Obstacles To Knowing Truth Series

These people had been out of touch with God so long they had forgotten the source of wisdom. They had come to know the word as a cold, impersonal document to be understood intellectually but not absorbed spiritually. They had studied the Mishnah. They had learned from one another’s commentaries. Their ears were open to one another but their hearts were not open to God[8] and they were not hearing from the Lord. They were educated parrots—quoting one another but out of touch with God. That is religion! Today Jesus stands as one in relationship with the Father. Like a mirror exposing reality Jesus is exposing their lack of relationship with God.

Why don’t they have that relationship? Why aren’t they hearing from God? Why are they rejecting Jesus’ teaching? Verse 17 “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak my own words.”

They can’t discern truth—they can’t hear God because down deep they don’t want to hear God. They want to do their own thing without obstruction. Knowing truth is not about intellectual capacity. It is about moral volition.

Is Jesus the Christ? Is he the Savior? Is he the only way to heaven? How can I really know the answer to those questions? Jesus says there is one paramount prerequisite. You must set yourself to do the will of God whatever it may be. The word translated “chooses” in our text is “thelo”. It is more than an inclination or impulse. It means to be resolved or set toward something.[9] Truth comes to those who set themselves to not only know the will of God but also to do it. That’s why you can have highly intelligent people miss the very basics of truth. The criterion for knowing is not an intellectual issue but a moral issue.[10]

We are a people who want to hear from the Lord. Amen? We want to know God. We want to understand His will for our lives. So what Jesus says here is important to us. It is the key to understanding: Verse 17 “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak my own words.” He will discover truth, especially truth about Jesus.

God spoke to Abraham and Abraham obeyed. That set Abraham on a journey. There were times when he faltered. There were times when he got discouraged. But Abraham had set himself on a pilgrimage to do the will of God. He had his ups and downs like we do. But God shepherded him through the process. One of my favorite scriptures is

Gen 15:1 “After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."

Abraham had just come through a battle. There were circumstances and threats that were testing Abraham’s faith. Abraham was discouraged because he had not experienced some of the things God had promised him. Have you been there? What does God do about that? He speaks into Abraham’s life. He encourages him to keep walking the walk of faith.

If you have set yourself to follow God He will do the same for you. Does your faith feel a little weak this morning? It doesn’t necessarily mean it is. But God will help you. God will encourage you. He will keep you on track the way He did Abraham.