You Shall Not Bear False Witness

Exodus 20:1-2, 16
December 1, 2019
Peter Yoo

Sermon Script

If you’re anything like me, you’ve might not have heard a sermon on the Ten Commandments in particular. We’ve heard law and gospel preached faithfully from Pastor Abraham from any given text. So actually that’s a great gift that God gives us. But you might not have heard of a specific sermon on the Ten Commandments.

And this is interesting because the Ten Commandments is one of the most well known - even amongst non-believers and believers. And yet sometimes it seems as if it’s the most misunderstood, mis-interpreted sections in all of Scripture.

And so before I get into verse 16 in particular, I would like to start with four general rules of interpretation for the Ten Commandments. And I’ll keep them brief.

First, each of the Ten Commandments must be understood in the context of the whole Bible, which makes sense. For example, if Jesus Christ says something about the seventh commandment in the New Testament, that means that that is significant for our interpretation of the seventh commandment. Pretty straightforward.

Second, each commandment is not just outward - contrary to what most people say. But it’s also inward. In fact, Scripture tells us that out of the heart, out of the heart, come evil thoughts. Murder, adultery, sexual immorality, false testimony, theft and slander. And so each of the Ten Commandments have both an inside and outside application.

Third, each of the Ten Commandments have a do and a don’t side of it. For example, the fifth commandment - you shall honor your father and your mother - that also means you shall not dishonor your father and your mother.

And lastly, each of the Ten Commandments include all sins that may lead up to that particular sin, and all sins that are associated with that sin.

And so we can actually see how intense and how demanding the law of God really is. Because even one commandment has a lot going for it.

And most people, most people, if you were to ask them, they actually see themselves as good people. They see themselves as good people and that God should love them because they’re good people and they’re good enough and that they should go to heaven because of it - they keep the commandments pretty well.

But imagine if that person died today. And then they stood before God in judgment. And then imagine that God asks that person, “Why should I let you into my kingdom?” And then the person would say, “Because, God, I was a good person. I did a lot of good stuff. I went to church. I was nice to my coworkers. I’m not as bad as other people. So, you know, why not?”

And so most people think that’s what the Christian life is all about. Being a good person and then going to heaven because you’re a good person.

But Scripture tells us that all of our righteous deeds, all of our good works, so to speak, are like a polluted garment. Filthy rags before a holy God. And so, no. They would not see the kingdom of God that day on the basis of their good works and deeds.

And so when we think of each commandment in light of these four rules of interpretation, how can anyone possibly be holy before God? It’s entirely of grace, isn’t it? We must never forget who we were, brothers and sisters. Sinners, dead in our trespasses against God, unable to fully obey God’s law as we ought.

But now, now, because of Jesus Christ, because of who he is and what he’s done, we must never forget who we are. Unworthy children, but adopted by the King of the universe. And he knows your name. And he has your name written down in the book of life for all eternity. And we must never forget who we will be. As Pastor Abraham constantly reminds us, thankfully, that this is not the end. And that you will one day be seated at the King’s royal table, earned, that seat, by Christ himself, given to you freely, because of his love for you. And so how unworthy we are. And yet how beautiful Christ is, who lived and died and rose again to give us new life - which finally brings us to verse 16, which says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

What does this mean? When this verse talks about bearing false witness, the verse is talking about a judicial trial courtroom type of setting. Only back in the day, there were no courtrooms as we have them today. Rather, trials were open to the public, by the gates, usually. And back then, there was no forensic evidence. No DNA sampling, traffic cameras to catch you and so forth. There was only your word. Your word against another person’s word.

And so some people could even be found guilty on the basis of one person’s witness. Just one. And so if you remember the instance with Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. Joseph was an innocent man. And he fled from Potiphar’s wife’s promiscuous attempts to pursue him. And yet she bore false witness against him. And he was guilty in their sight. And he was imprisoned because of her accusation.

