A Life Without Truth Is No Life At All Series

Title: A Life Without Truth is no Life at All

Focus: Salvation and Spiritual Growth

Illustration for Attention: The music blared through my ears as I sat with my head down praying for a revival. As I begged the Lord I thought, “If only they could somehow return to the Creator, to truth.” “If only they would hear the audible voice of God in their life.” “If only they would understand how the simple truth of the Gospel changes all other areas then maybe, just maybe, there would be hope.” As I lifted my head thinking this would never happen, I saw her. She had her hands lifted in the air almost touching the heavens. Her lips were moving as if she was in conversation with someone right in front of her but nobody stood facing her. Her eyes were closed tightly, intently concentrating at what was taking place. She pleaded to the Lord. She was getting it. She understood the Gospel, the Creator, the truth. She comprehended that for God to do a work in her life then she would have to ignore the lies of the World and surrender to Christ.

I heard nothing as the music encapsulated my eardrums but I continued to watch her with anticipation. She made no movement to notice my stare so I continued to look on with adoration at how God was moving in her heart. As I praised the Lord for the moment, her concentration rested simply on positioning her heart to receive from the Lord what only He could give. She cared nothing for what was going on around her. Her focus was on what God was giving her. Her focus was on embracing eternal life, on not caring about those around her, and on growing her relationship with God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was enough.

Introduction of Subject: This was the image a few weeks ago from a fifteen-year-old girl in a worship service at a youth conference that over two thousand youth attended. This teenager stood alone in a group of her peers unafraid of what others would think and only focused on what how she could praise the Lord and give herself back to him. She knew she had ventured far from where God wanted her to be. She knew that she had followed those who she shouldn’t have followed. It was time for her to get back on the right page for the Lord.

Stimulation: We are like this young lady at times but yet for some reason we remain in our seat paralyzed with fear over the “what if’s” of life. At times in our Christian walk we lose our footing, forgetting what we know is right and turn away to something else that grabs our attention. We lose the foundation that we once held onto so tightly. We wander away from the truths of God and do what we desire because of the sway of someone else. What will you do when this happens? Will you be able to stand tall in the midst of a crowd of people doing what the Lord wants regardless of what others are doing? Can you cling to the truths of God to have life and have it to the fullest?

Passage: Galatians 1:6-10 (read twice, allow people to turn, recite again, then read passage)

Point #1: Truth must be defined (Galatians 1:6-7)

• Explanation: Paul is astonished that the Galatian Church was quickly abandoning the faith (Christ died, rose again, and gives the Hoy Spirit to those who believe in faith). Under early persecution the Christians deserted the Lord, believing the false teachings of those around them. They allowed others to distort the truth by not defining what they knew was right at the moment they should speak. Little by little they became desensitized which lead to a justification of personal actions. Paul is enraged that the people are unwilling to define verbally what they knew was right in the face of oppression regardless of the consequences they would face. It is not the lack of communication that Paul is furious but the lack of conviction the people having regarding the truths about Jesus.

o Peter says, “Stand firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. (2 Peter 1:12)

o John says, “You know the difference between truth and lies!” (1 John 2:21)

• Define what is true! Jesus is truth!

• Illustration:

• Application: The truth of Christ is defined by His work on the cross, His work done in the grave, and His restoration at the resurrection. You know it, you profess it inside the church but when it comes to the life lived outside the doors you abandon it. You are more worried about the affirmations of others instead of the obtaining adoration from Christ. James 4:17 states, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” Before we go any further we must come back and acknowledge that God is with us (Romans 8:31). He is in us when we acknowledge Him. He alone has the ability to help us when temptation comes to submit to those who distort the message of Christ. It is up to his people to define it for those who do not understand.