- Today we're gonna be looking
at the ninth commandment.
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You know, the one
that talks about lying.
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And today I'm gonna show
you what that commandment
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might actually
be saying about you.
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[upbeat music]
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Over the last few
weeks, we've made our way
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through most of the decalogue
of the 10 Commandments,
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and we've arrived at
the penultimate commandment,
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the one that
appears to prohibit lying,
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or at least that's the way
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that most modern
readers think about it.
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But I'm gonna challenge
that thinking just a little bit
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because it's not really talking
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about simple falsehood per se.
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It's talking about a
specific class of falsehoods,
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namely the lies we tell in
order to devalue other people.
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You know, how you
take somebody down a notch.
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The commandment
itself simply states,
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you shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor.
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Now if you read
the rest of the Bible,
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you'll discover that it places
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a really high
premium on basic honesty.
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But the ninth
commandment is specifically
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talking about guarding
your neighbor's reputation.
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And I can't help
but smile when I happen
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to read the commandment again
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during the last election cycle.
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Now, I'm gonna be really
careful about how I say this
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because my personal
politics really don't matter.
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Let's just say I'm
neither a registered Democrat
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nor a Republican.
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And to be honest,
I wish more preachers
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would just keep their political
preferences to themselves.
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After all, you're supposed
to be preaching the gospel.
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And when you
weave current events
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and politics into
your preaching that way,
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you're essentially alienating
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half of your potential audience.
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I mean, if they
don't like your politics,
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they're just gonna tune you
out when you talk about Jesus.
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Now, that doesn't mean
a preacher can't weigh in
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on moral issues,
and it doesn't mean
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that they shouldn't
promote a cause like say,
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religious liberty
because after all,
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the freedom that
I have to sit here
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and talk about my faith
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ultimately depends on how
free the nation happens to be.
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But when it comes to
general political preferences
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for preachers,
silence really is golden.
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Now all that being
said, the latest round
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of political campaigns
here in the United States
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had me thinking quite a
bit about the Ninth Commandment
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because it forbids
telling lies about other people.
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And unfortunately, the
trend in recent decades
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has been to
completely ignore that principle
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when you're out
stumping for votes.
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Candidates on both sides
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appear to love
taking any brief statement
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and playing a
game of gotcha with it.
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Any video clip that potentially
makes the opponent look bad
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and they run with
that, which is something
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you'd kind of
expect a politician to do,
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but far too often they're
sharing an edited version,
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carefully designed to
make it look far worse
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than it really was.
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And these people know full well
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that they're twisting the facts,
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but that doesn't seem to matter
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when the only
objective appears to be winning.
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And honestly, you'd have
a hard time convincing me
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that a lot of
political candidates
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don't know that
they're twisting the facts.
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They're just too twisted.
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After all, anybody with access
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to Google can check their
claims in less than 30 seconds.
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And I guess what really
worries me about all this
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is that far too many people
seem to be getting comfortable
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with the idea that the end
always justifies the means.
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No matter what you say, lying
is fine as long as you win.
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And I guess I can
partly understand it.
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I mean, if you're
gonna run for office
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and spend all that
money, you really do need
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to highlight the
ways your opponent
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wouldn't be an ideal choice.
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You know, pointing
that kind of stuff out
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does seem like fair
game, but lying about it,
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taking your opponent's
statements outta context
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or knowingly spreading
falsehood that's wrong.
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And to quote a notable
psychologist I was listening to
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a couple of years
ago, morally speaking,
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nobody ever really
gets away with anything.
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Evil deeds are always
guaranteed to catch up with you
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at some point to
quote the book of Numbers.
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Your sin will find you out.
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I mean, you might
not actually get caught,
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and you might even
get to the very end
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of your career without
anybody knowing what you did,
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or at least they can't prove it.
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But your own heart,
it will never forget.
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Cheating your way through life
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with manufactured falsehood
is going to take a toll on you.
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I can pretty
much guarantee that,
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it might be years down the
road, but it will catch you.
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It might even lead to
things like anxiety or guilt
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or some other
mental health challenge.
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After all, lying can
be downright exhausting.
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You have to remember
the last lie you told
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and the one before that,
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and the one before
that, and the one before that
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so that you can seem consistent
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to the people who listen to you.
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It's a lot of mental stress
that honest people don't have
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to deal with, and it's
gonna demand a price from you
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because it's simply
not the right way to live.
