Rock Family Church of Morgantown WV
Truth Be Told 5 - So Help Me God
  • Part 3 – Sworn Testimony – scene = courtroom
    Sworn testimony
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sworn_testimony
    Sworn testimony is evidence given by a witness who has made a commitment to tell the truth. If the witness is later found to have lied whilst bound by the commitment, they can often be charged with the crime of perjury.
    ​
    Oath: A commitment made to the witness's deity, or on their holy book.
    USA – “Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,”
    I think it used to be: - “Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”
    ​

    1 – Tell the Truth

    Truth represents reality
    Truth means to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, declarative sentences.
    Let yes be yes
    Matthew 5:33–37 (NLT)
    33 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’
    34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.
    35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.
    36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black.
    matt 5 37
    Matthew 5:37 NLT
    37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
    ​
    37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
    The testimony of Jesus is True
    John 5:31–32 (NLT)
    John 5:31–32 NLT
    31 “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. 32 But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true.
    31 “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid.
    32 But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true.
    ​

    Results of truth being told – Right Standing, Thinking, Living

    Right standing- righteous
    Romans 3:26 (NLT)
    Romans 3:26 NLT
    26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
    26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
    · God Himself is righteous. And that God has declared us to be righteous because we have believed in Jesus.
    Right thinking - beliefs - We think like God thinks
    Right living – right doing – right behavior - Right voting
    When we believe the truth, we live the truth.
    No truth
    · Modern preaching = too many stories- jokes- games - entertainment - philosophy, opinions
    · All truth - Samuel warned Israel
    ​

    2 – Tell the Whole Truth

    Whole vs half-truth – incomplete information, details left out
    Deception –
    · Spin – fake news -
    · Take heed no man deceive you
    · false prophets- nothing bad will happen
    ​
    Self-deceived - my people love it so
    Jeremiah 5:30–31 (NLT)
    Jeremiah 5:30–31 NLT
    30 A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land— 31 the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?
    30 A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land—
    31 the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?
    · Preach word in season and out – 2 Tim 4:2
    · Itching ears- find false teachers - 2 Tim 4:3
    · Rejection - turn away from sound teaching – 2 Tim 4:4
    ​
    · Antichrist deceives with flattery
    · Rejected the Truth - believe a lie to condemnation – Romans 1

    Beware of False Prophets

    - is the theme of the books of James, 1-3 John, 1-2 Peter
    1 John 4:1–4 (NLT)
    1 John 4:1–4 NLT
    1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
    1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
    2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.
    3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
    4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
    ​

    3 – Tell Nothing but the Truth vs Perjury

    Even if you fool man, you never fool God
    10 commandments – Ex 20:16, Ex 23:1-3
    Matthew 15:17–19 (NLT)
    Matthew 15:17–19 NLT
    17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.
    17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.
    18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.
    19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.
    Danger – perjury causes Miscarriage of justice
    2-3 witnesses - serious - could result in death penalty
    People died because of false testimony – 2 to 3 witnesses, even if they were false witnesses.
    Don’t perjure yourself
    ​
    Perjury - Saul and the sheep
    Half-truth- yes but- Saul and sheep
    Reception- Saul - no but we will have a king over us
    ​
    Jesus before the Council
    Mark 14:55–59 (NLT)
    Mark 14:55–59 NLT
    55 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any. 56 Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other. 57 Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’ ” 59 But even then they didn’t get their stories straight!
    55 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But they couldn’t find any.
    56 Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other.
    57 Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony:
    58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’ ”
    59 But even then they didn’t get their stories straight!
    ​

    Perjury = False Witness

    False witness – Exodus 20
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perjury
    Perjury is the intentional act of swearing a false oath to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding.
    Guilty = must have intended to act and did it
    Perjury Must be on topic
    it is not perjury to lie about matters that are immaterial to the legal proceeding.
    Perjury only counts when the false statements affect the outcome
    · In USA, you can lie under oath if it does not pertain to the case
    · Example – you can lie about your age as long as your case is not based on age.
    Erroneous interpretation of is fact is not perjury because
    · Unknowing – people often draw inaccurate conclusions unwittingly
    · Mistaken – make honest mistakes without the intent to deceive.
    · Beliefs vs fact – Honest but mistaken beliefs about certain facts or
    · Memory – their recollection may be inaccurate, or
    · Recounting - may have a different perception of what is the accurate way to state the truth.

    Perjury is Serious

    · usurp the power of the courts
    · miscarriages of justice
    Bible days – people died because of false witness
    Perjury is Severe
    · Canada – 14 years prison
    · England and Wales. seven years, fine, or both
    · United States, perjury is a felony – 5 years prison
    Perjury in California execution is murder – the liar is killed
    California perjury is a capital offense in cases causing wrongful execution. Perjury which caused the wrongful execution of another or in the pursuit of causing the wrongful execution of another is respectively construed as murder or attempted murder, and is normally itself punishable by execution in countries that retain the death penalty.
    Swearing Not Needed
    The rules for perjury also apply when a person has made a statement under penalty of perjury even if the person has not been sworn as a witness before an appropriate official. An example is signing a US income tax return.
    Inducing perjury is a crime
    In some countries, like the USA, simply attempting to induce another person to commit perjury, is itself a crime.
    ​

    Speak all the Truth, All the Time

    1 Corinthians 15:12–20 (NLT)
    1 Corinthians 15:12–20 NLT
    12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
    12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?
    13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.
    14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
    15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.
    16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
    17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
    18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!
    19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
    20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

      • Matthew 5:37NLT

      • John 5:31–32NLT

      • Romans 3:26NLT

      • Jeremiah 5:30–31NLT

      • 1 John 4:1–4NLT

      • Matthew 15:17–19NLT

      • Mark 14:55–59NLT

      • 1 Corinthians 15:12–20NLT

Rock Family Church of Morgantown WV
web@rockfamily.org
304-292-1128
https://rfcwva.faithlifesites.com
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