Absolute Truth

Good morning. I want to welcome all of you here in person this morning on this glorious Lord’s day. What beautiful weather we are having outside today. I would take this all year long!

I also want to welcome those watching on the live stream either on our website, app or facebook or youtube, however you join us welcome.

Next week we will begin our IT sermon series and as a part of that sermon series the elders wanted to have us gather for a potluck and brain storm after services on Sunday October 6th....that is next Sunday so bring your favorite dish to share and we will gather and eat and fellowship and dream about what God is wanting us to do as a corporate church body here in Nevada Mo!!!!!

This morning we will finish our Spiritual Warfare series as we look at Absolute Truth and what role it must play in our lives as Christians

There is an old saying You have to stand for something or you will fall for anything

While not biblical it holds some truth. So many today want to go through life playing the middle or even playing both sides

You talk with them and come away having no idea where they stand because they seem to be for everything

Today many change their “truth” depending upon who they are talking with or what their end goal is

This is presidential election season and all candidates seem to change their tone and truth depending upon who they are talking to

it is maddening

However we all do that to an extent

it is human nature to do whatever we need to do to get what we want

many will say whatever they think the person who can benefit them wants to hear

the worlds truth is relative at best and a out right lie at worse

relative truth is only true depending upon circumstances

it changes

it is not always true

relative truth changes for each person or situation

today when you hear....That is my truth…it is relative truth

An example of this is gender confusion

absolute truth is you were created either male or female

period

relative truth says I feel female so even so I was born a male my truth is I am a female

That doesn’t make you a male

You could call a frog a cow all day long but the frog will never be a cow

I praise God for His Truth

Absolute Truth

Truth that never changes even when you and I dont like it

it never changes

it never ceases to be true

That is what we are going to dive into this morning

Lets pray

START RECORDING

Absolute Truth

For some....even many

today will be hard

Today will be challenging

today will be convicting

for others today will be edifying and encouraging

I am not in control of what today is for you…God is

I am just here to bring to you what God brought to me

I want to start this morning with truth

what is truth?

We have looked at this here many times

John 14:6

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“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Jesus tells you He is the Truth

John 1:1

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Jesus is the Truth

Jesus is the Word

The Word is Truth

The Word is absolute Truth because it never changes

Hebrews 13:8–9

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“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”

Jesus never changes

the Word never changes

it is always true

Absolute Truth

If God said it in His Word it is true

Humans were created male and female

period end of story

marriage is one man and one woman

period

end of story

Jesus is the way and truth and life and NO ONE comes to the Father except through Him

Absolute truth....never changes

The Holy Spirit leads one to repentance leading to salvation and once one is saved by making Jesus their personal Lord and Savior you receive the Holy Spirit that is again absolute truth

Never Changes

What I want to talk about this morning is a quote I heard from our middle school football head coach as he talked with the kids after practice

I am not sure if it was his quote or a family members quote or someone else’s quote but as soon as I heard it I knew God wanted me to use it

Here is what was said

Recognize truth and don’t negotiate with it

That should be us as Christians

Recognize God’s absolute truth and do not negotiate with it

It changes us we dont change it to fit us I pointed to some absolute truths earlier

most probably everyone here wouldn’t negotiate with those truths but many truths Christians and many here do negotiate with

John 17:17

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“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

This is the truth we are going to look at this morning

You and I are to be sanctified by the Truth yet many negotiate with this truth

What is sanctify or sanctification

Sanctify here comes from Greek word meaning to purify or consecrate

How

through God’s Word

through obedience to that Word

Romans 12:1–2

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“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Through the renewing of your mind

As I thought and prayed about what God wanted me to bring to you this morning I landed on a couple of passages but felt that we should spend time in Colossians. I was also lead to a passage in Ephesians but the Jr and Sr high Bible study is digging into that one

Colossians 3:1–13

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King James Version Chapter 3

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, minordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off xthe old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither fGreek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, obowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

We are going to dive into this in chunks this morning

Colossians 3:1–4

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“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

First if you are saved…risen with Christ…seek those things above…the things of God!

Is that you?

Do you live out that truth

are you seeking the things above.....the things of God or your things or this worlds things

Vs 2 says to Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth

Set your affection comes from a Greek verb fron-eh-o it means to exercise the mind, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion, interest oneself in

We think of affection as an emotion usually tied to love

someone shows affection....or love…not what this means

set your affection is not an emotion but a choice

exercise your mind by thinking about heavenly things not earthly things

We all have many opportunities to do this

For example this weekend was my 30th high school reunion....I know it doesnt seem possible that I am that old…i get it

but I did not attend

I am not casting judgment on anyone or any place but Friday night they went to the Elks.....bar.....and Saturday night they went to Elks lake out by compton junction to hang out eat and drink

If that is for them great but that is not for me.....I do care about those I graduated with but for me going to a bar or out to a lake to drink is not setting my affection on the things above but on the things of this world.

