Principles to Build Upon: Truth
Introduction:
As we begin a New Year I imagine that we all have set goals and have aspirations for the New Year. I have always had high expectations for the church. I love the church and am passionate about the church making a great impact in society. I don’t believe I alone in that. I do not believe the church was established to simply maintain a status quo or to just make it through, but the church was established as a means of transforming the world. Jesus referred to his followers as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. I believe that there are many people in the church that honestly are against the church growing. The automatically assume that in order for a church to grow they have had to compromise something. I am sure that there are many churches that have grown in number when they have compromised their doctrine, but let us not throw the baby out with the bath water. We as the church want to grow, not because we want greater numbers than the church down the road or because we are in competition or because we want more money, but because we value the souls of individuals. For too long we have been content with where we are as the church, and it is my suggestion that we begin to dream big, that we begin to expect the church to succeed and make a positive impact in society.
As Jesus closed the Sermon on the Mount, he told a little parable. He spoke of a wise man who built his house on the rock and of a foolish man who built his house on the sand. When the rains came, the streams rose and the wind beat against the house the foolish man’s house fell and the wise man’s house stood because he built on a solid foundation. If we are going to do well and succeed, if we are going to withstand the storms of life, the opposition of others, and the attacks of the Devil we must build on a strong foundation.
Just like with any building it is necessary that there be a good and a solid foundation. Over the next few weeks I want to suggest some ideas for principles that a church should build upon, which should lead to growth in number and in depth. One of those that I believe should be a principle upon which we build; a pillar of the church is truth. Many churches grow and they leave the truth out of the equation and in doing so they become a mile wide and an inch deep. I never want that to be said about the church here. I want the church to grow in ways we could never imagine, I want to reach every person in this community with the Gospel and help them to mature into strong disciples of Jesus, and I want the church to be a success, but I never want those things to the sacrifice of truth.
I believe that truth is vitally important to us. If we as the church are going to have any success it has to come by sticking to the truth and not compromising the truth. It is the truth that distinguishes us from the world and all other clubs and organizations in the world. However, we live in a world where people value truth less and less.
In the 1960s, 65 percent of Americans said they believed the Bible is true; today that figure has dropped to 32 percent. Even more dramatically, today 67 percent of all Americans deny that there’s any such thing as truth. Seventy percent say there are no moral absolutes. In a similar study by the Barna Group when just asking those aged 18-25, amazingly 72% said that there was no absolute truth.
In a world rejecting the truth, the church should stand out far above every other place as the place to find the truth. However, so many churches have simply blended in with society. They have refused to speak out against false teachings and wrong ideas permeating from our culture, they have refused to take a stand on any issued deemed politically incorrect for fear of losing their following, and we know if they lose their following they will take their wallets with them. It is a sad thing that the church has not been the beacon of truth it should be. When I go to a church I sadly find that I am shocked if that church is teaching the truth. Some people get offended if a church teaches the truth because sometimes the truth hurts. In a world which is rejecting truth more and more I believe the church needs to cling to the truth. I love Mexican food. In fact I love it so much I eat it Mexican food 2 times a week. If it wasn’t for being embarrassed by being seen there I would eat there two times a week. When I go there and look on the menu at the Mexican restaurant I see lists of a variety of Mexican foods. I have never been shocked by that. You know why? Because I expect the Mexican restaurant to serve Mexican food, I go there knowing that. I believe most people come to church expecting to hear the truth, not a watered down version of the Gospel.
We live in a world that is rapidly changing. Many of you have seen incredible changes in the world over the course of your lifetime. All of those changes haven’t been bad and some have been bad. You see, change isn’t bad in and of itself. We all change, don’t we? We can’t help, but to change. The church changes as well. The church of 2008 is different in some aspects than the church of 208. Those changes are not necessarily bad. As people change we understand that our methods may change somewhat. Paul said, “I became all things to all people so that I might win some.” In other words his methods varied depending upon his audience. While our methods may change and our society may change one this is absolute and that is that our message can never change. The message of the Gospel is timeless; it transcends time and culture, race and religion, gender, class and nationality. No matter how far we advance, how much we learn, how many things we discover or invent, the truth of the Word of God remains the same.
Text: II Thessalonians 2:5-12
I. Why Does Truth Matter?
a. Because God Revealed Truth
One reason that the truth matters so much is simply because God revealed truth to us. Furthermore, I believe he revealed the things He did for a reason. He did not just reveal information that is neat to know, He revealed information that we need to know. Admittedly, our acceptance or rejection of that truth does not make it any more or any less true. In other words, what we think and how we feel does not matter. Countless people reject the truth and in their minds see the Word of God as a book of made up stories, their persistent disbelief may be real in their minds, but it does not make those truths any less true. God revealed certain truths to us and He wants to understand them. As Paul told Timothy, “God desires all to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” Truth matters simply because God saw it as important enough to reveal it to us through the written Word, preserved for us.
b. Because It Affects Our Salvation
Our acceptance or rejection of the truth might not make those things any more or less true, but how we handle the truth will affect our eternal salvation. One cannot be saved and reject the truth. Remember that Jesus said, “I am the way, the Truth, and the Life no one can come to the Father except through me.” We must understand that what we believe does matter. It really does matter how we handle the truth.
