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Winston Churchill said, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”
That may be a common response to truth, but it places those who respond thusly on the road to tragedy and destruction.
There is no way to love and follow God without loving and following truth.
The two cannot be separated.
We have spent the last several weeks examining 40 alluring lies the enemy is using in the world today.
With each lie, we have provided a counter to the lie with truth.
For anyone who desires to be a faithful follower of the Lord, being able to spot lies is vitally important.
Yet, how does one know a lie from the truth?
Churchill’s comment is quite convicting.
The idea of stumbling across truth only to scurry away from it is a terrifying reality today.
People are far more likely to believe the lie they hear than the truth.
Why is that?
One reason they buy the lie is that they love what they hear.
It makes them feel better about themselves, where they are in life, and where they are going.
They can justify their behavior.
They have their ego stroked and consequences seem minimal.
The second reason they embrace the lie is they simply do not know the truth.
They have ran the race of life without any clear instruction or boundaries.
Their feet have only known the trails masses of others have traveled before them.
The road seems easy.
Resistance is never met for the runner.
Yet, the actual trail to safety is a rocky, overgrown path that few of dared to traverse.
On occasion they might cross that path for a specific subject because of common knowledge of good and evil.
Yet, they are never on that path long before they swiftly travel the beaten path to the den of death.
Having your life rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Scriptures is the only way to know truth.
Paul says it this way in 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
As we near the finish line of our season, I would like to take a few minutes today to talk to you about ways we can pursue “Defeating Lies with the Truth.
Transition:
1.
To defeat lies, we must choose the pathway of truth.
It might sound a little funny to say we need to choose the pathway of truth.
Yet, it is vitally important.
We cannot pursue truth if we are not actively choosing to pursue it.
In general, we naturally drift to the lies in life.
We might wonder how nations end up in communism, giving up their freedom, and accepting great wickedness.
In almost all those instances, it was a drift.
One small step here and there down the path.
And, as the drift gets further from the truth, the movement towards vile wickedness is hastened until the nation or people are totally insnared in the death trap.
We must not let our guard down.
Over these weeks, I am sure you could point to lies that you have at one time or another believed and even embraced.
I’m totally with you.
I’ve been there.
However, the drift is sneaky.
If we let down our guard, we will begin to find ourselves off course which is why it is imperative to stay rooted in God’s Word.
Psalm 119:105 tells us:
In other words, God’s Word the Bible is our map and compass.
It keeps us pointed in the right direction.
Without it guiding our steps, we are destined to stray into the most dangerous of traps.
Thus, we are only able to move in the right direction when we have a clear understanding of the map.
We must not wonder in darkness; especially, when we have the Bible to light our path.
Transition: to defeat lies, we must choose the pathway of truth.
But we also need to know that:
2. To defeat lies, we must experience the transforming power of truth.
Romans 12:2 states:
There is a transformation that takes place when a believer moves from the world of lies to a world enlightened to God’s truth.
It is not always easy; especially, when you first experience saving faith, there is instant salvation but the process of understanding Scripture and how to apply its truth is just beginning.
It is important to note Jesus’ instruction to the Jews who believed him in John 8:31 and 32:
The word abide is significant.
The tense used here is one of an ongoing continual practice; meaning, Jesus is expecting them to continually remain in the Scriptures.
It is those who abide in God’s word that prove to be his disciples.
The believer’s love for God drives his longing hear from his Lord and to serve him faithfully.
The child of God knows that he has experienced freedom because of the truth found in Jesus.
Once freedom has been grasped, the bondage of the lies of hell cannot be our embrace.
Galatians 5:1 says it this way:
Children of the living God have experienced the saving faith and should not return to the deceit that enslaved them.
Yet, the battle is not an easy one. 1 Timothy 6:12 states,
As those who have experienced transformation we must take hold of the faith and strive to walk according to the word of God.
We have been called and set apart no matter our careers and current situation.
God has permitted us to be in the exact circumstances we are in for the purpose of making Christ known to many witnesses.
For some of you God has placed you in the life of your employees, others it is your co-workers, family, friends, and neighbors.
The truth is that God has given you freedom and transformed your life so that you can be a vessel to make known his great work!
Transition: We have seen that in order to defeat lies, we must choose the pathway of truth and we must experience the transforming power of truth.
Now lets look at the third truth.
3. To defeat lies, we must invest time in the truth.
I’d like to make this as simple as possible.
We cannot defeat lies unless we are willing to but in the time.
Equipping ourselves to defend truth requires a serious time investment.
It seems like our society is more about instant gratification than the gratification of hard work.
While a somewhat silly example, the microwave serves a great illustration of this dynamic.
We can throw in leftovers into the microwave, type a few buttons, and in just a couple of minutes, you are eating.
It is great.
Yet, it has its shortcomings.
I am a big fan of potatoes.
They are full of carbs and definitely not ideal for losing weight.
Yet, when they are prepared properly, they are amazing sides to dishes and sometimes part of the main dish.
You can use the microwave to cook potatoes but it isn’t the same as baking them.
It is simply not as good.
The high heat and longer time in the oven creates that tender and flaky inside and crispy outside that you simply cannot get with a microwave.
Learning how to defeat lies is a lot like the difference between a microwave and long form reheating or cooking.
You can get quick answers asking pastors or searching for quick answers in trusted resources.
There is a time and place this is needed!
But, the best way to prepare to live your life in truth and to defend against lies is to spend a great deal of time in reading, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word.
Joshua 1:8 tells us,
Joshua instructs the Israelites that they are to mediate on the law of God all day long, every day.
Additionally, they are to live according to what is written.
There is no way they could live according to the Law if they did not know it thoroughly!
We also must keep in mind that the whole Bible from Genesis 1:1 through the end of Revelation is for our good.
Romans 15:4 explains,
The purpose is to give us hope!
Do not get discouraged when reading Scripture.
It is one love letter to us to show us God’s redemptive love, grace, and mercy towards us while also demonstrating God’s good justice against all unrighteousness.
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