INTRODUCTION
• Talk about revival. It is refreshing to see a young man with the convictions Stan has, he will be successful in God’s kingdom no matter where he is.
• I believe the Auburn Christian Church is at a crossroads. I believe this church is on the verge of making an impact on this community for Jesus like never before.
• I believe that God is going to bless this church like never before. I am so excited about the possibilities.
• This church does not belong to me; it does not belong to anyone else sitting here today. We are all a port of it, but this church belongs to Jesus. We have an obligation as stewards of this church to do everything we can to make sure it is the type of Church God wants it to be. We have an obligation to do our part to make sure this church has the impact on this community is supposed to have. I believe this church can easily be 2 to 5 times the size it is today. Why is that important? Because it means we are impacting more people!
• During revival Stan asked us what a church was supposed to look like.
• Throughout the rest of the year I want to try to answer that question by building on the series that Stan started with us during revival. I want to take us through ten principles for growing a dynamic church.
• The series is entitled, “When God Builds a Church.” The inspiration for this series came to me from Bob Russell’s book (which is one of the best I have read in a while), “When God Builds A Church”. Bob is the minister of South East Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Bob started at the church in 1966 when the church was four years old and had an attendance of 125. Today the church runs over 13,500.
• I hope after this series we will all understand what the church should look like and what it is called to do and that we will all do our part to make it happen!
• If we are going to glorify God with this church, we need to make sure it is built the way He wants it to be built. When God builds a church, one of the principles it will be built upon is truth.
• Today, I want us to start this series with the first of two messages on truth.
• If we are going to build the church on the principle of truth, we first need to unapologetically believe the truth the world does not believe.
SERMON
I. BELIEVE THE TRUTH. THE WORLD DOES NOT
• In a 2002 study conducted by Barna research group, by a 3-to-1 margin (64% vs. 22%) adults said truth is always relative to the person and their situation. (meaning there are no absolute truths, that truth relative to ones situation. EXAMPLE- STEALING IS NOT ALWAYS WRONG, IT DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION AND THE NEED AT THE TIME) The perspective was even more lopsided among teenagers, 83% of whom said moral truth depends on the circumstances, and only 6% of whom said moral truth is absolute. (2002) www.barna.org
• The gap between teen and adult views was not surprising, however, when the adult views are considered by generation. While six out of ten people 36 and older embraced moral relativism, 75% of the adults 18 to 35 did so. Thus, it appears that relativism is gaining ground, largely because relativism appears to have taken root with the generation that preceded today’s teens. www.barna.org
• Not surprisingly, born again Christians were more likely than non-born again individuals to accept moral absolutes. Among adults, 32% of those who were born again said they believe in moral absolutes, compared to just half as many (15%) among the non-born again contingent. 32% is still not good for those who say they believe in God’s word. www.barna.org
• There is a real truth vacuum in the world today. Truth is one of the pillars on which a society is built upon. When there are no absolute truths, we are reduced to everyone’s opinion as to what is right and wrong.
• We are hit in so many directions with opinions as to what truth is and if truth really exists. This problem is not something new.
• In John 18:36-37 we have an exchange between Jesus and Pilate. Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him.
• I believe the world is asking the same question today. The question is, “Where are they going to find the answer?” The church used to be a place that held to the truth of the Word of God and proclaimed it without shame. Today the church is giving conflicting messages. Today people can find a church that will give them the answer they want to hear.
• If you are pro-homosexual, you can find a church that says it is all right. If you want to believe that EVERYONE will go to heaven, you can find a church that will give you that answer.
• The church is called to believe the truth. Listen to what Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:15, but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
• It is imperative the church believes the truth. If we do not believe the truth, who will?
• The world around us excuses evil by saying it is a product of evolution or something that happened in a person’s childhood instead of calling it sin.
• In our society we are trying to push God as far away from us as we can. Then we wonder why things like Columbine happen.
• Franklin Graham said, “When we empty the public schools of the moral teachings and the standards of our holy God, they are indeed very dangerous places.” (p 16. When God Builds A Church- Bob Russell)
• The only thing that will change the heart of sinful people is Jesus Christ! I believe that without apology!
• People have no fear or respect for God because the church has diluted the truth. The church is too busy trying to stay parallel with the culture instead of staying above it. A lot of the social problems in this country would be history if the church would go out and vote God’s conscience at the polls regardless of party. If God’s people would hold politicians to God’s truth, things would change for the better.
• Politics is not our answer, it is Jesus Christ!
