← Social Dallas Podcast
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- [00:00]
A
We have a word for 20, 25, which, by the way, is almost over. And our word for this year is planted. Planted. If you see me flourishing in these streets, it's because I'm planted in the house of the Lord. And so we have been reading Psalms 92, verses 13 through 15, every single Sunday of this year. We have not missed a Sunday. We've declared this verse every single Sunday. And we're going to do it again today. Y' all ready? Are y' all ready? Come on. Uplifted, caffeinated voices, let's go. One, two, three. Those who are planted shall flourish in the courts of our God. Still bear fruit. They shall be fresh to declare he is my rock. Y' all sound so good. Sound real good. Let them remain standing. Standing. We're gonna jump into our text for today. How many know we are in a series that we started last week? Give me a wave if you were here last week. Oh, good, you came back. We started a series called God Hates Blank. Yeah, there it is on the screen. It looks like it's jacked up and almost makes you want to run. How could a God who doesn't just do love. He is love. How could he hate anything? Well, we learned last week that his hate is not antithetical to his love. It is the proof of his love that God hates what harms us. That he loves you so much that he hates the thing that destroys you. And so he lists what those things are in Proverbs, Chapter six, which is our anchor text for this series. And last week we learned that he hates Haughty eyes. Look at it this week. Y' all ready? Come on. Proverbs, chapter six. We're just gonna read verse 16 and 17, and it declares, this is Solomon writing. There are six things the Lord hates. Seven that are detestable. Six, seven. Which one is it? All he's saying is, pay attention to this list. Haughty eyes. That was number one. Number two. That we will talk about today. God hates a lying tongue. He hates it. I want to preach today. Not long, about four and a half hours. Using this as a title. What lies beneath? What lies beneath? Look at your neighbor for what might be the last time and just say neighbor. There are some things that lie beneath. Look at another neighbor. Say, is it you? No, I'm playing. I'm playing. Father, speak to us today. Amen. You may be seated. In the presence of the Lord. What lies beneath? I have never done this to start a message, but I feel the need to do it today. I, Robert Madu do solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help me God. What lies beneath? Last week when we kicked off this series, I gave an imperative warning for this series. Matter of fact, if you did not hear last week's message, please go back and watch last week's message. If you watching this on YouTube right now, push stop. And go back and watch last week's message. Because I did warn you, I told you that this series God Hates Blank is not going to be a fluffy, cuddly, bubbly, feel good series. This is not a Amen series. This is a Ouch series. This is a series that is gonna mature us. This is a series that's gonna grow us up. This is a series. I told you where you gonna get cut. Remember I told you that? I said everybody's gonna get cut during this series. I'm gonna get cut, you gonna get cut. And it's appropriate for us to get cut because one of the metaphors that the Bible uses for itself in Hebrews, it says that the Bible is alive and active and, and sharper than any two edged sword. That means the word of God. If you will let it, it will cut you. And if the word of God can't cut you, it will never change you. It's good for you to get cut, but this is not the cut that harms, this is the cut that heals. This is to cut the heel, so it's a good cut. And so last week we learned that God hates what haughty eyes? That God hates pride. When you think you all that he hates pride. He cannot work with pride. That's the first thing on the list. Humility is what attracts heaven. Pride is what will shut heaven over your life. And this week we're looking at God hates. A lying tongue. A lying tongue. Quick question. How many of you will be honest enough to admit in church that at some point in the last seven days you have told a lie? Can I see your hand? In the last seven days you told. Oh, look at all. I see that hand. I see that hand. Now keep it, keep it, keep it lifted. Keep it lifted. In the last seven days. Okay. It's a lot of hands. Okay, you can put it down now to the few of you who did not raise your hand. I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Chances are you lying. You lying. You just did. So now everybody is included in the message today. Nobody can skip this message today. As a matter of fact, studies show us that the average person don't miss this lies one to four times a day. One to four times a day, you tell a lie. I did the math for you. That is 375 to 1500 lies every single year. And for some of y', all, those are way low numbers. Another study showed that 60% of us. 60% of us, upon meeting somebody new for the first time, within 10 minutes of that conversation, we will tell one lie, 60% of us. Now, before you get out your phone and start texting that family member or friend saying, hey, you need to hear my pastor's message today. Before you do that, let's just address what makes it so difficult for us to apply this message to ourselves. Here's what makes it difficult. Most of us don't believe that we are liars. Come on, y'. All. We don't think that we're liars. It takes a different level of honesty to just come out the gate and say, yo, I am a liar, a pathological one. Few are the people that. That do that. Matter of fact, before the message, I was talking to pt I said, hey, we're going to number two on the list today, a lying tongue. And Pastor Taylor said to me, you know, I struggle with a lot of things, but lying is really not one of them. That's what she said. I said, I ain't preached it yet. Just hold on, hold on. In her defense, she's not a good liar. But I would say that is the sentiment of most of us. Most of us say, yeah, I lie, but I'm not like, politician, Netflix documentary bad. Like, I'm not out here in these streets lying like that. I don't lie that bad. As a matter of fact, pastorally, few are the people that have come to me and said, hey, pr, can you pray for me? I'm really struggling with lying. Nobody's