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Chapter 5, Deuteronomy 5. We're in the 9th commandment 
this evening, Deuteronomy 5.20, but I do want to begin reading 
in verse 6 to remind us of the context. So Deuteronomy chapter 5 beginning 
in verse 6, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the 
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no 
other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself 
a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven 
above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water 
under the earth. You shall not bow down to them 
nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am 
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 
to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing 
mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments. 
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for 
the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Observe 
the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded 
you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. The seventh 
day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do 
no work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male 
servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, 
nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, 
that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well 
as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, 
and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty 
hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God 
commanded you to keep this habit day. Honor your father and your 
mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your 
days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land 
which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You 
shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall 
not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not 
covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's 
house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his 
donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. These words, the 
Lord spoke to all your assembly in the mountain, from the midst 
of the fire, the cloud and the thick darkness with a loud voice. And he added no more. And he 
wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, thank 
you again for your written word. Thank you for your holy law, 
the fact that it reveals to us something of your being, of your 
nature. We thank you, God, for your perfections and the fact 
that you are the Lord God of truth, as the psalmist says. 
We ask that you would help us to speak the truth. Help us, 
Lord God, to be careful when it comes to these particular 
things. Grant us grace to love your law, and may it be the meditation 
of our hearts day and night. And may your Spirit in us help 
us to comply with it, help us to obey. And even now, may the 
Spirit take these things and show us and write them upon our 
hearts and in our minds, that we might not sin against you. 
Father, again, forgive us for all sin and transgression and 
anything that would keep us from receiving blessing from your 
glorious hand. And we ask this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord, Amen. Well, we are currently studying 
the second table of the law of God. The second table of the 
law is summarized in Leviticus 19, 18. It says, You shall love 
your neighbor as yourself. Jesus was asked, What is the 
first and the foremost commandment? He said, You shall love the Lord 
your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And 
the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. 
The commandments in the second table are given to protect, in 
the first place, the family, commandment number five, life, 
commandment number six, marriage, commandment number seven, and 
property, commandment number eight. These are given to protect 
against invasion and attack and the ruination of others. Now, 
the last two commandments, the ninth and the tenth, move from 
action to word and thought, and they forbid false witness and 
covetousness. When it comes to this particular 
commandment with reference to, you shall not bear false witness 
against your neighbor, Francis Turretin says, as our neighbor 
ought not to be injured by deed, so neither should he be injured 
by word. It is simply ungodly to injure 
somebody, whether by action or by word, and this commandment 
provides or affords protection to God's creatures so that they 
are not misaligned, misrepresented, lied against, slandered, gossiped 
about, or falsely represented in a courtroom. So I want to 
look first at the prohibition of the command, and then secondly 
at the positive aspect of the command. And in the first place, 
we ought to observe that it deals with the courtroom. You shall 
not bear false witness against your neighbor. Certainly, the 
commandment includes speaking the truth in all matters of life, 
in all areas of life, but this specifically speaks to matters 
with reference to jurisprudence. And with reference to the courtroom, 
this is not alone in terms of a prohibition against falsely 
representing or falsely presenting a case in the courtroom. The 
definition is the deliberate, willful giving of false, misleading, 
or incomplete testimony under oath And as you consider scripture, 
you see that there is quite an emphasis on this reality. If 
you go back for just a moment to Exodus chapter 23, just to 
see a few other passages where it deals with the act of perjury. The larger context being a courtroom 
will certainly look at lying, backbiting, slander, gossip, 
and tailbearing. But for the most part, right 
now, I want to consider the act of perjury. Notice in Exodus 
23, 1, you shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your 
hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall 
not follow a crowd to do evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute, 
so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. You shall 
not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. Interesting. Don't show partiality to a poor 
man. Lady Justice is blind for a reason. It doesn't matter if somebody 
is poor. It doesn't matter if somebody 
is rich. Justice is justice, and righteousness is righteous, 
and that's the way we need to proceed in matters concerning 
testimony. Notice in 23.6, you shall not 
pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. Notice Proverbs 
chapter 19. Again, dealing with the courtroom, 
dealing with the matters of jurisprudence that the commandment specifically 
targets in its language. Do not bear false witness. Proverbs 
chapter 19 at verse 5. Proverbs 19.5, a false witness 
will not go unpunished and he who speaks lies will not escape. Proverbs 19.9, a false witness 
will not go unpunished and he who speaks lies shall perish. 
When you work through Proverbs as we did several months ago, 
you'll notice that there are several themes repeated. That's 
not because Solomon doesn't know that he's repeating himself. 
It's because Solomon knows how important these things are and 
they bear repetition. because one of the default settings 
of man is that they speak lies as soon as they are born. The 
wicked are estranged from the womb, speaking lies as soon as 
they are born. God knows that that is a problem 
with his creatures, and therefore God speaks a lot against this 
activity of lying. We see it in Proverbs 25 verse 
18 as well. A man who bears false witness 
against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp 
Now, with reference to neighbor, Jesus identifies or Jesus defines 
for us who our neighbor is in Luke chapter 10. And their neighbor, 
as we see, is not somebody that lives next door to us. It's not 
even somebody necessarily that we're familiar with. The word 
neighbor simply means somebody that we come into contact with. 
