The dictionary says "lie (noun) Intentional false statement; imposture, false
belief, give this ~ to, belie, serve to show falsity of; tell a ~, make a intentional
false statement. ~ v.i. (pres. Part. Lying). Speak falsely, tell lie(s); take away, get
into, out of, by lying; (of things) deceive."
Talk Introduction
Today we are going to be looking at something we all do from time-time : lie
Get us thinking about this, I have got some imaginary situations
When you parents were out, you some how managed to kill the family pet. When asked
about it, do you:
Denny all knowledge
Tell them what happened
Try and find a replacement
You are around your friend's house when you accidentally drop your friends Gameboy
while he/she is not looking. Do you:
Offer to buy a new one
Say it was like that when you found it
Hide it, so he/she finds it later
You discover your best mate's girlfriend/boyfriend has been seeing somebody else. If
asked about it, would you:
Say nothing, deny everything
Tell him/her what you know
Go and sort the situation out yourself
You go to the bank and discover that your latest statement says you have £700, when
you know you have only paid in £20. Do you:
Immediately go into the bank and get the problem sorted out
Draw some cash out
Wait to see what happens
Other ideas:
You discover your friend has stolen something valuable....
The local shop gives you £5 more change than you deserve, what do you do?
You have been invited to a party and your parents will not let you go...
The main bit
Why do you think people lie?
To get their own way
To cover up
To make them look good
To make others look bad
To protect people, i.e., your mate is wearing something ridiculous…
Because we worry about what other people think about us. For example, some might lie
about the love life because they feel stupid if they don't have a girlfriend / boyfriend
Do some lie without realising? i.e., compulsively?
From time - time, we have all been on the receiving end of lies and things that are not
true:
Do you have any examples? (NO NAMES)
Me:
Letter from that survey company saying we won a microwave. I sent off £25...but it was
a scam
How did these lies make you feel?
Has anybody 'found you out' when you have told a lie?
What did it feel like when you told the lie in the first place?
What did you feel like when the truth got out?
Bible bit
Lets look at what the Bible has to say about this...
John 8:44 (it’s a bit jargon):
Devil is the father of all lies
Ep 4:17 and 4:25 page 1223 : stop telling lies
Col 3:9 page 1241 : do not lie*
Ex 20:16 page 78 : do not tell lies about your neighbour
Conclusion
We should not lie, that's what the Bible says!
However, that's tricky...to do this we need to our minds in tune with God
Do you thing there is anything we can do to lie less?
Other thoughts
Is there such a thing as a white lie?
Can saying nothing be a lie? I.e., by not speaking out, you are, by implication, telling
a lie?
