That's the meaning of the word devil. When you bear false witness, when you slander, you're like the devil. When you tell the truth, you're like the Lord Jesus whose name is truth. I want you to see how Satan, who is a slanderer, I want you to see what he's done. For example, he used slander to corrupt a good man. Who was the good man he corrupted? Adam. Adam was there in the Garden of Eden and Satan came and he slandered the character of God before Adam. He slandered God's honesty, because God said in Genesis 2:17, "In the day that you eat, you'll surely die". And he said in Genesis 3 verse 4, "Oh, you'll not surely die".
He slandered the character of God. He made God a liar. And any man who puts a question mark after the Word of God, is doing the work of the devil. Never forget it. He slandered the honesty of God. He slandered the goodness of God. He said in Genesis 3 verse 5, "God doth know that in the day that ye eat thereof, you'll be like God knowing the difference between good and evil". That is, God really doesn't care about you. God just has a monopoly on being God. He wants to keep us all to Himself. And he's really slandering the goodness, the righteousness, and the honesty of God. And the slanderer did his work and Adam sinned. He corrupted a good man. Then, I want you to see not only did he use slander to corrupt a good man, but he used slander and false witness to criticize a godly man.
If you were to turn to the book of Job chapter 1, you would find there that Satan appears before the throne of God and he begins to slander Job. Job was a perfect man, an upright man who loved God with all of his heart. And Satan said something like this in Job chapter 1 to God the Father. God the Father says to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? He's a good man". And Satan said to God the Father, "Well, he doesn't really love You, God. The only reason that he serves You is because You have bribed him. You've bought him off. You've given him all these good things. He's never known any heartache. He's never known any trouble. He doesn't really love You. He's playing You for a sucker, God. The only reason he serves You is for what he can get out of it".
You see he corrupted a good man through slander. He criticized a godly man through slander. You find him coming against the Lord Jesus Christ the God-man. When Jesus was in the wilderness and Satan came to Jesus, and he began to slander the Lord Jesus by his accusations and by his temptations. The truth of the matter is that Satan bears false witness against the Lord Jesus Christ today, and he has been doing that for a long time. When Jesus was taken by the Pharisees and they wanted to crucify Him, listen to Matthew chapter 26 and verse 59. "Now all the chief priests and the elders and all the council sought witness against Jesus, sought false witness against Jesus to put Him to death".
Now what am I saying? I'm saying from the Garden of Eden to the time when they hung up Jesus on that cross to this day, Satan is in the business of slander. Any time you slander someone, you are acting like Satan. Now he is the father of it and being the father of it, he has a family. And who are these children of Satan? You know children are like their father. If you're guilty of perjury, if you ever appear in a court and you perjure yourself, you break this commandment that says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness". Exodus chapter 23 verses 1 and 2 say, "Thou shalt not raise a false report. Put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not form a multitude to do evil".
Now it doesn't matter what people think. You speak the truth and tell the truth. And if you perjure yourself ever in a court room, one day you will stand in God's court room. And the one who sets the murderer free will be condemned of murder. The one who accuses the innocent will suffer the penalty that that innocent person suffered. The perjurer is the child of his father the devil. The rumor monger is a child of his father the devil. It was rumored that Jesus was going to destroy the temple. Jesus did not say He was going to destroy the temple that was built there in Jerusalem. He was talking about the temple of His body. But rumors got started about that.
The Bible says in Exodus 23 verse 1, "Thou shalt not raise a false report". If you're one that is given to rumors, that is to spreading rumors. Oh, you say, "It's not really, I'm not the one who starts all these things, it's the one I tell them to that does that". The Bible clearly forbids the carrying on of a rumor. I heard of a new pastor who came to a church. And you know pastors are vulnerable to rumors just like anybody else. He came to a church and people didn't know him very well, but some of the ladies got a little rumor going that they were having a ladies meeting. And the pastor had come to that meeting. And the pastor had rudely told his wife she must leave the meeting and he almost snatched her out of the meeting. And the ladies began to talk about this how rude the pastor was to his wife. And this was rumored all through the church. He was new. People didn't know him very well.
After a while, he got news of the rumor and he had to talk about it from the pulpit. He said I want to say several things about a rumor that's going around. He said, "First of all, I never tell my wife what meetings she can attend or which ones she cannot attend. Number two: my wife did not attend the meeting in question. Number three: I never appeared in the meeting in question. Number four: I don't have a wife". It's so easy for rumors, unfounded rumors to get started. Now the perjurer breaks this commandment. The rumor monger breaks this commandment. The flatterer breaks this commandment. Did you know that flattery is forbidden in the Word of God? Did you know that?
