1 Timothy 2 1-8 2004

Pentecost 17

Alternate Reading for LWML

1 Timothy 2:1-7

September 25/26, 2004

“If the Truth Be Told”

Sermon text: “God our Savior…wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth…And for this purpose I was appointed herald and an apostle- I am telling the truth, I am not lying- and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.”

Introduction: Sometime what we see is only part of the story. That was the situation when a woman commented to her next-door neighbor, “What a wonderful husband you have. You’ve been married more than 20 years, and every day I still see him get out of the car, walk around to your side of the car, and open the door for you. It’s wonderful to see chivalry hasn’t died. You two must be very happy together!”

            Her friend replied, “We’ll actually we are. But, if the truth be told, what you can’t see is that every time he gets out to open my door, he is complaining about the blasted door handle that doesn’t open from inside!”

            “If the truth be told” is a common expression in our culture. We use it to fill people in on a given situation, so that they have the whole story. Sometimes it’s not easy to tell truth from fiction, truth from half-truths, truth from “White lies and even truth from all out lies. Sometimes we don’t even want the truth to be told. In a “Dennis the Menace” cartoon Dennis is pictured sitting on the front step of his home. His mother stands in the doorway, a scowl on her face, her arms folded, and she is obviously upset. Dennis’ father is coming home from work. Dennis asks his father, “Would you like to hear the truth…or my side of the story.”

Hiding the Truth           

            For one reason or another, people keep the truth from one another or they change the truth to suit their own purposes. This, of course affects the relationships of the people around them. As we do it, it affects the people that are around us. The person who sits next to us may look content, as if nothing is wrong, but, if the truth be told, they are often stressed out and churning inside with all kinds of problems, doubts and anxieties. People at work or school may seem to have their act together, but, if the truth be told, they are on the verge of going to pieces by caused by the frustrations in their lives, frustrations that we all share.

Sharing the truth

            Perhaps we would all be better off if we told the truth, shared the troubles of our lives, so that we might share these burdens with each other instead of carrying them around alone. Then to, with such vulnerable honesty we might share more genuine, close relationships with each other. Unfortunately when we share the truth we make ourselves vulnerable to the people around us, after all we don’t want to be pitied. But we all need the support that we can give each other even if it is only an understanding nod, a pat on the back or a simple prayer.

            Sharing the truth is valued in our society, among both Christian and none Christians. We hear and agree with the saying “Honesty is the best policy.” Counselors tell encourage us to tell the truth because lying, living a lie and acting like nothing is wrong, hurts us mentally and spiritually.

            Nevertheless, the world in which we live shies away from sincere truthfulness. One of the worst ways is to make truth relative, acting as if truth can change from person to person, “You have your truth, I have mine.” This undermines the fact that there are things that are reliable, knowable, certain and true. Without certain and reliable truth the foundations of our life and the certainty of our salvation are shaken. The question is often asked, “What is truth” and who speaks the truth? This is reflected in the current cover of Time magazine where it presents the question “Who owns the truth?”

Revealed Truth

            Christian people have always been concerned with the truth, because God is concerned about the truth. St. John wrote, “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. When God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the flesh, He came to us “Full of grace and truth. Jesus said about Himself, “I am the way the truth and the life.” Jesus remained true to the truth, even in the midst of all the lies that were made up and told about Him. This truth took Him to the cross, where He died to establish the truth once and for all that God loves us and wants to save us from our sin, to re-establish a truthful relationship with God for us. And finally to spread the truth that God desires that all people be saved. Through God’s Word, Christians can respond to the question, “Who owns the truth?” by saying we do as we proclaim God’s true Word, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to the world.

            Jesus death on the cross saves us from the eternal death that we truthfully deserved. Baptism joins us to Christ, so that His death on the cross is our death, death to sin, death to death itself, and death to the power of the devil in our lives. Baptism also joins us to Christ in His resurrection so that we rise daily to newness of life through daily repentance and rebirth in the Spirit of God. This truth about life and death and the resurrection are celebrated today in God’s Word and Christ’s’ Holy Communion were we receive the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and truly receive the forgiveness of our sins.

Not For Us Alone

            We know from the Scriptures that God does not want this truth to be the sole possession of just a few people. We glorify God that His salvation through faith by God’s grace alone is proclaimed among us so that other people will hear the truth about the Savior and be saved. St. Paul gets to the truth about what needs to happen. To fulfill God’s mission for the lost people of the world, Paul speaks the truth when he quotes the prophet Joel, “Everyone that calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” Paul asks some penetrating questions of Christians. How, then can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” These are the things that must happen for God’s mission to be realized.

Sharing the Truth

            The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, our Ladies Aid, realize the importance of this sequence from sending to preaching, to hearing, to believing, to calling upon the name of the Lord and being saved. That is why they do all the activities they do in their programs and projects, most especially supported by Mite Box offerings. That is why they are committed to “assist each woman of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod in affirming her relationship with the Triune God so that she is enabled to use her gifts in ministry to the people of the world, that they may know the truth about Jesus and be saved.

            Today we thank God for their ministry and for their creative efforts for more that 60 years of believing in the grace of God, if the truth be told. The bottom line is that people from all nations, tribes, clans, people, and languages will “call upon the name of the Lord” and be saved. God uses them and us to make this happen.

            In the church, “If the truth be told” is more than a common expression. It boggles our minds to imagine the possibilities for the mission work of the Church. It expands our vision as members of the Church, who see and care about the lost, the hurting, the lied to and the deceived, the lonely, the poor, the confused. “If the truth be told” expresses our compassion for the lost and our mission to use the Means of Grace to bring all people to a “knowledge of the truth.”  And in the end it is not a matter of “If the truth be told” It is being told, here and throughout the world. God’s mission is at work through you.

Conclusion: I invite you to join our Ladies aid. It is open to all women of every age. Together they are able to do more than the could do by themselves. I invite you to encourage and pray for our women as they work together in a common mission for saving the lost the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In support of our women we join together with them and speak the LWML pledge…

Now the peace that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Jesus Christ.  Amen.