says that. And so because our noses don't grow every time we tell one, I think we think we're good. Just because lies don't show up on your face, though, doesn't mean they have not shown up in your life. Lies are like icebergs. They look small on the surface. But what lies beneath has the potential to sink your life. And the reality is, many of us don't think we lie because there are some lies we don't count. Like, we don't count when we lie by exaggeration. We don't count when we lie by omission. We don't count when we lie by telling partial truth. We don't count when we lie by reframing the Story to make ourselves look better. We don't count when we lie by innuendo. Oh, no, we don't lie. We just don't mention that part. We don't lie. We just don't want to hurt their feelings. We don't lie. We're just telling a Rahab lie. Remember Rahab. Read it when you get to the crib. Joshua, chapter two. That's the hoochie mama that hid the spies. And yet God still used her. You ever heard somebody say, oh, this a Rahab lie? Yeah, God gonna use this lie for his glory. As if God needs you to sin for his will to come to pass. Let me help your theology. God does not need you to sin for his will to come to pass. How many know God is sovereign. He rules, he reign. His purpose will come to pass. And he don't need you to lie to do it. Rahab was mentioned because of her faith in God, not because of her lie. It's the stories we tell ourselves, the lies, the lies. As a matter of fact, most of us don't think that we lie because we don't count. What I call the microlies, micro lies. You ever told a micro lie? Ever told a microly? Microlye. Here's my definition of a micro lie. A microly are the small bite sized lies, bite sized, that we continually tell to either protect our image or avoid discomfort. Give it to you one more time. A micro lie. Those are the small bite sized lies that we continually tell either to protect our image or avoid discomfort. Have you ever told a micro lie? Okay, y' all looking at me crazy. You know a micro lie. I'll put some on the screen. Here's some of the micro lies we tell. Man, we should totally get lunch.
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Yeah. Knowing full well you are not ever.
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Going to lunch with him. That's one of the micro lies that we tell. Here's another micro lie. You know you texted it.
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I'm on my way.
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Stop lying.
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You just got in the shower.
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You are not on your way. It's just a microlye.
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Here's another one. Yo, traffic was crazy.
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Traffic was not crazy.
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You left late.
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Come on.
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You are the traffic.
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Here's another one. You have a tough conversation with somebody. Have a tough conversation. They say something that maybe stings a little bit. And then you reply to them. They ask you, are you okay with that conversation? And you will say to them, I'm not mad, I'm not hurt, and I'm not offended.
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You just listed every single thing that you are. Quit lying.
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Here's another one. Spiritual one. I'm praying for you. You ain't prayed a syllable, bro. It's the microlies. Here's my favorite. You ready? Here's my favorite microlive. Here it is. I didn't get your text. I didn't get it. You sent it to my phone. I didn't get. Who got it then? Who got.
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Who got it.
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It's the micro lies. And we laugh. But the problem with the microlies is that they never stay micro. They fester. They grow. And the more you get comfortable with bending the truth in the small things, the more you'll get comfortable with breaking the truth in the big things. You don't become a professional liar overnight. You start with the little bitty microlies that grow and grow and grow in your life. Ooh. You can't tell on you, so I'll tell on me. Last year, 2024. How many were at social last year? Make some noise. Are you sure we weren't here? We were at Fair Park. It was a year of unshakable, and I made a bold, audacious claim that year. I said, I'm gonna run a marathon before I turn 40. Y' all remember that? I told y' all on the first of the year. I said, I'm running a marathon before I turn 40. I'm running a full marathon, 26.2 miles. I said it with my chest out. I said, I'm running a marathon. So I got ready. I started training, and I started running. And. And the way my lungs are set up, it was too much. It was too much running. Too much running. And I had signed up for the 26.2, and we were getting close to race day. I got the whole staff and team to do it with me. And we got close to race day. I was like, bro, I cannot do this. I'm gonna pass out in front of the whole church. I can't do this. So I called the people, I said, hey, I can't do the 26.2. But I noticed some people are doing a half marathon. 13.1. Can y' all switch me to that 13.1? They said, it's no problem. I'm still gonna charge you the same price. So, yeah, it's fine. I said, put me for the 13.1. All right. So I got ready, and y'. All. I ran that 13.1, and I finished it. Oh, don't give me that little library clap. I did 13.1. Finished that.
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But how many know when I finished it?
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And I Posted about it.
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I did not say that I ran a half marathon. No, no, no.
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I still got the post.
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Here's the post right here.
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It's still on my page. That's the post I finished. It says there's nothing like the feeling of setting a goal and accomplishing it.
