Jesus and the 9th Commandment

[0:00] Matthew chapter 5 and verse 33, we'll be reading through verse 37. Again, you've heard that it was said to the people long ago,! Do not break your oath, but keep the oath that you have made to the Lord.

[0:16] But I tell you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.

[0:31] And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your yes be yes, and your no, no.

[0:42] Anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Then turn over to 1 Peter. 1 Peter, near the back of your New Testament.

[0:52] 1 Peter chapter 2. We're going to begin reading at verse 18 and read through verse 25. 1 Peter chapter 2.18.

[1:05] Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.

[1:22] But how is it, to your credit, if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

[1:36] To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.

[1:52] When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

[2:04] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

[2:15] For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Keep your Bibles open there to 1 Peter chapter 2.

[2:34] We're studying the ninth commandment, making our way through the Ten Commandments. And last week we looked at some of the many examples in the Bible of people who were caught lying.

[2:49] And we found six reasons why people lie. And I want to just share a few other observations before we move on this morning from that study of looking at all the examples in the Bible on lying.

[3:03] We see just how prevalent this evil is in our world. Indeed, as David cries out, everyone lies to his neighbor. We also see how destructive it is, both to the liar and to the ones lied about or lied to.

[3:20] We see how deeply rooted lying is in human nature, that from birth the wicked go astray, speaking lies. It's out of the heart that lies come.

[3:34] And we learn from this then our need for a new birth, that just as we were born into the world with a lying heart and a lying tongue, we need to be born again with the truth put in our inner parts so that we will speak the truth on our tongues.

[3:50] We learn from this survey of lies just how much we need a supernatural Jesus, a supernatural Savior with power to save and to break the bands of sin that hold us.

[4:08] We see how wonderful and how far-reaching Jesus' forgiveness and grace is, grace that is greater than all of our sins and forgiveness that reaches to all our sins and all of our lies.

[4:22] And we see just how amazing the obedience of Jesus Christ is when we see how all other men and women, boys and girls have done.

[4:35] Here stands this glorious obedience of Jesus to this same command. So we come this morning to consider Jesus in the ninth commandment.

[4:45] And we must never forget the Lord Jesus Christ in our study of the Ten Commandments. We must never lose sight of Him. Jesus is the lawgiver.

[4:56] He's the eternal Son of God who was on Mount Sinai declaring the law, giving the law to Israel in Exodus 20. He's the lawgiver, but He's the law interpreter.

[5:09] The one who explains the law, who expounds it, who tells us what it means and what it will look like to keep it. He expounds the law by His words and by His example.

[5:22] He's the lawgiver, He's the law interpreter, and He's the law keeper. And that's why He was born and became a man, born under the law, that by obeying the law, He might save and redeem those lawbreakers.

[5:38] So, lawgiver, law interpreter, law keeper. For the fact of the matter is that we have all broken this law and therefore suffer the consequences of God's wrath.

[5:55] When we needed a Savior, Jesus came and He suffered the punishment that our sins deserved. And then He kept that law throughout His lifetime that He might have a righteousness to give to all of us lawbreakers.

[6:08] So, Jesus and the Ninth Commandment. Among other things, when we're studying the Ten Commandments, we are studying what it means to become like Jesus Christ.

[6:23] We pray, Lord, make me like Jesus. What does that mean? The Ninth Commandment, the Ten Commandments, they help express to us what it means to become like Jesus.

[6:36] Jesus says, follow me. Become my disciple. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? He leads us into obedience to the commands of God.

[6:47] So it is with the Ninth Commandment. If we get into the yoke with Jesus, this is where He will lead us. This is what He will teach us. So this morning, we're looking at Jesus and the Ninth Commandment.

[6:58] we saw the many examples of lying on record in the Bible and they only magnify just how amazing is this example that we have of the Lord Jesus in His obedience to the Ninth Commandment.

[7:14] He's the only exception to David's cry. Everyone lies to his neighbor. And we'd say, oh, that's right, David, but the New Testament says everyone but one lies to his neighbors.

[7:28] There is one exception. There's one who never lied. From the womb, the wicked go astray, speaking lie, but not this holy one born of the Virgin Mary. And we find this staggering statement there in your Bible, 1 Peter 2, verse 22, quoting from Isaiah 53.

