WEBVTT - Thou Shall Not Lie – Part 2 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:03.520 Today on Bold Steps with Mark job, we're learning how 0:00:03.520 --> 0:00:06.000 to stay in favor and keep our hearts soft as 0:00:06.000 --> 0:00:07.400 we walk in victory. 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:11.240 You show me someone that is a believer and they 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:14.280 have a lot of fog in their mind and hardness 0:00:14.280 --> 0:00:17.840 of heart, and they're confused about things that seem very 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:20.840 clear and simple to most people. And I'll tell you, 0:00:20.840 --> 0:00:26.600 someone that's either bought into lies or someone that's practicing lies. Why? 0:00:26.760 --> 0:00:29.400 Because it's the language of darkness. 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:44.720 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark job. Mark is president 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:47.239 of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:51.479 Life Community Church in Chicago. And I'm Wayne Shepherd. Today, 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:53.360 as we move forward in our study, Mark is going 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:56.160 to be taking us to Exodus chapter 20 to show 0:00:56.160 --> 0:00:59.400 us why lying isn't simply about the words we use. 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:02.320 Our message is called thou shalt not lie. And if 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:04.679 you've missed any of the previous messages in this series 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:07.680 on rock solid living, you can catch up online by 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:11.760 going to our website Bold Steps. Now, with a brief 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:16.040 recap from yesterday's message, here's Mark Jobe with today's bold steps. 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:22.680 It tells us in Genesis chapter three that the serpent, 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:28.000 the way he wiggled his way into Paradise, was through 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:33.839 the language. What language? The language of beguilement or deception? 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:38.000 Notice what it says in Genesis chapter three, verse one. 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:41.640 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:45.640 wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:50.040 the woman, Did God really say, you must not eat 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:53.840 from the tree in the garden? What the serpent did 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:58.400 is he put in question the truth of God. God 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:00.480 had not said that they couldn't eat from any tree 0:02:00.480 --> 0:02:02.770 of the garden. They could only not eat from one 0:02:02.770 --> 0:02:07.850 tree in the garden, so he he misled Eve in 0:02:07.850 --> 0:02:11.089 his statement. It was only half true. He had said, 0:02:11.090 --> 0:02:15.050 don't eat from one tree. Not all the trees. He 0:02:15.410 --> 0:02:20.169 lied about the righteousness of God. The serpent said, God said, 0:02:20.169 --> 0:02:24.530 you shall truly die. But. But I don't think you will. 0:02:25.050 --> 0:02:28.210 He lied about the goodness of God. God doesn't want 0:02:28.210 --> 0:02:30.930 you to eat from this tree, because if you do, 0:02:30.970 --> 0:02:35.210 you will be like God. Listen, he sowed seeds of 0:02:35.210 --> 0:02:41.370 deception before he brought in the culture of darkness. Are 0:02:41.570 --> 0:02:45.050 you tracking where I'm going with this? Before the kingdom 0:02:45.050 --> 0:02:48.370 of light comes in, truth comes before the kingdom. Before 0:02:48.370 --> 0:02:51.410 someone comes to Christ, they hear the gospel, they hear 0:02:51.410 --> 0:02:54.130 the truth. And then the culture of the kingdom invades 0:02:54.130 --> 0:03:00.370 their life. Before the kingdom of darkness comes the lies 0:03:00.370 --> 0:03:03.610 of the enemy come. And as soon as the language 0:03:03.610 --> 0:03:06.970 of the enemy is starting to be