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Marathon. All caps.
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Before my 40th birthday.
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Oh, yeah.
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I wasn't putting half marathon on there.
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I let the people know your boy did a marathon.
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The comment section started blowing up.
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Wow, man, you killed it. Such discipline. Fire.
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Fire, fire emoticon. People were going crazy, and I was just taking it all in. One person that went crazy, My good friend, Pastor chad veach. His OA Church, L.A. and he saw the post and he called me and he called me hyped.
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He's like, did it?
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You did that marathon? I said, yeah. And I could tell he was, like, giving me, like, that, like, full marathon energy. Like it was 26.2. He's like, man, do you realize you're, like, in the 0.1% of people in the world that do a full marathon, 26.2. I said, you better believe it. I'm in that 1%.
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That's how I do.
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I'm disciplined. He said, yeah, man. He said, I did it before, too.
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I only want to do that one time.
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I said, me too.
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I ain't going to do it again.
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He then says, man, you know what? It's crazy around mile 20. That's when you really start cramping up. I said, man, mile 20 almost took me out.
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Oh, lies.
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Micro lies. Ooh. And then later, I saw him at a conference, and I got conviction. I said, hey, bro, I gotta be honest with you. I said, you know, the marathon. He's like, yeah, you killed it. I said, well said. Around a half, not a full. And he busted out laughing, saying, for real. Why, why, why did I lie? I lie for the same reason you lie. I so desperately want to be viewed as somebody that has discipline. I so desperately wanted to be accepted. I loved the approval on my page saying, wow, you did it. You're incredible. Oh, the things that we do. And it all hides behind a lie. Now, since I've confessed that today, I know some of you don't want me to be your pastor. And this will be your last Sunday of Social Dallas. And there's some of you here like, oh, come on, pr, that ain't no big deal. That's innocent. But I don't think we can call it innocent when God says he hates it. Think about that for a moment that goes, God hates when you lie. It showed up on his list. Now, here's why we have to understand. There are not many places in Scripture where God uses this word, hate. That's why this series matters. When you know what he hates, you can see what his heart is. That Hebrew word for hate is the word sanne s A n E. And it means to stand in active opposition to something. It's not passive dislike. It is divine irritation. In other words, God positions himself against lying, but it doesn't stop at hate. It says there are seven things that are detestable to him. In Hebrew, that word detestable is to eba. It means that it is disgusting, it is nauseating. That is the emotion behind that word. It makes God sick to his stomach. Stomach. When you lie so together, it means this. God stands against lying, and he gets sick to his stomach when people lie. That's how serious this is to God. Last week, when we looked at Haughty Eyes, at Pride, we made note that this was the first thing on the list. And there's a reason that it was the first. But I want us to look at the positioning of a lying tongue on the list. Let's look at it. Proverbs, chapter 6. There are six things the Lord hates. Seven that are detestable to him. Haughty eyes and a lying tongue. What number is lying tongue on the list? Huh? What number two. How many times is it mentioned on the list? Somebody said once. It's actually twice. Because in verse number 19, it says God also hates a false witness who pours out lies. See, I purposely just read the lying tongue, and some of y' all thought it was just on the list once. But lying beneath, we find out God mentions it again. Lying, hear me, is the only thing that made the list twice. That's how much God can't stand lying. He hates a lying tongue, and he hates a false witness that pours out lies. This is the only thing that you will find on the list twice. Lying. Why? Because it goes against the nature of who God is. Let's break this down. Y' all still with me? A lying tongue, that's when I lie to protect me. A lying tongue, that's when I lie, trying to protect me. A false witness, that pours out lies. That's when I'm lying to destroy you. And we both do it. The lies that we tell to protect ourselves and the lies that we tell to destroy other people. I first want to deal with the lies that we tell to protect ourselves. Hear me. The first form of lying is to protect me. That is the truth. The root of every lie is self protection. Every time we tell a lie, it's as if we're putting on armor because we're trying to protect ourselves. That that is the root cause of lying is protection. Self protection. As a matter of fact, we don't lie because we're loving. We lie because we're afraid. We're afraid of how we'll look. We're afraid of being exposed. We're afraid of being confronted or rejected or corrected or truly known. Every lie that you tell, no matter what you think it is, it is a lie to protect you. If you look at your Bible and you study the lineage of lying, the first lie that you will see in your Bible comes from none other than Satan. Lucifer. You remember in the garden, he slid up in that garden. I often told God, you should have put me in the garden. We would have been good. Cause ain't no way in the world I'm talking back to a talking snake. Ain't no way. I would have done it. We would have been good. But