Why tell the truth?

If you haven't picked up on my subtle Clues, like, you know, all the backgrounds except a few of Ben black and white, right? It was in relation to the idea of Truth.

You know, like I said, kids are much more concrete, right? So for them, a lot of times things are black or white. They either are or they are. There is no gray. But unfortunately, for us is adults, like you see in that background? That's continually moving on the screen. there's gray areas of this world that continue to creep in there on things for us to make decisions a little more challenging

or so, we think

You know, we've talked about the truth here, the last couple weeks and Grace and how so many. See, the truth is relative. So, that's why I titled it this week and a wife, tell the truth. What's the advantage of it? I mean, think about it. I mean, we all know, but I'm sure none of us have ever done this. Aveeno call in sick to work while we're really off playing golf or fishing for the day. But we have more sick days left than vacation days. So use a sick day

your advertisements that you watch on TV. If you ever looked at what they promised some time and some of those I mean a promise that if you buy a particular car truck or drink a particular beer that you'll be successful at everything,

But I wonder how many people that's actually happened for them.

You know, politicians make promises, that they have no intention of keeping that's nothing new. But they'll make those promises.

And whose McDonald's cheeseburger has ever looked like the ones on those commercials.

You know, I've thought about that. I've never gotten one that looks that juicy that well formed that never.

you know, we're so used to being lied to so prone to Self-deceit. Even that. It's hard to discern. What's true? And what's not?

You know, some recent research has shown that 64% of Americans say that I will lie when it suits me, if it doesn't cause any real damage.

53% say I will cheat on my spouse, after all, if given the same chance, they would too.

Only 31% of Americans agree. That honesty is the best policy.

And when asked what they would do for 10 million dollars, 25% of the people said that they would willingly abandon their family. 23% said that they would become prostitutes for a week or more. And 7% said that they would murder a stranger. 410 million dollars.

you know, we once had a moral consensus, In our nation. Everyone lived by that standard, but everyone recognized that standard. They knew it was there.

You knows I thought about that. It makes the words of Judges 21:25 seemed kind of eerily prophetic for our times said. In those days, Israel had no king and everyone did as they saw fit.

Kind of seems like we're at that point.

You know, we found out when we had Church in the park that you're not allowed to drive a stake into the ground, right? Cuz I got told I couldn't put my signs up. But, you know, when you visit national parks, you're not supposed to take anything out of them, either. You know, my Dad loved to collect rocks. From every place we went to for a vacation. He would take rocks. And I don't know have knowledge of any Yellowstone rocks being at my house. I I do know. I have Wyoming rocks. But, I don't know if any of them are Yellowstone larock's. But you know, if you ever thought about that, Why would they care if you take a rock? What's the big deal? She knows I thought about that. If you think about it, you know, I mean it's a massive National Park. But last year 4860537 people visited Yellowstone, National Park.

Now, what if every single one of those persons took one stone?

doesn't seem like that big of a deal but if you multiply that, by the 100 years that the park has been open That's a lot of rock, that's close to half a billion rocks. That would have disappeared. And essentially, we would not have Yellowstone. National Park anymore. It wouldn't exist. Simply from people, taking a rock here and there to keep us their own personal souvenir. It would have slowly eroded away. And you no lies or like that. We often don't realize how they slowly erode away our moral Foundation.

I mean if you think about some of the lies, I talked about at the beginning you think will those aren't big lies, they're just little white lies. If you take those, can you multiply those by the tens of millions of businesses and schools and all these other things that are out their families government people? I mean if everybody just lies a little bit, Over the course of time that amounts to a monumental. Erosion of the morals of our nation. That makes you understand why so many things are where they are, you know, it's essentially like bleeding to death from ten thousand paper cuts, I heard one author. Say sounds funny. But it's true. It's the way that it happens. there's a Nobel Peace Prize winner who in his acceptance speech once said, one word of Truth, outweighs the entire world,

What did he mean?

He meant that truth is bigger than any of us.

You know, the weight of all the world's lies can be put right or be toppled by one single truth. That's what he meant. Truth resonates in the human heart. We know when something we hear is true or not, You know, people may resist it yet, it's true that they need, it's true that they are really longing for because whether you agree with it or not, people know that it is true, that truly sets them free.

