00:00Hey friends, let's be honest about lying.
00:05Kind of sounds like a deal, huh?
00:08Let's be honest about lying.
00:11That's the way I'm starting this one.
00:13Most people do not wake up planning to become dishonest, do they?
00:18Usually a lie begins because we're scared.
00:22We're scared of getting in trouble, disappointing someone, or changing the way people see us.
00:28So we bend the story.
00:30We leave out an important detail.
00:32We say, that's not what happened.
00:36Even though deep down, we know it is.
00:39For a few minutes, the lie may feel like relief.
00:44We think we escaped the hard conversation, but lies create more pressure than the truth ever would have.
00:52Now we have to remember what we said.
00:56We have to keep the story straight and wonder who knows what.
01:00We start looking over our shoulder.
01:03Not because someone is chasing us, but because the truth is.
01:09That's the problem with lying.
01:11It promises freedom, but it recreates a prison.
01:16Now, you may know what that feels like.
01:19Maybe you've told one lie and then another to cover it up.
01:24Maybe you've carried a secret so long that you don't know how to tell the truth anymore.
01:31Maybe people believe a version of you that's not real.
01:35And you fear they would walk away if they knew everything.
01:40I think a lot of our young people on social media feel that way today.
01:46Millions of young people.
01:49And it's sad.
01:50It's also a little scary.
01:52And that fear is powerful.
01:54But it does not have to control you.
01:58Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
02:03He did not say he teaches the truth.
02:06He said he is the truth.
02:09When we move toward Jesus, we move toward honesty and away from hiding.
02:16We step into the light even when the light shows things we would rather keep covered.
02:23And yes, that can be uncomfortable.
02:26The truth can be painful.
02:28It can lead to hard conversations, disappoint people, and expose choices we regret.
02:38But the truth also gives healing a place to begin.
02:42You see, a lie keeps a wound covered while it gets worse.
02:48Truth opens the wound so it can be healed.
02:52Think about Peter.
02:54He loved Jesus and believed he would stay faithful no matter what happened.
03:00He told Jesus he would never deny him.
03:03But when Jesus was arrested and Peter became afraid, that's when everything changed.
03:10People asked Peter if he knew Jesus, and Peter adamantly said no.
03:16He denied him three times.
03:19Now, imagine how Peter felt when the rooster crowed and he realized what he had done.
03:27He had lied about knowing the person he loved most.
03:31He had promised courage and let fear take over.
03:36In that moment, Peter must have saw the truth about himself, and it broke him.
03:43But that was not the end of Peter's story.
03:47Think about this.
03:49After Jesus rose from the dead, he met Peter again.
03:52Then, Jesus did not ignore what happened, but he also did not throw Peter away.
04:00He asked Peter three times,
04:02Do you love me?
04:04It was as though Jesus gave Peter an opportunity to face every denial with an honest answer.
04:12Peter had failed, but Jesus restored him.
04:16Now, that matters, because some people believe that once they've lied, they've ruined everything forever.
04:25They think God is finished with them, and the mistake has become their identity.
04:30But Peter's life reminds us that Jesus does not define us only by the worst things we've done.
04:38He tells us the truth about our sin, but luckily, he also tells us the truth about his grace.
04:48You see, grace does not mean the lie did not matter or that there will be no consequences.
04:55Sometimes trust is damaged.
04:58Sometimes people just need time.
05:02Sometimes we must accept that our dishonesty hurts someone.
05:07Forgiveness does not always put everything back together overnight.
05:12But grace?
05:13Well, grace means you don't have to stay the person who lied.
05:18You can become honest.
05:19You can change.
05:21You can take responsibility and stop blaming everyone else.
05:25You can say,
05:27I was wrong, without adding an excuse.
05:31You can say,
05:32I need to tell you the truth, even if your voice shakes.
05:37You know what that's called, friends?
05:39That is courage.
05:42We often think courage means never being afraid.
05:46It does not.