[7:46] Spoken about our Lord Jesus Christ, He committed no sin. No deceit was found in His mouth. No deceit, none, zilch, not the slightest bit, not any stretching of the truth, not any misleading statements, not any hateful statements meant to harm, not any slanderous lies, not claiming more for Himself than what was really true.

[8:18] Never lying to stay out of trouble. This is our Jesus. And notice the context of when He was found to be without deceit in His mouth. The whole context in which verse 22 is found is when people are suffering unjustly.

[8:34] They're doing what's right and people are mistreating them. And certainly we've been on the end of unjust treatment, but none of us have been on the end of unjust treatment like Jesus was.

[8:50] And it was under such temptation and provocation that Jesus had no deceit in His mouth.

[9:02] Notice the when, verse 23 and 24. When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

[9:17] We're going to look this morning at some of the lies that people told about Jesus. But even then, under such temptation, there was not the faintest deceit in His mouth. And that was that He might be qualified then to be the perfect substitute to die for us and to suffer our punishment and to give us a righteousness that we needed.

[9:40] It was for us that He sanctified Himself, that we too might be sanctified and made right with God. Yes, He had no deceit in His mouth that He might atone for our sins.

[9:53] But He was also leaving us an example, this passage says, that we might follow in His steps. Steps of truth-telling. Steps of no deceit at all found in our mouths.

[10:06] An Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile, no lie, no deceit. So let's worship our Savior for never lying as we think about Him this morning and read of Him and know that the reason He never lied was not because He was never tempted to lie.

[10:25] Hebrews 4 and verse 15 says that He was tempted in every way like we are, yet without sin. And that means that He was tempted to lie. He was tempted to break the ninth commandment.

[10:41] As a young child, as a teenager, as a young man, a grown man, He was tempted. But never once did He give in to the temptation and the provocation. And so no deceit was found in His mouth.

[10:56] Instead, He was full of grace and truth. And that which filled Him came out of His mouth. Truth. Always truth. Never deceit. So when His mother asked Him, where have you been, Jesus?

[11:10] He never twisted the truth about His whereabouts, but just told her flat out where He had been. And when in the carpentry shop the next day, Father asked Him, where'd you put the saw and hammer last night, Jesus?

[11:26] He told the truth. And when the neighbor kids lied about Him, He didn't lie back about them to get them in trouble, nor would He lie to keep them out of trouble.

[11:42] Like friends sometimes expect you kids to lie for them, to keep them from getting in. Not Jesus. No deceit was found on His lips.

[11:54] Now that speaks to the purity of His heart and why we find nothing but pure truth on His lips. None of the reasons why people lie were found in the heart of Jesus.

[12:08] Remember we saw those reasons last week? There's rebellion that causes people to lie. None of that in Jesus. Sweet submission to His Father. Hatred?

[12:20] Trying to harm people by lying about them? No. He loved even His enemies. Greed? Lying to get what wasn't His? No. He was content with His lot in life.

[12:33] Poor though He was. Pride? One in others to think more highly of Him than they ought. No. He was gentle and humble in heart. You see, fear that would cause us to lie, to get out of trouble or to not fall into trouble?

[12:50] No. He trusted in His Heavenly Father. None of the reasons men lie were found in Him. So when Satan came and tried to put a hook in his pride, he found no handle to tempt Jesus to sin, to tell a lie.

[13:06] When Satan came with a temptation to stir up hatred, he finds nothing to grab hold of our Savior. No deceit found in His mouth.

[13:16] He's a man of truth. There is nothing false about Him, John 7, 18. Nothing false about Him. Isn't that a beautiful expression about our Savior?

[13:28] So here's a Savior who meets our needs. Now, when He was 30 years old, He began teaching. And we find truth was more than a casual commitment that He had.

[13:44] God. It's rather what He is. Do you remember when He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life? That's what I am.

[13:56] I am truth. It's my very nature. It's part of... It's who I am through and through. Nothing false about Him. And it's that truth that will set you free from the enslaving power of sin, He's told them.

[14:15] It's only in knowing Him, the true God, that sinners have eternal life and come to the Father. So, this is who Jesus is. It's also why He came into the world.

