by Satan and she took off that forbidden fruit. What was the basis? What was the formula that Satan used to score such an outstanding success as it were? Why did Eve succumb to the lie of Satan? Satan didn't attack the mercy of God. He didn't insinuate that even after Eve had eaten that forbidden fruit, mercy of God is so vast and so extensive that there will still be salvation even though she may have disobeyed God. Satan didn't use the fact that God's mercy is so limitless in order to deceive Eve. He didn't attack the power of God that that perhaps that was that God had given an empty threat, that despite issuing such a solemn warning that God was powerless to do anything about it, that God would be unsuccessful in carrying out that threat, that He would not be able to carry it into effect. Satan didn't attack the knowledge of God, that God might not quite know the outcome of disobedience. Quite the opposite. He credits God with knowledge, indeed with the full knowledge of precisely what would happen. For God does know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And so what particular attribute of God did Satan use in his deception, which was so exceedingly successful, a stroke of genius, on the part of that cunning deceiver. Well, it was the truth of God. Satan said that God was guilty. So we say, we say so reverently that God was guilty of lying and deception. God has just lied to you, Eve, because he's so jealous of his own selfish and exclusive possession of his knowledge of good and evil. You shall surely not die, but quite the opposite. You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And so the last analysis, Yif succumbed to the deception of Satan because she did not believe in the truth of God that God meant what he said. She did not believe that God was speaking the truth or that when he said that on the day that she ate of it, she would die. And so that's the basis of They unbelieve in the man in the street. They do not believe in the truth of the Bible because they think that the Bible is all fanciful lies. They're not saved because they do not ultimately believe in God. They do not believe in the truth of God. When God says the sins must die, God meant it. And that when they do sin, they will die. And so, Satan didn't tempt Eve by attacking the love of God. God had said she would die if she ate the fruit. But, Satan didn't use the love of God and said that God couldn't be so cruel, so unloving, having created you, that he would destroy you. But, he used the fact that The words of God cannot be relied upon. And as we become Christians and are saved, the effects of the fall slowly but surely reverse in our lives as well. Just as we are to be holy because God is holy, we are to be truthful and lie not because God is a God of truth. Why are so-called white lies so dangerous? You've heard of it. Perhaps you've maybe unintentionally uttered a white lie before as well in your life. Well, because to use borrowed words, all untruth has its affinity with that lie by which Eve was seduced. And nothing exemplifies the contradiction of God and of man's integrity more than the lie. So whenever we are party to untruth, to lies, even white lies, we have a connection with that lie that Eve was seduced with. And it's no coincidence that Satan, the archenemy of God and of his kingdom, is called the father of lies. He was the murderer from the beginning, the boat not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it." Contrast the God of all truth compared to the father of lies, Satan, our archenemy. And if you are, you and I are particles of lie and of deception. Christ warned those who are particles of lie and deception, you are of your father the devil and the last of your father you will do. Was of course referring to those who were against him. Truth, of course, is so paramount in our lives. But of course, it's quite scarce today. There's no justice, no equity in the land if truth is cast aside. That's quite evident in Scotland today. None calleth for justice, nor any pleaded for truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies. They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off. For truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth. And he that departed from evil maketh himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. This was Isaiah speaking, but it could well describe the situation in Scotland and in so many other countries today. This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction. Truth is perished and is cut off from their mouth. And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies, and they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth, for they proceed from evil to evil. And they know not me, saith the Lord." This is from Jeremiah. or listen to Hosea, hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord had a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, no mercy, no knowledge of God in the land. That's reflective in the laws that are passed in all the parliaments, the unjust laws and wicked laws that are against the truth. The greatest evidence of condemnation, the greatest show of reprobation upon the people is that they believe a lie. For this cause, God shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie. That they all might be damned to believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. That's what So many people in the world today do. They believe a lie. They believe the lies of the scientists and believe the lie of the politicians. If lies and untruths are the hallmark of godlessness and wickedness, so truth and veracity are the badges of godliness. And how does the scripture describe the people of God, in whom you also trusted after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. But speaking the truth in love may grow up unto him in all things, which is the hate, even Christ. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth. Well, you may say some lie, once in a while may be acceptable. You may even believe that it's right and correct to tell a lie to serve a greater good, like say, to save a life. For example, if you were hiding some Jews in your house and the soldiers, the Nazis come knocking on your door, asking if there were any Jews in your house, would you lie in order to save those that are hidden? Is a lie then acceptable? Is Christmas an innocent thing? Is there anything wrong with being sentimental about this time of year? Telling children that Santa won't bring them any presents if they are naughty. Are these all innocent and innocuous? Or does God demand truth and veracity in our lives? Absolutely. Are the laws of God, can the laws of God be broken or are they absolute? There are situations in our lives where we can lie at all. Well, the antinomian says there's neither right nor wrong because they don't believe in any laws of, at all. The situationist says that it depends on each individual situation. As long as your motive is love for your neighbor, then it is okay to lie. We might be inclined to believe that we cannot be dogmatic and too legalistic in every, because every case is different and every situation is different. Well then, We are not following the standards of the Bible then, because the Bible is very clear. We may never lie. Laws of God and the commandments of God are absolute. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. We have to be alive to the fact that any form of falsehood or misrepresentation, any error, any deviation, even a little, from what is true in thought and feeling or word, action, is a result of sin. And therefore, contrary to God, there would be no misunderstanding and no misrepresentation if there were no sin. But in the world of sin, There will be seeming tensions and conflicts that we are sometimes faced with. But even so, all lying is wrong and is sinful. Even if you are supposed to pass information, for example, to someone, information that is untrue, but you are not aware of, does that make you innocent? After all, you can claim ignorance that you have not done that knowingly. Well, you cannot be branded a liar in that instance, but the act of passing misinformation and untruth does not relieve us of any wrong at all. Does not make us innocent, even though we may innocently pass misinformation and untruth. Because to use borrowed words, in the last analysis, all misrepresentations and all misunderstanding are misunderstanding and misrepresentations of God. So that makes us really careful and strict how we speak about one another, speak about someone else in the third party, that we may not be guilty of passing misinformation or character assassination and so on. So if we are the children of God, the children of a God who cannot lie, how much should you and I jealously guard our own conduct? We may be careful in what we say. How much more careful should we be never to perpetuate an untruth knowingly or even unknowingly? To flee from hypocrisy, to run away even from white lies, run away from every misrepresentation and every semblance of untruth. No matter how they are wrapped, they are still lies and therefore an attack on the veracity of God. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. What a searching, a searching command that is. Because truth be told, if we are truthful about ourselves, we know that we are so often perpetuators of misinformation and of lies. The Bible does not condone lying at all. You may think that there are examples in the Bible like Rahab, who was commanded in the book of Hebrews, people of faith, but the Bible does not condones, rehabs lies as such, but acts of faith. So even though when you read the Bible, there may be instances that lies are acceptable, we have to be careful students of the word of God to tease out all the seemingly conflicting passages in it. Because in the last analysis, God is a God of truth, and he will not stand any lie, even from us. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. May that be our May God grant us the grace to put that into practice. Amen. We'll sing to closing Psalm 31 verses 5 to 8. Psalm 31 verses 5 to 8. Mrs. Smith could close in prayer as well. Psalm 35, verses five to eight. Into thy hands I do commit my spirit, for thou art he. O thou, Jehovah, God of truth, thou hast redeemed me. Those that do lying vanities regard I have abhorred. But as for me, my confidence is fixed on the Lord. Psalm 31, verses five to eight. As I do commit my spirit for the worthy, for the Jehovah, Lord of truth, that hast redeemed me. Those underlying values regard I have abhorred, that transform me by confidence, ♪ Is fixed upon the Lord ♪ ♪ Now in thy mercy gladly join ♪ ♪ For thou my miseries ♪ ♪ Consider as thy Does my soul mourn in adversities? Run low, but not in closing, For then the enemy's heart, One by the Elm, might fit in it, And a large room to stand. Thus we stand tonight lessons that this evening are a messy of points. But we are sinful people and thus we have already heard of the punishment of sin. we have to read the Holy Spirit this day and enable us to be found in the not having our own consciousness but seeing enough from heaven on high. That will lead us through this journey of life that we are on. A journey that will take many