Proverbs 26 verse 28, "A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. A flattering mouth worketh ruin". I'm not talking here about giving encouragement. You ought to give encouragement. I'm not talking about giving thanks. You ought to give thanks. You ought to give honor. Encouragement, thanksgiving, and honor; that's the oil that just lubricates life. If somebody has done a good job, tell them so. Encourage them if they need your help. Flattery, however is a way of using people. Psalm 55 verse 21, "The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart". Have you ever met anyone like that? Oh, they flatter you to your face, but when you don't have your face toward them, it's an amazing thing what they will say about you.
Do you know why a flatterer and a hypocrite are so much alike? The flatterer will say to your face what he will not say behind your back. The hypocrite says behind your back what he will not say to your face. And both are really heads and tails of the same coin. And God's Word forbids it. You can break this commandment by mere insinuation. The Bible speaks in Second Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 20 about whisperings. When Jesus Christ was teaching, the Pharisees insinuated that Jesus Christ was an illegitimate child. And they said in John 8 verse 41, "We be not born of fornication". What's the implication? You are! You know that you can bear false witness just by insinuation, just by the tone of your voice, just by the arching of the eyebrows.
I've told you before about something that God convicted me of when I was a young preacher. I was driving down to my little country church. I was aware that one of the seal beams of my car had burned and I was driving with one headlight, hoping I could make it and get it fixed; back to school. The highway patrolman stopped me. I got out, tried to be courteous and respectful. He said to me, "Son, do you know you only have one headlight". Do you know what I said to him? "I only have one headlight"? I told him the absolute truth. I only had one headlight. But you see how I said it. I insinuated that I didn't know that. He said, "Get that thing fixed young man". I said, "Yes sir, I will". When I got back in the car, the Holy Spirit tore me up and said, "Adrian, you lied to that man". I said, "I didn't lie. I told him the truth. I only have one headlight". Said, "You told a lie".
And I did tell a lie, by mere insinuation. We can lie, I say, with the tone of our voice, and then of course sheer slander is a part of and one of the family members of your father the devil, the slanderer. The Bible says in James chapter 4 verse 11, "Speak not evil one of another brethren. Speak not evil one of another brethren". It doesn't say whether it's true or whether it's not true. We are not to slander. We're not to speak with an evil spirit. The Bible calls this in Jeremiah 18 verse 18, "Smiting with the tongue". Many people are smitten with the tongue. Do you know what A.B. Simpson said, the great Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor? Do you know what he said?
Listen to this, quote, "I had rather play with forked lightening or take in my hands living wires with their fiery currents than to speak a reckless word against any servant of Christ or idly repeat the slanderous darts which thousands of Christians are hurling on others". When you listen to slander, you're as guilty as the person who gives it. It's a small compliment to you that people want to use your ears for garbage cans. You can even break the spirit of this command that says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," by simply being silent, because the negative always implies the positive. And when the Bible says, "Thou shalt not false witness," it implies you will bear true witness. And if you're quiet and don't speak when you ought to speak, you've sinned.
Leviticus chapter 5 verse 1, "And if a soul sin and he hath seen or known it, if he do not utter it then he shall bear his iniquity". That is, if you simply say, "It's none of my business," and you keep silent when a criminal deed is done, or when you fail to speak up when a good man is criticized, you break the spirit of this command. There're few things you could do more foolish and more hurtful than to bear false witness. It is so hurtful to people, and it is so hellish before God.
Listen to what God says in Proverbs 6 verses 16 through 19, "These six things doth the Lord hate, ye seven are an abomination unto Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, and feet that be swift to running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren". Of the six things that God hates, ye seven, two of them deal with breaking this commandment which says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness". Now you may think it's a small thing to lie, but if you have a practice of lying, I want to tell you plainly and clearly that you are of your father the devil and you will spend all eternity with him in Hell.
For the Bible says in Matthew chapter 25 and verse 41, "Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels". And the very word angel means his messenger, his witnesses. You have become a witness for Satan, and you will spend eternity with your father the devil in Hell. Hell was not prepared for you, for me. It was prepared for the devil and his angels. And when you become a false witness, you become one of Satan's angels, one of Satan's messengers. And the Bible says in Revelation chapter 21 and verse 8, "All liars, all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone". That's the Word of God. I can't change it. I cannot amend it. From the lightnings and thunders of Sinai, God says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness".
Again I want to tell you, you're never more like Satan than when you bear false witness. When you perjure, when you slander, when you falsely criticize, when you remain silent when you ought to speak, when you insinuate things that are not true; all of these things break God's holy commandment and will receive the judgment of almighty God. Now there's a second thing I want you to see. I've talked to you about the liability of a false witness. I want you to see with me also now, the reliability of a faithful witness. Because you see when God says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," by implication God is saying you shall bear faithful witness.
In Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14, Jesus Christ is called, "The faithful and the true witness of God". And we're to be witnesses to Him, Acts chapter 1 and verse 8. The Bible says, "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto Me". My home and your home ought to be a witness to the saving power of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the Bible, when the Bible says that they took the Gospel from house to house, that does not mean that someone went down the street knocking on doors and telling people about Jesus, this house and then this house and then this house. Now that's well and good. That's a good way to do evangelism, but that's not what the Bible means when it says the faith went from house to house. It means it goes from the Jones' house to the Smith's house, and from the Smith's house, to the Brown's house and so forth.
And one family becomes a witness to another family. And our families are to bear witness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now we are not to bear false witness against our neighbor. We are to bear faithful witness to our neighbor. Our neighbors ought to know the Jesus that we know. Are you bearing a faithful witness to your neighbor? Do your neighbors know that you're Christians? You say well, "Pastor Rogers, I haven't been to seminary. I'm not trained". Well let me ask you a question. Has Jesus Christ saved you? Has he changed your home? Is he real to you? Now remember you are called to be a witness, a faithful witness. Well what does a witness do? A witness tells what he has seen and heard. As they used to say on Dragnet, "Just the facts ma'am". That's all.
A witness tells what he has seen and heard. Now Jesus did not call you to be His lawyer. A lawyer argues a case. A witness simply shares what he's seen and heard. And so you just tell people what Jesus Christ has done for you and how you know He has done it. Don't witness about things you don't know, but witness about things you do know. If you fail, that's a part of your witness. Tell how you failed and how God forgave you and gave you another chance. Your neighbor is waiting to hear. Our neighbors are waiting to hear about the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. There's the liability of a false witness. There is the reliability of faithful witness.
Now let me come, very quickly, to close this message and talk to you about the responsibility of a family witness, the responsibility of a family witness. We are calling this series of messages, "A Perfect 10 for Homes that Win". There is a crying need in America today for families that know the truth, believe the truth, love the truth, teach the truth, speak the truth, and share the truth. A home that is not built on truth will crumble. Now how do we take these things that I've talked about today? And how do we transfer them to our children? And that our children might go out into the school, and into the work place, and into the government, and re-permeate society with truth. Well three basic ways.
Number one: by precept. You need to get a study like this and you need to get all of the Scriptures that I've given you today. And you need to teach them to your children, literally teach them. Take the Word of God and show them that when they tell a lie they're acting like the devil. Show them that when they tell the truth they're acting like the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't just simply say, "You ought not to tell a lie, that's bad, that's naughty". Give them a theological reason. Tell them why they ought to tell the truth. Talk of these Scriptures when you rise up, when you lie down. Make certain that your children understand the holy commandments.
So number one, you transfer by precept, by teaching. Number two: by example. And I cannot, oh God, help me, I cannot say it well enough, strongly enough, how important it is, mister, that you as a father tell the truth. One of the grandest things that has happened in America today is a movement called Promise Keepers, where men have made up their mind under God that they will keep their word. Listen, you need to be able to say to your children, "God says, 'Thou shalt not bear false witness.' And my child I want to tell you this, I will never lie to you! I will always keep my word to you"! Come up close and I'm going to tell you something. You can fail in many, many, many ways and still come out fairly good with your children. But if you fail here, if you fail to keep your word, to keep your promises, if you fail to tell the truth to children, I promise you that your home is on the road to disaster.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have fathers that will tell the truth. If you've ever made a promise to your child and failed to keep that promise, ask that child for forgiveness. One day I got all of my children together. I said, "I want to ask you a question. Have I ever promised you anything that I didn't do"? I was sure they'd say, "Oh no, Dad. You've always kept your word". But one of them said, "Yea there was a time when, da, da, da, da, da". I just made little remarks that were taken as promises and, and one of these, "We'll do that," or, "One of these days we'll do that". I said, "Forgive me. I'm sorry". And ask for forgiveness when you've done wrong. And confess that you've done wrong.
Let your children know that you are truth speaker. Now dads, I'm going to plow real close to the corn right now. Do you have one of these little gizmos up on your dashboard called a fuzz buster? Well I want to ask you a question. Why do you have it there? Why does your child think you have it there? Now if you have one I'm not saying throw it in the garbage can. But I'm saying that you ought to say to your child, "I have this here in case absent-mindedly somehow I am breaking the law. But my intent is not to get around the law. My intent is to keep the law". Amen or oh me? I'm telling you folks, we better be careful what we're teaching our children. This thing of integrity is so very, very important.
