Tonight, I invite you to turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4. We considered a portion of Ephesians chapter 4 a few weeks ago in connection with the Eighth Commandment. And as we have considered a portion of Ephesians 4 as our law reading on occasion, it's fitting too that we return there for the Ninth Commandment tonight, Reading together the first 16 verses and verse 25, considering in particular verses 14 and 15 of Ephesians chapter 4. Once you have found that, please turn in the back of the Psalter hymnal to page 55. Page 55. Tonight we do consider the ninth commandment, which simply says you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Page 55, we find Lord's Day 43 there. Let's express what it is we believe concerning question and answer 12. What is God's will for us in the ninth commandment? God's will is that I never give false testimony against anyone, Twist no one's words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind. These are devices the devil himself uses, and they would call down on me God's intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor's good name. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning at verse 1, as we now give our attention to the Word of God. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says, when he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men. What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work. In verse 25, Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Again, the text, verses 14 and 15, Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the head, that is, Christ. Beloved in Christ the Lord, again, the beginning of answer 12, says in response to what is God's will for us in the ninth commandment, God's will is that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one's words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. That I never do that. Sounds easy, right? I think we can close the Bible and say amen and be done for the night. Because who among us here tonight has a problem with the truth? I mean, we're all professing Christians, right? So who among us has a problem with the truth? Has a problem with these things? Well, sadly, we all do. Because of sin, the truth often makes us look bad and we need to cover it up. Or because of sin, we might want others to look bad and therefore we might twist the truth or gossip or lie about another. And the examples of bearing false witness, including lying, boys and girls, The examples are endless. We could all give numerous examples. Even the boys and girls, you know what lying is. I know you do. You see heads nodding, yes. You know what lying is. For example, if you have gotten yourself into trouble and you've gotten caught, and you know you're going to get punished, you might be tempted to lie, say anything you can so that the punishment might not be so bad. Or even to pass the blame on to someone else. We all can think of endless examples of bearing false witness. Whether it's from the slightest misrepresentation or a full-blown bold-faced lie. Whether it's what we call a little white lie or some sort of an innuendo that we might give to someone concerning someone else to leave the one we spoke to with some sort of a suggestion in their mind about so-and-so. Or self-deception in the sense of telling someone something about ourselves that isn't really the truth, but we want them to believe that about us. Or there are what are called lies of convenience. You know what that is? Hello? No, they're not here right now, even though they're standing right next to you. Lies of convenience. Or there are what are called statistical lies, messing with the numbers to make investors, for example, think that the bottom line is better than what it really is. Or there are lies of what is called improbable consequence. That's often found in advertising. If you buy this sports car, your life is going to be great and you'll have all the girls surrounding you. All kinds of lies. And it's not my purpose tonight to rehearse with you all the different ways in which we might break this commandment because we all have a pretty good idea of that. But we need to remember that the motivation for bearing false witness is always selfishness. It's always selfishness. Promoting and preserving myself. Which is the complete opposite of love for God and His truth and love for our neighbor, which God requires. You see, beloved, bearing false witness is an attack against God's truth and it is an attack against the reality that God has made to want to change it. Bearing false witness is to fall in line with none other than Satan. Boys and girls. It's to fall in line with Satan. It's to be His instrument. Jesus said of the devil that there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language for he is a liar and the father of lies. And sometimes, beloved, we think that lying or twisting the truth is no big deal if nobody gets hurt. So what's the big deal? No harm, no foul. But you see, beloved, except for what we might call righteous lies, which God approved of, for example, Rahab lying to the leaders of Jericho about the spies or the midwives of Israel, lying to the Egyptians about the Israelite mothers, or those who hid Jews and lied about it to the Nazis, those were instances in which those who did that protected, promoted the good name of their neighbor. Apart from those, there is no such thing as innocent lying. There is no such thing as innocent falsehood. It is always, each and every time, to take the side of Satan. And that's why tonight, to put the commandment into positive, you shall speak the truth in love. You shall speak the truth in love. First of all, because of the destructive danger of the lie. Secondly, because of the building quality of the truth. You see, when it comes to the unity of the body of Christ, as Paul teaches us in Ephesians chapter 4, this indeed is one of the important details that he teaches. Again, verse 25, under the section, Living as children of light. What is to characterize living as children of light? Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. And in our text, we see that Paul gives a contrast between the lie, that which is false, and the truth. He points out the difference is between building up and tearing down, and the same is true when it comes to our relationship with our neighbor. The truth builds up, the lie tears down. And Paul makes it clear that the Christian's lifestyle is to be characterized from top to bottom, from beginning to end, by the truth. Beloved, we are to remember that our lives, every moment of our lives is constantly witnessing to something. Constantly. And therefore, our lifestyle is to be characterized by the truth, to speak the truth in love, Paul says. Literally, it says, truthing in love. Truthing in love. And the idea there is more than just simply speaking words that are true. But it's talking about walking in the truth, having and holding on to the truth, maintaining, living, and doing the truth. And all of that then which is according to a standard. You see, you can't hold on to, you can't live according to, you can't maintain the truth if there is no standard telling you what the truth is. And that truth is not what man thinks or what man decides. It's not something that is relative. But that truth is what God says. The standard by which we live is nothing but the Word of God. And the psalmist in Psalm 19 says, Your law is truth. And he says, All your commandments are true. And he says, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light upon my path. That Word of God, beloved, teaches us the truth of Jesus Christ and His saving love. It teaches us the truth of our desperate need for salvation. And it teaches us the truth of how we are to live in this wicked world. And we are to live in such a way that we are called to uphold and promote this truth of God. First of all, because of the destructive danger of the lie. The lie is destructively dangerous. The lie undermines the standard of truth upon which the church is built. Paul says of Jesus in verse 11 again, It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers. Notice that. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers. Do you notice what they have in common? The truth. The Word. Teaching. Preaching. The truth. The church is dependent upon the Word of God. His truth that gives us all that we need for life and for godliness. But the lie undermines the standard of truth. And its goal is to affect confidence in that truth. In verse 14, Paul begins, Then we will no longer be. He's talking about those who are built up according to the truth. Who have the solid foundation of the truth. We will no longer be. But the opposite is those who do not have that standard of the truth. Those who are faced with a lie are infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Notice the destructive danger of the lie. Making sure that people are not settled in what they understand. They're not settled in the truth of what they believe. Satan desires spiritual immaturity. Paul uses the analogy of infants and children. Boys and girls, it's not intended to be an insult for you. But very simply to point out the truth of a child's instability. And Paul uses the analogy of waves. If you go to the ocean, you know this well, that the waves are constantly in motion. Even if you go to a lake and it looks like it's smooth as a glass, if you look close, it is still in motion a little bit. Always. Constantly in motion. And those waves toss us around as if we are nothing. Children are like those waves, constantly in motion, constantly being tossed about. They change quickly, especially their moods. They lack self-control as they show through their impatience. They overreact. Some adults, too, when they don't get their way. But children are constantly on the move like that. And Paul also points to the liability of being easily misled and deceived. Again, describing children. And here, using the analogy of the wind. The wind sometimes blows in every direction. You don't know where it's coming from. You don't know where it's going. And sometimes you might see a feather or a bit of cotton from these cottonwood trees over here or maybe a piece of paper floating around in the wind going here and there in every direction. It changes direction quickly and easily. And that's what Paul is talking about here with children as infants. A child can be gullible. A child often believes anything because that child is ignorant and simply lacks knowledge yet. Many children have a short attention span and they easily follow something new and exciting. And that's Satan's goal here, to keep them moving around, never to get settled upon the truth, promoting what is false. Satan's work, and we know that work well, remember in the garden, his work of twisting the Word of God? His work of twisting the Word of God continues through his false teachers. Paul speaks of every wind of teaching. False