In fact, Stuart makes this observation. This is the first commandment 
to employ the word neighbor in its general juridical sense of 
anyone else you happen to come into contact with. rather than 
the more narrow sense of someone living near you. In laws and 
formal rules, neighbor has nothing to do with proximity or familiarity. Your neighbor connotes any other 
human being you may have dealings with, actually or potentially. So we need to understand that. 
It's not the case, well, I can bear false witness because he's 
not my neighbor. He doesn't live next door. He 
doesn't live on Woodbine right next to me. And I don't really 
know that person, so it's okay that I give false data in the 
courtroom. Know your neighbor as anybody 
that you come into contact with, actually or potentially. Now, 
I want to look at the seriousness of this offense, of the act of 
perjury, in Deuteronomy chapter 19. You can turn there. Deuteronomy 
chapter 19. specifically verses 15 to 21, 
underscore for us just how important this rule of witnesses is and 
how important it is to not bear false witness in a courtroom. Notice the rule established in 
verse 15. One witness shall not rise against 
a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits. By 
the mouth of two or three witnesses, the matter shall be established. 
If you look back for just a moment, Deuteronomy 17, verses six and 
seven. Deuteronomy 17, verses 6 and 
7, whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the 
testimony of two or three witnesses. He shall not be put to death 
on the testimony of one witness. The hands of the witnesses shall 
be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the 
hands of all the people, so you shall put away the evil from 
among you. So in a capital case, it is demanded, it is absolutely 
requisite, according to Deuteronomy 17, 6 and 7, that there be two 
or three witnesses. You could not move to execute 
a criminal offender unless those witnesses were present. When 
we come to the rule of witnesses here in Deuteronomy 19, it's 
more comprehensive, or it's more universal, rather. It's not simply 
capital crimes that are involved. If you look at the language of 
verse 15, one witness shall not rise against a man concerning, 
notice the language, any iniquity or any sin that he commits. By 
the mouth of two or three witnesses, the matter shall be established." 
So in a capital crime or in a capital situation, you must have two 
or three witnesses to move to execute a criminal offender. 
But when it comes to typical, normal, regular jurisprudence, 
the demand for witnesses is still there. And one of the reasons 
why there are witnesses is that it protects or affords protection 
for the accused. Everybody has the right to a 
fair trial. The Western world didn't just 
stumble on this in and of themselves. It is based upon God's holy word. The rules of evidence, due process, 
the various things that we find celebrated in the Western world 
in terms of our court system come from the word of the living 
and true God. And this is not arbitrary, it's 
not capricious, it's designed by God for the good of His creatures 
as they conduct themselves one with another. This idea of two 
or three witnesses is absolutely imperative when it comes to church 
discipline as well. Matthew chapter 18, if your brother 
sins against you, go to him. If he hears you, you've won your 
brother. If he doesn't hear you, then take with you two or three 
witnesses. Those are not witnesses, most 
likely, to the original sin or crime, but they are witnesses 
to make sure that the process is carried out in a manner that 
is consistent with the law of God. Again, the accused gets 
protection all along the way. If he doesn't listen to the two 
or three witnesses, then tell it to the church. If he doesn't 
listen to the church, then you excommunicate. There is a long 
process involved in church discipline. It's simply not the case that 
if somebody messes up, we turf them from the life of the church. 
No, there is something involved in terms of process that is prayerful, 
that is filled with compassion. If he doesn't listen to the church, 
then you move to excommunication. But this two or three witnesses 
principle is found in Matthew 18. We see it also in 1 Timothy 
5.19, relative to elders. Do not receive an accusation 
against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. 