spoken somewhere, then 0:03:06.970 --> 0:03:10.530 the culture of the enemy starts to be present in 0:03:10.570 --> 0:03:15.410 that place. Language comes before culture, but it opens up 0:03:15.410 --> 0:03:19.210 the door for the culture that follows. Now, why is 0:03:19.210 --> 0:03:23.210 this so important? Because some of you love Jesus. Follow God, 0:03:23.250 --> 0:03:26.450 carry your Bibles, come to church, raise your hands on 0:03:26.450 --> 0:03:29.450 Sunday and worship of God. And you consider yourself a 0:03:29.889 --> 0:03:35.410 follower of Jesus Christ. But you where you go, you 0:03:35.410 --> 0:03:39.010 speak the language of darkness through deception that you don't 0:03:39.010 --> 0:03:42.010 think is an important thing. You're bending the truth, lying 0:03:42.050 --> 0:03:45.170 about this, lying about that, and what you're really doing 0:03:45.170 --> 0:03:48.130 is you're spreading the kingdom of darkness. You're opening up 0:03:48.130 --> 0:03:52.050 doors for kingdom of darkness. Although you follow God, you're 0:03:52.050 --> 0:03:55.650 violating the ninth commandment, and you are speaking the language 0:03:55.650 --> 0:03:57.210 of the devil. And you wonder why he has a 0:03:57.210 --> 0:04:02.660 foothold in your life. Well, pastor, it's no big deal. I. 0:04:03.060 --> 0:04:06.220 My wife asked me where I was. I told her, 0:04:06.260 --> 0:04:09.100 you know, there's a lot of overtime at work. Because 0:04:09.100 --> 0:04:11.100 if I tell her that I'm at my friend's house 0:04:12.140 --> 0:04:15.500 playing pool and drinking a Bud Light, she's going to 0:04:16.060 --> 0:04:19.500 go through the roof. I want to tell her that. 0:04:20.220 --> 0:04:23.380 Where were you, honey? I was. You know, babe, work 0:04:23.380 --> 0:04:28.780 is so crazy these days. I'd love to be home 0:04:28.779 --> 0:04:31.219 with you and sit down and relax. How they got me. 0:04:31.779 --> 0:04:35.620 Why do you smell a little bit like a little 0:04:35.700 --> 0:04:37.420 beer on your breath? Well, you know, I got to 0:04:37.460 --> 0:04:39.060 do a little something at work. I mean, they gave 0:04:39.060 --> 0:04:40.940 me a little break. The boss said here, here, here. 0:04:40.980 --> 0:04:42.660 You know, just to keep you awake. And that's what 0:04:42.660 --> 0:04:51.100 I did, honey. And you say, pastor. Well, pastor, you know, 0:04:51.540 --> 0:04:54.300 it's not a big deal. I'm just protecting her. She 0:04:54.300 --> 0:04:56.740 doesn't understand. No, no, let me tell you what the 0:04:56.740 --> 0:04:59.620 big deal is. The big deal is that you are 0:04:59.620 --> 0:05:04.979 sowing lies. You're speaking the language of darkness. And you're 0:05:04.980 --> 0:05:09.100 giving the enemy a foothold in your household. Because we're 0:05:09.100 --> 0:05:13.820 the language of deception is spoken. Then the culture of 0:05:13.820 --> 0:05:17.620 darkness comes in and you speak lies into your marriage. 0:05:17.620 --> 0:05:21.140 You start deceiving one another, bending truth. And I can 0:05:21.140 --> 0:05:25.100 guarantee you that you are giving the enemy a huge 0:05:25.140 --> 0:05:28.780 foothold in your household and in your marriage to begin 0:05:28.779 --> 0:05:31.980 to bring the culture of the kingdom of darkness there. 0:05:34.580 --> 0:05:37.100 Each time you lie, you speak the language of darkness 0:05:37.100 --> 0:05:41.580 into your world. So therefore you may consider it a 0:05:41.580 --> 0:05:46.620 petty lie or a white lie. But from God's perspective, 0:05:46.779 --> 0:05:50.700 you're giving the enemy a landing place into your household. 0:05:51.820 --> 0:05:53.940 You say, well, I never lie to my wife, but 0:05:53.940 --> 0:05:58.100 you lie at work. You're giving, you're speaking darkness. You're 0:05:58.100 --> 0:06:01.430 giving the language of darkness into your work and giving 0:06:01.430 --> 0:06:05.310 a foothold there. I never lie to my wife, but 0:06:05.350 --> 0:06:08.070 you know, with my kids, you're speaking into your kids 0:06:08.070 --> 0:06:13.990 life deception. Listen to me, teenagers. You say, well, I 0:06:13.990 --> 0:06:16.870 don't want my parents to know everything that I'm going through. 