teachings, heresies, philosophies of men from every direction that blow those who are unstable, the spiritually immature in every direction. And he does so using the cunning and craftiness of men. Now there, the idea has to do with the sleight of hand. Think of a game of chance, maybe a card game of chance, where the dealer uses deceit and trickery and cheating, and he uses that while you're not watching. And that's the idea here. That false teachers manipulate the truth with what is false, with what is untrue, with the purpose of deceiving and misleading. And Paul speaks of their deceitful scheming. They plan it. They lie in wait for their prey. Tossing some around with that which is false. And the whole object then is to cause people to question the Word of God. It's all designed to give birth to the doubt. Did God really say, you shall have no other gods before me? Did God really say that Jesus is the only way to the Father and that there is no other name under heaven by which we might be saved? Did God really say that homosexuality is a sin? Did God really say that abortion is murder? Did God really say, and you can fill in the blank, And then they might concede, well, he said it. It's written down in the Bible. But what did he really mean? Now that's what we have to discuss. What did he really mean? Beloved, the lie undermines the standard of truth. It affects confidence in the truth. And it also destroys the unity of the church, as Paul teaches us here, promoting various interpretations of Scripture, not following as we do. Scripture interprets Scripture. But Satan tries to tell us, whatever you think, whatever you feel, that's what's right for you. It undermines and promotes discord and arguing and fighting and selfishness and anger and hatred in the church. The lie detracts from encouraging one another in the faith. It detracts from preaching and teaching the truth to the lost world. It detracts from demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ both inside and outside the church walls. It detracts from trust in God, trusting that He really does know best, trusting that He really is in control, trusting that He really is able to save me. Beloved, the lie is the work of hatred. Hatred for God and man results in the lie it seeks to destroy. That's what happens when people live and practice what is false. It is an attack against God. It is to say, I don't believe you, God. I know better than you. It is to take Satan's side against God. Beloved, lying is bearing false witness against God. Saying that His Word and His truth really is no big deal. But it's also an attack against man. It's an attack against both the object, the one who has lied about, and the receiver of the lie, the one who hears it. And believe it or not, It's even an attack against the liar himself. The Bible says the lie is like a sharp sword. And Proverbs 26, verse 28 says, A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin. And James 3, verse 8 says, The tongue is full of deadly poison. Beloved, the lying tongue does untold damage. It cuts, it tears, it rips in all sorts of shapes and sizes. It is an attack against the object of the lie, the one who has lied about. Because bearing false witness can ruin a reputation in an instant. It can cause suffering that really is not deserved. It can cause hurt feelings. And it can deprive one of the respect and maybe the things that one has earned a right to. And it's also an attack against the receiver, the one who hears the lie or hears the false witness because it causes that one to believe the lie, that which is false. And it leads that one into sin by developing a wrong impression of the one who was lied about and joining in condemning without hearing or without a just cause. And probably worst of all, it turns that receiver away from Christ instead of pointing to Christ. The lie never, ever points to Christ. It always points against Him. And also, the lie is an attack against the liar. Whether he realizes it or not, it destroys trust in that one. Who among us trusts one whom we know to be a liar? And also, it attacks that one because no matter what temporary gain that liar might enjoy in this life due to his lie. As the catechism says, he draws God's intense anger against himself. Beloved, there are no winners when it comes to bearing false witness. It destroys unity among God's people. It promotes the father of lies among the world while casting shame upon the truth of God in Christ Jesus. And instead, the catechism rightly calls us to love the truth. To love it. To love it because in the second place of the building quality of the truth. The truth builds up. Paul says, speak the truth in love. Again, truthing in love. Holding on to, maintaining, doing the truth in love. And the building quality of the truth includes its sure standard. And that standard again is the very same standard that the lie seeks to destroy and discredit. But it is only that sure standard that gives strength and gives stability. It is the Word of God. And that Word of God alone is the measuring stick against which false teaching and deceitful scheming of liars is measured. That's why Paul says they will no longer be infants tossed to and fro. Because they are built up on the standard of the truth of the Word of God. They know how to measure that which is false against the truth. And that's why we must constantly hear the Word of God. That's why we must love the truth of the Word of God so that we too are able, ready and able to