Text: Exodus 20:16, Ephesians 4:15, 16, 25 Title: The Ninth Commandment 1. Its purpose 2. Its practice 3. Its results

According to popular legend, the frontiersman Daniel Boone first laid eyes on the bluegrass region of central Kentucky on June 7, 1769. To gain this initial sight, Boone and his companions scaled a 700-foot sandstone outcrop called Pilot Knob, which gives a commanding view over the surrounding dense forest. After weeks of traveling over forbidding mountains, fording raging rivers, and narrowly escaping imprisonment by hostile Shawnee warriors, their ascent of this tower-like hill must have given the haggard frontiersmen a sense of relief. The expansive view of what he called "ample plains [and] beauteous tracts below" must have been mingled with hopes for future blessing and security in what would be his new home in subsequent years. Pilot Knob is now a Kentucky state nature preserve, and the summit still provides stunning views of this rugged region, with the addition of (on clear days) the skyline of the city of Lexington 40 miles in the distance. I had this spot, which I had the pleasure of hiking earlier this year, in mind as I was setting the text of Psalm 46 for congregational worship. The language of a "refuge," a "help in trouble," a fortress amid mountains, rivers, and hostile enemies paired in my mind with this lonely outpost where American settlers first found a refuge in the land the natives called a "dark and bloody ground." While not as venerable a setting of Psalm 46 as Luther's EIN FESTE BURG, I hope that the bluegrass inspired PILOT KNOB has helped you engage with this beautiful text from the Scriptures over these past few weeks. —Henry C. Haffner

This sermon was preached on July 5, 2026 at Antioch Presbyterian Church, a congregation of Calvary Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America located in Woodruff, South Carolina. Pastor Zachary Groff preached this sermon entitled "The Ninth Commandment" on Exodus 20:16. For more information about Antioch Presbyterian Church, please visit ⁠antiochpca.com⁠ or contact us at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected].

This sermon explores the Ninth Commandment against false witness by contrasting human deception with Jesus Christ as the embodiment of divine truth. Through an analysis of Pilate's trial, the preacher illustrates how people often suppress or compromise the truth to avoid personal cost, mirroring Pilate's indecision. The central message emphasizes that believers are called to be valiant for truth not through their own strength, but through union with Christ who took the condemnation for human lies. This union grants a new heart and identity as those 'of the truth,' enabling them to listen to Jesus' voice in all of Scripture. Ultimately, the sermon urges Christians to love and obey the entirety of God's Word rather than selectively adhering to convenient doctrines.

2Ki 18:1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2Ki 18:2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. 2Ki 18:3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 2Ki 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. 2Ki 18:5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. 2Ki 18:6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. 2Ki 18:7 And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 2Ki 18:8 He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 2Ki 18:9 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 2Ki 18:10 And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. etc.

How are we to love one another? Listen as Pastor Steve shares this command for all believers.

This sermon identifies gossip, slander, and backbiting as destructive forces that tear apart the fabric of church community by violating the ninth commandment. Using Proverbs 26 to illustrate how tailbearers fuel strife like arsonists, the message defines these sins and highlights their lasting damage to reputations and fellowship. It distinguishes between malicious gossip and necessary biblical reporting for correction or justice, urging believers to handle sin through proper channels rather than secret circulation. The preacher emphasizes that overcoming this sin requires heart transformation through Christ's grace, mirroring Jesus' refusal to repay slander with slander. Ultimately, the congregation is called to protect good names, speak truth with love, and practice heavenly speech patterns in anticipation of eternity.

The ninth commandment, 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,' calls believers to a radical commitment to truthfulness in all relationships, extending far beyond courtroom perjury to include gossip, slander, rash judgment, and any form of deceit that harms another's reputation. Rooted in the fall of humanity, where lying first entered the world through the serpent's deception, this command reveals the deep-seated sinfulness of the human heart, which seeks approval, power, and control through falsehood. Yet the gospel offers profound hope: through Christ's substitutionary death, where He bore the lies of humanity on the cross, believers are freed from the bondage of deceit and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in radical honesty. The call is not merely to avoid lying but to actively pursue truth, love, and transparency as a way of life, reflecting the new creation found in Christ, where the heart is cleansed and transformed into a clear, truthful witness to God's grace.