Volkswagen is a popular brand of cars here in the United States and all over the world. About five years ago, Volkswagen was caught in a massive cheating scandal. Essentially they installed a “defeat device” – or software – in their cars with diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested. So the device told the car when it was being tested for pollution, and the software would change the emissions standards to improve the results. According to the BBC, the device appears to have put the vehicle into a sort of safety mode in which the engine ran below normal power and performance. Once on the road, the engines switched out of this test mode. No matter the way it operated, it was cheating. It was deception, and VW was caught. It recalled around 11 millions car worldwide, and it cost the company billions of dollars. Of course, the real question is, “Does anyone trust VW again to purchase their next car.”
For the next few minutes, I want to convince all of us to have a firmer grasp of the truth. If you came to church recently and thought, “I wish the pastor’s sermon were more convicting,” then you picked a good Sunday to come to church ?.
Keep your Bibles open to Ephesians 4 with me as we focus on speaking the truth but speaking the truth in love.
Today’s Scripture
Let’s read the Scripture again: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).
These are shaky days in which we live, and you need to find something solid to stand on, and the book of Ephesians is something solid to stand on. Now, you need to hear the book of Ephesians because many of us are egomaniacs. Now, this nation needs to hear the book of Ephesians because many of us are peacocks strutting our way to hell, thinking we’re too good to be damned.
No place tells us we are saved by grace like the book of Ephesians. And few places tell us how grace will change us like Ephesians. From the book of Ephesians, I want to convince all of us to have a firmer grasp on the truth.
1. Know the Truth
God’s people are called to speak the truth and to live by the truth: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
Again, the Bible calls on us to speak the truth. And the Bible is calling on Christians to know the truth and speak the truth because we are now Christians. Look at verse 17 with me: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds” (Ephesians 4:17).
When your Bible says “Gentiles” in verse 17, you can read non-believers. You are to know the truth and speak the truth because grace changes believers.
1.1 Pinocchio
Many of you remember the fictional character Pinocchio. Popularized by the 1940 Disney movie, a woodcarver creates a wooden puppet named Pinocchio. Of course, he is famously known for the growth of his nose. You see, his nose grew every time he tells a lie. If only this happened in real life! If only this would happen then, it would be so easy to tell who’s lying!
We hate being lied to, but we lie to so many people. We lie when it is convenient. We lie when we want to avoid the consequences. But Christians are called to embrace truth. Again, we are to know the truth.
But before we speak the truth, we have to know the truth. And the truth is so important to Christianity. Truth is absolutely vital to Christianity. Let me show you just how tight the link is between Truth and Christianity.
1.2 The Relationship between Truth and Christianity
The gospel is called the truth: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).
The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is referred to as “the word of truth” in verse 13. The gospel is given a shorthand name of “the word of truth.” We could even say this: “Salvation = Truth.” Or, this, “Gospel=Truth.”
Again, there’s this incredibly tight connection between the truth and the gospel. Let’s look at it in another way. If there were no such thing as truth, there would be no such thing as salvation. If you take away the truth, you don’t handicap the gospel you eviscerate the gospel.
Jesus Himself famously said, “I am the truth” (John 14:6). Jesus went to say, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Truth is an important piece of armor in the battle of spiritual warfare as the Bible says, “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth…” (Ephesians 6:14a).
1.3 Truth is Essential to Christianity
Think of it this way: it’s impossible to have water without hydrogen and oxygen. And just as it’s impossible for water to exist without the elements of hydrogen and oxygen, so it’s impossible to have salvation without the truth. The message of salvation is the truth. Jesus Himself is the Truth. Truth is so tightly connected to Christianity that you cannot have Christianity if you do not embrace the truth. If Jesus were a car, the truth would NOT be leather seats or the back window defrost. If Jesus were a car, the truth would be the motor or the transmission. You cannot have a car without a motor, and you cannot have Truth without Jesus or Christianity.
1.4 Truth Is NOT Just a Concept
Truth isn’t only an abstract concept sought out by philosophers and lawyers. Most of us think of truth as a concept, and it is. But the truth isn’t just a concept. A parent searches for the truth when they arrive home after time away only to learn their house was destroyed by teenagers. When we search for the truth, we search for what is actual or what is factual. No, Truth is NOT only a concept. The Bible says truth is ultimately a Person. Truth is Jesus. The truth exists because Jesus exists.
What does this mean for us? Truth isn’t ultimately a set of scales presiding over a judge’s bench somewhere. Again, Truth is a Person. Because one being made everything in the world and nothing was in the world before this Person said so, every piece and particle owes its existence to this one Person. And this one Person made not only physical things such as water, sand, and sky, but He also made concepts such as trust and justice. So again, let’s see the tight connection: when I search for that which is actual, reliable, and real in all of life, I will trace everything actual back to its Source. Truth is a Person.
1.5 The Value of Truth
Why did God write a Bible? He calls that Bible “the Word of truth” (Psalm 119:43).
