Hi, I am Claude and welcome to Acts.net.

This topics "The Consequences of Lies" has 15 chapters that we will be walking through together.

Acts 25:16, Acts 5:28-29, Galatians 6:7-8, James 2:10, Jeremiah 17:9-10, Romans 13:4, Deuteronomy 28, 2 Peter 3:9,
1 John 1:9, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Matthew 5:11, Proverbs 12:19, 1 John 1:6-10, James 3:5-10, Romans 12:2

God loves everyone, and He really does not like to be in the presence of unrighteousness, period.

With that introduction, you would think that we are done. That would be the shorter sermon a preacher has ever done and, well, not entirely done. We have to consider every aspect of this. We will start with consequences, go-to lies, go back and forth, and finally, the reveal.

On the slide, you will notice there are many passages and nothing else. Now that I have your full attention, we will leave those up there while I go and talk about them. Remember, if you try to follow me with that list of verses, it won't work. I will be going up, then down, then up again for another loop back down, and so on. You can write them down, get a downloadable copy or do a print screen if you need them for future reference. That is all ok. What is not ok is to publish these verse without the author's permission because they are copyrighted.

If you are ok with the above, then we can go on. Here is another good thought: if you do what I asked, you are ok. If you do the opposite, God will know within a fraction of a second, and you now have to face Him and see what He thinks about your deceit. God does not like to be in the presence of unrighteous people. You will never have a chance to be able to bring your case to Him. You did the crime, and you take the penalty. A straightforward rule that God has.

What are consequences and lies are about, is there a link between them? Would it be better to say, if you lie, you take the consequences? Well, either of those questions are valid, and you probably already answered them. Being able to answer them does not mean you understand the real consequences of your action. When we do something wrong in this realm on this planet, we can always get out of it by deceiving someone else so they can do what we want them to do. Or you can make a false story and see how far you can take it. You can talk to someone to do what you need to get done, so now you have someone take the fall for you. This is all good if you think that the end of this world will also be the end of your soul. Unfortunately for you, we have a disturbing news flash. When you die, this is what happens. Your body goes to dust. That is it for the body. Your soul will go somewhere. You have to decide before you die where you wish to go. No one can make that decision for you, but anyone, even you, can be deceived so that you can make the wrong decision.

It is simple to be deceived by someone even if you are an expert at it. The devil has invented the word deceive since he saw Eve. Now let's look at the consequences and where we can find them.

(Acts 5:28-29) Peter replied and said, "We must obey God rather than people." What is better in this life? Please do what they like and create chaos or do the right thing and be happy about it. There is a reason why living by the truth is the best way. The truth will set you free. That is one quote that will help you stay away from lies. When you lie, you have to remember what you have done and in the right order. If you deviate, you will get caught, and there is no reward for being the best liar. If you tell the truth, then your memory does not need to be deceived into holding that lie. That is why the truth will set you free.

(Galatians 6:7-8) "Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, because the person who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit." What do you know, they had the same problem in those days that we do now. I am amazed at how the devil just can't let go and go on a retirement program. It took two thousand years, and the devil still thinks it all started yesterday. Well, maybe one day he will understand.

Even though God does not like to be around unrighteousness, He will forgive your sins and cleanse you if you ask. God is very merciful and patient, and faithful in what He does. He also loves all humans, and He only wishes everyone would come to Him. Ecclesiastes 9:10 gives us another warning of the consequences of staying unrighteous. "Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave (Sheol), the place where you will eventually go."

Now, we know that what God likes us to do here is another consequence of sticking to the program. Matthew 5:11 reads, "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me." That is an awesome reward from God. Here in Proverbs 12:19, He gives us more to think about what to do, "The one who tells the truth will endure forever, but the one who lies will last only for a moment." The passage to Heaven is long-lasting. When God promises something, He sticks to it. Humans have a problem with Faith. Humans love to analyze everything. They are trying to prove that God does not exist. They are doing all these things to indicate people trying so hard to convince themselves that there is no God.

It is a beauty to know that the tongue is a two edged sword. But used in the wrong way, and it can cause deep wounds. Some of these wounds can be healed, while others are marked for life. The devil will do anything to hurt anyone who either is with God or is about to take the plunge into the spiritual light. Having a wound for life can make someone ignore God and stay angry in this worldly place. You never know how long a grudge can remain with someone. Be extremely careful what you say to someone. You could talk like flowers coming out of your mouth, or they could be stones. Asking God for forgiveness is great, for He will forgive you seven times 77 for the same issue. But if you intend to think that God will forgive you just so you can do it again, like being deceitful, then God has a judgement to pass on you. Asking God to help you with that particular problem and help you heal this problem, now God loves you, and He will help you with your change of personality so you can be the person that God will be happy to meet. Here is a prayer that could help you: "Dear Lord God, who is amazing, would you help me with this issue? See, I have an issue in this particular area of my life, and I need your help. First I would like to ask you for forgiveness on this problem. Next, I would like You, my Lord, to help me change to be a better person, spiritually and mentally. For I hurt someone, and I would love so much to stop this. In Jesus name, Amen."

From here on, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, spirit and soul. That you may test and approve what is the will of God, what is right and well-pleasing and perfect. Not precisely like Romans 12:2, because I am making a point.

Even though you said, pray with all your might, and you mean to change from all corners of your body. Here is another thing to understand. God will probe your mind. He will examine your thoughts. Are you fighting inside for that change, or are you hoping the change will happen? From there, God will keep helping you if you keep asking. God will deal with each person according to how he/she has behaved. If you are starting to change, then He will keep boosting your soul. Otherwise, God will give you what you deserve because He bases everything on what you have done (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

Here is Deuteronomy 28. You can see what God will do to you from one of two directions you can choose. He will help you in both directions. One approach is full of love from God, and the other order is full of rejections and what He will do to you. Let's concentrate on the blessings from God and leave the other direction alone. To be with God is to know righteousness, what is pleasing to God. Here is Deuteronomy 28:1-14:

If you indeed obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come to you in abundance if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. Your children will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who attack you to be struck down before you; they will attack you from one direction but flee from you in seven different directions. The Lord will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do—yes, he will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments and obey him. Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the Lord, and they will respect you. The Lord will greatly multiply your children, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land that he promised your ancestors he would give you. The Lord will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow from any. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom if you obey his commandments that I am urging you today to be careful to do. But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship them."

Remember what God is about. 2 Peter 3:9 says it better: "The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."