God Hates Lying Tongues

The Hated Six - God Hates Lying Tongues

Dave Riddle - 8/6/2023

Key Passage: Proverbs 6:16-19

A Lying Tongue

seqer: an untruth, by implication, a sham (often adverbial)

John 8:44 - …the father of lies…

• God hates lies because he is truth and the enemy is all about deceit.

• 2 Corinthians 11:3, 14

A Lying Witness

kezab: falsehood; literally (untruth) or figuratively (idol)

Exodus 20:16 - …do not give false testimony…

John 14:6 - I am the way, the truth, and the life.

The Sobering Reward For Lies

• Judgement

• Psalm 5:6

• Proverbs 19:8

• Revelation 21:8

• Revelation 22:15

Why do we lie?

• Because we’re afraid

• To gain advantage

• To hurt others

• Financial gain

• Habit

• To avoid embarrassment

• To hide

• To avoid punishment

• To protect yourself or others

How do you lie?

• We speak untruths

• We believe the lies of the enemy and begin to tell them to ourselves and others.

• We lie about who we are and what we believe 

• 1 John 2:9

• 1 John 4:20a

The solution for our lies: Repent

• This is good news!

• There is hope for us if we receive the truth of the gospel.

• John 8:31-32

• The truth will set you free.

The Hated Six - God Hates Our Pride

The Hated Six - God Hates Our Pride

Paul Trulock - 7/30/2023

Key Passage: Proverbs 6:16-19

Haughty Eyes

• Haughty, prideful, arrogant.

• To have too high a view of yourself and too low a view of others. 

• Eyes

• The eyes convey what is in our hearts.

No exceptions

• God hates our pride.

Why does God hate pride?

Our pride promotes selfishness

• “The world wants proof that Christians are better than other people. The proof is that Christ can change selfish people into models of love and self-sacrifice.”

• Philippians 2:3

• 1 Corinthians 10:24

• James 3:16

Our pride causes us to stop listening 

• Isaiah 28:33

• John 8:47

• Luke 11:28

Our pride steals God’s glory

• Daniel 4:30

• John 15:5

• Isaiah 42:8

How do we overcome our pride?

Recognize our opposition 

• James 4:6 - God opposes the proud…

Repent of our pride

• 1 John 1:9 - if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us…

Rely on the Holy Spirit

• Romans 8:6-7 - …the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace…

Jesus & Abraham

Jesus & Abraham

10/10/2021 - Dave Riddle

Key Passage: John 8:48-59

2 Claims: 

• I honor my father - 8:49

• I am the giver of life - 8:51

“Are you greater than our father Abraham!?” - 8:53

• “who do you claim to be?”

John 8:56 (CSB): Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” 

• Genesis 12, 15, 17, 18, 24

• “You’re not even 50! How have you seen Abraham?”

John 8:58 (CSB): Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”

• “I am.”

  • They pick up stones to kill Him

  • The chapter is bookended by stories about throwing stones.

What does this passage teach us about Jesus?

1. He came to tell the truth

2. He came to bring honor to His Father

3. His teaching brings life.

4. He is God in the flesh.

The Truth Teller & The Lie Giver

The Truth Teller & The Lie Giver

10/03/2021 - Dave Riddle

Key Passage: John 8:30-47

Genuine Discipleship

• Discipleship, in Jesus’ day, had both a spiritual and a physical component.

• John 8:31 - if you continue in my word, you really are my disciples…

• pistueo: to think to be true. To be persuaded of; to place confidence in. To have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing). To believe.

• Jesus is offering a clear caution to us so that we understand what it truly means to be his disciples.

  • Continue, abide, remain, stay… in the word of my teaching.

Real Freedom 

• John 8:33: referring to spiritual freedom, not political freedom.

  • Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome…

• Slaves to sin!

  • Only the Son can set you free.

  • John 8:34-36

Actual Identity 

• John 8:37-47

• Jesus: Who is your spiritual father?

  • The crowd: “Our Father is Abraham!”

    • Jesus: “You aren’t responding how he did”

  • The crowd: “Our father is God”

    • Defending themselves and their heritage.

    • Jesus: your father is the devil.

• This passage is helping us see The Truth (singular) and The Lie (singular)

The Light of the World

The Light of the World

9/26/2021 - Dave Riddle

Key Passage: John 8:12-29

The Feast of Tabernacles - Illumination Ceremony

• John 8:12 (CSB): “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

  • Another purposeful use of the phrase “I Am”.

    • The original language shows that this was not coincidental.