he slides up in the garden and what does he do? He comes to Adam and Eve. He says, did God really say, you must not eat tree from the garden? Did God really say that? He's not trying to get them to doubt God's word, what he is doing. He's trying to get them to look at God's word in a different light. Here's how it sounds, really for real. All these trees and you can't touch one. Did God really say that? And she goes, well, yeah, he did say we can't eat of the tree. He said, we can't even touch it and we'll die. He goes, you will not surely die. There's the first lie. You will not surely die. Now here's what's diabolical. When they ate the fruit, it ain't like they passed out. They didn't die then, not physically, but their spirit died. And ultimately their bodies did what their spirit immediately did. You see how the enemy will deceive you and he will wrap a lie in a truth. That is how sinister he is. He tried to get them to believe. Here's the lie beneath every lie. God is not for you. God is restricting you. Your life would be so much better if you came out from under his rule. That is the lie that he tries to get in every single believer's head. Now here comes the first lie from humanity to God. Hey, did y' all eat of that tree? I Told you not to. Adam, look, the woman you gave me, she made me do it. Translation God, this is your fault. You put me in this position. I didn't ask you for a woman. You gave her to me. So now the gift of God is the problem for you. It's interesting to me that the first lie from humanity to God was not, I didn't do it. It was, it's not my fault. It's not my fault. See, they couldn't say we didn't do it because apple juice was still in their teeth. So since they can't say I didn't do it, here's the response. It's not my fault. You ever heard somebody with that lie, it's not my fault. It's my parents fault, it's my mom's fault. It's the time period I was born in. Sometimes our lie is to put the blame on somebody else because we're protecting ourselves and we don't want to take responsibility for what we did. I told you it's a cut. And I told you it's a cut. But it's the lie. Every lie that you tell is to protect yourself. I could take you all throughout scripture, Abraham tells the first lie to a person and said his wife was his sister. Why are you lying, Abraham? Because he's trying to protect himself. Every lie is about self protection. So I lie to manage how I'm perceived. Because a lie fills the safer than the truth. I don't want to face where the man of God at. All the men make some noise. That's all you got, man. Come on. Where my dog's at. Men are more likely to tell a lie. I'm just giving you research. Men are more likely to tell a lie that benefits themselves or elevates their image. Yeah, you know, I could have played pro, but yeah, you know, this, this, this my car. Behind on a lease payment, Credit score four. No. Yeah, this. Yeah, that's my car, girl. Yeah. No, I ran the full marathon. Elevate. Elevate our image.
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Where the ladies at?
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Women are more likely to tell lies in a way that they believe will protect other people. Look at y'. All. Mm. See, as if to say, nah, ours ain't for image. We just trying to protect.
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It's still alive.
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A
This is what blows my mind, is we will wrap a lie in compassion. I don't want to hurt them. I don't want to hurt their feelings. That's why I lied. They can't. I can't. Yeah, girl, you killing it. You better wear that outfit that looks cute. It's six sizes too small. It's. No, it's. That's you, girl. I can't hurt her. My kids, they got me back on a show that everybody knows because they love watching American Idol. I'm back watching it with them, and they love it. And just like me, these are my kids. Their favorite part to watch is the thing that never gets old. It's the contestant that gets up there with all the confidence in the world. And in the first three seconds of them opening up their mouth, it is so clear you can't sing. This is not your ministry. And every time I see it, I fall for it because I bust out laughing. But my next thought is, where is your family? Where are your friends?
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Nobody loves you enough before you got.
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On national television to tell you, this is not you. You got great qual. You got a great personality, but you shouldn't even lip sync.
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That's how bad you are.
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A
Nobody wanted to tell them that. You're gonna. You're gonna subjugate them to public ridicule because you didn't want to have the awkward conversation and say, hey, I love you enough to tell you the truth. Yeah, you're not protecting you. You protect them. You're not protecting them. You're protecting their perception of you. Cause you don't want to look mean and have an awkward conversation. Or some of us do. Tell the person, hey, this is not your gift. But they still go out there anyway. I don't care what you say. You a hater. No, I can sing. You ever met that person? And that's what's scary. Because sometimes, even when everybody tells you that this is not your gift, you still believe the lie that you got it. This is why self deception is the worst form of lying. When you deceive yourself and you tell yourself a narrative because you don't want to face reality, it's better to live with the lie. Self deception is the worst form of lying. Because how can you deliver somebody from something that they are in denial of? How can you be set free from something that you refuse to admit you are bound to? Self deception is the most dangerous form of lying. And some of you right now have told yourself a lie to protect yourself from the reality of what is really going on in your life. And you will never be set free if you keep believing the lie and refusing the truth. Got the nerve to tell yourself, I'm good. No, man, I'm good. God knows my heart. That's the problem. He knows your heart, Jeremiah. Says that the heart is deceitful above all