[14:26] It's at the very heart of His mission. Listen to what He told Pilate as He was alone with Pilate. In John 18, 37, He said to Pilate, for this reason I was born and for this reason I came into the world to testify to the truth.

[14:48] To testify to the truth. If you would know why I'm here. I've come from another place, but I'm here to testify to the truth.

[14:58] And then He makes this staggering claim. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me. Can you believe that? What He's claiming for Himself. There's just two sides to this war.

[15:12] There's truth and there's lies. And all humanity divides into one of these two camps. And Jesus says every single one on the side of truth listens to me.

[15:25] Out of all the people in the world, of all the teachers and rabbis and religious leaders, everyone on the side of truth listens to me. They hear what I say and they take it on board.

[15:36] They believe it. They follow it. They obey it. But if you're not holding to my teaching, you're not on the side of truth. You're on the side of lies.

[15:47] You're a slave to that liar and father of lies, the devil. For there's no truth in him and when he speaks, he speaks. When he lies, he speaks his native language. Just two sides, two camps, and you can always know those on the side of truth.

[16:02] They hang on the words of Jesus. No deceit in Jesus, no truth in Satan. So this is a dividing line, isn't it?

[16:15] Jesus is a dividing line. Which side are you on? Truth or lies? Jesus or Satan? And then there's this statement in 1 John 3, 7 that the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

[16:33] And lying is no small part of the devil's work, is it? It was by his lie that he ruined this perfect world.

[16:44] It's by lying that he holds sinners in bondage and holds them captive. Did you know why Satan's kingdom is called a kingdom of darkness?

[16:54] darkness. It's because he keeps his people in the dark about the truth and about him who is the truth. Him who is the light, the light of truth.

[17:08] He holds them captive with his lies about God, about Christ, about who's going to be saved, about how you get saved, about heaven, hell, about what's worth living for, what will really give you joy and pleasure and peace and life.

[17:25] Satan's holding people captive by hiding the truth and keeping them under his lie. And that's how he holds the whole world under his control.

[17:38] He has darkened their understandings with his lies. So the success of his kingdom depends upon him hiding the truth from you, sinner friend.

[17:52] His success in keeping you in his kingdom of darkness depends on him hiding from you just how glorious Jesus is. The gospel, the reality of heaven and earth, the brevity of life, the eternity to come.

[18:08] He must hide. It's a dark kingdom in which darkness reigns. And so into this dark world of lies, Jesus comes as the light of the world with the light of truth to shine his light into this darkness to testify to the truth.

[18:30] And so he comes and he tells us the truth about God and about life after death and about sin and ourselves and our world. He tells us the truth straight up and he exposes Satan's lies.

[18:46] But this is the verdict, John 3, 19 and following. This is the upshot. Light has come into the world but men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

[18:59] And everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. So here are sinners in darkness living under Satan's lies, loving darkness rather than light because God's light would expose their evil.

[19:21] And everyone who does evil hates the light, you see. They don't want to leave their evil. Liars don't want their lies exposed by truth. So they cling to lies.

[19:32] They cling to the darkness. They shun the light of truth. They love darkness. They hate the light. They're like some of those bugs under the rock. And they're living their whole lives in darkness.

[19:44] And then here you come along, little eight-year-old, and you roll the rock over and suddenly their darkness is interrupted with light. And they don't say, oh, thank you for rescuing me from darkness.

[19:58] No, they scurry around looking for holes and get out of the light as fast as they can. They're darkness dwellers. That's their nature. And so they hate the light and love the darkness.

[20:10] That's what explains the reaction to Jesus coming as the light of the world, bringing light and truth into this dark world of lies. Men loved the darkness and hated the light.

[20:26] But Jesus goes on and says, there were exceptions because whoever lives by the truth comes to the light so that it may be plainly seen that what they have done has been done through God.

[20:40] You see, here's the believers. They are not evildoers. They are people following in God's ways and they gladly come into the light. And they say, search me, oh God, and try me.

[20:51] They come into the light so that it might be plainly seen that if you see any good in me, it's all due to God and what he's done in me. It's due to this light of the world.

[21:06] Well, this verse explains then what we read in our gospel accounts of what happened when the light of the world came into a world of darkness and lies, testifying to the truth.

[21:20] Well, he was hated, wasn't he? John 7, 7, the reason the world hates me is because I testify that what they're doing is evil. I'm here to testify to the truth.

