Sometimes I wonder whether there is really a search for the truth today. Circumstances and situations cause me to ask, “Do people really want to know the truth? As far back as Biblical times there is the indication of a search for truth. There were people called the Gnostics who thought that all knowledge led to the truth, they were known as “know all’s” and even espoused special knowledge for the elite. Then around the 15th century there were some people called Greek Skeptics who believed that all knowledge was uncertain. Today one major worldview of truth is that all truth is relative. So What is Truth?
Pilate suggests in the midst of Jesus interrogation that there is a search for the truth. With a sense of stress and frustration, in dilemma and disgust, Pilate asked in final exasperation, “What is Truth?” Did he really want to know what the truth was? I’m not sure he did. However, Pilate’s question suggests that there is a search for what is truth. So, “What is truth?”
According to Webster truth is that which is reliable, trustworthy, faithful, sure, genuine and sincere. Spiritually speaking, truth is that which is reality or real. It’s God’s revelation of Himself to us. Truth is the reality that God has chosen to reveal to us. I think there’s a lot of confusion concerning what is truth today and it’s my purpose to clear it up biblically. So, I suggest first of all that:
I. THE SAVIOR IS TRUTH
An English minister describing his inner city outreach in Bristol, England once commented, “I minister to the lost, the least, the lonely and the last.” Maybe you feel like you fall into one or all of these categories today: lost, least, lonely, or last. Well be encouraged, Jesus Christ came just for you! And he said, “It’s not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick” (Lk 5.31). Then, He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord”(Lk 4.18-19).
For those who are poor, captive, blind, and downtrodden this is good news. However, there is more. You see it’s not God’s intention to leave you in a place of loss or defeat either. He has come to enrich your life more than you could ever imagine. Jesus has come to share with you truth that will set you free. He said, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life & might have it abundantly.” He also said, “and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Now, if God says that His truth will set you free then why, do you find yourself struggling. Could it be you’ve believed a lie? If your world has fallen apart, then it’s rather obvious that your “house” doesn’t have a proper foundation – your life isn’t built on the truth and Jesus claims on the truth were pretty exclusive John 1:1; 14. . . He even says, blatantly, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. . .” Jesus claimed to be THE truth, not just another great prophet or humanitarian, but the SAVIOR.
There’s no middle ground where God’s truth is concerned. So there are some life impacting question’s that you need to ask yourself - that only you can answer: Is your life working for you? Is it possible you have believed a lie. Have you been building your “house” on the wrong foundation? Are you willing to admit that you need help and that you want it? If you answered yes to any one of these question’s it’s possible that you’ve never received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord so the foundation of your life is being built on your own self-sufficiency. And the life of self-sufficiency is what God calls SIN. And you don’t have to keep on living that kind of life. God wants to extend to you His forgiveness. He wants to give you eternal life - His life and it’s yours through trusting in God’s Son, Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
II. THE SCRIPTURE IS TRUTH
Now, some of you may be asking, “What about me?” You may be saying “I’ve ben a Christian for quite some time now and my life is still a mess. What’s wrong with the foundation of my house?” It may be true that you’ve accepted Jesus into your life. However, the truth is you brought with you into this new life in Christ some old patterns of self-sufficient behavior, biblically called flesh. And you may never have been exposed to the bigger picture of Christ and His cross, the complete message of the gospel.
If you were to ask most Christian’s what happened at the cross of Christ, you’d probably get this answer: “Jesus shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins and I’m going to live in heaven with him when I die.” If you live with this limited understanding of the “good news” you will only see yourself as a forgiven sinner on your way to heaven. And your life will be a life of defeat with no victory. But the truth has got to be better than this and indeed it is! Christ not only died for your sins, He came to give HIS life to you. Why? First, because He desires to have fellowship with you. And secondly, He wants to be able to live His life through you. But that’s not all. You don’t have to wait until you die to experience all of the benefits of your life in Christ, your inheritance. They’re yours now! God says the truth is, He’s given you a whole new identity. He’s made you a new creation. He’s made you His precious child. What’s more, God says that He’s seated you with Him in His presence already and that’s only the beginning of the truth.
Truth is what God says. God’s Word is truth. The Scripture is truth and John 17:17 says “Sanctify them by the truth, Your Word is truth.”(Holman Christian Standard Bible). Just recognize the possibility that God may have more to say about truth than you already know or think you know. For one thing the Word says ALL your sins are forgiven - past, present and future.
Finally, the answer to “What is truth?” is:
III. THE SPIRIT IS TRUTH
Dearly beloved, we need to know the truth. And there’s a good reason for this. Let me illustrate with a true story. A group of Christians gathered in a church auditorium for an evening Bible Study. Some were talking while waiting for the study to begin. One man began to share with the leader about a church breakfast he’d attended. A well known Bible scholar had been invited to speak at the breakfast. During the course of his remarks the scholar stated that he had recently gained new insight into a verse of Scripture that had puzzled him for years. “When I heard this,” the man said to the Bible Study leader, “I thought to myself, ‘If this scholar who has written commentaries and books and who has studied the Bible for years is just now understanding a verse of Scripture, how can I, an ordinary church member, understand the truth?”’
“You know,” replied the leader, “rather than being discouraged by the scholar’s remarks, I’m encouraged. It just goes to show that understanding God’s truth doesn’t depend on our intellectual ability or number of theological degrees earned. Rather, God’s truth is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. The noted Chinese Christian, Watchmen Nee, had this to say about knowing truth: “The normal Christian life must begin with a very definite ‘knowing,’ which is not just knowing something about the truth nor understanding some important doctrine. It’s not an intellectual knowledge at all, but an opening of the eyes of the heart to see what we have in Christ. So our first step is to seek from God knowledge that comes by revelation - a revelation, that is to say, not of ourselves but of the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the Cross.” (from "The Normal Christian Life")
Maybe you’re puzzled over some or all of what I’ve said this morning. Well, be encouraged! The Holy Spirit must and will teach you what you are to know. I sat in a seminar back in March 2003 and realized that I was not receiving the truth that was being taught. The Holy Spirit said in my spirit, “Unless you ask me to open the eyes of your understanding, you will never get the truth.” Right then and there I prayed for Him to open my mind and heart and immediately, He began to reveal the truth to me and I received it.
Before Jesus returned to His Father He promised His disciples that He was going to send them an Encourager, the Holy Spirit, so that they would not be left alone and this Encourager would lead the disciples into all truth. Now, this same Encourager has come to you, desiring to lead you into all truth. Enlightenment, or knowing truth, may come to you by the Holy Spirit as your study God’s Word, listen to a sermon, pray, or any other number of ways. Just remember that whatever is revealed to you will never contradict the written Word of God, the Bible.
If you desire to know the truth - truth that’s beyond mere information, speculation, theory, or theology - join me in praying as we ask the Encourager, the Holy Spirit, to truly open your spiritual eyes that you might “see” and your spiritual ears that you might “hear” the TRUTH of God.
