Tell The Truth

Tell the truth!

Selective verses

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.

Tell the truth! 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.