Why is that? It affords protection to the 
elder in that particular instance. Now back to Deuteronomy chapter 
19, notice the problem that this passage deals with. Verse 16, 
if a false witness rises against any man to testify against him 
of wrongdoing. So this is the problem. We've 
got this rule for witnesses, but if it happens to be the case 
that in this courtroom setting there is a false witness, then 
this is what you're supposed to do with him. And again, I 
think this underscores for us how serious the crime of perjury 
is. Notice verse 17. Now this is 
a higher court. This is a higher court. It's 
already dealt with back in Deuteronomy 17 in verses 8 to 13. So there was your basic court, 
then you had a higher court. Again, the Western world didn't 
just stumble onto this, but rather this is rooted in biblical redemptive 
history. And so with reference to these 
two men, they're now called to this higher court. Now notice 
what happens in verse 18. And the judges shall make careful 
inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified 
falsely against his brother. So they make the determination 
that this person is a lying, perjuring wretch. This person 
has misrepresented the facts, he has presented false data, 
he has come up short, and he has been found out by these judges 
doing their job. Now here's the sanction that 
falls upon this false witness. Verse 19 says, then you shall 
do to him as he thought to have done to his brother, so you shall 
put away the evil from among you. In other words, the false 
witness receives the punishment that the man accused would have 
received if he was in fact guilty. That's how this is so serious 
of an affair. Christopher Wright says, it therefore 
established a remarkable retributive law on perjury. Anyone discovered 
to have given false testimony was to be punished with the same 
punishment that the victim of his accusations would have received 
if the verdict had gone against him. Everybody gets that, right? If I go in and I falsely represent 
a case and I lie about you and it turns out that they figure 
out that I'm lying, whatever punishment you would have received 
if you were guilty of that crime is now meted out to me. I am 
going to receive that. What do you think that would 
do with reference to frivolous lawsuits? What do you think that 
would do when people know, going into a courtroom, if they give 
false testimony and they're found out, they could be executed as 
a result of that? Christopher Wright muses the 
same way. He says, one wonders what a salutary effect such a 
law might have in the modern world, which is plagued with 
miscarriages of justice notoriously caused by false testimony and 
conspiracy. John Calvin says, whence it appears 
that false witnesses and murderers stand in the same light before 
God. So again, you shall not bear 
false witness against your neighbor. It is comprehensive in the sense 
that it requires the sanctity of truth in all areas. Anytime 
we open our mouth, we should speak the truth. especially, 
if I could underscore, in a courtroom. Persons' lives are at stake, 
and if we falsely present a case, then whatever the punishment 
do for them now comes upon us, and that's what happens according 
to verse 19. Notice in verse 20, those who 
remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again 
commit such evil among you. You've heard it before that, 
say, for instance, the death penalty does not deter crime. It most certainly and most positively 
does. See, in Old Covenant Israel, 
they publicize the various findings of the court along with the executions 
or along with the punishments that were meted out. Why? So that the body politic would 
hear and would fear. They would understand that if 
I go thou and do likewise, then I'm going to end up stoned to 
death or I'm going to end up in some other sort of unfortunate 
situation. And then verse 21 underscores 
the whole situation with what we call the lex talionis or the 
law of retribution. Your eye shall not pity, life 
shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, 
foot for foot. So this is a most important situation. It is very serious that we be 
truth-tellers in all areas of life, but especially if called 
upon into a courtroom. But it's not just the act of 
perjury. There is, secondly, lying. Lying in general. Garden 
variety lying. Kaiser says the sanctity of truth 
in all areas of life is what is demanded. Turn to Leviticus 
chapter 19. Leviticus chapter 19. Much is 
said about loving one another and caring for one another in 
Leviticus 19. Leviticus 19 11 says, you shall 
not steal nor deal falsely nor lie to one another. And then over in the book of 
Proverbs in chapter 12 at verse 22. Now, obviously there are 
more passages that deal with lying, but these are a couple 
of sample passages. Proverbs 20, I'm sorry, 12, 22, 
lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal 
truthfully are his delight. So again, it's not a little white 
lie. It's not a little thing. It's not, well, everybody does 
it sort of a thing, but rather it is an abomination to God most 
high. And then a third thing is the 
act of backbiting or slander. You shall not bear false witness 
against your neighbor. Now, many of us will never stand 
in a courtroom. Many of us will never swear on 
a Bible to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but 
the truth. But all of us find ourselves in community. All of 
us find ourselves connected to others. All of us find ourselves 
both hearing, receiving, and at times passing on information 
concerning others. And we need to make sure that 
we are not violating the Ninth Commandment when we do that. 
I think this application is a lot closer to home for most of us 
versus standing in a courtroom when matters of life and death 
are at stake. Backbiting and slander. False 
and malicious statements made about another. Brethren, this 
is something that is rampant, this is something that is addressed 
often in Scripture, and it is something that demands our careful 
attention. If we are guilty of this, we 
need to repent. If we engage in this, we need 
to stop. And it's not just the active 
propagation on our part, but it's the willing reception of 
it from others also. In fact, Calvin makes that observation. We must also close our ears against 
false and evil speaking. The Westminster Larger Catechism, 
when it asks what is required or what are the duties required 
in the Ninth Commandment, one of the clauses says discouraging 
tail-bearers, flatterers, and slanderers. Have you or I ever 
discouraged one of these people? Has anybody ever come to you 
with a juicy bit of gossip and you said, look, I don't want 
to hear it. You shouldn't say it. You need 
to be silent about things that don't concern you. If you don't, 
you probably should at some point or another, because it's not 
only propagating it with our mouths, but it's receiving it 
in our ears also. So this idea of backbiting and 
slander, if you're still in Proverbs, look at Proverbs 10, 18. Proverbs 
10, 18, whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads 
slander is a fool. Proverbs 25, 23. Proverbs 25, 23. The north wind 
brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue and angry countenance. Turn to Romans chapter 1. Vice 
lists in the New Testament are pretty comprehensive, and they 
include the sorts of sins that all make us recoil in horror 
at the thought of murder, or homosexuality, or sexual immorality, 
or the various other things that we as Christians say, oh, that's 
just despicable behavior, and yet we as Christians give no 
thought whatsoever to slander and to gossip. How is that the 
case? We would never ever ingest crack 
cocaine. We'd never visit a prostitute. 
