Deceit
I. Introduction
A. A whole host of iniquity is covered by the word deceit
1. Literally, a catching or ensnaring. Hence, the misleading of
a person; the leading of another person to believe what is
false, or not to believe what is true, and thus to ensnare
him; fraud; fallacy; cheat; any declaration, artifice or
practice, which misleads another, or causes him to believe
what is false (Webster's)
2. Greek dolos: craft, deceit, guile (Thayer's)
B. For generations, some have desired to gain advantages by
defrauding others
1. Lying to others for personal gain
2. Cheating others of what is theirs, or to make them seem
better than they are
3. Swindling from others
C. As one can imagine, God is not pleased with such activities!
D. Let us consider them in greater depth
II. Lying
A. What is lying?
1. It would seem to be quite simple to understand lying, but it
can get complex
2. Some think that unless you tell the whole truth and nothing
but the truth all the time, you lie
3. Some say that one lies even if one believes he is telling
the truth but is honestly mistaken!
4. Lying is telling a falsehood, indeed, and we can say that it
is telling a falsehood in order either to exonerate oneself
from consequences or to harm others
B. A common sin!
1. Why do we have so many contracts to sign, lawsuits to face,
and so forth? Why is "yes" and "no" not good enough
(cf. Matthew 5:37)?
2. The problem is that people break faith, either by lying or by
not meeting one's obligations!
3. Few people are pathological liars-- they lie all the time,
and cannot seem to help it
4. Most people, however, are situational liars: they won't lie
most of the time, but in a moment when one's self-interest is
made better by the lie rather than the truth, they will tell
the lie
5. Seen often with little children-- if it is not dealt with
seriously then, why be surprised when they keep lying as teens
and adults (Proverbs 22:15)!
6. We also see the prevalence of "white lies": mistruths spoken
so as not to cause offense or emotional injury to another
7. Some professions exist on the basis of lies/deception-- con
men and even those who go after con men, undercover police
officers!
8. And many people live a lie: they put on the pretense of being
one way, but are really quite different (James 1:23-25)
C. God does not look kindly on lying
1. Colossians 3:9
2. 1 John 2:21
3. Revelation 21:8
4. Many other passages!
5. We can see that God condemns lying as sin, and Christians
should have no part in it!
D. Lying undercuts everything Christians stand for
1. 1 Corinthians 4:2: Christians must be trustworthy
2. If we cannot tell the truth in lesser matters, how can people
trust that we speak the truth in spiritual matters?
3. If no lie is of the truth (1 John 2:21), and Satan is the
father of lies (John 8:44), how can we lie and still be part
of God, who is righteousness and truth?
E. The lie may seem insignificant to you, but it is significant to
God-- lying is part of that which is evil, Satanic, and wrong,
and we should have no part of it!
F. Let us stand firm for the truth and what is right, and not speak
falsehoods!
III. Cheating
A. Another difficulty of mankind is the propensity to cheat
B. What is cheating?
1. To deceive and defraud in a bargain; to deceive for the
purpose of gain in selling; to deceive by any artifice,
trick or device, with a view to gain an advantage contrary to
common honesty (Webster's)
2. We can draw two common applications from this
3. One is in the realm of commerce: to defraud in some way in a
bargain
4. The other is in the realm of honesty: to appropriate answers
or materials of others and to pass them off as your own
C. Another sin that we see often!
1. The problem of cheating can begin early, when children are
inclined to use the answers of another as opposed to
admitting their inadequacy
2. If left unchallenged, it can lead to plagiarism and cheating
in the future!
3. Jesus recognized that the "sons of the world" live by cheating
(Luke 16:1-8)
4. Since there is often advantage to fudge numbers or to deceive
in order to gain benefit, many resort to cheating
5. Many make a good living by preying on others-- and may never
do anything illegal!
D. Not appreciated by God!
1. In the old covenant, God was concerned about having just
measures (cf. Leviticus 19:36)
2. He condemned Israel for using false weights (Amos 8:5)
3. One of the commands-- do not defraud (Mark 10:19)
4. Christians in Corinth, sadly, were defrauding each other
(1 Corinthians 6:8)
E. We should not defraud one another, or anyone else, but strive
to be honest in our dealings!
IV. Swindling
A. What is swindling?
1. Similar to cheating, but taken to a greater degree
2. To cheat and defraud grossly, or with deliberate artifice
(Webster's)
B. How often have we seen schemes designed to swindle others?
1. "Pyramid schemes"
2. Fraudulent home construction companies
3. More recently, identity theft
C. All such forms of swindling involve a structure through which
one deceives others to obtain their money or property!
D. As can be imagined, God does not look kindly upon swindling!
1. Those who do so will be condemned (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
2. Christians who participate in it must be disassociated from
(1 Corinthians 5:11-12)
E. We should have no part in such things!
V. Difficulties with Deception
A. All of these sins involve the deception of others for personal
gain
B. While it may seem advantageous, it violates God's principles!
C. After all, would we want to be deceived, lied to, cheated, or
swindled?
D. By no means! Why should we do so to others (Luke 6:31)?
E. Colossians 3:9-10: such is not the way that those who are
renewed in Christ conduct themselves!
F. Therefore, there can be no excuse for deception for the benefit
of ourselves and harm of others, no matter how insignificant,
innocent, or harmless we might think it is!
VI. Conclusion
A. This world seems to be governed by deception in various forms
B. There is plenty of lying, cheating, and swindling going on
C. We should have no part of it!
D. Let us be people of truth, not falsehood, and do what is
pleasing to God!
E. Invitation/songbook