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You're always going to
know that you wronged somebody
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or that you didn't really
earn your own station in life
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or you got there dishonestly.
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It's just really, really hard
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to live an authentic human
life when you're in the habit
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of living, well,
let's say inauthentically,
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but now let's
drop the politicians
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because it's just
too easy of a target.
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I mean, we all
love to pick on them
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because they're kind
of the low hanging fruit.
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Their lies are easy to spot
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because they live in
the public spotlight.
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So instead, maybe
let's talk about you,
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just how careful
do you think you are
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when it comes to guarding
the reputation of others?
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It's a pretty big question
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because if you think about it,
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a person's reputation
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is really their
most valuable possession.
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Money and property
come and go pretty easily,
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and so do things
like power or fame.
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But the one thing that follows
you all the way through life,
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that'd be your character.
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And the sad
thing about character
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is that so many people
love to believe nasty rumors.
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It gives them a
sense of schadenfreude.
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It lets them say,
okay, my life isn't perfect,
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but at least I'm not
like that individual.
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It's kinda like that story
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that Jesus told
about the Pharisee
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and the tax collector
praying in the temple.
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You probably remember it,
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the Pharisee looks
over at the tax collector,
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a man that everybody hates
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because he works for
the Roman government.
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And the Pharisee
says, "God, I thank you
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that I am not like other men."
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It's a way of
reassuring yourself
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that you might be
a little bit rotten,
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but it's not all that serious
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because you can
find worse people
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who clearly deserve
public condemnation.
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But for just a moment, think
about all the little crumbs
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of information you leave
behind every time you go out
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and do something,
absolutely anything.
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And ask yourself
if a dedicated gossip
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would be able to
collect that information
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and make something
of it if they wanted to.
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Believe me, it happens
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and it happens a lot, in
fact, I've had it happen to me.
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So then ask yourself,
how often have you distorted
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what someone else
is doing or saying?
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You might not
actually write articles
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or appear on a TV show,
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but you know, you talk
about people, sometimes you wait
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until you're in
the car going home
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so that you and your spouse
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or your friends can
verbally assassinate
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the people you
just finished visiting.
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And how often do you
kind of bend the truth
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or highlight things
that people said in a way
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that makes them look bad
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or distorts what
they actually said?
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I've had people
walk out on the platform
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after I finished speaking,
who used closing statements
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to try and
rework what I just said,
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to make it fit their agenda,
to make me agree with them.
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They'll latch onto just three
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or four words I use
somewhere in the talk
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and build a thesis out of
it saying something like, well,
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as Sean just said,
when I said no such thing.
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So how often do all of us
do that, even inadvertently?
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Honestly, I think we all do it
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because we're
all self-interested
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and we're constantly
trying to appropriate
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everything around
us to suit our agenda.
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We want other people
to endorse what we do
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or what we believe
because somehow we think
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that gives our
ideas more credibility
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and we'll co-opt
other people's words
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and actions to make it
look like they support us
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when they don't.
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It's another case of
bearing false witness,
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and I'll be
right back after this.
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[upbeat music]
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- [Narrator] Here at The Voice
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[gentle music]
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- You know, there's a sense
in which the ninth commandment
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is kind of tied
to the sixth one.
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You know, the one
that deals with murder.
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The Apostle John in
those three little letters
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over by the book of
Revelation reminds us
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that hating people is
actually a form of murder.
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I mean, just listen to this.
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This is from one John 3:15.
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It says, "Everyone who
hates his brother is a murderer.
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And you know that no murderer
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has eternal
life abiding in him."
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So how in the world
does hating somebody
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make you guilty of murder?
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Well, for starters,
living in a world of hate
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and anger is likely
gonna shorten your own life
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because when you
can't forgive people,
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it can really do a
number on your mental health.
00:10:00.53\00:10:03.16
Listen to this
statement I found from the folks
00:10:03.16\00:10:04.93
at Psychology Today,
00:10:04.93\00:10:06.94
and I think what they're saying
is really pretty accurate.
00:10:06.94\00:10:09.44
It was a website and it
said, "Anger, too easily
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or frequently mobilized
can undermine relationships
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or damage physical
health in the long term.
00:10:15.64\00:10:18.58
Prolonged release
of the stress hormones
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that accompany
anger can destroy neurons
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in areas of the brain
associated with judgment
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and short term memory and
weaken the immune system."
