Journey to Truth

Introduction

This week we are going to go deeper into Finding Truth. This is such an important subject that we are dealing with. It would not be possible to overemphasize the vital nature of our interaction with the reality of truth.

You have been lied to. We have all been lied to. You know your ways or what you think is right? What you feel in your heart that makes you feel so good? God says that is a joke. - Francis Chan

Everyone’s got an agenda, everyone has their individualized human perspective on things. However the Bible says that is going to get you in trouble and probably already has more than once.

I want you to know that nobody is immune to the effects of deception. Even the Church which is supposed to be a beacon of God’s truth has been tarnished over and over by those charged with keeping the faith pure. The proof is in the divisions that the Church has suffered from the very beginning of its inception.

1 Corinthians 1:10–17 ESV

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1. Perceptions of the same reality

Have you ever come across one of those pictures of the sneaker on the internet that asks you what color you see? Some see pink and some see grey. It supposedly has something to do with right or left brain dominance. It seems like a silly little trick, but consider for a moment how many people can see the same object and have different ideas about what they are looking at.

What do you see in the picture? It may be hard to make out, but instead of being a man’s face it is actually the picture of a landscape. You could say, But I definitely see a face in that picture! And you would be right, the picture has been manipulated in such a way as to give such an appearance.

Can you see how easy it would be to trick some people into seeing something that wasn’t there in other aspects of life?

We know it happens all the time, but we never want to believe it is happening to us. If I opened up the floor for us to describe the ways that we have been deceived in our lives, we could be here for days until we were all just miserable and ready to give up on humanity or the hope of ever finding the truth this side of Heaven.

Some of the worst deception can come from those that are deceived themselves and are not aware of it. I’m sure those that started fighting amongst themselves in the Corinthian church all had compelling reasons why their way was the right way and everyone else was wrong.

There is something that automatically rises up in us when the truth we have come to accept is challenged. We bristle almost instantly, and then we must decide how we will react or respond.

2. The Conditioning of Experience

We all come from different backgrounds, and the environments that we have interacted with throughout the course of our lifetime has brought us to some conclusions. For now, let’s leave the idea of right and wrong out of the equation and simply agree that we have drawn conclusions from life. Then we add in the idea that each of us have various preferences or tastes, and while we might all agree that ice cream is good, trying to get everyone to agree on a specific flavor is going to prove to be difficult even in a small group.

Let’s add to that the fact that someone in the room might be lactose intolerant; or someone else might not consume animal products at all, being strict vegans. Our responses to something as simple as ice cream has the power to divide people in this room in many through their views or preferences.

Now think of the world, of the millions upon millions of choices and beliefs that are out there most are personally preferred for one reason or another.

Now add in the fact that somewhere in all of the perceptions of a thing, there is only ONE truth in reality. Now with ice cream there are obviously many flavors to enjoy, but there are some truths that are so narrow, there is only ONE WAY that they can be properly viewed.

Salvation is one of those things.

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.

That’s a pretty narrow pathway to God. It doesn’t leave much up for interpretation does it?

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

To find the truth in this life, you are going to have to work for it. You are going to have to REALLY want it.

Devotion requires a willingness, openness and readiness to embrace the truth. It is a process of opening yourself to receive what already is. God’s goodness and love already exist. God’s love leads us to the truth. - Iyanla Vanzant

3. The Centrality of God in Truth

Salvation is but one example, but arguable one of the most important truths for mankind. To have assurance from God Himself that we are redeemable or indeed redeemed through our belief in the sacrifice of Jesus and our commitment to Him as our Lord is a comfort without parallel in the world.

Romans 8:16–17 ESV

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Many examples are given to us through the Word of God of those that had lived a life of hardship and still came to discover God’s truth. Many times God’s truths were and still are in opposition to mans ideas, but they are immutable, meaning they cannot be changed regardless of our desires.

One of these men was David, who had this to say after God told him that his kingdom would be established forever...

2 Samuel 7:28–29 ESV

And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

Whenever we find ourselves at odds with God’s truth we must realize that we are limited in our perceptions and are often overcome by the feelings of our conditioning.

Isaiah 55:6–9 ESV

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.