Why did God send the Holy Spirit? He calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of Truth” (John 16:13).
How does God describe Himself? He describes Himself as “truth” (John 3:33).
Who is Jesus? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
What is the church? The church is called “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).
And the Apostle John said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4). Again, truth is not just a concept, but the truth is a Person with a capital P.
Yes, truth is a Person, and you spell Truth J E S U S. Jesus is the ultimate “no-spin” zone.
1.6 Difference between Knowledge and Truth
You can get facts from the internet, but you get Truth from God. Knowledge may double; Truth will never double. Facts deal with knowledge, and knowledge may double, but the truth will never double. If it is new, it’s not true. Truth is settled in eternity.
So we cannot embrace Jesus with one hand and lying with the other. The Bible calls on us to speak the truth and to know the truth.
1. Know the Truth
2. Speak the Truth
First, you know the truth, but you then you must speak the truth: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
Lying is more widespread than we care to consider. There is bias in the media; There is misrepresentation among advertisers; There are false promises from politicians; and there is gossip over the back fence. Again, believers are called on to embrace the truth at every turn.
I found it fascinating that the greatest nations had their ways of dealing with lying. At Rome, by a law of the Twelve Tables, a liar was hurled headlong from the Tarpeian rock. In Egypt, false witnesses were punished by amputation of the nose and ears.
Rosie Ruiz
Rosie Ruiz passed away when she was 66 years old. She was an unknown in 1980 when she won the Boston Marathon for women in the record time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 56 seconds. She was awarded a medal and traditional olive wreath, but competitors were immediately suspicious of her. In the days before tracking chips and electronic checkpoints, Rosia didn’t show up on any of the 10,000 photographs of the race or videotape. She had no answers to how she trained and could not recognize common landmarks of the race. Two University students came forward to say they spotted her joining the race around one mile from the finish. And it was later reported that she took the subway instead of running the route. Rosie never admitted what she had done.
Among God’s people, we are traffic in the truth. And one of the ways you know you are growing in Christ is when you speak the truth in love.
2.1 Three Kinds of People
Now, there are three kinds of people when it comes to speaking the truth. Which one of these 3 is closest to you?
2.2.1 Shotgun Sally
Shotgun Sally tells you what she thinks. She tells her husband what she thinks. She tells her children what she thinks. She tells her boss what she thinks. And she even tells the fast-food workers at the drive-thru what she thinks. Shotgun Sally operates like a shotgun with a bad trigger. She is liable to go off at any moment.
We’ll see part of the issue with Sally in a moment is her lack of love. But another issue with the Sally’s of the world is that Sally is under the impression that everyone needs to hear her opinion on everything.
The Bible says to speak the truth, not my opinion. “The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools” (Proverbs 15:7).
The Bible isn’t calling us to share all of our opinions willy-nilly. Be sure it is the truth before you speak. Instead, we are to be wise in our speech.
Here’s a yikes verse: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-47). That is a yikes verse because it makes you say, “yikes!” Anyone who stops to think about what Jesus is saying there needs to pause. Again, Jesus says, “on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.”
For all you Shotgun Sally’s out there, listen to the command of the Bible: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
Speak the Truth. So there’s Shotgun Sally. Second, let me introduce you to…
2.2.2 Timid Tommy
Nobody knows that Timid Theo is thinking. Timid Tommy doesn’t tell his friends what he thinks. He doesn’t tell his family what he thinks. And he doesn’t tell his girlfriend what he thinks. Timid Tommy is a mystery to everyone around him.
If you were to ask Tommy’s friends his thoughts on politics, religion, and just about anything, everyone would just shrug. He won’t tell you where he wants to eat, he wouldn’t tell his wife what he wants to name their baby, and timid Tommy won’t speak up even if you are about to run into his car. Tommy needs to speak up, but all he does is shut up.
For all you Timid Tommy’s out there, listen to the command of the Bible: “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
Now, we all have a little bit of Timid Tommy in us.
2.2.2.1 Confronting a Family Member
It’s the family member we don’t want to confront because we don’t want to experience the pain of confronting them. You say to yourself, “I don’t want to hurt them.” But really, you don’t want to hurt yourself. You don’t want to go through the ordeal of dealing with them and confronting them. So the family member or friends goes on with nobody lovingly confronting them.
Go look at Eli and how he failed to confront his sons in 1 Samuel. Look at David and how he failed to confront Absalom. Neither of these men confronted their family members, and their family members suffered for it.
So Timid Tommy thinks he’s being loving by failing to speak up, but he’s really not. Tommy loves Tommy.
2.2.2.2 Sinfully Silent
Again, we all have a little Timid Tommy in us. Where were those disciples when Jesus died? They were sinfully silent. You can be sinfully silent when you don’t speak up when someone is maligned. You can share a good word. Or when you don’t share that witness.