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And then it continues a
little bit later by saying this.
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"Heart rate and blood flow
increase in the muscles tense.
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This can
compromise the immune system
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and cardiovascular system,
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which can even shorten
the lifespan when sustained."
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So for starters,
living in a state of anger
00:10:46.81\00:10:50.01
or resentment can do a
real number on your health
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to the point where it
actually shortens your life
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kind of like smoking would,
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which means that in some ways,
00:10:57.42\00:10:59.05
hatred becomes a
really slow form of suicide.
00:10:59.05\00:11:03.53
But of course, hating someone
else also takes a big toll
00:11:03.53\00:11:06.73
on that person,
which is how the business
00:11:06.73\00:11:09.10
of bearing false witness is
linked to the sin of murder.
00:11:09.10\00:11:13.07
If you're hating someone
to the point where they know
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that you hate
them and they feel it,
00:11:16.04\00:11:17.91
well that's obviously
00:11:17.91\00:11:19.21
gonna put a dent in
their quality of life.
00:11:19.21\00:11:21.24
And then when you
start projecting your hatred
00:11:21.24\00:11:23.41
in front of other people,
well now you're attacking
00:11:23.41\00:11:26.08
that person's public value,
00:11:26.08\00:11:28.05
you're diminishing
them in the eyes of others
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and that can have a tremendous
impact on their wellbeing.
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I mean, let's just do a
little bit of a self check
00:11:34.72\00:11:36.99
and I'll warn you,
this isn't gonna be easy.
00:11:36.99\00:11:39.23
It's gonna step
on all of our toes.
00:11:39.23\00:11:41.60
Have you ever talked
down a candidate for a job
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just because you
didn't personally like them
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and you'd rather not have
them around as a coworker?
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Have you ever heard that
somebody is up for promotion
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but you think you
deserve promotion?
00:11:51.67\00:11:53.71
So instead of just
selling yourself to management,
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instead of
promoting your own skills
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or qualities, you
criticize the other candidate,
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hoping that HR will see
them in a negative light.
00:12:01.88\00:12:05.15
Or let's be
really brutally honest.
00:12:05.15\00:12:08.16
Have you ever felt threatened
00:12:08.16\00:12:09.69
by someone else's obvious talent
00:12:09.69\00:12:11.99
or their ability to
make friends or their looks
00:12:11.99\00:12:14.93
or their money or
just about anything
00:12:14.93\00:12:16.97
and you felt the need to
take them down a little bit?
00:12:16.97\00:12:20.30
Have you ever
managed to convince someone
00:12:20.30\00:12:22.00
to just turn
against the person you hate,
00:12:22.00\00:12:24.51
maybe even cut
them off entirely?
00:12:24.51\00:12:27.04
Or have you ever said
something about somebody
00:12:27.04\00:12:29.08
that wasn't
really a direct attack,
00:12:29.08\00:12:31.51
but it was
still clearly designed
00:12:31.51\00:12:33.38
to raise
questions about that person?
00:12:33.38\00:12:35.72
Hey, you know, Mike
really knocked it outta the park
00:12:35.72\00:12:38.12
with that sales
report yesterday.
00:12:38.12\00:12:39.39
What an amazing
forecast, was it really?
00:12:39.39\00:12:43.56
You thought that
was a good report?
00:12:43.56\00:12:45.93
You know, the kind of
thing I'm talking about,
00:12:45.93\00:12:48.30
I mean, I think we're all
guilty of it at some level
00:12:48.30\00:12:51.10
because as we've
already mentioned,
00:12:51.10\00:12:53.20
we're all a
little bit egocentric
00:12:53.20\00:12:54.97
and I'm not even convinced
that we do this consciously
00:12:54.97\00:12:58.07
most of the time.
00:12:58.07\00:12:59.37
What the Bible
is telling us to do
00:13:00.41\00:13:01.94
is deliberately guard
other people's reputations,
00:13:01.94\00:13:05.31
which falls in
with the golden rule,
00:13:05.31\00:13:07.75
the one that Jesus taught us.
00:13:07.75\00:13:09.78
So whatever you wish
that others would do to you,
00:13:09.78\00:13:12.75
do also to them for this
is the law and the prophets.
