The roof, the roof, the roof, is on fire…(or put your hands in the air like you care)

A minister told his congregation, "Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17." The following Sunday, he opened his sermon this way: “A show of hands—how many of you read Mark 17?” Every hand went up. The minister smiled and said, "Mark has only sixteen chapters.” He then proceeded with his sermon on the sin of lying with a greater attention (and priority) from the congregation.

Let’s keep it real. Lying is alive and well in the church. And if we’re not careful, conditions might be right for a fire with the potential for great damage. That is why God texted the ninth commandment of Commandgram — “NL”—no lying. It’s equivalent to a burn ban. We know the right conditions for a weather burn ban—no rain, too much wind, too little carefulness.

But do we know the conditions for the need for a spiritual burn band—no evidence of the Holy Spirit, too many winds of false doctrines, and no love of the truth. What is a lie in the eyes of God? Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 25:18, James 3:5, and Genesis 3 are our links Commandgram 9 — “NL”—no lying—to connect us to why we must not lie against our neighbor.

First, we’ll see that lies are weapons that do great harm to a person. Second, we’ll see that lies are tools that do great harm to community, even the church. Text “NL” to someone you know who has a problem with the truth. They either have recklessly disregard for the truth or they have been victimized by lies. “NL” is God’s way of saying “TTTT”—to tell the truth. If you don’t, you are playing with fire. Rapper Rock Master Scott used to chant: (PG)“The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire. We don’t need no water. Let the whole thing burn. Put your hands in the air like you just don’t care. “God says differently, “Put your hands in the hand like you care about truth. The whole thing will not burn.”

First, lies are weapons that do great harm to a person. The ninth commandment in Exodus 20:16 says: Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. Two definitions are important here. First, false—sheqer in Hebrew—means your words are empty, worthless, meant to intentionally deceive. Here is an example. If I gave directions to you to Best Buy and I said turn right at the light and go two miles but, in fact, it is a left turn, did I lie? If I told you right instead of left to get you off track so I can get to Best Buy first to get the last I-phone 14, I lied. The point is: if I intended to deceive, then it’s a lie.

The second important definition is witness—ed in Hebrew. It means a testimony as if in a court of law. The Israelites saw the importance of having a proper witness; they required two witnesses for a thing to be proven true in court. A truthful witness was central to justice. A lying witness was equivalent to man with a weapon intent on destroying another man according to Proverbs 25:18.

Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor. Prov.25:18

Alex Jones clubbed, cut and pierced the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims. For ten years the right-wing conspiracy theorist brutalized the families of the 28 persons killed in the mass shooting, calling the shooting a hoax. This week a court awarded the families nearly a billion dollars in damages. It’s little consolation for Lenny Posner who lost his son Noah. He remembers the last time he saw his son alive—a moment Jones called staged. Lenny recounted,

“I said: ‘I love you, have a great day,’ and that was the last thing I ever said to him.”

Lies not only club, cut and pierce, they scorch like a raging fire. That is why James used the metaphor of fire to warn us of the destructive nature of the tongue.

So, also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! James: 3:5

You don’t have to look far to see how lies can ignite a fire. Some people who have been convicted of the January 6 attack on the Capitol to stop the transfer of presidential power admitted they were motivated by words that claimed the election was stolen. To date, there has not been any evidence in a court of law that the election was stolen. However, there have been plenty of evidence that harm was done. Ask Ray Epps. The convicted protester has lost home, friends and business. Quote Epps: “And for what — lies?” All of this, it’s just been hell. Truth is not about red state or blue state but black and white facts. When we opt for lies, we chose hell fire.

Text “NL” to someone you know who has a truth problem. They either start lie fires or they have been burned by them. “NL” is God’s way of saying “TTTT”—to tell the truth. “The roof, the roof, the roof is not on fire. Put your hands in the air like you care” about truth. If you don’t the fire you set may be your own home’s ashes.

Second, lies are wicked tools that do great harms against the community of God. We see the tool of the lie and its greatest harm against the community of man in the fall of man in the garden in Genesis 3:1-10. It started with a lie by the father of lies—Satan.

• The lie: 4 And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! Genesis 3:4

• The truth: (God) “…for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.“ Genesis 2:17

• The consequence—the fall of man: “condemnation to all men… Ro. 5:18

How damaging was this lie to the community of man? Here are seven consequences of the fall:

1. Spiritual fall: man becomes an enemy of God, separated. (Ro. 5:10, Eph. 2:1-9)

2. Ecological fall: the earth is cursed with environmental disharmony. (Gen. 3:17)

3. Physiological fall: the normal function of life becames abnormal with disease and decay. (Ro. 8:22)

4. Significance of Human Life fall: man started killing man; Cain killed Abel. (Genesis 4:8)

5. Epistemological fall: man’s mind is depraved; he cannot be trusted with the truth. (Rom. 1:28)

6. Sociological fall: man is unjust, oppressive to man. (Isaiah 1:17)

7. Psychological fall: man experiences shame and blame and fear. (Gen. 3:7).

The consequences of the fall of man are still with us today, but not forever. Just pick up the newspaper this week.

• The indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Ukraine is the result of lies.

• The unfathomable shooting of three Connecticut police officers ambushed via a false 911 call.

• The Parkland shooter gets life for taking 17 lives.

• Korea missiles threatens peace.

We can lay blame of these and other events of the fall of man at the feet of the one who Jesus calls “the father of lies” and his sons. He admonished the Pharisees that they look closely at who’s their daddy as their lies were harming their community. Listen to John 8:44:

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Christ is asking you the same; who is your daddy? If you are using lies as tools to destroy your family, your country, even your church then Satan is your daddy. The dire situation you are in now may, in part, because your lifestyle is a lie. You are co-conspirator with the father of lies.

But take heart, for every lie of Satan, there is the truth of a promised seed who will overcome his lies according Genesis 3:15:

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." Genesis 3:15

Text “NL” to someone who has a truth problem or has been victimized by lies. “NL” is God’s way of saying “TTTT” – to tell the truth. “The roof, the roof, the roof is not on fire. Put your hands in the air like you care” about truth. Truth will win in the end.

CONCLUSION

We know the right conditions for a weather burn ban—no rain, too much wind, too little carefulness. But do we know the conditions for the need for a spiritual burn band—no evidence of the Holy Spirit, too many winds of false doctrines, and no love of the truth. God’s ninth commandment of Commandgram is a burn ban: Do not lie on your neighbor. Why: first lies are weapons that do great damage to a person. Lies are clubs, swords and arrows, and fire. Second, lies are the tool of the father of lies to harm the community of man.

You don’t have to be tricked into reading a bible chapter that doesn’t exist to prove lying is a problem. Satan has already done that. What we can do, church, is keep the ninth commandment— “NL”. Text your friend NL. When they hit you back, explain to them that NL is God’s way of saying “TTTT”—to tell the truth. And if they ask what truth, you tell them to:

· Tell the truth: You are more than a conqueror.

· Tell the truth: Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

· Tell the truth: His grace is sufficient.

· Tell the truth: No weapon formed against you shall prosper

· Tell the truth: With God, all things are possible.

· Tell the truth: God shall provide all your needs.

Finally, tell them truth. The roof, the roof, the roof is not on fire. Put your hands in the air like you care. We don’t need no water. We have the truth. The truth will not burn you.