0:06:16.910 --> 0:06:22.070 They won't understand. They're old fashioned. They just, you know, 0:06:22.110 --> 0:06:24.350 stuck in their ways. And they think we're living in 0:06:24.350 --> 0:06:29.430 the 1920s still. But this is the modern world. And 0:06:29.430 --> 0:06:32.110 so they just wouldn't understand. So I just lie to 0:06:32.150 --> 0:06:34.870 them about what I'm doing and how I'm involved and 0:06:34.870 --> 0:06:37.589 what's going on in my life. And and so they 0:06:37.630 --> 0:06:40.950 kind of questioned me. They interrogate me and but they 0:06:40.950 --> 0:06:43.590 just don't understand. So why would I tell the truth? 0:06:43.630 --> 0:06:46.950 Let me tell you what's happening. Every time you lie 0:06:46.990 --> 0:06:51.870 into that relationship, you're sowing Kingdom of darkness culture into 0:06:51.870 --> 0:06:56.030 the relationship. And you wonder why the relationship with your 0:06:56.029 --> 0:07:00.230 parent is poisoned. You wonder why there seems to be 0:07:00.510 --> 0:07:05.230 a confusion, a disconnect, a soul that can't connect there. 0:07:05.470 --> 0:07:09.790 Because if you have deceit and lying that you sowed 0:07:09.790 --> 0:07:13.510 into that, then it begins to cloud the closeness that 0:07:13.510 --> 0:07:17.070 can be there, the vulnerability that can be there. And 0:07:17.270 --> 0:07:20.030 it begins to it begins to cloud what God is 0:07:20.030 --> 0:07:24.830 trying to do until there is honesty and truth that represents. 0:07:24.830 --> 0:07:27.350 Because as soon as you start becoming honest, as soon 0:07:27.350 --> 0:07:30.270 as you start speaking the truth, then you clear up 0:07:30.270 --> 0:07:34.270 the environment and it allows room for the Kingdom of God, 0:07:34.310 --> 0:07:39.830 atmosphere and culture to invade your parent child relationship as well. 0:07:40.750 --> 0:07:43.830 Four things happen every time you tell a lie. Number one, 0:07:44.310 --> 0:07:46.950 each time you lie, you step out of God's place 0:07:46.950 --> 0:07:55.310 of favor. Favor. I don't know about you, but listen, 0:07:55.310 --> 0:07:57.630 the older I get, the more what I want is 0:07:57.630 --> 0:08:03.240 God's favor. Well, this person's not going to like you, pastor. Well, 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:05.080 this guy's not going to like what you do. You know, 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:07.280 more and more the older I get, the less I 0:08:07.320 --> 0:08:09.720 care really about that. And the more I just want 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:13.160 to know, God, am I walking in your favor? Because 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:17.320 if I have the favor of God, if I know 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:20.480 the favor is man, the favor of God is worth 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:24.440 a lot of friendships. The favor of God. When I 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:27.240 know that God is happy, God is content. My spirit 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:30.640 is clean and he knows the favor of God is 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:33.400 the blessing of God. It's the goodwill of God flowing 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.480 towards us. I want God's favor and to be honest 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:39.000 with you, I don't want anything that will mess with 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:46.440 the favor of God. Seriously. So listen to what God 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:51.040 has to say about about, uh, petty lying or about 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:55.120 bending the truth. Proverbs chapter six verse 16 says, the 0:08:55.120 --> 0:09:00.559 Lord hates. Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. You say, pastor, 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.960 is God allowed to hate? Did you know God hates 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:08.800 certain things? Let me say that again. Did you know 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:13.960 that God hates certain things? He says I hate it. 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:18.800 And hate is a strong language, isn't it? Hate is 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:24.600 one of the strongest emotions that you can have towards something. 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:29.760 And that's the language that God uses in Proverbs chapter 616. 