00:13:12.75\00:13:17.59
Now I know, and
it's not easy sometimes
00:13:17.59\00:13:19.63
because some people
really are profoundly unlikable,
00:13:19.63\00:13:23.16
they're abrasive,
they're dishonest,
00:13:23.16\00:13:25.57
they use people,
whatever the issue is
00:13:25.57\00:13:28.57
and it's precisely
that terrible person
00:13:28.57\00:13:31.34
who's going to give
you an opportunity to learn
00:13:31.34\00:13:34.14
what the ninth
commandment is really all about.
00:13:34.14\00:13:37.08
I mean it's easy to
keep the commandments
00:13:37.08\00:13:39.55
when everything's going well
00:13:39.55\00:13:41.12
and it's easy to avoid
becoming what the Bible calls
00:13:41.12\00:13:43.69
a tail bearer
when you're dealing
00:13:43.69\00:13:45.82
with the people you like.
00:13:45.82\00:13:47.66
But if the
commandments are just a set
00:13:47.66\00:13:49.42
of fair weather
social guidelines
00:13:49.42\00:13:51.16
for when
everything's going well,
00:13:51.16\00:13:53.40
well then they
really don't mean much
00:13:53.40\00:13:55.00
if you think about it,
00:13:55.00\00:13:56.46
it's when you
find yourself swimming
00:13:56.46\00:13:58.07
against the current of life
00:13:58.07\00:13:59.43
and things are
really, really hard,
00:13:59.43\00:14:02.00
well that's when
keeping the commandments
00:14:02.00\00:14:03.67
can become a bit of a challenge.
00:14:03.67\00:14:05.77
But it's also at that point
00:14:05.77\00:14:07.91
that they start to
make the most sense.
00:14:07.91\00:14:10.61
I mean, it's easy
to keep from murdering
00:14:10.61\00:14:12.61
or plundering
the people you like.
00:14:12.61\00:14:15.12
It's easy to avoid adultery
when you're getting along
00:14:15.12\00:14:17.62
with your spouse, but
when you don't like somebody,
00:14:17.62\00:14:21.26
the rules can suddenly
seem a little more challenging.
00:14:21.26\00:14:24.43
I mean, of course
you're not gonna spread rumors
00:14:24.43\00:14:26.16
about your wife or kids
00:14:26.16\00:14:27.46
because you like
them at least hopefully.
00:14:27.46\00:14:29.80
But what about those people
00:14:29.80\00:14:31.07
who rub your fur the
wrong way all the time,
00:14:31.07\00:14:33.23
the ones who irritate
the daylights out of you?
00:14:33.23\00:14:35.84
What about those people?
00:14:35.84\00:14:38.67
Here's the problem that emerges
00:14:38.67\00:14:40.44
when you start
spreading lies about others,
00:14:40.44\00:14:43.11
it's almost impossible to
clean up the damage you do.
00:14:43.11\00:14:46.35
The way human nature works
00:14:46.35\00:14:47.62
is that once
you've convinced someone
00:14:47.62\00:14:49.12
not to like someone else,
00:14:49.12\00:14:51.12
well if that impression
can be really hard to undo.
00:14:51.12\00:14:54.46
I remember this guy I
met about 30 years ago
00:14:54.46\00:14:56.62
who became the victim of
some really brutal gossip.
00:14:56.62\00:15:00.33
Somebody very close to
him started telling a story
00:15:00.33\00:15:03.23
that wasn't true.
00:15:03.23\00:15:04.87
And because a lot of people
love a bit of juicy gossip,
00:15:04.87\00:15:08.20
the story spread very quickly
00:15:08.20\00:15:10.24
and it sparked a little
bit of a social feeding frenzy.
00:15:10.24\00:15:13.84
And at one point, this
poor guy came to my office
00:15:13.84\00:15:16.28
and sat in a chair crying.
00:15:16.28\00:15:18.41
He said, "It's like cutting
open a pillow in the wind.
00:15:18.41\00:15:20.78
There's no chance I'll ever
find all the feathers back."
00:15:20.78\00:15:24.52
And he was right.
00:15:24.52\00:15:26.12
I happened to know for a
fact that the story wasn't true
00:15:26.12\00:15:29.69
and eventually everybody else
came to the same conclusion,
00:15:29.69\00:15:32.59
but the damage
had already been done.
00:15:32.59\00:15:34.60
And so there was this
perpetual question mark
00:15:34.60\00:15:37.43
over this guy's reputation.
00:15:37.43\00:15:39.33
I mean, intellectually
everybody knew he was innocent,
00:15:39.33\00:15:42.40
but they'd
already trained themselves
00:15:42.40\00:15:43.84
to see him in a negative light.