What do you do when Throgmorton just turned twelve and you go to the show whatever it is and it says for children under twelve thus and such an entry fee? And Throgmorton is twelve and three days old. You say, "Well hey, ha, ha, ha, just tell them you're twelve son". You will ruin the day you do that. I remember we took our family down to Pirate's World down in Fort Lauderdale. I mean all the little kids like this and folks to take them to one of those places you just have to, you know, you have to go in somewhere and hock your right eye ball to get enough money to do it. You know it's, I don't even know whether Pirate World is still there but they named it well. And, we're going into this thing. I looked in my billfold and I had just so much money, and we were just like 75 cents short of having enough money. And we got up there and I counted the money with the taxes and everything I didn't have enough and little children there, man, heartbroken.
I said, "Well will you take a check". "No, we can't take a check". And then I looked and it said under twelve, less. My oldest was twelve by several days. He said, "Well Daddy, I just turned twelve. If we just say I'm under twelve we can get in". And we had a moral crisis on our hands. Were we going to ruin the whole day? I said, "I'm sorry son. We just can't do that. We just can't do that". And I won't tell you the rest of the story. We did ultimately get in, because kids won't let it go. We got in with the rules and never broke the rules. Do your children know that you tell the truth? Do you ever teach children to lie for you? Do you ever teach children to pick up the phone and say, "Mama's not here? Mama said she's not here".
If we teach them to lie for us, we should never punish them when they lie to us. I actually heard about a mother one time who told her son, "Johnny if you don't stop lying, there's a green man that lives on the moon. He's going to catch you and make you pick up sticks the rest of your life if you don't stop lying". What do you do with children? Number one, by precept teach them the Word of God. Number two by example. Live the Word of God. Moms and dads tell the truth and keep your word. Number three: by discipline. There are three deadly "D's" that our kids knew about when they were coming up. Now our kids are not perfect kids but they love God and they're saved.
There are three deadly "D's" that I would not put up with. I'm talking about when they were little. Now, I'm not talking about such things as stealing or using dope or anything, I'm talking about when they are little kids now. The first was deliberate disobedience. Now a child could disobey and if it's not arrogant, not deliberate then you have to deal gently with them. But when it is deliberate disobedience friend, you must deal with that immediately. The second thing is defiance, defiance. That's the same as disobedience, but it is just simply a disrespectful attitude. Defiant disrespect. Deal with that immediately.
And the third is dishonesty. When a child tells a lie; our children knew that they could get away with some things. But if they were ever disrespectful to their mother, ever disrespectful to their dad, ever defiantly disobedient, or ever were dishonest, at that moment the judgment was sure and swift. Kind? Yes. But stern? Yes. Let me tell you this folks. If you want your home to win, you better go back to what God has said. You better take these commandments one at a time beginning with the commandment in Exodus 1 verse 2 and 3 that says, "I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me". And take them one at a time, measure your life by them, and teach them to your children.
Let's bow our heads in prayer. Every head bowed and every eye closed. While heads are bowed and eyes are closed, let me ask you this question. Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Do you? Jesus is the faithful and the true witness. He is the truth. He said in John 14:6, "I am the Way the Truth and the Life and no man cometh unto to the Father but by Me". If you want to be saved today, you can be saved. To be saved means that every sin is forgiven. To be saved means that every dishonest thing we've ever done is buried in the grave of God's forgetfulness never to be brought up against us anymore. To be saved means that the one who is the truth lives in us and helps us to live the truth. To be saved means that we have the joy of God, the peace that passes understanding. To be saved means that we have a home in Heaven. To be saved means that we have millions of people around the world who are now our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you'd like to be saved, I'd like for you to pray a prayer like this:
Dear God I know that You love me and I know that You want to save me. Jesus, You died to save me and You promised to save me if I would trust You. I do trust You, Jesus. I believe You're the Son of God. I believe that You paid my sin debt with Your blood on the cross. I believe God raised You from the dead and now I receive You by faith to come into my life, to be my Lord and Master, to forgive my sin and to give me power to live for You. Take control of my life. Save me, Lord Jesus.
Pray that and mean it. "Save me Lord Jesus". Ask Him to save you. Trust Him to save you. "Save me Lord Jesus". Did you ask Him? Then pray this way:
Thank You for doing it Lord. I don't look for a sign, I don't ask for a feeling. I stand on Your Word. You're now my Lord, my Savior and my God. (And then, say this to Him) Lord Jesus, because You died for me I'll live for You. And help me never to be ashamed of You because You're my God and my Savior. In Your name I pray, Amen.