things. Who can understand it? In other words, your heart has the ability to hide you from you. God knows my heart. You better believe he does. And it's the lies that we tell ourselves that keep us stuck in bondage. Is this helping anybody? I don't want to face my weakness, my wounds, my habits, my addictions, my lack of discipline. So I'll create a fantasy, call it my truth, and then get mad at God when it doesn't work. The lies. These aren't the micro lies. These are what I call mirror lies. Mirror lies? Because you know the person that it is so easy to lie to, the person you look in the mirror every single day. That is the person that we lie to all the time. Mirror lies are the lies that we tell ourselves to protect our ego and to avoid responsibility. They're the lies that make us feel better instead of get better. You ever told a mirror lie? Here's some of them. I'm fine. You asking about me? I'm fine. No, you're not. You're hurting and you're quietly falling apart on the inside. Here's another mirror line. I'm over it. What? That I'm over it. No, you're not. You're still holding onto it because you keep rehearsing the hurt. I'm not addicted to it. I just go to it when I'm stressed. Yes, you are addicted because you don't control controls. You. Instead of running to Jesus to find your peace and your refuge, you run to end every single time. I'm a good parent. I'm just busy. No, you're not. You're providing for them, but you're not present for them. Because it is easier to chase your career than it is to stay connected. That's just how I am. Know what's wrong with y'? All? That's just how I am. This is my personality, you see? My enneagram. That's just how I am. No, it's not. It's who you've been. And Jesus can transform who you are if you'll stop hiding behind who you were. These are the mirror lies. And the danger of the mirror lies is the more you tell them, the more you rehearse them, the more you start to live these lies. Let me just put you on game to what the enemy does. He wants you to speak a lie, believe the lie so you'll become the lie. He'll have you speak the lie so you'll believe the lie. And then you'll become the lie. This is the trick of the enemy. He always wants destruction. But he has the same tactic through lies, through deception. If he can just get you you to speak the lie, then you'll believe that lie. Then you'll become that lie. And before you know it, you will start living a lie. This is what the enemy does. That's why the Bible says in John 8, chapter 44. I love chapter 8, verse 44. Look at what Jesus says to the Pharisees. He says, you belong to your father, the devil. How's that for nice, Jesus? You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning. Not holding to the truth. Truth. For there is no truth in him when he lies. He speaks his native. He speaks his native. He speaks his native. For he is a liar and the father of lies and pours out lies. Lying is the language of the enemy. That's what he speaks. He speaks lies. We are never more like the devil than we are when we are telling lies. Because that is his language. It's the. The language of lying. And think about language. Whenever you learn a language, you don't start out fluent. You just start with little bitty phrases. You just start with just one syllable. So the enemy says, if I can get you to tell a micro lie, it'll go to a mirror lie and it'll just grow. And before you know it, your whole life is a lie. But I came to tell somebody. You can flip that thing on the enemy.
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Because if the enemy wants me to.
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A
Start with a little lie and then.
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Believe the lie and then become the lie, I wonder what would happen if I start declaring the truth of God's word. Maybe then I'll believe that truth and I'll become that trut. And I start walking in that truth. And then the thing that used to hold me bound will not hold me anymore. Because whoever the sun sets free is free indeed. I wish somebody would give God the best praise. Break if you're thankful that there is not a lie from hell that can hold you down. Not when I get a revelation of the truth. Not when I declare who God says I am. That's a lie. That I'm a victim. No, I am a victor. I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus. You better start speaking the truth.
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A
When you declare the truth, you will walk in the freedom of that truth, slap somebody next to you and say, walk in the truth. Walk in the truth. Walk. Walk in the truth. Slap them. It's a slap Message too. Walk in the truth. Walk in the truth. It's interesting to me. I wish I had time. In Ephesians, chapter 6, when the apostle Paul is giving instruction to the church at Ephesus for how to engage in spiritual warfare, he tells them, haven't done all to stand, stand. Therefore, putting on the full armor of God. And if I was Paul and I was telling somebody to put on the armor of God, the first thing I would tell them to grab is the sword of the spirit. The first thing I might tell them to grab is the shield of faith. Oh, wait a minute. No. Maybe the first thing I would tell them to grab is the helmet of salvation. Oh, wait a minute. I don't want to get hit in the heart. Maybe it's the breastplate of righteousness. Maybe the first to tell them is to have their feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of people. No, no, no, no. That's not the first thing that he.
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Says to grabbing the armor.
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A
The very first thing that Paul says you got to grab if you're going to fight against the enemy is the belt of truth. Why?
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B
Because if I don't have the belt of truth, I won't have anything to connect the breastplate of righteousness with. If I don't have a belt of truth, I don't even have anything to put the sword of the spirit in. That's why the enemy hates truth. Because it is the truth of God that holds me together. It is the truth of God that I got to stand on when everything around me is contra. I gotta stand on the truth.