discern that which is false against that which is true. The church's one foundation is the truth of Jesus Christ, her Savior and Lord. That foundation includes the only way of salvation. It includes all the truth necessary for faith and practice. And that sure foundation, the Word of God, causes growth and maturity in God's people as the Holy Spirit prepares them as a bride, cleansing her, making her holy, preparing to present her to the bridegroom as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle, as Paul says. That sure standard brings to salvation. Beloved, God does not deceive us. God does not deceive us. Not anywhere in this book. He does not give one bit of false information about salvation for anything. He does not tell us in this book, in His Word, so that we'll feel better. He doesn't tell us, well, you're really okay. You're dented up a little bit. But you're really pretty good. He does not tell us in this book that He will let sin slide. He does not tell us that we really have no worries in and of ourselves. His Word does not lead us astray. Instead, He tells us the truth. He tells us the truth of Himself, of His holiness and justice and mercy and grace. He tells us the truth of us, that we are totally depraved, that we are sinful through and through and through, that we are completely unable to do anything to please Him. And He tells us the truth of Jesus Christ, that there is a Redeemer, Jesus Christ, our Lord. And beloved, in His love, He brings us to love Him. He brings us to love His truth because He first loved us. And therefore, we must also consider in this building quality of the truth, we must consider its abiding quality. And that abiding quality of truth is love. What do we know about love? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. That is how we are to live the truth. With that character of love. You see, beloved, you and I can only speak and act consistent in a way that is consistent with our heart. And that means that if your heart is filled with hate, you can only lie and deceive. But if your heart is filled with love, you will desire the truth. You will desire to live it out of love for God and your neighbor. In response to God's love poured out on me, I am called to speak the truth to my neighbor and live the truth before my neighbor in love. Catechism says, speak it candidly. Again, we could talk all night about what that means, how that is played out, how do we speak the truth candidly, but very simply, we are called to tell the truth at all times. The truth is to be our daily practice, in our general speaking. We are to be truthful, we are to be actual, be accurate, we are to be factual. Don't lie, don't spread false rumors, don't misrepresent yourself or others, don't give someone a wrong impression. But especially we are called to speak the truth candidly in the face of sin. You see, beloved, we must confront each other in sin. We are commanded to do that. And believe it or not, that's the loving thing to do. No matter how hard it might be, and even though sometimes the truth hurts, when sin is involved, that is the loving thing to do. Again, the truth sometimes hurts, and therefore we are not to gossip of it to someone else, but to go to that one, one-on-one. However, beloved, to remain silent in the face of sin is to violate this command. It is to bear false witness, because it is to treat the situation as if nothing is wrong, when that's simply not true. And that is not the loving thing to do, to leave one in their sin. Speak it candidly. And the catechism also says to openly acknowledge it, even if it proves that you are wrong about something. And this is where we have a hard time. Right? Sometimes, especially as husbands and wives, we don't like to give in. I'm not wrong, you're wrong. Acknowledge the truth openly. If you are confronted with the truth, how will you respond? Well, it depends, doesn't it? If the truth promotes you in some way, well, that's going to make you feel pretty proud. But if the truth points out an error about you, if the truth points out your sin, sadly, often we become angry, don't we? And right away, we want to lash out with, who are you to judge me? And then we misuse the verse, judge not that you be not judged. If you are confronted with the truth of sin, how will you respond? You see, if you respond with anger and hatred, Again, that is to violate this commandment. It would be a lie because you would then deny the truth. Or will you respond in humility and repentance? Beloved, don't bear false witness about yourself. If the truth is embarrassing or makes you look bad, don't give in to temptation to try to make yourself look better and give a false impression. Openly acknowledge it and thank God for His truth that corrects. The last line of the answer says again, and I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor's good name. Do what I can to guard and advance not my good name, but my neighbor's good name. Again, many things we could talk about, but very simply, guarding, protecting. Don't exploit the truth of negative qualities or weaknesses of your neighbor. Instead, protect them. Protect their reputation. Protect them from being looked down upon or ridiculed. And boys and girls, very simply, if you have a classmate that is not a very good singer or has a funny haircut or something, it may very well be true. But love means keeping silent about it. You see, unless sin is involved again, and we must confront them in love, it may be more