And so God made sure that his people, Israel and us - we should not act in this way. And we should not just act on one witness, but on the account of two or three or more witnesses. And in this way, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Now you might be thinking, “Pastor Peter, I understand that in these situations, I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So why is this commandment relevant for me today?”

Well, because we break this commandment almost every day without even knowing it. Remember the interpretive rules to the Ten Commandments. That we must not even commit sins that lead up to the sin of bearing false witness. Or even commit any sins associated with bearing false witness.

And one of the most difficult aspects of the ninth commandment is because it includes stuff like gossip, which means to talk behind someone’s back, whether true or false, whether it’s not their business or whether it is. Gossip functions like a courtroom setting. Only the defendant has no say in the matter and the accuser speaks.

Breaking the ninth commandment includes slander, which means to misrepresent someone and then to accuse them, whether intentionally or unintentionally. And this commandment also includes simply lying, which is to say something untrue, whether intentional or unintentional.

And this is deeply profound. Because God spoke all things into existence with his words. He spoke it. And it was good. Adam’s first recorded words out of his mouth were praise to God for his wife - for the wife that God had given him. And Adam’s testimony for God’s goodness was true. It was not false.

But the first instance that we see of a misrepresentation of God, and a form of lying, is from the serpent and his mouth. And so for us to engage in gossip, slander or lying, is to participate in the old ways of our former life, and to participate in the ways of our old father, the father of lies, the devil himself. For us to engage in gossip, slander or lying is to act in defiance against a holy God, who only speaks truth. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, accepted the false testimony of the serpent. And for us to engage or listen to such poisonous and deadly words is also to live according to our old nature, which we died to.

False witnesses, false testimonies, lying, gossip, slander - they’re everywhere in Scripture on the part of humans. And worst of all, Scripture tells us that the chief priests and the whole counsel were seeking false testimony - they were seeking false testimony - against Jesus. That they might put him to death. The breaking of the ninth commandment is so intimately tied to the person of Jesus. Because here is the only person who has done nothing wrong. He has never gossiped, slandered or lied. And he has only lived in righteous obedience to God. And yet he was put to death by the false witnesses of the chief priests.

And remember, there is a do and a don’t side to every commandment. To this commandment as well. Which means that in additional to not bearing false witness against you neighbor, that means that we must only speak truth regarding our neighbor. And we must also speak well regarding our neighbor.

About a year ago, I was in the office here at Highland. And I was with Pastor Abe. And I did something that I shouldn’t have done. I was gossiping about someone. I was gossiping about someone close to me. And I didn’t recognize the weight of what I was saying. And in fact, I was actually expecting Pastor Abe to join me in my gossip, because that’s actually what most people do. But he didn’t. He didn’t join me in my gossip. In fact, he said something so shocking that it rocked me to my core. And I’ll never forget those words. His exact words: “I wish you never told me that.” My response was to quickly explain myself, justify my behavior before him. But I knew what I had said and what I did was irreversible. And the damage I had done was incalculable. Indeed a reputation is something quickly stolen but not quickly returned.

Brothers and sisters, I ask you this morning, do you watch your words? Do you watch your words?

It’s a bit of an usual statement, because how can we visibly see the words coming out of our mouths? How can we watch our words?

But if we could see the very words coming out of our mouths, would we think twice about what we would say to another person and who we say it to? How careful are we with our words? Do we speak well and truthfully regarding our neighbor? It’s often the case that when sin arises, or as Pastor Abraham prayed earlier, when there’s conflict, it’s usually our tongues that are to blame.

The Bible describes the tongue as a restless evil, full of deadly poison. And God requires that only the people who are worthy to enter his kingdom are those who obey the ninth commandment. Those who do not bear false testimony against their neighbor. And those who only speak truth with regards to their neighbor.