- [33:44]
A
The belt is the first thing that he tells us to grab. We need truth. As I land the plane, Proverbs 6 didn't stop with the lies that I tell to protect me. It also says that God hates a false witness who pours out lies. Those are the lies that I tell to destroy somebody else. If lying to myself is dangerous, then lying about other people is deadly. Let's be honest. We don't always lie to protect ourselves. Sometimes we lie to punish other people, to tear them down, to assassinate their character. That's a false witness. It's violence with words. It's what I call malicious lies. So I got micro lies, the little ones. I got mirror lies, the lies I tell myself. Then I got malicious lies. And those are the lies that I tell about you. The malicious lies are the lies we tell to tear somebody down, ruin their reputation, or sabotage their future. When Proverbs says that God hates a false witness, that pours out lies. If you're a Bible student, Your antenna should go up right there. Because a false witness should connect you to the ten commandments that God gave the children of Israel. The ninth commandment, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Why is that important? Because when God formed a nation in Exodus, the very first thing he gave them was not a building. He did not give them a government. He gave them a moral framework that was reflective of his character. Community cannot exist without truth. We have to have truth in community. That is why our world is in a dangerous place right now because of lies that people are accepting as the truth. Community cannot exist without truth. The ninth commandment, thou shalt not bear false witness, was a courtroom commandment, because in those days, a witness could determine your faith. Think about it. In the Old Testament, it was life or death if somebody got on the witness stand and were like, yeah, they really did steal the donkey, and he really did sleep with his neighbor's wife. Yeah, I saw him. I mean, I didn't see you in the room, but I saw him come out. If you said that they could be stoned to death, that's how serious a lie was. One lie could have a person stone or executed. How many know today? We don't. We don't stone people. I mean, come on, we're way too sophisticated for that today. I mean, well, but that's the Old Testament. We don't. We don't stone people today. That's not how we destroy people today. No, no, no. We're way more sophisticated today. We stone people by slandering them online. We use our mouths, our keyboards, and our thumbs as weapons to spread gossip, exaggerations, half truths, planting seeds, spinning narratives, manipulating perception, telling a story designed to damage someone's name. And it happens fast. One sentence, one screenshot, one group chat, one assumption. One. Well, I heard. And before you know it, the truth is completely eradicated. Sometimes before the truth shows up, a lie has already done the damage. Because lies travel like wildfire. Even when the truth comes out, sometimes it takes years to grow back with the lies burned down. And I need you to hear me today. God hates it. He hates it. I know you got a YouTube channel for it. I'm just telling you God hates it because a lie just doesn't break a rule. A lie can break a life. And somebody in this room knows what it's like to have your character assassinated because of a lie that somebody else spread. Now, I know what some of y' all are thinking, because I thought it like, well, I ain't Gonna lie to bear false witness. However, if it's the truth, well, that's, that's different because I'm, I'm not lying. I, I got the truth. Matter of fact, I got receipts to prove it. So I'm not bearing false witness because what I'm saying about them is true. They did it. I can prove it. I can say it, I can post it, I can share it, because it's true. Can I warn you, true words from the wrong spirit are not godly. Truth given in the wrong spirit is still sin. See, many of us feel justified in tearing somebody down because what we're sharing is technically true. But truth spoken without love is not righteousness. It is not righteousness when you speak truth from an evil heart or an evil motive. It is not godliness. This is why the apostle, Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 4:15, Speak the truth in love. If truth automatically made it righteous, Paul would not have said, speak the truth in love. He said, speak it in love. Because truth outside of love is out of the bounds of the kingdom of God. Just because it's true doesn't mean it is holy for you to tell it. And let me be clear, before somebody clips this, I am not saying that all truth telling is slander. Let's be clear. Some stories need to be told. Some things must be publicly confronted and exposed. Cover up. Culture is not the kingdom of God. But some of us don't want justice. We want revenge. And that's not holy. And hear me, that won't heal you. And that's not Jesus. So before I even speak it, even if it is true, I must ask myself this. Does this need to be shared by me, with these people at this time, with this motive, through this medium? Does this need to be shared by me, with these people at this time, with this motive and through this medium? And if the answer to any of those things is no, how many you know, it is malicious and it is still bearing a false witness. And this is what the enemy wants us to live in. He wants us to live with micro lies that start off small so they can get big. He wants us to live with the lies that we tell in the mirror because he knows that we cannot be delivered from the thing that we keep denying. He wants us to tear our society up and spread malicious lies and sometimes even feel justified when we weaponize the truth. He. He wants us to be a people of lies. But can I show you the danger of a lie, any type of lie? Look at the word lie. This is the danger of a lie. The problem with the lie is if you keep rehearsing that lie over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, before you know it, you start believing the lie.
- [41:34]
B
And that's how the enemy keeps you bound, and that's how he keeps you in bondage. Because the language of hell is lies and the language of heaven is the truth. But I came to tell somebody, you need to flip that thing on the enemy. Because if he can get me to believe a lie that keeps me stuck, I wonder what would happen. If I could believe the truth, I think it would set me free. And I came to tell somebody that truth is not a principle. Truth is a person, and his name is Jesus. So even if I'm stuck in a lie I've told myself or I feel ashamed because I told lies about somebody else, I'm thankful for somebody named Jesus who said, I am the way, I am the truth and I am the life. Somebody ought to give God some praise if you're thankful that if you have an encounter with the truth, who is Jesus? He will set you free. Hear me today.