    • An incredible, staggering claim

“Your testimony is invalid”

• The Pharisees try to catch Jesus on a technicality.

  • John 8:13

• Jesus defends his testimony

  • John 8:14-18

  • Two Witnesses.

    • Jesus and the Father

The Pharisees don’t get it

• John 8:19-20

  • “Where is your father?”

  • “If you knew me, you would also know my Father.”

“To Die”

• John has a unique perspective and focus on death.

  • John 8:21

• The Pharisees completely miss the point

  • John 8:22

• John 8:24 (CSB): “…For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

Who are you?

• John 8:25

  • “Exactly what I’ve been telling you since the very beginning!”

• They still didn’t get it - John 8:27

John 8:28 (CSB): When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own.

• lift up = crucify

Church is Who We Are

Church is Who We Are

Sunday, September 19, 2021
Dave Riddle

An Omitted Passage?

An Omitted Passage?

Dave Riddle 9/12/2021

Key passage: John 7:53-8:11

Not included in most of the oldest manuscripts.

• not commented on by the early church fathers until the 10th century.

• Writing style is more like that of the synoptic gospels than that of John.

Nobody likes getting caught at fault.

The standard for this accusation was fairly high.

• the quality of the evidence and the quality of the witnesses were both important.

• John 8:4 - this woman was caught in the act.

  • Where’s the man? Possibly a trap?

The law says… what do you say?

• they were not telling the full truth.

  • Leviticus 20, Deuteronomy 22

  • Where is the man?

• Only the Romans had authority to enact capital punishment.

  • “What do you say Jesus?”

• Lots of people were participating in adultery.

  • “Do they all deserve this punishment Jesus?”

• They were trying to trap Jesus with a difficult situation.

  • “We’ve got him! There is no right answer.”

How Does Jesus Respond?

• John 8:6

  • He ignores it.

  • He has another plan.

• What did he write?

  • The sins of the accusers?

  • His official sentencing of the accused?

  • Exodus 23:1?

    • Do not spread false reports…Don’t help a wicked man by being a false witness.

      • A warning to the accusers.

  • We don’t know.

The accusers are just as guilty as the woman.

• Busted! Caught in the act!

  • Nobody picks up a rock.

Who is left?

• The only one who could rightfully pick up a rock.

This is the story of YOU and me!

• we all stand before a holy God as broken people who have been caught in the act.

  • Jesus didn’t condemn her and he doesn’t condemn you!

• “Go and sin no more”

  • He didn’t condemn her, but he also didn’t condone her sin.

• We don’t know how she responded.

  • How will you respond?

• John 3:16-17 - He came, not to condemn, but to save!

  • When we deserved the “rock of execution” he became the “rock of our salvation”.

Hello My Name is... Wonderful Counselor

Hello my name is: Wonderful Counselor

Dave Riddle - 12/01/19

Key Passage: Isaiah 9:6

Counselor

• ya’ats (Hebrew: יָעַץ) - to advise, counsel, admonish, direct, resolve, decide, plan and/or purpose. To counsel together; to be advised.

  • Isaiah 9:6 - “counselor”

  • First usage: Exodus - Moses meets with his father-in-law to seek advice.

Wonderful

• pele’ (Hebrew: פֶּלֶא) - a miracle, a wonder; a wonderful thing or deed.

  • Isaiah 9:6 - “Wonderful”

  • Other than a single time in the book of Lamentations, it always appears in the context of God’s acts or words. 37 of the 84 occurrences of pele’ are found in the Psalms.

What kind of Wonderful Counselor?

Other-worldly

• John 12:49 - He came with divine wisdom from Heaven itself

• John 14:10 - He spoke with authority of God

Authoritative

• Mark 1:21-22 - He taught with an authority unlike anything the world had seen.

• Luke 4:32 - The people were amazed... slack-jawed

  • ekplēssō (Greek: ἐκπλήσσω) - to be struck with amazement, astonished, amazed

Piercing & Gentle

• Piercing

  • Matthew 16:23

  • Matthew 23:27

• Gentle

  • John 8:7-11

Inviting & Challenging

• Mark 1:17 - “come, follow me”

  • Not just a call, but a purpose.

    • “And I’ll show you how to fish for people”

• Mark 3:13-14

  • With Him, and Sent Out

Truth

• John 14:6 - “I am... the truth”

• John 1:14 - truth in the flesh

Life-giving

• John 14:6- The truth AND the life.

• John 4:4-14 - living water!

Infinite

• Luke 21:33 - His words will never pass away.

• 1 Peter 1:24-25 - the Good News remains forever.