Truth and Certainty
Today, let’s get down to some nitty gritty about what real truth and certainty is all about.
The subject of this message came to me in a most unusual way. We are today in the midst of Hurricane Irma. Everyone who is not evacuating has been ordered to stay home and inside. Passing some leisure time, I began working a crossword puzzle. The clue read: a wind instrument. My mind quickly came up with anemometer. You know, what wind velocity is measured with. What would you think with howling winds buffeting outside? Well of course the answer was oboe, the musical instrument. It really isn’t that rare for me to rediscover that I am not as smart as I think I am. But there is a lesson here. If we aren’t careful, we find ourselves just skimming by with reliance on first impressions and snap decisions.
I encourage you to take notes and refer to these readings to fully understand how we can stand with truth and certainty.
Gen: 32:10a - (Jacob) “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant…”
Jn. 8:31-32 – (Christ) “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.
1 Cor. 5:8 – (Paul) “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Proverbs 22:21 - (Solomon) “That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may answer words of truth to those who send to you?”
When Luke the Physician wrote the Books of Luke and Acts, there were a great many writings out there about Jesus the Christ (I am not speaking to biblical accounts but rather of the writings of philosophers and. Luke viewed some of these writings with skepticism and so wrote these books from much research and study. You see, Luke never laid eyes on Jesus. Everything Luke has to say came from interviewing eyewitnesses, family members and trusted associates of Jesus. Luke was very meticulous and his writings were orderly and to the point. Besides that, if we are to believe that the Word of God is His breathed inspiration, then we automatically understand that Luke was also inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.
Lk 1:3-4 – (Luke) “it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”
Theophilus – there is no other mention of Theophilus in the bible than by Luke here and again in Acts 1:1.
Who was Theophilus? Do we want to know? Or shall we simply settle for the fact that he is mentioned twice in the bible. Trying to research absolute certainty of who Theophilus was proves difficult. There isn’t too much out there. Luke mentions Theophilus in his opening chapter in the gospel Book of Luke and addresses him as “most excellent Theophilus”. The indication is that Theophilus must have been some person of importance, perhaps even a government official. As we read Luke’s account in the Book of Acts, he is addressed “O Theophilus”. The name actually means: “Friend of God”. With nothing else to go on, we might even think that this was like a nick name for a person known to be a very godly man. Luke writes the gospel to Theophilus, and readers of God’s Word have been reading this personal writing, which is an encouragement as it says: “That you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.” Likewise, the Book of Acts was also written to Theophilus. It appears that Luke has become more familiar and in closer friendship with Theophilus as he now simply addresses him as:” O Theophilus”.
Luke uses that word certainty as if to say – without a doubt. Well isn’t that what Jesus wants for us all. We can listen to, we can hear, we can read, and we can either absorb the truth or we can settle for an overview. If we’re going to absorb the truth, it requires study and research. i.e. If I asked you who was Theophilus before starting this sermon, would you know? Did you know that the Book of Luke and the Book of Acts were written by Luke specifically to Theophilus?
I am not proud to confess my study habits from college and seminary. Oh, I made good grades and graduated with honors. But the TRUTH is and with CERTAINTY that I studied to pass the tests not to learn the lessons. Believe me, it places a burden to do much more research even now close to thirty years later.
More Truth and Certainty:
Many churches continue to recite the Apostle’s Creed with some regularity. It isn’t uncommon to overhear or receive direct criticism of that practice. I’ve been told that, “we shouldn’t recite the Apostle’s Creed. That’s what they do in the Catholic Church. Besides I do not believe in the ‘Holy Catholic Church’. I think we need to do away with this practice.” Well, well, well – The word “catholic” means “relating to the church universal” and was the word used in the original version of the Creed. It does not mean the Roman Catholic Church, but the church, the body of Christ, as a universal fellowship. If we believe in what is stated in the creed, why would we have any reluctance to publicly state our beliefs.
The Apostles’ Creed, though not written by the apostles, is the oldest creed of the Christian church and is the basis for others that followed. The Apostles’ Creed goes back to at least 140 A.D. Taken from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website.
We often go to church and get emotionally charged with powerful praise and worship music and that is good. We listen to an entertaining, powerful sermon that leaves us with goosebumps and that is good. But if we walk out after church without having absorbed some real truth and certainty, it simply wasn’t enough. Emotion is powerful but emotion is just that and it is fleeting. Entertainment is just that, something to satisfy the “itching ear”.
2 Tim 4:2-5 “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Mature and even those desiring Christian maturity cannot be satisfied with emotion and entertainment. We must go after hard truth and not just to hear the words but to absorb and hold onto their meaning. When I say the words, I am talking about the entirety of the message.
Taking sermon notes has all but become a thing of the past. Here in our church, we send out a prelude to the week’s sermon message. We do that so everyone can do some reading and preparation for the Sunday message.
The truth is that we consume the message. If it is dry and boring, dig in and find the elements of the Word that make it meaningful. Don’t get hung up with mannerisms, aside comments, subjects that are not appealing to you. We need it all. Wanting it all is what reaching maturity is all about.
Hebrews 5:12-14 NKJ
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
What’ll it be? Truth and Certainty or entertainment?
Let’s Pray.