- [42:32]
A
Please don't leave this service thinking the message is, I got a try hard, harder to tell truth. Truth is not about trying harder. Truth is about coming closer to the person who is truth personified. His name is Jesus. I want to thank God that truth hung on a cross. I want to thank God that truth went down to the grave, took the.
- [43:04]
B
Keys to death, hell and the grave. I want to thank God that when the devil who's a liar thought he won, here comes truth on Sunday morning, Getting up from the grave with all power in his hand. You want to know why I can hold my head up high? Because I've had an encounter with truth. You want to know why there's no addiction that can hold me? Because I'm full of the Holy Spirit who will guide me into all truth. That means back up, devil. I'm tired of your lies. I'm going to walk in the freedom of God's truth. I wish somebody would get on your feet and give God the best praise. That you, God. If you're ready to walk in the truth, march in the truth, live in the truth, stand in the truth.
- [43:54]
A
Truth is not a principle. Truth is a person. When Jesus comes with truth is not to condemn you. It is to convict you you. It is not to shame you. It is to show you yourself so you can come to him. What do you do when you've been trapped by a lie. I'll tell you what you do. You confess. You surrender, and you receive. Confess the lie that you've learned to live with. Confess it. Confess it to the Lord. Say, lord, I've been living a lie. Some of you have been lying to people connected to you, and you think you're protecting them, and you're not. And today you're gonna have to do the hard work, hear me, of confessing to them. I've been living a lie. When I confess to God, I get forgiveness. When I confess it to you, I find healing. And hear me, it may be ugly at first to get it out of the dark, but that's where the healing starts. You're not protecting that person by living a lie. You're protecting your image. So I confess the lie I've been living. Then I surrender to the truth. Who is Jesus? And then watch this. I receive the freedom that he gives. Some of you have confessed the lie. You've surrendered to the truth, but you're still walking in shame. You're still beating yourself up over something that Jesus blood paid the price for. Receive the freedom and walk in it, and you shall know the truth. And the truth will set you free. I'm going to ask every head be bowed and eyes be closed. Today, as your head is bowed and your eyes are closed, I want. I want you to take a moment to do something that very few people ever do. Would you be honest with yourself? Would you be honest with you? It's dangerous to lie to other people, but it's especially dangerous to lie to you. You. Why are you really angry? Why haven't you forgiven them? What's the real reason? Why do you really keep walking away every time somebody wants to get close? Why do you give up so easy? Why have you told yourself you're unlocked, lovable? Have you started to believe the lie? Truth is in the room today. His name is Jesus. Heads are bowed, eyes are closed. But if you're in here today, and you'd be so honest to say, hey, pr, I. I realize there's a lie that I've learned to live with. And today I need to confess that lie and exchange it for the truth that comes from Jesus. He is truth, and he will give you truth. In Romans, chapter one, it says, one of the signs of the last days is that people exchanged the truth for a lie. Which is pretty dark work. But then I started thinking, if you can exchange the truth for a lie, I wonder if I can exchange a lie for the truth. That is the Invitation today. So with his bowed and eyes closed, if you say there's a lie I've been living under, maybe it started micro. Now it's become a mirror lie that you believe in. Today I'm exchanging that for the truth that is Jesus. Would you just lift up your hand as a sign to say, I'm no longer gonna live with that lie. Thank you, God. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Father, that you see every single hand that is lifted. Father, thank you. You are truth. Thank you for the type of surgery that heals us. Thank you that you're the sovereign surgeon that knows where to come cut. Anybody else? Put it right back down. Head still bowed, eyes still closed. If you're here today and you've never surrendered your life to Jesus, that's the first step. It's one thing to have given your life to Jesus, and through sanctification, as we are formed into his image, we dismantle lies. It is a whole another thing to have never surrendered to him. Him. Maybe you believe the lie. I got to get myself together first. That's a lie, man. I got to have a perfect record where I don't mess up. Then I can come to Jesus. That's a lie. He is a savior. You cannot save yourself. If you could have quit, you would have done it by now. You need a savior. That's you today. And you say, hey, pr, I've never surrendered my life to him. But today I want to accept the truth. And truth has a name. It's Jesus. If that's you, would you lift up your hand high enough and long enough to where I can see it today saying, today's the day I am coming home. We say it all the time at social. Dallas, you can always come home. I don't care how long you've been living with a lie. A problem prodigal son had lived with the lie. But in one moment of clarity, he said, it is better for me to be in my father's house. And when he started towards his father's house, the father did not condemn him. He came and put a robe over him and put a ring on his finger and threw a party. This is how your father is. He celebrates when his children come home and he hates what harms them. Anybody else today say, today's the day I need to give him my life. Just lift up. Lift it up high enough and long enough to where I can see it. Thank you, God. I see those hands here today. This is not to embarrass you. I just think it's something Powerful about leaving where you are and coming to a new space, coming to a new area. So I'm just going to ask you if you lifted up your hand that second time, or you should have. When I count to three, would you be so bold, would you be so brave just to come out of your seat and right here to the front? Why? Why do I got to come to the front? I just think it's something powerful. Powerful. As you take a step, I'm believing, hear me that you are rejecting every lie that you've been living in. Every step that you take is a step into truth. It's a step into freedom. So come on. They're already coming. One.
