RCCG YAYA SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR 31ST OF DECEMBER, 2023: THE OFFSHOOTS OF LIES

[1]But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

[2]And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

[3]But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

[4]While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

[5]Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

[6]And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

[7]Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

[8]And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.”

[9]Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

[10]Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.

INTRODUCTION: Lies have some terrible offshoots which when put on a scale are all sinful. We however need to look at these horrific subdivisions and do away with them if we want to live a good life, see good days, have a godly home and society, and enjoy God’s presence always (1 Peter 3:10).

LESSON AIM: To teach the students about the subdivisions of lies.

At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

a. Identify various offshoots of lies. b. Recognise some of the consequences of lies.

c. Know how to overcome them.

The above passage is on the grievousness of telling lies.

A. Ananias and Sapphira:

i. Sold their land, kept part of the money, the wife being privy to it, brought a certain amount to the Apostles’ feet. But Peter said, after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?

B. Peter condemned the act of telling lies and said:

i. Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost ….v3a.

ii. To keep back part of the price of the land ….v3b.

iii. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? ….v4a.

iv. After it was sold, was it not in thine own power ….v4b.

v. why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart …..v4c.

vi. Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto V4d.

C. It was a grievous consequence as:

i. Ananias heard the words of peter, he fell down and gave up the ghost….v5a.

ii. Great fear came upon all that heard it ……………………v5.

iii. The young men there carried and buried him …………..v6.

D. Sapphira:

i. She also came in after about three hours of her husband’s death, not knowing what has happened and Peter asked her whether the land was sold for how much was reported and she said yes …………………….vs7-8.

ii. …………………………………………v9.

iii. ……….………………………………v10.

ALSO SEE; rccg-yaya-sunday-school-manual-for-24th-of-december-2023-a-lying-tongue

Some of the offshoots of lies are:

a. Falsehood: This is a false statement, a misrepresentation of the fact, the act of rendering something false by fraudulent changes such as documents or measures, (Proverbs 11:1; 20:10; Job 21:34) or simply not telling the truth (Psalm 144:8).

b. Exaggeration: This is closely related to falsehood. It is the act of giving to overstatement and needless embellishment of the truth or a bloated statement that does not exist (Matthew 5:37).

c. Deceit: This is the act or practice of deceiving; concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading, fraud, cheating, etc. A deceitful person practices mischief without any form of restraint (Psalms 10:7; 50:19). An individual who is untrustworthy, two-faced, or fraudulent is deceitful.

d. Hypocrisy: An outright display of insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that one does not really have (Matthew 23:28; 1 Timothy 4:2).

e. Half-Truth: A statement that is only partly true, especially one intended to deceive (Acts 5:1-3, . It is another way of being economical with the truth.

f. Guile: It is the quality of being crafty or the use of tricks to deceive someone – usually to extract money from them (1 Peter 2:1; 2 Corinthians 12:16-17).

g. Flattering: To praise excessively, especially from motives of self-interest (Psalms 78:36; 5:9).

CLASS ACTIVITY 1: The class should mention other offshoots of lies not listed.

2. CONSEQUENCES AND REMEDIES

A. The penalties for these offshoots of lies include:

i. Ruin (Proverbs 26:28b).

ii. Getting cut off from God (Job 13:16; Psalm 12:3).

iii. Being detestable (Proverbs 6:16-17).

iv. Being susceptible to punishment (Proverbs 19:5).

v. Being accustomed to hypocrisy and iniquity (Matthew 23:28-29).

vi. Momentary joy (Job 20:5).

vii. Not seeing good days (1 Peter 3:10; Job 32:22).

viii. No liar will make heaven (Revelation 21:27).

B. There are a number of things a believer can do to avoid telling lies. These include:

1. Being precise in communications (Matthew 5:37).

2. Telling the whole truth. This is a virtue that brings honour (Exodus 18:21).

3. Not playing smart (Proverbs 3:7).

4. Avoiding hasty responses (James 1:19).

5. Speaking without any forced brilliance (1 Thessalonians 2:3).

6. Employing God’s wisdom when speaking (James 3:17).

7. Putting a check on our utterances (Job 27:4).

CLASS ACTIVITY 2: Students should share with the class any lies they told in times past and the consequences.

CONCLUSION: Be truthful

EVALUATION: Students should list five offshoots of lies

CLOSING PRAYER: Father, destroy every manifestation of lies in my life in Jesus’ name.

ASSIGNMENT: Mention five (5) remedies to lying (2×5=10 marks)

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