But boy, would we not only receive, but also propagate gossip about 
another individual, about another believer, about another person 
for whom Jesus Christ died and was raised the third day. Why 
is it that we have this framework or this context or this grid 
where we sort of get rid of the sins that we are judged to be 
vicious and violent, very bad and wrong, but when it comes 
to these other sins, we practice what Jerry Bridges called, we 
look at them as respectable sins. They're the kinds of things that, 
you know, it doesn't really hurt anybody and it really doesn't 
bother anybody. It's not really like adultery. 
It's not really like murder. It's not really like, you know, 
ingesting crack cocaine. It's none of that. Brethren, 
the destruction of another human being's reputation is horrific. It is vile, it is wretched, it 
is godless. And if we engage in that kind 
of behavior, we need to stop, and we need to repent, and we 
need to forsake our wickedness. Notice in Romans 128, and even 
as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave 
them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not 
fitting. being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, 
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, 
deceit, evil-mindedness. They are whisperers, back biters, 
haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, 
disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, 
unmerciful, who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that 
those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only 
do the same, but also approve of those who practice them." 
Again, we look at that list and we go, oh yeah, I would never 
engage in that sort of stuff, that violence, that haters of 
God, that murder, that that abominable sexual immorality, but whisperers 
and backbiters find themselves in the very same vice list along 
with these other persons that we are judged to be very vicious 
and very vile and the kinds of persons that we will never be. 
Well, brethren, if you can appease your conscience that way, there's 
big problems. Notice in 1 Corinthians 6, same 
sort of a thing, a vice list telling us who's not going to 
enter the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6, 9, Do you not 
know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? 
Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, 
nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor 
drunkards, nor revilers. nor extortioners will inherit 
the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but 
you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified 
in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 
We can praise God for the gospel, can't we? When I read Psalm 15 
at the outset of worship, does anyone here say, wow, that's 
really a good picture of me? Not me, Jim Butler, but you. 
Do you read Psalm 15 and go, yeah, I'm doing pretty good here? 
Do you know who Psalm 15 is? That's Jesus. He's the one that 
abides in the presence of Yahweh. He's the one that stands in Yahweh's 
house. He is the one that swears to 
his own hurt and does not change. Because of him, he has saved 
us from our sins. Because of his active obedience 
to the law, doing everything specified there in Psalm 15, 
doing everything that he was under obligation to perform by 
the father in terms of active obedience, he satisfies those 
requirements. He goes to the cross, he takes 
our punishment, he takes our penalty, he stands in our place 
and takes the very judgment of God on our behalf and then is 
raised again and thus we have everlasting life. Whenever we 
consider the law of God, we ought to remember as well, and such 
were some of you. And such are some of us in terms 
of remaining corruption. And there is forgiveness with 
God that He may be feared. But we need to own the reality 
that more often than not, while we would shrink back in horror 
from the great sins listed by the apostle there, at times, 
when it comes to backbiting or slander, We like to participate 
in these sorts of evil things. So backbiting, slander is wicked. Next is gossip and tailbearing. Rumor or talk of a personal, 
sensational, or intimate nature. Back to Leviticus 19. One of 
the reasons why Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount says, you 
have heard that it was said to you, but I say to you. Again, 
it's not Moses versus Jesus, it's Moses and Moses' interpreters. They failed, the Pharisees for 
the most part, failed to see the internal nature of the law, 
the spirituality of the law. They thought insofar as the external 
man didn't kill somebody, an external man, then everything 
was good. Jesus says if you have this unwarranted anger or you 
call him raka or fool, you've already committed the sin, you've 
already murdered him. Same with adultery. You don't 
have to actually engage in the act, but if your mind engages 
in the act, you've committed the sin. So the Pharisees thought 
that as long as we don't do the actual thing, then we're okay. 
Well, Leviticus 19 is one of those passages that shows us 
how the law goes to the internal heart of man. Again, verse 11, 
you shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. And you shall not swear by my 
name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God. I am the 
Lord. You shall not cheat your neighbor, 
nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain 
with you all night until morning. You shall not curse the deaf 
nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your 
God. I am the Lord. You shall do no injustice in 
judgment. You shall not be partial to the 
poor nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness 
you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go about as a tailbearer 
among your people, nor shall you take a stand against the 
life of your neighbor. I am the Lord. Interesting juxtaposition. Don't go out tailberry and don't 
stand against the life of your neighbor. Again, there's a way 
to kill a man or murder a man without stopping his beating 
heart. You ruin his reputation, you misalign him in his workplace 
or in his family life, or you misrepresent things that you 
know nothing about, it can bring damage to the reputation of another 
human being, and that is strictly prohibited by God Almighty. So 
it's not only that we can attack somebody in a courtroom, we can 
attack somebody in the back of the church. We can attack somebody 
via email or via text when we talk about things, brethren, 
that are not our business. If somebody asks for prayer in 
the context of a prayer meeting, that's legit, that's fine, that's 
great, that's wonderful. You can talk about that. But 
if you find out something about somebody that may compromise 
that particular individual, May I gently and graciously say, 
shut your mouth. You're not supposed to repeat 
that stuff. You are not supposed to be a 
whisperer. You're not supposed to be a gossip. 