- [51:21]
B
Come on.
- [51:22]
A
This is truth calling. Two.
- [51:23]
B
Come on, Stop living in the lie.
- [51:25]
A
Three. Would you come?
- [51:26]
B
Would you come? I don't care if you're all the way at the top. Would you come saying, today's the day I'm coming home? I'm tired. I'm tired of living in the lie.
- [51:35]
A
I need the truth. Come on. On. Come on. Thank you, Jesus.
- [51:41]
B
Come on, Church. Would you clap like this was your sister? Would you clap like it was your brother? Would you clap like it was your mama? Would you clap like it was your auntie you've been praying for?
- [51:51]
A
Come on.
- [51:51]
B
Come on. I promise every step is worth the walk. I want to walk in the truth. I want to live in the truth. I want my identity to be aligned with the truth. I'm tired of the lies. I had lies spoken over me. But today's my day to accept the truth.
- [52:15]
A
Thank you, God.
- [52:15]
B
They're still coming. They're still coming. Y' all act like y' all tired of clapping. Don't stop clapping until people stop coming. That's what the angels are doing in heaven. They're rejoicing.
- [52:25]
A
Come on. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. They're still coming. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Come on. Yeah. Come on. Come on. I promise it's worth the walk.
- [52:57]
B
I promise freedom is worth the walk. Liberty is worth the walk. Having my shame replaced for grace is worth the walk.
- [53:16]
A
Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Anybody else? Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. You are who your heavenly father says you are. The people that have spoken lies over you don't have the right to name you. They didn't create you. They didn't know you before you were formed in your mother's womb. Here's the beauty of the truth. Truth. Once you have an encounter with the truth, it's hard to go back to the lie. I'm not saying it's not a process. I'm not saying that there aren't some things that you're gonna have to dismantle. When Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, he said, lazarus, come forth. A dead man came to life. Only Jesus could do that. Then he told the community around him, hey, loose him and let him go. And Lazarus, who was brought to life by the power of Jesus, had to stand there and wait one by one as they took all the grave clothes off of him. That means there was a season. His head was free, but he was still working on the arm. And then his arm got free and then started working on the leg. And then they started working, working on this leg. And I'm sure it took a while, but sooner or later all of the grave clothes were off of him. And I'm telling you, that is a picture of what it looks like to walk with Jesus. He will call you to life. But it's through community and through a process and through the transforming of my mind and getting under the word of.
- [55:41]
B
God and talking to a therapist and talking to a counselor and getting the right circle around me. All of a sudden, stuff gets off of me.
- [55:50]
A
So I don't even want you to live with the pressure that, okay, it's a one and done. I wish deliverance can happen instantaneously, but it more often happens through a process. When you come and say, I don't want to live under the lie, watch what he'll do in your life, I want to pause just for a moment. Moment. Just in case there's somebody else. Cuz I know how the enemy works. Every time he talks, it's a lie. So there's a lie in somebody's head right now, hey, it's too late. You should have gone early when everybody else was coming. It's going to be awkward now. That's a lie. It's not. It's not. If your father, if your father is called calling you, you can always come. I want to wait. There's somebody that needs to come. Thank you. Thank you, God. Thank you, thank you, Jesus. Thank you, thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, you. Thank you, God. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, God. Reject the lie. Receive the truth. Reject the lie. It's always going to be this way. No, it is not. I'm always going to be addicted. No, you are not. Reject the lie. Receive the truth. Those of you this altar, can you just lift up your hands as a sign of surrender? Every time I lift up my hands, I'm saying, God, I give up control. I trust you. Sometimes we lie to protect ourselves and because we don't trust God. Lord, I trust. I trust you. Even if the truth is going to have consequences, I still would rather live in truth. So I surrendered my control with hands lifted. Would you just say this prayer? I'm going to give you the words, but you say it from your heart. Would you say this? Say, jesus, I need you. Jesus, I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that you lived the life that I was supposed to live. You died the death that I was supposed to die. You took my place. So my response to surrender. I'm tired of living a lie. I receive the truth. You are the truth. From this moment forward, I'm walking with you. Forgive me of my sin. Make me brand new. I am who you say that I am. I am loved. I am forgiven. I am your child. In Jesus name, Amen. Amen. Amen. Come on, somebody give Jesus the best praise that you got.