LANGUAGE:
Two More Common Lies We Believe
(Pt 2 - Selected Scriptures + Communion)
This morning I’d like to pick up on our series entitled The Lies We Believe (and how they affect us). I increasingly find George Orwell’s quote fascinating “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act”.[i]
Because lying is so inbred in us, it is no longer seen as a grievous sin. In fact, it has become an accepted way to change one’s present reality into a new reality[ii] where we seek to accommodate our egos and reduce our self-perceived failures.[iii] According to research lying generally begins around age 2, rising dramatically by the age of 3.[iv] With that kind of start, it doesn’t take long for lying to become part-and-partial of our lives. “The lies that we tell don’t just shape our personalities—they become our personalities,” To one extent or another, we all tell lies to ourselves to avoid confronting our reality. Politics has a funny way of reflecting this troubling characteristic. The problem is, deception of self or others is no longer a serious offensive. However, it is like black mold that grows over time, eventually metamorphosing into something highly destructive. [v]
Let’s begin with a Word of Prayer. Heavenly Father, as we open your book, open our minds to the lies that govern our lives, and set us free from their harsh grip. May we make every effort to train our minds to think godly. Amen
Did you know that there are some animals that cannot be tamed or domesticated? According to Worldatlas we cannot tame or domesticate Zebras, Moose, Great White Sharks, crocodiles, and Hippopotamus.[vi] Though I must tell you that my wife was able to get up-close-and-personal with a hippopotamus, feeding and touching it.
Though most of us would stand at a very respectable distance from these wild unruly animals, the Bible tells us, that like the untamable animals, we all carry an untamable aspect, and that is our tongues. James tells us that the tongue cannot be tamed[vii]. And According to Proverbs 18:21 (NASB95) it can hold sway over death and life.[viii]
In a study by the University of Massachusetts it was found that 60% of us people cannot go 10 minutes without lying, whether it be deliberate or not. And it has been shown that ‘us Americans’ tend to lie at least 11 times each week. [ix] As Mark Twain said “It’s ‘not only’ natural to lie, and there’s something about our nature that ‘really’ enjoys it.”[x]
Many of us walk around broken because we allow the world to dictate how we think and how to react to our perceived barriers.
Last time we touched briefly on 3 common lies. Let me add two more to the list this morning.
It’s not unusual to find ourselves in a tizzy as to some enormous decision needing to be made, and so we go to our most respected counselors for advice and direction. As the conversation comes to a close, we’ll hear something along this line: “At the end of the day, you just need to do what your heart is telling you.” It’s another way of saying “trust yourself” and “follow your instincts.” It’s the idea that the heart is infallible, that the heart is the ultimate source of happiness and it will never lead you astray. Its the idea that the more empowered one becomes, the stronger one becomes, and the happier one becomes.”[xi]
In the Bible the word heart (kardis) refers to one’s INNER BEING: that would be thoughts, feelings, and decisions.[xii] Because I am an introvert, I spend a lot of time wrapped up in what the Bible calls “the secret man of the heart”.[xiii] And let me tell you, my heart scares me more often than not.
And according to Ecclesiastes 9:3. . . the heart is full of evil and insanity throughout life. I can testify to the realness of that truth. Then there is Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB95) “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?, Talk about hopelessness.
If we really understood the nature of our hearts, I doubt seriously any of us would book a ride with it. Shane Pruitt reminds us that if the truth be told, the older one gets, the more one realizes that the greatest enemy is one’s self.
It is here in the inner sanctuary of our lives that our battles are won or lost. Sometime ago I spotted a Marine Billboard that read: “Battles Are Won Within”. I cannot testify to the slogan’s accuracy in wartime, but I can certainly testify to its truth in the flow of life. The struggles that we deal with on a daily basis are not so much external as they are internal. The real challenge for each of us is the inner struggle, the war against the voice within us urging us to be self-indulgent, callous, and takers versus givers.[xv]
Let me help you understand how twisted our hearts actually are. Proverbs 23:7 (NASB95) as one thinks within himself, so he is. Don’t miss this powerful truth. Our thoughts shape us as to who we are.