You're not supposed to be a tale bearer. You're not supposed to 
be a slanderer. Notice in Proverbs, again, the 
sin comes under constant and frequent condemnation by the 
wise man Solomon. 11, 13, a tale bearer reveals 
secrets. But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. Are 
you the kind of person that is trustworthy? Are you the kind 
of person that somebody can confide in without having that piece 
of data sort of published to everybody in your community? 
Brethren, this is what God says relative to the ninth commandment. We see it in Proverbs 18. Proverbs 
18, verse eight. The words of a tailbearer are 
like tasty trifles and they go down into the inmost body. Now it's at that point I would 
suggest, again, it's not just the active propagator of a piece 
of data, but the fact that it comes to the hearer as tasty 
trifles indicates there's something on the part of the receptor that 
enjoys this. They like this. They themselves 
may not go out and propagate it, but they're not going to 
shut down, they're not going to discourage, and they're not 
going to stop somebody who wants to hand them tasty trifles for 
their delight and for their pleasure. So it is the case that it's not 
only the active promotion, but also the active reception of 
these things as well. Proverbs 20 and verse 19, he 
who goes about as a tail bearer reveals secrets, therefore do 
not associate with one who flatters with his lips. Notice in Proverbs 
26 at verse 20, Proverbs 26 and verse 20, where there is no wood, 
the fire goes out and where there is no tail bearer, strife ceases. It's pretty simple, isn't it? 
It's almost like a mathematic equation. It's a formula for 
happiness. And that formula simply says 
that tail-bearers shouldn't be. They should be quiet. They shouldn't 
be tail-bearers. They should repent and be true 
tellers. But where there is no wood, the 
fire goes out, and where there is no tailbearer, strife ceases. 
As charcoal is to burning coals and wood to fire, so is a contentious 
man to kindle strife. The words of a tailbearer are 
like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body." 
And then 26, I'm sorry, that was it. But the New Testament 
as well speaks against these particular infractions. And as 
I said earlier, I don't think our first issue is that we're 
gonna stand in a capital case and give evidence that we'll 
end up in a man's execution. Well, certainly that's not gonna 
happen in Canada because there is no death penalty. But if we 
were in certain states or in certain other countries, I doubt 
that that's sort of what's gonna happen to most of us But it's 
at this level. It's at the gossip level. It's 
at the tail-bearing level. It's at the slandering level. 
It's at the level where we think we know things, so we just blab 
all about it, when it turns out we really don't know it at all. 
What is Proverbs 18? The first to plead his cause 
seems right until what? Until his neighbor comes and 
examines him. I think you've all been in a position, probably 
most of you have been in a position, where persons have misrepresented 
you or misaligned you, and you've heard that, and then you've said, 
oh no, that's not what happened, here's what happened. And then 
the light bulb goes on on the person, they say, oh wow. You 
kind of want to say, you shouldn't have said anything, because you 
don't know what you're talking about, right? Where is that mindset 
today? If it's not our business, why 
do we cravenly want to make it our business? What is it about 
gossip? What is it about slander? What 
is it about these things that are like tasty trifles to us 
in receiving them? So the prohibition of the command, 
perjury, lying in general, backbiting slash slander, gossip slash tailbearing, 
twofold manner of committing these sins, not only the active 
participant, the one with the lying tongue and the big mouth, 
but the passive receptor, the one who's got the big ears that 
are always open to that next tasty trifle and delights to 
feed upon them and have these vicious thoughts of people that 
may or may not be true. Brethren, we need to guard our 
hearts when it comes, as I said, with reference to these quote-unquote 
respectable sins. Jerry Bridges has a book by that 
name. I haven't read the book, but 
I know the thesis. He says within the church today, 
we shrink back in horror from these sins that we see that are 
horrible, wicked, big things, but we don't take time to deal 
with the stuff that we're actually engaged in. Hence, respectable 
sin. It's okay if I don't murder. 
It's okay if I don't ingest crack cocaine. But boy, I'm going to 
go ahead and gossip or slander or tailbear. I'm going to say 
things about stuff that I have no business speaking about, that 
I have no business knowing about, that I have no business discussing 
whatsoever. You need to ask yourself the 
question, is this information that is pertinent to me? Is this 
information that I need? Is this something that puts this 
person in a negative light and that's all it's going to do for 
me? Brethren, ask, think, consider, so that you don't violate the 
ninth commandment when it comes to these particular issues. Now 
secondly, the positive aspect of the command. I could read 
Westminster larger, but I want to just bring out a few things. 