And brothers and sisters, I tells you that there’s only one person, there’s only one person who did this. And he gave it to you. He gave you his righteousness so that you would enter into the new heavens and the new earth. So that when God sees you, when God sees you on the day of judgment, it’s as if you obeyed the ninth commandment perfectly. And then you enter with his perfect righteousness - Jesus’ perfect obedience to the ninth commandment that’s been given to you by grace through faith and repentance.

Again, Jesus never gossiped. Jesus never slandered. Jesus never lied. And in fact, Scripture tells us that it is impossible for him to lie. And all that the words he spoke were true. And this is a tremendous comfort. Because every time that we think about his words - and you know that they’re always true - it’s a good comfort.

Remember Jesus Christ when he was hung on the cross. And there were two criminals next to him. One on his right and one on his left. And what were Jesus’s words? Were they ones of persecution? No. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

And people scoffed at him. They mocked him and they said, “Let him save himself. He saved others. If he says he is the Christ of God, the chosen one…” - or the soldiers even mocked him - and they said, “If you are the king of the Jews, then save yourself!” And even one of the criminals next to him said, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself! And us!” Everyone mocked Christ.

But we praise God for Jesus Christ. Because even until his dying breath, he said to the other thief, “Truly, truly (not falsely), truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Wow. Those words give me at least a great deal of comfort - knowing that his words are always true.

God the Father is described as a witness in Scripture. It says that the Father who sent me has himself born witness about me. Jesus Christ is also described as a witness in Scripture. It says that he came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that all might believe through him. And the Holy Spirit is also described as a witness in Scripture. And the Holy Spirit himself bears witness - a true witness - with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And in fact Scripture itself is described as a true witness of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so to speak truth - not false testimonies, false witnesses - but to speak truth is to participate and engage in a divine and triune act. Amazing.

And even the Lord’s Supper that we’re about to engage in today, is a true witness of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. That it actually happened. And that as certain is the event of his death, so sure is the event of his resurrection. And so sure is the event of his return. As the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he returns. That is our testimony. And so the Lord’s Supper is a true testimony. It does not bear to us a false witness.

And brothers and sisters, did you know that God’s Word describes us as witnesses? As his witnesses, we proclaim his excellencies until he returns. We evangelize to others until he returns. We evangelize to others, we tell them about how good God is and how he has been faithful to us ever since the beginning. And that Jesus Christ willfully laid down his life for his sheep. And that we might have everlasting life in him. These are true words. These are true testimonies, that we must speak.

And so, if we really wanted a practical way to apply the ninth commandment - other than not gossiping, slandering, or lying - then a great way to obey the ninth commandment is to evangelize. And I’m actually very thankful that Highland is more intentional about their evangelism in the coming year. Because this is a joyful opportunity that we have. To bear a true witness about Jesus Christ to other people. And that salvation is in him alone.

And so some of you may have noticed that I began the Scripture reading with Exodus 20:1-2. And so of you may have noticed that every time Pastor Abe reads for us the Ten Commandments, he begins with Exodus 20:1-2. And you might be wondering, why is that?

Because, our obedience to every command, especially the ninth command in this context, but our obedience to every command is on the basis of who God is and what he’s done. Upon who he is and what he’s done. As he said, “I am the Lord your God (who he is), who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (what he’s done).

And so I encourage you, dear saints, in light of who God is and his great deliverance in Jesus Christ, let us watch our words. Not so we can earn favor with God, and that he lets us into his kingdom, rather, because we hate false witnesses, as it put to death our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ. And we love true witnesses, because our resurrected King, King Jesus, he only spoke truth and continues to speak truth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit reminding us that we are children of God.

And so as we partake in the Lord’s Supper, let us be reminded that the true testimony that God gives us is good. And may it comfort us to know that Jesus Christ loves us and he promised to come back soon and take us home with him. And that is a true testimony. And so let us wait patiently for his return. He is faithful to his words. And so I encourage you, let us hold fast to these words.

Soli Deo Gloria