Truth

God’s Ultimate Truth

Finding Clarity in Christ

Bible Passage: John 14:6, Psalm 51:1-6, Leviticus 10:1-2, 16:1

Introduction

5 min or so on school experience and learnings

Overview of the courses

Discuss some small portion of time on each paper

Introduction

I fear that some of us do not take God seriously. His truth that he has given us concerning who he is and His love for us.

Do I really consider All that He has done for us. The truth in His word, the instructions he gives us, the Love he has for us,

Do I fail to consider the magnitude of that truth!

I know I struggle with it as times, staying grounded in who God has made me.… What He has called me to do. Why am I even here?

All of these questions, we should consider, especially as someone who professes that Jesus is the Christ!

As a someone who is Saved from God’s Just wrath and condemnation… who confesses that Jesus is my savior, that God’s only Son died for me, Willingly laying down His life for me.

If this is who I am, then at the first thought that I can do it, I can make it, I can accomplish it, whatever and where ever the ideas come from and for whatever the reason, I am sadly mistaken if I am not doing it for God’s purpose.

The God of this universe, the God of everything, gave his life for me!

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Should God’s Truth be taken serious?

Lets look at a 2 OT examples of how God dealt with Sins before Jesus, this is important as this shows us how serious God is toward sin.

Our examples today, are not of people that are wicked. People that, you and I would agree would need to be crushed by God.

A little back ground here. The book of Leviticus.

Leviticus 10:1–2 “1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

Leviticus 16:1 “1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died,”

God is Holy and nothing Unholy or Unclean can come near him.

This is an example of the seriousness of God and His holiness, disobeying God’s commandments. However, we cannot say He did not warn his people concerning the commandments.

Exodus 30:1-10 is clear concerning the requirements of God with regards to the offerings before him. Vs. 9 and 10 are clear to say…

Exodus 30:9–10 ESV

9 You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

What about Moses, This is a man to sat face to face with God and reasoned with him. Had such an incredible relationship with God himself that he was able on several occasions to change God’s mind. Moses had an great relationship with God, God met with Moses on countless occasions and God gave him the Law, detail after detail, God and Moses.

However, even the relationship they had, the times together, the hours they spent together could not overcome the ask… God said to Moses...

Numbers 20:7–8 ESV

7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”

From this incident, God would not allow Moses to enter into the land of rest, the promise land.

Even though Moses pleaded with God to do so.

Deuteronomy 3:23–29 ESV

23 “And I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, 24 ‘O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But the Lord was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’ 29 So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

And we could talk about Uzzah… who steadied the Ark on this way and… He dropped dead.

Here is the point to these examples...

God takes sin seriously!

Psalm 119:160 “160 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.”

Psa 19:7-14

NT Example of the seriousness of God’s Law. Sermon on the Mount...

Matthew 5:17–20 “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

2. Trusting the Truth

John 14:6b

Did the Laws of the OT, samples of some of them we just looked at, did they change? No, they did not.

Romans 5:8 “8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ephesians 2:1–10 “1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The TRUTH is… God love you and sent His Son to die on a cross!

What does God say about anyone who hangs on a tree? Deut. 21:22, Deut. 27:26,

Galatians 3:10–14 “10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Today, in our world today, the world considers Truth subjective. It can change, with opinions, with lies, in the name of whatever you want. AND this has bled into the Church, the allowance of questioning God’s word and challenging what God calls Truth.

3. Living the Life

John 14:6c

Maybe explore the profound claim of Jesus being 'the life.' Here, you can communicate how true and eternal life is rooted in an ongoing relationship with Jesus. Discuss how living apart from Christ may lead to a meaningless existence, whereas life in Him is fulfilling and purposeful. Encourage the audience to invest in this relationship, bearing eternal fruit and influencing their everyday decisions and interactions with the world.

David said, after his sin with Bathsheba...

Psalm 51:1–12 “1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”