What Is Truth?

Praise and Worship:

Offering and Prayer:

Intro:

We live in a world obsessed with being "right." We have "fact-checkers" for everything. We argue our points, we defend our positions, and we say things like, "I’m just telling it like it is!" "I’m just keeping it 100!" But there is a dangerous gap between accuracy and truth.

You can say something about someone that is factually accurate, but if it is rooted in malice, (anger, resentment, jealousy) it’s not Truth. You can point out someone's flaw and be "correct," but if your words bring death instead of life, you are not operating in Truth. We’ve become captives to our own tongues, staying in bondage to a cycle of tearing down rather than building up. And this is why He came: to be a witness to a Truth that doesn't just inform the mind but sets the captive free.

Scripture:

John 18:33–38 NLT

33 Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him. 34 Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” 37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” 38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.

Title, Prayer:

What Is Truth?

Application:

We live in the loudest era of human history. Between social media, 24-hour news, and our own group chats, we "be saying stuff" all day long. We pride ourselves on being "real" or "telling the truth." But have you ever noticed that you can be 100% accurate and still be a liar in the eyes of God?

Accuracy is just about the facts. Truth is about the Spirit.

You can accurately point out someone’s failure, but if you do it to keep them in bondage or to make yourself look better, you aren't standing in the Truth—you’re standing in judgment. We have become captives to our own opinions. We think that because our words are "fact-based," they are justified. But Jesus didn't come to just give us better facts; He came to show us a better way to live.

Point One: The Power of the Tongue

We often think of bondage as something external—a habit, a situation, or a person holding us back. But Proverbs 18:21 tells us that we create our own bondage by the stuff we say: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

Sometimes what we say is "accurate." We say, "They’ll never change," or "They always fail." Even if that might describe their past, it is not the Truth of their future in Christ. When we use accuracy to destroy someone, we are building a cage for them and for ourselves. This is where bondage takes root—in the constant "saying of stuff" that contradicts the heart of God.

If your words are consistently producing death, you are in bondage. If your "accurate" descriptions of your neighbors, your spouse, or your coworkers are tearing them down, you are building a cage for your own soul. We stay stuck because we refuse to stop talking the way the world talks.

Jesus came to set us free from the need to use our words as weapons. He came to show that Truth isn't something you use to win an argument; it's something you use to win a soul.

Life Applications:

Silence the "Accuracy" Trap: Stop using the "well, it's true!" excuse to justify gossip or cruelty. If it doesn't align with God's heart, keep it to yourself. You have heard the saying, “If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all”.

Action: Practice the "24-hour Rule." Before you vent or "tell it like it is," wait 24 hours and ask God if those words bring life.

The Bondage of the Last Word: We feel a need to "win" every conversation. That need to be right is actually a chain.

Action: Practice the "Gospel Silence." You don't have to defend an "accuracy" that destroys a person.

Point Two: Truth is a Standard, Not a Suggestion

What then is Truth? Truth is not a set of facts; Truth is whatever aligns with who God is. If what you say or do contradicts His nature—if it lacks mercy, if it lacks love, if it lacks grace—then it is not Truth. It is just noise.

If God is love, and your words are hateful—they aren't Truth.

If God is a healer, and your actions are hurtful—they aren't Truth.

Some of us are following "cultural truths" or "family-pattern truths" when we should be following the Christ-pattern Truth. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were experts at being "accurate" with the law, yet they were the furthest from the Truth because their hearts were hard. They used their words to drive people away from God, while Jesus used the Truth to draw people in.

Some of you have been following the "facts" of your environment or the "opinions" of people when you should be following the Example of Christ. You cannot claim to love the Truth while your words and actions are tearing people down.

Life Applications:

The "Nature" Test: If it contradicts God's nature, it isn't Truth.

Action: When you feel the urge to criticize, ask: "Does this sound like the Good News of Christ?"

Setting the Captive Free: The Gospel is the answer to everything that holds us captive—including our own judgmental spirits.

Action: Stop following people's "opinions" and start studying Christ's "example."

Witnessing to the Truth: To be a witness doesn't mean you just talk; it means your life proves the message.

Action: This week, let your actions be so rooted in Grace that people don't just hear the Truth—they see it.

Conclusion: The Gospel Answer

This Is Why He Came: To testify to the Truth that sets us free. The Gospel is the answer to the things that hold us captive. It breaks the chains of "having to be right" and gives us the freedom to be holy.

We are held captive by our words, our grudges, and our "accurate" assessments of why we think people aren't good enough. But the Gospel tells us that while we were "accurately" sinners, the Truth is that we are loved, redeemed, and called.

Don't let your "rightness" keep you in bondage. Don't let your "accuracy" drive people away from the Father. Stop following the world's standard of "stuff to say" and start following the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.