So how does one think? Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 15:19–20 (NASB95) 19“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20“It is these things which defile the man . . .” Now let’s go back to Proverbs 23:7. There we learn that we act out the condition of our hearts. “We become what we think about all day long, and those thought days eventually shape who we are.”[xvi]
No wonder we have a hard time making right decisions. How can one think clearly when the heart is churning out evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. And by the Spirit’s direction, in Galatians 5, Paul adds to the swirl of muck, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, rebellions, divisions, and envying.[xvii] Hewrites in Romans 7:23 (NLT) There is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
In light of what Jesus said, following one’s heart is not good counsel. So we need to come up with some kind of battle plan that will help us overcome the darkness within so that we can make good decisions. The heart can only focus on one thing at a time.[xviii] That’s what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 (NASB95) “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.[xix] And according to Romans 8:5-8, we are constantly warring between the secrets of the inner-self and the desires of the spirit.[xx]
What we need to understand is that our greatest battles occur internally. A careful reading of God’s handbook for life gives us a strategy that will help us rise above the muck in our hearts. Let me help you by giving 5 verses that will help you form a winning strategy over the inner muck in your heart:
. . . to rise above the muck in our hearts we need to align our thoughts with God’s handbook. The Psalmist asks himself a searching question: How can a young man keep his way pure? Then he answers his own question: By keeping it according to Your word. That would be keeping it according to God’s Word
When we submit ourselves to God's word we will not only be safe against bad counsel and practices of the world, we will glean more wisdom than those who profess to be wise. That’s why Paul testifies in Romans 7:22 (NASB95) I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man.
Second, to rise above the muck in our hearts we need a healthy fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10–11 (NASB95) 10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.[xxi]
Our ability to fear God relates to how much we know about Him. The more we have absorbed the wisdom and revelation of God’s character, which is found in the Bible alone, the more glorious God becomes to us. It is in that relationship that we acquire the knowledge we need.
2 Peter 1, v3, by His divine power He has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.[xxii] The issue on the table should be, how does my thoughts and choices line up with God’s directives in the scripture? If you are wondering how your thoughts line up with God’s thoughts, check out Hebrews 4:12 where we are told that God’s Word is designed to judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. The Word of God is not dead wood. It is designed to pierce deep into the hidden recesses of the heart, showing us the truth of our thoughts , our motives, our selves.
Third, to rise above the muck in the heart we need to apply Romans 12:2 (NASB95) do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . The word world refers to the spirit of the age. It refers to the popular worldview that rejects God’s directives. And we are naturally conformed to the world which massages the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes (the lust of the ears) and the pride of life.[xxiii]
The heart is the key to the Christian life. The condition of our hearts translates into action. Therefore, it is crucial that are hearts be renewed.[xxiv] The only way to replace the error of the world’s way of thinking is to replace it with God’s truth, and the only infallible source of God’s truth is the Bible. Renewal takes place when we expose our hearts to God’s Word through the faithful exposition of scripture at church, personal in-depth Bible study, and group Bible study. There are no shortcuts.
Fourth, renewed hearts of Romans 12 receive the Spirit who empowers our inner man. Ephesians 3:16 (NASB95) in Paul’s prayer for the believers at Ephesus he prays that God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man. Paul’s desire was for the Holy Spirit to work in the Ephesians' spiritual lives in great power. The purpose for strengthening was so “that Christ may make His home in your hearts” (v. 17), which leads to our being filled by the fullness of God (v19). This means that when we are strengthened in our inner man, Christ will take over our entire inward being.[xxv]
Fifth, with a transformed heart we then seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ‘In light of that, we are instructed to’ set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.[xxvi] We clean up the way we think by seeking out the things that are above. Seeking out the things that are above will transform you into the image of Christ.
By applying these five principles: Psalm 119:9, Proverbs 9:10-11, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 3:16 and Colossians 3:1-2 we can arise above the muck that swirls 24/7 in our hearts.
