The Guardrails of Truth
You know, I was thinking about that as we were singing that song. So often when someone ask us, how are you doing? We always say great. Okay. you know, we could be hopping on one leg and Missing an arm. I think so.
How often do we really get an honest?
I've always wondered how much differently it would go. If we asked each other the question, How is it with your soul?
But today is we continue to talk about God's true.
you know, we have to realize that Godly living centers, not
Anytime we spend more time.
You need to realize.
Does the Christian Life is far more than just send management? Sometimes I think that we can fall into that trap of thinking that's all all that my Christian Life is, is I got to do these
but, you know,
Without God being involved in it. That's just a form of self-righteousness and we have to realize that that form of self-righteousness where we feel that we can fix.
All of those other sin.
Gossip about when we see them in other people's life.
You know, we also need to realize that children who grow up with graceless truth are very often repelled.
They see people telling them that this is how you should live. This is how you have to live who aren't living that way themselves. so then it should be no surprise to us that when they've seen that sort of graceless, truth their whole life, If they become easily.
Y'all too often were fooled. The world's low standards in the world's disregard for truth. We see those things. His grace.
you know, just that illusion of Freedom, that low standards and What they provide. It feels like Grace to people who have been pounded over the head with Grace was truth because it seems nicer, so that must be Grace, right?
it's been proven that people who grow up with joyless religion, Get into this place where they real. there's no hope to live up to those standards and if there's no hope of living up to those standards that they've been taught,
But properly, understood biblical truths are guardrails. That protect us from plunging off,
You know, smart traveler doesn't curse guardrails. We look over the cliff and weary
As I Was preparing this this week it made me remember some friends of ours. In fact it was Chris and Beth Hoover here as missionaries that are leaving to go to Israel in Israel now when they first moved to,
I remember one of the first things,
A lot of the mountain roads that you take.
And that may not be that unsettling to people.
ribbon on my,
To not have any of those.
No, the guardrails of Truth are not there to punish us. They're there to protect
In John 17:17, we see Jesus, prayed sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth.
Truth is more than just mere facts. Is not just something.
You know, we cannot change the truth, but the truth.
Biblical truth serves to protect us from the false. World B. Try to distract us. From God's tree. All of these things that our society can Champion that are completely opposite of God's truth. That's what Biblical truth protects us from.
That's why even those who reject his truth when they hear it.
Romans 2:15 says, they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts. Their consciences also bearing, Witness. And their thoughts, sometimes accusing them. And other times.
you know, shame and twinges of
and, you know, when people hear truth spoken to them, Loving. They're often.
of the moral vacuum, that Pursuing.
Even people who reject.
Scripture tells us that we are to walk in truth. Love the truth and believe in God.
No, all truth has an origin. it only makes sense to us that the origin of
That's why Jesus.
No one.
He would show up.
No, he is the truth. Personify. Jesus is the source of
that's why if we get it wrong about Jesus it doesn't matter what else we get, right?
Know what? We have to learn. What we have to see is
The Devil is a con man.
He's always denying all is revising. Always spinning the truth in a way that seems more appealing to us.
Why Jesus said in? John 8:44, you belong to your father, the devil And you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer.
Were there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language. He is a liar and the father of Lies.
Eaton is a
Inception. Is eloquent. He's smooth. He's persuasive.
You know, every lie, every good lie.
You know, when we speak the truth, we speak Christ.
But when we speak wise,
Realized.
You know, you and I can discover truth. But we can't create truth. What's true is true? And was not is not and that's true for all of us all the time. You know, our culture has come to view truth, as something that's inside us something, that's subjective. Something that we can make a decision about Something that can be revised according to our own personal growth and inside.
The Bible says the truth is something outside.
Something that we can't change. What's true?
You never influence.
Because truth isn't about our own perceptions and our own desires. It's about reality. In reality. it was designed and
Democrat. Ideals.
You know. I get that to a certain point but you know, we could take a vote right now. Deciding whether or not we think.