• When we do not believe in the absolute truth of the word of God, what do we base any belief system on? One opinion is just as good as another.
• The church needs to understand the only way for a person to be saved, the only hope a person has for salvation is through Jesus Christ.
• Until we believe that truth, we will not be serious about spreading the gospel.
• The Gospel is not one of many truths, it is THE truth!
• 1 JOHN 2:24-25 As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
• This passage tells us that if what we heard from the beginning (Word of God) abides in us we will abide (or live with) Jesus. The problem we have is too many of us are not allowing the truth to abide in us.
• JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
• Next week we are going to talk about teaching the truth, but before you can teach the truth, you MUST believe it!
• There are certain transcendent truths that are absolute! Things like the inspiration of the Bible, the deity of Jesus, the creation of all things, God’s plan of salvation are but a few.
• These have been given to us by God as unchanging truth and they should not be compromised; however, if we stick to them, we will be considered narrow-minded and unenlightened.
II. RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO COMPROMISE THE TRUTH.
• Churches today do not want to offend anyone so it is just easier to compromise the truth.
• This whole issue of tolerance is one the world dreamed up. You are considered intolerant if you do not agree with what everyone else thinks. If you disagree with a view, you are intolerant.
• I hate to bring it up again, but one of the issues facing us today is the gay marriage. If you are not for gay marriage, you are intolerant. We are not supposed to be mean-spirited about what we teach as we see next week, but compromising the truth is not the way to go.
• 1CO 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
• How can we turn that into anything except those types of behavior are not pleasing to God, and if there is no heart change, will lead to eternal punishment?
• There are a lot of churches out there who are ignoring God’s truth in this matter in the name of compassion. Is it really compassionate just watch a person throw away their opportunity for eternal life or is it just easier to tell them it is all right.
• I believe we compromise the truth in this issue and many others, not out of love or compassion for others, but out of comfort and convenience for ourselves. We take the coward’s way out for ourselves.
• When you are looking someone in the eye, it is hard to tell them they are on the wrong path. I have had to do that with people, it is one thing to stand for something, and it is another to have to defend it.
• ROM 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
• If we suppress the truth, God’s wrath rests on us.
• It can be tempting to compromise the truth in the name of church growth.
• I was at the Missouri Christian Convention a few years ago and I had the privilege of hearing Bob Russell speak. I cannot tell you how many people made comments to the effect that the reason South East was growing was because they were liberal.
• That remark offended me. It says that God’s church cannot grow if you preach the truth. That is so wrong. God’s church is built on His truth that we must believe. We do not have to compromise the truth to grow God’s Church!
• There are some unity movements out there among the churches. I applaud those efforts. Jesus calls us to be united, but unity at any cost is not pleasing to God.
• We cannot and have no right to compromise truth in the name of anything.
• If we know something to be truth, we cannot sacrifice it on the alter of unity. We must work out the differences in the absolutes, then we can have unity!
• 1JO 2:21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
III. BE READY TO FACE OPPOSITION FOR BELIEVING THE TRUTH.
• READ 2 TIMOTHY 4:1-4
• When we stand on the truth, we will face opposition. Many do not stand on the truth because they do not want to face any opposition. I have done that before and I have promised myself with God’s help I would not do it again, no matter what.
• When we tell people that Jesus THE way THE truth and THE life, we will be called intolerant and narrow minded.
• I have been asked if all those Muslims will end up in hell. My answer is that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Him.
• Without Jesus, you are lost. That sounds narrow-minded doesn’t it? It does not sound politically correct does it?
• MAT 7:14 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
• MAT 5:11-12 "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
• JOHN 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, ’A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
• We will face opposition when we stand for the truth, a truth the world does not believe, but needs to here.
CONCLUSION
• Can true love be built on lies? Can true compassion be built on lies? Can God’s church be built on compromising the truth?
• I get tired of folks who are ashamed of the gospel trying to make excuses for God’s teachings.
• You see this in science where people try to fits man’s theories about our origins with God’s word. The world was created in six days, but those six days were millions of years in length.
• I feel terrible to the homosexuals who have been told their sin is excused in the eyes of God because He loves them.
• Don’t you think it is time the church stop apologizing for what we are supposed to believe?
• ROM 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
• Notice The GOSPEL is the power of God for salvation. Not my opinion, not the teachings or doctrine of any man, but of Jesus!
• Next week we are going to look at importance of preaching and teaching the truth in love as Jesus did.