[21:33] And the truth is is that you are doing what's evil. They didn't like that. And that's why they hated him. His holy teaching, but also his holy life was light shining at them and it exposed their lack of love for God and their lack of love for neighbor.

[21:53] It shows how out of line they were with the plumb line of God's truth. And when he taught on the ninth commandment, it exposed the lies in their hearts, the lies within and the sin within that put lies on their tongue.

[22:08] It showed their heart of rebellion and pride and hatred and greed and cover up. And the same was true of all the other commands. It exposed their sinful hearts and none more clearly than the religious leaders who were hypocrites pretending to be holy men.

[22:28] But Jesus brought the search light of his truth upon them and just exposed them in front of the crowd for what they were. And these enemies of Jesus hated Jesus then for doing that.

[22:42] because as he did that, the crowd shifted away from the scribes and Pharisees and started to follow Jesus and listen to Jesus.

[22:55] And they hated that. They hated Jesus and were envious of him. So they tried to tear down his image in the eyes of people by asking deceitful trick questions.

[23:09] These questions were designed to trip him up in something that he would say so that he'd be embarrassed in front of the people and all the people would say, oh, if he believes that, then we're moving back over to the Pharisees' side.

[23:23] That was their aim, but he never fell for their trick questions, did he? He never stumbled in his answer and even when they thought they had him backed into a corner, his answers were so penetrating with the truth that it actually exposed them as the fools, as them as the ones who were ignorant of scripture and put them to open shame forever having asked such trick questions.

[23:50] Of course, that made the people all the more amazed at Jesus' wisdom. Well, these men had other weapons to hurt Jesus. If their trick questions didn't work, they also had lies and they sought to smear him with lies and false testimony.

[24:09] they called him a glutton and a drunkard because he came to save such and he was found with them. You see what he is? He's hanging out with the drunkards and the gluttons because that's what he is.

[24:24] Birds of a feather flock together. Look at Jesus, the glutton, the drunkard. They called him a sinner. They called him a demon-possessed Samaritan, which may not sound bad to you, but in its day it was probably the worst racial slur you could throw upon a man.

[24:41] They said he was a madman deceiving the people. Of course they were the ones telling the lies and deceiving the very one who is the truth.

[24:53] But beneath their lies, you see, there was hatred that was plotting how to kill him. So they arrested him and they have him on trial.

[25:04] And they're so eager for a verdict that will condemn him to death, that they'll employ false witnesses and lies against him. And we see it at both trials.

[25:16] Both trials. First, the Jewish trial. If ever there was a place on earth where the ninth commandment should have been operating, it would be in the courts of the Jewish religious leaders.

[25:28] The one people out of all the earth that actually heard with their ears the voice of God on Mount Sinai say, you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. And then who received on stones written with God's own finger, the scriptures say, you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

[25:47] These were the Jews. They had this ninth commandment. And now that Jesus the law giver is standing in their court, the ninth commandment is abandoned at will.

[26:00] And the chief priest and the whole Jewish court were looking for evidence. They were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. Matthew 26, 59.

[26:12] Did you hear that? They were not looking for evidence. They were looking for false evidence against Jesus so they could put him to death. They were not seeking the truth.

[26:23] They were not looking for truth, but they're looking for a guilty verdict. And they're willing to stoop to lying to get it. So they brought forth many to give false testimony against Jesus.

[26:35] But nothing stuck. The mud wouldn't stick to him. He was that holy. Even his enemies had a hard time finding a lie that would stick on his holy character.

[26:52] Well, finally, it says that two came forward and declared, we heard this fellow say, I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days I'll build another not made by hand. Well, of course, Jesus never said that.

[27:05] They twisted his words. That's a lie, to twist someone's words. He didn't say, I will destroy this man-made temple. He said, you tear down this temple and I will raise it up in three days, referring to his body.

[27:23] It was lies that they brought against him. And then they moved into the Roman trial before Pilate, the Roman governor, and here the religious leaders continued to falsely accuse Jesus.

[27:36] Luke 23 says, they came before Pilate saying, we found this man subverting our nation. He forbids payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.

[27:48] Did Jesus forbid paying taxes to Caesar? Well, that was one of their earlier trick questions. They had just asked earlier in the week, they came to Jesus. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?