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:35.640 It says the Lord hates. It's detestable to him. Haughty 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:42.160 eyes and a lying tongue. Haughty eyes are proud, full 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:44.760 eyes that look down at other people. Oh, you're. Who 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:49.160 are you? Sit over there, please. Haughty eyes are people 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:51.199 that look down at others that you don't feel like. 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:55.360 Measure up. You're not my education level. You're not my 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.320 skin color. You're not my economic status. You're kind of 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:03.770 lower class. Please don't bother me. It's hot. God hates that. 0:10:04.850 --> 0:10:08.850 Hates it. But you know, just as much as God 0:10:08.850 --> 0:10:13.410 hates that, God hates a lying tongue. God hates deception. 0:10:19.850 --> 0:10:22.130 That's Mark job on bold steps. And we'll get to 0:10:22.170 --> 0:10:24.690 the final half of our message in just a moment. 0:10:24.690 --> 0:10:26.610 But let me remind you that all of these daily 0:10:26.610 --> 0:10:30.890 messages are available for listening anytime on our website. Bold steps. 0:10:32.250 --> 0:10:34.890 And if you'd enjoy hearing these Bible lessons on the move, 0:10:34.890 --> 0:10:38.370 whether you're out traveling or exercising, you'll love our podcast. 0:10:38.530 --> 0:10:41.450 Find us on most podcast platforms by searching for bold 0:10:41.450 --> 0:10:45.050 steps with doctor Mark Jobe. Remember to hit subscribe and 0:10:45.050 --> 0:10:46.890 leave us a five star review with a comment to 0:10:46.890 --> 0:10:49.810 help others discover the show. Also, be sure to check 0:10:49.850 --> 0:10:52.730 out pastor Mark Jobe's YouTube channel, where you'll find encouraging 0:10:52.730 --> 0:10:58.370 video content on real life topics like overcoming addiction, navigating grief, 0:10:58.370 --> 0:11:02.689 and managing your money wisely. Each of these videos offers practical, 0:11:02.730 --> 0:11:05.329 biblical insight to help you grow in your faith and 0:11:05.330 --> 0:11:09.250 face life's challenges with confidence. You'll also find our new series, 0:11:09.250 --> 0:11:12.330 Bold Steps TV on March YouTube page. A behind the 0:11:12.330 --> 0:11:14.690 scenes look into the studio where we tackle relevant and 0:11:14.690 --> 0:11:18.010 timely issues, and answer your questions about faith and life. 0:11:18.250 --> 0:11:28.330 So visit youtube.com to subscribe today. That's youtube.com. Now let's 0:11:28.330 --> 0:11:31.050 jump back into today's message. Mark gives a few more 0:11:31.050 --> 0:11:33.449 points you'd like to make about not bearing false witness 0:11:33.450 --> 0:11:34.609 against your neighbors. 0:11:40.250 --> 0:11:43.410 It tells us in Proverbs chapter 12 verse 22, the 0:11:43.410 --> 0:11:49.290 Lord detests. That's another strong word. The Lord detests lying lips, 0:11:50.210 --> 0:11:53.610 but he delights in men who speak. Speak truthfully when 0:11:53.650 --> 0:11:56.610 God sees a lie. Even a petty lie. Small lie. 0:11:56.650 --> 0:12:00.420 White lie. Pink lie. Blue lie. Come out of our mouth. God. just. 0:12:00.460 --> 0:12:02.980 It detests it. It makes him. It makes him sick. 0:12:02.980 --> 0:12:07.660 He can't stand when lies come out. It. God detests 0:12:07.660 --> 0:12:11.540 those lies. So Psalms 101 seven says, no one who 0:12:11.540 --> 0:12:14.580 practices deceit will dwell in my house. No one who 0:12:14.580 --> 0:12:18.220 speaks falsely will stand in my presence. What I want 0:12:18.220 --> 0:12:22.179 you to understand is that the language of God is truth, 0:12:22.300 --> 0:12:24.939 and therefore, when truth is not there, God says, I 0:12:24.940 --> 0:12:28.179 hate it. Why? Because he hates it. Because he knows 0:12:28.179 --> 0:12:31.380 what follows. It's not the language of God. It's the 0:12:31.380 --> 0:12:34.420 language of the enemy. And all of the garbage that's 0:12:34.420 --> 0:12:38.340 in the enemy's camp comes in via, uh, words of 0:12:38.340 --> 0:12:43.300 deception or lying. Number two, jot this down. Each time 0:12:43.300 --> 0:12:46.420 you lie, you harden your heart and lose spiritual clarity. 