I think we have time to look one more lie. One of the deadliest lies we wrestle with is the lie of entitlement, that is, we deserve to have it all. When you go to the restaurant for a night out, I seriously doubt that any of you order the whole menu. When you make your choice, you say ‘yes’ to one, and ‘no’ to 50 other items on the menu. When thinking about having it all, King Solomon comes to my mind.
In Ecclesiastes 2, vs10 he tells us that Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. He had the money and the power to experience whatever he wanted. Listen to some of his conclusions:
He then sums up his findings—I’ve had it all, and all I got was a vain grasping for the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14)[xxvii] Grasping the wind is like grasping dry sand. Apart from God, life has no meaning or substance.
Mark Twain observed that the outside influences are always pouring in upon us, and we are always obeying their orders and accepting their verdicts,[xxviii] because we have bought into the idea that “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence,” and so we work hard to get on that other side—whether it be job, house, car, or mate The only problem is, when we get to the other side of the fence, we find out that we can’t have it all there, either.[xxix] Keeping up with the neighbors is not so much an attitude as in wanting it all.
Paul warned Timothy to be careful of wanting it all in 1 Timothy 6:9–10 (GW) People who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. Temptations abound for all of us, but Paul is pointing out that the pursuit of riches opens the door to a whole new set of temptations. Those who pursue riches are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin. 10’Because’ the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. … And It is because of this craving that some have wandered away from the faith, and ‘ended with nothing’.[xxx] Proverbs 11:4 (NASB95) Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.,
Jesus said, Matthew 6:19–21 (NASB95) 19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The apostle Paul had the right attitude when he counseled Timothy, vs7-8: “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” Hebrews 13:5 (NASB95) Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, ‘and be’ content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”
Seeking to have it all is trusting in the uncertainty of riches rather than the living God (1 Tim. 6:17). It’s looking for security in material things instead of in our heavenly Father. “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed,” Jesus warned, “for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Chris Thurman, in his book The Lies We Believe points out that the pursuit of stuff is a destructive delusion that cheapens life. It makes us anxiously live for the future rather than appreciate and enjoy the present.[xxxi]
Let’s pause here. Rather than trust our hearts, we should commit our hearts to God: Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”. It’s an explicit command not to trust ourselves. And with the command comes the promise of guidance to those who choose to follow the Lord.
In Christ we not only have the status of sons and daughters of the King of life Himself, we have access to divine power to fight and conquer any lie we struggle with and live in holiness. 2 Peter 1:3 (NASB95) His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. We are not destined to fail.
Let’s close in prayer: Our Father, we thank You for the greatness of Your truth. We long so much that you will immerse Your Word into our hearts, showing us yourself, and showing us our Savior, and making Your Book come alive in and to us. Help us to this end, we pray in Jesus name., amen.
[i] George Orwell, https://www.azquotes.com/author/11147-George_Orwell.
[ii] George Orwell, Qutable Quote, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6145-who-controls-the-past-controls-the-future-who-controls-the—“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” Roger Berkowtiz, Lying As A Way Of Life, https://hac.bard.edu/amor-mundi/lying-as-a-way-of-life-2020-10-15. https://knowledgenuts.com/2017/11/22/some-of-the-biggest-lies-that-changed-history-as-we-know-it/ Some of the Biggest Lies That Changed History As We Know It
[iii] The Lies We Tell Ourselves, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202111/the-lies-we-tell-ourselves. Prominent themes can also be based on the way you’ve come to define your own personality. For example, you may see yourself as an optimist, introvert, or procrastinator. But are those perceptions based on accurate self-reflections, or have they been formed through the myths you’ve created about yourself? In other words, are you really the introvert you believe you are? Research suggests our conclusions may not be as accurate as we imagine.
[iv] Romeo Vitelli, When Does Lying Begin? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/201311/when-does-lying-begin
[v] https://academyofideas.com/2021/09/the-big-lie-how-to-enslave-the-world/“And the lie has, in fact, led us so far away from a normal society that you cannot even orient yourself any longer; in its dense, gray fog not even one pillar can be seen.” Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics.”