[28:00] And they were hoping to trip him and make him to look like either an enemy of Caesar or an enemy to the Jewish people. And Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them, show me a penny.

[28:18] Whose image and inscription are on it? Why, Caesar's. will then give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's.

[28:30] Jesus in no way forbid payment of taxes to Caesar. He commanded it. But these religious leaders have no concern for the truth and when a bald-faced lie is more likely to work for them, they'll employ it.

[28:45] Such was their heart hatred of Jesus that put the lie in their mouth against him. Pilate's ready to let him go free. He knows he's innocent. He knows they're just envious of him.

[28:58] And then they cast into his teeth, if you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar. You see their insinuation? What are they insinuating?

[29:09] That Jesus is that sort of a king who is competing with Caesar. He's sowing rebellion among the Jews against the Roman government to overthrow it.

[29:22] And the Jews had lots of people like that. False messiahs who stirred up insurrection and rebellion against the Romans and they're just saying he's one more of them. So Jesus the truth is being smeared with lies to get him condemned.

[29:40] And all these lies being told about were temptations. Would it not be a temptation to you to stand around and have people just lying to you in front of judges and in front of other people?

[29:55] Doesn't that do something to you? Doesn't that say I'd like to give something of their own medicine back? But not in Jesus. No deceit then.

[30:05] No deceit was found in his mouth. And there was another powerful temptation to lie in his trial. We go back to when he was on trial before the Jewish high court of the Sanhedrin.

[30:16] And the high priest said to Jesus, I charge you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Now it's all down to this.

[30:31] Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. The false charges aren't sticking against him.

[30:42] Now it will be testifying to the truth that will hang him. Are you the Christ? the Son of God? If he says, yes, I am, he'll be charged with blasphemy, a man claiming to be God, and that was deserving of the death sentence.

[30:59] But all he has to do is say, no, you've misunderstood me. And he saves his skin. Just, no, you're wrong.

[31:14] That's not what I meant. that would get him off the hook. No, not me. But even at that moment of greatest temptation, no deceit was found in his mouth.

[31:27] Yes, it is as you say. Yes. So while Jesus' enemies are all lying about him in court, and while his friend Peter is outside lying about him to save his skin, I don't even know who he is.

[31:43] only Jesus is found telling the truth, and that even when it means death to do so. For they all at once hauled him off to Pilate for crucifixion.

[31:56] Is there not a beauty in Jesus telling the truth at his trial when to do so meant death by crucifixion? Because of that, he's called in Revelation 1 5, the faithful witness.

[32:14] He's the faithful witness. Proverbs 14 5 says a faithful witness will not lie, and that was our Savior, testifying to the truth, to the bitter end.

[32:26] So he came to tell us the truth, and he died because he told the truth, and in doing so he destroyed the devil's works, because he died in the place of liars, and he saves the likes of Abraham, and Sarah, and Isaac, and Jacob, and David, and Peter, and a host of us as well, who deserve damnation because of our lives.

[32:52] But for those who repent of their sins and trust in Christ alone to save them, Christ's punishment on the cross becomes ours, and his obedience to the ninth commandment is put on our record, and is credited to our account.

[33:08] So in this world held captive by Satan and his lies, there is a people of truth who know him who is true, who are on the side of truth because they listen to and follow and embrace the teachings of Jesus, and so they believe the truth, they love the truth, they do the truth, they practice and live a life of truth-telling, and they have been translated, transplanted out of the kingdom of darkness and lies into the kingdom of light and truth, the kingdom of God's own son, and they gladly come into the light to show that the difference is what God has wrought in them.

[33:53] There is a people who are truth-tellers in a world of lies. Are you one of them? You know, that's one of the descriptions Jesus gives of the citizens of his kingdom in that manifesto of the kingdom, or what we call the Sermon on the Mount.

[34:11] And so I had Pastor Jason read for us Matthew 5 on the swearing of oaths. And Jesus is showing what is my law in my kingdom, in this kingdom that I have come from heaven to establish on earth, and I'm calling people out of darkness, and lies.

[34:30] I'm bringing them into this kingdom of light. What rules in this kingdom? And he says it's the truth. It's the truth. And so he brings up the matter of swearing oaths.