0:12:47.900 --> 0:12:51.540 It tells us in Romans chapter one, verses 24 through 25, 0:12:52.179 --> 0:12:56.060 that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie 0:12:56.420 --> 0:13:01.140 and worshiped and served, created things rather than the creator, 0:13:01.540 --> 0:13:07.060 and as a result of that, their minds became depraved 0:13:07.820 --> 0:13:11.459 and they became confused about who they should worship and 0:13:11.460 --> 0:13:15.780 about their sexual identity and about their values and everything 0:13:15.780 --> 0:13:19.380 else in life. Why? Because they bought into lies and 0:13:19.380 --> 0:13:23.860 they spoke lies. It's the language of the enemy. The 0:13:23.860 --> 0:13:26.939 moment you start lying. Listen to me. Well, this is huge. 0:13:26.940 --> 0:13:33.300 Hear me well. The moment that you start lying, you 0:13:33.300 --> 0:13:37.740 bring in a hardness to your heart and you start 0:13:37.740 --> 0:13:46.460 losing spiritual clarity. Fog starts to set upon you. You 0:13:46.460 --> 0:13:50.339 can't tell right from wrong anymore. Why? Because your heart 0:13:50.700 --> 0:13:57.420 becomes hard and because clarity and spiritual discernment become foggy. 0:13:58.580 --> 0:14:02.069 You show me someone that is a believer and they 0:14:02.070 --> 0:14:05.110 have a lot of fog in their mind and hardness 0:14:05.110 --> 0:14:08.950 of heart, and they're confused about things that seem very 0:14:08.950 --> 0:14:11.910 clear and simple to most people. And I'll tell you, 0:14:11.910 --> 0:14:16.350 someone that's either bought into lies or someone that's practicing 0:14:16.350 --> 0:14:21.790 lies because it it fogs the clarity and discernment of 0:14:21.790 --> 0:14:29.470 your mind. Why? Because it's the language of darkness. Second 0:14:29.470 --> 0:14:32.670 Timothy 313 says, while evil men and impostors will go 0:14:32.670 --> 0:14:35.470 from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived, it's talking 0:14:35.470 --> 0:14:37.470 about the end times that the language of the end 0:14:37.470 --> 0:14:41.110 times will be the language of deception. So number one, 0:14:41.110 --> 0:14:43.030 each time you lie, you step out of the place 0:14:43.030 --> 0:14:45.790 of God's favor. Number two, each time you lie, you 0:14:45.830 --> 0:14:49.470 harden your heart and lose spiritual clarity. Number three, each 0:14:49.470 --> 0:14:54.110 time you lie, you set yourself up for future failure. 0:14:55.630 --> 0:14:57.230 How does it work? Well, look at what it says. 0:14:57.230 --> 0:15:00.800 Proverbs has a lot to say about this Proverbs 12 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:05.240 verses 13 through 14 evil men are trapped by sinful thought. 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:10.440 Proverbs ten verse nine. The man of integrity walks securely, 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:14.240 but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. 0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:18.000 In other words, when you cheat, lie, you will eventually 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:24.240 be found out. Number three Proverbs 1720 he whose tongue 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:29.160 is deceitful falls into trouble. Have you ever seen someone 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:33.720 that lies and thought they are absolutely 100% getting away 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:38.120 with it? That ever happened to you? Someone at work 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:43.080 just straight out lies. I mean, just blatantly lies. And 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:45.720 they just get away with it and you're like, they're 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:50.880 getting away with it. They straight up lied and it 0:15:50.880 --> 0:15:55.360 seems like no one's catching them. Makes you want to lie, too, 0:15:55.960 --> 0:15:58.560 because you think if they're getting away with it, it's 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:03.120 a shortcut. Cut. Maybe I should lie. Have you ever 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:06.000 seen someone just totally fabricate a story? And you think, whoa, 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:09.840 look at them. They're lying. I'm going to tell you something. 