[vi] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-animal-species-that-cannot-be-domesticated.html
[vii] James 3:8–10 (NASB95) 8But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
[viii] Proverbs 12:13 (NASB95) 13An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble. Proverbs 13:3 (NASB95) 3The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
[ix] Mark Wolmark, 30 Lying Statistics & Facts: How Often Do People Lie. https://www.goldenstepsaba.com/resources/lying-statistics. And in another study it was estimated that Americans tell eleven lies every week
[x] Jerry Shirley, The Lying Tongue [Let Me Be Honest] (Exodus 20:16), https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-lying-tongue-let-me-be-honest-jerry-shirley-sermon-on-lies-125901?page=1&wc=800
[xi] Gisele Bundchen, 40 Quotes That’ll Tell You to Listen to Your Heart (It Knows the Way) https://healingbrave.com/blogs/all/quotes-listen-to-your-heart
[xii] The Arndt and Gingrich Lexicon says of this word kardia (Capitals ours) "Heart as the seat of physical, spiritual and mental life:" as the center and source of physical life....satisfying our hearts with food Acts 14:17...as the center and source of the WHOLE INNER LIFE with its THINKING, FEELING, and VOLITION, in the case of the natural man as well as the redeemed man...of the faculty of THOUGHT, of the THOUGHTS themselves, of understanding, as the organ of natural and spiritual enlightenment (I Kings 10:2, Job 12:3, 17:4) IN THIS AREA KARDIA MAY OFTEN BE TRANSLATED MIND: II Cor. 4:6, Eph. 1:18, II Peter 1:19."
[xiii] 1 Peter 3:4 (NASB95) but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. A just desire of concealing itself. the genitive expresses the fact that the life of the “hidden man” manifests itself in the sphere of the feelings and affections
[xiv] Shane Pruitt, 9 Common Lies Christians Believe. https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/14157-9-common-lies-christians-believe/day/5
[xv] Emuna Braverman, Battles Are Won Within, https://aish.com/battles-are-won-within/
[xvi] Our thoughts define who we are, shape the life we live and inspire the dreams we dream and create the realities we accomplish. Our thoughts are choices… in our hands to make. May we remind ourselves daily: I AM WHAT I THINK,
[xvii] Galatians 5:19–21 (NASB95) 19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
[xviii]Mark 12:30–31 (NASB95) 30AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31“The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
[xix] 1 Kings 18:21 (NASB95) 21Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. Luke 16:13 (NASB95) 13“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” ; Galatians 1:10 (NASB95) 10For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. James 4:4 (NASB95) 4You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
[xx] Romans 8:5-8, ESV For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
[xxi] Psalm 111:10 (NASB95) 10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.
[xxii] 2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
[xxiii] Ephesians 2:1–3 (NASB95) 1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 2 Timothy 2:26 (NASB95) 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 1 John 2:15–16 (NASB95)
15Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
[xxiv] Ephesians 4:17–24 (NASB95) 17So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
[xxv] Witness Lee, The Two Greatest Prayers of the Apostle Paul, https://www.ministrysamples.org/excerpts/THROUGH-HIS-SPIRIT-INTO-THE-INNER-MAN-1.HTML. If you mean business with the Lord, if you are desperate, something within will be energizing you, but if you are indifferent, the power within you will not operate. How much this power can operate to energize us depends upon how desperate we are. We all have this power within us. With some it really works, but with others it does not work. This is because some are desperate and others are indifferent. The secret to the operation of this power is that we need to be desperate.
[xxvi] Philippians 4:8 (NASB95) 8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
[xxvii] Ecclesiastes 2:11 (NASB95) 11Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.
[xxviii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses
[xxix] Thurman, Dr. Chris. The Lies We Believe (p. 32). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
[xxx] William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, vol. 46, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000), 346. Paul is not saying that the love of money is the one and only root of evil, or that it is the most significant one, but it is a serious stumbling block to the Ephesians, and the proverb is therefore appropriate in the Ephesian context
[xxxi] Thurman, Dr. Chris. The Lies We Believe (p. 32). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.