[34:42] Do you know why oaths were instituted by God in the first place? It was for special situations, and it was due to man's proneness to lie.

[34:54] So an oath was like a bridle placed on man's mouth to tell the truth. Now, what is there about an oath that would cause the maker of it to tell the truth?

[35:09] Well, to swear an oath in God's name, as the Old Testament commanded, is to call on God as witness to the words that I am about to say.

[35:22] it was a reminder to the oath taker that what I am about to say, I am saying in the presence of God who knows all things and who will bring these very words of mine back to me in the day of judgment to be either proved true or false.

[35:43] That was the purpose of the oath, to be sobered by the reality that the answer I am to give here in the witness stand, is being viewed by a present God.

[35:56] Now, sadly, the Jews did not reserve oaths for solemn situations such as in court, but they multiplied their oaths in ordinary conversation, and they claimed even that some oaths, based on the precise wording, were binding, whereas others due to the wrong words were not binding.

[36:17] And so what you have is a situation where the oaths that were taken were actually a cover to tell lies. And Jesus is saying, stop it, stop it. It must not be like this in my kingdom.

[36:29] Do not swear at all. Simply let your yes be yes and your no be no. He wants a plain statement of the truth, unadorned, not dressed up in oaths.

[36:41] That's the way the citizens of Jesus' kingdom operate. That's how they speak. There are men and women, boys and girls of truth. Now, what kind of people feel the need to dress up their words with oaths?

[36:57] You've heard them. I swear to God I'm telling the truth. I swear on a stack of Bibles. Honest to God, this is the truth and no lie. This reference to God, that's swearing an oath to God in the name of God.

[37:09] What kind of people feel the need to do that? Well, it's people who have no credibility with people due to their past track record. if the truthfulness of your words is suspect, then you'll feel the need to support it with an oath, to be sure to tell people, I'm swearing this is the truth this time.

[37:31] But if your plain yes has always proven to mean yes and no has always meant no, you don't need anything other than a yes and a no to convince others of your truthfulness.

[37:45] petrarch was a famous italian poet back in the 14th century and he lived with the family of cardinal colonna and the cardinal esteemed petrarch for his refreshing honesty, just his transparency and his strict regard for the truth.

[38:06] And one day a violent quarrel broke out in the cardinal's household and it seemed to embroil the whole household over time and so the cardinal was determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

[38:21] And so he had everyone in the household gather together, servants and anyone else living there, and opening the Bible, he made them all put their hand on the gospels and swear a solemn oath to tell the whole truth.

[38:38] Everyone without exception was brought forward to swear the oath. Even the cardinal's own brother were told who was a bishop in the church, he too had to swear the oath as he was living with them at the time.

[38:51] But when Petrarch the poet stepped forward to take the oath, the cardinal closed the Bible and says, as for you, Petrarch, your word is sufficient.

[39:03] Your word's enough. Is your word enough? Is your word enough? Your bare word, unadorned with an oath?

[39:17] That's the way it's to be with the citizens of Christ's kingdom. Those who are under his rule, like him, their plain word is to be enough. You know, there's no shortcuts to gaining such a reputation.

[39:32] You say, oh, that'd be neat to have people know when I talk that I mean exactly what I say. How do you get such a reputation as a truth teller? By telling the truth.

[39:45] Not just once, not just twice, not just three times, but every time. And pretty soon people who've had dealings with you, setting arrangements to meet you, appointments, business dealings, whatever kind of conversation with you, they have found that every time you speak, you speak the truth.

[40:07] And so your words enough for them. That's what it means to be like Jesus. That's what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

[40:19] That's what it means to put your neck in the yoke with Jesus. This is where he's leading you into such clear, plain truth speaking that no, it needs nothing to adorn it.

[40:31] That people have found your words to be true. That there is no deceit in your mouth. So what a wicked irony we have at the trial of Jesus.

[40:44] There's the Jewish high priest putting Jesus under oath. I charge you under oath by the living God.

[40:56] Tell us if you are the Christ, the son of God. You're liars, liars, all of them, committed to finding false evidence against Jesus, having the audacity to put Jesus, the truth, under oath as if it was necessary to keep him from lying.

