The Truth Hurts

Intro

“You can’t handle the truth.” - Jack Nicholson’s character Col. Jessep in a Few Good Men

Stephen Hawking , Cosmologists died 14 March 2018

Stephen Hawking was a self-proclaimed Atheist.

God may exist, but science can explain the universe without the need for a creator.

Not only does God play dice, but... he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen.

Stephen’s God was Physics and Science. The basis for truth was his intelligence:

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.

For Him, truth was based only in facts of science as he saw them. So, it shouldn’t be hard for us to see a confused individual.

Christianity is not contrary to science, it actually helps explain it. They are not juxtaposed.

What we can say is, unless something changed in the last minutes of his life, he denied God all of the way to his final breath.

This should not surprise us. The world, those who are not God’s elect, cannot help but deny God, and with it the Truth.

Drama

Peter’s Sermon about their guilty behavior in Killing Jesus

The Truth statement is about the resurrection of Jesus

Why were the Sadduccees so annoyed? They did not believe in the spirit world or the resurrection.

Acts 23:8 ESV

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

How do we define truth?

If it comes from God as revealed in His word it is truth.

John 17:17 ESV

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

In this case the words of the Apostles are God’s truth

If it is to be learned then it must come from Jesus:

John 14:6 ESV

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

And,

3. The Christian is guided toward this truth by the HS

John 14:17 ESV

even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

In other words, the truth can be known to whom God reveals it.

Doctrine

God’s truth offends

Unbeliever

Enemies of God that will turn from him

Deny him and reject him

sometimes the believer

Sadduccees offended by the truth

The work they witnessed

annoyed

irked, disturbed, troubled, greatly annoyed

Pride and Ego

We need to approach God’s Word with humility and assume we are wrong. Our hearts are wrong and need adjustment.

God’s Truth Prevails

Through adversity

Christians have been and will continue to be persecuted in various ways

The world hates Christ and therefore hate you

None of us like to be disliked

As God ordains

Work of Christ

Resurrection

God’s Truth calls

People to His Church through truth

Isaiah 55:11 ESV

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiahh 55:11

This is the point of this passage. God’s word is truth and made effectual for salvation.

Pilate and Jesus

What is truth?

Satan has blinded the eyes of men with relativism

Doxology

Illus: Andrew Brunson

Brunson was arrested in İzmir on Dec. 9, 2016 over the accusation of committing crimes on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), widely believed to have been behind the failed coup in July 2016.

Turkish court has accepted an indictment of up to 35 years in prison for American Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson over charges of “committing crimes on behalf of terrorist organizations,” state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

“I am a Christian Pastor.”

Let us pray that God does some amazing things and save people because of what Andrew stands for while imprisoned.

Christians have a responsibility to tell he world the truth about Jesus

Often, we do not because of our pride or ego or fear of imprisonment

Let us be a people that uphold God’s Word as Truth - individually and corporately

Let us be a witness to the world of god’s truth no matter the adversity and persecution we receive.