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:14.160 They may temporarily get away with it, but eventually every 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:18.360 lie that we speak entraps us. It'll eventually come back 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:20.000 to us. That's the word. The Word of God says 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:23.520 that eventually it becomes a pitfall to us and it 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.280 comes out like a boomerang. It comes back to get 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:29.680 us people that may seem to be getting away now. 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:35.000 They don't get away in the long term. So. So 0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:41.240 don't envy liars. Don't be tempted to play their game, uh, 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:44.600 or to cheat like others are doing because they seem 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:47.680 to be getting away because the Word of God says 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:51.640 ultimately it will entrap them. And number four, lastly, each 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:54.640 time you lie, you open up the door for darkness 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:59.720 to invade your situation. Proverbs 11 verse three says the 0:16:59.880 --> 0:17:04.960 integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:11.359 destroyed by their duplicity. I was talking to my son 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:16.760 this morning, Josiah, and he reminded me of the story 0:17:16.760 --> 0:17:21.160 in the New Testament of Ananias. Ananias and Sapphira. Does 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:25.440 anybody remember who Ananias and Sapphira was? You want to 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:28.560 read a story that scares you about lying? Read Ananias 0:17:28.560 --> 0:17:33.040 and Sapphira in the book of acts. Ananias and Sapphira 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:36.240 were a married couple. They decided because a lot of 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.200 people were giving to the cause of God, they had 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:41.119 a piece of land, and they decided that they were 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:43.760 going to take their piece of land and sell it 0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:46.720 and bring it to the apostles and say, listen, we 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:49.080 decided because God led us, that we're going to sell 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:52.240 all this and give it to the church. It was 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:56.679 a noble cause, but they decided that they wanted to 0:17:56.680 --> 0:17:59.560 keep some of it for themselves, which was totally their 0:17:59.690 --> 0:18:01.970 right to do. They didn't. No one was telling them 0:18:01.970 --> 0:18:04.650 they had to say, but because they wanted to act 0:18:04.650 --> 0:18:08.169 like they gave everything, they decide, they made up a 0:18:08.170 --> 0:18:10.770 story together and say, we're going to keep some of it, 0:18:10.770 --> 0:18:14.050 but we're going to lie and tell the apostles that 0:18:14.050 --> 0:18:18.490 we're giving all of it. So Ananias comes to Peter 0:18:18.490 --> 0:18:23.530 and he says, hey, we were so touched by your message. Oh, man, 0:18:24.330 --> 0:18:28.330 we're in this all the way. Consecrated. We took our 0:18:28.330 --> 0:18:31.050 big piece of land. We sold it. Here's all the 0:18:31.050 --> 0:18:34.850 money from the prophets. Here it is. Because we are 100% 0:18:34.850 --> 0:18:38.969 for this cause. Peter looked at him, inspired by the 0:18:38.970 --> 0:18:41.689 Holy Spirit, and said, what has caused you to lie 0:18:43.010 --> 0:18:47.250 to God and to the Holy Spirit? And immediately when 0:18:47.250 --> 0:18:54.129 he talked to Ananias was struck dead. Boom, pass. And 0:18:54.130 --> 0:18:57.729 he says he called the young men to come and 0:18:57.730 --> 0:19:01.780 drag his body out. I'm thinking, God, that's a little harsh. 