Secrets & Lies Ruin Lives (5) - Rev. Andra D. Sparks

"Secrets & Lies Ruin Lives" 8/9/20 Sermon Series: “REAL LOVE” A Relationship Rehab Series Speaker: Pastor Sparks Text: Joshua 7:24-26 -Withholding information is just another form of lying (a half-truth is a whole lie) -Intimacy means to be “fully-known” & it is a by-product of truth-telling Waterlines in our lives: * Image waterline is what we want the public to see & it’s what we work hard to make impressive * Spouse waterline is a step beyond the image waterline because our spouse knows a deeper level than the public; while the public sees the nice outfit, our spouse knows we got holes in our socks! * “Hiddenness” waterline is the line that holds the stuff we don’t want/allow anyone else to really see or know Learn to tell the truth to three people: 1. Yourself - It’s foolish to try to deceive ourselves! 1 John 1:8 says that if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth isn’t in us. When I believe the lies I tell myself, I’m in a dangerous place 2. Your Spouse (Friends) - You need someone to keep you accountable! 3. God - He already knows, so why not have a conversation with someone who knows you FULLY...yet loves you DEEPLY?! 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful & will forgive us and cleanse us! We gotta go thru a heart change to get better: 1. Value truth-telling more than image-building (it’s ok to not have it all together!) 2. Value transparency more than accountability (there can’t be true accountability without transparency first) 3. Value intimacy more than the absence of conflict ” Sermon Notes courtesy of Deacon Anthony Sparks