1. Scales: A husband stepped on one of those penny scales that tell a person’s fortune and weight. "Listen to this," he said to his wife, showing her a small, white card. "It says I’m energetic, bright, and resourceful." "Yeah," his wife nodded, "and it has your weight wrong, too." Sometimes the truth hurts.
2. Truth is under fire today - John Leo in U.S. News quoted a professor Robert Simon of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. as reporting that "10 to 20% of his students... acknowledged the Holocaust but couldn’t bring themselves to say that killing millions of people was wrong.... one student told Simon, ’Of course I dislike the Nazis, but who is to say they are morally wrong?’"
Leo went on to note "2 disturbing articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education say that some students are unwilling to oppose large moral horrors, including human sacrifice, ethnic cleansing, and slavery, because they think no one has the right to criticize the moral views of another group or culture."
3. John 14.6 – I am the TRUTH;
I. What is Truth?
A. Truth is a Reality to Recognize
Two elderly women were out driving in a large car and both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself "I must be losing it; I could have sworn we just went through a red light."
After a few more minutes they came to another intersection and the light was red again and again they went right through. This time the woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous and decided to pay very close attention to the road and the next intersection to see what was going on.
At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was definitely red and they went right through and she turned to the other woman and said, "Mildred! Did you know we just ran through three red lights in a row! You could have killed us!" Mildred turned to her and said, "Oh, am I driving?"
We need to recognize TRUTH!
1. The fact that there is a “Spirit of Truth” tells us that there is a reality present (John 14.16-21; 15.26-27; 16.7-16)
a. Interesting: “People will believe anything if you say, “Scientists have discovered. . .”
b. How do people respond to “The Bible says . . .”
c. Did you know there is no archaeological evidence for the Hebrews in Egypt? OR even for the Hebrews outside the land of Promise? Yet, we know they were there because the bible says so.
2. Truth is seen in God himself
So that he who blesses himself in the land
shall bless himself by the God of truth,
and he who takes an oath in the land
shall swear by the God of truth;
because the former troubles are forgotten
and are hidden from my eyes. Isaiah 65.16
3. Truth is seen in Yeshua (Jesus) – John 14.6
4. Truth is seen in the word of God – John 17.17; 1.1, 14
B. Truth is a Standard to Show
According to a recent survey, 70% of adult American Christians believe there are no moral or ethical absolutes that apply to everyone. In other words most Christian adults have been poisoned by the drug of moral relativism. Most Christians have joined the non-Christian culture and believe we set our own standards. In essence this survey reveals that 70% of Adult American Christians have decided that God is not capable or worthy of establishing guidelines for living.
If you don’t believe it, notice how many times we will say things like: “I know the bible doesn’t prohibit X, Y, or Z; BUT I don’t like it.” OR, “I know the bible says to _____ but I want ____.”
C. Truth is a Freedom to Follow
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. John 8.31-34
1. Enslaved to sin and destruction
2. Free to follow God and life
II. What Do We Do with Truth?
The story is told of a man who came to visit his old friend, a music teacher. As the man came in, he said, “What’s the good news today?” The old teacher was silent as he stood up and walked across the room. He picked up a small hammer and struck a tuning fork. As the note sounded throughout the room, he said, “That is ‘A.’ It is ‘A’ today; it was ‘A’ 5,000 years ago, and it will be ‘A’ 10,000 years from now. The soprano upstairs sings off-key, the tenor across the hall flats on his high notes, and the piano downstairs is out of tune.” He struck the note again and said, “That is ‘A,’ my friend, and that’s the good news for today!”
The only hope for a world out of tune is to know that Jesus is the truth: “Yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). That’s the good news of truth! (Dr. Clyde McDowell, Focal Point, Spring, 1997, p. 3)
A. Know the Truth (Put it in)
1. Study
2. Meditation – Psalm 1.1-3
a. Hagah – lion/dove
b. Read-Write-Speak-Hear
3. Applies to Kings of Israel
18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. Deuteronomy 17.18-20
4. Applies to Godly Leaders
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1.8
B. Show the Truth (Work it out)
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1.9-14
1. Day to day activities – If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 1 John 1.6
2. Special activities – John 4.24
C. Speak the Truth – in Love (Ephesians 4.15 compare to Revelation 2.2-4
2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
1. One day C. H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE.
Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. "Weather vanes are changeable," he said, "but God’s love is constant.”
"I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles," replied his friend. "You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love."
2. Monastery and Truth
I am reminded of the old story about a monastery perched high on a cliff several hundred feet in the air. The only way to reach it was in a basket which was pulled to the top by several monks. They would pull and tug visitors to the top. It was obviously a terrifying trip for new comers.
One tourist became very nervous about half-way up. He looked up at the old, very frayed rope by which the basket was suspended. He looked down hundreds of feet to the sharp rocks below. With a trembling voice, he asked the monk who was riding with him in the basket how often they changed the rope.
The monk thought for a moment and then answered casually, “Whenever it breaks.”
In our day, the rope of truth is frayed. If we look the other way until it breaks, the results will be deadly.
3. Psalm 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.