00:15:43.84\00:15:45.21
And so they still had a
visceral sense of distrust
00:15:45.21\00:15:48.18
whenever they saw him.
00:15:48.18\00:15:49.78
And remember he was innocent,
00:15:49.78\00:15:51.81
but the damage was already done
00:15:51.81\00:15:53.48
and it put a massive
dent in his quality of life.
00:15:53.48\00:15:57.42
But now let's go
a little bit deeper
00:15:57.42\00:16:00.16
because I'm convinced
that the biggest victim
00:16:00.16\00:16:02.39
of bearing false
witness would be God himself.
00:16:02.39\00:16:05.16
And it's on this point
00:16:05.16\00:16:06.76
that the ninth commandment is
also related to the third one,
00:16:06.76\00:16:09.26
which tells us not to
take God's name in vain.
00:16:09.26\00:16:12.23
There are people
who love to get online
00:16:12.23\00:16:14.47
and talk badly about God,
00:16:14.47\00:16:16.67
but what they're really doing
00:16:16.67\00:16:18.14
is repeating stories
they heard from somebody else.
00:16:18.14\00:16:20.31
It turns out, when
I actually sit down
00:16:20.31\00:16:21.78
and talk to
some of these people,
00:16:21.78\00:16:23.35
they've never actually
read the Bible, go figure.
00:16:23.35\00:16:26.88
They're just repeating what
they heard somebody else say.
00:16:26.88\00:16:29.48
They're trying to pass
themselves off as smart,
00:16:29.48\00:16:31.89
someone in the
know and they're not.
00:16:31.89\00:16:34.56
And what they're really
doing is bearing false witness.
00:16:34.56\00:16:37.66
But worse than that,
when Christians behave badly,
00:16:37.66\00:16:42.03
they're actually
bearing false witness
00:16:42.03\00:16:43.60
about the character of God.
00:16:43.60\00:16:45.67
When somebody sees
them behaving badly,
00:16:45.67\00:16:48.04
you already know what
the world is gonna say.
00:16:48.04\00:16:50.04
If that's what Christianity
is, I want no part of it.
00:16:50.04\00:16:53.84
People blame God for
that person's behavior,
00:16:53.84\00:16:56.48
which means that the Christian
00:16:56.48\00:16:57.88
is now bearing false
witness, not through words,
00:16:57.88\00:17:00.68
but through actions
00:17:00.68\00:17:02.08
because you don't
actually have to say something
00:17:02.08\00:17:03.85
to spread falsehood.
00:17:03.85\00:17:06.32
All right, I've gotta
take another quick break,
00:17:06.32\00:17:08.16
but I'll be
right back after this.
00:17:08.16\00:17:10.96
[gentle music]
00:17:10.96\00:17:14.00
- [Speaker] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:17:14.00\00:17:16.36
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:17:16.36\00:17:18.77
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:17:18.77\00:17:22.17
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:17:22.17\00:17:24.84
Here at The Voice of Prophecy,
00:17:24.84\00:17:26.81
we've created the
Discover Bible Guides
00:17:26.81\00:17:28.98
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:17:28.98\00:17:30.55
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use
00:17:30.55\00:17:33.05
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions,
00:17:33.05\00:17:36.05
and they're absolutely free.
00:17:36.05\00:17:38.09
So jump online
now or give us a call
00:17:38.09\00:17:40.42
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:17:40.42\00:17:43.26
- There's a famous passage
over in the book of James
00:17:43.26\00:17:45.69
that gives us a
pretty good understanding
00:17:45.69\00:17:47.46
of the kind of damage we can do
00:17:47.46\00:17:49.43
when we're not
intentionally trying
00:17:49.43\00:17:51.03
to guard the
reputations of other people.
00:17:51.03\00:17:54.80
Here's what it says, this
is from James chapter three,
00:17:54.80\00:17:57.51
and it begins in verse two,
00:17:57.51\00:18:01.08
"For we all
stumble in many ways",
00:18:01.08\00:18:03.61
that's a pretty
honest assessment.
00:18:03.61\00:18:06.05
"For we all
stumble in many ways,
00:18:06.05\00:18:08.82
and if anyone does not
stumble in what he says,
00:18:08.82\00:18:11.22
he is a perfect man, able
also to bridle his whole body."