First, the need to speak the truth in matters of justice and 
judgment. If we are called upon to give 
testimony in a courtroom, and we swear, which we saw this morning, 
is lawful. Oaths and vows are lawful in 
this new covenant era, not for every little thing that happens 
to you in a day. I swear there's cookies in the 
pantry. No, but for things of weight and seriousness and for 
a confirmation of truth, oaths and vows are legit. Well, when 
we stand in a courtroom and we say, I swear to tell the truth, 
the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God, that 
is an oath in front of men and a vow before God that I'm going 
to tell the truth. We need to take that seriously. 
Calvin says, for if A good name is more precious than all riches. 
Proverbs 22, 1. We harm a man more by despoiling 
him of the integrity of his name than by taking away his possessions. You ruin somebody when you destroy 
their good name. That's why, you know, we've seen 
this. We have seen this in our immediate history, not just in 
our church or in our church, but we see it in the political 
realm. We see it in civil ethics. We see it always being just destroyed. Brethren, we don't want to live 
in a situation where truth doesn't matter anymore. That is a horrific 
way to operate. Secondly, the need to speak the 
truth in all areas of life. Look at Colossians 3, one sample 
passage here. Colossians chapter 3. The idea 
of speaking the truth in all areas of life. Verse 9. Do not lie to one another 
since you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put 
on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the 
image of him who created him. Where there is neither Greek 
nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor 
free, but Christ is all in all. That's the end of a rather long 
list of things, again a vice list, that we're not supposed 
to engage in, we're not supposed to do. But very clearly, do not 
lie to one another. Why? Since you have put off the 
old man with his deeds. It is not consistent behavior 
for the new man to lie. That is consistent behavior with 
the old man. But we, by the grace of God, 
have put off the old man. Therefore, the injunction comes, 
do not lie to one another. Why? Because you've been created 
anew in the image of your beloved Savior. Thirdly, the duty to 
promote the truth by exercising charity toward others. The duty 
to promote the truth by exercising charity to others. Notice in 
Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. Verse 25, therefore, putting 
away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, 
for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin, do not 
let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. 
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working 
with his hands what is good, that he may have something to 
give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out 
of your mouth. Now, I think typically we approach 
that text and say, well, we shouldn't say these four-letter words, 
these bad words, we shouldn't engage in such things. Now, I'm 
not condoning the use of that, and I'm not suggesting that we 
have warrant to use those words, but I don't think that's the 
point. I think the contrast, or rather the juxtaposed statement, 
indicates what Paul's point is in 29a. Let no corrupt word proceed 
out of your mouth. Notice what he goes on to say, 
but what is good for necessary edification? So corrupt words 
are not good for necessary edification. If we have things that are not 
good for necessary edification, Paul tells us to shut our mouths, 
to keep it closed, to not say anything. Remember our mothers 
taught us that when we were five? If you don't have something nice 
to say about somebody, say nothing at all. Mother was right at age 
five, and we should abide by that principle. That is precisely 
what Paul highlights. Let no corrupt word proceed out 
of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that 
it may impart grace to the hearers. So you might ask the question, 
is my destroying the reputation of another brother or sister 
in Christ going to actually edify that person? Is it going to build 
that person up? Is it going to stabilize them 
and give them security and happiness? Well, I think you all know the 
answer. It's not going to at all. So invoke Mother's rule 
and don't say anything at all. Why do we always feel the need 
to say something anyway? It's just an amazing thing. I 
think God, by design, has taught us we should listen twice as 
much than we speak. We've got two of these and one 
of these. And I think we need to look at 
basic physiology and operate in a manner that is consistent 
with the way God designed the human head. You should listen 
more than you talk. James tells us that specifically 
in his book. And then the duty to promote 
the truth by discouraging the slanderer or the gossip. Now, again, if somebody comes 
to you and says, did you hear? And you shut them down, they're 
not going to rejoice over that, in my estimation. They're not 
gonna say, typically, now I speak as a pessimist, I guess, God 
is good, the Spirit is powerful, they may receive it and say, 
oh, you're right, it's a struggle that I'm having, it's a sin, 
I confess and I'm sorry. But they probably will be a bit 
irritated if you try to shut them down as they're trying to 
pass on these tasty trifles. But brethren, that's the way 
to shut it down. It's the way to stop it. We say to people, 
you're not supposed to be talking about things that you know nothing 
about. You're not supposed to be talking about things that 
don't involve you. Whenever somebody says, did you 
hear? That's like the alarm system goes off for me. Did you hear? 
I'm always of the mind that the next thing out of the mouth is 
going to be something that's not real happy. Did you hear, 
typically isn't, I found a bag of money and I want to take you 
to get a cup of coffee. That's not been my experience. 
Did you hear usually doesn't end well. It's kind of like those 
people that say, I don't want to offend you, but, and then 
they go right ahead and offend you. I'm not a racist, but, then 
you kind of know what's going to follow at that particular 
point. Did you hear? Typically is the avenue of approach 
for a gossip. And if you want to continue down 
the path of receiving those things in direct contradiction of the 
ninth commandment, I'm not going to say go ahead. I'm going to 
say you got big problems and you need to stop it then and 
there. If you are an active promoter of gossip and slander, Stop it 
here and now. It is destructive to people. It is destructive to families. 