I Timothy 4:16
There are those today who say what we believe does not matter, however that would be a foreign concept to the Apostles. They spent a lot of time writing and correcting false teachings that were present in the church. Why were they so concerned about it? Because what we believe matters. On numerous occasions the Scriptures speak of obeying or rejecting the truth. Rejecting the Truths of the Word of God has eternal consequences.
c. Because It Changes Our Lives
I John 1:6-7
You see, if we really believe and accept the truth we can no longer walk as we used to walk, we can no longer live in sin. For me knowing the truth of the Word of God has changed my life. I know that there is right and wrong. I know that there is One to who I am accountable. I know that I was created by God in His own image. I know that sin in my life has hurt my relationship with God. I know that there is one who so loved the world that He gave His Son to take the punishment I deserved. I know there is a God who loves me and wants to spend eternity with me. I know there are standards of right and wrong found in the Bible. Those truths have changed my life. Because of those truths I want to obey God the best I possibly can. The truth changes lives. Other people can say good things and things that correct, but their message isn’t able to change the heart of a person. Oprah, Dr. Phil, Judge Judy and all other folks that people are enamored with may have some good things to say, but their message isn’t life changing. The truth of God’s Word is life changing. You cannot believe the Word of God and not be changed by it. Perhaps there are many who say they believe the Truth who do not really believe the Truth, because the Truth changes lives.
We often ask questions, such as, ”why is there so much evil in the world?” Perhaps that is a valid question, but perhaps the answer is as simple is that people have not believed or been changed by Truth.
Following the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado Vice President Al Gore appeared on Larry King Live. He was asked why he thought America was so attracted to violence. Gore responded, “It’s because of our evolutionary heritage. It’s the nature of tooth and claw.” A liberal preacher was asked on the same show what he believed needed to be done. He said, “We just need to build up the kids’ self-esteem. It doesn’t matter what religion you are; just tell kids they’re good and wonderful and beautiful.” Well, first of all Mr. Gore and the liberal preacher both missed the mark. The reason for the abundance of crime and evil taking place is an abandonment of Truth.
If we have no absolute standards, no absolute right and wrongs, no one to whom we are accountable, no one who we believe cares for us and nothing beyond this life then of course people will act out the way that we see on a daily basis. What we believe does matter because what we believe is going to govern how we act. The Truth is valuable because the Truth changes people’s lives.
d. Because It Convicts of Sin
I John 1:8
The Apostle John clarifies that knowing the truth should convict of sin and not make us feel that we are sinlessly perfect. In my life there were many things I did on a regular basis before I was a Christian that I never felt conviction or guilt over what I was doing. Part of the reason for that was I never saw my actions as wrong. When I began to read and study the Word of God I came to conviction that my life was not what it needed to be and that my thinking was not in line with the Word of God. When I learned the truth it convicted me of my sin. The more truth we learn the more it should convict of areas that are not right in our lives.
Perhaps part of the problem in the world is that there is very little conviction over sin or wrong behavior. There are many sincere people, but they may be sincerely wrong. Again we see how a remove of Truth from society cannot produce any good results.
II. How Do We Become A People of The Truth
It is not a new thing that people have distorted the truth. In fact it should not even come as a surprise. Paul warned Timothy about a time coming when people would abandon the truth.
II Timothy 4:1-5
We must be aware that there are many people out there who manipulate and pervert the Word of God, these are false teachers and their teaching is destructive and can lead people astray. In fact, I would suggest it is a very common thing. If we are not careful we can easily be lead down the wrong path.
There are many people who refuse to come to or understand the truth.
Blaise Pascal observed, “Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”
II Timothy 3:1-7
The good news for us is that we are not bound to that. We can know the truth and we can understand the truth.
Myths are easily accepted as truth it they have been around a long time. Take the case of the spider. About 350 B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle classified the spider as having six legs. And for the next 20 centuries everyone believed the spider had six legs. No one even bothered to count and it was any way to challenge the great Aristotle. And of course, everybody thought this is a scientific conclusion.
The point is that we should not just blindly accept what people have to say, but we should test everything in light of the Word of God. So often we take people’s word for it, however I might suggest that we study the Word diligently.
II Timothy 2:15
The Word of God is our source of truth. How do we become a people of truth? By studying, reading, and learning the Word of God. A woman wanting to impress the preacher when he came to visit, said to her little girl, “Honey, go get the book that Mommy loves so much.” The little girl soon returned carrying the new Sears catalog.
Perhaps we can praise the Lord that Falls Mills has always had a reputation of standing upon the truth. I believe the people here are people who love the truth. Let us grow even more in that. Let us show that love for the truth by obedience to the truth. Loving the truth does not handicap us to not growing, but rather having a people that love the truth is a building block of a strong foundation that should lead to growth in number and in depth. Let us always be a people that are willing to accept truth even if it means admitting we were wrong. Let us grow in our desire to learn and do more for the Lord. The church here will only be as strong and as good as the people who make up the church are willing to be.