John chapter 8, verses 31 and 32. To the Jews who had believed him. Jesus said, if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples, then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

You know, tragically is Christian's If we're honest, we'd have to admit that. Even Christians can be untruthful.

Unfortunately, some very popular, very prominent, christian celebrities have been untruthful.

You know, we've seen it come out that there have been Christian authors who have claimed credit for writing books, or magazine articles, or Internet columns that really were written by some assistant of theirs who they hired to write it for them.

You know, a lot of Christian colleges routinely published doctrinal statements that many of their faculty members, don't teach, or don't even really believe anymore.

You know, it was discovered one time that he has some Christian music stations, take offerings for needy children. Not divulging while they're pleading with the crowd to give that they're going to take 20% off the top for themselves before that offerings given now, that's not everyone, but it's to say that. As Christians. We can't just think it's US versus them when it comes to not telling the truth that you know, we are the ones who always are on the side of truth, right? We should be. but we have to admit that we always aren't And when we fail to tell the truth, we fail to represent Jesus, who is the truth?

You know, I was reading an article and it was talking about how University students were once known as truth-seekers, right? That's why people went to college because they wanted to explore whatever their chosen field. Was more to learn more about it to learn the truth about these things.

The problem is now that many University, students have Minds that are so open. They don't critically evaluate anything. Except whoever tells them whatever, as truth. You know, they sit in class while Professor, you know, proclaims the truth of evolution. Never thinking about her acknowledging. All of the scientific discoveries that have happened since Darwin, published his theory that have just proven it.

You know, I remembering some of my science classes in college is really interesting. My one Professor who I took plant, biology from wasn't a Christian and hearing the way he presented things. But then my professor who taught animal biology was a Christian. Two totally different ways of presenting, a lot of the same theories.

And it was even proven by both of them discussing this. That a lot of the discoveries that our scientific world had meds made met the criteria that Darwin himself said, if this happens, then my theory is junk. And every single one of those have happened, but yet we continue to Proclaim that as truth. Because we don't want to accept what the real truth is. what the alternative is, if they acknowledge that theory,

So many professors now are not really truth-seekers they are just status quo Keepers trying to control what truth their students here.

Allan Bloom published an article called the closing of the American mind. He said there is one thing, a professor can be absolutely certain up. Almost every student entering the university believes or says he believes that truth is relative.

Now, I found some of the following statements, they labeled them as crazy statements about the truth. The sad thing is that these are things that some people except as reality. The first one is the really important thing isn't finding the truth. It's searching for it.

Really. I would like to see someone. Apply that logic. The next time they're looking for a job. Or even better, apply that logic. The next time they're looking for a flotation device when they're drowning. Doesn't really mind if matter if you find the life. Preserver, what matters is you just look for it, right?

Or what about this? One there is no such thing as truth.

apparently that can't be a true statement, then

You get that if there's no such thing as truth than that, can't be a true statement to say that there is no truth. So we can go in a circle.

That's what I did like about philosophy class. When I took it, as you can argue any of those things in a circle that just makes your head spin.

Because it mean, if there really is no truth, Then why do you go to college to learn stuff that may or may not be true from somebody? What's the point? Why do we go to school?

You know, it's the next statement is truth is whatever you sincerely believe.

Okay, so if Matt and I decide we're going to go up on top of the church and we're both just going to walk off the edge of the same time. I'll fall because I believe in gravity. But because Matt doesn't, he's just going to hover.

We laugh at that, but that is the way our world sees some truth claims that are out there.

What's true for you is true for you but what's true for me, is what's true for me?

so like I said, I, I guess that goes back to since Matt believes that gravity is not true. He can float and hover wherever he wants to. Rare Essence, I believe it is true. I will fall down every time.

You know, it just doesn't make sense, but unfortunately such crazy silly statements are the things that the world is trying to sell to us as true.

you know, if I Was preparing this, I thought Why didn't I think of this true then on any exam I could go up and say, no, I sincerely believe I got 100% on this. Cuz every one of these answers I put is right for me. May not be for you, but this is right for me.

I think we all see the silliness of it all and the thing is I think about the silliness of it all and I think of the millions of dollars there is Fenton College tuition on advertisements and all these things every year.

Only to promote something that we want to be true. because, I mean, if you think about it, you know, Is education really even possible? If there is no truth.