loving to say nothing at all, to not speak that truth. How many of us would want the truth to be told about us from those who know us best, from our spouse? How many of us would want our spouse to stand up here tonight and tell the whole congregation things about them? I wouldn't want my wife to do that, to come up here and tell you things about me that aren't very flattering. We wouldn't like that, would we? Another way to guard, if gossip is spreading, whether it's true or not, do your best to put a stop to it. Do your best to put a stop to it. And if there is sin involved again, Go to that one speaking the truth in love. Guard them. And also advance, the catechism says. To promote the positive qualities and the strengths to another, about another. Promote them by encouraging them, defending them, and correcting them in love. And beloved, the ultimate goal is to bring one to the truth of Jesus Christ. Speaking the truth in love demonstrates that one is a recipient of God's love. It demonstrates that one understands by faith the truth of God and the truth of His Word and that our only hope is in Jesus Christ. It demonstrates that one desires to live the truth in love. We are called to point others to Jesus Christ with the truth. You see, as God's people speak the truth in love, He builds a holy people because His truth corrects error. Truth restores the wayward. Truth points in the right direction, all by the grace of God. And the Holy Spirit draws some to see that the motive for the truth of His people, even when it gains us nothing earthly, the Holy Spirit draws some to see that the motive for the truth of God's people is found in Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus Christ is the truth of God. The visible truth of God as He was incarnated. There is nothing deceptive about Jesus Christ. He told the truth. He lived the truth. And, beloved, He pointed to the truth of our sinfulness and our need through the cross. At the very same time, He pointed to the truth of God's mercy and grace again through the cross. You see, love desires the very best possible for others. And that very best is the truth of Jesus Christ and His saving love. Brothers and sisters, the truth is not to be mishandled. It is not to be used to do harm. It is not to be used to take advantage of another, but it is to be used to protect and promote the honor of God and the well-being of our neighbor. And the truth that we are called to uphold, the truth that we are called to speak in love, is alone founded on the truth of Jesus Christ. He never mishandled the truth. He always showed the proper path. He never harmed with the truth. Instead, He is the truth who healed. He never took advantage of another with the truth. Instead, He is the truth who profits those who look to Him in faith. He alone is the truth that sets us free from sin and shame, from the bondage of the devil. And He even paid for all of our sins of bearing false witness. You see, Jesus Christ alone is the faithful witness. And one day when we stand before God the Father, and we will, Jesus Christ will witness on behalf of we who so often witnessed against Him. As Satan will stand to accuse us, and as he will stand to bear false witness against those whom God justified, Jesus Christ will give faithful testimony that we are in Him because He paid for us. And until then, beloved, His truth builds us up in this life. It guides us in life. And His truth is to characterize our lives. Speaking the truth in love is to characterize the godly character of one who is in Christ Jesus. And beloved, living the truth, living in honesty, living with integrity, will get you noticed in the world. Again, maybe not very favorably as we said this morning. It will get you noticed in the world that promotes bending the rules for personal gain. It promotes lying. It promotes dishonesty as no big deal. But living the truth, living honestly, living with integrity will also earn you trust. You see, when your neighbor can trust you and believe you, then think of the credibility you will have when you tell him or her about Jesus Christ. Remember, beloved, our lives give constant witness to something. And as those who profess to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, our lives give constant witness to the work of God in us. And therefore, what kind of testimony are you giving? To love the truth is to love the Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore, may our desire be with the psalmist in Psalm 34, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. And may our prayer be, as we sang from Psalm 141, Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we confess before You again tonight that once again you have struck us in a sense where it hurts. You have hit us deeply as we must examine our own hearts and lives and as we recognize so clearly where we fall short of this command as well as the others. So often, Father, we find it easier to be deceptive, even if it's only a little bit. We find it easier not to tell the truth. we find it easier to mislead because it's more convenient oh Lord we pray that you would drive the lie and that which is false far from us more and more each day that we might be known as people of integrity those who know the truth even Jesus Christ and those who desire to live according to the truth of God Father may we represent you well help us oh Lord to represent you well by speaking the truth in love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.