00:18:11.22\00:18:16.12
You know, I only wish I answered
00:18:16.12\00:18:17.66
to that
description we just read,
00:18:17.66\00:18:19.13
but I'll, I'll say
this, I'm still working on it.
00:18:19.13\00:18:22.10
It continues.
00:18:22.10\00:18:23.47
"If we put bits
into the mouths of horses
00:18:23.47\00:18:25.93
so that they obey us, we guide
their whole bodies as well.
00:18:25.93\00:18:29.30
Look at the ships also,
though they are so large
00:18:29.30\00:18:32.01
and are driven by
strong winds, they are guided
00:18:32.01\00:18:34.61
by a very small rudder
00:18:34.61\00:18:36.51
wherever the will
of the pilot directs.
00:18:36.51\00:18:39.05
So also the
tongue is a small member
00:18:39.05\00:18:41.42
yet it boasts of great things,
00:18:41.42\00:18:43.55
how great a forest is set ablaze
00:18:43.55\00:18:46.62
by such a small fire."
00:18:46.62\00:18:49.29
Now for somebody
who lives in Colorado,
00:18:49.29\00:18:50.96
that's about the
perfect metaphor.
00:18:50.96\00:18:53.19
Last summer, somebody
built this tiny little campfire
00:18:53.19\00:18:55.63
up in the hills and
they left it unintended.
00:18:55.63\00:18:58.10
At least that's
what we think happened.
00:18:58.10\00:19:00.14
And by the end of the day,
00:19:00.14\00:19:01.54
more than 8,000 acres
were on fire, 8,000 acres.
00:19:01.54\00:19:06.01
It was snowing
ashes in my backyard
00:19:06.01\00:19:08.44
and we had to
keep the windows closed
00:19:08.44\00:19:09.98
because of all the smoke.
00:19:09.98\00:19:11.38
And over the next 24 hours,
00:19:11.38\00:19:12.88
I watched the evacuation zone
00:19:12.88\00:19:14.75
creep closer and
closer and closer to my house
00:19:14.75\00:19:18.72
until it finally
stopped just a few blocks away.
00:19:18.72\00:19:21.56
Forest fires are
really hard to control,
00:19:21.56\00:19:25.43
especially when
it's dry and windy,
00:19:25.43\00:19:27.40
and if the wind
suddenly blows the wrong way,
00:19:27.40\00:19:29.23
the fire's gonna spread
faster than you can imagine.
00:19:29.23\00:19:32.33
You're just not in
control of what happens.
00:19:32.33\00:19:35.57
And what James is telling us
is that the same thing happens
00:19:35.57\00:19:38.37
with the stories we tell.
00:19:38.37\00:19:40.21
It's easier to spread those
stories than to contain them.
00:19:40.21\00:19:43.55
And when it's over, the
damage can be unthinkable.
00:19:43.55\00:19:46.15
Lost homes, dead victims,
an ugly scar in the forest
00:19:46.15\00:19:50.02
or in the case of gossip,
00:19:50.02\00:19:51.82
permanent scars on
somebody's reputation.
00:19:51.82\00:19:55.26
So where you and I
are tempted to think
00:19:56.36\00:19:58.76
that rumors are a minor offense,
00:19:58.76\00:20:01.20
James takes the
opposite position.
00:20:01.20\00:20:02.96
They're really a form of murder.
00:20:02.96\00:20:05.00
If I steal your car,
I can always replace it,
00:20:05.00\00:20:07.97
but if I steal your reputation,
00:20:07.97\00:20:09.74
if I damage your social value,
00:20:09.74\00:20:12.01
you might never fully recover.
00:20:12.01\00:20:13.94
I've actually
diminished your quality of life,
00:20:13.94\00:20:16.88
which is a little like
killing you very slowly.
00:20:16.88\00:20:20.25
James continues, he says,
00:20:20.25\00:20:22.78
"And the tongue is a fire,
a world of unrighteousness.
00:20:22.78\00:20:26.35
The tongue is
set among our members
00:20:26.35\00:20:27.92
staining the whole
body, setting on fire
00:20:27.92\00:20:30.23
the entire course of life
00:20:30.23\00:20:31.93
and set on fire by hell.
00:20:31.93\00:20:34.46
For every kind
of beast and bird,
00:20:34.46\00:20:36.00
of reptile and sea
creature can be tamed
00:20:36.00\00:20:38.40
and has been tamed by mankind,
00:20:38.40\00:20:40.57
but no human being
can tame the tongue."