And if the education world is trying to say, well there is no absolute truth. Then what are they teaching? How can they really be teaching anything? and that is the challenge that's there because, you know, as we're coming trying to Proclaim what we see is truth in the Bible.

I think now more than ever our world questions that truth, because they can take the easy out of saying, you know what? That is. Great that you believe that that is true for you, but it's not true for me.

And the difficult part of that is that, you know, all too often. Now, if we try to bring scripture which is God's truth us into an argument, you know, we're told that that is arrogance. To think that that is the only real truth.

John 17:17 says sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth.

I think it's arrogance. It's not arrogance to believe what the Bible teaches.

It's the opposite. Arrogance is when we try to tailor the truth to our preferences, when we try to make truth fit what we want.

And really to dismiss Christ as mistaken or the Bible as irrelevant is really the ultimate arrogance. That we could ever show. in first John chapter 5 verse 10 at this, whoever believes in the Son of God, accepts his testimony Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar because they have not believe the testimony God has given about his son.

Let me think about that for a minute.

What could be more arrogant than for us to call God a liar?

To think that we have the right as mortal man to stand up and tell God, no, you're wrong about that.

But you know, research has shown that only 22% of adults believe in absolute moral truth.

if you go age, 36 and under only 13%, Of adults, believe. An absolute truth.

amazingly among those who say, they know that they will go to heaven after they die solely because

They have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus.

Only 32% of them believe in absolute moral truth.

What to believe the good part of the good news, right? That When I die, I'm going to go to heaven.

But they don't want to believe any of the rest of it. They don't want to believe that they need to live by it that they need to shape their life by it.

No, unfortunately, that's lettuce to a place where we have so much theological illiteracy. That. In the past three decades. It's just kind of went crazy among Evangelical Christians because Like I said, we want to believe all the good parts. But not the hard parts. You know in churches are in desperate need of, I think a fresh infusion of that truth. We have to be pushing that truth, teaching that truth. We need to be teaching biblical Doctrine as truth. Not as something that is an opinion.

Men without it when our children have nothing to offer the world.

Cuz if we can't stand up and say no, this is God's truth. Then what are we presenting them?

You at the viewing of my aunt, who passed away a few weeks ago. mom and I went down to the viewing the night before, and

For anyone who knew my aunt, you know, that she had a rough life, a tough life. One of my cousins came up to me and asked and said, you know, how do you preach a funeral when you just don't know?

when you just don't know whether or not the person is saved,

I said, well, I know the truth had been shared with her.

I know that my mom had shared the truth with her several times. And whenever she did, she said she believed it. I know my dad had shared the truth with her several times. I know that her son says, he shared the truth with her shortly before her passing, So I said in those instances, when I don't know, and thank goodness, it's not my job to make that judgment call. You just simply preach the truth.

And that's what I did. If you were here it was pretty much just a straight-out gospel message, because

you know, I had another relative, my mom's brother, who when he passed away unfortunately, we know with him that he did not believe a lot of the things. He was opposed to a lot of things in the church. And no, discredit to the pastor who did his funeral, but he did not even know him.

And he proceeded during his funeral message to talk about the good Christian Life that he had lived.

To, which I think most of us were surprised to find out. We didn't know that. But, you know, I remember I was still in seminary during that time and the thing that impacted me was I was sitting there thinking

Okay, I know his son is here. His son doesn't know Jesus. I know a lot of his friends are sitting in the back back here at this funeral message. That don't know Jesus.

And here we just fed them all the false hopes that the life he lived was the way you're supposed to live in. And it's not.

That's probably the time when I heard that that I decided. Okay, from now on when I do a funeral, there's going to be some form of gospel presentation and every one of them because we don't know

Where that person stands are, where the other people out there stand. But you know, that's exactly why our world doesn't like to acknowledge that. There are any absolute moral truths. Because you know, if you define what is morally, true and right.

You're if you can Define that for yourself if I can decide, what's true if I can decide what's right, then I can be sure to Define all those things in the way that means I never violated, right? But I'm always good.

When what would happen? It's cool if every time we let every kid grade their paper,

There'd be a lot more Straight A's in school, wouldn't there?

We would do that. We wouldn't create truth that. Makes us realize that were wrong. Why would we want to do that?

That's why it's so much easier for the world to believe that truth is relative.

Cuz if I make truth relative, then I can make truth whatever I want it to be.

But is that really true?