It is destructive to churches. It is destructive to a body politic. Now, by way of some application, 
in the first place, the fact's about lying. Lying is a horrific 
practice. Lying is terrible. First of all, 
it originated with the devil, and it's contrary to God. Remember 
John 8, 44? What did Jesus say? You are of your father, the devil, 
and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer 
and a liar from the beginning. He has no ability to speak the 
truth. It is contrary to his very nature. It is contradictory for the devil 
to speak the truth. Secondly, it is characteristic 
of man in Adam. Turn to Psalm 58. I know when 
I cite that, people probably wonder, is that really in the 
Bible or is he just throwing that out there to try and get 
one past us? Psalm 58, verse three, the wicked 
are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they 
are born speaking lies. Now, I know the posture of some 
would say, well, that's the wicked. That's them. That's those people. Brethren, who does the Bible 
define as a wicked man or a wicked woman or a wicked boy or a wicked 
girl? It's those dead in Adam. The 
wicked go estranged or are estranged from the womb. They go astray 
as soon as they are born speaking lies. A third fact about lying, 
it is forgiven by Christ when we believe the gospel, and we 
ought to praise God for that. In other words, when we came 
to Christ, the Lord Jesus forgave us of all our sins, all the big 
ones, or at least what we are judged to be big ones, but all 
those lies, all that subterfuge, all that gossip, all that slander, 
And there is forgiveness with him currently that he may be 
feared. If we fall into this particular trap, if we engage 
in something that is untoward, ungodly, unrighteous, we confess 
our sins and he's faithful and just to forgive us, but that 
does not condone it. It is ultimately, fourthly, punishable 
by death and hell when men don't repent, when they do not believe 
the gospel. Those in the lake of fire, according 
to Revelation 21 at verse 8, the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, 
murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all 
liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire 
and brimstone, which is the second death. And then again in verse 
27, but there shall by no means enter in or enter it anything 
that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who 
are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Consider, by way of 
contrast, that God Most High is the Lord God of truth. That's 
what David says in the Psalms. Jesus, speaking, says, I am the 
way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to me except, no 
one comes to me, I'm sorry, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. 
I'm missing the text here. That's, what is it? Except through me. That's right. 
Thank you. I was juxtaposing two texts there, 
conflating two texts. So the bottom line is that lying 
is contrary to the very nature and being of God. Secondly, by 
way of the use of the commandment, I spoke concerning living in 
a society where lying is pretty rampant, where it's commonplace, 
where truth is not valued, where lies find their way often into 
the political arena and into the arena of civil ethics. Dabney 
makes this observation concerning lies destroying confidence. He 
says, in short, if confidence is destroyed, then all the bands 
which unite man with his fellows are loosed. Each man must struggle 
on, unaided by his fellows, as though he were the sole forlorn 
remnant of a perishing race. Now, you may say, that sounds 
pretty epic there, Dabney. But it's true. If we don't have 
the ability to trust one another, If we can't ask for prayer in 
a way that we don't want to compromise and let everybody know, I shared 
this at the AGM, if you want a prayer request publicized in 
our church, tell me. Because there are some people 
that don't want them put out. There are some people that want 
privacy, and they don't want to tell everybody of their particular 
prayer request. And I try to respect that as 
a pastor. So if you want your prayer request out there, the 
onus is upon you to ask me to send it to the list. Because 
there are many people, several people, that don't want the list 
to know. And again, I don't think that's 
wicked or vile or reprehensible. That's just their choice. They're 
free to do that or not do that. But if we can't trust somebody, 
hey, I want to confide in you this particular area, this particular 
thing. Imagine if you wanted to engage in accountability. 
I mean, that's something churches do, right? I want to be held 
accountable by a brother. I want to be held accountable 
by a sister. So I confide in that brother or sister, and then 
they go out and tell people. That's just not right. You get 
that, right? That's just a terrible, vile, 
wretched practice. We should have no truck with 
that whatsoever. There should not be anything 
in us that would ever relate or compromise somebody else just 
because we like to talk about things, or we like to gossip, 
we like to slander, or we like to backbite. So the civil use, 
if our society does not see the value of truth telling, We are 
in big problems. The pedagogical use? Brethren, 
you ought to think about this ninth commandment all the time 
relative to how appreciative you are of the gospel of our 
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In other words, when you read 
Psalm 15, when you read this onus or emphasis upon law-keeping, 
Praise God Almighty for Jesus. And if that law comes to us and 
it brings that conviction of sin, which one of the purposes 
is of the law, to bring that knowledge of sin, then may it 
provoke in us close or quick dealings with God through Christ, 
fetching forgiveness at the hand of a merciful Savior. And then 
in terms of the normative use, how do we live in light of the 
ninth commandment as blood-bought children of God who have the 
Holy Spirit? I would suggest in the first place we recognize 
the power of the tongue. Certainly guns and knives, if 
used in that particular manner, have the ability or potential 
to end someone's life. But so does the tongue. We can 
end someone's life if not the cessation of a beating heart, 
the cessation of a good reputation. Proverbs 18.21, death and life 
are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat 
its fruit. Proverbs 26.28, a lying tongue 
hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works 
ruin. So I was sort of moving through 
Spurgeon in preparation for the call to the ministry. I noticed 
something that I have said, and I saw where I got it. I think 
it was Spurgeon. Actually, somebody preached a 
sermon, and Spurgeon was the president of a pastor's college. 
