What Is Truth?
You and I live in a world that has almost totally rejected the existence of absolute truth. The current pervading mindset today seems to be that everyone has their own truth, and that everyone else must affirm them in whatever truth they claim to have—despite how ridiculous it may be. In fact, the more ridiculous your truth is, it seems the more celebrated you should be..
Now I’m not going down this rabbit hole this morning, but just to illustrate my point, some of you may have seen in the news this week where a man actually won the Miss Netherlands beauty pageant and will go on to represent the Netherlands in the Miss Universe pageant. I’m not saying this to be unkind, I’m really not; but most rational people know this is ludicrous, but are afraid to say that this guy’s truth is not really truth for fear of being labeled intolerant or transphobic, and suffering society’s wrath for the horrendous crime of not affirming this guy’s truth.
Today, in just about every facet of life, the world is constantly demanding that we reject the existence of absolute truth and subscribe to, and enthusiastically promote, subjective truth: that is, a truth that is subject to a person or group’s own feelings, preferences, or emotions. And the proponents of subjective truth vehemently insist that their agenda is motivated by and based on love…
And who’s to say it’s not based on and motivated by love? But I want to suggest to you this morning that the enemy of our souls has produced an evil counterfeit for nearly every good thing that God has given us. In our first message in this series we learned that there are counterfeit gods, in the message of on the fourth commandment we learned there is a counterfeit Sabbath, there’s a counterfeit spirit, there’s counterfeit love, and there’s even a counterfeit truth...
John 18:36-40 Pilate had asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews. 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact,
for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
What kind of truth do you think Jesus came into this world to testify to? Subjective truth? Fickle, transient truth? Or an absolute, infallible, unchanging, and eternal, truth?
I want us to think about Pilate for a moment. Here us a man who knew all too well the deep seated corruption he’d witnessed and practiced all his life, the political corruption in the government, social corruption, and even worse, the religious corruption he saw within the Jewish leadership. This same Pilate who I believe honestly didn’t know what truth really was—or even if it actually existed…asked Jesus perhaps the most important question recorded in Scripture:
38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. (either this was a sincere question and he really wanted to know; or he had given up on the idea that there could even be an absolute truth and the question was merely rhetorical.) With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion. ( Mark and Luke mention that he was a murderer as well as an insurrectionist. Barabbas means: “son of the father.”)
John 14:6 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The people chose to set free the counterfeit deliverer and insisted that the real Deliverer, called the Truth, be crucified—that very same Truth that could have set them free! Isn’t that exactly what’s going on today?? Our society is calling for the crucifixion of the very Truth that could set them free!
John 8:31,32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
But they rejected the Truth...
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason (because they refused to love the truth) God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
Like I said earlier, the proponents of false truth, will always claim to be motivated by genuine love… So how can we distinguish between true love and the counterfeit love? 1 Corinthians 13:6 “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
1 John 3:4 says the, by definition, sin is transgression of the law. So if someone claims to have true, genuine love and yet intentionally transgresses the eternal, infallible Law of God and or encourages others to do so, then they are either deceived or deceiving— or both.
James 1:19–25 (NIV84): 19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.(Matthew 7) 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,(Remember in John 8:32 Jesus said the “truth” shall set you free..) and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
The point of what we’re seeing here is that the Word of God is Truth—especially the very center of the Word of God which is Ten Commandments.
Psalm 119:142 “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and You Law is Truth.”
John 17:17 Praying to the Father in our behalf, Jesus says “Sanctify them by the truth; thy Word is Truth.”
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
“You shall know the truth; Jesus says, and the truth shall set you free.” Free from what? From being deceived by a lie, masquerading as the truth. Friends, our greatest danger today is the exact same danger our human family has faced from the very beginning; and that is rejecting truth and falling for the lie. That’s how this whole sin problem started for us; Satan told Eve, I don’t care what God says, “you shall NOT surely die; taking a bite of this fruit will enlighten and empower you…” And right there, she rejected the truth of God’s Word for a lie. And because she failed to believe and live the Truth, death began to reign—and it’s reigning even today.
But it doesn’t have to reign in your life and it doesn’t have to reign in mine…
1 John 2:1-6 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 We know that we have come to know him (“you shall know the Trurth...) if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
Jesus says, “take up you cross and follow me..”
Jesus said He came to testify to the Truth. Brothers and sisters, I tell you today that we are called to do the same thing. And don’t think for a second it will be an easy thing to do—especially as the time of the end draws nearer...
George Orwell said, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate the one who speaks it.”
John 15:18-21 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
Jeremiah 31:33 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Isaiah 8:20. “To the Law and to the Testimony, if they speak not according to this Word, there is no light in them.”
Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Revelation 14:12 Referring to the great end time conflict and deception says 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.”
[appeal and close]