00:20:40.57\00:20:44.21
In other words, you and I
have a much bigger problem
00:20:44.21\00:20:46.71
in our mouths than we
do with the wild animals
00:20:46.71\00:20:49.54
who wander into our
yards from time to time.
00:20:49.54\00:20:52.25
I've had closeup
run-ins with bears and moose,
00:20:52.25\00:20:54.52
and I can assure
you that your adrenaline
00:20:54.52\00:20:56.42
really starts
pumping when it happens.
00:20:56.42\00:20:58.82
But ultimately,
those kinds of encounters
00:20:58.82\00:21:01.52
are much less damaging
00:21:01.52\00:21:03.02
than the damage we can
wreak with our own speech.
00:21:03.02\00:21:07.20
He continues, and he's still
talking about the human tongue.
00:21:07.20\00:21:09.96
He says "It is a restless
evil, full of deadly poison.
00:21:09.96\00:21:14.40
With that we bless
our Lord and Father,
00:21:14.40\00:21:16.67
and with it we curse people
00:21:16.67\00:21:18.14
who are made in
the likeness of God.
00:21:18.14\00:21:20.61
From the same mouth
come blessing and cursing,
00:21:20.61\00:21:23.51
my brothers these
things ought not to be so.
00:21:23.51\00:21:27.22
So now James really
carries this all the way
00:21:27.22\00:21:29.72
into the moral end zone.
00:21:29.72\00:21:31.59
You cannot, cannot call
yourself a good Christian
00:21:31.59\00:21:35.09
if you use the power of speech
00:21:35.09\00:21:36.62
to worship God on the weekend,
00:21:36.62\00:21:38.53
but then you use it to rip
people apart during the week.
00:21:38.53\00:21:42.06
Those people you're attacking,
00:21:42.06\00:21:43.87
they were also made in the
image of God just like you were.
00:21:43.87\00:21:47.57
They have incredibly high
value to God just like you do.
00:21:47.57\00:21:51.54
And no matter how much
you don't like those people,
00:21:51.54\00:21:53.68
that doesn't change God's mind.
00:21:53.68\00:21:55.44
He still loves them and he
loves them unconditionally.
00:21:55.44\00:21:58.81
So either you align yourself
00:21:58.81\00:22:00.42
with the way God
treats that person
00:22:00.42\00:22:02.82
or you become guilty of
breaking the ninth commandment.
00:22:02.82\00:22:06.22
I mean, let's
just think about this.
00:22:06.22\00:22:09.12
If anybody has
the absolute right
00:22:09.12\00:22:11.86
to point out somebody's
faults, that would be God.
00:22:11.86\00:22:15.23
And from time to time, you'll
notice he actually does that.
00:22:15.23\00:22:17.73
Whenever his people were
in danger of losing their way
00:22:17.73\00:22:20.30
or violating the
covenant, God sent prophets
00:22:20.30\00:22:23.30
to set them straight.
00:22:23.30\00:22:25.07
But here's what I
want you to notice.
00:22:25.07\00:22:26.88
While God has that right,
he still tends to favor us
00:22:26.88\00:22:30.98
in ways that we do not deserve.
00:22:30.98\00:22:33.21
One of my favorite
passages in the whole Bible
00:22:33.21\00:22:35.32
comes from Paul's
letter to the Romans
00:22:35.32\00:22:36.89
because it says something
really, really profound.
00:22:36.89\00:22:39.72
This is Romans chapter
five, beginning in verse six,
00:22:39.72\00:22:42.92
where the Bible says,
"For while we were still weak
00:22:42.92\00:22:46.93
at the right time,
Christ died for the ungodly.
00:22:46.93\00:22:51.33
For one will scarcely
die for a righteous person,
00:22:51.33\00:22:53.70
though perhaps for a good person
one would dare even to die,
00:22:53.70\00:22:58.31
but God shows his love for us,
00:22:58.31\00:23:00.14
and that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us."
00:23:00.14\00:23:04.51
Now, there's a lot of material
in that statement from Paul,
00:23:04.51\00:23:07.38
and I'm almost out of
time, so I'll encourage you
00:23:07.38\00:23:09.62
to just read that
whole chapter sometime,
00:23:09.62\00:23:11.79
read the whole thing.
