The Way It Works - Week 10 - DO NOT LIE
Scripture Passages:
Exodus 20:2–3 (NLT) 2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me.
Genesis 1:1 (NLT) “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Matthew 28:18 (NLT) 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Genesis 6:6 (NLT) 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.
Genesis 1:26 (NLT) 26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.
Matthew 3:17 (NLT) 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.
Exodus 20:16 (NLT) 16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
Acts 5:3–4 (NLT) 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT) 9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.
Warm Up:
Since we have been walking through the Ten Commandments now would be a great time for a little challenge! Can you name all of the commandments we have talked about so far in order? What about all 10?
Discussion:
1. As a kid, is there a lie that you have been caught in? Is there a lie that you have never been caught in?
2. Why do you think that people lie? What is the motivation?
3. In his message, Pastor Tom makes this statement, “One cannot discover the giver of life and continue living as they were.” In what ways have you seen this play out in your life? In what ways are you not living as you were? Are there any areas of your life that you want to see change for this statement to be true?
4. What does it mean for God to be the “basis for my decisions” and the “standard for my relationships”? What values of Christ can we hold in these areas?
5. Pastor Tom presents this differing view between Western culture and Christianity:
Western Individualism—I am myself as I stand apart from you.
Christian view—I am myself as I stand in relationship to you.
How might these worldviews affect how people understand lying?
6. Pastor Tom continues to reiterate “How we relate to each other matters to God.” Why do you think that is? What do we know about God that helps us understand this statement?
7. Pastor Tom speaks about how our hearts are deceitful and do not lean towards truth. What might it look like for you to pursue truth in your heart with Christ?
Next Steps:
Pastor Tom Outlines for us some lies that we may have in our lives that are deceptions of our hearts. Read through this list and ask God to reveal to you where the lies in your heart may be. Take the time to lay each lie before Christ. Ask Him for forgiveness and to replace those lies with the truth about who He is.
Our lies are secret behavior.
Our lies are secret relationship.
Our lies are pretending to be someone we are not.
Our lies are ones we tell to ourselves about who we are or who we will never be.
Our lies are the marriage is good enough.
Our lies are the children are okay.
Our lies are what we are doing in our business dealings or what we say to our employers.