0:19:03.180 --> 0:19:06.740 I mean, it seems like. Whoa. To strike him dead 0:19:06.740 --> 0:19:13.379 seems pretty heavy, Lord. I mean, how about the mumps 0:19:13.380 --> 0:19:19.780 or measles or something like that? How about a broken leg? But, dad. 0:19:21.180 --> 0:19:23.340 And they're dragging him out. And by the time they're 0:19:23.340 --> 0:19:26.220 dragging his body out, the Bible says that Sapphira, his wife, 0:19:26.220 --> 0:19:29.340 came in and said, hey, Peter, here we are. Oh, 0:19:29.380 --> 0:19:32.020 we love Jesus so much. Guess what? We sold all 0:19:32.020 --> 0:19:34.700 our property. Did my husband tell you? And we're giving 0:19:34.700 --> 0:19:37.300 everything to the church, man, because we love Jesus so 0:19:37.300 --> 0:19:41.100 much and we're so committed to this cause. And he said, Sapphira, 0:19:42.900 --> 0:19:45.020 your husband was just dragged out of here dead. And 0:19:45.020 --> 0:19:47.980 then she starts choking, convulsing, falls dead, and plops dead 0:19:47.980 --> 0:19:50.780 the same way. Both of them killed dead the same day. 0:19:50.820 --> 0:19:57.379 For what? For lying. And I look, I read that passage, 0:19:57.380 --> 0:19:59.780 and I thought, God, that just seems like out of control. 0:20:00.420 --> 0:20:03.700 Here's knocking people down, left and right. You started doing 0:20:03.700 --> 0:20:05.580 it at our church. We'd all be dead in this place. 0:20:05.619 --> 0:20:07.940 I mean, we'd we'd have there'd be no one left 0:20:07.940 --> 0:20:10.419 to do funerals. I'm like, hey, can the pastor know 0:20:10.420 --> 0:20:13.540 they're dead, too? Everybody's dead in this place. God, that 0:20:13.540 --> 0:20:18.020 seems like. Wow. Very harsh. Why would you do that? 0:20:18.020 --> 0:20:21.660 And here's what here's what I, I started understanding the 0:20:21.660 --> 0:20:24.260 reason that God did that is that the church was 0:20:24.260 --> 0:20:26.500 at a point where they were about to do some 0:20:26.500 --> 0:20:30.300 incredible things. They were expanding, and God wanted purity at 0:20:30.300 --> 0:20:33.940 this time. He wanted there to be integrity of heart. 0:20:33.940 --> 0:20:38.940 And so he came down strong on lying because it 0:20:38.940 --> 0:20:42.220 brings in a culture of darkness. And God knew that 0:20:42.220 --> 0:20:45.700 he allowed a culture of darkness to invade the early church, 0:20:45.859 --> 0:20:49.020 that it would it would it would crash all the 0:20:49.020 --> 0:20:51.699 plans that God had for the mighty harvest that he 0:20:51.700 --> 0:21:04.619 wanted them to experience. The language that we speak invites 0:21:04.619 --> 0:21:10.940 the culture to follow it. Listen, I believe God has 0:21:10.940 --> 0:21:13.820 plans for us. Oh man, I do. But I believe 0:21:13.820 --> 0:21:16.700 we're at a time of huge harvest. Great opportunity, probably 0:21:16.700 --> 0:21:20.260 more than ever before. I there's visions in my heart 0:21:20.300 --> 0:21:23.859 greater than I've ever sensed it before. Challenges in our 0:21:23.859 --> 0:21:26.620 heart than ever before. And at the same time, with 0:21:26.619 --> 0:21:29.180 these great challenges and visions that God has placed on 0:21:29.180 --> 0:21:33.780 my heart, there's a, a a growing sense that along 0:21:33.780 --> 0:21:36.300 with great passion, great vision, there needs to be great 0:21:36.300 --> 0:21:41.020 holiness among us. And that doesn't happen on our own power. 0:21:41.060 --> 0:21:43.219 It happens when we come to God and say, God, 0:21:43.260 --> 0:21:46.540 help me to walk in holiness, I want integrity. God 0:21:46.540 --> 0:21:50.580 uses a church that rises up as our passion grows 0:21:50.619 --> 0:21:55.420 our holiness for God has to grow as well. And 0:21:55.420 --> 0:21:57.899 as we begin to pursue great things for God, the 0:21:57.900 --> 0:22:01.149 the fire of holiness begins to grow amongst us as well. 0:22:09.230 --> 0:22:13.390 I can hear some of you saying already, pastor Mark. 0:22:13.430 --> 0:22:19.830 A little white lie shouldn't be a big deal. But 0:22:19.830 --> 0:22:22.909 I want you to hear the heart of this message. 0:22:23.230 --> 0:22:28.990 Holiness is a big deal, and compromise and deception of 0:22:28.990 --> 0:22:34.070 any kind will start to pollute your soul and start 0:22:34.070 --> 0:22:38.710 to compromise your conviction and silence the voice of the 0:22:38.710 --> 0:22:42.389 Holy Spirit in your life. So what you consider a 0:22:42.390 --> 0:22:49.070 small maneuver on your taxes that's not quite honest, or 0:22:49.750 --> 0:22:55.750 a compromising of the truth at your job, or what 0:22:55.750 --> 0:22:58.869 you've told your spouse? It may not seem like a 0:22:58.869 --> 0:23:03.190 big deal to you, but it has consequences on your soul. 0:23:03.190 --> 0:23:07.230 So I want to challenge you to make a commitment. 