Why do we lie?

1. We lie to make ourselves look better than we are.
2. We lie to hide our ungodliness.
3. We lie out of self-preservation.

Truthfulness is central to the character and nature of God…
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 16:13
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

Notes on Matthew 5:33-37
Matthew 5:33-37
Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

The Bottom Line: The Gospel provides followers of Jesus with such complete confidence in how God has provided for our every need that we can honor God and love others by speaking truthfully even when it’s difficult.

Exercise: Keep a Truth Log:

Monitor your speech for 3-5 days and write down the moments when you share outright lies, white lies, and also things like gossip, breaking confidences, over-promising, and exaggeration.

After a few days, review the list and consider:

Why did you speak the words that you did?
How would believing the gospel more fully transform you to speak differently?

Two Mindsets for Speaking the Truth in Christian Community:

Mindset 1: Speak the truth in

as a way of helping others grow into maturity. (Eph. 4:15)

Mindset 2. Practice Spirit-reliant

around when and how to speak the truth.

Community Group Discussion Questions
1. As you begin, are there any significant challenges or events going on in your life that you would do well to share with the group? Take turns sharing and have someone in the group pray for each need / request.
2. Read Matt. 5:33-37. What stands out to you the most in this passage (or stood out to you in this week’s message) about Jesus’ desire for his followers to honor God and love one another by speaking truthful words?
3. Why do you think it’s such a continual challenge for us to be truthful with our speech?
4. As you feel comfortable sharing, what is one area where you are often tempted to be
dishonest? How do you think your struggles in this area would be diminished if your heart was more fully grounded in God’s unconditional love and provision on your behalf through Jesus?
5. Look at the “Truth Log” exercise listed in the teaching notes above. Read through it together. How do you think God might work in your life if you gave this exercise a try?