Once again we will be watching another segment of Finding Truth by Francis Chan.

So far, we have talked about the truth of God’s Word, the truth of our identity, the fact that truth is not a matter of perspective or perception, and how the truth applies to each of us.

Tonight takes a bit of a different turn. There are two points we will talk about after the video is done, but these two points are going to hit on something you might not think about in a discussion regarding truth.

My message title for the evening is Together in Truth… and in a moment, I think you will see where that title came from.

But for now, let’s watch this video and then we will dive into the material for the evening.

WATCH VIDEO

Okay… has anyone noticed a bit of a pattern with the testimonies that have been shared throughout the series?

A student is giving their story, somehow they stray in their walk with the Lord… but then they find their way back to Him.

First off, what has been a common theme in the reason the students strayed from the Lord? FRIENDS were involved who led them away from God.

Interesting point… and why is this interesting to me? Because whether we are willing to admit this or not… WE CARE ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT US.

It’s called… acceptance. We want to be accepted in this world. There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel accepted… but there can be everything wrong with the avenue by which we are trying to earn acceptance.

The young lady that started the video talked about doing things she “wanted” to do… and she did these things even though she didn’t like how she felt afterward. She was selling herself short all for… acceptance. She was doing things she knew she was not suppose to do. It was tearing herself apart, but at least she was accepted, right? WRONG. She was being used...

That might seem a bit harsh but, did you catch what started to happen? Her friends started asking her why she was doing what she was doing? They recognized the pattern… they saw the truth… and the truth was she was desperate for attention so she did whatever she had to do to “earn” it.

In the second story, Zion thought he was better… better at everything. So… he put other people down. He did this to lift himself up and all was well until, the truth was revealed… the school saw him as a punk, as a bully, as the antagonizer.

He thought he was on top of the world… but in all reality, he was pushing people away. He wanted to impress… he wanted to strut his stuff… but instead he trampled on others.

In both situations, we see a drive to be accepted… a motivation to be a part of what was going on. Truth is… God created us for relationship. Truth is… God created us to be in fellowship… that drive you feel to be accepted, to be noticed, to be a part of a group or family… was given to you by God.

Not only did He give you this desire… He also gave us a way to be satisfied in this desire.

Together in Truth

I want us to look at the text that was given in the video. It comes from Ephesians 4:11-16

Ephesians 4:11–16 NIV

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

I want us to look intently at verse 15 for a moment. This verse gives us the goal or intended outcome we are to look for.

One, it says we are to speak the truth in love.

Two, it talks about becoming a mature body

This body has a head… who is Jesus

This body has other parts… those parts are made up of the church… you and me.

Our number one relationship is our relationship with Jesus… who is the head of His church.

Our number two relationship is with the rest of believers… the family or body of Christ.

What I want you to see is God designed us for fellowship ans He has provided for us a place for that need to be fulfilled. But too often, people try to find this fulfillment outside of God’s design.

Instead of linking themselves to the truth… they link themselves with the ways of the world… ways that leave a person feeling bad about themselves or lost… like the young lady in the video.

It wasn’t until she started reading the Bible… God’s truth… that she began to turn her life around.

It wasn’t until the meeting in the office… facing the truth of his recent actions… that Zion realized the error of his ways.

But… once the truth was realized, both of them found what they had been looking for FIRST in Jesus and SECOND in the church.

We are meant to do life… together. We are meant to live in the truth… together. God never intended for anyone of us to do life on our own. That is why He has given us Jesus AND His church.

Saying So Long to Self.

So again, notice in the testimonials what it was that was getting in the way of both students finding truth… it was their self.

The young lady’s self told her doing these things would earn acceptance. Zion’s self told him being number one would earn his acceptance. They were all about what they thought they wanted… only to find out that there selfish compulsions were doing the opposite of what they had hoped for.

Your self, my self, is often our greatest enemy. This is why Jesus made it so clear in the Word that if we want to follow Him, this first thing that must go is self.

Luke 9:23 NIV

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

The first thing Jesus says needs to happen is the denial of self. It’s gotta go. Paul said it this way in Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 NIV

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

What He is saying here is that his old self is now gone as He has come alive in Jesus (relationship number one).

He no longer lives for self, He lives for Christ by faith.

If you want to follow the Lord, you must make the choice to put self on the shelf… to say goodbye to what your self might tell you, and embrace what God’s truth reveals.

In all of the testimonials, every student has said, “I tried living life my way and failed. Then I met Jesus and it all changed.”

Someone might rolls their eyes and say, “Yeah… sounds like nothing but Hallmark movie fantasy nonsense.” That’s what your self would want you to believe.

But God’s Spirit will tell you otherwise. God’s Spirit is here to guide you back to what you’ve been looking for. Truth is… WE ALL NEED JESUS. Truth is… WE ALL NEED HIS CHURCH.

If you are in Christ, you are a part of His church… and IMPORTANT part of His church. Do you believe that? God has great things in store for you! So I encourage you… stop looking for what the world would have for you out there… and start asking God for what He has in store for you in here.

Closing

But as you do this… I caution you… you WILL have a confrontation with truth. God is going to reveal to you some things that might need to change… and that’s okay.

These are what I like to call turning points. God’s Word or Spirit may reveal to you something in your life that is leading you away from Him. God does not do this to simply make you feel bad… God does this so that you might find your way back to Him.

The girl found her way back through the Word.

Zion found His way back through the church.

These turning points are good things… so long as we respond correctly to them.

If God is prompting you to change… then make the change

If God is prompting you to change and you ignore Him, you will continue to find yourself in a mess.

We’ve all been there… the only reason I am not still there is because I made a choice to follow Jesus which meant, I had to say goodbye to self and hello to His truth.

Closing prayer

Choosing Jesus

Accepting His truth

Having a relationship with Jesus and finding our place in His church.