[41:17] The holy and pure Jesus needed no oath to get the truth out of him. That's all he ever spoke. Which is to say he always spoke as if he was under oath.

[41:30] he always spoke remembering that he was in the presence of God, his father.

[41:44] It's he who says in Psalm 16, 8, I have set the Lord always before me because he's at my right hand. I will not be moved. Jesus lived corum deo before the face of God.

[42:02] That's what Peter says is commendable when a man bears up under unjust treatment because he is conscious of God. No one lived a more God conscious life than the Son of God, than our Savior.

[42:18] And that's why no deceit was ever found in him. He was always speaking as one under oath in the presence of God. So when he got up in the morning, he set the Lord always before him.

[42:35] And as he went into his day and met challenging people and lies and trick questions and everything else, he saw the Lord there, his father at his right hand. That was the reality in which he lived and moved and had his being ever conscious of his heavenly father's presence and that controlled Jesus' thoughts and words and actions.

[42:56] actions. He lived for him. He lived before him. And our king is calling us to the same high standard of truth, to always speak as if we're under oath, to always speak as if we are in the presence of God as witness.

[43:13] For we are. And he will bring into judgment every word that we have spoken. And so we speak the truth, not only in the courtroom, but in the locker room, in the coffee shop, on our iPhone.

[43:35] It's the truth. And any twisting of the truth always involves some sort of forgetting of God. Oh yes, that's right, he's present, he's listening.

[43:46] So what are you doing to remind yourself throughout the day of God's presence with you? I've set the Lord always before me. There he is, he's right there with me.

[43:58] How do you keep that razor sharp sense of God's presence with you? That, my friend, is the strategy to be in a truth speaker, to putting a knife to lying.

[44:10] What will do it? The presence of the Lord with you. Hearing every word that you speak. So start the day with him and then remain alert and alive and aware of his presence all day long.

[44:27] The old writer called it practicing the presence of God. Just remembering he's with you. And that's the key not only to dealing with lies in the ninth commandment, but it's the key to every other commandment, isn't it?

[44:40] If we were to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and our neighbor as ourself, it means we live before God. Sweet thing to live as we just worship before this God who is king, who is friend, who is savior.

[44:58] In studying the ninth commandment, we're studying the example of Jesus. And in studying the example of Jesus, Christian, we're studying your righteousness righteousness that is in heaven imputed to your account because you have fled to the Lord Jesus and said, I have no hope of heaven but you.

[45:25] And that faith has brought the righteousness of Jesus to your account. And so what we've seen this morning, this obedience that Jesus worked out in this world of lies, that obedience has been put to your account.

[45:38] that's the obedience that you'll be found in, in the day of judgment, that will make the difference between heaven or hell for you. Does he have a righteousness that is perfect?

[45:51] That's the judgment, that's the line. And if you're not trusting in Jesus, you're still holding on to some lie of Satan. You will not have such righteousness, but if you have trusted in Christ alone to save you, you'll find in that day that his obedience has been put to your account.

[46:09] And you will stand faultless with great joy in that day as he welcomes you into his everlasting kingdom, a kingdom of love and light where there will be no more lies, where Satan and all of his servants will have been cast outside into the lake of fire.

[46:30] Outside are all who love and practice falsehood. what an eternity to live with our Savior whose righteousness has made us fit for God.

[46:45] Let's pray. Our Father of lights, how thankful we are that you were gracious and patient when we and Adam and Eve had rejected the light and gone our own evil way.

[46:58] You didn't damn the whole world to everlasting punishments, but you sent your one and only Son into this dark world as the light, bringing truth, testifying to the truth about God and about man and about salvation.

[47:15] Lord, we're ashamed at how many years we wasted believing the lies of Satan and the bondage that he brought us into when all along you were shining the light.

[47:28] Thank you for opening up our eyes, sin-blinded eyes, eyes that didn't want to see, didn't want to have the light expose us. Thank you for bringing your spirit to our hearts in power and giving us a new heart so that now we love the light, now we come to the light, we love our Savior, we love the truth as it is in Jesus.

[47:51] Would you make us more like him, more like him in our obedience to the ninth commandment, more like him in every commandment, to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and our neighbor as ourself.

[48:06] Send us on our way then with joy that this Savior is ours and his righteousness is ours. We ask in his name, amen. Amen. Amen.