No matter what our vote turns out, guess what? It's not going to change reality. Gravity will still be there.
The universe is not a democracy. Truth isn't swayed by.
we all have a Theology and
Your theology might be Christian or it's be totally against.
Question is. True.
Unfortunately.
Unfortunately, some pastors and television preachers are paid quite well, to be very loose with the truth and Bear.
Did you know that shouldn't surprises? Return. The scripture 2nd Timothy 4:3 tells us for the time will come, when people will not put
They will gather around them, a great number of teachers who say what their itching ears.
Play the obscene that over and over again. Haven't me where that has happened? Where if I don't? Like what this guy is saying, hey I just switch the channel. Go on to the next. Until I find someone.
You know, we should take our cues from the brand Christians, not our popular culture. In Acts 17 verse 11. Cuz now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in thessalonica. For they received the message with great
What pulse?
How much do you think it would change the popularity? of some of the television and Internet preachers.
There would be a lot of airtime freed up pretty.
because you know, too many people get their theology from those who are considered influencers In our society. And all too often their spirituality that they're trying to sell is a hodgepodge of psychology and recovery and out of context scripture. And it's a church. Free build-it-yourself spirituality where all roads lead to Jesus.
Whatever you want to believe in. Could be. So not only do they mix all these things from our culture in there, but we even are seeing now where they're mixing. Different things.
The brand of faith that they're trying to promote is tailor-made to each individual's personal preferences. You ought to have your way.
That just seems to fit.
Christian.
But if you notice, they'll never talk about things like biblical inspiration or humans.
Substitute.
Judgment. Resurrection or hell.
We don't talk about those things because those to find true spirituality, They are truths that refute.
Their truth is everything, they're trying to sell out.
You know, one popular television host. Once said, one of the biggest mistakes humans make is to believe there is only one way. Actually, there are many diverse paths, leading to what you called.
Did you just hear?
What you call?
If you defined.
And that's what they're selling us, religion.
The creator of.
Jesus didn't say. I am. One of the ways and one of the truth.
No, and John 14:6. He said, I am the way the
No one comes to the.
Very specific very to the point. But, you know, our culture condemn such thinking as narrow and intolerant.
Even some who call themselves Christians to consider it. Arrogant,
Well, I would agree that it's arrogant. If we were the ones who
But we didn't. We're just repeating what Jesus said. We're not trusting ourselves for trusting him. If it were up to us, we think of something more popular.
But it wasn't up to us, it's not. It never will be up.
Sadly, that's what some Christians now, to even think that it is inappropriate for us to share Christ with people of other faiths.
What gives us the right to impinge upon what they believe?
if you see someone canoeing down,
and, you know, that,
I mean, getting his attention and shouting awarding to heaven. Waterfall that he's about to go over. I understand that might cause the canoeist a little bit of anxiety.
What is spiraling labeling and keeping quiet, the loving thing to do.
Is allowing him to think that he's not in danger. Okay, because well, that's what he believes is true. His truth is, he's okay. so, who am I to tell him he's not
Is that Grace?
To allow him to go over the waterfall that we know is there, just because we don't want to upset him and ruin his truth.
Course, it's not. That's just either straight up being a coward. Straight up India.
Let's be honest going though.
How dare we in the name of this false Grace, that we've come to call tolerance. Let people walk into something that we know.
Isn't what God wants for them.
You know, is it more loving to withhold the truth from those people or to share the truth with the people that Jesus was sent?
South Bend.
you know, I think we all know the answers to that question, but the the truth is, when you start telling that sort of Truth Some people aren't going to like it.
you know, I looked around our church and I think, you know, we stood upon the truth of scripture
Only two people in the whole car.
Voted against leaving.
But yet, since then we've had people leave because well, that's just in town.
No.
It's not always popular. But it's something we have to. To do each and every day you make.
My prayer is that God will challenge each of us daily. to live, by his No matter what the consequences. Please bear with me in French.
Heavenly Father, we thank
Lord, without the guardrails of your truth in Our Lives. Who knows where we would be?