The Trouble With Lying Jn. 18:17 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
In Peter’s denial of Jesus Christ, we see the trouble with lying. Once you tell a lie you will be confronted again, at some point, with the same question or one that is very similar to it. To cover yourself you must lie again. In the end, whenever that is, the truth is coming out and you are going to be caught. The trouble with lying is:
Once you start lying it is hard to stop. Titus 1:12, “always liars”. Peter lied to the maid that kept the door when he entered the palace [Jn 18:17], to a damsel [Matt 26:69-70] and to a maid of the high priest [Mk 14:66-67] in his first denial. He lied to the servants and officers on the porch [Jn 18:18, 25], to a maid [Matt 26:71-72] and to a man in his second denial [Lk 22:58]. Then, he lied to a man [Lk 22:59-60], to those who were standing by him [Mk 14:70-71] and to a servant of the high priest who saw him in the garden [Jn 18:26-27] in his third denial. The lies just came pouring out of him. These are nine accounts of his lies in three denials.
You become more adamant when you’re cornered. He went from simply lying about his discipleship and association with Jesus Christ [Jn 18:17; Matt 26:70] to denying him with an oath [Matt 26:72] to cursing and swearing [Matt 26:74]. These days the more a man professes his innocence and denies his guilt the more inclined we are to believe that he is guilty. We have seen this kind of behavior with big-name actors, star athletes, high profile politicians, big-time preachers and the like. We are used to the profile. You lie and then lie more adamantly.
The more you lie the more convinced you are of the lie. The more Peter denied the Lord, the more convinced he was of his lie. Eventually, the evidence against him was mounting and yet he continued to deny the Lord. He came in with John [Jn 18:16]. He’d been seen with Jesus in the city; several recognized him as having been with Jesus [Matt 26:69 for instance], he was from Galilee [Lk 22:59], his speech gave him away [Matt 26:73], and the servant of the high priest even saw him in the garden [Jn 18:26]. And yet he held on to the lie in spite of all of this evidence. Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and Lance Armstrong come to mind. They all knew they were lying and yet when the evidence was vastly against them they continued to lie.
The truth always comes out. It is recorded here in the Bible. Peter was eventually restored to his discipleship and became the apostle to the circumcision. He spent a great deal of time in Jerusalem preaching after the ascension and all these folks would have certainly known then who he was.
When you face the Lord with your lie you will weep. You will weep when you call to mind the words of God against lying [Matt 26:75; Mk 14:72]. And you will weep when you have to face Jesus Christ with your lies [Lk 22:61-62].
Conclusion: remember that saints are to put away lying and speak the truth [Eph 4:25] and sinners without Christ will spend eternity in the lake of fire for lying [Rev 21:8].