Truth and Honesty
Selective verses
Good morning
This morning we continue in our series “Campfire talks” last week we began the series looking at embracing wisdom-
The wisdom that comes from the Lord.
Knowing the difference between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom.
Godly wisdom that not only learns from our mistakes but the wisdom that lines up with God’ Word.
Worldly wisdom embraces knowledge and information and there is nothing wrong with education, but if it limited to just information and the Lord is not a factor, there will not be transformation. A changed life!
Remember, the whole point of these campfire talks is to get together and speak about things relevant in our lives.
To be honest and open.
To be truthful not only to ourselves but also to those in that circle of our lives so that we can be all that the Lord wants in our lives.
As a kid in the sixties and early seventies, there was a show on television called “To tell the truth.” Three people would be introduced as the same person with a special occupation or talent and the panel would have to pick which one was telling the truth. All of the them could lie except the one that really had the job or talent…they had to tell the truth.
I can remember so many times thinking there are some great liars who must have done some homework and just could come up with a lie at a moment’s notice and under different circumstances.
Are you a good liar? Is that something you would put on your resume’ and want to draw attention to as you get interviewed?
The reason I fudge on my taxes is because the government will just waste the money anyway.
What’s a little bit of an exaggeration? Associate degree or Bachelors degree?
First string or a bench warmer?
Where you actually went on vacation and where you told everyone you went.
Dating site and you pick a picture of yourself that even your mother won’t recognize because it was so long ago.
Prayer-
Father today may it be a day that we are honest with you where we are at in our journey and our walk with you. May we not be afraid to be transparent with you so that you might be able to minister to our needs and our challenges. May the truths of God forever change us and guide us as we serve and seek you everyday in every way of our lives. Amen.
Our springboard text this morning is John 8:31-32
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Numerous places in Scripture Jesus tells us who He is-
Jesus said;
I am the light of the world-
I am the Good Shepherd- last week
I am the resurrection and the life-.
I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. You cannot find truth without Jesus!
Why are these truths?
Because they were said? Written down?
Because you believe them to be true?
Because they are red letter writings in your Bible?
Why are these statements true?
Because the person (Jesus Christ) saying these truths is truth! The truth said it was true!
The measurement of all spiritual truth is measured by Jesus. If what we hear and believe does not line up with the teachings of Jesus, then they are not spiritual truths.
We can believe that there are many ways to get to heaven, but if Jesus who is truth says there is only one way, then it doesn’t matter what we think, it only matters on how we act upon that truth.
Truth and Honesty! That is the sermon title this morning. What do you want me to tell the truth about Pastor?
I want you to tell the truth about yourself to yourself! I am letting you know it is okay to talk to yourself, I do it all the time!
I want you to know the truths of God and allow them to change your life and direct your life.
Examples-
If you are going to be honest with yourself, tell the truth. Pimples and all, tell the Lord the truth, tell Him how you are felling.
Tell Him what you have done wrong.
Tell Him what you should of done but maybe you have not.
If you must be honest and tell someone else the truth, tell it in love and tell it because you want to see them restored back to a relationship with others and with the Lord.
Your desire is to see something good come out of it instead of telling the truth to see someone get hurt.
Truth is… if you and I were to tell the truth, you and I would have to stand up and say that I need Jesus!
We would have to say that life gets messy and I need Him everyday to help me.
Facing the truth is not always easy.
Wither it is a truth of the Lord or truth about ourselves- it is not always comfortable
It is the only way that we will draw closer to the Lord.
If that is your desire this morning, Jesus actually says it is the only way to be “set free”.
To live as God intended for us to live.
In his book “What next” Chris Hodges says from the beginning God has asked for honesty- not perfection.
Someone should be saying amen!
We would like to think it would be easy to be open and honest with God if we only lived back in the time before Adam and Eve sinned against God.
They must not have had any secret agendas or secrets that kept them from God.
But sin crept into our lives- after they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil- expecting that they would know as much or more than God. (Oh, how we like to puff ourselves up)
We see that God’s truth is backed up by the authority of heaven and is the measurement of truth.
We see that our opinion does not matter when compared to God’s truth. (Repeat)
One of the problems today is that people have been brainwashed into believing that their opinion is as good as God’s truth.
They say that there are no absolute truths.
Each one of us decides what is our truth. That is a lie from the pit of Hell. And I will tell you why-
There is one truth- that Jesus Christ is truth!
From the time of Adam and Eve sinning in the garden to today, we have wanted to cover up our shame with our own fig leaves and hiding from God and his truth.
How many would say this morning that you desire more than anything else in this world is to know the truths of God and live them out in their lives?
1-2-3 of you! The world distracts us from things we know are important.
Adam and Eve were not the only ones to cover up and hide from the truths of what is going on in their lives.
