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America Needs The Truth!
Contributed by Jeff Taylor on Dec 13, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: We are a nation in need of truth. But what is truth and what do we do with truth? Often times, whenever we know the truth, we pretend that we're ignorant of it, because we do not want the responsibility of living under it.
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We are a nation in need of truth. But what is truth and what do we do with truth? Jesus said very clearly in John 8:32, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free". These are two different statements that are put together in the context of this conversation. First is the knowledge of truth, and then is what do you do with the truth you know? Often times, whenever we know the truth, we pretend that we're ignorant of it, because we do not want the responsibility of living under it. Said candidly, we call it "Playing Dumb". But the reality of it is, is it doesn't matter whether you ignore the truth, debate the truth, argue the truth, or don't apply the truth: no matter what you do with truth, truth does not change. And we are a nation in desperate need of truth.
There's all kinds of arguments that are happening in our world today. We're arguing about who should be in control and who is out of control. We're arguing about who should be defunded, who needs to be refunded, and who's overfunded. Let me tell you something. If you want to defund people, who kill innocent people, defund planned parenthood. If you want to refund somebody, refund taxpayers whose tax dollars you've wasted on government programs. And if you want to know who's overfunded, celebrities and sports stars, who think their talents and their wages give them a certified expert opinion. They're overfunded.
We argue about who's essential and who's non-essential. We argue about what needs to be done and how to do it. And the reality is the louder the arguments get, the more we have forgotten how to solve problems. Look back at the 240 plus years of our history. And the way that this nation has solved problems is not like any other nation. It's not like any other state. It's not like any other geographic region of people. Why? Because this is not any nation: this is one nation under God. This is not any nation: these are the United States of America. And it's when we are united that we experience what Psalm 133:1-3 says, "Behold, how pleasant and good it is for brethren to dwell together in unity: for there, I (God) will command a blessing".
Our blessings do not come from a political party. Our blessings do not come from a savvy economic scheme. Our blessings do not come from individuals, who decide when and where we are going to receive them. Our blessings come from the one source that the Bible says in James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift comes from our father above, in whom there is no shadow or variation of turning". Church, our blessings: nation, our blessings: man, woman, boy, and girl, your blessings come from the one and only true God who sits on the throne in heaven above! The truth is, in this nation, we like to treat symptoms, but we seldom find the cure. We say that our murder rate is a problem with gun control. We don't have a gun control problem: we've got a sin problem. We say that our national debt is a problem with the economy. We don't have an economic problem: we've got a greed problem. And a greed problem is a sin problem.
You look at the world we live in, and for every symptom, there is one source. And that source is sin. I believe the words of Abraham Lincoln when he paraphrased the scriptures. Jesus Christ spoke and said in Matthew 12:25, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Lincoln gave this speech when he was running for office, in which he said, "A nation divided against itself will not stand". He made the point that if America was going to fall, it would fall from within and not from without. His words were prophetic for the world that we live in today, because we are destroying ourselves on so many levels. Why? The arrogance and the pride of self-deception.
We believe we can do it on our own. We can fix the economy on our own. We can correct failing education on our own. We can resolve the race issue on our own. We can right all of the wrongs on our own. We can overcome evil on our own. We can make America great again on our own. None of that is true! Why? Because the truth has not changed! Jesus Christ said in John 15:5, "Apart from me, you can do nothing". It is time to put Jesus Christ back where he belongs, not in the book on the coffee table, but sitting on the throne of our heart, soul, mind, and body. What we need as a nation is truth. We don't need truth that we want to hear and truth that makes us comfortable. We need truth that makes a difference. And that truth comes from God's word and God's word alone. We don't need a denominational takeover. We don't need a political party to be in power. We don't need personal opinions and beliefs to rain free. What we need is to submit ourselves to God's truth and let freedom ring from sea to shining sea!