Don't lie. That's how we've summarized it. But that weakens the depth of it.
The ninth commandment wasn't written for polite conversation. It was written for the city gate — the ancient courtroom where elders weighed witnesses, established truth, and handed down verdicts. And bearing false witness in that context wasn't just dishonesty. It was violence.
Proverbs 25:18 says it plainly: a false witness is like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
In this message, Pastor Jimmy walks through what bearing false witness actually means — legal testimony, what we say about others, what we say about ourselves, rumors, gossip — and what it does to image bearers of God. He lands on the most haunting inversion in the Gospels: when Jesus stood at His own city gate, it was a Roman pagan who sought the truth while the religious leaders manipulated the witnesses.
In this message:
- Why the ninth commandment is about justice, not just honesty
- How false witness damages image bearers — reputations, relationships, and bodies
- The COVID study that revealed how gossip and rumors are a form of violence
- The difference between brutal honesty and speaking truth in love
- How Jesus responded to false accusations — and what He did with ours
Key Scriptures:
Exodus 20:16; 23:1–8 • Deuteronomy 19:15–21 • Proverbs 25:18 • Mark 14:55–15:15 • Ephesians 4:15
Join us Sundays @ 9:15 AM
1120 Madison St., Jefferson City, MO
https://memorialchurch.net
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