00:23:11.79\00:23:13.02
Personally, I find
that particular chapter
00:23:13.02\00:23:15.19
of the Bible
completely life changing.
00:23:15.19\00:23:17.63
Here's what I want you
to notice for today though,
00:23:17.63\00:23:20.63
God did not wait for
you to get things right
00:23:20.63\00:23:23.00
before he decided
he wanted to save you.
00:23:23.00\00:23:25.63
Christ did not die
for perfect people.
00:23:25.63\00:23:27.74
He died for sinners.
00:23:27.74\00:23:29.14
While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
00:23:29.14\00:23:33.27
I'll be right back after this.
00:23:33.27\00:23:35.68
[upbeat music]
00:23:35.68\00:23:38.88
- [Narrator 2] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:23:38.88\00:23:42.52
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly and confusing.
00:23:42.52\00:23:47.59
If you've ever read
"Daniel a Revelation"
00:23:48.76\00:23:50.16
and come away scratching
your head, you're not alone.
00:23:50.16\00:23:52.99
Our free focus on
prophecy guides are designed
00:23:52.99\00:23:56.00
to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:23:56.00\00:23:58.23
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:23:58.23\00:24:00.60
for you and our world.
00:24:00.60\00:24:02.24
Study online or
request them by mail
00:24:02.24\00:24:04.67
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:24:04.67\00:24:08.14
- I think maybe some of
the most incredible material
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found anywhere in the
Bible might be those places
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where God speaks
about his own people
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in really glowing terms.
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And it's
remarkable because you and I
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both know we don't deserve that.
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And what God is asking from
us in return for all that love
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and attention is that we
model that same kind of love
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when it comes to
our fellow human beings.
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Those other people are
also made in the image of God
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just like you, and God
wants them in his kingdom.
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You and I have no
right to badmouth anybody,
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not even if what you're
saying happens to be true.
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I mean, imagine having God list
all your negative qualities.
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You know, he just gives
you a list with bullet points.
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How long do you think
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that list would be
if God was making it?
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You know, you've gotta
wonder what kind of a world
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we'd be living in if everybody
actually made an effort
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to boost each other
instead of always attacking.
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Imagine how much
nicer social media might be
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or how civilized
government could become.
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And I'm not really
talking about honest debate.
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I mean, there
should always be room
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for honest disagreements.
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We have to make room for
that or nothing ever happens.
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What I'm really talking about
is character assassination.
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The practice of
going after a person
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instead of that
person's position.
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Philosophers would call
that an ad hominem attack,
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and it's widely
recognized as a logical fallacy.
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If you resort to
that, you've already lost.
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You're hoping people
will think poorly of a person,
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and because of that, go
and dismiss their arguments.
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And it's a dishonest
way of conducting business.
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I mean, just try to imagine
the kind of election cycle
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we might have if
people really just stuck
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to the issues and
always, always told the truth.
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Imagine the kinds of
good and honest people
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that might actually be willing
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to serve the public if that's
the environment we lived in.
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I'm actually convinced
that a lot of good people
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are shying away
from public service
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because of the way they know
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they and their family are
gonna be dragged through the mud
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should they seek public office.
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And sadly, I'm not convinced
that we're gonna be able
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to change a whole lot.
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The Bible doesn't indicate
that society gets better
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as time moves along.
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In fact, it
indicates exactly the opposite.
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It gets worse, but
even if it is getting worse,
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that doesn't let
you off the hook,
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even if
everybody else is doing it,
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even if
everybody else is breaking
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all of the commandments,
you're not supposed to.
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You're supposed to reveal
the love of God in this world.
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They're supposed to be
able to see the character
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of God in your life.
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And I get it, I
know it's not easy.
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I mean, I've got the same flaws
as you and some worse ones.
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And I'd be lying if I
told you I've never broken
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this commandment or the others.
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But I also know
that in the long run,
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it is well
worth representing God
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in your everyday transactions.
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Go back and read some of the
stories you find in the Bible.
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Someone like
Daniel, a lowly captive
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because he was always honest
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and he even spoke highly
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of the Babylonian
king when he addressed him.
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Well, in the end, he was trusted
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when real trouble
started to emerge.
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Be that person, be
the person whose character
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is trustworthy,
the one people turn to
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when there are
real problems in life.
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Thanks for joining me today.
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I'm Shawn Boonstra, and
this has been another episode
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of "Authentic".
00:27:42.76\00:27:44.19
[upbeat music]
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