Some say, “Silence is golden,” yes, but sometimes silence is just plain yellow. Jay Strack was witnessing to a Bedouin Shepherd about Christ. That Bedouin Shepherd said, “I know. You’re keeping yourself from committing the sin of the desert.” Jay said, “What is the sin of the desert?” The sin of the desert is knowing where there is water and not telling someone elsewhere it is. We know where the Water of Life resides. We must not commit the sin of silence.
God gives you a voice to speak the truth.
So there’s Shotgun Sally and Timid Tommy, but last, I want to introduce you to…
2.2.1 Shotgun Sally
2.2.2 Timid Tommy
2.2.3 White-Lie Willie
Lastly, there’s white-lie Willie. Willie will tell the truth most of the time. Yes, most of the time, Willie speaks the truth unless it is inconvenient. White-lie Willie speaks the truth except when it is embarrassing. Willie puts in big sales numbers at the end of his quarter, even though he knows that most of these will be canceled. But it looks good on paper, and he looks good because of it. Most of the time, Willie speaks the truth unless it is inconvenient. White-lie Willie speaks the truth except when it is embarrassing. We embrace our inner Willie if we value loyalty to a person more than loyalty to the truth. Sometimes we love someone so much that we deny the truth out of loyalty to our spouse or our boss. Whenever your loyalty to someone is greater than the truth, you’ll have issues down the road.
I have sadly lied far too many times in life. I imagine many of you have too. Most of us Americans have a slippery handle on the truth.
We lie when it is convenient. We lie when we want to avoid the consequences. Many of us have such a slippery handle on the truth that it’s as if honesty and integrity are as slippery as a wet bar of soap in the shower. We just cannot get a good handle on it.
“Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool” (Proverbs 19:1).
Lying separates people, but truth-telling unites people. Lying creates secrets but telling the truth plants a flag that people can rally around.
Again, believers are to embrace the truth: “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25).
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6).
2.2.4 Which One are You?
Truth be told, most of us are 1 of those three people some of the time. Choose your poison… which are you. Are you Shotgun Sally? Are you Timid Tommy? Or are you more prone to be White-Lie Willie?
The Bible says to “Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23).
1. Know the Truth
2. Speak the Truth
3. Speak the Truth in Love
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
We are not only speak the truth, but we are speaking the truth in love.
3.1 Love Rejoices with the truth
There’s that really famous over in 1 Corinthians 13 that people love to read at weddings. It talks about how great love is. How loves is patient, love is kind, etc. A critical piece of that passage is that love rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6).
3.2 Combining Love and Truth
Let’s circle back to Shotgun Sally for a moment. Truth-telling without love is simply harsh, cruel, and scoring points. When I tell the truth in love, it’s about your best interest. When I tell the truth without love, it’s about me scoring over you. If you speak the truth and you don’t have any love, that’s brutality. But if you speak in love and you don’t speak the truth, that’s hypocrisy.
3.2.1 In Private
Look at this for a moment. If I catch you in a lie or if I think you might be lying, I want to speak to you in private. I don’t want to score points before everyone by calling you out. That’s score-boarding you. That’s showing you up. That’s not love, my friend. Love approaches you in private or among highly trusted people and then speaks the truth in love. I go public with it as a last result. I allow you to go public with the truth, and I stand with you in support. But love tells you the truth. It’s not loving to hide the truth or deny the truth. Telling the truth and living by the truth is truly loving.
3.2.2 George O’Leary
In December 2001, George O’Leary was at the top of the coaching profession. He had just been named the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame – the Fighting Irish. It was a dream of a lifetime. O’Leary was in charge of one of the most prestigious sports programs in the world. Then two days later, at the end of his first day on the job, a call came. A reporter had been trying to contact some of the guys who had played college football with O’Leary back at New Hampshire. The strange thing was that nobody could remember a George O’Leary. So Notre Dame’s sports information director telephoned to check it out. O’Leary admitted that when he applied for a job at Syracuse, his resume didn’t look impressive enough. So he “improved” his resume. He improved his resume by claiming he had a non-existent master’s degree as well as playing for the College of New Hampshire for three years. Just five days after being named the head football coach for Notre Dame, he was asked for his resignation.
When we tell the truth in love, we unify. It is better to be divided by truth than united by error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, the falsehood that comforts and then kills. And it’s better to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie.
3.4 Spiritual Growth
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…” (Ephesians 4:15).
Here’s spiritual growth. Speaking the truth in love with one another is the habit Christians do. It’s Jesus Christ in us. It’s the Holy Spirit in us.
Immature people cannot blend both speaking the truth and love. We have some people who are just already speaking the truth, but they have no love. Other people who talk about love have no truth. Truth-less love and loveless truth are the signs of immature people.
And take note: spiritual growth is a group project. I cannot do spiritual growth apart from you. You can grow spiritually apart from me. I need you, and you need me. I need to speak the truth to you, and you need to speak the truth to me. I need your love, and you need my love. Again, spiritual growth is a group project.
1. Know the Truth
2. Speak the Truth
3. Speak the Truth in Love
Conclusion - The Gospel