And that sermon that this fellow preached sounded very familiar 
to C.H. Spurgeon. In fact, C.H. Spurgeon 
thought it was his sermon. So he calls the young man into 
his office, and he says, I heard the sermon, and he asked him 
about the sermon, and the young man said, oh, I got that sermon 
from William Jay. And Spurgeon had to muse and 
said, oh, yeah, I think I got it from William Jay, too. But 
he was the president of a pastor's college, and he mentioned this 
whole idea that when people respond to pastors or preachers, again, 
it's lectures to my students by C.H. Spurgeon. It was done 
on on Fridays. So these guys would have their 
Greek, their Hebrew, their theology. They do all their coursework 
during the week, and on Friday afternoon, they'd have C.H. Spurgeon 
just drop pastoral nuggets of wisdom on that. But he says, 
you're never as good as some people will say, and you're never 
as bad as other people will say. You're probably happily right 
in the middle. Flattery is wicked, too. Oh, you're the best thing since 
sliced bread. Oh, you're the... No, that's just not true. Flattery 
is ruination as well, and that's what Solomon says. So, the recognition 
of the power of the tongue. Secondly, the willingness to 
shut our ears to falsehood. John Calvin said, we must go 
further and not be suspicious or too curious in observing the 
defects of others. For such eager inquisitiveness 
betrays malevolence, or at any rate, an evil disposition. Let 
me just read that again because I think it is gold. We must go 
further and not be suspicious or too curious in observing the 
defects of others. In other words, we don't need 
to know all the ins and outs and the gory details of our fellows. 
He says, for such eager inquisitiveness betrays malevolence, that means 
bad things, or at any rate, an evil disposition. Thirdly, the 
necessity of godly restraint in the use of the tongue. The 
necessity of godly restraint in the use of the tongue. How 
is a wise man judged at times? Because he doesn't open his mouth. 
In fact, Solomon says he's a fool, but he looks wise because he 
just shuts up. Brethren, we can all be wise 
men and wise women. The pathway to wisdom is clear. Just be quiet. People go, wow, 
he's a thoughtful, contemplative person. Oh, he's thinking about 
coffee at Tim Hortons on Thursday. That's what he's thinking about. 
But he's smart enough not to share things, so he looks like 
a wise old sage. Psalm 39.1, I said, I will guard 
my ways lest I sin with my tongue. I will restrain my mouth with 
a muzzle while the wicked are before me. I love Psalm 141.3, 
set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my 
lips. You ever see those guards at 
the palace in Britain? They don't move. I mean, you 
can say things. kind of look at them and, you 
know, whatever, and they don't move. They just do what they're 
supposed to do. Those are the kind of guards, 
those are the sentries we need on either side of our lips to 
help us to shut our mouths. James 1.26, if anyone among you 
thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives 
his own heart, this one's religion is useless. The word useless 
there translates a Greek word that is often used in scripture 
to characterize idolatry as vain or meaningless. The religion 
that people who do not control their speech have is no better, 
James suggests, than idolatry. If any man thinks he is religious 
but does not control his own tongue, this man's religion is 
useless. And then finally, the necessity 
to love the truth. The necessity to love the truth. 
What does Solomon say in Proverbs 23, 23? Buy the truth and do 
not sell it. Also wisdom and instruction and 
understanding. Much to the consternation of 
many around us, there is something more valuable than toilet paper. It is the truth of God Almighty. And the people of God Almighty 
must love that truth, they must speak that truth, and they must 
guard their hearts and minds from receiving falsehood and 
error. Let us pray and ask God to help 
us in these things. Father, we thank you for your 
Word. We thank you for the clarity that we have in this issue of 
truth-telling. I pray for each and every one 
of us that you would help us to set a guard over our lips, 
help us to restrain that native disposition, to want those tasty 
trifles. Help us, Lord God, to treat others 
with respect, not only their physical persons, but their reputations, 
their good names, and help us as a church to guard against 
the gossip and the slander and the tail-bearing and the whispering 
and the backbiting that so often obtains among the professing 
people of God. And Lord, thank you for Jesus. 
Thank you that he swore to his own hurt and he didn't change. 
Thank you that he is that righteous man set forth in scripture that 
is our champion, that is our victor, that is our redeemer 
and our king. God, we pray that you'd help us to walk in light 
of that reality and conform us evermore unto his most blessed 
image. And we ask that you would go 
with us, help us to bring glory to you in this week, and we pray 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.