The Father of Truth
Notes
Transcript
God is not just our Father in Heaven who sits enthroned far above the earth. God is with us now and His spirit dwells with us and in us. We are to be vessels of the truth. The problem is that we want so much to be liked by everyone that we often times are not vessels of truth but are rather caving to the world. Today we will explore the scripture in John 15 to see exactly what Jesus said about the truth and how it is to be seen in the believers life. The truth has been so mishandled in the church and in world religion because of our deep desire to have it our way but still be liked by others.
Once the Devil was walking along with one of his cohorts. They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny. "What did he find?" asked the cohort.
"A piece of the truth," the Devil replied.
"Doesn't it bother you that he found a piece of the truth?" asked the cohort.
"No said the Devil, "I will see to it that he makes a religion out of it."
Today I pray that the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth will lead us to deep conviction and repentance in our lives. Today I will give you 3 aspects of John 15. First you will see that the Truth Was Sent, God sent Jesus as the truth. Second we will see The Truth Revealed, Jesus revealed the truth to the world so they would know how to live. Lastly, we will see The Truth Confirmed, God sent the spirit of Truth, His Holy Spirit to dwell inside us to confirm the things of Jesus. Lets read John 15:20-27 together.
The Truth Sent
The Truth Sent
20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
There is a song that says what the World needs now is Love sweet love and while this is not false what the world really needs is truth. Truth is the best way to love someone. We live in a society that tells us that Love is letting others believe what they want and do what they want because after all it isn’t hurting you. I want to be very clear on this. That is a fine way to think outside of this church for those who do not believe in the Lord and are not part of the truth. It is not at all ok for those of you in here this morning who claim to be believers of Jesus Christ. When Jesus said this to the disciples Jesus was not talking about the world persecuting them He was talking about the church persecuting them. Why would the church persecute the disciples? Well it is because they were mouthpieces of the truth and that truth caused the religious folks to be awfully uncomfortable. Today's message is not for the world it is for everyone in here who claims to be a believer and who claims to be a part of the family of God. After today’s message there will be those of you in here who say that you hope I never get behind the pulpit again and you know what, that’s ok. The fact is that what the world needs is love from a church of people who believe the truth. Lets go back to the scripture for just a moment.
20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Jesus is telling His disciples that they will be persecuted because they persecuted him. Jesus was the truth that God sent to the world and He was passing on His message of salvation, regeneration, and sanctification on to the disciples. The disciples were going to be tasked with telling people who had grown comfortable in their religiosity that it was time to change and time to follow the truth. The fact is that there is very little truth told in church anymore. We are all liars. How many times have you been having the worst time of your life yet someone in church asks how you are doing and you say great. How many times have you heard a believer telling you something and your spirit is grieved by what you are hearing yet you tell the person that its ok, they had a good reason to do or say what they said and you know that its not true but you don’t have the backbone to say so? How many times have you been telling someone something and you think to yourself that you should have done things differently but then they being believers help justify your behaviors? It is time for us to have churches that are uncomfortably honest. It is time that this world sees a true community of believers holding each other accountable to the Word of God. The fact is that we cannot tell the world to change anything because we would only be hypocrites if we did that. So many people put on pretty clothes and go to pretty churches and they do all this to cover up an ugly heart. We must start being honest with each other both from our perspective and theirs. Meaning when I do something stupid and I have failed I should be more than ok to bring that before every person in here knowing we are family and we are going to help each other. I should be more than willing to call out any person in here knowing that they would accept it. That is how the church is supposed to operate. Jesus told His disciples that they would be hated because they were going to be telling people the truth. They would be persecuted for telling the truth. Here is the truth, are you ready for it? Jesus Christ was the son of God, sent by God to display the life and sacrifice that every last one of us is called to. Anything short of conforming our lives to the life of Christ and mind of Christ is a sin and we should be driving ourselves to this and others to this and holding ourselves and other believers accountable to this. Jesus was the truth that was sent by the Father for us to understand the way we should live and think, and love. Jesus was the truth, He spoke the truth and He passed on the need to speak the truth to us His believers.
6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The reason Jesus was persecuted was not because He did things wrong, it was because he was willing to be truthful. Jesus was willing to call others in the church on the carpet. Remember it was not the world that crucified Jesus it was the religious ones. It was the church of the time that crucified Jesus. I wonder how many churches would be a part of that group today. How many of us? How many of us are really willing to hold true to the fact that Jesus was sent by God and because of this our lives need to be molded to Him and not mold his church to our lives? Are you living in such a way that you are showing your belief that Jesus was the truth sent? Jesus was not only the truth that was sent but Jesus revealed the truth.
