1. Read Exodus 20:16 Sacredness of the judicial system, speak the truth in court Code of Hammurabi – bearer of false witness sentenced to same punishment as one he had falsely accused. The Hebrew word means lying or untrue in Exodus and insincere or frivolous in Deut.

2. Read Deut 19:16-21 Communication breakdown, can be distorted (prayer chain) Applies to court of law Covers all forms of slander, defamation, misrepresentation In OT lying was looked upon as an art form, Laban and Jacob, Jacob and Esau

3. Difference between being in court and social occasion Person on trial has a chance to hear the charges Real life we cannot always set the record straight Anonymous source Have you ever had someone spread false rumors of gossiped about you? How did you feel?

4. Universally popular sin Innocent compared to others No real physical harm, not like you kill somebody False witness not always an outright lie Sometimes it is well I heard... Lack of facts not a deterrent, no malice intended Are little white lies OK, especially if it saves someone ’ s feelings?

5. Labeling people makes them susceptible to easy judgments Silence is a form of false witness Listening without object is implied consent What kind of labels do we give people? Do you have a label?

6. Read Exodus 20:16

7. Slander – set out purposely to destroy a reputation Jealousy revenge Raising questions about someone places doubts in people ’ s minds How do you raise a question in someone ’ s mind?

8. Cut low, put downs Unhappy with oneself so make others unhappy Bring them down to my size When have you had someone put you down or have you put someone else down? How did it feel?

9. Shakespeare quote from Othello Who steals my purse steals trash, but he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor indeed Give a person a bad name Kill their reputation Difficult to respond and lasts a long time Political debates How important is your reputation to you? What can destroy that reputation?

10. Has a friend spoken badly about another person to you? Do you wonder then if that friend speaks badly about you to others? Leads to mistrust Read 1 Cor. 13:1 Must have love

11. Speak the truth What if the truth hurts? Some turn truth into gossip Delight in sharing news about misfortune about others Too many people pride themselves on telling unpleasant truths What do you do when those around you begin to gossip?

12. How to keep the truth from degenerating into gossip Read Phillipians 4:8 What does this verse say to you? Read 1 Corinthians 13:6 Our civilization stands and falls on the issue of truth

13. Read Ephesians 4:15 Always speak the truth in love What does it mean to speak the truth in love as opposed to truth without love or love without truth