0:23:07.230 --> 0:23:11.910 By God's grace, I will walk in integrity and truth. 0:23:12.150 --> 0:23:14.630 That is an important challenge. Thank you for that, Mark. 0:23:14.630 --> 0:23:17.150 And maybe you are not fully engaged as you should be, 0:23:17.190 --> 0:23:20.030 and God is calling you to do something more this year. 0:23:20.030 --> 0:23:22.910 I hope you'll consider taking a bold step and break 0:23:22.910 --> 0:23:24.670 out of your slump by joining with us to help 0:23:24.670 --> 0:23:27.270 share the life changing message of the gospel. Mark with 0:23:27.270 --> 0:23:28.990 those who need to hear it. We need to be 0:23:28.990 --> 0:23:29.870 that conduit. 0:23:30.070 --> 0:23:32.470 Yeah, God has opened up so many doors for us 0:23:32.470 --> 0:23:35.869 to just expand the broadcasting of bold steps in South 0:23:35.869 --> 0:23:40.190 Africa around New York. I just had someone at church 0:23:40.190 --> 0:23:43.270 on Sunday tell me, he said, you know, my sister 0:23:43.310 --> 0:23:45.030 is listening in new Jersey. 0:23:45.070 --> 0:23:46.150 To Bold Steps, and. 0:23:46.150 --> 0:23:49.190 She loves it. And so God is opening up so 0:23:49.190 --> 0:23:53.429 many doors. But we really do need, especially at this moment, 0:23:53.430 --> 0:23:56.750 this time of the year. It's our final month in 0:23:56.750 --> 0:24:00.840 our fiscal year. We need partners to step up and say, hey, 0:24:00.880 --> 0:24:04.240 I will support by a one time gift, or it's 0:24:04.240 --> 0:24:06.640 even better if you can become a monthly partner. We 0:24:06.640 --> 0:24:10.160 call it our bold step partners. This is a great 0:24:10.160 --> 0:24:13.800 time to do so. We appreciate your prayers and your encouragement. 0:24:13.800 --> 0:24:16.240 Or ask to become a bold partner when you call us. 0:24:16.240 --> 0:24:24.000 The number to call is (800) 356-6639. That's 800 Moody. When 0:24:24.000 --> 0:24:26.000 you give today, we'll say thanks by sending you a 0:24:26.000 --> 0:24:29.320 copy of our latest bold step gift. Boys and girls 0:24:29.320 --> 0:24:32.440 may both need truth, but they often receive it differently. 0:24:32.680 --> 0:24:36.680 That's why it lies. Boys believe features adventure based storytelling, 0:24:36.680 --> 0:24:40.919 visual elements, and interactive challenges that resonate with boys and 0:24:40.920 --> 0:24:44.480 how they learn and process information. The books design, with 0:24:44.480 --> 0:24:48.440 its bold graphics, puzzles and illustrations, captures the attention and 0:24:48.440 --> 0:24:51.640 maintains the interest of boys in ways that typical books 0:24:51.640 --> 0:24:56.280 often don't. Request this specially crafted bold step gift and 0:24:56.280 --> 0:24:58.800 watch as the boys in your life eagerly engage with 0:24:58.920 --> 0:25:02.080 God's truth. Again, this resource is our gift to you. 0:25:02.119 --> 0:25:04.680 When you sign up to become a bold partner, or 0:25:04.680 --> 0:25:07.520 when you give a single donation of any amount. Again, 0:25:07.520 --> 0:25:10.640 go to Bold steps.org and find all the convenient ways 0:25:10.640 --> 0:25:13.760 you can donate and request this book. And then before 0:25:13.760 --> 0:25:15.719 we go today, don't forget to connect with us on 0:25:15.720 --> 0:25:20.720 our social media platforms. You'll find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. 0:25:20.760 --> 0:25:23.560 Just search for Bold Steps Radio. We look forward to 0:25:23.560 --> 0:25:26.320 seeing you there. I'm Wayne Shepherd. That's all the time 0:25:26.320 --> 0:25:29.119 we have today. But coming up on the program tomorrow, 0:25:29.160 --> 0:25:31.400 we'll begin a study from the book of Philippians all 0:25:31.400 --> 0:25:34.320 about learning how to untangle the messes we face in 0:25:34.320 --> 0:25:38.120 life and relationships. Join us for this new message called 0:25:38.280 --> 0:25:43.080 Untangling Life Without Losing Your Peace. Thursday on Bold Steps 0:25:43.080 --> 0:25:47.639 with Mark John. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, 0:25:47.800 --> 0:25:50.080 a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.