Again not casting judgement on anyone but that was my personal conviction about this weekend

All of us today at some point exercised our minds on earthly things

what to wear

what to do about lunch

maybe on the way to church you listened to secular music and it took you to an event or circumstance…sinful or not…and you exercised your mind thinking about earthly things

Set your affection means to declare your allegiance

because whatever or whoever has your mind has your allegiance

i am not a normal educator or coach even

my allegiance is not with teaching or coaching but with Jesus

i think about teaching and coaching in the moment but I think of all of it through Jesus

Colossians 3:3

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“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

you are dead and your life is hid in Christ

What does that mean?

As Christians we must have little to no desire for worldly pleasures

some may be thinking great

no vacations

no fun

all we are to do as Christians is to sit at home with the Bible and Bible alone....not a terrible thing to do but you have a ministry field God has called you to

There were Christians called to the Elks on Friday night and the lake on Saturday night to be the light of Jesus that was their ministry field those two nights

You are to spend time with Jesus in the Word

Your mind must always be set upon Him but He calls you to the ministry field

your home…family

your friends

your work

your church

But wherever you are you are to be

dead to flesh

dead to sin

Romans 6:1–2

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“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

Dead to sin

Dead to the world

this doesn’t mean no vacations or fun etc

It means Jesus is now our all in all

I don’t do anything for me or world but only for Him

You are to be dead to self

hid in Christ

When people see you do they see Jesus and only Jesus

They should

If they dont your affections are set on this world not Jesus

Colossians 3:5–11

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“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

God through Paul gives you examples of what we are to be dead to

what you are to never set your affections upon

I want to quickly walk through each of these to make sure we our understanding is clear and accurate

Mortify

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Greek verb nek-ro-o means to deaden, to subdue, be dead

You are to be dead to these things

dead

gone

zero affection toward or for

Fornication

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Greek noun por-n-ah means harlotry, adultery, incest, illicit sexual intercourse

This is not just prostitution but adultery, homosexuality, sex with animals, sex with close relatives, sex with divorced man or woman

If you are divorced....remarried....if you have not confessed that sin to God and asked for forgiveness for sin of divorce and the things leading to that divorce you are still here

Divorce is not unforgivable

it is not the unpardonable sin but God hates divorce

Many are married outside of Christ and come to Christ after marriage

The Bible says to do all you can to save the marriage before divorce

Some divorced before coming to Christ again you must deal with that with God before moving on to another marriage......if you are remarried and have not dealt with God on this then you must do that immediately

Uncleanness

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Greek noun that means impurity: physically or morally, lustful, luxurious living and thinking, impure motives

Inordinate Affection

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Greek noun path-os means passion, lust,

Letting our desire and passion overtake us

Many NFL and sports fans and those that place music stars too high are full of inordinate affection to humans and worldly things....that is sin

Evil Concupiscence

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Evil comes from Greek adjective kak-os means worthless, depraved, injurious

Concupiscence comes from a Greek noun that means longing, desire, lust

Longing or desiring or lusting after something evil…God’s definition of evil not ours

Covetousness

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Greek noun meaning avarice, fraudulence, extortion

avarice according to Websters 1828 means inordinate desire of gaining or possessing wealth

Starting to see a trend?

Dead to you

Dead to all human emotion and desires

You still feel them but you are to be dead to them so you have no desire to fulfill them

you are to be set apart

hid in Christ

That is absolute truth

God goes further and says that we are

Put off these things

Anger

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Greek noun are-gay means violent passion, indignation vengeance

Wrath

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Greek noun thoo-mos means passion, fireceness

Malice

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Greek noun kak-ee-ah means badness, depravity, malignity,

this is trying to hurt someone physically, emotionally, spiritually

Blasphemy

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Greek noun blas-fay-me-ah means vilification against God, evil speaking

Filthy Communication

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Greek noun meaning vile conversation

This is much more than cussing…cussing is for sure included but any communication or conversation about what we have just talked about that we are dead to is filthy communication

talking behind someones back

gossiping

hateful talk

this includes social media and texting

Lie

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Greek verb meaning to utter untruth or attempt to deceive

These are to be put off at salvation

You are to be dead to them as Christians

Are you dead to them Christian?

Colossians 3:12–13

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“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

God tells us what to put on

Bowels of Mercies

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Bowels from Greek noun meaning pity or sympathy, inward affection

mercies from greek noun meaning mercy, compassion

Kindness

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Greek noun meaning usefulness, excellence, gentleness

Humbleness of Mind

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greek noun meaning modesty and humility

Meekness

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greek noun meaning gentleness and humility

Longsuffering

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greek noun meaning forbearance and patience

Forbearing

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greek verb meaning to hold oneself up against, put up with, endure, suffer

Forgiving

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greek verb meaning grant as a favor, pardon, rescue, deliver

You and I as Christians are to be sanctified, set apart, hid in Christ

Is this you?

This is truth…absolute truth…recognize it and do not negotiate with it

Where are you?

STOP RECORDING

Invitation

STOP STREAMING