The Truth Revealed
The Truth Revealed
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
Jesus revealed the truth, He did not hold back and did not try to make friends with everyone.
I have a very close friend at work who has a child that is Autistic. There are many different variations of Autistic but one of the levels is a person who has the inability to lie. He was telling me about His child’s inability to lie even if he wants to. He told me how every time one of his siblings did something they would beg him not to tell anyone and would often times to their own demise pay him to keep quiet and he would until he was asked and because of his Autism and the way his mind worked he immediately blurted out the truth. He also told me that his wife does not ask stupid questions in front of their son such as honey does this dress make me look fat because she will get the answer that she may not really want.
The fact is that many people say they want the truth and they want the truth revealed but just like the early church when someone reveals the truth to us we are ready to crucify them. I can tell you one of the most awkward feelings is when someone tells me the truth especially when it is something I am doing wrong and they are trying to help correct me. There is a sense where I want to tell them to mind their own business, but there is another sense where I am so grateful that they are willing to tell me the truth. I have grown so much by being around people who tell me the truth. What does the scripture say about us telling the truth?
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who act faithfully are his delight.
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
The fact is this morning that if you hate the truth then you hate God the Father. Jesus said that he revealed the truth and that he was the truth and that those who hated him hate the father. I have one rule for all of my friends in my life, no matter what tell me the truth. I do not need people in my life that tell me what I want to hear I want people to tell me what I need to hear. It is time for the church to adjust to this, We see the church on the news and we hear horror stories about how people were treated in church and you know why this happens? Because along the way the church has despised the truth. We do not like others to tell us anything about ourselves or to admonish us we simply want people to love us just the way we are even if that is sinfull, selfish, and on the way to hell. We simply want to feel better along the way. The world does not need another church holding signs up telling them how they are going to hell and how to repent, they need a church that believes in the truth that was Jesus who was sent to reveal to us the need to change our lives. Jesus was the truth that was sent by God, He reveals to us the need for our lives to change, and when we begin to do this God sends the Spirit of truth to bear witness with our spirit that we are doing the will of the Father.
The Truth Confirmed
The Truth Confirmed
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
When you believe in Jesus the way the scripture calls you to and you are open to telling and receiving the truth so that it lights up the sinful parts of your life, God’s spirit will begin to bear witness with your spirit that you are following the light and you will become witnesses to those around because of the spirit of truth in you. The way we win the race and beat the flesh is by believing in Jesus, being willing to both tell the truth and receive the truth about ourselves so we can be filled with the Spirit, and in being filled with the spirit we have the ability to defeat our flesh and to shine the light of Christ to the world.
I have been working our and here lately I had stopped because of baseball, work, no time, and also because of some health issues. Recently I have been getting back in the gym so I can ensure that I am healthy and able to keep a good mental state about me. One thing you learn fairly quickly when you begin to work out is that no matter how hard you work out if you are not putting the right things in your body you will never win. I joke with people that I don't work out to get healthy I work out so I can eat whatever I want. sometimes its a joke sometimes it the truth. The other thing I have learned is that what I eat before the gym affects how I perform in the gym. when I first started going I did not realize this and I didn't really care. This was until things went horribly wrong. I had just gotten done eating a large plate of spaghetti with Parmesan cheese all over it and 2 pieces of garlic toast, I was filled to the brim. I felt so bad about eating all of it that I decided it was my best interest to go to the gym. I went and did legs because that is the day you burn a ton of calories. As I was going to do my second set of squats I felt a little queezy but said that I was going to work through it. As I went down for my second squat with 175lbs I could not stop the spaghetti from making a second appearance in my life and it was not good for anyone. I made a mess in the gym that to this day haunts the little cleaning lady she quit after that.
Just like what we eat affects how our bodies work, what spirit is filling us affects how effective and successful we are at running this race we are in with God. The Scripture is clear that we are in a race
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
We are in a race and the only way to be successful in this race is if the Spirit of Truth is in us.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
If the church is to impact the world we must be filled with the Spirit of Truth. This only happens when we understand that Jesus was the truth sent from God, Jesus revealed the truth to us, and the Holy spirit confirms that truth in our lives.
This morning I want us to take a minute to truly search our hearts. Are we people who want the truth? Are we people who tell the truth? Are we willing to be the church of truth so we can reach a world with love? We want to see the Father and the only way to the Father is through Jesus and the only way to be with Jesus is to be in the truth.