David committed adultery with Bethsheba, did horrible things to cover it up until the prophet Nathaniel revealed the truth that God saw what was happening.
Honesty and transparency/ Two words that have lost their true meaning
Honesty and truthfulness are not the same thing.
Being honest means not telling lies.
Being truthful means actively making known the full truth of a matter.
Lawyers must be honest, but they do not always have to be truthful.
Truth is if you know how bad hell is and you don’t let people know, then you are only giving half-truths. You are keeping the truth for yourself and letting everyone else try to found it on their own.
So how does knowing the truths of God and knowing ourselves help us live the life that God intends?
Truth is not truth unless it meets God’s definition of truth.
Truth cannot be relative unless it is relative to the God of Truth, anything less is deception. Truth lives out in Jesus.
Let me share a few scriptures with you.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
John 4:24
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
These God truths will change your life!
Those are facts Jack!
The wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus.
Jesus is the only way to salvation- one way!
If we confess our sins, Jesus will forgive our sins
God is Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
Jesus is the resurrection and life- He was resurrected to life and by faith we will be resurrected also.
God’s truth does not have to be logical - nowhere in God’s Word or in His truth principals does He tell us that it only is a truth if we agree with it, understand it totally, or it is logical to most people.
My Bible which is the truths of God says-
“My ways are higher than your ways! My thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” says the Lord
The virgin birth does not make sense- in fact if a teenage daughter was to go home and tell her parents this is how she became pregnant, they would not believe her! Why!
Because we know only what we know! immaculate birth is by the power of God, fulfillment of prophecy, the blessing of redemption for mankind done by an amazing God who could pull it off.
If fact if you do not believe in the immacuate birth you are not a Christian, you have not been born again by the Son of God because you do not believe that the sinless Christ child came to this world to redeem the sin filled world. Chances are if you do not believe in the virgin birth, you don’t believe you need a savior to redeem you from your sins!
This is a truth of God that you grasp unto because your spirit bears witness with His Spirit and you know that you know that this truth will change your life forever!
The thought that God created all things-
I don’t know how people don’t look around and see God everyday and everywhere when you look at what all He has created.
How do you not see God in the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly?
How do you not see God’s great imagination when you look at a rhinnoserous?
How can you not look in the sky and try to count the stars and not see Jesus!
These un-logical truths of God make more sense to me than the logical truths of mankind because I believe in the impossible and I believe that God still does miracles and I believe just because I don’t see it or understand it does not mean that God did not do it! Hallelujah
What does knowing God’s truth and being honest do for our lives?
Removes all barriers
It is liberating to be set free when we know the truth and live the truth.
Ever tell the truth and feel a weight lifted off? Ever tell a lie and have the weight of it sit on you like an elephant?
The truth of God brings down walls we created and walls to cause us to stumble.
“I have decided to follow Jesus”- no turning back… no turning back.
I know that I know that I know
He puts a desire to know Him and to seek for truth.
He removes whatever the enemy is using to blind us and keep us from trusting Christ.
The apostle Paul records that “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
He convicts us of sin, and shows us a need for a Savior.
He causes us to experience the Gospel—not only in word, but with power.
“Because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).
Reveals to us who Jesus Christ really is.
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:16,17).
The walls begin to fall down- the barriers come down. The truth is revealed.
Illustration-
A story is told about a famous evangelist, Brownlow North, who had lived a life that was anything but Christian. Once, just before he was to enter the pulpit, he received a letter. This letter informed him that its writer had evidence of some disgraceful thing he had done before he was a Christian, and that he was going to interrupt the service and tell everyone about it, if he preached. Mr. North took the letter to the pulpit and read it, and shared about the thing he had once done. He then told them how Christ had changed his life, and that he could do the same for them. He used the very evidence of his shame to turn it to the glory of Christ. (Source unknown).
Close,
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RESPONDING AND REACTING IS A CHOICE. WHEN YOU REACT, THEY’RE IN CONTROL. WHEN YOU RESPOND, YOU ARE.
YOU ARE RESPONDING TO GOD- YOU HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND IT IS YOUR CHOICE TO ALLOW HIM TO BRING DOWN THESE WALLS AND BARRIERS THAT HAVE KEPT YOU APART AND KEPT YOU FROM A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP.
IT IS TIME TO TELL THE TRUTH TO YOURSELF AND TO THE LORD THIS MORNING-
WHAT IS HE DESIRING FOR YOU TO DO?
HOW DOES HE WANT YOU TO RESPOND TO HIS TRUTHS TODAY?
I KNOW THAT HE DOES NOT WANT ANY OF US TO LEAVE THIS PLACE WITHOUT KNOWING HIM AS LORD- SO HIS TRUTH CAN SET US FREE, WE CAN LIVE LIFE AS INTENDED WITH A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
PRAYER-