05:47Courage means doing what is right while fear is still present.
05:52Telling the truth after you have lied may be one of the hardest things you ever do.
05:58But it may also be the moment your life begins to change.
06:03Some people will keep praying for peace while protecting the lie.
06:09They ask God to calm their mind, but refuse to face what makes their mind restless.
06:16They want God to fix the relationship, but they avoid the honest conversation the relationship needs.
06:24We cannot ask Jesus to lead us into freedom while holding tightly to deception.
06:32He already knows what happened.
06:36Nothing you ever confess to the Lord will surprise him.
06:40He already knows.
06:42You're not giving Jesus any new information.
06:46And you know what?
06:48You're finally agreeing with him about what is real.
06:51Maybe the lie involves money, a relationship, an addiction, a mistake at work, a broken promise, or something hidden from
07:05your family.
07:06Maybe you never said anything false, but allowed someone to believe something untrue because their misunderstanding benefited you.
07:21Whatever it is, Jesus is not asking you to hide it better.
07:26He's asking you to bring it into the light.
07:29That does not mean you must tell every detail of your life to everyone.
07:34Wisdom and privacy do matter.
07:38Some conversations belong with God, a trusted counselor, a pastor, a spouse, or the person directly affected.
07:48But wisdom is not deception.
07:51Privacy protects what is personal.
07:55Lying, well, lying creates a false reality.
07:59And there is a clear difference, isn't there?
08:02A truthful life is not a life without mistakes.
08:06It's a life where mistakes are admitted.
08:10It's a life where you do not spend all your energy trying to look perfect.
08:15It's saying, I do not know.
08:18It's saying, I forgot.
08:21And it's admitting, I made the wrong choice.
08:26And I am sorry.
08:28Now those words may feel small, but I'm going to tell you right now, they can change everything.
08:34Trust usually does not return because of one apology.
08:38It comes back slowly through consistency.
08:42If you tell the truth today and keep your word tomorrow,
08:47if you stop making promises you cannot keep,
08:52little by little, I promise you,
08:56people begin to see that something has changed.
08:59Even if others are slow to trust again,
09:03Jesus can begin changing you immediately.
09:08Peter went from denying Jesus to boldly speaking about him.
09:12The man who once lied because he feared people
09:16eventually became willing to suffer for the truth.
09:20That transformation,
09:22well, it happened because he surrendered his weakness to Jesus.
09:28The same Jesus is still changing people today.
09:32You do not have to keep carrying the weight of a false story.
09:36You do not have to keep remembering which version you told.
09:41You don't have to spend another day wondering when the truth will catch up with you.
09:47You can stop running.
09:50Now, I want you to start with God.
09:53Tell him the truth first without polishing it.
09:56Ask him for forgiveness and courage to make things right.
10:01Then, take the next honest step.
10:04Now, that may mean admitting what happened,
10:07apologizing,
10:09returning something,
10:10correcting a story,
10:12accepting a consequence,
10:14or merely asking for help.
10:18The next step may be difficult,
10:20but you will not take that one alone.
10:24You see,
10:25Jesus is full of grace and truth.
10:28Grace means he will meet you in your failure.
10:31Truth means he will not help you remain there.
10:36He will forgive you,
10:38teach you,
10:40correct you,
10:40and lead you into a life
10:43where you no longer have to pretend.
10:46The lie may be part of your past,
10:48but it does not have to control your future.
10:53The truth may cost you something today,
10:56but continuing a lie will cost you peace,
11:00trust,
11:01freedom,
11:02and pieces of yourself.
11:05Bring the truth to Jesus.
11:08Let him carry what has become too heavy for you.
11:13Then, walk forward in honesty,
11:17humbly,
11:19and free.
11:23My name is Douglas Vandergraaf,
11:25and I believe in Jesus Christ.
11:29God bless every single one of you.
11:34Every single one.
11:37And everyone you love.
11:43Bye-bye.
Comments